LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
December 26/17
Compiled &
Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The Bulletin's Link on the
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Merry Christmas
From the LCCC, I wish you and your families a Merry Christmas and
a Happy New Year. May the New Year with the blessings of Jesus bring justice and
tranquility to our beloved Lebanon and peace of mind to our people all over the
world.
Yours Truly
Eias Bejjani
Bible Quotations
Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may
become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and
crooked generation.
Philippians02/12-30/:"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not
only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your
salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and
to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Do everything without grumbling or
arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without
fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like
stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be
able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. But
even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service
coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too
should be glad and rejoice with me. I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to
you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. I have no
one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare. For everyone
looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that
Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with
me in the work of the gospel. I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see
how things go with me. And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come
soon. But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother,
co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take
care of my needs. For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you
heard he was ill. Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him,
and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I
am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be
glad and I may have less anxiety. So then, welcome him in the Lord with great
joy, and honor people like him, because he almost died for the work of Christ.
He risked his life to make up for the help you yourselves could not give me
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 25-26/17
Prayers & Wishes On The Christmas Holy Day/Elias Bejjani/From
the 2015 Archive
Why Saad Hariri Had That Strange Sojourn in Saudi Arabia/ ANNE BARNARD and MARIA
ABI-HABIB/The New York Times /December 25/17
A tribute to the Lebanese national resistance/Hussein Shobokshi/Al Arabiya/December
25/ 2017
2017 Passes as Fast as a Tweet/Ghassan Charbel/ Asharq Al-Awsat/December 25/2017
Social Media, Not Phones, Get Kids Addicted/Leonid Bershidsky/Bloomberg/December
25/2017
France's Macron Submits to the Arab World/A Gentle Christmas Day Word of
Caution/Giulio Meotti/Gatestone Institute/December 25/2017
The year a rogue regime went from bad to worse/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab
News/December 25/2017
Mideast needs two-state solution, Pope says in Christmas message/Arab
News/December 26/ 2017
Titles For Latest LCCC Lebanese Related News published on
December 25-26/17
Prayers & Wishes On The Christmas Holy Day
Al-Rahi: Lebanon Can't Bear Elimination of Any Component, Restriction of
Freedoms
Aoun Says Officers Decree Lawful, Dismisses Concerns on Freedoms
Kanaan: Christian Alliance, Reconciliation Won't Collapse
Rifi: FPM, Bassil Responsible for Theft of $26 Billion
Saudi Daily Says Three 'Hizbullah Experts' Killed in Yemen
Unilateral governance doesn't work: Al-Rahi
Aoun talks feud with Berri ahead of Christmas mass
Audi presides over Christmas Mass: To immunize Lebanon against divisions,
aggression
Geagea and his wife attend Christmas Mass in Bsharre
Army is watchful and will allow no one to tamper with stability, says Sarraf
Syrian arrested for belonging to Daesh
President Aoun: Judicial work must be respected
Riachi from Bkirki: Christian reconciliation was accomplished to stay
Why Saad Hariri Had That Strange Sojourn in Saudi Arabia
A tribute to the Lebanese national resistance
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For
Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December
25-26/17
Pope Laments 'Winds of War' Blowing around the World
Russia Bars Navalny Presidential Bid
6 Dead in IS-Claimed Suicide Attack near Afghan Spy Agency
Saudi ministry reveals details related to recovery of slain Shiite judge’s body
Saudi interior ministry: Kingdom facing terrorists with links to Iran
Leaked Hezbollah, Iran documents reveal collapse of Houthis
Syrian-Iranian Backed Forces Advance In Border Area Near Northern Israel
Guatemala Announces it Will Move its Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem
At Least 5 Killed in ISIS Attack in Kabul
Russia on Sochi's Outputs: Constitutional Committee Approved by Assad
Bahrain Sentences to Death, Jails Terrorists for Attempting to Assassinate
Defense Force Commander
Peru President Pardons Former Authoritarian Leader, Sparking Protests
Iranian Judiciary Insists on Pursuing Ahmadinejad
Latest Lebanese Related News published on
December 25-26/17
Prayers & Wishes On The Christmas Holy Day
Elias Bejjani/From the 2015 Archive
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=50487
Thinking of the great fatherhood love that Almighty God carries for us helps in
appreciating and understanding the actual meanings of Christmas.
God for the sake of our salvation and freedom from the original sin, He sent His
only son, Jesus Christ, to be incarnated, live on earth like each one of us,
endure all kinds of torture, pain, humiliation and to be crucified.
Jesus made us His own and called us to carry His holy message and preach it.
Hand in hand with all those who believe in righteousness and in the ultimate
prevalence of good over evil, let us ask Jesus Christ, the incarnated God, to
grant peace and stability to the whole world, and to shower all the oppressed
with the graces of faith, perseverance, patience, and to bestow them the power
of endurance to face the hardships inflicted on them by Evil of Axis, the
Syrian-Iranian occupation..
As far as oppressed Lebanon, and despite all the sufferings, the majority of our
faithful and patriotic people will always hold on to the hope of Lebanon’s
resurrection and to its eventual mere liberation from occupation, traitors and
all evil.
History always repeats itself, and victory shall inevitably be for those
Lebanese who courageously and faithfully carry Lebanon’s torch of freedom,
dignity, and human rights, as has always been for the past 7,000 years.
All wishes to everyone of you, in occupied Lebanon, and in the Diaspora, to
enjoy with your beloved ones a holy and glorious Christmas, and a very Happy New
year.
Our great happiness as patriotic Lebanese will reach its prime when, and only
when, our beloved Lebanon, home and land of our great fathers and ancestors
reclaims its confiscated independence, redeems its marginalized sovereignty,
restores its oppressed freedoms, and regains its hijacked free decision-making
process.
Our joy and happiness in celebrating Christmas will be at peak the day:
When hundreds of our country’s arbitrarily held detainees are released from the
fascist Syrian jails and horrible detention centers, where they have been
deprived for many years of all their basic human rights.
When our free and patriotic comrades, individuals, leaders and dignitaries are
no longer prisoners of conscience inside Lebanon, and not exposed to
intimidation, fear, terrorism and assassinations
When our exiled people from South Lebanon who are taking refugee in Israel are
welcomed back in Lebanon, officially and publicly with open arms.
When Lebanon’s fertile fields are again green, ploughed, sowed, guarded and
harvested by our men and women.
When our factories are re-opened, productive, and run only by Lebanese hands.
When our borders are patrolled solely by the Lebanese army and security forces,
When all militias, Lebanese and non-Lebanese, are disarmed and dismantled,
When the law of the land and the legitimate authority of a sovereign Lebanese
people are fully and independently applied and enforced on all Lebanon’s soil.
When conscientious and patriotic Members of Parliament (MPs) are elected freely
by the people who deserve MPs who, in turn, understand that they have the
obligation and the privilege to represent the people’s hopes, aspirations and
wishes.
When Lebanon’s markets are open for the country’s products with no foreign
hegemony or unfair and arbitrary competition.
When Lebanon’s judiciary is fair, unbiased and non-politicized, and when the
judiciary and judges fully respect the constitution and abide by the law of the
land and the Charter of Human Rights.
When Lebanese identity is honored and hailed by all the Lebanese communities,
and is placed above all other political, regional, ethnic and religious
affiliations.
Then, and only then, we can rest our case for the struggle.
Let us all pray that the birth of Our Lord Jesus will coincide this year with
the re-birth of a new Lebanon that is free, independent and sovereign.
On the Holy Christmas Day, Let us pray for Peace, tranquility, Love, Forgiveness
and prosperity all over the world .
Best wishes for A Merry Christmas .
Al-Rahi: Lebanon Can't Bear Elimination of Any Component,
Restriction of Freedoms
Naharnet/December 25/17/Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Monday warned
against “the elimination of any component” while stressing that Lebanon should
not restrict public freedoms. “Lebanon cannot bear the monopolization of power
and posts, the elimination of any of its components, or the restriction of the
public freedoms that are enshrined in the Constitution, topped by the freedoms
of opinion and belief and consequently the freedoms of press, publishing and
expression,” al-Rahi said in his Christmas Day sermon in Bkirki. “These freedoms
must be regulated according to their laws and codes of ethics, seeing as
diversity and freedom are twins that represent the joy of the Lebanese,” the
patriarch added. His remarks come amid concerns that there are attempts to
“isolate” certain political parties, such as the Lebanese Forces and the Kataeb
Party. They also come amid an outcry over the judiciary’s summoning of prominent
talk show host Marcel Ghanem.
Aoun Says Officers Decree Lawful, Dismisses Concerns on
Freedoms
Naharnet/December 25/17/President Michel Aoun on Monday noted that a decree that
has sparked a row with Speaker Nabih Berri is “lawful,” asking those who have
reservations to “go to the judiciary.” “Granting one-year seniority to the
officers is lawful and those who have reservations should go to the judiciary,”
Aoun said during an exchange with reporters in Bkirki, where he attended
Christmas Day Mass.
“The officer training course was legitimate and it was stopped due to political
spite. The seniority that was given to them is rightful and it only required my
signature and that of the premier,” the president added. Berri has decried that
the decree should have also carried the signature of Finance Minister Ali Hassan
Khalil. Ain el-Tineh sources have also warned that the decree would tip
sectarian balance in favor of Christians in the army’s highest echelons. Aoun
and his Free Patriotic Movement argue that the decree did not require the
finance minister’s signature because it “does not create a financial burden,” a
point that Berri and his aides have argued against. The officers in question
were undergoing their first year of officer training at the Military Academy
when Syrian forces ousted Aoun’s military government from Baabda in 1990. They
were suspended until 1993 before they resumed their officer training course as
second-year cadets. Separately, Aoun played down concerns about press freedom
after prominent talk show host Marcel Ghanem was summoned to appear before a
judge. “Marcel Ghanem has been summoned to testify… How many journalists are in
prison? The judiciary and its work must be respected,” the president added.
Kanaan: Christian Alliance, Reconciliation Won't Collapse
Naharnet/December 25/17/Change and Reform bloc secretary MP Ibrahim Kanaan has
stressed that the reconciliation agreement between the Free Patriotic Movement
and the Lebanese Forces “will not collapse.”“A lot of people are trying to break
the Christian alliance. They are the ones who will break. This alliance will not
collapse and the reconciliation will not come to an end,” Kanaan emphasized. LF
leader Samir Geagea has recently announced that the LF-FPM agreement does not
stand for blind applause for FPM chief Jebran Bassil’s actions, after the latter
accused the LF of violating the terms of the 2016 Maarab agreement. “An
agreement means partnership and does not mean one party being at the disposal of
the other,” Geagea said in an interview with al-Markazia news agency.
“Supporting the presidential tenure does not mean that one party, specifically
Minister Bassil, would have the right to outline all policies as the other party
claps for him and applauds him,” the LF leader explained.
Rifi: FPM, Bassil Responsible for Theft of $26 Billion
Naharnet/December 25/17/Former justice minister Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi on Monday
accused Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil and the Free Patriotic Movement of being
“responsible for the theft of $26 billion.”“The spoiled child and wonderkid
Minister Jebran Bassil is boasting and acting as if he’s done us a favor by
inaugurating an electrical substation in Tripoli which took seven years in the
making although it should have only taken seven months,” Rifi said. “I tell
Jebran Bassil, ‘Your party has assumed the responsibility of the ministry of
energy and electricity for more than 12 years now and the deficit has exceeded
$26 billion because of the FPM,’” the ex-minister charged. “This is the money of
our children and we will hold you accountable like (Saudi Crown Prince) Mohammed
bin Salman did (with Saudi figures accused of corruption), so that we return the
funds to the Lebanese treasury,” Rifi vowed. He added: “These billions are going
to the pockets of electricity mafias. Today Lebanon needs 4,000 megawatts which
do not cost more than $4 billion. Where is financial accountability? You say
that you will sue us if we accuse you of corruption and I dare you to meet us in
court.”
“The FPM and Jebran Bassil are responsible for the theft of $26 billion and
after the elections we will demand the prosecution of the corrupts,” Rifi went
on to say.
Saudi Daily Says Three 'Hizbullah Experts' Killed in Yemen
Naharnet/December 25/17/Three Hizbullah military experts have been killed in a
Saudi-led airstrike in Yemen, a Saudi daily reported on Monday.
Al-Riyadh newspaper said the strike targeted a house near the Grand Mosque in
the Haradh area, which lies in the Hajjah Governorate that borders Saudi Arabia.
“One of the experts was part of the (Huthi) militias’ communications unit while
the two others worked in the domain of explosives and the planting of mines,
especially sea mines and the rigging of boats used by the militias on the
western coast,” al-Riyadh said. “The bodies of the three Lebanese were
transferred to Sanaa while the bodies of seven members of the Huthi militias
were placed in the al-Thawra Hospital in Hajjah,” the newspaper added. Saudi
officials had previously accused Hizbullah of offering missile expertise to the
rebels, claims denied by Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. The
accusations followed the firing of a ballistic missile from Yemen at the Saudi
capital last month. Hizbullah has recently endorsed a government statement
affirming that Lebanese parties would refrain from interfering in regional
conflicts. The statement was part of an agreement under which Prime Minister
Saad Hariri rescinded a resignation announced from Riyadh.
Unilateral governance doesn't work:
Al-Rahi
The Daily Star/Dec. 25, 2017/BEIRUT: Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai Monday
praised President Michel Aoun’s achievements during the first year of his term,
while warning that decisions in the country should not be made unilaterally. In
a sermon during a Christmas mass held in Bkirki and attended by Aoun, Rai
thanked the president for what has been accomplished, saying it was the result
of wise choices. "Major achievements [have been made] that, until now, had been
postponed year after year, negatively impacting the public good. Every
achievement is good news for the Lebanese," Rai said, addressing a crowd of
politicians and military figures. The Lebanese people are eagerly awaiting unity
and all political parties must work for the common good, Rai added. "Governance
in Lebanon cannot be based on unilateral action or aim to eliminate one of the
country’s components."He also spoke of the importance of “public freedoms,”
particularly that of the press, but added that this freedom “should be based on
ethical and professional regulations." He touched on poverty in the country,
saying that many Lebanese cannot meet their basic needs and that they are
turning to the state for support. Rai also called on the government to assist in
paying teacher's salaries.He turned to the impact of refugees on Lebanon, saying
that he was hopeful that Syrian and Iraqi refugees would be able to return to
their countries and land, "Where they preserve their cultures and reduce the
burden on Lebanon and the Lebanese."
As for the decision made by United States’ President Donald Trump to recognize
Jerusalem as Israel's capital, Rai said that "we are with the Palestinian people
pained by Trump's decision. He challenged the world's will as if he wanted to
erase the Palestinian cause and the two-state solution."
Aoun talks feud with Berri ahead of Christmas mass
The Daily Star/December 25, 2017 |
BEIRUT: President Michel Aoun Monday said that those who took issue with a
recent decree promoting a number of Lebanese Army officers can go to the
judiciary over the matter.
Aoun's comments are the latest in a feud with Speaker Nabih Berri over the
signing of the controversial decree promoting a number of Army officers who
served under Aoun in the late 1980s when he was Army commander. Although Berri
opposed the decree, it was signed by both Aoun and Prime Minister Saad Hariri.
Finance Minister Ali Hasan Khalil, a key political aide to Berri, did not sign
the decree.
"This decree was a right. ... We tried to give [these officers] at least half of
what they have a right to," Aoun told reporters between meeting with Patriarch
Beshara Rai and participating in the Christmas mass held at Bkirki.
"Let them [those who oppose the decree] resort to the judiciary. I would be more
than happy if the judiciary breaks my word," Aoun said, adding that there was no
need for the decree to be circulated or signed by Khalil. "There is no financial
burden from the decree for the finance minister to need to sign it.
The president was also asked about possible tension with Berri over a draft law
presented by Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil - who also heads the Free Patriotic
Movement founded by Aoun - to extend expat voters registration for next year's
Parliamentary elections until Feb. 15. "This issue can be resolved in the
Cabinet. There is a committee [working on the elections]," Aoun replied. Media
reports have suggested that Berri was against any extension.
Aoun also touched on recent protests over what activists have cited as increased
repression of freedom of speech and media censorship. "Have you seen any
journalists in prison?" Aoun replied to a reporters question. He was then asked
about the controversy surrounding LBCI TV host Marcel Ghanem, now facing charges
of contempt and obstruction of justice for criticizing both the judiciary and
the justice minister on his weekly talk show “Kalam Ennas." "There is a judicial
process [that is taking place] and the judiciary and its work should be
respected," Aoun said.
In his statement before taking questions, Aoun congratulated the Lebanese on the
occasion of the holidays, saying that he looks forward to the next year. The
president said that he was satisfied with what has been accomplished, asking
those who have objections to point them out to be discussed.
The annual mass was headed by Rai and brought together many of the country's
politicians and military figures.
Audi presides over Christmas Mass: To immunize Lebanon
against divisions, aggression
Mon 25 Dec 2017/NNA - Beirut Metropolitan Bishop Elias Audi called Monday for
immunizing Lebanon against divisions, aggression, quotas and deals. Audi's words
came as he presided over Christmas Mass at St. George Cathedral in Ashrafieh.
"God has given us a beautiful homeland, but we have not realized its importance
nor did we preserve it as it should be," Audi said, noting that Lebanon is a
nation for all its sons regardless of their sects and affiliations. "We are all
called upon to exert relentless efforts to rebuild a free and independent
Lebanon, characterized by its democracy and far from narrow interests," he
asserted. Bishop Audi concluded his sermon by stressing that "Lebanon must
regain its role as the capital of culture, peace, tolerance, dialogue and
liberty...freedom of expression, justice, rejection of violence and extremism,
respect for diversity, modernism and creativity."
Geagea and his wife attend Christmas Mass in Bsharre
Mon 25 Dec 2017/NNA - Lebanese Forces Party Chief Samir Geagea and his wife, MP
Strida Geagea, joined a crowd of believers in celebrating Christmas Mass at
midnight on Sunday at Mar Saba Cathedral in Bsharre. Following the Mass service,
they received well-wishers at the Cathedral Hall.
Army is watchful and will allow no one to tamper with
stability, says Sarraf
Mon 25 Dec 2017/NNA - National Defense Minister Yacoub al-Sarraf stressed Monday
that strict measures have been adopted by the Army and all security forces to
cope with the holidays, ensuring a calm, safe and peaceful festive season for
all the Lebanese. "The Army maintains a state of watchful alert and will not
permit any attempt to tamper with stability and security in the country,"
asserted Sarraf, speaking before a delegation from Akkar region who visited him
to express Christmas greetings. "While we are celebrating the holiday season in
our homes and with our families, our soldiers are safeguarding our borders and
preserving security in border towns and villages," Sarraf said, praising the
sacrifices of army and security officers and soldiers for the sake of Lebanon.
"The new year will witness more achievements for the military institution," the
Defense Minister added reassuringly, hoping that "the decree of officers
promotions will be signed" while stressing that "every worthy person will be
recognized."
Syrian arrested for belonging to Daesh
Mon 25 Dec 2017/NNA - State Security branch in Hermel arrested Monday at dawn
Syrian national, Ahmed al-Rahil, as he was on his way from Hermel to the Bekaa,
on charges of belonging to Daesh terrorist organization, NNA correspondent in
Baalbek reported. The arrested, who entered Lebanon illegally from his Syrian
town of al-Tabaqa in al-Raqqa, confessed during interrogation to being the
legitimate official of Daesh organization, NNA correspondent added.
President Aoun: Judicial work must be respected
Mon 25 Dec 2017/NNA - President of the Republic, Michel Aoun,
stressed Monday that everyone should respect the work of the judiciary. Touching
on the issue of public liberties in the country, President Aoun questioned, "How
many journalists are in prison? Where are the journalists who were referred to
justice for freedom? How many journalists were sentenced?" In this context, Aoun
stated that "Journalist Marcel Ghanem was summoned to testify," adding, "Even a
member of parliament can be summoned to testify without prejudicing his
immunity."The President's words came following his 20-minute closed meeting with
Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi ahead of Christmas Mass in Bkirki
this morning, with talks bordering hour issues. Responding to reporters'
questions on expatriates' participation in the upcoming legislative elections,
the President disclosed that "voting of expatriates is being addressed in the
government by both the Foreign Affairs and Interior Ministers, who are members
of the ministerial committee [tasked with the implementation of the electoral
law.]" Commenting on the recent rift over the signing of a decree promoting a
number of army officers, Aoun deemed that "granting one year seniority and rank
to officers is a righteous demand, and any objection to this matter should be
referred to the judiciary." The President added that the decree promoting
officers requires both his and Prime Minister Saad Hariri's signatures.
Riachi from Bkirki: Christian reconciliation was
accomplished to stay
Mon 25 Dec 2017/NNA - Minister of Information, Melhem Riachi, deemed Monday that
the Christian-Christian reconciliation was achieved to stay. "The
Christian-Christian reconciliation that was manifested in the Mearab agreement
is ongoing and is intended to last," Riachi said during a chat with journalists
in Bkirki today. Commenting on the Lebanese Forces Party's presence in Lebanon's
political life, Minister Riachi asserted that "no one can dismiss or cancel the
Lebanese Forces." As for the expected meeting between Geagea-Hariri, Riachi
said, "everything is suitable at its right time."
Why Saad Hariri Had That Strange Sojourn in Saudi Arabia
نيويورك تايمز تكشف تفاصيل جديدة حول
احتجاز الحريري في الرياض/الحريري كان ممنوعاً من رؤية زوجته وأولاده/الحريري أمضى
الأمسية بعد خطابه مع ولي العهد محمد بن سلمان في الصحراء/جرى تهديد الحريري بتهم
فساد
By ANNE BARNARD and MARIA ABI-HABIBDEC/The New York Times /December 25/17
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=61301
Saad Hariri arriving at Beirut’s international airport last month, weeks after
announcing his resignation as Lebanon’s prime minister in Saudi Arabia. Credit
Mohamed Azakir/Reuters
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Lebanon’s prime minister, Saad Hariri, was summoned at 8:30
a.m. to the Saudi royal offices — unseemly early, by the kingdom’s standards —
on the second day of a visit that was already far from what he had expected.
Mr. Hariri, long an ally of the Saudis, dressed that morning in jeans and a
T-shirt, thinking he was going camping in the desert with the crown prince,
Mohammed bin Salman.
But instead he was stripped of his cellphones, separated from all but one of his
usual cluster of bodyguards, and shoved and insulted by Saudi security officers.
Then came the ultimate indignity: He was handed a prewritten resignation speech
and forced to read it on Saudi television.
This, it seemed, was the real reason he had been beckoned to the Saudi capital,
Riyadh, a day earlier: to resign under pressure and publicly blame Iran, as if
he were an employee and not a sovereign leader. Before going on TV, he was not
even allowed to go to the house he owns there; he had to ask guards to bring him
a suit.
As bizarre as the episode was, it was just one chapter in the story of Prince
Mohammed, the ambitious young heir apparent determined to shake up the power
structure not just of his own country but of the entire region. At home, he has
jailed hundreds of fellow princes and businessmen in what he casts as an
anticorruption drive. Abroad, he has waged war in Yemen and confronted Qatar.
The day Mr. Hariri was ordered to report to Riyadh, he was just a pawn in the
crown prince’s overall battle: to rein in the regional ambitions of Saudi
Arabia’s longtime rival, Iran.
A poster of Mr. Hariri in Lebanon during his absence. Many Lebanese believed he
was being held in Saudi Arabia against his will. Credit Diego Ibarra Sanchez for
The New York Times
This is the back story of Mr. Hariri’s long, strange sojourn in Saudi Arabia
last month, as revealed in behind-the-scenes accounts from a dozen Western,
Lebanese and regional officials and associates of Mr. Hariri.
Bold Moves Backfire
After delivering his speech, as his bewildered aides tried in vain to reach him
from Beirut, Mr. Hariri did, indeed, eventually spend the evening in the desert
with the crown prince, one senior Lebanese official said.
It was a surreal counterpoint to a series of events unfolding that day and into
the night that set the entire Middle East on edge: a missile fired at Riyadh,
the hundreds of Saudi princes and businessmen arrested, and Lebanon left stunned
and confused.
Prince Mohammed had already launched a war in neighboring Yemen against
Iran-aligned rebels, and gotten bogged down. He had blockaded Qatar, only to
push the gulf country closer to Iran.
Now, he was looking to take out the prime minister of another country, one who
was deemed not sufficiently obedient to his Saudi patrons. The prince intended
to send a message: It was time to stop Iran’s Lebanese ally, Hezbollah, the
powerful Shiite organization that is Lebanon’s most influential political actor,
from growing still stronger.
The prime minister’s monthlong saga was another example of a brash new leader
trying to change the way Saudi Arabia has worked for years, but finding that
action often results in unintended consequences, especially in such a
complicated region. Now, Mr. Hariri remains in office with new popularity, and
Hezbollah is stronger than before.
Hezbollah guests and representatives at a rally in a suburb of Beirut in June.
Credit Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times
Saudi Arabia’s heavy-handed — arguably clumsy — tactics alienated even staunch
allies like the United States, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt and much of Mr. Hariri’s
Lebanese Sunni party. Saudi Arabia may yet clinch some modest concessions from
Lebanon, officials and analysts say, but ones perhaps not worth the diplomatic
storm.
The officials who described the saga were granted anonymity to speak freely
about events that were highly secret and, for Mr. Hariri, deeply troubling and
embarrassing. Some gaps in the story remain, given the intense pressure to keep
quiet and the fact that no one person is privy to all the details — except,
perhaps, Mr. Hariri, who rescinded his resignation immediately after an
international diplomatic scramble brought him safely home.
Mr. Hariri did not respond to multiple requests for comment; he has said
publicly that he acted freely and wants to put the Riyadh episode behind him. A
senior Saudi official said in a statement only that Mr. Hariri was “treated with
the utmost respect,” resigned of his own accord, and remains an “honored friend”
with the kingdom’s support.
The Saudi moves that started on Nov. 4 came in rapid-fire succession. In the
space of little more than a day, the Saudis extracted Mr. Hariri’s resignation;
accused Iran and Lebanon of an act of war after Yemeni rebels fired a missile at
Riyadh; and rounded up the princes and businessmen on opaque corruption charges.
A week later, they ordered Saudi citizens to evacuate Lebanon.
The burst of contentious actions sent war tremors across the region.
With anxieties running high, Lebanese officials worked to head off what they
feared was a long-range plan by Saudi Arabia to destabilize Lebanon’s volatile
Palestinian refugee camps. There were even concerns in Beirut that Saudi Arabia
or its Lebanese allies were seeking to form an anti-Hezbollah militia in the
camps or elsewhere, two senior Lebanese officials and several Western diplomats
said. No such plots came to fruition, and the Saudi official said none were even
considered.
Western and Arab officials say they are still puzzling over what the Saudis
hoped to accomplish with all this intrigue. Several do not rule out the
possibility that they aimed to foment internal unrest in Lebanon, or even war.
Mr. Hariri meeting with the Saudi minister for gulf affairs, Thamer al-Sabhan,
in Beirut in August. Credit Dalati Nohra/Government of Lebanon
What is clear, they say, is that Saudi Arabia sought to instigate a broad
realignment of Lebanese politics to reduce Hezbollah’s power by forcing the
collapse of Mr. Hariri’s coalition government, which includes Hezbollah and its
allies.
But crafting the nimble and activist foreign policy that Prince Mohammed wants
requires “a depth of understanding of political dynamics in other countries and
an investment in diplomatic ties that can’t be created overnight,” said Brian
Katulis, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress in Washington.
“The competition for power and influence in today’s Middle East has changed
significantly,“ he said, “and the Saudis are playing catch-up, with very mixed
results.”
This risks miscalculations and escalations in a region rived by wars and
tensions, he said.
Pressure Points
Trouble had been brewing for years between Mr. Hariri and the Saudis.
Like his father, Rafik, before him, Mr. Hariri owed his political career and
considerable family fortune to Saudi backing. But the Saudis grumbled that Mr.
Hariri’s government was giving too much sway to Hezbollah, which is both a
political party and a militant group not answerable to the state.
Mr. Hariri visited Riyadh in late October, and believed he had made the Saudis
understand his need to compromise with Hezbollah to avoid political deadlock,
officials said. Back in Beirut, to placate the Saudis, he asked Hezbollah’s
leader, Hassan Nasrallah, through intermediaries, to tone down his blistering
speeches against Saudi Arabia’s devastating war in Yemen and Prince Mohammed
personally.
The main market in Shatila, a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, in 2014.
Credit Bryan Denton for The New York Times
That same week, a Saudi minister known as a firebrand on Iran, Thamer al-Sabhan,
warned Lebanon of “astonishing” developments on the horizon and accused
Hezbollah of making war on Saudi Arabia.
On Nov. 3, Mr. Hariri met with a senior Iranian official, Ali Akbar Velayati,
who then praised Iran’s cooperation with Lebanon. That may have been the last
straw for the Saudis.
Within hours, Mr. Hariri received a message from the Saudi king — Come now —
ahead of a meeting that had been scheduled days later, a senior Lebanese
official said. A well-connected Lebanese analyst, Johnny Munayyer, said the
prime minister was invited to spend a day in the desert with the prince.
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But when he landed in Riyadh, Saudi officials took Mr. Hariri to his house and
told him to wait — not for the king, but for the prince. He waited, from 6 p.m.
to 1 a.m. No one came.
The next morning, he was summoned to meet the prince. There was no customary
royal convoy, so Mr. Hariri took his own car. And instead of meeting the prince,
officials said, he was manhandled by Saudi officials.
Lebanese officials described the long hours between the arrival and the
resignation as a “black box.” They said they were reluctant to press Mr. Hariri
for details. When asked, one of them said, Mr. Hariri just looked down at the
table and said it was worse than they knew.
King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud with the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas,
at a reception in Riyadh last month. Credit Saudi Press Agency
Saudi Arabia had many pressure points to use against Mr. Hariri. It could
threaten to expel the 250,000 or so Lebanese workers in Saudi Arabia, damaging
Lebanon’s economy. And since Mr. Hariri is a dual Saudi citizen, with extensive
business dealings in a country where kickbacks are endemic, they could threaten
him personally. An Arab diplomat said Mr. Hariri was threatened with corruption
charges.
The prime minister was handed a resignation speech to read, which he did at 2:30
p.m. from a room an official said was down the hall from the prince’s office.
The text blamed Hezbollah and claimed his life was in danger; it used words that
associates said did not sound like him.
Hours later, the Saudi authorities began their corruption roundups, detaining
two of Mr. Hariri’s former business partners, a reminder of his own
vulnerability.
Unrealistic Expectations
In Lebanon, Western diplomats and Lebanese officials said, the Saudis expected
the resignation would be taken at face value and bring about a mass outpouring
of popular support from Hezbollah’s opponents. Instead, Lebanon reacted with
mass suspicion. No one took to the streets. And Lebanon’s president, Michel Aoun,
a Hezbollah ally, refused to accept the resignation unless Mr. Hariri delivered
it in person.
After disappearing for hours, Mr. Hariri made his first known call to Mr. Aoun,
who realized that the prime minister was not speaking freely. Lebanese officials
began making the rounds to puzzled Western diplomats with an unusual message: We
have reason to believe our prime minister has been detained.
Mr. Hariri, the officials said, was eventually placed with Saudi guards in a
guesthouse on his own property, forbidden to see his wife and children. Within
days, several Western ambassadors visited him there. They came away with
conflicting impressions of how free he was. There were two Saudi guards in the
room, officials said, and when the diplomats asked if the guards could leave,
Mr. Hariri said no, they could stay.
Mr. Hariri back home in Beirut last month. He rescinded his resignation
announcement after leaving Saudi Arabia. Credit Jamal Saidi/Reuters
Lebanon’s internal intelligence chief, Gen. Abbas Ibrahim, put it this way to
envoys who could not quite believe a leader could be forced by foreign officials
to resign, a senior official said: “It’s simple: I could bring two soldiers and
put you on TV saying you hate your country.”
Meanwhile, the Saudi prince, apparently undaunted by international concerns,
summoned yet another leader, the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, and
issued instructions on Palestinian politics. Officials differ on what Mr. Abbas
was told in Riyadh. But Lebanese officials were alarmed. They dispatched General
Ibrahim and a Palestinian envoy to Amman, Jordan, to debrief Mr. Abbas, three
senior Lebanese officials said.
Concerns were high for several reasons. The Saudi recommendations to Mr. Abbas
could destabilize the fractious Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, a senior
Lebanese official said. Separately, a Lebanese ally of the Saudis had urged
jihadist factions in one Palestinian camp to form a “Sunni resistance” militia
to counter Hezbollah — an idea so dangerous that the jihadists themselves
refused, Lebanese and Palestinian officials and a Western diplomat said.
The Saudis and Mr. Abbas’s spokesman denied the accounts.
On a visit to Washington soon after Mr. Hariri’s televised resignation, Mr.
Sabhan, the Saudi minister of gulf affairs, got a withering reception, Western
and Arab officials said, from David M. Satterfield, the State Department’s
acting assistant secretary for Near Eastern Affairs. He demanded that Mr. Sabhan
explain why Riyadh was destabilizing Lebanon.
Intense diplomacy followed by France, the United States, Egypt and other
countries, producing a deal that allowed Mr. Hariri to leave Saudi Arabia.
But Prince Mohammed sent him home with a task: to get Hezbollah to withdraw its
fighters from Yemen, Lebanese officials and Western and Arab diplomats involved
in the deal said. That demand proved, the Western and Arab diplomats said, that
the prince was not well-informed on Yemen, sometimes called “Riyadh’s Vietnam.”
Hezbollah, a Western diplomat said, had only about 50 fighters in Yemen, with
Iran playing a much larger role in training and aiding the Houthi insurgents
there.
To end the war in Yemen, a Lebanese official said, Beirut is “the wrong P.O.
box.”
Riyadh did get something out of the turmoil. Lebanese officials are seeking a
deal with Hezbollah that could include toning down Hezbollah’s anti-Saudi
rhetoric — as Mr. Hariri requested even before the Riyadh episode — and
shuttering a pro-Houthi television station in Beirut.
It remains unclear if Mr. Hariri can deliver enough to placate Riyadh. Mr.
Nasrallah’s speeches have omitted critiques of Prince Mohammed lately, and on
Wednesday, he called for peace talks in Yemen, a major step.
Then again, on Tuesday, Yemen’s Houthis fired another missile at Riyadh.
Reporting was contributed by Alissa J. Rubin from Paris, Ben Hubbard and Hwaida
Saad from Beirut, Nour Youssef from Cairo, David M. Halbfinger and Rami Nazzal
from Ramallah, the West Bank, and Gardiner Harris from Washington.
**A version of this article appears in print on December 25, 2017, on Page A1 of
the New York edition with the headline: Lebanon’s Premier Fell, Then Found His
Footing. Order Reprints| Today's Paper
A tribute to the Lebanese national resistance
Hussein Shobokshi/Al Arabiya/December 25/ 2017
If you think that these words are directed to the terrorist faction organization
Hezbollah in Lebanon, do not read the rest of the article.
Because these words are directed to national and honorable opinions and
exceptional stances defending freedom by those who have paid the price with
their health, nerves, dignity and sometimes life, to keep the voice of free
opinion and truth heard.
There is a clear conflict in Lebanon today, but it has been a cumulative
struggle in the hands of tyrannical regimes including the Syrian regime, which
once occupied Lebanon and practiced terrorism by acting through Hezbollah. There
is a systematic campaign today against free, independent, bold and different
opinions.
In the campaign to suppress opinion, different methods are used to attack
well-known people and to exhaust them by establishing judicial proceedings on
the pretext that what they have said is “very strange”. Important people, such
as Kamel Marwa and Salim al-Lawzi, have been killed by tyrants who have besieged
Lebanon’s regimes and politicians.
There were those, such as Gebran Tueni and Samir Kassir, who struggled for the
right to have freedom of speech and who met the same fate. May Chidiac is also
in the forefront of those leading the honorable national resistance in Lebanon.
Lebanon is a country where books have been confiscated, films have been banned
and Fairuz’s music banned in universities and where national dignitaries are
fighting the last battle of steadfastness
Honor and dignity
Today, the battle is taking place with honor and dignity by people like Marcel
Ghanem, Nadim Koteich, Giselle Khoury, Dina Makhlof, Ali El Amin, Hazem El Amin,
Ali Hamada, Okab Sakr, Paula Yacoubian and others against the terrorist tyrants
who know no language or dialogue except the elimination of those who disagree
with them.
Lebanon is a country where books have been confiscated, films have been banned
and Fairuz’s music banned in universities and where national dignitaries are
fighting the last battle of steadfastness.
They are the guardians of Lebanon’s mission of freedom, art, speech and
creativity without loyalty to anyone, without subordination to anyone, without
reference to anyone and with no flag except that of Lebanon fluttering over
them.
They are like a forgotten community, because it is the true Lebanese community
that has lost its voice when confronted with those who stole the country under
false slogans, destroyed the relations of its community and broke the walls of
trust that existed in Lebanon’s relations with its Arab brethren.
They are the only honest national resistance. We owe them great respect,
appreciation and gratitude.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/24/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-saad-hariri-mohammed-bin-salman-lebanon.html
Latest LCCC Bulletin For
Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December
25-26/17
Pope Laments 'Winds of War' Blowing around the World
Agence France Presse/Associated
Press/Naharnet/December 25/17/Lamenting "the winds of war" blowing around the
world, Pope Francis in his traditional Christmas message on Monday called for a
two-state solution to find peace in the Middle East and prayed that
confrontation can be overcome on the Korean Peninsula.The pope took particular
aim at areas of global tension where President Donald Trump is playing a
critical role. Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital has
ignited fresh violence in the Middle East, while confrontation with North Korea
over its nuclear tests has escalated tensions in Asia. "The winds of war are
blowing in our world and an outdated model of development continues to produce
human, societal and environmental decline," the pope said in his traditional "Urbi
et Orbi" ("to the city and to the world") Christmas message and blessing from
the central balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square. As Christians celebrate the
birth of Jesus, the pope depicted suffering reflected "in the faces of little
children," citing war and other tensions in the Middle East and Africa. He asked
for peace for Jerusalem and the Holy Land, and prayed "that the will to resume
dialogue may prevail between the parties and that a negotiated solution can
finally be reached, one that would allow the peaceful coexistence of two states
within mutually agreed and internationally recognized borders."Francis also
prayed for an end to confrontation on the Korean Peninsula and that "mutual
trust may increase."The Christmas message has become an occasion for popes to
survey suffering in the world and press for solutions. Francis urged that "our
hearts not be closed" as the inns of Bethlehem were to Mary and Joseph before
Jesus' birth. The pontiff lamented that Syria remains "marked by war," that Iraq
has been "wounded and torn" by fighting over the last 15 years and that ongoing
conflict in Yemen "has been largely forgotten." Recalling his recent trip to
Bangladesh and Myanmar, the pope urged the international community to work "to
ensure that the dignity of the minority groups present in the region is
adequately protected."The pontiff also recalled children who risk their lives at
the hands of human traffickers to migrate to safer lands, who suffer because
their parents don't have work or who are forced into labor themselves, sometimes
fighting as child soldiers.
Russia Bars Navalny Presidential Bid
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December
25/17/Russia's Central Election Commission on Monday unanimously rejected top
opposition figure Alexei Navalny's bid to run against President Vladimir Putin
next year, leading him to urge a boycott of the polls. The commission voted 12
to zero in barring Navalny from the presidential election, citing a
controversial embezzlement conviction for which he received a five year
suspended sentence. Navalny's crime qualifies as "serious" and therefore rids
the individual of the right to stand for president," said commission member
Boris Ebzeyev ahead of the vote, urging the body to bar him from running. The
decision prompted the 41-year-old protest leader -- who maintains that the court
case against him was fabricated for political reasons -- to call for a boycott
of the election. "We are declaring a strike by voters. We will ask everyone to
boycott these elections. We will not recognize the result," Navalny told
journalists. He said he would still appeal the commission's decision. Navalny
held rallies across Russia Sunday, with more than 15,000 people endorsing his
candidacy. He submitted his nomination on Sunday evening and expressed suspicion
when the commission announced they would make the decision as quickly as the
next day. In a video published after the decision, Navalny said that offices he
set up for his presidential campaign will now turn into a network for the
electoral strike. "To go to polling stations now is impossible and indecent," he
said."The main goal of the Kremlin will now be to falsify election turnout," he
said, urging people who want to go to the polling station count the people
attending instead of casting a ballot.
'Electoral strikes'
Navalny, who has campaigned across Russia in recent months, argued earlier in
front of the commission that his conviction was lifted in the European Court of
Human Rights, and that banning him from participation would make March's
election illegitimate. "I proved in court that my case was fabricated," Navalny
said, urging the commission to make a decision that would be fair and
independent. "I assure you, a huge amount of people will not go to this
election, would actively boycott this election" and hold "electoral strikes."In
a passionate speech he accused the commission of barring true opposition figures
while allowing candidates who are not interested in fighting corruption or in
conducting real campaigns. In a heated exchange, commission chair Ella Panfilova
told Navalny it is not in her power to lift his conviction, further accusing the
protest leader of "zombifying young people". "You are young, you have everything
ahead of you," she finally told Navalny. Previously he was told he would not be
able to run before 2028. Navalny, who has built a sizeable campaign through his
blog and YouTube on an anti-corruption platform, has called several mass rallies
across Russia this year which saw an unusually high number of young people
participate. Navalny was first sentenced in 2013 on the embezzlement charges,
which accused him of defrauding the Kirov regional budget of about $270,000. The
European Court of Human Rights last year quashed the ruling, saying it was
unfair, and Russia's Supreme Court ordered a retrial. The retrial in a Russian
court however gave Navalny the exact same sentence as before, using almost
identical wording as the 2013 decision.
6 Dead in IS-Claimed Suicide Attack near Afghan Spy Agency
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December
25/17/A suicide bomber killed six civilians in an attack near an Afghan
intelligence agency compound in Kabul Monday in the latest assault claimed by
the Islamic State group in the capital. The attacker struck as workers were
arriving at the offices of the National Directorate of Security (NDS), a week
after militants stormed an NDS training centre in Kabul. Interior ministry
spokesman Najib Danish told AFP six civilians in a car were killed when the
attacker blew himself up. "Six people were martyred and three others were
wounded," Danish said. "They were hit when they were passing the area in their
Toyota sedan vehicle. We still do not know the target of the attack but it
happened on the main road."The health ministry confirmed the death toll but put
the number of wounded at one. An AFP reporter at the blast site said the attack
happened outside the main entrance to an NDS compound. Security forces have
swarmed into the area, closing off the main road leading to the building.
Ambulances were seen leaving the scene, apparently taking casualties to
hospitals in the city. "Our initial information shows a blast took place near an
intelligence headquarters in Shash Darak neighbourhood of Kabul," deputy
interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi told AFP. The Islamic State claimed
the attack in a statement via their Amaq propaganda arm. It was the latest
claimed assault by the Middle Eastern jihadist group in Kabul, which in recent
months has become one of the deadliest places in the war-torn country for
civilians. Security in the city has been ramped up since May 31 when a massive
truck bomb ripped through the diplomatic quarter, killing some 150 people and
wounding around 400 others -- mostly civilians. IS has expanded its presence in
Afghanistan since it first appeared in the region in 2015. It has scaled up its
attacks in Kabul, including on security installations and the country's Shiite
minority. Last week's attack on the intelligence training centre triggered an
intense hours-long gunbattle which killed the two militants in an assault that
was also claimed by IS. The resurgent Taliban are also stepping up assaults on
security installations. On Friday, in an attack claimed by the Taliban, a
suicide bomber drove an explosives-packed Humvee into a police compound in the
southern province of Kandahar, killing at least six officers and destroying a
building. Afghan forces, already hard-hit by desertions and corruption, have
seen casualties soar to what a U.S. watchdog has described as "shockingly high"
levels since NATO forces officially ended their combat mission in 2014 and began
a training and support role. Morale has been further eroded by long-running
fears that the militants have insider help -- everything from infiltrators in
the ranks to corrupt Afghan forces selling equipment to the Taliban.
Saudi ministry reveals details related to recovery of slain
Shiite judge’s body
Al Arabiya/December 25/2017/The Saudi Interior Ministry confirmed on Monday that
Shiite judge Mohammed Al-Jirani was slain by his kidnappers and revealed details
related to his body's recovery. A ministry spokesman said that officials had
information that Zaki Mohammed al-Farj and his brother Salman, who is among the
wanted men in Saudi Arabia’s list of 23 terrorists, were among those involved in
kidnapping of Jirani, killing him and hiding his body in the remote area of
Salehia in Awamiya in Qatif, last year. Based on this data, security forces
arrested Zaki. Salman, however, opened fire on security forces when they
besieged his house. Security officer Khaled al-Sammatti was martyred during the
shootout and Salman was killed. Security forces then searched the entire
deserted area which is more than 2 square kilometers and found the site where
Jirani’s body was buried. The body was decomposed but DNA confirmed it belonged
to Jirani. Medical examination showed Jirani was shot in the chest. Preliminary
investigation showed that Jirani’s kidnappers beat him up, then shot him and
buried him.The interior ministry added that it will continue to combat these
terror-related crimes and called on anyone who has any information about the
others involved in the crime and contact the relevant authorities.Those involved
in the crime are said to be Mohammed Hussein Ali al-Ammar, Maytham Ali Mohammed
al-Qodeihi and Ali Bilal Saud al-Hamad.
Saudi interior ministry: Kingdom facing
terrorists with links to Iran
Al Arabiya/December 25/2017/Saudi Arabia’s interior ministry spokesman has said
that the kingdom is currently facing terrorist groups with ties to Iran. Maj.
Gen. Mansour al-Turki said on Monday that terrorists involved in the murder of a
judge in the Department of Endowments in the eastern province of Qatif province,
Mohammed al-Jirani, were tied to Iran. “Terrorism sponsors avoid leaving the
evidence of their involvement to not be condemned internationally, however they
form proxy groups to conduct terrorism operations that are supported and
financed by them like the Houthi Militias in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon,”
Gen. al-Turki said.“We were able to expel the terrorist elements from al-Masawara
neighborhood in the town of Awamiya in Qatif province,” he said. He also
confirmed the death of wanted terrorist Salman al-Faraj, one of the kidnappers
of al-Jirani, as well as the arrest of his half-brother, Zaki al-Faraj. In his
statement he said that a number of terrorists participated in the kidnapping of
the judge Jirani, who was taken to an abandoned farm in Awamiyah and killed. He
said that the kingdom provides all resources available for the security services
to exercise their functions in tracking terrorists.
Leaked Hezbollah, Iran documents reveal collapse
of Houthis
Al Arabiya/December 25/2017/A number of secret field and military study
documents prepared by the Jihadi Office of the Houthi militia under the
supervision of Iranian experts and Hezbollah revealed cracks in the ranks of the
Houthis. The military intelligence unit of the Yemeni armed forces on Sunday
revealed some of the documents, which they said were obtained from “special
sources in the militia’s leadership”. The documents were analyzed in complete
secrecy, and were circulated within limited respective departments. Part of the
documents, publicized by the Yemeni armed forces' press center, revealed a state
of collapse in the militia’s frontlines, more importantly on the military and
security fronts in various areas in Yemen.
Houthi combat trainers dead
The study that was created on August 22nd, 2017 also revealed that the militia
has suffered great losses in their combat fighter training units. The document
added that most of the trainers were killed on battlefronts around Yemen, making
the militia in strong need to train more fighters. The documents also revealed
significant human losses on battlefronts which the militia is trying to keep
secret. However, the document said that the losses are easily thousands of
militiamen on fronts including Bihan and Naham. The document also mentioned
treason and infiltrations within the ranks of the militia. Their field
commanders have mostly been killed or wounded, as well as reports of
mismanagement in various aspects. Civilians have been placed in leadership posts
with no qualifications and a maximum Secondary level education, the documents
also said. The study pointed out that these results are due to unorganized
management and “excessive complacency” by the militia’s leadership in handling
what the study called “infiltrations and betrayals”. The study also mentioned
the militia’s weakness in acquiring information about the movements of the
legitimate forces. The documents also included minutes of meetings of the Houthi
field leaders with the Houthi’s leading figure, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, warning
him of complacency in developing necessary and quick solutions to avoid a major
collapse. They pointed out during the meeting their need to militarize civilians
who live close to Houthi military sites.
Syrian-Iranian Backed Forces Advance In Border Area Near Northern Israel
Jerusalem Post/December 25/17
Israel has been lobbying both big powers to deny Iran, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and
other Shi‘ite militias any permanent bases in Syria, and to keep them away from
the Golan.
AMMAN - Syrian army forces backed by Iranian-backed militias pushed deeper into
the last rebel-held enclave near a strategic border area with Israel and Lebanon
in a new expansion of Tehran's influence in the war-torn country. The army and
the Shi'ite forces advanced east and south of the Sunni-rebel held bastion of
Beit Jin backed by some of the heaviest aerial bombing and heavy artillery
shelling since a major assault began over two months ago to seize the area,
rebels said. The Syrian army said it had encircled the village of Mughr al Meer
at the foothills of Mount Hermon as troops moved towards Beit Jin amid fierce
clashes. The enclave is the last rebel bastion left in the south west of
Damascus known as the Western Ghouta that had since last year fallen under
government control after months of heavy bombing on civilian areas and years of
siege tactics that forced rebels to surrender.
A western intelligence source confirmed rebel reports that Iranian-backed
militias including the powerful Lebanese Hezbollah Shi'ite group were playing a
major role in the ongoing battles. "The Iranian backed militias are trying to
consolidate their sphere of influence all the way from southwest of Damascus to
the Israeli border," said Suhaib al Ruhail, an official from the Liwa al Furqan
rebel group that operates in the area. Worried by Iran's expanding influence in
Syria after the defeat of Islamic State, Israel has in the last few weeks
stepped up its strikes against suspected Iranian targets inside Syria. Early
this month an Israeli strike on a base near Kiswah, south of Damascus was widely
believed to be an Iranian military compound, according to a Western intelligence
source . Israel has been lobbying both big powers to deny Iran, Lebanon’s
Hezbollah and other Shi‘ite militias any permanent bases in Syria, and to keep
them away from the Golan, as they gain ground while helping Damascus beat back
Sunni-led rebels. The southwest of Syria is part of a de-escalation zone in
southern Syria agreed last July between Russia and Washington, the first such
understanding between the two powers. The area has not seen Russian bombing
unlike other ceasefire areas in Syria. Diplomatic sources say several thousand
Shi'ite fighters who have been amassing from outside the Quneitra province are
pitted against hundreds of Islamist and mainstream Free Syria Army (FSA) rebels
closing ranks under the banner of Itihad Quwt Jabal al Sheikh "Union of fighters
of Jabal al Sheikh". They are mainly drawn from local fighters from the area.
With the army and Iranian backed offensive widening, the rebels have called on
youths to enlist as mosque imams in Beit Jin called on people to take up arms
and fight the army. Rebels still have a sizeable presence in central and
southern Quneitra, in the Syrian Golan Heights.Western diplomatic sources say
the crushing of the Sunni rebel presence in areas they have been in since 2013
will allow Lebanon's Hezbollah to open another secure arms supply line from its
border in southern Lebanon into Syria. Since the beginning of the conflict in
Syria, Iran has had a growing presence in the country, deploying thousands of
Shi'ite fighters who have fought against both mainstream Sunni rebel groups and
more militant groups.
Guatemala Announces it Will Move its Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 25 December, 2017/Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales
announced on Monday that his country will move its embassy in Israel to
Jerusalem. His move comes days after he voiced before the United Nations General
Assembly his government’s support for Washington’s move to recognize the city as
the capital of Israel. Guatemala was only one out of nine countries that voted
in favor of the US decision. The General Assembly had overwhelmingly adopted a
non-binding resolution denouncing US President Donald Trump's recognition of
Jerusalem as Israel's capital. In a post on his official Facebook account
Sunday, Morales said that after talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, he decided to instruct Guatemala's foreign ministry to move the
embassy. The resolution passed by the General Assembly declared the US action on
Jerusalem "null and void." The 128-9 vote was a victory for Palestinians, but
fell short of the total they had predicted. Thirty-five nations abstained and 21
stayed away from the vote.
At Least 5 Killed in ISIS Attack in Kabul
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 25 December, 2017/At least five people were killed on
Monday in a suicide attack in the Afghan capital Kabul. The ISIS terrorist group
claimed responsibility for the attack on a compound of Afghanistan’s national
intelligence agency in Kabul. In Kabul, security officials said the explosion
was caused by a suicide bomber who approached the agency’s entrance on foot
before blowing himself up. All the casualties reported were of civilian
passersby. Najib Danish, a spokesman for the interior ministry, said at least
five people had been killed and two wounded. Official put the death toll at six.
Danish added that the exact target of the attack was unclear. "The bomber was on
foot and detonated his suicide vest on the main road," he said. The blast comes
a week after the group claimed an attack on a training facility of the same
agency, the National Directorate for Security, in Kabul that ended when the
attackers were killed before causing significant casualties. In a statement
issued through the group’s Amaq news agency, ISIS said it was also behind
Monday’s attack. ISIS’ local affiliate, which first appeared in eastern
Afghanistan near the border with Pakistan in early 2015, has become increasingly
active and has claimed several recent suicide attacks in Kabul. It has
frequently fought Taliban militants and has been heavily targeted by US air
strikes and Special Forces operations in its main stronghold in Nangarhar
province.
Russia on Sochi's Outputs: Constitutional
Committee Approved by Assad
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 25 December, 2017/Russia decided on the outcomes of the
Syrian National Dialogue Conference in Sochi at the end of next month and its
relation with the Geneva negotiations. The participants agree to form the
Constitutional Committee in Sochi with the possibility of holding the first
meeting of the committee members under with an international support in Geneva.
However, Russia insists on Bashar al-Assad signing the decree of establishing
the Constitutional Committee. Ever since "Syrian dialogue" had been discussed,
the location had been issue whether to hold it at Russian base in Hameim or
Damascus International Airport. In addition, the dialogue's sponsor changed from
the Russian Defense Ministry to a partnership with the Russian Foreign Ministry.
However, two things remain the same for Russia: the legitimacy of Syria and the
largest political and popular participants, and the international legitimacy
with the participation of the United Nations and linking the outcome of the
conference to the Geneva process and Resolution 2254. As for the "first
legitimacy", Moscow expanded the circle of invited candidates from 1,000 to
1,500 and 2,000 politicians, deputies, local council members, political parties,
unions and representatives of military factions included in the "reduction of
escalation" and "reconciliations" agreements. In the light of the agreement
between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan, the intelligence services in Moscow and Ankara will work to approve the
list of invitees so that the Turkish side will ensure that there is no
representation or indirect representation of the Kurdish National Union and
People's Protection Unit, which Ankara considers part of the banned Kurdistan
Workers Party (PKK). This indicates that the relationship between "People
Protection Units" is limited by Moscow to military and war on terrorism, which
was manifested in the formation of a joint operations room in war against ISIS
in Deir Ez-Zour. The administration of US President Donald Trump has declared
that its military presence and its five bases east of the Euphrates River in
northeast Syria are linked to a "political achievement" in the Geneva
negotiations. Trump also signed an executive resolution to provide about $400
million to arm the Syrian Democratic Forces, which angered Erdogan, especially
that Trump promised earlier this month not to supply the forces with weapons and
the withdrawal of heavy weapons after Raqqa had been cleansed from ISIS.
Currently, there are two tracks: the first is the Russia-backed Geneva course,
and the second is the path of Astana-Sochi, which is being conducted with a
Russian, Turkish, and Iranian "guarantee" to discuss military matters,
de-escalation all the way to Sochi's political aspect. UN Envoy Stephane de
Mistura is currently under considerable pressure from Russia to attend Sochi.
Few days ago, he met with Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu and Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow conditioning his attendance with achieving
progress in Geneva talks and the process initiation of constitutional reform.
Moscow will "pressure" Damascus to negotiate with the High Negotiation Committee
on the constitution, elections, and the 12 principles on Syria's future.
However, according to information, Russia took its decision to announce
"Constitutional Committee" at the Syrian dialogue in Sochi and form a higher
council of the conference. Russian officials reiterated that it is important for
Assad to sign a decree on forming the "Committee" with Moscow's approval to
leave the members choice of either form a new constitution or amending the
current constitution of 2012. Damascus delegation insisted on the
"Constitutional Committee", which can include 21 members, and the
"constitutional reform" process should be done through the legislative committee
of the current parliament based on the 2012 Constitution. The delegation also
wanted to prepare for early parliamentary elections as of next year and not wait
for the preassigned a date in 2020. It also insisted on a second round of Sochi
talks in Damascus while holding the majority of the Constitutional Committee. In
order to persuade de Mistura to attend Sochi Conference, Moscow supported the
idea of holding the first meeting of the Constitutional Commission in Geneva and
discuss President Putin's suggestion to adopt a new constitution in preparation
for parliamentary and presidential elections under international supervision
under Resolution 2254. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and US informed the
Russian side of two conditions: one session of Sochi Conference and support for
Geneva process. To test Moscow's intentions and influence on Damascus and
Tehran, de Mistura called for a ninth round of Geneva negotiations on January
21, a week before Sochi conference, hoping that the Damascus delegation would
enter into serious negotiations on the constitution. Notably, Geneva's date will
coincide with a Russian-Turkish-Iranian meeting to "screen" the list of guests
to the Russian resort. High Negotiation Committee entered a heated debate at a
meeting of its members in Riyadh to take a political decision whether to attend
Sochi meetings or not, especially after Moscow stipulated that the participants
in the conference should accept Assad, meaning the opposition would have recant
its statement of last month which said that Assad should leave upon the
beginning of the transition phase.
Bahrain Sentences to Death, Jails Terrorists for
Attempting to Assassinate Defense Force Commander
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 25 December, 2017/The Military High Court issued on
Monday its ruling in the case of 18 members of a terrorist cell, ten of whom
appeared in custody and eight were fugitives in Bahrain or abroad in Iran and
Iraq, reported the Bahrain News Agency (BNA).
The defendants were accused with forming a terrorist cell, attempting to
assassinate the Defense Force Commander-in-Chief and committing other terrorist
crimes. The court convicted and sentenced the six defendants to death, 15 years
years in jail and the revocation of their Bahraini nationality. They are Mubarak
Adel Mubarak Mahanna (Soldier), Fadhel Al Sayed Abbas Hassan Radhi, Sayed Alawi
Hussain Alawi Hussain, Mohammed Abdulhassan Ahmed Al Metghawi, Murtada Majeed
Ramadan Alawi (Al Sindi) and Habeeb Abdullah Hassan Ali (Al Jamri).
The court also convicted and sentenced seven defendants to seven years in jail
and stripped them of their Bahraini nationality. They are Mohammed Abdulhassan
Saleh Al Shehabi, Mohammed Abdulwahid Mohammed Al Najjar, Hussain Mohammed Ahmed
Shehab, Mohammed Yousef Marhoon Al Ajmi, Hussain Ali Mohsen Baddaw, Sayed
Mohammed Qassim Mohammed and Ali Jaffar Hassan Al Rayes. The court acquitted
five defendants: Ali Ahmed Khalifa Salman (Al Karbabadi), Hussain Essam Hussain
Al Durazi, Muntazhir Fawzi Abdulkareem Mahdi, Rami Ahmed Ali Al Aryash and
Mohamed Abdullah Ebrahim Abbas. All the judicial sureties were granted by the
Military Judiciary in compliance with the 2002 Criminal Procedures Law and the
2002 Military Judiciary Law, including access to defense lawyers. The defendants
have the right to challenge the ruling of the court of first instance at the
Military Appeals High Court and the Military Court of Cassation according to the
provisions of the law. Representatives of human rights institutions and
societies and media and several relatives of the defendants attended the court
session.
Peru President Pardons Former Authoritarian
Leader, Sparking Protests
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 25 December, 2017/Peruvian President Pedro Pablo
Kuczynski’s decision to pardon former authoritarian leader Alberto Fujimori
sparked clashes as protested the move as a crude political deal. At least two
ministers in Kuczynski’s cabinet who objected to the pardon, issued late on
Sunday, told him they wanted to resign, and Kuczynski might reshuffle the
cabinet as early as this week, a government source said. Two ruling party
lawmakers quit his party as his political group planned next steps. The decision
clears Fujimori of convictions for human rights crimes and graft when his
right-wing government was in power from 1990 to 2000, and could define
Kuczynski’s legacy and rewrite political alliances. Kuczynski, a former Wall
Street banker who vowed as a candidate not to pardon Fujimori, based his
decision on a medical review that found Fujimori suffered from “a progressive,
degenerative and incurable disease”, according to a statement from the
president’s office. Peruvian law provides that no person convicted of murder or
kidnapping can receive a presidential pardon except in the case of a terminal
illness. Three previous requests from Fujimori for pardons since 2013 were
rejected after doctors said he did not suffer from incurable illness or severe
mental disorder. Fujimori filed a request seeking a medical pardon more than a
year ago, citing deteriorating health. He has said on his Twitter account that
he suffers from arrhythmia, for which he has been hospitalized several times
this year. He remained at a clinic Sunday night where he was taken from prison a
day earlier after suffering a drop in blood pressure. Many in Peru saw the
pardon as part of a quid pro quo. Three days earlier, Fujimori’s loyalists - led
by his lawmaker son Kenji - unexpectedly saved Kuczynski from a vote in Congress
that nearly removed him from office. In a video Kenji shared on social media, a
gray-haired Fujimori, connected to tubes in hospital, was seen smiling after
reading Kuczynski’s announcement of the pardon on a cellphone with Kenji.
“To save his own skin he cut a deal with Fujimori’s supporters to infamously
pardon a corrupt killer,” said Veronika Mendoza, a leftist leader who competed
against Kuczynski in last year’s presidential election. Kuczynski’s center-right
government has repeatedly denied that a pardon for Fujimori was part of
political negotiations. Fujimori is a deeply divisive figure in Peru. While many
consider him a corrupt dictator, others credit him with ending an economic
crisis and bloody leftist insurgency when in power. “He’s the best president
Peru ever had,” said Maria Luisa Cuculiza, a friend and former minister of
Fujimori, adding that he no longer had any political ambitions. “He doesn’t want
to return to politics. He just wants to be a good grandfather,” Cuculiza told
Reuters by telephone. Police fired teargas at scores of Fujimori’s opponents in
downtown Lima, who waved pictures of the victims of a bloody counterinsurgency
campaign during his term. Officers in riot gear stood guard at Kuczynski’s house
in the capital’s San Isidro financial district as protesters called for the
march to make its way there. Fujimori’s family and supporters cheered the pardon
as a long-overdue vindication for a misunderstood hero. But the pardon was a
blow to the relatives of victims, prosecutors and human rights activists who
helped put Fujimori behind bars in a lengthy judicial process that earned Peru
global plaudits for fighting impunity.
Jose Miguel Vivanco, executive director of Human Rights Watch, said on this
Twitter account that the pardon "was a vulgar political negotiation in exchange
for Kuczynski's stay in power." Amnesty International demanded that Kuczynski
"clarify the doubts about the lack of transparency and respect for due process."
Kuczynski, “you’ve betrayed justice, democracy and victims. History will never
forgive you,” said Indira Huilca, a leftist lawmaker whose union leader father
was shot dead in 1992 in what the Inter-American Court of Human Rights deemed an
extrajudicial killing. Kuczynski, who like Fujimori is 79, ran for office to cap
a prestigious career in finance and public administration. The pardon might also
prompt one of the biggest political realignments in Peru since Fujimori fled to
his parents’ homeland of Japan in 2000 as a corruption scandal brought his
decade in power to an end. Fujimori was extradited back to Peru in 2007. He was
first convicted in 2009 and sentenced to 25 years in prison for his role in the
killings of 25 people, including an 8-year-old boy, during his administration.
He was later drew four more convictions, the most serious one charging him with
knowledge of the existence of death squads financed with public money that
killed civilians accused of being Shining Path members. A former university
president and mathematics professor, Fujimori was a political outsider when he
emerged from obscurity to win Peru's 1990 presidential election over writer
Mario Vargas Llosa. Peru was being ravaged by runaway inflation and guerrilla
violence when he took office. He quickly rebuilt the economy with mass
privatizations of state industries. Defeating the fanatical Shining Path rebels
took longer but his fight won him broad-based support. His presidency collapsed
just as dramatically as his rise to power. After briefly shutting down Congress
and putting himself into a third term, Fujimori fled the country in disgrace in
2000 after leaked videotapes showed his spy chief, Vladimiro Montesinos, bribing
lawmakers. Fujimori went to Japan, his parents' homeland, and famously sent in
his resignation by fax. Five years later, he stunned supporters and enemies
alike when he flew to neighboring Chile, where he was arrested and extradited to
Peru. Fujimori's goal was run for Peru's presidency again in 2006, but instead
he went to trial and was convicted of abuse of power. His eldest daughter,
Keiko, leads the opposition party Popular Force that controls Congress, while
Kenji has courted ties with Kuczynski’s government as he challenges his sister’s
past decade of leadership of their father’s populist following.
Iranian Judiciary Insists on Pursuing
Ahmadinejad
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday,
25 December, 2017/Iranian judiciary insists pursuing former president Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad, who faces charges of corruption. Judicial spokesman Gholam-Hossein
Mohseni-Ejei rejected Friday prayers' leader proposal for arbitration between
between the judiciary and Ahmadinejad, following days of exchanged accusations
between the two sides through the media.Last week, Ahmadinejad launched
unprecedented criticism of Iran's judiciary, particularly the head of the
judiciary, Sadeq Larijani. Larijani, according to Ahmadinejad, is a “greedy,
land-grabbing tyrant” and a totally “unjust” figure who should immediately
resign as chief-justice, otherwise the whole ruling system would collapse. The
judiciary was among the institutions highly criticized by President Hassan
Rouhani who accused it of blocking his government's efforts in fighting
corruption, however tensions between the two subsided after Rouhani’s second
presidential term. The dispute between the judiciary and Ahmadinejad peaked
after the judiciary summoned a number of Ahmadinejad's aides and advisers over
the past three months and charged them with various charges including corruption
and propaganda against the regime.
Ahmadinejad's group denied the charges, accusing the judiciary of politicizing
the issues, settling personal disagreement between Speaker Ali Larijani and head
of the judiciary Sadeq Larijani on one side and Ahmadinejad on the other.
Earlier, Iran’s Guardian Council rejected Ahmadinejad's request and his
assistant Hamid Baghaei for the presidential election. On Sunday, Mohseni-Ejei
said that the justice system is determined to face criminals, referring to
Ahmadinejad's criticisms, Mohseni-Ejei said that "the hype" will not prevent the
legal course from being followed, justifying the delay in facing Ahmadinejad's
behavior with "wisdom" without giving further details. "Some say we should refer
these to medical jurisprudence to determine their mental capabilities. If we are
to refer someone to medical jurisprudence, we will do it," he added.
Mohseni-Ejei also commented on Friday prayers' leader proposal Mohammad Emami
Kashani for the formation of an arbitration committee to discuss the issues
raised by Ahmadinejad against the judiciary, saying that nothing like that has
been discussed. Regarding holding a public trial for Ahmadinejad, Mohseni-Ejei
said that public and non-public trials have their own conditions and the court
hadn’t been formed yet, describing it as a “secondary issue.” Last month,
Ahmadinejad sent an open letter to Iranian leader Ali Khamenei demanding that
his judicial file be referred to the former president of Iran's judiciary,
Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi. Over the past two weeks, the former president posted
two recordings on his website criticizing Iran's justice system. Judges
considered Ahmadinejad's behavior an attempt to evade legal accountability, but
Ejei denied that Ahmadinejad's use of recordings could prevent prosecution on
charges of spreading lies. Meanwhile, "Bahar News" website stated on Sunday that
the Iranian security and judicial authorities summoned dozens of Ahmadinejad's
supporters to the Prosecutor. The website noted that over the past few weeks,
the Iranian judiciary has issued arrest orders to dozens of Ahmadinejad's
supporters, adding that they are "held in solitary confinement." The website
claimed that a number of detainees were briefed on a list of 188 Ahmadinejad
supporters in social networks. The authorities ordered the suspension of their
mobile phone calls or their bank accounts, the website added.
On the other hand, Ejei quoted the Iranian Prosecutor Hossein Ali Montazeri that
the judiciary is following the involvement of some government officials in the
smuggling of goods, hoping the announcement of the results of the investigation
will not be delayed. On Wednesday, Montazeri revealed the involvement of some
Iranian officials and members of their families in the smuggling of goods. The
amount of smuggled goods is estimated between $15 billion and $25 billion
annually, Iranian media reported in January 2017. Officials say the illegal
merchandise reached about $25 billion, however the Iran's Central Task Force to
Combat Smuggling of Commodities and Currency says the rate has reached $12.5
billion dollars during Rouhani’s residency. In August, parliament speaker Ali
Larijani said smuggling decreased from $25 billion to $12 billions. In addition,
the speaker indicated last week that Iran’s economy faces 38 challenges, ruling
out a growth’s possibility over the upcoming year. Larijani reiterated that the
budget is not enough to run the country, adding that the country’s income comes
from oil revenues and taxes and barely reaches $70 billion.
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from
miscellaneous sources published on December
25-26/17
2017 Passes as Fast as a Tweet
Ghassan Charbel/ Asharq Al-Awsat/December
25/2017
The year is bleeding its final days. A tumultuous year that is preparing to
throw itself off the cliff of time. The world in the new year will not be like
the world of the previous one. This is normal. Each year has its own flavor,
color, highlights and tragedies. This world has laws that govern it and it
differs from the will of scholars, desires of journalists and dreams of poets.
In the final days, one tends to count losses and gains. The businessman takes to
the numbers that have cluttered his computer or smartphone. He learns from
mistakes or blows and prepares for the new round and opportunities. The employee
surveys the situation in his workplace. If it is failing, then he will fail with
it. Gone are the days of being assured. The days of relaxing in offices waiting
for retirement. A fast, changing and turbulent world. At the end of the year,
figures are a like a sword. Numbers do not have mercy.
The story of the journalist is different. He works in the field of others and
not his own. He reports news, events and analyses. The most he can do is be a
reliable witness in reporting the news. It is a profession that is deeply
connected to developments and surprises, not the will of those who practice it.
I can almost say that it is a bad profession. The professional journalist is a
good spy. If he visits a city, he investigates the deepest of its pains. If he
meets a politician, he has the urge to make him sit for a long interrogation. In
a cafe in a strange town, he writes down what he overhears from nearby tables.
The only solace this spy has is that his report will be relayed to the reader –
this hard to please dictator.
The year is breathing its last breath. The roundup is different from one country
to the other. Above all else, it was the year of Donald Trump. He reared his
head at the beginning of the year, leaving his mark on the rest of its days. A
handful of his words on Twitter could force the world to hold its breath. They
could worry a region. Strike fear among a ruler. He likes excitement. The
American president comes from a different ilk. A president with a different
style. When the Americans choose a president, you have to live with him. You
have to get used to the storms that he creates. Whether you like him or not, he
is the heavyweight boxer in the ring. He is the chief commander of the most
powerful army in history. He is at the head of the world’s top economy. You must
take his interests into consideration when you are considering your own. America
was always a major power and a major problem.
It was the year of Vladimir Putin. He announced the end of his Syria “trip” by
declaring a victory against terrorism. He showed skill in reaping the rewards of
his adventures and reaping the rewards of the sacrifices of others. He now heads
confidently towards elections. He has a deep desire to earn the title of
peacemaker in Syria. The Syrian opposition paid a heavy price of his pursuit to
settle scores with ISIS, the opposition and the West in the Syrian arena.
It was also the year of the Chinese president. The National Congress of the
Communist Party was his golden opportunity. He garnered unprecedented support
that consolidated his leadership and thought. This was a feat that was not even
achieved by Deng Xiaoping, the man who had the courage to open the widow after
Mao Zedong’s influence remained in China even from beyond the grave. Mao is
still in his mausoleum, but China has adopted ideas that are different from his
image and old teachings that he compiled in his Red Book. The only thing that
remains is the Communist Party, which is still the only party and means for
power, stability and continuity.
Europe also did not have a normal year. The German elections showed the signs of
old age of the brave chancellor’s leadership. Theresa May’s year was never easy.
The Brexit negotiations with the European Union were arduous and costly. The
Britons took the decision to abandon the European train without looking at the
long-term consequences. In France, a 40-year-old president sits in Charles de
Gaulle’s office, trying to lead his country to the future and preserve its
important role, despite his modest means and weakness before American
superiority and the Asian rise. Terrorism punished Europe that had opened its
doors wide to the waves of refugees. The far-right exploited the opportunity to
play on fears of Europe losing its identity. Some groups grew tired of
nationalist attire and Catalonia clung on to its dream of jumping off the
Spanish train.
The year was that of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. In line with the
approach of King Salman bin Abdulaziz, the young prince launched a reform plan
based on a vision that is no less important than the significant decision to
open the window to the future in a society where youths make up the overwhelming
majority. In a few months, he led the Saudi society towards the battle for
development, building a future and reducing dependence on oil. The battle is
backed by numbers. The Saudi youth believed in their ability to shape their
future and the future of their country. The results of this battle are not
limited to Saudi Arabia alone because the success in targeting terrorism and
uprooting extremism will definitely leave their marks on several countries in
the Arab and Muslim worlds.
Haidar al-Abadi. A lucky man. The world decided to close the ISIS chapter and
allowed him to achieve a victory that increased his chances of winning the next
elections. He can simply say that the army that had collapsed during the term of
his predecessor and rival Nouri al-Maliki had during his term achieved victory.
He also managed to “discipline the Kurds”, which was also a great dream of
Maliki’s. Abadi also supported the Popular Mobilization Forces, while at the
same time calling for limiting the possession of arms to the state.
The passing year will throw itself in the pit of time. The Arab world bids
farewell to it, hoping that the next will be less painful. The Arab wants what
any normal human being on this planet wants. He wants a normal state with
serious institutions. A state that is not being eaten away by corruption or
militias. A state that leads a battle for development, modernizes education and
bolsters values of progress, openness and accepting the other. It is time to
escape failure and abandon dark thoughts. We will not drown in despair despite
the misery in refugee camps and war-torn countries. We want to believe that this
long slide downhill will stop at some point. The Arab deserves life similar to
others on the planet.
The tumultuous year passed us by as fast as a tweet. My, how the world has
changed.
Social Media, Not Phones, Get Kids Addicted
Leonid Bershidsky/Bloomberg/December 25/2017
I'm a recovering smartphone addict, so you might expect me to welcome the French
government's decision to ban the devices in primary and middle schools.
Actually, I don't: The problem is the software, not the phones themselves.
At best, banning smartphones would require kids to learn antiquated skills,
something they arguably do too much of in school already. The modern phone is a
sound recorder, a camera, an atlas, a notebook and the only device on which one
can listen to pretty much any music on demand. Depriving kids of such a useful
tool would be pointlessly cruel, just as taking away adults' smartphones at work
would be.
Granted, a lot of research suggests that smartphone use adversely affects
productivity. So the trick is to keep the advantages -- the ability to
collaborate with colleagues on the move, the instant access to data -- and
minimize the pointless distractions.
So what's the biggest time hog on the smart phone? According to Comscore's 2017
Mobile App Report, adults spend more than half their total screen time in the
five most-used apps, and tend to select Facebook as their "most essential." That
makes it likely the most addictive substance in the app world.
Facebook has been pushing back against the idea that spending time on social
media is inevitably bad for you. In a recent post, Director of Research David
Ginsberg and research scientist Moira Burke posited that "engaging" -- leaving
comments, sharing content and exchanging messages, as opposed to idly scrolling
through a feed -- can make people feel better. Yet aside from suggesting a
self-serving cure (do more stuff on Facebook!), their argument ignores the
nature of addiction. Addicts often feel great when they have an ample supply of
the desired substance. Consider the 10 million interactions attracted by one of
this year's most viral Facebook posts, a video titled "This Guy Just Sang
Whitney Houston Live You've Never Heard." All that engagement might have given
people a dopamine boost, but the time would almost certainly have been better
spent doing almost anything else, except perhaps heroin.
What really matters isn't whether Facebook makes people feel good, but whether
they're wasting time on shallow relationships and unproductive pursuits. The
social network's scientists profess to know little about this: "We know that
people are concerned about how technology affects our attention spans and
relationships, as well as how it affects children in the long run," Ginsberg and
Burke wrote. "We agree these are critically important questions, and we all have
a lot more to learn." Which means we're left to make judgments based on personal
experience rather than big data.
When I was an active Facebook user, I would get birthday greetings from about
600 people. I wasted hours pasting in "thank you" as I struggled to remember who
some of them were. This year, I stopped posting, leaving comments or even
clicking "like." I closed my timeline, so people could send greetings only by
commenting on an old post or sending me a message. Fewer than 100 people did --
still about 90 more than actually cared about my birthday. My life was
unchanged. The dozen people who mattered would call or write even if Mark
Zuckerberg had never started Facebook.
A few months ago, I largely stopped arguing with people on Twitter (though there
have been a couple of relapses, which I deeply regret). Instead, I suggested
that people drop me an email so we could really hash things out. Hardly anyone
did. People didn't really want to interact, to have a substantive discussion.
Most just wanted to feel good about themselves at my expense. Twitter makes that
easy; true human interaction is harder.
These examples explain why I'm done with the social networks, except for some
light work-related use. When I scroll through my feeds for a strictly limited
time, I think of myself as a plainclothes cop cautiously sipping a beer in a
joint full of drunks. Images like that are helpful in kicking my addiction.
What, then, should France do? They're considering requiring parental approval
for kids under the age of 16 to open a social-network or messenger account, but
that won't work too well: Teens would hate it and the networks would be
complicit. Regulators probably can't address addictive software as they have,
say, tobacco. Users will have to kick their own habits and prevent their kids
from developing similar ones.
Kids under the age of 8 spend almost half their screen time -- more than an hour
a day -- on mobile devices, according to the nonprofit group Common Sense Media.
The poorer their family, the more time they waste playing games and watching
YouTube videos on a tablet or hand-me-down phone. It's easy to imagine how this
happens: Struggling parents have less time to devote to their kids, and they'll
take any opportunity to keep them quiet. Few consider that they're administering
a "gateway drug" that'll likely set off a social media addiction.
Adults can reclaim their lives by getting off social networks, turning off all
notifications and perhaps installing an app that limits screen time -- but not
by throwing away the phone, which can still be useful in myriad ways. The same
applies to kids. By all means, give them a phone -- they'll end up owning one
sooner or later, anyway. But determine which apps can be on it and lock access
to the rest. Even trying to hack your defenses will be a more productive pastime
than watching dumb videos and sending emoji back and forth.
France's Macron Submits to the Arab World/A Gentle Christmas Day Word of
Caution
Giulio Meotti/Gatestone
Institute/December 25/2017
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11599/france-macron-arab-world
The tragic dead end of French fake "secularism" is that it allows public
expressions of the Islamic religion in France, but prohibits the Christian ones.
Far from defending the Judeo-Christian values on which France, the West and
Europe itself was founded -- such as individual liberties, freedom of
expression, separation of the church from the state and the judiciary, and equal
justice under the law -- President Macron recently launched an apology for Islam
before Arab-Muslim dignitaries.
The balance of Macron's recent frenetic trips to the Arab world: lavish
contracts, apologetic words to Islamists, repentance of the French colonial past
and silence on anti-Semitism and radical Islam. Meanwhile, in France,
authorities were busy dismantling its Judeo-Christian heritage.
Macron's special envoy for heritage, Stéphane Bern, proposed charging a fee to
enter French cathedrals and churches -- as if they were museums.
In Abu Dhabi, members of the victorious Israeli judo team were recently made to
mount the winners' podium without their own anthem and flag. A few days later,
French President Emmanuel Macron landed in Abu Dhabi, where he denounced as
liars those who say that "that Islam is built by destroying the other
monotheisms". Macron did not raise an eyebrow about the anti-Semitism and racism
displayed by the Emirati authorities. Macron merely praised Islam in a country
that punishes with death those Muslims who convert to Christianity or profess
atheism.
At the French naval base in Abu Dhabi on November 8-9, addressing some
businessmen, Macron insisted on the importance of the alliance with the United
Arab Emirates (UAE) as an "essential partner with whom we share the same vision
of the region and obvious common interests". Such effusion seems more than the
usual language of diplomacy. Macron is now showing a strategic empathy and
commitment to the Arab-Islamic world. Is this statement a prelude to submission?
Far from defending the Judeo-Christian values on which France, the West and
Europe itself was founded -- such as individual liberties, freedom of
expression, separation of the church from the state and the judiciary, and equal
justice under the law -- Macron in the last few weeks launched an apology for
Islam before Arab-Muslim dignitaries.
On December 7, Macron went to Qatar; next year, he will visit Iran on a trip
that will make him the first French president to visit the Islamic Republic
since 1971. In Doha, Macron and Qatar signed contracts worth about 12 billion
euros ($14 billion). And there, in a country which openly promoted anti-Semitism
in its book fair, Macron repeated that he disapproved of US President Donald
Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
A few days later, at the United Nations, Macron's ambassador voted with the Arab
and Islamic regimes; it was a crude betrayal of Europe's only democratic ally in
the Middle East: Israel. In a single week, France voted twice to support
Arab-sponsored resolutions against the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as the
capital of Israel, first at the UN Security Council then at its General
Assembly. As Israel's Deputy Minister for Diplomacy Michael Oren said: "The UN
denies Israel's bonds with Jerusalem". Macron's bonds with the Arab Islamic
world, however, seem extremely strong.
This month alone, France voted twice in the United Nations to support
Arab-sponsored resolutions against the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as the
capital of Israel. Pictured: French President Emmanuel Macron speaks at the UN
General Assembly in New York, on September 19, 2017.
Back in Paris, Macron welcomed Jordan's King Abdullah II to the presidential
palace and praised Amman's role as the "guardian" of the holy sites in
Jerusalem. Abdullah's goal, however, is something else. As he openly says, he
wants to prevent the "Judaization of Jerusalem" -- which means fighting Israeli
sovereignty over the holy city.
During his recent trip to Algeria, Macron, France's first head of state born
after the Algerian War, called France's 132-year rule of Algeria "a crime
against humanity". The French president had no words of pride for anything the
French had done or left behind in Algeria. In an apparent gesture of
reconciliation, Macron said that he was "ready" to return to Algeria the skulls
of Algerian fighters killed in the 1850s by the French army, which are currently
displayed at the Musée de l'Homme in Paris.
This, then, was the balance of Macron's recent frenetic trips to the Arab world:
lavish contracts, apologetic words to Islamists, repentance of the French
colonial past and silence on anti-Semitism and radical Islam.
Meanwhile, in France, authorities were busy dismantling its Judeo-Christian
heritage. A superior court recently ordered the removal of a cross from a statue
of the Pope John Paul II in a town in Brittany, because the cross supposedly
breached rules on secularism. The Conseil d'État, France's top administrative
court, evidently decided that the cross violated a 1905 law imposing the
separation of church and state. After that, the same Conseil d'État ordered a
Nativity scene in the municipal hall of the town of Béziers to be torn down.
Then, Macron's special envoy for heritage, Stéphane Bern, proposed charging a
fee to enter French cathedrals and churches -- as if they were museums.
A few days later, however, France's Macron displayed all the double-standards
and empty rhetoric of this "secularism". The French authorities allowed Muslims
in the Paris suburb of Clichy La Garenne to a hold a mass prayer on the street.
That is why 100 French politicians and administrators took to the streets of
Paris to protest against these prayers. "Public space cannot be taken over in
this way", said Valérie Pécresse, president of the Paris regional council.
That is exactly the tragic dead end of French fake "secularism": it allows
public expressions of the Islamic religion in France, but prohibits the
Christian ones.
In Paris, Saudi Arabia, a major focus of Macron's foreign policy, is busy these
days sponsoring "cultural initiatives". Saudi Arabia has been involved in the
renovation of the Institute of the Arab World, located in Paris. Jack Lang, the
institute's director, unveiled a plaque of gratitude to Saudi Arabia for the
gift of five million euros that the kingdom made to the institute.
Then an unusual event took place in the Cathedral of Notre Dame, the most
important site to French Catholics. Beneath its immense vaults, a small group of
men in traditional Saudi clothes viewed the sculptures there. The delegation was
led by Mohammed al-Issa, Secretary General of the World Islamic League,
appointed about a year ago as the head of this organization, based in Mecca and
devoted to the promotion of Islam throughout the world. As the newspaper La
Croix noted:
"Saudi Arabia is one of the most conservative Muslim countries in the world. No
religion other than Islam is recognized there. Clergy other than Muslims do not
have the right to practice there and the construction of places of worship other
than mosques is prohibited".
So, Christian French authorities are opening their holiest sites to Islamists --
as they do to everyone. These Saudis, however, prohibit others from practicing
their faith in Saudi Arabia. This is "French suicide", as Éric Zemmour warns in
his most famous book, Le suicide français.
The Saudi crown prince just bought Leonardo da Vinci's painting "Salvator
Mundi," for a record $450 million at auction last month. Then, the United Arab
Emirates tweeted that the painting "is coming to the Louvre Abu Dhabi", recently
opened by Macron. What else of its heritage will Europe now sell?
**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 year a rogue regime went from bad to worse
/النظام الإيراني المارق الذي تحول من سيء إلى أسوأ
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/December 25/2017
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=61317
Supporters of the Iran regime argued that the 2017 re-election of Hassan Rouhani
as president, the continuation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, known
commonly as the Iran nuclear deal, the continuing relaxation of sanctions, and
increased trade and political rapprochement with the Islamic Republic, would all
make Tehran a more constructive and rational regional actor in 2017.
This argument centers on the notion that appeasement of Tehran would empower and
embolden Iran’s “moderate” forces. However, concrete evidence and last year’s
history of the regime reveals a different story. Let us divide Iran’s actions,
behavior and policies in 2017 into three main categories — domestic, regional
and international.
Inside Iran, reports from human rights organizations such as Amnesty
International are alarming. The Iranian regime heavily suppressed and oppressed
any opposition movements, women, human rights defenders and political activists.
Ironically, the rule of the “moderates” in the presidential office had the
effect of empowering the judiciary, the Basij paramilitary volunteers, the
Ministry of Intelligence and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which
together are mainly responsible for domestic oppression.
The Iranian authorities targeted religious minorities such as Christians and
Sunnis, and ethnic minorities including the Kurds and Arabs of Khuzestan. The
number of executions rose to a world record. Additionally, Iran is still the
world’s leading executioner of children.
In the past 12 months Iran has expanded its influence through hard power and
military adventurism, broken international law, oppressed its own people and
inflated regional tensions.
Regionally speaking, the Iranian regime relied on the use of hard power rather
than diplomacy and soft power. The regime expanded its influence in the region
through several platforms including the IRGC and its elite branch, the Quds
Force, which operates in foreign territories, as well as through funding, arming
and supporting various militias and terrorist-designated groups. In Yemen, Iran
increased its weaponry and financial assistance to the Houthis, to such a level
that the Houthis were able to fire ballistic missiles into Saudi Arabia. In
Iraq, Tehran further empowered the Popular Mobilization Forces, a conglomerate
of Shiite militias that serve Tehran’s interests, and made it an integral part
of Baghdad’s political system. In Syria, Tehran began publicly boasting about
its forces on the ground and its ability to maintain the Assad regime in power.
The revelations in files found in Osama bin Laden’s hiding place in Pakistan and
released by the CIA, proving links between Al-Qaeda and Iranian regime, showed
that Tehran supports any terrorist group with which it shares common interests.
Tehran’s pursuit of regional domination further radicalized, militarized and
intensified tensions and conflicts in the region, for example in Yemen, Iraq,
Syria and Lebanon. In addition, it widened the gap between the Arab states and
Iran.
On the international stage, and concerning international law, Iran fired more
than 12 ballistic missiles, including one targeting another sovereign state,
Syria. These were in direct violation of the UN resolution that ratified the
nuclear deal, and which “calls upon Iran not to undertake any activity related
to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons,
including launches using such ballistic missile technology.”
Tehran exploited the enhanced legitimacy derived from the nuclear agreement and
trade agreements with European governments. It showed no sign of being committed
to respecting international law; its ballistic missile activities and
development program actually increased.
Iran also committed several violations of the nuclear agreement itself.
According to German intelligence, it made several attempts to acquire nuclear
technology. It surpassed the heavy water limits several times. Tehran did not
grant full access to inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency,
specifically to the Parchin military site. There are strong indications that
Tehran continues its nuclear proliferation in secret locations at Parchin.
Iran’s imprisonment and arrests of foreign citizens continued to rise. The IRGC
became more empowered in the Gulf, making dangerous maneuvers and harassing navy
ships from other nations. Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, and its generals
continued to preach and ignite anti-Americanism and anti-Western sentiments.
In a nutshell, in 2017 the Iranian regime expanded its influence through hard
power and military adventurism. Tehran continued to violate international law,
suppress people domestically and inflate tensions in the region. Tehran
exploited its enhanced legitimacy to achieve its regional hegemonic ambitions.
• Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political
scientist. He is a leading expert on Iran and US foreign policy, a businessman
and president of the International American Council. He serves on the boards of
the Harvard International Review, the Harvard International Relations Council
and the US-Middle East Chamber for Commerce and Business.
Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh
Mideast needs two-state solution, Pope says in
Christmas message
Arab News/December 26/ 2017
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=61320
VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis used his traditional Christmas address on Monday to
call for peace in Jerusalem and highlight the plight of children scarred by
conflict. Tens of thousands of worshippers gathered at the Vatican to hear the
pope’s fifth “Urbi et Orbi” (to the City and the World) message.
“We see Jesus in the children of the Middle East who continue to suffer because
of growing tensions between Israelis and Palestinians,” he said. “Let us pray
that the will to resume dialogue may prevail between the parties and that a
negotiated solution can finally be reached, one that would allow the peaceful
coexistence of two states within mutually agreed and internationally recognized
borders. “May the Lord also sustain the efforts of all those in the
international community inspired by goodwill to help that afflicted land to
find, despite grave obstacles, the harmony, justice and security that it has
long awaited,” the pope said. He also mentioned other global flashpoints such as
Syria, Iraq, Yemen, South Sudan and Venezuela, and said the “winds of war are
blowing in our world. Let us pray that confrontation may be overcome on the
Korean Peninsula and that mutual trust may increase in the interest of the world
as a whole,” the 81-year-old said. Earlier, celebrating midnight mass in
Jerusalem, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, apostolic administrator of the
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, attacked the wars that “the Herods of today fight
every day to become greater, to occupy more space.” In a criticism of the US
recognition this month of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the archbishop said:
“Jerusalem is a city of peace, but there is no peace if someone is excluded.
Jerusalem should include, not exclude.” Meanwhile, both Christians and Muslims
throughout the Middle East celebrated the day. In the central Syrian city of
Homs, there was great fanfare for the first time in years after the end of
battles between regime and opposition forces — with processions, shows for
children and even decorations among the ruins. In Iraq, too, this year marked a
positive turning point for the Christian community in the northern city of
Mosul.
Muslims in Pakistan not only took part in Christmas festivities, but also hosted
celebrations for their Christian friends and neighbors. Throughout the country,
Christian residential areas were bedecked with Christmas trees, stars and
baubles. The bazaars in major cities, adorned with festive wreaths, were buzzing
with last-minute shoppers. Pakistan civil and military leaders extended
greetings to the Christian community, and said the day underscored the teachings
of patience, tolerance and kindness.