LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
February 24/17

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For Today
If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 12/33-40/:"Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ‘Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. ‘But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.’

You Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies
First Letter to the Corinthians 15,35-44a/:"Someone will ask, ‘How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?’ Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be, but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. Not all flesh is alike, but there is one flesh for human beings, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. There are both heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one thing, and that of the earthly is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; indeed, star differs from star in glory. So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body."

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on February 23-24/17
Lebanese Fear Being Caught in Trump’s Push on Iran/Yaroslav Trofimov/The Wall Street Journal/February 23/17
Grave Violations of Human Rights in Iran – Amnesty International Annual Report 2016/17/Date issued: February 22, 2017
Any Solution, is a Good Solution/Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Ashaq Al Awsat/February 23/17
A Month of Islam and Multiculturalism in France: January 2017/Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/February 23/17
Corrupt State of Affairs at the International Federation of Journalists/Tamar Sternthal/Gatestone Institute/February 23/17
Netanyahu rejects peace with the Arabs as well as Palestinians/Chris Doyle/Al Arabiya/ February 23/17
The Saudi-Emirati coordination council retreat/Turki Aldakhil/Al Arabiya/ February 23/17
For Palestinians, any solution is a solution/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/ February 23/17
Political tolerance as the foundation of a new world order: The UAE model/Diana Galeeva/Al Arabiya/ February 23/17

Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on February 23-24/17
Bahij Abu Hamze Freed from Prison, Wahhab Hails Judiciary
Mustaqbal Says Hizbullah Wants Us to Choose One of Two Dilemmas
Mahmoud Abbas from Baabda: Palestinian refugees are guests in Lebanon
Aoun underscores Abbas important role in maintaining stability in camps
Aoun Meets Abbas, Urges Him to Help 'Preserve Camps Stability'
Sami Gemayel Slams Ruling Class, Warns against Hiking Taxes to Fund Wage Scale
Hariri Calls for Strengthening Economy, Says Govt. Not Mulling High Taxes
Hariri chairs cabinet session
STL Registrar meets with Lebanese officials on working visit to Beirut
Kahwaji meets US Senate Armed Services delegation
Royal navy flagship to conclude Middle East tour in Lebanon
U.S. Lawyer for Lebanese Man Held in Iran Calls Him a 'Hostage'
British Navy Flagship to Conclude Middle East Tour in Lebanon
Marouni: Kataeb on Same Grounds as FPM, Rejects Extension of Parliament Term
In Lebanon Gyms, Playtime and Escape for Syrian Children
U.S. Military Delegation in Lebanon Next Week
Lebanese Fear Being Caught in Trump’s Push on Iran

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on February 23-24/17
Israeli Warplanes Shoot Down Hamas Drone
130 bodies found in Syria mass graves
Turkey-backed Syrian rebels seize control in almost all of al-Bab
Syria’s warring sides meet at UN talks for first time in three years
UN aid convoy looted in Syria as supplies remain blocked
Iraqi security forces storm Mosul airport, military base
Interrogating Saddam: What he said on Kuwait and what angered him the most
Iran sends team to Saudi Arabia for talks on this year’s Hajj pilgrimage
Over 700 migrants rescued off Libya: Italy coast guard
Hollande: France insists on two-state Mideast peace deal
France's Macron Gets Boost, but Election is Wide Open
Syria Rebels Announce Capture of Al-Bab from IS
Vatican, Top Sunni Body to Jointly Counter Extremism
German Official: ‘Iran’s Nuclear Program Threatens Regional, World Stability’
Grave Violations of Human Rights in Iran – Amnesty International Annual Report 2016/17/Date issued: February 22, 2017
Assad Backed by IRGC Is the Main Part of the Problem and Not of the Solution
We Must Be Certain the Liberated Zones in Syria Are Not Controlled by Iran, Hezbollah
Munich Security Conference, Emerging an International Consensus Against the Iran Regime
The Syrian Opposition Called for Designating the IRGC Militias as Terrorist Groups
Condemning the Arrest of Iranian Asylum Seeker in Canada and Warning Against the Serious Danger of Her Deportation
Condemning the Arrest of Iranian Asylum Seeker in Canada and Warning Against the Serious Danger of Her Deportation
Iran: Ahvaz Protests a Prelude to Events Which Will Rattle the Mullahs' Entire Foundation
Iran: Looming Environmental Catastrophe in Oil Rich Khuzestan Province

Links From Jihad Watch Site for on February 23-24/17
Muslims at University of Texas Arlington: “Stuff Jews in the oven”
Netherlands: Muslim agent suspended, accused of leaking details of Wilders’ whereabouts to jihad group
Australia: Muslim leader admits that Qur’an allows for wife-beating
Glazov Gang: Muslim Free Thinker Calls Out Linda Sarsour and the Women’s March
Swedish politicians: Trump is right, Sweden’s embrace of Muslim migrants isn’t working
Robert Spencer in FrontPage: The McMaster Pick: Score One for the Swamp?
Muslim House Democrat IT staffers owed $100,000 to Hizballah-linked fugitive
Denmark: Man who burned Qur’an charged with blasphemy

Links From Christian Today Site for  February 23-24/17
ISIS Terror Grows In Egypt As Christian Man Shot Dead And Son Burned Alive
Exclusive Michael Gove Interview: On Trump Quitting Early, Not Talking To Cameron And Being A Flawed Christian
Will A Christian Film Win Best Picture? Christian Today's Oscar Predictions
Archbishop Admits To 'Catastrophic' Failure In Leadership Over Child Sex Abuse
Syrian Man 'Tortured' There After US Church Published His Baptism Can't Sue, Court Rules
Story': The New Christian Union Mission Week Attracting Thousands
Blasphemy Laws In Denmark Used For First Time In Over 40 Years Against Man Who Filmed Himself Burning The Quran
Faithful In The Fire: The Christian Legacy Of St Polycarp
Sending Out The 25: Church Of England Bishops Head To Durham For Weekend's Evangelism
Turkey Has Given 'No Evidence' In Andrew Brunson Case, Says Legal Team
Samuel Rodriguez Urges Trump To Protect Families As Deportation Plans Announced

Latest Lebanese Related News published on February 23-24/17
Bahij Abu Hamze Freed from Prison, Wahhab Hails Judiciary
Naharnet/February 23/17/Bahij Abu Hamze, a prominent Lebanese businessman, was freed from prison on Thursday after around three years in provisional detention. Media reports said Abu Hamze arrived home in the afternoon after the Beirut court of appeals revoked a previous ruling by Beirut Examining Magistrate Farid Ajib and ordered Abu Hamze's release without any bail. MP Walid Jumblat's press office meanwhile issued a statement stressing that Abu Hamze's release does not mean that he has been “acquitted,” noting that a one-year travel ban has been imposed on him and that investigations led by Judge Farid Ajib will continue in Jumblat's latest “fraudulent bankruptcy” lawsuit against Abu Hamze and in ten other lawsuits. “The travel ban on Abu Hamze for the necessities of investigation prove that there is evidence against him and that the release is merely a measure that any court would take when the legal period of pre-trial detention ends. Nothing in it points to innocence and the travel ban against the defendant makes conviction more likely,” Jumblat's office added. Arab Tawhid Party chief ex-minister Wiam Wahhab had earlier hailed the judiciary over the decision. “The tyrants have fallen and the judiciary has triumphed,” Wahhab tweeted, saluting Justice Minister Salim Jreissati and the judges Tannous Meshleb, Fadi Oneissi and Suheil Abboud and noting that they have “restored hope in the judiciary.”

Mustaqbal Says Hizbullah Wants Us to Choose One of Two Dilemmas
Naharnet/February 23/17/Al-Mustaqbal Movement has reportedly denied claims accusing the party of hampering an agreement on a new electoral law for the upcoming elections, al-Akhbar daily reported on Thursday. “The party is not obstructing agreements on a new law for the polls. Hizbullah wants us to choose between proportionality and proportionality,” prominent Mustaqbal sources told the daily. “An agreement was reached in the four-party panel on a law proposed by (Foreign) Minister Jebran Bassil. Only a minor difference on one or two parliament seats needed to be settled, but we were surprised to see Hizbullah backtrack,” said the source who spoke on condition of anonymity. “Hizbullah can't make us choose between proportionality under one district and proportionality as suggested by Najib Miqati's government,” they added. “We are not the ones obstructing. We had previously agreed on a one man multiple vote format and on a hybrid format, so no one accuse us of failing formats,” stressed the source. On Wednesday, the Free Patriotic Movement has reportedly accused its partner in the presidential settlement, al-Mustaqbal Movement, of wasting time in the electoral law deliberations in order to postpone the parliamentary elections.

Mahmoud Abbas from Baabda: Palestinian refugees are guests in Lebanon
Thu 23 Feb 2017 /NNA - Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas said on Thursday following his meeting with President Michel Aoun at Baabda Palace "Palestinian refugees are guests in Lebanon until their certain return to their homeland Palestine."
Abbas said that they were from the beginning against terrorism. "We have called from the start to hold constructive dialogue and to preserve the unity of the Arab territories," Abbas asserted. On the other hand, Abbas said that "Lebanon will remain a beacon of civilization, knowledge and steadfastness in the Arab countries." Abbas thanked the Lebanese authority and the people for hosting the Palestinians. On another note, the Palestinian President noted that "Israel insists on occupying our land and keeping our people in a big prison, and this is what we will not accept. We will continue to work through political and diplomatic means, to implement Security Council resolutions."

Aoun underscores Abbas important role in maintaining stability in camps
Thu 23 Feb 2017/NNA - President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, stressed during a joint press conference with Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, in Baabda Palace the important role of the latter in preserving stability in Palestinian refugee camps to prevent their transformation into hotbeds for those who want to exploit Palestinian people’s sufferings. "No peace without justice, and no justice without granting rights. From this point, I underscore that the most important challenge is the extent of our ability to impose a just and comprehensive solution to all the aspects of the Arab-Israeli conflict, according to international resolutions and the articles of Arab summit’s resolutions," President Aoun confirmed. He stressed that unilateralism in the world collapsed, and no country can be built on the basis of one religion that reject the other and push him out of his land, identity and culture. "We are all invited, on the eve of the Arab summit, to work on reviving the Arab League’s role to be able to face crises in solidarity." "The need has become more urgent to find political solutions to crises and ongoing bloodsheds in some Arab countries," Aoun said. "We agreed to coordinate positions and to cooperate to serve the interests of our two countries and issues of justice and peace that we paid the price to achieve," he concluded.

Aoun Meets Abbas, Urges Him to Help 'Preserve Camps Stability'
Naharnet/February 23/17/Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas held talks Thursday with President Michel Aoun at the Baabda Palace at the beginning of a three-day visit to Lebanon. After a bilateral meeting between the two leaders, the members of the Palestinian and Lebanese delegations joined the talks, state-run National News Agency said. "We agreed to coordinate stances and cooperate in a manner that serves the interests of our two countries and the causes of justice and peace for which we have offered dear sacrifices," Aoun said at a joint press conference after the talks. "I stressed the importance of President Abbas' role in preserving the stability of the (Palestinian refugee) camps so that they don't turn into hubs for those seeking to take advantage of the Palestinian people's plights," Aoun added, referring to extremist groups. Abbas for his part voiced confidence that the talks with Aoun "will lead to strengthening the ties of brotherhood and cooperation between the two countries and the two brotherly peoples."And stressing that Palestinian refugees in Lebanon are only "guests," the Palestinian leader vowed to exert all efforts possible to achieve "their certain return to their homeland Palestine."Abbas is accompanied by Palestinian Presidency spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina, Fatah Movement's Central Committee official Azzam al-Ahmed and Fatah official spokesman Ahmed Assaf. By long-standing convention, the Lebanese army does not enter the twelve Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, leaving the Palestinian factions themselves to handle security. That has created lawless areas in many camps. More than 450,000 Palestinians are registered in Lebanon with the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA. Most live in squalid conditions in 12 official refugee camps and face a variety of legal restrictions, including on their employment.

Sami Gemayel Slams Ruling Class, Warns against Hiking Taxes to Fund Wage Scale
Naharnet/February 23/17/Kataeb Party chief MP Sami Gemayel on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the country's ruling class, accusing it of impotence and of stealing public money. “Kataeb is worried over the situation we're going through and we're concerned about the country and its stability,” said Gemayel at a press conference. “We have reached a critical juncture and the deadline for calling the electoral bodies to prepare for elections has passed and all the choices ahead are bad,” Gemayel warned. “The ruling class agreed on splitting gains and passing the oil decrees while a vision for Lebanon's future was not among their priorities, that's why we are before a dilemma and a real threat to the country,” he noted. He was referring to the coalition government that was formed after the election of President Michel Aoun. “It turned out that each group in the government is still clinging to its viewpoint on arms and stability and that there is no agreement on an electoral law. They are still searching for a mechanism that enables them to return to power and monopolize power,” Gemayel lamented. “There is negligence and carelessness regarding the state budget. The extension (of parliament's term) and the failure to pass an electoral law have become trivial things for them and once again Lebanon is appearing as a state that does not respect law,” Kataeb's chief decried. “The Lebanese people is a small detail for the ruling class and the Cabinet that has been convening for two months now does not regard the electoral law as one of its priorities,” added Gemayel. “We hear about bilateral and tripartite meetings as if the electoral law is a national security secret,” he went on to say. And urging people to hold the ruling class accountable in the upcoming parliamentary elections, Gemayel called for the election of “individuals who have the spirit of change and a high ethical level.”Gemayel also warned that any attempt to impose new taxes would be an “extortion” attempt “seeing as the money will end up in the pockets of officials.”“The new wage scale should be funded through putting an end to the squandering and theft of public money and through introducing real reform and change... not through hiking taxes,” Gemayel emphasized. He also reiterated his call for holding consecutive meetings at the presidential palace, the parliament or the government's headquarters in order to reach an agreement on a new electoral law, warning against “procrastination.”

Hariri Calls for Strengthening Economy, Says Govt. Not Mulling High Taxes
Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Thursday called on everyone to “benefit from the current accord in the country, especially in terms of supporting and strengthening the economy.”“Efforts are underway and will continue to approve the state budget as soon as possible. As for the new wage scale, it should not be a problem but rather a solution, and it is being studied in Cabinet with all due calmness, openness and positivity,” Hariri told a delegation from the Beirut Traders Association. As for the issue of hiking taxes, Hariri stressed that “nothing is final until the moment.”“The issue is being studied from all aspects in Cabinet and we must decide whether or not we want Lebanon to be a tax haven,” the premier added. He however underlined that “the economic situation cannot withstand high new taxes, and the inclination is to give incentives to the private sector to enable it to rise and develop itself.”

Hariri chairs cabinet session
Thu 23 Feb 2017/NNA - The cabinet Thursday held a new meeting at 4;30 p.m. under the chairmanship of Prime Minister, Saad Hariri, to continue discussions on the controversial 2017 state budget. Finance Minister, Ali Hassan Khalil said "We have achieved a great progress today regarding the budget and we have started discussing taxes measures and amendments." Khalil added that Prime Minister, Saad Hariri, has set a date for the three sessions to be held next week starting on Monday.

STL Registrar meets with Lebanese officials on working visit to Beirut
Thu 23 Feb 2017/NNA - Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) Registrar Daryl Mundis met with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri on a working visit to Beirut this week and discussed various matters relating to the Tribunal’s work. Mr Mundis also met with Justice Minister Salim Jreissati, Prosecutor General Samir Hammoud and members of the diplomatic community in Lebanon. "These regular visits to Beirut allow me to update our key interlocutors on the STL’s work and to personally thank Lebanese officials for their continued support," said Mr Mundis. The STL Registrar is responsible for all aspects of the Tribunal's administration including the budget, fundraising, human resources and providing security. His responsibilities also include court management, the oversight of the Victims’ Participation Unit, witness protection and language services.

Kahwaji meets US Senate Armed Services delegation
Thu 23 Feb 2017/NNA - Army chief, Jean Kahwaji met on Thursday afternoon at his Yarze office with a delegation of the US Senate Armed Services, headed by Thomas Govos. Discussions focused on the general situation in Lebanon and the region as well as the US assistance to the Lebanese Army and ways to boost this aid in light of the basic needs of the Army. Later, the members of the delegation headed to the Command Operations room, where they were briefed on the field measures of the Army deployed on the eastern border, and its readiness to confront terrorist organizations and the control of the infiltration and smuggling acts. Separately, Kahwaji met with Abbot Neemtallah Hashem, Head of the Maronite Order with discussions featuring high on general affairs.

Royal navy flagship to conclude Middle East tour in Lebanon
Thu 23 Feb 2017/NNA - In a demonstration of the strength of the enduring UK-Lebanon partnership, the Fleet flagship of the Royal Navy will visit Lebanon next week. The visit will conclude a Middle East deployment of HMS OCEAN, which has seen the warship work with a number of countries East of Suez as well as with other coalition partners, including USA, France and Australia, demonstrating commitment to the region."In a press release by the British Embassy in Beirut, it said: "During her stay in the Port of Beirut, the ship will host a series of events designed to emphasize and deepen the partnership - in the defence field and beyond - between the UK and Lebanon, which aims to build a strong state for the benefit of all Lebanese."Speaking on the occasion, British Ambassador to Lebanon, Hugo Shorter, said: "We are very excited by the arrival of HMS OCEAN, the Fleet flagship of the Royal Navy. It's a symbol of the UK's leading role in promoting global stability and security. Our defence budget is the largest in Europe, and second largest in NATO. But we are equally proud of our partnership with countries like Lebanon. We remain steadfast in our commitment to Lebanon's stability, and it's due to our strong belief in the importance of Lebanese sovereignty that we have focused our support through state institutions like the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Internal Security Forces."In the months prior to arriving in Lebanon, HMS OCEAN has been the Flagship for Combined Task Force 50 (CTF50), a multi-national task force maintaining the free flow of trade, freedom of navigation for shipping and regional security in the Middle East. This was the first time that the UK had commanded CTF50 and the Task Force was led by Commodore Andrew Burns OBE Royal Navy, Commodore Amphibious Task Group. Release concluded: "HMS OCEAN weighs 22,000 tonnes and is the largest operational warship in the Royal Navy. Her primary role is as a helicopter carrier and amphibious assault ship, although her visit to Lebanon is not linked to combat operations."

U.S. Lawyer for Lebanese Man Held in Iran Calls Him a 'Hostage'
Associated Press/Naharnet/February 23/17/A Washington-based lawyer for a Lebanese citizen and U.S. permanent resident imprisoned in Iran has described him as a "hostage."Jason Poblete said in a statement on Thursday that Iranian allegations that Nizar Zakka confessed to authorities are "completely false."A semi-official Iranian news agency on Wednesday published remarks from a Revolutionary Guard commander saying Zakka confessed to trying to "encourage decadence" in Iranian society. Poblete demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Zakka, a Lebanese computer expert whose organization previously did contract work for the U.S. government, and all other Westerners held by Iran. Zakka was detained in September 2015 after speaking at a conference attended by President Hassan Rouhani at the Iranian government's invitation. Zakka is serving a 10-year prison sentence and faces a $4.2 million fine after a closed-door trial.

British Navy Flagship to Conclude Middle East Tour in Lebanon
Naharnet/February 23/17/The British Embassy announced Thursday that, in a demonstration of “the strength of the enduring UK-Lebanon partnership,” the Fleet flagship of the British Royal Navy will visit Lebanon next week. The visit will conclude a Middle East deployment of HMS OCEAN, which has seen the warship work with a number of countries East of Suez as well as with other coalition partners, including the U.S., France and Australia, demonstrating “commitment” to the region. During its stay in the Port of Beirut, the ship will host a series of events designed to “emphasize and deepen the partnership -- in the defense field and beyond -- between the UK and Lebanon, which aims to build a strong state for the benefit of all Lebanese,” a British Embassy statement said. The ship's visit is not linked to “combat operations,” the statement added. British Ambassador to Lebanon Hugo Shorter said: “We are very excited by the arrival of HMS OCEAN, the Fleet flagship of the Royal Navy. It’s a symbol of the UK’s leading role in promoting global stability and security.” “Our defense budget is the largest in Europe, and second largest in NATO. But we are equally proud of our partnership with countries like Lebanon. We remain steadfast in our commitment to Lebanon’s stability, and it’s due to our strong belief in the importance of Lebanese sovereignty that we have focused our support through state institutions like the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Internal Security Forces,” Shorter noted. In the months prior to arriving in Lebanon, HMS OCEAN has been the Flagship for Combined Task Force 50 (CTF50), a multi-national task force maintaining “the free flow of trade, freedom of navigation for shipping and regional security in the Middle East.”HMS OCEAN weighs 22,000 tons and is the largest operational warship in the Royal Navy, according to the British Embassy statement. Its primary role is as a helicopter carrier and amphibious assault ship.

Marouni: Kataeb on Same Grounds as FPM, Rejects Extension of Parliament Term
Naharnet/February 23/17/Kataeb MP Elie Marouni stressed on Thursday that his party is on the same grounds as the Free Patriotic Movement as for rejecting the current 1960 majoritarian electoral law and the extension of the parliament's term. Expressing the Kataeb's utter refusal to adopt the 1960 law in the forthcoming legislative polls, Marouni told Free Lebanon radio: “We support a new electoral law and reject the 1960. We agree with the FPM and reject the extension of the parliament’s term.” “The 1960 law will only ensure the election of the same MPs, and will not introduce any changes to political balances,” he said. The MP voiced calls upon the March 14 alliance to “reevaluate the existing political reality and to reunite its ranks before Hizbullah and its weapons become the major ruling force in the country.” Political parties are bickering over amending the current election law which divides seats among the different religious sects. The country has not organized parliamentary elections since 2009 and the legislature has since extended its own mandate twice. While al-Mustaqbal Movement has rejected that the electoral law be fully based on proportional representation, arguing that Hizbullah's arms would prevent serious competition in the party's strongholds, Druze leader MP Walid Jumblat has totally rejected proportional representation, even within a hybrid law, warning that it would “marginalize” the minority Druze community.
The political parties are meanwhile discussing several formats of a so-called hybrid law that mixes proportional representation with the winner-takes-all system.

In Lebanon Gyms, Playtime and Escape for Syrian Children
Associated Press/Naharnet/February 23/17/Every Sunday, the gymnasium along Beirut's airport highway echoes with the shouting and laughter of dozens of Syrian children enjoying a rare escape from a grim and confined life in exile. The Sport 4 Development program, run by the U.N. children's agency, aims to bring 12,000 children, mostly Syrian refugees, to blacktops and turf pitches this year to teach the basics of soccer and basketball, and to ease the pain of war and displacement. "We try to get them out of their stressful environments and the frights that they've lived through," said Maher Nakib, 40, the technical director of Hoops Lebanon, the sports association behind the project. Of the one million Syrian refugees the U.N. says are living in Lebanon, more than half are under 18 years old. Syrians here face legal and other forms of discrimination, and many parents are hesitant to let their children play outside in the crowded alleys of Beirut's poorer neighborhoods, where most of the refugees live. The monthlong Hoops program provides a safe environment where the children can blow off steam, as well as learn self-confidence and teamwork. "They come back home and they're too tired to fight," smiles Fatima Tayjan, a refugee from the Syrian city of Aleppo who has enrolled three of her four children in the program. When her family of six returns home to their crowded two-bedroom apartment, the children have "released all their energy and they are ready to talk to each other," she said.
Maram al-Malwa, a 17-year-old paid volunteer who came up in the program, recalls her own feelings of isolation when she and her family fled from Aleppo to Lebanon five years ago. "It was a new country, even a new accent," she said. But now she is irrepressible, rising on the balls of her feet when she speaks and helping coaches reach through to children in the group activities. She is one of a handful of the children pulled aside for a six-month mentorship on leadership and coaching. "You grow, you experience victories, setbacks, you learn to fight for yourself, and you become more confident," she said.
When hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled their homes or were forced into Lebanon during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, they set to work mending the national fabric through schools, scouts, and athletics, with the support of Arab nationalist groups. But Syrians have not been able to count on the same sense of solidarity. And as the U.N. and aid groups have struggled to assist the nearly 5 million Syrian refugees scattered across the region, the focus has been on schooling, aid and shelter, with few resources left over for cultural or recreational activities.
"Children won't necessarily express themselves unless you give them an outlet, and sports are an excellent medium to do so," said Nakib, the technical director.
Rania Qadri, who fled from Syria's southern Daraa province, said she saw her oldest daughter change before her eyes. "She used to be introverted, she wouldn't speak to anyone," she said. "Now she comes home and tells me, 'I've made friends, we've been playing soccer, we've been playing games and sports.'"
Staffers are trained to identify struggling children, those who lash out and those who retreat into their shells. Psychologists meet with parents weekly to discuss healthy relationships and domestic violence. The group sessions often bring to light domestic disputes, learning disabilities or experiences of sexual violence. The children are then referred to specialized non-governmental organizations for further support. In other cases, children will reveal that they are not enrolled in school, and staffers will direct them to organizations that can help. Two-thirds of Syrian children in Lebanon do not attend school, according to U.N. figures, in part because the country's underfunded public education system has been overwhelmed by the new arrivals. On a recent Sunday, the children lined up to dribble through cones, shoot layups and learn cheers and stretches. "You see a lot of cases of shyness or stubbornness, and you immediately see them change when they're here," said al-Malwa, the teenage volunteer. "I feel like I'm responsible, like I'm in charge of a group."

U.S. Military Delegation in Lebanon Next Week
Naharnet/February 23/17/A U.S. military delegation is expected to arrive in Lebanon next week to discuss with the Lebanese army the repercussions of the Syrian war on Lebanon and to weigh the developments on the Lebanese-Syrian border where the army is facing militants, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Thursday.U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander General Joseph L. Votel, is expected to make an “unusual” visit to Lebanon next week, well-informed sources told the daily on condition of anonymity. Votel will be "heading a delegation of U.S. senior generals in charge of maintaining cooperation between the Lebanese and US armies, aid programs and grants as awarded by needs identified by the Lebanese army command in accordance with the current five-year plan since 2013," they added. The delegation will discuss the repercussions of Syria's war on Lebanon and the region. The military delegation will also discuss the developments on the porous Lebanese-Syrian border where the Lebanese army faces armed terror groups. Discussions will focus on "enhancing the army's armed capabilities as needed to qualify it to cope with the vast rugged areas on the border, and to confront terrorism which has spread out beyond Lebanon and the region, to reach the whole world," said the sources.

Lebanese Fear Being Caught in Trump’s Push on Iran
Yaroslav Trofimov/The Wall Street Journal/February 23/17
BEIRUT—No country is more important for Iran’s regional influence than Lebanon, where the Shiite militia Hezbollah plays an outsize role. Now that President Donald Trump seeks to roll back this Iranian sway, many Lebanese fear their country will end up paying the price.
In a nation of 18 officially recognized religious communities, Shiites account for about 27% of Lebanon’s population, according to Central Intelligence Agency estimates. (No census has been held here since 1932.)
Hezbollah, which has repeatedly confronted Israel, is the only militia that emerged from Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war with its arsenal intact. And, after the last five years of heavy combat in Syria, it has turned into one of the Middle East’s most formidable military forces, one significantly stronger than Lebanon’s multi-confessional regular army.
While designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S., Hezbollah is also a powerful part of Lebanon’s government. After a 2½-year deadlock, it secured in October the ascension of a political ally, former army chief Michel Aoun, a Christian, as president.
President Aoun, in turn, this month described Hezbollah’s weapons as an “essential part in defending the country”—a statement that prompted the United Nations envoy to remind him that a Security Council resolution calls for disarming the group.
The administration of Barack Obama, aware of the complex power dynamic in Lebanon, had chosen not to confront Hezbollah’s influence directly. Instead, it aimed to build up central Lebanese government institutions, particularly the army, hoping that one day the regular military would become stronger than the Iranian-backed militia.
President Trump has adopted a far more confrontational stance on Iran and its allies. In a joint statement with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week, he stressed the need to “counter the threats posed by Iran and its proxies.” Hezbollah is by far the most important of these Iranian regional proxies and the shift in Washington came just as Hezbollah, benefiting from regime victories in Syria, reached unprecedented authority inside Lebanon. “Today, Hezbollah is acting as the main decision maker in Lebanon,” said parliament member Samy Gemayel, president of the predominantly Christian Kataeb party which belongs to the Sunni-led political grouping known as the March 14 alliance. “This is very dangerous. The Lebanese state as a whole can be sanctioned if it is considered to be under the umbrella of Hezbollah. This is what we fear.”
There are many ways the Trump administration could squeeze Lebanon if it so desired—from targeting its banks to curtailing funding for the national army and for some 1.5 million Syrian refugees living here. “Lebanon would be uniquely vulnerable to a U.S.-Iran escalation. Its banking system is exposed to Treasury actions that can be imposed quickly and painfully,” said Emile Hokayem, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies
Lebanon’s central bank governor, Riad Salameh, told The Wall Street Journal in an interview he hasn't received any communications from the new U.S. administration. Lebanon, he added, has already passed all the banking legislation that the U.S. had requested, and has established strict controls to make sure that Hezbollah or Iran aren’t abusing the country’s banking system, where 65% of deposits are held in U.S. dollars. “The general policy we are following aims to keep Lebanon integrated in the global financial system,” Mr. Salameh said. “The banking sector is a pillar for economic and social stability.…We are implementing the laws that have been enacted in countries where we have either correspondent banking or in countries where we use their currencies. Therefore the banking sector here is compliant in a strict but fair manner”
“The government is a coalition government and it does represent all the factions of the country, and it is normal that [Hezbollah] is included. But the government has also accepted that it needs to be compliant internationally,” Mr. Salameh said. “Sanctions won’t be warranted because we have done what is required to be in line with international practices.”
Hezbollah last year harshly criticized the central bank and commercial banks for shutting down accounts believed to be connected to the organization’s members.
Hezbollah didn’t reply to an emailed request for comment.
Ali Bazzi, a lawmaker from the Shiite Amal bloc allied with Hezbollah, added that it would be counterproductive for the U.S. to halt aid to the Lebanese army just as it is being engaged against al Qaeda and Islamic State along the Syrian border.
“The Lebanese Army is doing a great job defending the country against terrorists. We really appreciate the assistance of the U.S. and any other country for this mission. But you are not just helping us, you are also helping yourselves,” he said.
Last year, Saudi Arabia withheld $3 billion in funding for the Lebanese army and imposed many other restrictions as it decided to punish Lebanon for what it viewed as the country’s tilt toward Iran in the regional power struggle.
Saudi relations with Lebanon, however, warmed up after the October compromise over parliament’s election of President Aoun—which also involved appointing a Saudi-backed candidate, Sunni politician Saad Hariri, as prime minister.
Mr. Aoun’s allies say they hope the Trump administration, just as the Saudis have done, will realize that its campaign against Iran won’t benefit from hurting Lebanon as a whole.
“Whatever happens between the U.S. and the Iran, the interest of the West is for Lebanon to remain stable,” said Charbel Cordahi, an economic adviser at the president’s Free Patriotic Movement party. “If the stability here is threatened, it’s not only the Lebanese who will be paying the price.”

Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on February 23-24/17
Israeli Warplanes Shoot Down Hamas Drone
Israeli warplanes on Thursday shot down over the Mediterranean a drone controlled by the Gaza Strip's Islamist rulers Hamas, the army said. "An (Israeli) fighter aircraft shot down a Hamas-owned unmanned aircraft flown from the Gaza Strip to the Mediterranean," an army spokeswoman said.
The drone fell into the sea without entering Israeli territory, she added. "The Israeli army will not allow any violation of our airspace and will act firmly against any attempt of this kind," she added. Hamas, with which Israel has fought three wars since 2008, did not immediately comment.In December, Hamas accused Israel of the murder Mohamed Zaouari in Tunisia.He was an aeronautical engineer described as a specialist in the development of drones who Hamas said had been working for them for 10 years.

130 bodies found in Syria mass graves
AFP, Beirut Thursday, 23 February 2017/The bodies of some 130 fighters shot execution-style or beheaded by rival extremists have been found in mass graves in northwestern Syria, a monitoring group and rebel sources said Thursday. The grim discovery comes nearly a week after clashes in Idlib province between the extremist Jund al-Aqsa rebel group and Al-Qaeda’s former Syrian affiliate and allied factions. At least 131 bodies were found on Wednesday and Thursday in two separate mass graves near the town of Khan Sheikun, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Some had been shot and others beheaded. Last week the bodies of 41 rebel fighters had been found near the same town, said the Britain-based monitoring group. Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said Jund al-Aqsa had detained the fighters and then “executed” them.Mohammad Rashid, a spokesman for the rebel Jaish al-Nasr group, also reported the deaths but put the number of bodies found at 128. According to him, 71 of those killed were fighters from his group. “Three citizen journalists and 11 commanders were among them,” said Rashid. A source from the civil defence also reported that 128 bodies had been recovered from two graves inside a former army barracks that had been occupied by Jund al-Aqsa. Jund al-Aqsa, which is considered close to ISIS, is reviled by most rebels in the region and is designated a “terrorist group” by Washington. Earlier this month, Jund al-Aqsa had been locked in clashes with Fateh al-Sham, the former Al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, after tensions over influence in Idlib, a province held by rebels. Fateh al-Sham was fighting alongside several allied groups in a coalition dubbed Tahrir al-Sham, and the battles spread beyond Idlib to neighboring Hama province. According to the Observatory, Jund al-Aqsa fighters have pulled back to Hama and to other areas. More than 310,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.
The war has become a complex multi-front conflict, drawing in extremist groups and international armies.

Turkey-backed Syrian rebels seize control in almost all of al-Bab
Reuters, Istanbul Thursday, 23 February 2017/Turkey-backed Syrian rebels have seized control of almost all of Syria’s al-Bab and are now working to find and clear mines, Turkey’s defense minister told state-run Anadolu news agency on Thursday. The Free Syrian Army, backed by Turkish tanks, warplanes and special forces, have entered the center of al-Bab, a town they have been besieging for weeks, Isik said in an interview with Anadolu. Turkey launched its Syrian operation, dubbed “Operation Euphrates Shield,” in August, an effort to push ISIS from its border and stop the advance of a Syrian Kurdish militia.
Taking control of al-Bab, an ISIS stronghold 30 km (20 miles) from the Turkish border, would deepen Turkish influence in an area of Syria where it has effectively created a buffer zone and would allow the Ankara-backed forces to press on towards Raqqa, ISIS’s de facto capital in Syria.
The Free Syrian Army fighters, a loose coalition of Syrian Arabs and Turkmen, have been attacking al-Bab since December, aided by Turkish warplanes, tanks and special forces. Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency, citing its correspondent in al-Bab, said the rebels had seized control of the town center and were now clearing mines and explosive devices laid by the extremists. Some 1,900 square kilometers (734 square miles) in northern Syria has now been cleared of militant groups, it said. “We had reached the city center yesterday but there was a suicide attack so we had to withdraw a little bit. And today we attacked again. I can say that 85-90 percent of the city is under control,” a fighter from the Sultan Murad Brigade who is in al-Bab told Reuters by telephone. “They have dug tunnels all under Bab and those who have remained are all suicide bombers. The whole of the city is mined. I can say that every meter is mined.” There was no immediate comment from the Turkish military.

Syria’s warring sides meet at UN talks for first time in three years
Reuters, Geneva Thursday, 23 February 2017/Opposing sides in the Syrian war came face-to-face in UN peace talks for the first time in three years on Thursday, to hear UN mediator Staffan de Mistura implore them to find a way out of the almost six-year-old conflict. “I ask you to work to work together. I know it’s not going to be easy to end this horrible conflict and lay the foundation for a country at peace with itself, sovereign and unified,” Mistura told the delegates sitting opposite each other on a raised platform in a UN assembly hall in Geneva. After his opening address, de Mistura shook hands with both sides. It was not clear when talks would resume or if the two sides would meet for direct negotiations. At the last Geneva talks, 10 months ago, de Mistura had to shuttle between the delegations who were never together in the same room. De Mistura said the two sides had a joint responsibility to end a conflict that had killed at least 300,000 people and displaced millions. “The Syrian people desperately all want an end to this conflict and you all know it,” he said. “You are the first ones to tell us it. They are waiting for a relief from their own suffering and dream of a new road out of this nightmare to a new and normal future in dignity. Describing the negotiations as an uphill task, he said they would centre on UN Security Council resolution 2254, which calls for a new constitution, UN-supervised elections and transparent and accountable governance. He said a shaky ceasefire brokered by Russia, Turkey and Iran had opened a window of opportunity. “The effort has jump-started the process ... to see if there is a political road forward and we don’t want to miss this opportunity.”

UN aid convoy looted in Syria as supplies remain blocked
AFP, United Nations/Geneva Thursday, 23 February 2017/A convoy bringing aid to a besieged area in Syria was seized by gunmen who looted the supplies and roughed up the drivers just days before peace talks, a top UN official said Wednesday. Only three convoys have reached rebel-held towns over the past two months in what UN aid chief Stephen O’Brien described as “a zero or near-zero” rate of assistance to Syrians living under siege in the nearly six-year war.
This week, two convoys were scheduled to reach opposition-held Waer near the central city of Homs, but one was forced to turn back due to sniper fire en route on Sunday. Also read: UN mediator expects ‘no breakthrough’ in Syria talks
The following day, shelling and gunfire prevented trucks from reaching the town, but on the way back to a warehouse, gunmen diverted the convoy to a “government-controlled area,” O’Brien told the Security Council. “The drivers and trucks were temporarily detained, and some drivers were reportedly roughed up, but have since been released, without humanitarian supplies, and everyone is safe and accounted for,” O’Brien said. O’Brien condemned the incident as a “blatant disregard for the protection of humanitarian workers” and said efforts would continue to try to reach Waer, where 50,000 civilians have not received any assistance in nearly four months. In the besieged towns of Madaya and Kefraya, five people have died in recent days, among them a mother who died giving birth, O’Brien said.
Opposition seeks ‘direct negotiations’Syria’s main opposition group said Wednesday it wanted face-to-face discussions with government representatives, a day before the start of a new round of peace talks in Geneva.
“We ask for direct negotiations... It would save time and be proof of seriousness instead of negotiating in (separate) rooms,” Salem al-Meslet, spokesman for the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) umbrella group, told AFP.
During three previous rounds of talks in Geneva last year, the two sides never sat down at the same table, instead leaving UN mediator Staffan de Mistura to shuttle between them. This time, de Mistura has voiced hope that he will manage to bring the two sides together for direct talks.

Iraqi security forces storm Mosul airport, military base
Reuters, Baghdad Thursday, 23 February 2017/US-backed Iraqi security forces closing in on the ISIS-held western half of Mosul stormed the city’s airport and a nearby military base on Thursday, state television said. Counter-terrorism service (CTS) troops and elite interior ministry units known as Rapid Response descended on the airport early on Thursday and the nearby Ghozlani military complex, CTS spokesman Sabah al-Numan told state TV. “Our forces started a major operation early this morning to storm the airport of Mosul and the Ghozlani base to dislodge Daesh (ISIS) terrorists. We can confirm that the Mosul airport militarily has fallen and it’s a matter of short time to fully control it,” Numan said. After ousting the militant group from eastern Mosul last month, Iraqi forces have sought to capture the airport and use it as a launchpad for an onslaught into the west of Iraq’s second-largest city. ISIS fighters captured the airport and military complex, which includes barracks and training grounds and sprawls across an area close to the Baghdad Mosul highway, when they overran Mosul in June 2014. Loss of Mosul could spell the end of the Iraqi side of ISIS’s self-styled caliphate, which it declared from the city after sweeping through vast areas of Iraq and Syria. The campaign involves a 100,000-strong force of Iraqi troops, Kurdish fighters and Shiite militias. Forces have made rapid advances since the start of the year, aided by new tactics and improved coordination, military officials say.

Interrogating Saddam: What he said on Kuwait and what angered him the most
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Thursday, 23 February 2017/CIA officer John Nixon sums up his role in Iraq during the US occupation. His first mission was to gather as much information as possible about Saddam Hussein, and then sent to Baghdad to help search for him. When the US forces finally captured him, Nixon said that he had prepared “a list of 30 to 40 questions that he felt that Saddam was the only one who could answer.”“To be honest, the moment I saw him, I knew that it was him and I did not have any doubts about it,” he added. Nixon has spoken of his history with Saddam during Al Arabiya’s Point of Order program with Hasan Muawad due to be aired on Friday. Nixon spent all his time in Iraq interrogating Saddam in captivity. He later wrote a book entitled ‘Debriefing the President: The Interrogation of Saddam Hussein’ in which he talked about his experience with the deposed president as a CIA interrogator. “I think what really mattered to Americans is one or two key issues; everything else was insignificant. The US wanted to know if Iraq had weapons of mass destruction because that was why we first got there,” Nixon said.
However, at the end, they did not find any weapons and Nixon said that “this is embarrassing because what they were searching for turned to be unreal and rather a mere excuse. They were looking for anything that would justify their excuse, and they would disregard everything that would prove them wrong.”
“Saddam Hussein was very compliant during the investigation and most of what he said was true,” added Nixon. Regarding the secrets and motives behind Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, Nixon said: “Saddam admitted that he made a mistake in this regard, and that was the peak during the interrogation, because Saddam did not like to admit that he was wrong. However, when we started to talk about Kuwait, he held his head between his hands and said that this gives him a severe headache every time. This was a clear message that his invasion of Kuwait was a mistake that weighed on his mind and still does, years after the invasion.”
As for the attack on Iraqi Halabja that was inhabited by Iraqi Kurds, Nixon said: “This subject made Saddam lose his temper, and this scared me. Saddam said that he was not responsible for the attack and asked me to ask Nizar al-Khazraji who was the field commander, in charge of the military operation.”
“Saddam was very angry and when he later on discovered what happened in the land that was under the control of the Kurds’ who were allied to Iran, he was afraid that the latter would fiercely stand up for what has happened and urge the media to cover it, and this alone would have caused great damage to Iraq at the international level.”
Regarding his opinion about handing Saddam to his opponents in the government after the occupation, Nixon said: “I think that was a mistake, I have felt very bad about how they dealt with him. We were all aware that Saddam, and after his detention, will be tried and most likely be sentenced to death. Saddam was also well aware about that, more than anyone else. What happened was the execution was varied out in a barbarian rule at night in the basement of a government building. This was disgusting because it destroyed any prior justification to wage the war.”
When asked about the US forces’ role during the trial, Nixon said: “It was a good time to implement the judicial proceedings in Iraq. However, Nouri al-Maliki’s government had deliberately intervened behind the scenes by threatening the judiciary, withdrawing their bodyguards and expelling them outside the Green Zone, which basically, was equivalent to a death penalty against them. This is what enabled the US forces to get the verdict they wanted.”

Iran sends team to Saudi Arabia for talks on this year’s Hajj pilgrimage
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Thursday, 23 February 2017/Iran said Wednesday it has sent a team for talks in Saudi Arabia on the next annual pilgrimage after missing the Hajj in 2016 at a time of rising tensions between the two countries. “A delegation has been sent from the Islamic Republic of Iran to Saudi Arabia to follow up on the Hajj,” Culture Minister Reza Salehi Amiri told state television. “Iran’s policy is to send pilgrims to the Hajj (this year), of course, if Saudi Arabia accepts our conditions,” he said. Also read: Iranian delegation to visit Riyadh to discuss hajj pilgrimage rift There was no official Iranian delegation at last year’s pilgrimage to Islam’s holiest sites in Saudi Arabia after Riyadh severed ties with Tehran following the torching of its missions in Tehran and Mashhad by protesters. It was the first time in three decades that Iranian pilgrims had been absent and followed years of worsening relations between the two Gulf neighbors and regional rivals over the conflicts in Syria and Yemen. Negotiations for Iranian pilgrims to join last year’s pilgrimage broke down over where their visas should be issued and over security.

Over 700 migrants rescued off Libya: Italy coast guard
AFP, Rome Thursday, 23 February 2017/About 730 migrants were rescued off the Libyan coast on Wednesday after seven rescue operations mounted by the Italian coast guard and the SOS Mediterranee aid group. The migrants were mainly from sub-Saharan Africa, said the coast guard, which is coordinating rescue operations in the central Mediterranean. SOS Mediterranee, which operates in the region. said its ship Aquarius had recovered 394 people, including a group of 75 Bangladeshis. Also read: Indian doctor abducted by ISIS in Libya rescued. In the absence of an army or a regular police force in Libya, several militias act as coast guards but are often accused themselves of complicity or even involvement in the people-smuggling business.The number of attempted crossings to Italy has surged this year, with most departures taking place from the west of Libya, from where Italy is just 300 kilometres (190 miles) away. Europeans are considering measures aimed at blocking the arrival of thousands of migrants, alarming NGOs which fear that those stranded in Libya may suffer mistreatment.

Hollande: France insists on two-state Mideast peace deal
AFP, Paris Thursday, 23 February 2017/France is committed to a two-state solution for the Middle East conflict, President Francois Hollande said Wednesday, a week after Donald Trump broke with international consensus by stepping back from the goal.
The French leader, addressing an event hosted by the CRIF umbrella grouping of Jewish organizations, said a two-state solution was the only guarantee for Israel to remain a “pluralist and democratic society”. His comments follow the US president’s shift away from an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. The two-state solution has long been the cornerstone of US and international policy and Trump’s row-back met with hostility from other world powers when he made his remarks last week. Also read: Netanyahu ‘spurned a peace offer’ at secret 2016 meeting. Hollande said there was only one way to have peace in the Middle East and that was to have Israel and Palestine side by side. He said it was up to the Israelis and Palestinians to come to an agreement on each issue, especially on the status of Jerusalem. France would continue to monitor freedom of access and worship for Jews, Christians and Muslims in the holy city, he told the audience. “This is the French position and I’m sure it won’t change,” he added, weeks before he is due to leave office.

France's Macron Gets Boost, but Election is Wide Open
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 23/17/Emmanuel Macron has emerged as undisputed king of the French centre ground, but shifting sentiment and alliances make predicting this year's presidential election as difficult as ever. Macron, a 39-year-old former economy minister, was given little chance when he launched a new political movement "En Marche" last year ahead of a vote that was billed as a fight between conservatives and the far-right. But the pro-European progressive is now a frontrunner to become France's next leader and will draw fresh strength from Wednesday's announcement of a potentially vital alliance with veteran centrist Francois Bayrou, who decided against mounting a rival presidential bid. The two were to meet on Thursday afternoon with Macron hoping the tie-up can boost his chances after a tricky 10 days that have seen him lose momentum just as far-right candidate Marine Le Pen picks up speed. Bayrou acknowledged that Macron was in a "bit of a difficult spot" on Thursday as he spoke about their alliance aimed at ending the post-war lock on France's politics enjoyed by mainstream parties. "The feeling he had, I think, was that it was an important moment for him, but not only for him, for changing the political life of France," Bayrou told RTL radio. - Expect the unexpected -Macron's unforeseen rise illustrates the difficulty in forecasting this year's two-stage election on April 23 and May 7 which is being widely watched by governments and investors around the world.
Polls currently show anti-EU far-right leader Le Pen winning the first round with around 25-28 percent of the vote, but losing in the second round where she needs more than 50 percent. The ultimate winner is therefore currently seen as Macron or Francois Fillon, the long-time favourite and conservative candidate for the right-wing Republicans party. But the unstable international background -- from Donald Trump and Brexit to the surge of right-wing nationalists in Europe -- is mirrored by an anti-establishment and angry mood in France.Unpopular Socialist President Francois Hollande decided not to run for re-election in December after a five-year term marked by a series of terror attacks and high unemployment. Both the Republicans and the Socialist parties overlooked the most obvious candidates when choosing their nominee in primary votes. And Le Pen and Fillon both face serious legal investigations into their use of allegedly fake parliamentary aides which could have consequences between now and election day. Fillon was described as "completely lost" by former rightwing president Nicolas Sarkozy after the two men lunched together last week, according to a report in the Canard Enchaine newspaper. A final election twist, largely overlooked until recently, is the potential for a tie-up between the splintered leftist candidates which would produce another political earthquake.
Polls show that Socialist candidate Benoit Hamon, Communist-backed Jean-Luc Melenchon and environmentalist Yannick Jadot have enough supporters to mount a serious challenge together. "Benoit Hamon has reached out to Jean-Luc Melenchon, he's even reached out to Yannick Jadot," the spokesman for the Socialist government, Stephane Le Foll, told France 2 television on Thursday. Le Foll urged Hamon to make a deal quickly, adding: "Personally I'm in favour of alliances."France's splintered Socialists are still haunted by the 2002 presidential election when their divisions led them to be knocked out in the first round, with far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen -- Marine's father -- going through to the run-off. - Colonial gaffe -A leftist alliance would make Macron's route to the presidency more difficult, but he could still -- thanks to Bayrou's decision -- claim to be the only centrist in the race. His platform -- which critics say is still too vague -- is more pro-business and reform-minded than his leftist rivals who have large tax-and-spend programmes. He is also instinctively pro-European and is at ease with multiculturalism in France, whereas Fillon and Le Pen have both railed against the threat to French identity posed by Muslims in particular. But Macron remains inexperienced, having served only two years as an economy minister and the same amount of time as a political advisor to Hollande.
He was forced to backtrack last week during a visit to Algeria where he talked about France's 130-year colonial rule there as a "crime against humanity," leading to fierce attacks from his rightwing rivals.

Syria Rebels Announce Capture of Al-Bab from IS
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 23/17/Turkish-backed Syrian rebels announced on Thursday that they had taken full control of the northern town of Al-Bab from the Islamic State jihadist group after weeks of deadly fighting. Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency reported that rebels had overrun the centre of the town, which had been a key IS stronghold just 25 kilometres (15 miles) south of the border. "We are announcing Al-Bab completely liberated, and we are now clearing mines from the residential neighbourhoods," said Ahmad Othman, commander of the Sultan Mourad rebel group. "After hours of fighting, we chased out the last remaining IS rank and file that were collapsing after the fierce shelling of their positions," he added. But the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that IS fighters were still present in parts of the town and the rebels were in control of less than half of it. The rebels launched their offensive to capture Al-Bab last year with the support of Turkish ground troops, artillery and air strikes. Field commanders from two other rebel factions in the town confirmed the news to AFP. "Yesterday (Wednesday), we captured the city centre, which was IS's security zone... The jihadists collapsed, and this morning around 6 am (0400 GMT) we completed the operation," said Saif Abu Bakr, who heads the Al-Hamza rebel group. Abu Jaafar, a field commander of the Mutasem Brigades, said he expected clearing up operations would be wrapped up within hours.
"Dozens of IS fighters were killed and we evacuated more than 50 families from inside Al-Bab," Abu Jaafar said. Turkey sent troops into Syria in August last year in an operation it said targeted not only IS but also US-backed Kurdish fighters it regards as terrorists. The battle for Al-Bab has been the bloodiest of the campaign with most of the 69 Turkish soldiers killed dying there.

Vatican, Top Sunni Body to Jointly Counter Extremism
Pope Francis has commissioned a delegation of high-ranking clerics to strategize the roles of the Vatican and Al-Azhar in combating extremism.
Clarion Project/February 23/17
A delegation of high-ranking Catholic priests is travelling to Egypt to discuss how the Vatican and the world’s top Sunni institution Al-Azhar best partner to combat religious extremism.
The seminar is entitled “The role of al-Azhar al-Sharif and of the Vatican in countering the phenomena of fanaticism, extremism and violence in the name of religion.”
The president of the Pontifical Council For Interreligious Dialogue, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, leads the papal delegation. He is accompanied by Bishop Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, Secretary, Msgr. Khaled Akasheh, Head of the Office for Islam and Archbishop Bruno Musarò, Apostolic Nuncio to Egypt.
The seminar follows a year of high-level preparatory talks between the Vatican and Al-Azhar following last year’s visit to Cairo by Pope Francis to meet Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Professor Ahmad Al-Tayyib.
On February 17, Pope Francis gave an address in which he denied the religious roots of violent extremism. “Christian terrorism does not exist, Jewish terrorism does not exist, and Muslim terrorism does not exist. They do not exist,” he said.
“The poor and the poorer peoples are accused of violence yet, without equal opportunities, the different forms of aggression and conflict will find a fertile terrain for growth and will eventually explode” he told a meeting of European populist movements.
“There are fundamentalist and violent individuals in all peoples and religions—and with intolerant generalizations they become stronger because they feed on hate and xenophobia,” he added.

German Official: ‘Iran’s Nuclear Program Threatens Regional, World Stability’
Fatah Al-Rahman Youssef/Asharq Al Awsat/February 23/17
Riyadh – President of the German Federal Academy for Security Policy Dr. Karl-Heinz Kamp confirmed that Iran’s attempts to possess nuclear weapons pose a huge threat on regional and world stability.
Kamp said that reports issued by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) showed that Iran’s nuclear program poses real threat and called on Tehran to realize that dealing with it under Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) has a time limit.
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Kamp expressed his concern regarding the Syrian crisis, saying that the situation in Syria is worse than that in Yemen.
He pointed out that violence in Syria will last for many years ahead as long as Head of Syrian regime Bashar al-Assad seeks to control the whole country and individual groups continue to receive support from other countries.
In Yemen, the legitimate government asked for support and the U.N. Security Council’s resolution demands returning it to power, stated Kamp.
He noted that the Saudi military support for the Yemeni government is justified as it is making sure collateral damages harmed-civilians are as least as possible in light of the tough situation in the country.
He explained that Houthis have been hiding their arsenals in populated areas, especially in hospitals or nurseries in order to blame the strikers.
On the other hand, when Kamp was asked about the stance of German Secretary of Defense Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen, who warned the United States from speaking in any negative tone with the EU in order not to affect the NATO, Kamp replied by saying that she does not have the authority to warn the U.S. and she is not willing to.
He said that the United States is a new friend and partner for Germany and is the most prominent member in the NATO.
He also said that the U.S. enjoys close relations with the European Union, noting that Europeans expect strong commitments from the U.S. side.
According to the European point of view, there are three challenges that Europe is concerned about.
Russia’s aggression in Europe and the illegal annexation of Crimea, the chaos in the Middle East – especially in Syria – Iraq and Libya, and the future path of the new administration in the United States – led by Donald Trump are the major challenges Kamp highlighted in the interview.
Regarding the demands by Britons to receive the German nationality after Brexit, Kamp said that even after Brexit, Britain will remain a major European country and a strong partner in the NATO, yet negotiating this step will take so long and will consume so much energy from British politicians who could use this energy in facing common challenges.
Moreover, Kamp told Asharq Al-Awsat that Saudi Arabia is one of the most important partners in the war against terrorism, and he said that Germany benefits from the Kingdom’s experience in combatting terrorism and praised the Islamic Military Coalition to Combat Terrorism.

Grave Violations of Human Rights in Iran – Amnesty International Annual Report 2016/17
Date issued: February 22, 2017
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=52670
‘Politics of demonization’ upbringing division and fear
Amnesty International releases its Annual Report for 2016 to 2017. The report, The State of the World’s Human Rights, delivers the most comprehensive analysis of the state of human rights around the world, covering 159 countries. It says in part that in 2016, governments turned a blind eye to war crimes, pushed through deals that undermine the right to claim asylum, passed laws that violate free expression, incited murder of people simply because they are accused of using drugs, justified torture and mass surveillance, and extended draconian police powers.Governments also turned on refugees and migrants; often an easy target for scapegoating. Amnesty International’s Annual Report documents how 36 countries violated international law by unlawfully sending refugees back to a country where their rights were at risk.
The following is the section regarding the Country Iran:
Islamic Republic of Iran:
Iran 19 executed in one week, including minors. iran the execution and stoning women country. AND Hassan Rohani a big faker and liar person
Iranian authorities heavily suppressed the rights to freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly and religious belief, arresting and imprisoning peaceful critics and others after grossly unfair trials before Revolutionary Courts.
Torture and other ill-treatment of detainees remained common and widespread, and were committed with impunity.
Floggings, amputations and other cruel punishments continued to be applied. Members of religious and ethnic minorities faced discrimination and persecution.
Women and girls faced pervasive violence and discrimination. The authorities made extensive use of the death penalty, carrying out hundreds of Executions, some in public. At least two juvenile offenders were executed.
BACKGROUND
Iranian Revolution's 38th anniversary, 38 years of media repression
In March, the UN Human Rights Council renewed the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human rights in Iran. The government continued to deny the Special Rapporteur entry to Iran and to prevent access by other UN Human rights experts.
The government and the EU discussed initiating a renewed bilateral Human rights dialogue.
INTERNATIONAL SCRUTINY
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child conducted its third and fourth periodic review of Iran and criticized continued Executions of juvenile offenders, and the impact of public Executions on the mental health of children who witnessed them. The Committee also criticized continued discrimination against girls; children of religious and ethnic minorities; and the low age at which girls in particular become criminally liable.
FREEDOMS OF EXPRESSION, ASSOCIATION AND ASSEMBLY
The authorities cracked down further on the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, arbitrarily arresting and imprisoning peaceful critics on vague national security charges.
Those targeted included Human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, bloggers, students, trade union activists, film makers, musicians, poets, women’s rights activists, ethnic and religious minority rights activists, and environmental and anti-death penalty campaigners.
As the year closed, many prisoners of conscience undertook hunger strikes to protest against their unjust imprisonment, exposing the abusive nature of Iran’s criminal justice system.
The authorities intensified their repression of Human rights defenders, sentencing them to long prison terms for their peaceful activities.
Courts increasingly cited criticism of Iran’s Human rights record on social media and communicating with international Human rights mechanisms, particularly the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran and Human rights organizations based abroad including Amnesty International as evidence of “criminal” activism deemed threatening to national security.
The Government Of Iran Arrests Nine Christians For Worshipping Christ
The authorities also cracked down on musical expression, disrupting and forcibly cancelling performances, including some licensed by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance; and repressed activities such as private mixed-gender parties that they deemed “socially perverse” or “un-Islamic”, arresting hundreds and sentencing many to flogging.
The authorities continued to censor all media, jamming foreign satellite TV broadcasts, closing or suspending newspapers including Bahar and Ghanoun and forcing the women’s rights magazine Zanan-e Emrooz to suspend publication.
In February, a judicial order added WhatsApp, Line and Tango to the list of blocked social media sites, which already included Facebook and Twitter. The Cyber Crime Unit of the Revolutionary Guards blocked or closed down hundreds of Telegram and Instagram accounts and arrested or summoned for interrogation the administrators of more than 450 groups and channels in Telegram, WhatsApp and Instagram, including several hundred fashion designers and employees of fashion boutiques, as part of a massive crackdown on social media activities deemed “threatening to moral security”.
Here's how Iran censors the Internet
The suspended Association of Iranian Journalists addressed an open letter to President Rouhani urging him, unsuccessfully, to honor his 2013 election campaign pledge to lift its suspension, while 92 student groups urged the President to release universities from the grip of fear and repression. The authorities did not permit the Teachers’ Trade Association of Iran to renew its license, and sentenced several of its members to long prison terms on charges that included “membership of an illegal group.”
The authorities continued to suppress peaceful protests and subject protesters to beatings and arbitrary detention. Numerous individuals remained convicted of “gathering and colluding against national security” for attending peaceful protests.
A new Law on Political Crimes, which was adopted in January and took effect in June, criminalized all expression deemed to be “against the management of the country and its political institutions and domestic and foreign policies” and made “with intent to reform the affairs of the country without intending to harm the basis of the establishment”.
TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT
Torture and other ill-treatment of detainees remained common, especially during interrogation, and was used primarily to force “confessions”.
Detainees held by the Ministry of Intelligence and the Revolutionary Guards were routinely subjected to prolonged solitary confinement amounting to torture.
The authorities systematically failed to investigate allegations of torture and other ill-treatment, sometimes threatening to subject complainants to further torture and harsh sentences.
Judges continued to admit “confessions” obtained under torture as evidence against the defendant, although such confessions were inadmissible under the 2015 Code of Criminal Procedure.
The Code failed to set out the procedure that judges and prosecutors must follow to investigate allegations of torture and ensure that confessions were made voluntarily. Other provisions of the Code, such as the provision guaranteeing the detainee’s right to access a lawyer from the time of arrest and during the investigation stage, were frequently ignored in practice, facilitating torture.
Judicial authorities, particularly the Office of the Prosecutor, and prison authorities frequently denied access to adequate medical care for political prisoners, including prisoners of conscience. This was often done to punish prisoners or to coerce “confessions”.
In June, detainee Nader Dastanpour died in custody as a result of injuries that his family said were inflicted during torture at a Tehran police station. No independent investigation was reported.
Cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment
Judicial authorities continued to impose and carry out cruel, inhuman or degrading punishments that amounted to torture, including floggings, blindings and amputations. These were sometimes carried out in public.
In April, the Public Prosecutor of Golpayegan, Esfahan Province, announced that a man and woman convicted of “having an illegitimate relationship” had been sentenced to 100 lashes each.
In May, the Public Prosecutor of Qazvin Province announced that the authorities had arrested 35 young women and men “dancing and mingling at a graduation party… while half-naked and consuming alcohol” and convicted them within 24 hours of engaging in acts “incompatible with chastity which disturbed the public opinion”.
The authorities carried out the 99-lash floggings to which they were sentenced at a special court hearing the same day.
In West Azerbaijan Province, authorities carried out flogging sentences of between 30 and 100 lashes against 17 miners who had engaged in a protest against employment conditions and dismissals at the Agh Darreh gold mine in 2014.
In June, a criminal court in Yazd Province sentenced nine miners to floggings ranging from 30 to 50 lashes.
continuing wave of repression and harassment of people in their private and home parties
In July, an appeal court sentenced journalist and blogger Mohammad Reza Fathi to 459 lashes on charges of “publishing lies” and “creating unease in the public mind” through his writings.
In November, a man was forcibly blinded in both eyes in Tehran, in retribution for blinding a four-year-old girl in June 2009.
Several other prisoners including Mojtaba Yasaveli and Hossein Zareyian remained at risk of being forcibly blinded.
Doctors associated with the official Legal Medicine Organization of Iran provided the Supreme Court with “expert” advice on how the implementation of blinding sentences was medically feasible, an act that breached medical ethics.
In April, judicial authorities at Mashhad Central Prison amputated four fingers from the right hand and the toes from the left foot of a man convicted of armed robbery.
Archive photo Iranian security forces harassing women on the bogus charge of mal-veiling
The same authorities amputated the fingers of another man convicted of robbery in May.
In August, a judicial official in Tehran announced that several men had appealed after they were sentenced to amputation of four fingers from one hand.
In December, judicial authorities at Urumieh Central Prison amputated four fingers from the right hands of two brothers convicted of armed robbery.
UNFAIR TRIALS
Trials, including those resulting in death sentences, were generally unfair. The judiciary was not independent.
The Special Court for the Clergy and the Revolutionary Courts remained particularly susceptible to pressure from security and intelligence forces to convict defendants and impose harsh sentences.
Officials exercising judicial powers, including from the Ministry of Intelligence and Revolutionary Guards, consistently flouted due process provisions of the 2015 Code of Criminal Procedure.
These included provisions protecting the right to access a lawyer from the time of arrest and during investigations and the right to remain silent.
Defense lawyers were frequently denied full access to case files and prevented from meeting defendants until shortly before trial.
Pre-trial detainees were frequently held in prolonged solitary confinement, with little or no access to their families and lawyers.
“Confessions” extracted under torture were used as evidence at trial. Judges often failed to deliver reasoned judgments and the judiciary did not make court judgments publicly available.
Iranian authorities' arguments in defence of amputation expose outrageous inhumanity
The Office of the Prosecutor used Article 48 of the Code of Criminal Procedure to prevent detainees accessing lawyers of their own choosing, telling them that they were not on the list of lawyers approved by the Head of the Judiciary, even though no official list had been issued.
Several foreign nationals and Iranians with dual nationality were detained in Tehran’s Evin Prison with little or no access to their families, lawyers and consular officials.
These prisoners were sentenced to long prison terms on vague charges such as “collaborating with a hostile government” after grossly unfair trials before Revolutionary Courts.
The authorities accused the prisoners of being involved in a foreign-orchestrated “infiltration project” pursuing the “soft overthrow” of Iran. In reality, the convictions appeared to stem from their peaceful exercise of the rights to freedom of expression and association.

Assad Backed by IRGC Is the Main Part of the Problem and Not of the Solution
NCRI/February 23/17/The president of the National Coalition for Syrian Opposition Forces, Anas al-Abdah at the Munich Security Conference stated that the catastrophic situation in Syria will not change as long as Assad holds the power. In fact, Assad is the main part of the problem and not of the solution."
The Arabic website of the Syrian National Coalition on February 20th carried the headline:"al-Abdah noted that the sovereignty of Bashar al-Assad has created an open space for terrorism and this trend continues."
Anas al-Abdah added:"as long as Bashar al-Assad holds the power, the successful and effective strategy could not be formulated to fight terrorism. The Assad regime and his allies are committing war crimes in Syria every day. If the Iranian and Russians had not adopted the sectarian policies, the Assad regime could not have usurped the power."Anas al-Abdah demanded the new U.S. government to design a clear strategy towards the current situation in Syria. He also noted that the Free Syrian Army has fought against ISIS, the sectarian militias, and the Iranian regime more than any other party. Furthermore, he stressed that there is no difference between the disasters of beheading and the explosive barrels for the Syrians.The President of the Syrian National Coalition continued:"we will go to Geneva to look for political solutions in order to make a political transition. I mean, the true political will to conduct fruitful talks making an orderly political transition based on Syrians' will."

We Must Be Certain the Liberated Zones in Syria Are Not Controlled by Iran, Hezbollah
NCRI/February 23/17/Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubair said his country is ready to send ground forces to Syria under the U.S. framework to fight terrorism.
Saudi Arabia and other Arabic countries in the region are ready to station special units in Syria alongside the U.S. in the fight against extremism and terrorism, he said in an interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung daily. Member states of the Islamic coalition have announced their readiness in this regard, al-Jubeir continued. In a reference to the Trump administration’s agenda that is scheduled to be comprised very soon, al-Jubeir indirectly supported the transfer of control of liberated areas from ISIS to Assad opponents. “The main idea is to liberate areas currently under ISIS control and not allow them to fall under the control of Hezbollah, Iran or the [Assad] regime,” he added. “We will agree with the U.S. on how to pursue this agenda and what is necessary to realize these plans,” al-Jubeir concluded.

Munich Security Conference, Emerging an International Consensus Against the Iran Regime
NCRI/February 23/17/Ended Sunday February 20, the Munich Security Conference turned into a scene of condemning the Iranian regime for its disrupting security and stability in the region. The delegations in the conference had one sentence in common when speaking against the Iranian regime: the Iranian regime is the biggest state sponsor of terrorism in the world, said by US Vice President Mike Pence as well as Saudi FM Adel al-Jubeir. This consensus by itself makes it clear what a hostile atmosphere against the Iranian regime had been present in the conference.
Also Turkish FM ‘Mevlut Chavushoghlu’ put this same issue another way while pointing to regime’s interventions in Syria and Iraq. “Iranian regime is seeking sectarianism in the region”, he said. The remarks made by Saudi FM had wide reactions in regime’s media, each one headlining one of his remarks with concern. Titles such as “accusations made by Saudi FM: Iran is the biggest sponsor of terrorism/ Iran was hosting the leaders of Al-Qaida while the US was fighting them”, was seen in all the state-run media. Meanwhile Iranian regime’s FM ‘Mohammad Javad Zarif’ tried to assure his foreign counterparts of regime’s capacity for following the nuclear deal formula to initiate another round of ‘win-win’ game similar to Geneva talks. “We’re not going to antagonize any country. We never initiated any feud and don’t intend to do so, either”, said Zarif in his interview with BBC World Service, Monday February 20)
The question that remains, however, is that especially following Hassan Rouhani’s ‘moderate’ visit to Oman and Kuwait, and the announcement by the officials of the two countries that the regime has agreed to Persian Gulf Cooperation Council’s demands, why Zarif’s remarks not only failed to draw attention, but they had negative consequences as well?The answer can be easily found in state-run papers. Etemad, for instance, writes on February 21: “the leaders and elite in Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Turkey had this vision in recent years that with Barack Obama as President, the US administration wouldn’t take any specific measure against Iran in order to put Tehran under pressure.”
Meaning that now the era has changed and the countries in the region see no obstacle in the way of seriously dealing with Iranian regime and settling the account with it. That’s why they no longer accept regime’s deceptive remarks and tactics and reject them altogether.
This fact has been more clearly stated by a state-run newspaper. “To pass this stage, Iran has two options ahead. First, to strongly counter-react in areas in which the United States has vital interests, and the second is for Iran to act within the frameworks laid out by the United States in order to continue to have a role in the region and get out of the harnessed state. No doubt, the second option would ensure more strategic advantages for Iran.” (Jahan-e-Sanat, February 20) So, it could be said that ‘Obama’s Golden Era’ is over for the regime. And with that the tactics relevant to that era are also rejected, with no one in the region or the world accepting them. Thus, the Munich Security Conference’s message which is nothing but ‘Change of Era’ has been conveyed to the regime, meaning that the time to get away with being held accountable has passed. This fact is backed by three important factors. The first is Iranian community’s explosive atmosphere, which is also acknowledged by regime’s officials. The second factor is the international pressures which we call it ‘change of era’, a harsh reality the regime has found out well despite all the ‘moderate’ flattering and window-dressing it did during the recent Munich conference.
The third factor, which for Khamenei and other regime leaders is even more dangerous than the other two as it directs and makes both of them happen, is the organized, nationwide, and strong Resistance of Iran. The more the regime becomes weakened and crippled, the younger and stronger the resistance grows, gaining more domestic and international credit.

The Syrian Opposition Called for Designating the IRGC Militias as Terrorist Groups
NCRI/February 23/17/ A member of the delegation of the Syrian National Coalition Yasser Farhan in an interview with Sky News on February 20th stated:"the Syrian Opposition calls on the U.S. and the U.N. to list the militias of the Iranian regime as terrorist organizations since they carry out the destructive policy of the Iranian regime in Syria. Yasser Farhan added:"speaking of al-Qaeda in Syria is not acceptable and it is not in favor of the Syrian Revolution. The presence of the Iranian regime's militias is a threat to Syria. There are currently 66 terrorist militia groups in Syria affiliated with the Iranian regime; fighting for Assad against the Syrian Revolution and committing war crimes against civilians. The Assad regime is destroying all components of the Syrian society by using banned weapons. Under such circumstances and due to the threats, the opposition is focusing on the Iranian regime and its backed-up militants.
In fact, we call for designating the militias of the Iranian regime as the terrorist groups that follow the expansionist and sectarian policies and they are hostile to all countries of the region. We call on the U.S., the U.N., and all countries supporting the Syrian Revolution to list the militias as terrorist groups."

Condemning the Arrest of Iranian Asylum Seeker in Canada and Warning Against the Serious Danger of Her Deportation
NCRI/February 23/17/The Iranian Resistance strongly condemns the arrest and deportation order of Ms. Roghayeh (Mina) Azizi Mirmahaleh, an Iranian asylum seeker in Montreal, Canada, and calls on the Parliament, political parties, and refugee and human rights organizations in Canada to take immediate and effective measures to prevent the expulsion or extradition of this Iranian dissident. Ms. Azizi’s husband was executed in the mass execution of political prisoners in Iran in 1988 for supporting the PMOI and she spent three years as a political prisoner in prison. She immigrated to Canada more than four years ago and sought asylum. Emphasizing that Ms. Azizi’s life is at serious risk if she is deported, the Iranian resistance stresses that it holds Canadian government fully responsible for her life. Exerting pressure and extraditing asylum seekers who have fled the hell of the mullahs’ regime is a violation of many international conventions, the right to asylum and universal principles of human rights for deals with a regime that has on its black record the execution of 120,000 political prisoners.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran/February 22, 2017

Iran: Ahvaz Protests a Prelude to Events Which Will Rattle the Mullahs' Entire Foundation
NCRI/February 23/17/The city of Ahvaz in southwest Iran has been the scene of continuous unrest.
Tensions continue to rise between the new U.S. administration and Iran with a series of actions and reactions. Most recently, Iran has launched a new round of military drills, embarking on more provocative actions, while U.S. allies such as Saudi Arabia and Israel have joined in by issuing what is described as twin warnings to Iran. Wrote Heshmat Alavi in AL-Arabiya on February 22.All the while, what should not go neglected is the simmering status inside Iran. The society is considered a powder keg as unrest continues to grow after 38 years of the mullahs’ atrocious dictatorship. The last four years of the so-called “moderate” or “reformist” Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has also failed to yield any demands raised by the people despite claiming to hold the “key” to all problems. The city of Ahvaz in southwest Iran has been the scene of continuous unrest, as locals are protesting a slate of disastrous plans implemented by the mullahs’ regime to reroute Karoon River, a major source of water for agriculture and other vital aspects of life in this area where the summer is scorching hot. These projects include also the diversion of waters from Karkhe River, excessive dam construction and the oil ministry resorting to inexpensive oil extraction methods. This practice, mainly implemented by the Revolutionary Guards, has fruited a long list of dried local lakes and ponds.
The result has been nothing but increasing air pollution and water and power being frequently cut off. To this end, the people’s very health is in danger as clean air to breath is literally hard to find.
Banks, administrative offices, schools and universities have been closed in nearly a dozen Khuzestan Province cities. Even oil production, which Tehran seems to boast to have escalated above 4 million barrels per day now, has suffered tremendously with a 770,000-barrel nosedive.
Growing street protests
However, the most concerning aspect of the entire situation for the regime involves the growing number of street protests that began on February 12th and continued for at least a week in the face of numerous warnings issued by the repressive state security apparatus.
And despite heavy security measures to prevent any escalation of such rallies, even a gathering brewed in Tehran’s Vanak Square where protesters expressed solidarity with their fellow countrymen and chanted against the mullahs’ regime.
While demonstrators were protesting the lack of vital daily services, the atmosphere quickly grew political with the crowd beginning to chant “Death to tyranny,” “Death to repression,” “We the people of Ahvaz will not accept oppression,” Expel incompetent officials,” “Ahvaz is our city, clean air is our right,” and “Shame on state police.”Iranian opposition leader Maryam Rajavi hailed the people of Khuzestan, and especially Ahvaz, while calling on all Iranians to rise in support. The mullahs’ regime is the main source of all major and minor dilemmas in Iran, which in this case has resulted in the people being deprived of water and power services, alongside growing unemployment and rampaging diseases threatening the locals, Rajavi added.
“One cannot expect the mullahs’, the regime’s leaders and officials to provide any solutions,” she added, calling upon the entire nation to support the deprived people of Khuzestan, most especially the ill and vulnerable.
While the province is rich in oil, the locals have yet to enjoy any benefits. Home to one million inhabitants, the city of Ahvaz is plagued by a large number of surrounding petrochemical factories that emit a large scale of pollutants. This has left locals engulfed in environmental challenges reaching the point where the World Health Organization ranked Ahvaz as the world’s most polluted city in 2015.The situation has been described as “terrible and extremely complex” by activists and locals complaining the regime only seeks to make money from their lands. The regime responded to the unrest by issuing a statement warning people to refrain from “illegal gatherings” and serious action will be taken against any and all violators.
Western reporters banned
Riot police units have also been dispatched to Ahvaz, in addition to additional forces from neighboring provinces. Authorities banned many Western reporters from visiting the city, raising even more concerns about the regime’s true intentions.
The regime continues to fail to respond to the people’s demands, as all the country’s budget is allocated to warmongering across the region, including Iran’s involvement in Syria, the regime’s nuclear and ballistic missile program and a massive crackdown machine missioned to clamp down on any dissent and resorting to atrocious human rights violations in the process. Rest assured the scenes witnessed recently in Ahvaz are only a prelude to more intense episodes of future rallies in different cities across the country that will rattle the mullahs’ entire foundation.

Iran: Looming Environmental Catastrophe in Oil Rich Khuzestan Province
NCRI/February 23/17/The state-run ‘Mardom Salari’ in its February 16th editorial said Iranian regime officials have executed various plans to reroute river waters, excessive dam construction and fast exploitation of oil wells at very low costs, resulting in the destruction of important ponds in Khuzestan Province, southwest Iran. This has rendered an environmental catastrophe endangering the locals’ wellbeing and lifestyle.
This daily first refers to the subject of dust storms making life very difficult for the province locals. This daily writes:
A large number of people believe in addition to foreign sources and various centers of these dust storms, the drying of border ponds, including the Hour al-Azeem Pond or Karkhe Nour, are amongst the main reasons behind the growing dust storm crisis in Khuzestan Province.
The drying of one pond means the disruption of natural life cycle of a large number of living beings that have coordinated with the surrounding geographical area through literally centuries. Such measures are not only considered an anti-nature measure according to global standards, it is also an inhumane act. The reason is that human beings are in fact related and in balance with the natural cycle and relative ecosystem.
It is nearly two decades now that through the construction of various dams and … for various reason that one can truly say not even 20% of its objectives have been realized, … the entire Khuzestan ecosystem is undergoing widespread tensions, and dust storms are one of the end results.
Unfortunately, the lack of a comprehensive environment management system as the first step in this field, and also each apparatus that is pursuing its own plans in this region has in fact very effectively added velocity to this trend.
On the other hand, the decrease in Khuzestan’s water supply is also another result of a lack of comprehensive perspective and weak planning. This is considered adding insult to injury for the people of Khuzestan.
All these issues have resulted in the recent crisis, leading to different breathing illnesses, blood and lung cancer, prematurely born babies, added costs of health care and preventive measures, water and power cut-offs and … all leading to the people’s lives coming to a standstill. Electronic and digital systems will suffer major damages, creating huge expenses for the government.
Such a crisis will not be resolved with managers that lack any programming and planning. Today, we have reached a red line and alarm bells are being heard on a constant basis. Khuzestan Province, once considered a very fruitful region, may in a few years become an abandoned desert.
This phenomenon is spreading in an alarming pace.

Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on February 23-24/17
Any Solution, is a Good Solution
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Ashaq Al Awsat/February 23/17
A sense of hope reignited now that U.S. President Donald Trump has assigned his son-in-law- Jared Kushner to manage the Palestinian-Israeli conflict file, but so far this is an illusion. There will be no solution if there is no change on ground.
There should be Palestinian unity to prevent the peace project from becoming a ball tossed around. When Palestinian consensus is achieved, there will be an Arab position to support it.
This doesn’t mean that an Arab-Palestinian agreement is enough for mediators to promote the now-impossible solutions – realism is necessary for success.
The truth is that any proposed solution would revive the cause which seems to have lost its brain functions.
Will there be two independent states or one hybrid state? Federalism affiliated with Jordan or a confederate of three states: Israel, Palestine’s Bank, and Palestine’s Gaza? Or will it be a state with a unified centralized system or multiple systems?
What matters is a solution that would put an end to Palestinian’s tragedy, the longest in modern history.
Israel is very delighted to neglect, postpone, create conflicts between Gaza and the West Bank, and occupy people with tiny details for time to pass by as Israeli settlements grow further over Palestinian territories.
At the same time, frustration grows among Palestinians as they see the world around them burn in civil wars thinking their cause is now at the end of the list.
Any solution is an accepted solution, whereas a no-solution is what best serves the Israeli benefits.
The problem is not in Tel Aviv alone, but rather the continuous political failure of Palestinian leadership, which is preoccupied with its own disputes and don-quixotic war.The Palestinian president’s office is currently focused on how to prevent Mohammed Dahlan from running for elections, and casting him aside if possible.
In addition, all what the second Palestinian authority in Gaza cares about is how to prevent leaders outside Gaza from competing with it and how Ramallah’s government would share budget and jurisdictions without conceding its powers and without engaging in elections it doesn’t supervise.
Actually, all three rivals do not want Palestinian elections whether in the West Bank, Gaza or Israel, since no one wants to lose anything.
Palestinians fighting for influence and jurisdictions today will leave tomorrow and will only pass their people the tragedy they inherited from their precedents.
Israel doesn’t want anyone to do anything as the status quo suits it with impeding the formation of a state, denying the authority most of its jurisdiction, continuing to confiscate Palestinian lands and granting it to Jew settlers, minimizing development projects, resuming the policy of detentions and checkpoints, and continuing with racial segregation.
All of these are pressure methods until Israel is ruling all over the Palestinian soil.
The Israeli project is the same old one since 1967. But what we can’t fathom is the incompetence of Palestinian authority to rise above personal conflicts and take responsibility towards its people.
The authority, its partners and disputes are not good examples, so, no one in the world would care to offer them political support.
Former failed initiatives became an issue that also hampers suggestions of new political projects. The hope President Trump gave cannot be depended on since the problem lies among rivals and not the mediator. It is unlikely that a solution would suddenly drop from the sky – given the circumstances the region is passing through.
The problem is also not in lack of ideas; there are many suggestions.
Someone suggested placing the West Bank under Jordan’s administration but Jordan rejected this considering it a sectarian project.
Another solution proposed is to limit the Palestinian state to the West Bank while placing Gaza under Egypt’s administration which was also refused, thus sharing Jordan’s point of view.
Someone recommended developing the Palestinian administration only, as the current status has been based on the Oslo Agreement 23 years ago. The new suggestion will include expanding the jurisdictions of the administrative authority, something like Iraq’s Kurdistan.
While some would like to revive former U.S President Bill Clinton’s initiative to establish a demilitarized Palestinian state on all of the occupied territories and build a safe passage that links West Bank with Gaza.
There are so many ideas, but never a serious intention for a solution. Israel is giving the illusion that it isn’t obliged to accept any solution and considers the current situation very comfortable, even if it was a ticking bomb.
The region is undergoing tremendously difficult circumstances that make the government want to ensure its own safety. These conditions prompted the suggestion that the Palestinian leaders should bring their disputes to an end and try working together in a manner that gives hope that there is something to rely on.

A Month of Islam and Multiculturalism in France: January 2017
Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/February 23/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9978/islam-france-january
"I am not ashamed of what I am. I am a Muslim, that is to say, submissive to Allah who created me and who by his grace has harmoniously shaped me." — Salah Abdeslam, a Belgium-born French national of Moroccan descent and the main suspect in the November 13, 2015 attacks that killed 130 people in Paris.
The Grand Mosque of Paris announced that it was withdrawing from the Foundation for Islam of France, a new, government-sponsored foundation charged with "contributing to the emergence of an Islam of France that is fully anchored in the French Republic." In a statement, the mosque, which represents 250 of the 2,500 of the mosques and Muslim associations in France, said that it denounced "any form of interference in the management of Muslim worship."
"An Algerian sociologist, Smaïn Laacher, with great courage, just said in a documentary aired on Channel 3: 'It is a shame to deny this taboo, namely that in the Arab families in France, and everyone knows it but nobody wants to say it, anti-Semitism is sucked with mother's milk.'" —Georges Bensoussan, a highly regarded Jewish historian of Moroccan descent, who is being prosecuted for talking about anti-Semitism among French Arabs.
"When parents shout at their children, when they want to reprimand them, they call them Jews. Yes. All Arab families know this. It is monumental hypocrisy not to see that this anti-Semitism begins as a domestic one." — Smaïn Laacher, a French-Algerian sociologist, in a documentary called, "Teachers in the Lost Territories of the Republic."
"Islamophobia is a weapon of intimidation and an invention to forbid debate." — Pascal Bruckner.
Three months after French authorities demolished the "Jungle" migrant camp, migrants are returning to Calais at the rate of around 30 a day. Most of them are unaccompanied minors hoping to smuggle their way across the English Channel to Britain.
January 1. The Interior Ministry announced the most anticipated statistic of the year: a total of 945 cars and trucks were torched across France on New Year's Eve, a 17.5% increase from the 804 vehicles burned during the annual ritual on the same holiday in 2015. Car burnings, commonplace in France, are often attributed to rival Muslim gangs that compete with each other for the media spotlight over which can cause the most destruction. An estimated 40,000 cars are torched in France every year.
A van burns during a recent riot in a Paris suburb. Car burnings, commonplace in France, are often attributed to rival Muslim gangs that compete with each other for the media spotlight. An estimated 40,000 cars are torched in France every year. (Image source: RT video screenshot)
January 2. Approximately 3.7 million crimes were reported in France in 2016, a 4% increase over 2015, according to Le Figaro. Seine-Saint-Denis, a Paris suburb which has one of the highest concentrations of Muslims in France, ranks as the most dangerous part of the country, with 18.2 attacks per 1,000 inhabitants. It is followed by Paris, with 15.7 attacks per 1,000 inhabitants and Bouches-du-Rhône with 11.5 attacks per 1,000 inhabitants.
January 2. The Criminal Court of Paris sentenced Nicolas Moreau, a 32-year-old French jihadist, to ten years in prison for fighting for the Islamic State. He is the brother of Flavien Moreau, the first French jihadist to be sentenced for such an offense upon his return from Syria in November 2014. Born in South Korea, adopted by a French family at the age of 4, Nicolas became a delinquent after the divorce of his adoptive parents. He converted to Islam in prison, where he spent five years. Nicolas said he fled the Islamic State after 17 months due to its "excesses."
January 3. Jean-Christophe Lagarde, the president of the Union of Democrats and Independents, a center-right political party, attributed the closure of a PSA Peugeot-Citroën automobile factory to an excess of religious demands by Muslim employees. "There have been difficulties even in my department, for example in Aulnay-sous-Bois. It has never been said, but part of the reason for the closure of PSA was due to the omnipresence of religion and the fact that there were religious demands at work, work stoppages, decreased productivity. PSA's decision to close Aulnay was influenced by this aspect."
January 3. The Administrative Court of Poitiers dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Coalition against Racism and Islamophobia (CRI), which tried to ban a 14-page document aimed at preventing radicalization in schools. The document called on teachers to monitor several criteria, including "uncut long beards," "shaved hair," "Muslim clothing," "refusal of tattoos," and "weight loss associated with frequent fasting." The document also referred to behavior such as "identity withdrawal," "selective exposure to the media," and "political rhetoric" concerning Palestine, Chechnya and Iraq. The document urged teachers to monitor closely students interested in the "history of early Islam." The court emphasized the strictly internal nature of the document, which was deemed to be "devoid of any legal effect" because it contains "no mandatory provisions."
January 4. Of the 230 French jihadists who have been killed in Iraq and Syria, seven were killed by American drones, according to Le Monde. "The French targets had a twofold status: they were military objectives, the elimination of which is theoretically governed by the law of war, and they were also targets of judicial proceedings in France. In the name of the 'self-defense,' which the coalition states claim, military logic prevailed over the right to legal defense," the paper complained.
January 4. Jean-Sébastien Vialatte, the deputy mayor of Six-Four-Les-Plages, ordered police to visit the Reynier Primary School there on two occasions after he heard rumors that the school was requiring students to attend Arabic language classes. The courses, which were optional, not mandatory, have since been cancelled.
January 5. The Magistrate's Court of Rennes sentenced a 34-year-old man to 17 months in prison on charges of domestic violence for striking his female companion because she refused to convert to Islam. The woman said the man had "profoundly changed" after he visited Mali. "He has become radicalized," she said. "He promises Allah will take revenge against the disbelievers who do not convert. Religion has taken an increasingly important place in his life. He believes he is good and all others are evil." The man denied he ever "forced someone to be a Muslim." He added, "Before, I was like her, I smoked, I drank, but it is over now."
January 5. Farid Benyettou, a 35-year-old former French jihadist who indoctrinated the gunmen who attacked the Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris in January 2015, admitted that he was partly to blame for the violence. "I bear a share of responsibility, I cannot deny it," he said in an interview with Le Parisien. "I preached hate, I distilled this ideology even though it was not me who told him to commit this massacre. I served my prison sentence, I paid my debt to society, but not my moral debt." He tells his story in a new book, "My Jihad: Journey of a Repenter."
January 6. A statistical analysis carried out by François Desouche, an influential French blog, found a dramatic increase in the popularity of Muslim first names given to children born in France during the past 20 years. In Paris, for example, 17.1% of babies born in 2016 received Muslim first names, up from 9.4% in 1996. In Seine-Saint-Denis, a Paris suburb, 42.9% of babies born in 2016 received Muslim first names, up from 17.3% in 1996. The trend repeats itself across France.
January 6. Zineb El Rhazoui, a 35-year-old Moroccan-born journalist, quit her job at Charlie Hebdo because the magazine is now following an editorial line that "Mohammed is no longer drawn" — as demanded by Islamists before the January 2015 attacks. She said Charlie Hebdo now feels "too alone to go to the front." But our colleagues "must not have died for nothing. If it were up to me, I would continue," she said.
January 6. The Nice Criminal Court acquitted Pierre-Alain Mannoni, 45, for helping three Eritrean women who crossed the border into France from Italy. Mannoni, a teacher-researcher at the French national research center (CNRS), was arrested at the Turbie toll booth just beyond the Italian border in October 2015 and charged with "assisting the entry, movement and residence of irregular migrants." The charge incurs five years in prison and €30,000 ($31,000) in fines. The prosecutor argued that people are not allowed to help illegal migrants move about the country. Mannoni said he was "protecting their dignity and integrity." Christian Estrosi, the president of the Nice Côte d'Azur Riviera region, said the ruling was "an insult to the work of the security forces who put their life in danger to protect ours."
January 10. Around 5,000 Jews emigrated from France to Israel in 2016, according to the Jewish Agency of Israel, which released the data to mark two years since attacks on the Charlie Hebdo and on a Jewish supermarket in Paris in January 2015. The departures in 2016 add to the 7,900 who left in 2015 and 7,231 in 2014. In total, since 2006, 40,000 French Jews have emigrated.
January 12. Salah Abdeslam — a Belgium-born French national of Moroccan descent and the main suspect in the November 13, 2015 attacks that killed 130 people in Paris — said, "I am not ashamed of what I am. I am a Muslim, that is to say, submissive to Allah who created me and who by his grace has harmoniously shaped me." Abdeslam is reportedly receiving stacks of mail "from Catholics with questions about his faith, from women who declare their love for him and say they want to bear his child, from lawyers who offer their services, it is incessant," according to Libération.
January 12. A French couple were given suspended sentences for selling Islamic State flags online. They were caught after neighbors saw them boasting about their business in a television documentary about jihadi recruitment and called the police.
January 16. Asian tourists are avoiding France due to fears over terrorism and spiraling crime, according to Le Parisien, which interviewed Jean-François Zhou, President of the Chinese Association of Travel Agencies in France. Some 1.6 million Chinese tourists visited France in 2016, compared to 2.2 million in 2015, a 27% decline. The number of tourists from South Korea also declined by 27%, and the number of Japanese tourists declined by 39%. "Our tourists have turned to Russia, which is less attractive but at least it is a safe country," Zhou said. "For Putin, it is an economic windfall." Zhou explained:
"The decline is explained above all to the scourge of petty delinquency aimed especially at Chinese tourists. They are robbed in the Palace of Versailles, at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, in front of their hotel, when they exit the buses. In high season, there is not a day without tourists being assaulted. I saw an 80-year-old man seriously injured because he was trying to resist thieves. Women are pushed and when they fall their bags are stolen with all their papers. This has created a panic on Chinese social networks. The Chinese began turning away from France last year.
"The police have increased their numbers to protect tourists. But since the terrorist attacks, these forces have been mobilized elsewhere. We want France to stop its laxity. We, along with my traveling colleagues, are counting on the future government to get things done. I have been in France for twenty-five years, and I myself have seen the decline of France in terms of security. Before, the Chinese tour operators deplored the insecurity in Italy, today it is France and more particularly Paris and Marseilles which we speak. There are many regions in France where tourism can be leisurely pursued, but Paris is ranked No. 1 in Europe in terms of the increase in delinquency."
January 17. The Magistrate's Court in Paris acquitted Pascal Bruckner, a renowned intellectual and author, on charges of defamation after he remarked on the "28 minutes-Arte" television program that pro-Muslim activist groups such as "The Indivisibles" (Les Indivisibles) and "The Republic's Natives" (Les Indigènes de la République) were "ideological accomplices" of jihadism. The decision was hailed as a "victory for the freedom of expression" in France, which does not have legal protections such as the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, guaranteeing the freedom of speech.
January 18. One of the suicide bombers who blew himself up outside the Stade de France during the November 2015 attacks on Paris turned out to be an Iraqi jihadist, according to France's DGSE intelligence agency. Until now, only one of the three bombers had been identified: a 20-year-old Frenchman living in Belgium. DGSE believes that one of that man's accomplices, who was carrying a fake Syrian passport, was from the Iraqi city of Mosul. He and the third attacker, whose identity is still unknown, are believed to have slipped into Europe with a group of refugees who landed on the Greek island of Leros on October 3, 2015.
January 20. The Council of State (Conseil d'État), France's highest administrative court, ruled that the mosque in Stains (Centre Culturel et Islamique de Stains) in Seine-Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris, will remain closed. The Salafist mosque, which was identified as the last place of prayer for several French jihadists before they joined the Islamic State, was shuttered in November 2016 as part of a state of emergency.
January 21. Kevin Guiavarch, a 24-year-old convert to Islam, was charged with terrorism offenses after being extradited from Turkey. He is believed to have been a member of both the Islamic State and the former Al-Nusra Front. He was arrested in Turkey in June 2016 after leaving Syria with his four wives and six children. Guiavarch, a Breton who converted to Islam at the age of 14, is believed to have gone to Syria in 2012.
January 23. The Grand Mosque of Paris announced that it was withdrawing from the Foundation for Islam of France (Fondation de l'Islam de France), a new, government-sponsored foundation charged with "contributing to the emergence of an Islam of France that is fully anchored in the French Republic." In a statement, the mosque, which represents 250 of the 2,500 of the mosques and Muslim associations in France, said that it denounced "any form of interference in the management of Muslim worship." Others said the mosque's rector, Dalil Boubakeur, 76, was angry that he was not named to be president of the foundation.
January 23. The Administrative Court of Marseilles effectively terminated a project to build a €22 million ($23 million) mega-mosque with a capacity for 7,000 worshippers. In July 2007, the municipality granted a Muslim association a parcel of land in the 15th arrondissement to build the Grand Mosque of Marseille, but the project has been plagued by legal and financial problems. The cornerstone was laid in 2010, but since then nothing else has been built. In October 2016, the city terminated the lease for the land because the association had not paid the rent since 2013. According to the court, "the materiality of all the facts alleged against the association does not appear to be seriously contestable."
January 23. Benoît Hamon, the presidential candidate for the Socialist Party, lashed out at critics of Islam:
"There is ultimately a desire to say that Islam is incompatible with the Republic. This is not true. It is unbearable that we continue to make the faith of millions of our compatriots a problem in French society. Let us stop making Islam an adversary of the Republic."
January 25. The trial began of Georges Bensoussan, a highly regarded Jewish historian of Moroccan descent, who is being prosecuted for talking about anti-Semitism among French Arabs. During a debate on Radio France Culture, he said:
"An Algerian sociologist, Smaïn Laacher, with great courage, just said in a documentary aired on Channel 3: 'It is a shame to deny this taboo, namely that in the Arab families in France, and everyone knows it but nobody wants to say it, anti-Semitism is sucked with mother's milk.'"
Bensoussan was referring to a documentary entitled "Teachers in the Lost Territories of the Republic," aired on Channel 3 in October 2015. In this documentary, Laacher, who is a French professor of Algerian origin, said:
"Antisemitism is already awash in the domestic space. It rolls almost naturally off the tongue, awash in the language. It is an insult. When parents shout at their children, when they want to reprimand them, they call them Jews. Yes. All Arab families know this. It is monumental hypocrisy not to see that this anti-Semitism begins as a domestic one."
Laacher was not prosecuted but Bensoussan was. The court's decision will be rendered March 7. "This witch-hunt against Bensoussan is symptomatic of the state of free speech today in France," wrote the French journalist Yves Mamou.
January 26. The Administrative Court of Bastia in Corsica validated a burkini ban in the village of Sisco. Mayor Ange-Pierre Vivoni argued the ban was necessary to avoid a repeat of fighting between local youths and Muslims in August 2016, when five people were hurt. The court rejected a similar ban in Ghisonaccio, due to a lack of evidence that the garment was a threat to public order.
January 27. Pascal Bruckner, a renowned author and intellectual, in an essay entitled "An Imaginary Racism," wrote that Islamophobia is a "weapon of intimidation" and an "invention to forbid debate."
January 27. "The Halal Market: The Invention of a Tradition," a new book by anthropologist Florence Bergeaud-Blackler, argues that "buying halal is not a religious obligation." Although the Koran and Sunnah (the teachings and practices of Mohammed) prohibit pork, blood and alcohol, they do not impose rules dictating behavior, according to Bergeaud-Blackler.
"Eating halal is presented today as an obligatory practice for Muslims, even though the term did not exist in the Muslim world before it was exported by developed countries," she told FRANCE 24. Bergeaud-Blackler, who has studied halal for the past 20 years, said the market has flourished in non-Muslim countries because of immigration. "There's a recent poll by the Montaigne Institute which shows that 40% of France's Muslim population thinks eating halal is a pillar of Islam; this notion is false," she said.
In reality, the halal food industry is a product of the "random convergence of neo-fundamentalism and neo-liberalism" during the early 1980s, Bergeaud-Blackler explained. "At the time, these two ideologies were dominant on the international scene. Their convergence would change the theological definition of halal from 'recommended' to 'required' and which is a hallmark of fundamentalism," she said.
January 29. Three months after French authorities demolished the "Jungle" migrant camp, migrants are returning to Calais at the rate of around 30 a day. Most of them are unaccompanied minors hoping to smuggle their way across the English Channel to Britain.
*Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute. Follow him on Facebook and on Twitter.
© 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.

Corrupt State of Affairs at the International Federation of Journalists?
Tamar Sternthal/Gatestone Institute/February 23/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9963/international-federation-of-journalists
Participation by journalists in political events, especially those which they are covering, is a serious violation of Agence France-Presse's commitment to "rigorous neutrality" and its pledge that it "is independent of the French government and all other economic or political interests."
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) press release is based on a falsehood: that AFP, relying on "misinformation from Israeli extremist websites," unfairly sanctioned its reporter Nasser Abu Baker, and includes a call to action to hundreds of thousands of journalists. It is evident that there is no truth behind the International Federation of Journalists' lofty "respect for truth."
Nor is there any justice at the IFJ, which pretends to fight for freedom of press and against discrimination, but which provides cover and comfort to Abu Baker, and which, based on that falsehood, actively discriminates against Israeli journalists, denies them their freedom of press, and endangers their lives in the West Bank by sending the message to Palestinian officials and journalists that the Israeli reporters are not welcome there.
That Abu Bakr was a delegate to the Fatah Congress and also ran in the elections was first covered in the Palestinian media. There is nothing inaccurate about that.
The IFJ covered up the fact that its own executive committee member ran for political office, and attacked AFP for supposedly persecuting him with no basis.
It is evident that there is no truth behind the International Federation of Journalists' lofty "respect for truth."
"The journalist shall be aware of the danger of discrimination being furthered by the media, and shall do the utmost to avoid facilitating such discrimination based on, among other things, race, sex, sexual orientation, language, religion, political or other opinions, and national or social origins," declares the Declaration of Principles of the International Federation of Journalists, the world's largest organization of journalists that represents 600,000 journalists in 140 countries.
One might imagine, then, that this organization that defends press freedom, truth and equality, would vigorously counter a boycott by the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate of Israeli journalists, especially in a discriminatory campaign that endangers Israelis covering the West Bank by sending the message to Palestinian officials and journalists that the Israeli reporters are not welcome there.
That presumably should be the position of an organization which says it "promotes international action to defend press freedom and social justice," but it is not. Far from condemning the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate's boycott targeting Israelis, the International Federation of Journalists has come to the defense of Nasser Abu Baker, chairman of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate and the key prosecutor of the discriminatory campaign against Israelis. In fact, Abu Baker, who has threatened Palestinian officials who dare to speak with Israeli journalists, sits on the International Federation of Journalists' executive committee.
Nasser Abu Baker (also spelled Abu Bakr) has also worked for years in the West Bank as a reporter for Agence France-Presse, an influential wire service which publishes in six languages. Following an exclusive exposé by CAMERA (Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America) in early December about the inherent conflict of interest posed by Abu Baker's participation in the Seventh Fatah Congress and his failed election bid to join the Fatah Revolutionary Council, the influential Agence France-Press last month slapped him with a week's suspension and withheld his salary. Participation by journalists in political events, especially those they are covering, is a serious violation of Agence France-Presse's commitment to "rigorous neutrality" and its pledge that it "is independent of the French government and all other economic or political interests."
Enter the International Federation of Journalists, which suspended its stated commitments to truth and opposition to discrimination with its Febrary 2 statement about Agence France-Presse's sanctions against Abu Baker. Issued together with two other venerable outfits, the French Journalists Syndicate and the French Democratic Confederation of Labour (CFDT), the statement read (author's translation from French):
Journalists' unions SNJ, SNJ-CGT and CFDT, members of the International Federation of Journalist (IFJ - 600,000 members worldwide), were informed that Nasser Abu Baker, president of the Palestinian Journalists Union, member of the IFJ Executive Committee, and journalist at AFP in Ramallah, had been sanctioned following a dispute with executives.
Despite the union's interventions with the management, AFP decided abruptly and without further recourse to suspend the work contract of our colleague by a layoff of one week (22 to 28 January 2017) and to deprive him of his salary. The accusations made by the Directorate are mainly based on misinformation from extremist Israeli website claiming that our colleague was elected at the recent Fatah Congress. This was proven inaccurate.
AFP had already tried to prevent Abu Baker from attending the IFJ Congress in France this summer. Again, following information from the same circles [sic].
The union reaction forced AFP to reverse a decision contrary to the right of journalists to be full citizens and to be able to exercise union activities.
The French unions denounce this persistence in attacking our colleague. We know the extreme difficulty of doing his job in a country where Palestinian journalists are particularly exposed to the Israeli military authorities.
Our three organizations will inform the IFJ of this matter and will call for the mobilization of all of our members in the world to denounce this attitude against a union officer.
We demand the full payment of our colleague's salary.
We request to be received by the Directorate with the representatives of the IFJ to put an end to these systematic attacks against one of our colleagues.
Aside from the revelation that Agence France-Presse finally took steps (albeit insufficient) against Abu Baker, the International Federation of Journalists' release provides an illuminating window into the corrupt state of affairs at the world's largest organization for journalists.
First, the International Federation of Journalists' Declaration of Principles, declares, "Respect for truth and for the right of the public to truth is the first duty of the journalist." The International Federation of Journalists' press release, however, is based on a falsehood.
The Federation falsely states: "The accusations made by the [Agence France-Presse] Directorate are mainly based on misinformation from extremist Israeli websites claiming that our colleague was elected at the recent Fatah Congress. This was proven inaccurate."
Moreover, the organization's Declaration of Principles included a call to action to hundreds of thousands of journalists worldwide -- based on that falsehood.
As of this writing, the International Federation of Journalists has yet to respond to requests that it identify the "extremist Israeli websites" which supposedly claimed that Abu Bakr was "elected at the recent Fatah Congress" (emphasis added). As noted earlier, it was already exposed in English that Abu Bakr, an Agence France-Presse reporter, ran -- and lost -- in the December Fatah elections.
That Abu Bakr was a delegate to the Fatah Congress and also ran in the elections was first covered in the Palestinian media. There is nothing inaccurate about that.
Queries to the International Federation of Journalists about plans to issue a new press release to make clear that Abu Baker did indeed participate in the Fatah Congress and run for the Fatah Revolutionary Council, or to correct the February 2 release, have gone unanswered.
Agence France-Presse was not the only journalistic entity to recognize that running for political office is a stark violation of a journalist's obligation to maintain non-partisanship. The Foreign Press Association in Israel, which represents some 480 journalists working in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, revoked the membership of two other journalists who ran in the Fatah elections this past December: Moussa al Shaer, a cameraman for NHK TV 9 (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), and Mohammed Allaham of Al Arabiyeh. (Abu Baker is not a member of the Foreign Press Association, so it was not in any position to take steps against him.) The Foreign Press Association statement about those journalists read:
The FPA wishes to clarify that members pursuing political careers CANNOT retain their FPA membership. The FPA Constitution clearly states that people who are in government or those who actively seek political office or are engaged in public relations cannot under any circumstances be members, given the unequivocal conflict of interests inherent in the situation.
Consequently the Board has decided to cancel the membership of the persons who recently actively pursued political office. As a one-time concession, an FPA member who is no longer involved in any political/governmental/PR activity may re-apply for membership after a six month cooling off period. The FPA will inform the relevant media offices of this decision.
While the Foreign Press Association issued a strong statement and took appropriate action to send the clear signal that running for office is a clear conflict of interests with journalistic work, the International Federation of Journalists covered up the fact that its own executive committee member ran for office, and attacked Agence France-Presse for supposedly persecuting him with no basis.
Second, there is also the problem that the International Federation of Journalists press release ignores Abu Baker's indefensible boycott campaign, first exposed last May against Israeli journalists. It is apparently partly in light of that activity that Agence France-Presse took steps against Abu Baker. According to the International Federation of Journalists' press release, Agence France-Presse tried to prevent Abu Baker from attending the International Federation of Journalists' Congress in France this past summer, a move that the International Federation of Journalists blocked.
Nasser Abu Baker has threatened Palestinian officials who dared to speak with Israeli journalists, as documented in May 2016.
As deputy chairman of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, the Agence France-Presse reporter warned:
I call upon all male and female colleagues/journalists to boycott any Palestinian official, regardless of how senior he/she is, who conducts an interview with Israeli journalists and Israeli media... this poisonous media whose only goal is to broadcast dissent and incite against our people. Their media, which is directed by their government, is one of the tools of the occupation. Therefore, the time has come for a comprehensive boycott of their media. The Syndicate will have a clear position on this and I plead with all the journalists to abide. We will publish the name of any official who gives an interview to their media from this moment.
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate also formally backed the boycott, putting out a similar statement, which was covered in Palestinians48.net, an Israeli-Arab site. The site reported that the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate called on its members and Palestinian officials to boycott Israeli media "in light of the continued and escalating Israeli assaults on Palestinian journalists." The Syndicate said in a statement that "Israeli journalists and Hebrew media outlets enter the lands of the State of Palestine and work there together with -- and under the protection -- of the Israeli occupation army." The Syndicate also called on "all Palestinian officials not to deal or give interviews or statements to Israeli reporters, pointing out that it will follow up on the implementation of this decision, including taking positions against those who violate."
Abu Baker posted a similar statement announcing the boycott, signed by the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate "general secretariat," to his Facebook account last February, and subsequently removed the page following an investigation. [1]
The International Federation of Journalists has so far failed to explain how its silence on Palestinian Journalists Syndicate's discriminatory campaign against Israelis is compatible with the organization's stated belief that journalists should "do the utmost to avoid facilitating such discrimination based, on among other things ... national or social origins." Indeed, the International Federation of Journalists' embrace and defense of Abu Baker, the leading figure behind the campaign endangering Israeli journalists, runs directly counter to the group's codes.
An additional key principle of the International Federation of Journalists also appears to have presented a challenge for Abu Baker: "Respect for truth and for the right of the public to truth is the first duty of the journalist."
For example, Abu Baker attended a conference in Jordan in March last year where he made the completely unfounded allegation that Israeli hospitals are treating 5000 ISIS members, as reported last May.
According to a March 29, 2016 article in Al Watan, a Gaza-based independent news website:
Abu Baker said in an interview with Mawteny radio that he attended the conference of Media and Terrorism [in Jordan] in order to expose the crimes and practices of the Israeli occupation. He said, "We asked Arab media people to intensify their effort to expose the Nazi and racist crimes of the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people and to bring back the Palestinian cause to the center of the Arab media's attention."
He said that the Israeli occupation has implemented its DAESH [ISIS] practices against the Palestinians by destroying Palestinian villages, daily executions, arrests and the targeting of children and journalists in the field. He held the Netanyahu government responsible for legitimizing these practices against the Palestinian people.
The International Federation of Journalists' refers to "calumny, slander, libel, unfounded accusations" as "professional offenses." The world's largest organization of journalists also has yet to explain whether it believes that Abu Baker's accusations regarding supposed Israeli Nazi and ISIS practices fall in that category or whether they reflect "respect for truth."
In any event, it is evident that there is no truth behind the International Federation of Journalists' lofty "respect for truth." Nor is there any justice at the International Federation of Journalists, which pretends to fight for freedom of press and against discrimination, but which provides cover and comfort to Abu Baker, and which actively discriminates against Israeli journalists, denies them their freedom of press, and which endangers their lives by sending the message to Palestinian officials and journalists that the Israeli reporters are not welcome there.
Journalists who do genuinely care about these values should take note: The International Federation of Journalists does not represent you.
Tamar Sternthal is director of the Israel office of CAMERA (Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America).
[1] The boycott campaign against Israeli journalists has endangered their safety, and many have simply stopped reporting from Palestinian areas, according to a veteran Israeli journalist who refused to be named because of his ongoing work in Palestinian areas. For years, Israeli journalists moved freely through Palestinian areas, secure in the knowledge that they enjoyed protection from their Palestinian colleagues, he told this writer last spring.
That is no longer the case, he lamented. He reported that he avoids demonstrations and crowds, fearing that the Palestinian journalists upon whom he once relied for protection would be the first to call in forces to expel him, or worse. He described his work visit to Bethlehem last Christmas, in which he repeatedly evaded Palestinian journalists who might recognize him. Before the boycott, "if something bad were to happen, we would have someone to count on," he noted.
© 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.

Netanyahu rejects peace with the Arabs as well as Palestinians
Chris Doyle/Al Arabiya/ February 23/17
How to react to the revelation from former Obama administration officials that there was a secret summit in Aqaba a year ago on 21 February where Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a regional peace deal?
Firstly, one has to acknowledge one rarity that given how many governments were involved that it took a year to be leaked into the media. That certain parties were at least attempting to muster some form of deal must be to their credit. Yet this is tinged with the inevitable disappointment that once again such a move went nowhere.
There are some serious questions that do need to be answered and not just why it did not work out? A regional approach for an Israel-Palestine peace deal seems even more relevant today given that this seems to be the preferred approach of President Trump. He wants an outside-in deal.
In theory, so says Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu who always pushed for a regional solution but what this deal exposes yet again is that Netanyahu simply is not interested. He has the Palestinians where he wants them, weakened, divided and under his thumb with a near complaint US President.
Any regional deal means conceding on issues such as Jerusalem and settlements where he and his coalition partners see no reason to back down. The suspicion is that Netanyahu simply is not prepared to risk his own job for peace.
A regional deal still has merits but not as a means to deprive Palestinians of their rights but to realize them. The message that the Israeli coalition and the Trump administration should be receiving is that normalization with the Arab world cannot and will not happen unless the occupation ends
Alternative fact
The standard, tired alternative fact is that it is always the Palestinians who reject peace, who are unprepared to negotiate and who are the obstacle to peace. Nobody has been more fulsome in pushing this “fake” narrative than the current four-time elected Prime Minister, Netanyahu. Yet the Palestinians were not at Aqaba so even Netanyahu has not found a way to blame them - yet.
Bibi routinely laments that he has no partner for peace, that if only President Abbas would just meet with him. If only he would choose him over Hamas, he bleated in 2014. Well Netanyahu preferred the extremist Naftali Bennett over peace. As Ehud Barak, the former Israeli Prime Minister stated on his Facebook page: “The fiasco is exposed.”
The reality is that Netanyahu was the Likud leader who rejected Oslo, opposed the pull-out from Gaza and torpedoed the Kerry process in 2014. The question is will Netanyahu ever be interested in taking the slightest risk for peace? It is remarkable how risk averse Netanyahu has always been, that after so long in office, he has so little appetite to achieve anything meaningful in terms of peace.
The scant detail of the offer in the Aqaba talks that involved then US Secretary of State, John Kerry, King Abdallah II of Jordan and President Sisi of Egypt is still instructive. It was billed as an updated version of the 2003 Arab Peace Initiative, which in truth means savagely diluted.
Gone is the clear requirement of a full Israeli withdrawal from territories occupied in 1967, instead no more than a construction freeze outside settlement blocs. This is even more pathetic since there is no definition of settlement blocs, and for most of the Israeli government the entirety of Area C in the West Bank (60 percent) is one giant single settlement bloc. It also envisaged not just recognition of Israel, but recognition of Israel as a Jewish state, something the Palestinian leadership baulks at as they see this as betraying Palestinian citizens of Israel and consigning them to a basement status inside Israel. The recognition of Jerusalem as a shared capital for Israelis and Palestinians is perfectly sensible, so perfectly horrendous for Netanyahu. This alone was a deal breaker.
‘Right to return’
But what does softer language on “right to return” for Palestinian refugees mean? This is far from clear. Even if Netanyahu permitted some refugees to live inside Israel, it is dubious that even a centrist, let alone a far-right Israeli coalition, would accept it was a right. Sadly for the future, Netanyahu was only mildly attracted to the idea of doing a deal with the leader of the opposition, Isaac Herzog which could have allowed to ditch extremists like Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Lieberman. Herzog was scathing in his condemnation of Netanyahu. “History will definitely judge the magnitude of the opportunity as well as the magnitude of the missed opportunity.”
Peace should not wait for history to pass judgement. It needs leadership from multiple parties and courage, all of which are completely absent or at best very well hidden. A regional deal still has merits but not as a means to deprive Palestinians of their rights but to realize them. The message that the Israeli coalition and the Trump administration should be receiving is that normalization with the Arab world cannot and will not happen unless the occupation ends.
John Kerry clearly made huge efforts to shift Netanyahu. It appears that the adage of former Israel Defence Minister, Moshe Dayan still applies: “Our American friends give us money, arms and advice. We take the money, we take the arms but we decline the advice.” The difference now is that Trump will not even bother with the advice.

The Saudi-Emirati coordination council retreat
Turki Aldakhil/Al Arabiya/ February 23/17
A coordination council retreat between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates kicked off in Abu Dhabi where over 150 officials participated to further boost cooperation. Relations between the two sides are unique and is nothing like them between any other Arab countries.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed said that the UAE will remain the number one supporter of all the Saudi Arabia’s stances under the leadership of King Salman. For a long time now, writers have called for the expansion of the Gulf Cooperation Council’s influence to unify political decisions in order to strengthen sovereignty. Now, due to political, economic and social factors, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have become the pillars of Arab and Gulf decisions. The coordination council retreat is an extension of two years of glory and strength and of fighting against agents of death as represented by Iran’s terrorists, Houthis and others of their kind
Honesty
The relation between Saudi Arabian and Emirati leaders are characterized by love and honesty. The Saudi delegation is headed by Prince Mohammed bin Salman while the Emirati party is headed by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed. They belong to a generation of ambitious youth who seek to achieve balance in the region. The coordination council retreat is an extension of two years of glory and strength and of fighting against agents of death as represented by Iran’s terrorists, Houthis and others of their kind. It does not end with ISIS and their evil designs. The council retreat plans for our present and for a future that is worthy enough for our children and grandchildren.
**This article is also available in Arabic.

For Palestinians, any solution is a solution
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/ February 23/17
A little hope was reignited lately because US President Donald Trump decided to assign his son-in-law Jared Kushner to manage the Palestinian-Israeli struggle file. However, so far, it resembles a mirage for the thirsty. There will be no solution if there is no change on the ground.
First of all what is needed here is Palestinian unity to prevent detractors from exploiting the peace project and using it as a ball to throw into each other’s courts. Whenever there is consensus among Palestinians, there will be an Arab stance that supports it.
This does not mean that an Arab-Palestinian agreement is enough for mediators to market solutions that have become impossible today. A little realism is necessary for success. Truth be told, any proposed solution will revive the cause, which seems to have lost its brain functions.
Will it be two different states or one hybrid state? A federalism affiliated with Jordan or a confederation made up of three states – Israel, Palestine’s West Bank and Palestine’s Gaza? Will it be a state with one central system or several systems? What matters is any solution that ends the Palestinians’ tragedy which is the longest in modern history.
Buying time
Israel is very happy with this forgetfulness and delay in addressing the Palestinian cause. It is happy with the dispute between Gaza and the West Bank and with their preoccupation in little details. This way, time passes by and Israeli settlements expand on the occupied territories. At the same time, Palestinians’ frustration increases as they see the world around them burn in civil wars and realize their cause is now at the end of the list.
Any solution is a solution while a lack thereof serves as a solution to Israel alone. The problem is not just due to Tel Aviv but it is also due to the continuous political failure of the Palestinian command, which is preoccupied with its quixotic disputes. The Palestinian president’s office is currently mostly focused on how to prevent Mohammed Dahlan from running for the presidential elections and how to eliminate him if he tries.
Meanwhile, all the second Palestinian authority in Gaza cares about is how to prevent leaders outside Gaza from competing with it and how to share jurisdictions and the budget with Ramallah’s government without giving up its powers and without engaging in elections that are not supervised by it. Actually, all three rivals do not want Palestinian elections whether in the West Bank, Gaza or Israel as no one wants to lose anything.
What we cannot understand is the Palestinian authority and its partners’ inability to rise above personal disputes and to feel the responsibility required to serve their people’s interests
The Palestinians fighting for influence and jurisdictions today will leave tomorrow and will only pass to their people the tragedy, which they inherited from those who preceded them.
Israel does not want anyone to do anything as the current situation suits it. Obstructing the rise of the state, depriving the Palestinian authority from most of its jurisdictions, continuing to loot Palestinian territories and handing them over to Jewish settlers, pulling back developmental projects and resuming the policy of detentions, checkpoints and racial segregation are all means that aim to exert pressure and cancel others so Israel’s state stretches on all of the occupied territories.
The Israeli project today is old and it’s been on since 1967. What we cannot understand is the Palestinian authority and its partners’ inability to rise above personal disputes and to feel the responsibility required to serve their people’s interests. The authority, its partners and disputes are not a good model; therefore, no one in the world will care and offer political help to them. Greater causes with a higher priority, and that are more dangerous on the world’s interests and security, have surfaced.
Failed initiatives
The relapses of the past failed initiatives also hinder proposing new political projects. The glimmer of hope which President Trump gave cannot be depended on. The problem is not the mediator but the rivals. I think it is highly unlikely that a solution can be reached considering the circumstances the region is passing through.The problem is also not in lack of ideas as there are many proposals. Someone spoke about placing the West Bank under Jordan’s administration but Jordan rejects this and views it as a project of strife. Others propose that the Palestinian state be limited to the West Bank while placing Gaza under Egypt’s administration. However, Egypt feels the same way as Jordan and prefers a solution that does not involve it in any disputes.
Some propose only developing the Palestinian administration as the current status has been established based on the Oslo Agreement 23 years ago, and what’s new will be expanding the jurisdictions of the administrative authority. It is a model that resembles Iraq’s Kurdistan. Some hope to revive former American President Bill Clinton’s initiative to establish a demilitarized Palestinian state on all of the occupied territories and build a safe passage that links the West Bank with Gaza.
There are many ideas but there’s no serious desire. Israel hints that it does not have to accept any solution and believes the current situation is very comfortable even though it’s tantamount to a time bomb for it. The region’s countries are going through extremely difficult circumstances that drive each government to only want to ensure its own safety. This is why I said Palestinian leaders must end their disputes and try and work together to build confidence that there’s something to rely on.
**This article was first published in Asharq Al-Awsat on February 21 2017.

Political tolerance as the foundation of a new world order: The UAE model
Diana Galeeva/Al Arabiya/ February 23/17
After Trump’s election as the 45th American President, and the Brexit referendum in the UK, the Western world, which according to IR theory has been developing in line with liberalist ideas and philosophies, has started to debate whether this indicates the end of the liberal order.
Many commentators foresee a world order based on populism. However, President Trump’s foreign and domestic policies do not represent the beginning of a new order, it is an only an attempt to create policies that differ from a liberal world order which relies on co-operation and peacekeeping to project power.
Democratic strategy cost millions of lives in Iraq, Somalia, and in the Middle East during the Arab Spring, and so it seems that 23 years after the proclamation of the triumph of post-Cold war liberal democracy and cosmopolitanism declared by Fukuyama’s book “The End of History and the Last Man” (1993), the liberal world order has come to its end.
The liberal world order failed not because of the “liberal” values that characterised it, but because these values have been mistakenly branded as “democratic values” which are seen as dependent on democratic governments/societies. The liberal world order failed because the West’s promotion of liberal values manifested itself in the imposition of democracy on sovereign states, which are perfectly capable of embracing liberal values outside of the context of democratic leadership.
While the Western world wonders what is next, disagreements over the future of the EU, concerns about the Trump’s domestic and foreign policies, and the competing proponents of populism, liberalism and solidarism demonstrate that there is no single clear vision of the future world order. All we can be sure of is that the world has lost faith in the liberal world order, and that the West will not determine its replacement.
The liberal order
If this is the end of the liberal order, what kind of world order can promote influence within the state, and which values and goals should be considered vital? In order to find answers to these questions it is essential to analyse IR theory and, using the main approaches, to propose a possible solution to the political discordance and ambiguity.
There are two other major theories relevant to this discussion in IR: realism and constructivism, and neither can anticipate the future world order independently. To achieve this, we must combine the core principles from multiple IR theories, and in doing so, suggest a new world order based on goodness, which will bring peace in the near future. Here, “good” must be understood as ‘promoting well-being’ and “morally admirable”.
The time of using the word “good” to describe interventions, which kill the innocent, is over; while this may bring short–term victories, history will demonstrate that hypocritical usage of the word “good” causes distrust and disrespect. In the future, states should be defined by their actions rather than their status as either democratic or autocratic – which is a constrictive binary that actually encourages hypocritical politics and often damaging foreign policy.
The values and goals of the new order, which I term “political tolerance” should be based on two main principles: patriotism – feelings of love for a country by the state’s rulers and citizens, generating hard work towards domestic development and the prosperity of the state; and political sovereignty – a principle of international law, meaning that every nation-state has sovereignty over its own territory, domestic affairs, and foreign affairs, along with a principle of non-interference in other states’ domestic affairs.
Despite the lack of a clear theoretical approach, which includes all these values, there is one state, which has based its policies these principles. A new model of this world order of political tolerance could be theorized from the successful development of the UAE, which could become a successful model for positive development in global politics.
The UAE is not the only successful model of state development, but I believe that this is the model, which could be conceptualized and used to suggest a future world order based on the principle of political tolerance
Why not realism, liberalism and constructivism?
Realism considers the international political system to be anarchic and without a supranational authority that can implement rules. The key actors are states concerned with their own security, and their actions are in pursuit of their own national interests. A central preoccupation of this study is power, and realists consider power to be derived from a combination of tangible resources: the size of population and territory, resource endowment, economic capability, and military strength.
According to realist theory, that only great powers can be powerful. However, current global developments demonstrate that states with small populations and territories can also obtain huge economic advantages, and become important players in the international arena. For example, the emerging vacuum of power in the Middle East is due to a decreasing role for traditional leaders – Iraq, Egypt and Syria – and has promoted leadership opportunities for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states.
Moreover, for realists, the theory of a balance of power suggests that maintaining national security depends on greater military capability, as strong states are secure from their weaker neighbours. Any state, which becomes too strong invites the creation of a defensive alliance to limit its power. After World War II and the deaths of more than 90 million people, the values of realism were criticised and global politics moved into a new world order, based on Liberalism.
Liberalism considers worldwide institutions to be key for cooperation between states. Interdependence between states (such as cultural, security, and economic exchanges) help to diminish possible conflict, and replaces the military in promoting honest interactions. During the Cold War, the liberal order became essential to America in beating its rival, the USSR. By establishing a liberal order and creating a foundation of open markets and economic interdependence between democratic states, the US appeared a ‘liberal leviathan’ (Ikenberry, 2011).
With the Truman administration’s decision to make open-ended alliances, the US provided significant aid to other states, while expanding military bases and overseas forces. The US provided the United Kingdom with a major loan in 1946, the Marshall plan financially supported European recovery in 1948, and NATO was created in 1949. After the collapse of the USSR, American objectives in the establishment of liberal economic order went further and became more global.
American foreign policy from George Bush to Barack Obama relied on the concept that democracies do not go to war. One of the most well-known concepts in winning hearts and minds, ‘soft power’, has been central in American foreign affairs since the Cold War. However, these strategies were not only based on soft power initiatives and liberal values; realist values, such as the use of military power and intervention, continue to be a reality, which demonstrates the hypocrisy of power politics.
The aftermath of “promoting democracy” or “peacekeeping” in Somalia (1990), Bosnia-Serbia (1995), Sudan (1998), Serbia-Kosovo (1999), Iraq (2003), and Libya (2011) was the deaths of civilians and soldiers and the failure of states. As Runciman (2008: 2) has observed while analysing the hypocritical behaviour of former and current US politicians (Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, and Barack Obama), ‘the specific political problem is that liberal societies are, or have become, democracies.
Because people don’t like hypocrisy, and because hypocrisy is everywhere, it is all too tempting for democratic politicians to seek to expose the inevitable double standards of their rivals in the pursuit of power, and voters’. By following the ideas of democracy and the future “good” for every country a search for hypocrisy has led US policy to be interested in intervention, which would help to maintain dominance and increase access to the natural resources of other states.
Current Western leadership understands the failure of this policy. In her first meeting with President Trump, British Prime Minister Theresa May proclaimed ‘the days of Britain and America intervening in sovereign countries in an attempt to remake the world in our own image are over’ (2017).
Another important feature of Liberalism is the use of worldwide institutions to maintain peaceful co-existence between states. However, as the result of the Brexit referendum is increasingly welcomed by politicians from other EU countries, we might be witnessing the beginning of a “domino effect”, as discussed in my previous article (Galeeva, 2016), which raises questions about the future of liberal institutions. It seems that a Constructivist approach to IR, based on the ideas of strategic cultures, and the significance of identities and norms, could explain the new realities of European politics.
The future of liberalist institutions depends on national identity. For example, though both the EU and the GCC can be seen as “liberal” institutions, they have very different historical/cultural contexts, and it is unlikely that the future of these institutions will be the same. In other words, liberalist institutionalism will continue to be an effective tool in cooperation between states, but only if the states share similar identities.
What is next? The UAE model: Values in practise
While IR theory does not currently provide an explanation for a new order, working towards future peace in the Middle East can be seen in the model of the UAE, which is based on patriotism and political sovereignty. From the realist point of view, the UAE is a small state with a small territory (83,600km2) and population (around 10 million, including 1.4 million citizens), and therefore cannot be perceived as an active player on the international arena.
Despite this, it is one of the wealthiest states in the world, with a per-capita GDP of $67,696, the seventh-largest oil reserves, and the seventeenth-largest natural gas reserves globally. However, the UAE does not rely on these alone. Emirati leadership has worked hard to diversify the economy: the UAE has become a major financial and trading centre, and has increased tourism along with investment in non-energy sectors such as technology. Benefitting from access to natural resources, the UAE has focussed on its own economic development and has used economic advantages for state development, new initiatives, and improving the lifestyle of their own people, rather than intervening in other states.
The rulers of the UAE have worked hard to bring wellbeing into state development; promoting the rights of children, equality, and women’s rights. For example, granting women the opportunity to hold leading positions in political, business and other social structures, including, the Minister of Tolerance Sheikha Lubna Al-Qassimi, Minister of Happiness Ohood Al-Roumi, and Minister for Youth Affairs Shama al-Mazroui.
Moreover, initiatives such as “smart government”, which works 24 hours a day and 365 days a year, demonstrates the rulers’ desire for the development and future prosperity of the country. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the Prime Minister and ruler of Dubai, emphasises the importance of loving the state and working hard for its prosperity and the bright future of its people: “Our mission is to serve our people and nation”, “future prosperity lies in the creative minds of our people; investing in people is an investment in our economy and success”. In other words, the UAE leadership loves the country, and prioritises state development – which is the core of patriotism.
Realist and constructivist approaches
Despite being part of a liberal institution, the GCC, the UAE is a state which also uses more realist and constructivist IR approaches, and maintains a clear position on some very important issues in the region. The UAE follows a strategy of political tolerance. While political Islam and sectarianism have started to play a major role in promoting influence within the region, the UAE has a clear approach of not supporting Islamist or extremist movements.
In contrast, the UAE has been able to use its identity as a Muslim, Arab country to promote Islam as a peaceful religion, and to show respect to other religions and nations. For example, the ‘Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies Forum’ was held in 2016 and the Muslim Council of Elders, which promotes peace in Muslim communities, is based in the UAE.
Furthermore, in 2016 meetings were held with representatives of different faiths and traditions, for example, between HH Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church. UAE foreign policy is clearly based on political tolerance and political sovereignty, while its domestic policy is based on patriotism, and rulers play an important role in this. The ‘good’ values promoted in the speeches of Emirati leadership are similar to the values, which they implement in reality.
The UAE is not the only successful model of state development, but I believe that this is the model, which could be conceptualised and used to suggest a future world order based on the principle of political tolerance. This order is based on two main principles – patriotism and political sovereignty. It is perhaps the time for political hypocrisy to be excluded from politics. Probably the best examples of successful policies in the 21st century after wars and the deaths of innocents, are tolerance, respect and ‘goodness’, which I define as ‘promoting well-being’ and ‘morally admirable’.
People must learn from history and successful examples. Princess Diana is still remembered as the ‘Queen of Hearts’ because of her charity work: health matters, animal protection, and opposing the use of landmines. She was a patron of charities and organisations working with the homeless, the young, drug addicts, and the elderly. It is the time for a new world order where written values become implemented values, the time to implement the successful model of the UAE as the new world order – the order of political tolerance.