LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
October 24/17
Compiled &
Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The Bulletin's Link on the
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Bible Quotations
This people’s heart has grown dull, and their ears are hard of
hearing, and they have shut their eyes ;so that they might not look with their
eyes, and listen with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn and I
would heal them
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 13/10-17/:"Then the
disciples came and asked Jesus, ‘Why do you speak to them in parables?’He
answered, ‘To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of
heaven, but to them it has not been given.For to those who have, more will be
given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even
what they have will be taken away. The reason I speak to them in parables is
that "seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they
understand."With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says: "You
will indeed listen, but never understand, and you will indeed look, but never
perceive. For this people’s heart has grown dull, and their ears are hard of
hearing, and they have shut their eyes;so that they might not look with their
eyes, and listen with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn and I
would heal them."But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for
they hear. Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see
what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear
it.
Do you not know that your body is a temple of
the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your
own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body
First Letter to the Corinthians 06/12-20/:"‘All things are lawful for me’, but
not all things are beneficial. ‘All things are lawful for me’, but I will not be
dominated by anything. ‘Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food’,
and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is meant not for
fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord
and will also raise us by his power.Do you not know that your bodies are members
of Christ? Should I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members
of a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that whoever is united to a prostitute
becomes one body with her? For it is said, ‘The two shall be one flesh.’ But
anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Shun fornication! Every
sin that a person commits is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against
the body itself. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy
Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own?For
you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body."
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources
published on October 23-24/17
Remembering the Marines massacre in Beirut, 1983/Dr.Walid Phares/October 23/17
Lieberman: Hezbollah fired rockets on Golan without Assad's knowledge/Ynetnews/Moran
Azulay, Attila Somfalvi/October 23/17
Theoretically...Bashir Gemayel's Assassin will be Executed/Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq
Al Awsat/October 23/17
Syrian Opposition Leaders Dr. Kamal Laboani, Warns Of Iranian Expension/Jerusalem
Post/October 23/17/
Fr Georges Massouh: Is the Ecumenical Movement "Heretical/Monday, October 23,
2017
UK's Hateful Hate-Crime Hub/Douglas Murray/Gatestone Institute/October 23/17
The Iran-Hamas Plan to Destroy Israel/Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone
Institute/October 23/17
Saudi Arabia's Bogus Promise: Allowing Women to Drive/A. Z. Mohamed/Gatestone
Institute/October 23/17
Jumping Off Maps is Forbidden/Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al Awsat/October 23/17
The Rubble in Raqqa Reminds us of the US Military Might/David Ignatius/Gatestone
Institute/October 23/17
A Russian Take on 'The Americans' Scares Moscow Liberals/Leonid Bershidsky/Bloomberg
View/October 23/17
The FBI’s Black Phantom Menace/Andrew Rosenthal//Gatestone Institute/October
23/17
Understanding Trump’s strategy on Iran/Abdullah bin Bijad Al-Otaibi/Al Arabiya/October
23/17
Can Qatar stay in the GCC/Sawsan Al Shaer/Al Arabiya/October 23/17
Referendums: The dangers of direct democracy/Adil Rasheed/Al Arabiya/October
23/17
Titles For Latest LCCC Lebanese Related News published on
October 23-24/17
Remembering the Marines massacre in Beirut, 1983
Lieberman: Hezbollah fired rockets on Golan without Assad's knowledge
Israel Says Hizbullah Ordered Latest Golan Fire/
Berri Calls on Expats to Partake in Parliamentary Elections
Aoun Receives Australia's Governor-General, Requests Solution for Displaced
Syrians
Six Individuals Detained Over Forging Travel Documents
Berri: Elections are Definite, Ready to Secure Communication Channels with Syria
Aoun to Start Arab Tour Next Month
Mashnouq Hails Aoun, Says STL Rulings within 2 Years
Several wounded in Laylake gunfight
FAO, Agriculture Ministry celebrate World Food Day 2017
Qanso, Kijian tackle recent developments
Berri, Australia Governor tackle parliamentary cooperation
President of Johns Hopkins University visits AUB
Theoretically...Bashir Gemayel's Assassin will be Executed
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports
And News published on October 23-24/17
Syrian Opposition Leaders Dr. Kamal Laboani, Warns Of Iranian Expension
Visiting in Israel, Kamal Laboani says US must stick by its' Syrian allies.
Velayati Rejects Europe’s Interference in Tehran’s Regional Role
Iraq dismisses US call for Iranian-backed militias to ‘go home’
Iraq’s Kurdistan region elections delayed as no candidates
Jubeir, UN Special Envoy Discuss Latest Yemen Crisis Developments
Egypt's Parliament Approves Three-Months State of Emergency
Observatory: ISIS Executed Scores in Syria’s Qaryatayn
Catalonia Remains Defiant as Spanish Senate to Vote on Imposing Direct Rule on
Region
Five-month Battle with Militants Ends in Philippine’s Marawi
IS 'Executed' 116 in Syria Town Revenge Campaign
Deadly air strike hits Syrian govt-held Deir al-Zor
Israel arrests 51 Palestinians in East Jerusalem raid
HRW Targets France's 'Disgraceful' Approach to Egypt
Regions Prepare Rome Challenge after Autonomy Victory Vote
Latest Lebanese Related News published on
October 23-24/17
Remembering the Marines massacre in Beirut, 1983
Dr.Walid Phares/October 23/17
That day, October 23, 1983 I was living in Beirut. Though at the other side of
the city, I woke up at the terrible sound of a huge explosion. The bombing,
masterminded by Hezbollah, killed 241 US service personnel -- including 220
Marines and 21 other service personnel. A truck bomb had targeted a Marine
compound in Beirut, located at a four-story building at the airport. There were
about 1,800 Marines stationed in Beirut at the time, dispatched to implement a
Peace mission. They were part of a multi-national force with troops from France,
Italy and the United Kingdom. Few seconds later another explosion rocked the
city. The bombings were conducted by two suicide bombers droving pickup trucks
full of explosives crashing into the Marines building and the site housing
French paratroopers, known as the "Drakkar.". 58 French soldiers were killed.
Historically this was the major first attack by Hezbollah against US and French
targets. Years later Osama bin Laden said the attacks inspired al Qaeda's
methods. Prayers for the US Marines and the French soldiers who came in Peace.
Lieberman: Hezbollah fired rockets on Golan without Assad's
knowledge/
ليبرمان يتهم حزب الله باطلاق صواريخ على بلاده من الجولان دون معرفة الأسد
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=59713
Ynetnews/Moran Azulay, Attila Somfalvi/October 23/17
While the defense minister insists Nasrallah instructed 'to compartmentalize
Assad and his regime from the execution of this shooting,' IDF clarifies: 'We
still don't know who fired on the Golan,' but allows fire was 'likely done
without Assad's knowledge.'
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman insisted on Monday that the five rockets
fired at it by Syrian artillery cannons early Saturday were not the result of
errant fire, but rather a direct order from Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah,
the IDF clarified: "We still don't know who fired on the Golan Heights."
“The fire was carried out by a local cell operated by Hezbollah,” Lieberman said
during an Yisrael Beytenu faction meeting. “Hezbollah did this in isolation of
the Assad regime. There was a personal instruction by Nasrallah to
compartmentalize Assad and his regime from the execution of this shooting ...
with the goal of dragging us into the Syrian mire."
"Therefore I call here both on the Assad regime ... and also on the Russian
forces that are present there, to restrain Hezbollah. And this is another
example of why they should be kicked out of Syria as fast as possible," the
defense minister added.
However, a defense official noted that "Lieberman's comments on Nasrallah and
the rocket fire on the Golan did not come from the army, but are instead based
on his understanding, judgment and perspective."
Meanwhile, the IDF did confirm the rocket fire came from Assad-controlled
territory, and likely without his personal knowledge.
"Rocket fire in the middle of the night and in an unusual amount (five rockets)
leads us to believe it is likely not errant fire," a military official said.
Lieberman's office did not immediately respond to the comments contradicting
him. A Lieberman confidant who requested anonymity told Reuters: "The defense
minister spoke based on his own judgment and assessment."
The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been warning that
Israel, which has largely stayed out of the six-year-old Syrian civil war, could
step up attacks in retaliation for shelling across the frontier, or to block
Damascus's Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah reinforcements from setting up bases.
That could thrust the Israelis into confrontation with Syria and potential
run-ins with its big-power backer, Russia. Israel last battled Hezbollah in
Lebanon in 2006, and has occasionally fired on Syria to attack Hezbollah or
Iranian targets during the civil war, but has mainly avoided direct fighting
against Syria since their last war in 1973. Twice last week, mortar rounds or
rockets launched from Syria hit areas of the Israeli Golan Heights, causing no
casualties but drawing Israeli artillery fire against Syrian army posts.Syria's
Foreign Ministry said on Saturday, after projectiles fired from Syria drew an
Israeli attack on three Syrian artillery guns, that Israeli strikes would have
"grave consequences".
**Reuters contributed to this story.
Israel Says Hizbullah Ordered Latest Golan Fire/
ليبرمان يتهم حزب الله باطلاق صواريخ على بلاده من الجولان دون معرفة الأسد
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=59713
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 23/17/Israeli Defense
Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Monday that mortar and rocket fire from Syria
that landed in Israel last week was ordered by Lebanon's Hizbullah, without the
involvement of the Syrian regime. Speaking to senior members of his Yisrael
Beitenu party in parliament, Lieberman said the fire into the Israeli-occupied
sector of the Golan Heights was "definitely" not random spillover from fighting
in the Syrian civil war, as in several previous incidents. "This was deliberate
fire by a local squad operated by Hizbullah," Lieberman's party spokesman quoted
him as saying, without elaborating on his source for the information. Israel
fought a devastating 2006 war with Hizbullah and has voiced concern the group's
involvement in Syria risks opening up a new front. Israel also says that
Hizbullah ally Iran is using the Shiite group to help expand its own presence in
Syria, which borders Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday used a
speech in Israel's parliament to praise U.S. President Donald Trump's refusal to
certify the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal and to send a warning to Tehran. "Every
enemy who threatens us with destruction must know that he places himself in
danger of a fatal blow," he said. Hizbullah is also a key ally of Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad, but Lieberman said Damascus was not implicated in
incidents on Thursday and Saturday in which rockets and mortar shells hit open
ground in the Israeli sector. Israel responded with tank fire against Syrian
military positions, saying that it held "the Syrian regime accountable for any
aggression from within its territory." "Hizbullah did it in isolation from the
Assad regime," Lieberman said in Hebrew, putting the blame on its leader, Sayyed
Hassan Nasrallah. "It was a personal order from Nasrallah to keep it secret from
Assad," he said, adding that nevertheless Israel saw the Syrian regime as
responsible for attacks launched from Syrian soil. "Especially today when it
controls 90 percent of the territory," Lieberman said. He called on Damascus and
on Russian forces deployed in Syria to restrain Hizbullah, which he said sought
to "drag us into the Syrian swamp." "I hope that everyone is sufficiently
responsible to prevent that," he added. Israel has sought to avoid becoming
directly involved in the six-year civil war in Syria, though it acknowledges
carrying out dozens of air strikes to stop what it calls advanced arms
deliveries to Hizbullah. Israel seized 1,200 square kilometers (460 square
miles) of the Golan Heights from Syria in the Six-Day War of 1967 and later
annexed it, a move never recognized by the international community.
Berri Calls on Expats to Partake in Parliamentary Elections
Naharnet/October 23/17/Speaker Nabih Berri on Monday has voiced calls on
Lebanese expats to register their names at embassies in order to take part in
the country's parliamentary elections scheduled for May 2018. “I urge all
Lebanese expats to register their names at embassies and cosulates before
November 21 in order to participate in the country's parliamentary elections,”
said Berri in a press conference. “Today Lebanon has won all the battles to
prevent the marginalization of democracy. Your country calls on all Lebanese to
recognize the parliamentary elections which requires the preparation of
electoral lists in embassies and consulates of Lebanon abroad,” added the
Speaker calling on expats to register before November 21. “Lebanon calls on its
sons to participate tomorrow in drafting its next legislative council,” he
added.
Aoun Receives Australia's Governor-General, Requests
Solution for Displaced Syrians
Naharnet/October 23/17/President Michel Aoun received on Monday Australia's
Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove and his wife Lady Lynn Cosgrove at the
Presidential Palace in Baabda. Upon his arrival at the Palace, Aoun and Cosgrove
held a private meeting after which they held a joint press conference. “We
requested Australia's support in defending our legitimate rights in
international forums and stressed the need to implement UN resolutions mainly UN
decision 1701,” said Aoun at a press conference after the closed-door meeting
with the Australian envoy. He added: “We have focused on the necessity of
reaching political solutions to the Syrian crisis and the need to expedite a
solution to the crisis of the displaced in a way that contributes to their
return to safe areas,” in Syria. “We have agreed on the need to activate
bilateral relations at various levels and to develop mechanisms of cooperation,”
added Aoun.
For his part, Cosgrove told reporters: “We discussed the relationship between
Lebanon and Australia, which is based on social ties and the important role
played by Lebanese immigrants in the development of Australia.”The Australian
envoy and his wife had arrived in Lebanon on Sunday on a three-day visit.
Cosgrove is set to hold talks with senior Lebanese officials, reports said.
Six Individuals Detained Over Forging Travel Documents
Naharnet/October 23/17/The General Security Directorate said it has arrested six
individuals suspected of forging travel documents to facilitate the illegal
travel of people from Lebanon abroad, the National News Agency reported on
Monday. “General Security units have carried out several arrests between October
13-19 detaining six individuals on charges of forging travel documents for the
transfer of individuals from Lebanon to European, Asian and African countries,”
the Directorate said in a statement. The suspects were all interrogated and
referred to the related authorities.
Berri: Elections are Definite, Ready to Secure
Communication Channels with Syria
Naharnet/October 23/17/Speaker Nabih Berri assured that Lebanon's parliamentary
elections will be held, as he expressed readiness to delegate a Lebanese
minister to secure channels of communication with Syria in order to return the
displaced back to safe zones in their countries. “I am ready to secure a
communication channel (between Lebanon and Syria) and am ready to assign a
minister for that purpose if they wish me to,” said Berri in an interview to al-Ittihad
. “There are some safe zones in Syria that part of the displaced can return to.
I am ready to delegate someone if they wish me to if the (Lebanese) government
does not want to communicate with Syria,” added Berri, noting that official
agencies similar to the General Security and Lebanese Army have contacts with
Damascus that can be adopted as channels of communication. On the upcoming
parliamentary elections slated for May 2018, Berri assured that the polls will
“unquestionably” be held, as he affirmed alliance of his AMAL movement with
Hizbullah in the awaited polls. Turing to his ties with President Michel Aoun,
the Speaker said: “At this stage, President Michel Aoun and I have the best
relations,” expressing keenness to provide any assistance needed to help the new
term of Aoun.
Aoun to Start Arab Tour Next Month
Naharnet/October 23/17/President Michel Aoun is expected to start an Arab tour
early next month that will include Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt, al-Mustaqbal
daily reported on Monday. Aoun's visit to Kuwait is expected to take place on
November 5 for talks with Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah
in addition to senior Kuwaiti officials, said the daily. The President will be
heading a ministerial delegation to Kuwait, unnamed sources who spoke on
condition of anonymity told the daily. Talks are set to focus on enhancing
relations and prospects of cooperation between the two countries at all levels,
as well as discussing the developments in the region and the ways to fortify the
Arab arena in facing challenges, they added.
Mashnouq Hails Aoun, Says STL Rulings within 2 Years
Naharnet/October 23/17/Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq on Sunday lauded the
performance of President Michel Aoun while noting that the Special Tribunal for
Lebanon will issue its rulings in the murder of ex-PM Rafik Hariri within a
period not exceeding two years. “President Aoun’s stances greatly improved this
year in the direction of more openness towards all parties, understanding of all
constitutional mechanisms that are necessary for the country, and political
tolerance of opposing ideas,” Mashnouq said during a Mustaqbal Movement seminar.
“The settlement that led General Aoun to Baabda has suffered minor shocks that
we have managed to overcome,” Mashnouq added. He also pointed out that Aoun is
“very keen on political consensus and is abiding by the Constitution and the
laws.” “Had it not been for his support, Cabinet would not have been able to
settle a lot of files,” Mashnouq added. Separately, the minister said he expects
the U.N.-backed STL to issue verdicts in the Hariri case “withing a period not
exceeding two years.” The court has indicted five Hizbullah members with
carrying out the crime and is trying them in absentia. Hizbullah chief Sayyed
Hassan Nasrallah has vowed that the accused will never be arrested, dismissing
the tribunal as a U.S.-Israeli scheme.
Several wounded in Laylake gunfight
Mon 23 Oct 2017/NNA - Several people got wounded in a brawl that developed into
gunfire between members of the families of Ataya and Zoayter in the neighborhood
of Al-Laylake, NNA field reporter said on Monday. Laylake locals implored the
army and the security forces to intervene in a bid to contain situation.
FAO, Agriculture Ministry celebrate World Food Day 2017
Mon 23 Oct 2017/NNA - The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations (FAO) and the Ministry of Agriculture in Lebanon, in collaboration with
the World Food Program (WFP) and the International Organization for Migration
(IOM), celebrated today World Food Day 2017, under the theme 'Change the future
of migration - Invest in food security and rural development'. The ceremony was
organized at the Coral Beach Hotel in Beirut under the patronage of Minister of
Agriculture, Ghazi Zeaiter. The ceremony was attended by the Minister of
Agriculture, Ghazi Zeaiter, the FAO Representative in Lebanon, Dr. Maurice Saade,
the WFP Representative in Lebanon, Dominik Heinrich, and the IOM Representative
in Lebanon Fawzi Al Zioudi. A number of official figures, representatives of
embassies, UN agencies, civil society organizations, universities and the media
also participated in this event. Following the welcoming remarks by Mariam Eid,
Head of the Food Industry Department at the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Fawzi
Al Zioudi, the IOM representative in Lebanon delivered a speech in which he
pointed out that "the drivers of forced migration are often associated with
insufficient food security and rural poverty. Improving agriculture conditions
and rural development, particularly with regard to livelihood opportunities, are
thus vital to address the current migration challenges." In his speech, Dominik
Heinrich, WFP representative in Lebanon focused on WFP's programs in rural areas
to enhance the resilience of Lebanese communities hosting displaced Syrians
after the Syrian conflict. Dr. Maurice Saade, FAO representative in
Lebanon reiterated FAO's strong commitment to continue to support the Ministry
of Agriculture and other Lebanese institutions to achieve their shared
objectives of helping Lebanese farmers and rural communities. In his speech, the
Minister of Agriculture, Ghazi Zeaiter stated that "migration from rural to
urban areas in Lebanon is a major cause of demographic and economic changes,
which lead to the decline in the agricultural sector's labor force, as well as a
decline in the contribution of the agricultural sector to Lebanon's GDP from 6%
in 2004 to 4% in 2015." He concluded his statement by congratulating FAO on
World Food Day. An innovative exhibition that showcases FAO and WFP's work in
Lebanon during 2017 was displayed at the event. The ceremony also included the
distribution of Lebanese apples as a token of the role of FAO in supporting
local production and Lebanese farmers. The Food and Agriculture Organization of
the United Nations (FAO) celebrates World Food Day on 16 October each year, the
day on which the Organization was founded in 1945. Each year it is celebrated by
more than 150 countries worldwide.
Qanso, Kijian tackle recent developments
Mon 23 Oct 2017/NNA - The head of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP),
Minister Ali Qanso, on Monday received at the Party's headquarters Chinese
Ambassador to Lebanon, Wang Kijian. Talks between the pair reportedly touched on
most recent developments and means of bolstering relations between the SSNP and
the Chinese Communist Party. Minister Qanso lauded China's stance vis-a-vis
various causes and its relentless efforts to maintain international security and
stability. Qanso commended China's initiatives and steps notably in the areas of
economy and development. "China always stands beside just causes and the right
of peoples to determine their fate and resist occupation and assaults," Qanso
said, hailing its stand beside Syria in the face of terrorism and extremism.
Ambassador kijian said that they discussed means of cooperation between the SSNP
and the Chinese Communist Party, saying "we look forward to bolstering this
relation in the framework of China's cooperation with all parties and forces in
Lebanon." Kijian said that they discussed the Syrian crisis, underlining the
need for a political solution to this crisis as soon as possible and to secure
the return of the displaced Syrians. Both sides also underlined the importance
of stability in Lebanon and the realization of development.
Berri, Australia Governor tackle parliamentary cooperation
Mon 23 Oct 2017/NNA - House Speaker, Nabih Berri, received at Ain Tineh
residence Governor-General of Australia, Peter Cosgrove, who is on a state visit
to Lebanon. Talks reportedly touched on means of bolstering bilateral ties
between the two countries and parliamentary cooperation via direct visits or
friendship committees. Speaker Berri highlighted the ongoing Israeli violations
of UN Resolution #1701, soliciting Australia's assistance for a political
solution in Syria. Discussions between the pair also touched on the Arab crises
and the Syrian refugee issue in Lebanon.
President of Johns Hopkins University visits AUB
Mon 23 Oct 2017/NNA - President Ronald J. Daniels of Johns Hopkins University (JHU)
visited the American University of Beirut (AUB) and met with the president,
provost, executive vice president, and deans of AUB to discuss possible future
collaborations. During his visit, President Daniels also toured the campus and
took in some cultural sites, touring the AUB Archaeological Museum as well as
the National Museum and MIM, the mineral museum at Saint Joseph University. "We
were excited to receive the distinguished president of Johns Hopkins, Ron
Daniels, for three days on campus at the American University of Beirut," said
AUB President Dr. Fadlo R. Khuri. "Like AUB, Hopkins is a young university that
is just around a century and a half old, but one that is committed to being a
research university that can make a difference." "It was an honor to visit AUB
on my first trip to Beirut," said JHU President Ron Daniels. "I was deeply
impressed with the breadth and depth of the institution, President Khuri's
academic leadership, and the team he has assembled to carry out an ambitious
vision for the institution. I am certain AUB will continue to graduate men and
women committed to discovery and to applying their knowledge to benefit their
own communities and those around the world." Johns Hopkins University is located
in Baltimore, Maryland and was founded as America's first research university in
1876. It is ranked #11 in the nation by US News and World Report and has a
student population of around 24,000, with almost three-quarters of these being
graduate students. Since assuming office in 2009, President Daniels has been
instrumental in establishing much-needed revitalization projects in East
Baltimore and working with the underserved neighborhoods surrounding its campus.
AUB President Khuri commented on JHU's approach to community engagement:
"Fundamentally, Ron Daniels has walked the talk that we believe in and have
attempted to instill at AUB, namely that a great private research university can
make a fundamental difference in the lives of the communities it serves,"
explained President Khuri. "We expect that the visit of President Daniels has
been fruitful and will lead to tangible results in terms of meaningful high
impact collaborations." The relationship between AUB and Johns Hopkins goes back
to at least 1965, when AUB's Faculty of Medicine had a formal affiliation with
the JHU School of Medicine. After being interrupted by the civil war, this
relationship was revived in 2004 with a new memorandum of understanding for
collaboration in research, education, and medical training. In addition, the
Hariri School of Nursing has a partnership with the JHU School of Nursing; and
AUB's Faculty of Health Sciences has a fruitful relationship with the highly
ranked Bloomberg School of Public Health at JHU.
Theoretically...Bashir Gemayel's Assassin will be Executed
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al Awsat/October 23/17
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=59711
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed is the former general manager of Al-Arabiya television. He
is also the former editor-in-chief of Asharq Al-Awsat, and the leading Arabic
weekly magazine Al-Majalla. He is also a senior columnist in the daily
newspapers Al-Madina and Al-Bilad.
Misleading slogans were popular at the onset of the 1980s which marked the worst
turning point in the region’s history and led to a never ending deteriorating
political situation. If terrorism had been contained during that phase, perhaps
terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS wouldn't have existed.
Only eleven months after the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat,
Lebanese President-elect Bashir Gemayel was killed in Beirut.
Gemayel was only 34-years-old when he was killed. He was an ambitious outspoken
young man, rejecting fierce forces led by Syria which had occupied Lebanon for
over seven years. Syrian authorities ruled Lebanon along with the Palestine
Liberation Organization (PLO) and other rival factions after their expulsion
from Jordan.
Iran was establishing a foothold in Lebanon and formed during that bloody year a
party named Hezbollah which will later dominate the country and its surrounding.
The murderers of President Sadat belonged to the armed Jamaa al-Islamiyya, while
Gemayel’s killer was a Christian who belonged to the Syrian Social Nationalist
Party.
The two assassinations took place because the regimes of "steadfastness and
confrontation" front wanted to disable the peace process.
"Steadfastness and Confrontation" was established to confront Sadat's
declaration that he planned to achieve peace.
Iraq's Saddam, Syria's Assad, Libya's Gaddafi competed on leading the violent
front which also included Algeria, South Yemen, and the PLO.
In such atmosphere, radical Arab governments played the role of today's
terrorist organizations or so-called “liberation” groups.
Habib Shartouni, who assassinated Gemayel, was merely a tool in the hands of the
Syrian regime which considered the president-elect a threat to its political and
military presence in Lebanon.
Following his crime, Shartouni was arrested and imprisoned for eight years to be
released later by the Syrian troops that took control of almost the entire
country.
In Lebanon, leaders along with thousands of innocent people have lost their
lives as a price for the dirty regional game, which further divided the region
and turned it chaotic. The rights of the Palestinian people were lost because
the regimes didn't fight back, didn't agree to compromise, and didn't allow the
Palestinians to choose their own fate.
Gemayel's assassin is on the run and all what the Lebanese judicial system did
was to sentence him to death in absentia. A decision that came 34 years late.
Maybe it would have been better not to issue a sentence rather than having it
issued and not respected.
The assassin has made a newspaper interview – not his first - mocking the
government and its institutions.
Shartouni is not the only murderer on the loose. Killers of former Prime
Minister Rafik Hariri are also living freely and safely although the
international tribunal has revealed their identities and demanded their arrest
along with murderers of other Lebanese officials.
Justice in Lebanon is relative. Ahmed al-Asir is another murderer because he is
a Hezbollah foe. He was arrested and sentenced to death; and he might deserve
this punishment. However, the judicial system only registered a theoretical
sentence against Shartouni, though he personally confessed to killing the
President-elect and twenty other political figures.
No one dared to administer justice.
Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on October 23-24/17
Syrian Opposition Leaders Dr. Kamal Laboani,
Warns Of Iranian Expension
Visiting in Israel, Kamal Laboani says US must stick by its' Syrian allies.
Jerusalem Post/October 23/17/Exiles Syrian Opposition member Dr.
Kamal Laboani, currently visiting in Israel, warned against US disengagement
from its Syrian allies and the likely takeover of the region by Iran. “Iran is
taking over Syria, and Lebanon using Hezbollah as [its] proxy. If the US will
not provide aid to the [Syrian] opposition forces, the entire Middle East will
be overtaken by Iran,” said Laboani during a meeting Sunday with Communications
Minister Ayoub Kara. Laboani stated that Jordan should consider allowing Kurds
to pass freely through its territory as that would aid in preventing Iranian
expansion.
In an interview with the The Jerusalem Post, Kara said that he wanted to meet
the Syrian activist to learn more about the conflict between the Russian camp
that supports the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad and the Iranian camp
that is meant to do the same, and try to tease out each side’s motives. Kara
stressed that while Israel has no interest to get involved in the conflict in
Syria, it will continue to prevent any weapon shipments from reaching Hezbollah
and threatening Israel “as we have done in the past and will do again if
needed.” Laboani has come under severe criticism in the past for his ties to
Israel and calls for the Syrian people to seek out peace with the Jewish state.
The opposition leader, who spent 10 years in prison for anti-assad activities,
has been called a “Zionist collaborator” and a traitor to the Syrian people.
Velayati Rejects Europe’s Interference in Tehran’s Regional Role
Asharq Al Awsat/October 23/17/Iran’s Foreign Policy Adviser Ali Akbar Velayati
warned on Monday European Union countries against interfering in his country’s
regional role and missile program. “The Europeans, like the Americans, have no
right to interfere in our defense issues nor in our presence in the region,”
Velayati told reporters on the sidelines of his meeting with the deputy head of
the Hamas political bureau, Saleh al-Arouri. Earlier this month, US President
Donald Trump decertified the Iranian nuclear deal, asking the Congress to
address the “many serious flaws” in the international agreement.
He went on to threaten to terminate the deal with Iran, if the Congress failed
to make the necessary amendments. Following a closed-door meeting last week, EU
foreign ministers appealed to the US Congress to maintain the nuclear deal with
Iran and avoid a return to the sanctions option. However, they stressed the need
to dismantle Iran’s missile program. In response to a question about the
European position on keeping the nuclear agreement and tightening the missile
program, Velayati said: “The nuclear agreement is not related to other issues.
The missile issue is linked to the decision of the regime and we do not ask
permission from anyone to defend ourselves.” In remarks on Wednesday, Iranian
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Tehran would commit to its 2015 nuclear deal
with international powers as long as the US Congress did not impose sanctions
against his country. However, he threatened to “shred” the agreement if the
United States pulled out. On the European stance regarding the Iranian role in
the region, Velayati said: “Iran is part of the region and naturally supports
its allies in Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon and Syria,” adding: “We must ask Europe
and America, what do they want from our region?”Velayati revealed that Iraqi
Prime Minister Haider Abadi was expected to visit Tehran during the next few
days, describing the visit as “critical” and comes under “sensitive conditions
that go beyond mere diplomacy.” On a different note, Iranian Foreign Ministry’s
Spokesman Bahram Qassimi said on Sunday that his ministry has submitted a report
to the country’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee regarding
developments over the last three months in implementing the nuclear
agreement.The Iranian foreign ministry said that the US president’s rejection to
certify the nuclear deal was an “internal American affair” but at the same time,
warned of its impact on America’s obligations to lift sanctions on Iran in
accordance with the international agreement.
Iraq dismisses US call for Iranian-backed militias to ‘go
home’
Reuters, BaghdadMonday, 23 October 2017/The Iraqi government has dismissed a
call from US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson for Iranian-backed paramilitary
units that helped Baghdad defeat ISIS to end operations in Iraq. Speaking after
a meeting on Sunday with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Saudi Arabia’s
King Salman, Tillerson said it was time for the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units
(PMU) militias and their Iranian advisers to “go home”. Washington, which backed
Baghdad against ISIS, is concerned Iran will use its expanded presence in Iraq
and in Syria to expand its influence in the region. But Abadi showed
unwillingness to meet Tillerson’s demand. “No party has the right to interfere
in Iraqi matters,” the statement from his office read. It did not cite the prime
minister himself but a “source” close to him. Trained and armed by Iran, the
Iraqi PMU militias often supported Iraqi government units in the fight against
the militants who were effectively defeated in July when a US-backed offensive
captured their stronghold Mosul. They are paid by the Iraqi government and
officially report to the prime minister, but some Arab Sunni and Kurdish
politicians describe these militias as a de facto branch of the Iranian
Revolutionary Guards Corp. Iraq’s Sunni neighbors, including Saudi Arabia, share
Washington’s concerns over Shiite power Iran’s influence in Iraq, where the
population is also predominantly Shiite. But the office of Abadi, himself a
Shiite, said the forces were under the authority of the Iraqi government.
“Popular Mobilization are Iraqi patriots,” it said in the statement. The United
States trained tens of thousands of Iraqi soldiers in the course of rebuilding
the Iraqi armed forces and has over 5,000 troops deployed in the country,
providing key air and ground support to the offensive on ISIS.
Iraq’s Kurdistan region elections delayed as no candidates
Reuters, BaghdadMonday, 23 October 2017/Elections for Iraq’s Kurdistan region’s
presidency and parliament will not be held as planned on Nov. 1 as political
parties did not present candidates, the head of the electoral commission
Hendrean Mohammed said on Monday. The commission will refer the matter to
parliament to fix a new date, he told Reuters by phone from the regional capital
Erbil. The deadline to present candidates expired last week and was extended
until Monday.
Jubeir, UN Special
Envoy Discuss Latest Yemen Crisis Developments
Asharq Al Awsat/October 23/17/Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir
received in Riyadh on Monday UN Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh
Ahmed, the Saudi Press Agency reported. During the meeting, they discussed the
latest developments of the crisis in Yemen, SPA said. The meeting was attended
by Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed bin Saeed Al Jaber, the agency added.
Egypt's Parliament
Approves Three-Months State of Emergency
Asharq Al Awsat/October 23/17/Egyptian Parliament approved a decree issued by
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to extend the state of emergency in the country
following the deadly clashes between the police and terrorist groups in desert
of Giza resulting in the death of 16 officers and policemen and injury and death
of 15 armed men. In addition, Giza criminal court sentenced 11 people to death
in the case known as the "Giza terrorist cell". Sisi chaired a top security
meeting on Sunday attended by Minister of Defense Sedki Sobhy, Minister of
Interior Affairs Magdy Abdul Ghaffar, head of intelligence Khalid Fawzi, and a
number of Defense and Interior Ministries' officials. Presidency spokesperson
Alaa Youssef stated that the President reiterated during the meeting that Egypt
will continue to counter terrorism and those financing and sponsoring it. He
called for further enhancing efforts to persecute terrorist elements that took
part in the recent terrorist incident in al-Wahat. Sisi also called for
intensifying security and military efforts to ensure the country’s borders. The
spokesperson stated that the President was briefed on reports of the clashes
between security forces and a number of terrorist elements. He reiterated that
war on terrorism is different than regular wars and the armed forces and police
succeeded over the past few years in reestablishing security and stability.
Prime Minister Sherif Ismail recited the government’s statement announcing that
the state of emergency is a crucial procedure to maintain security and stability
and confront terrorism that is hindering the development of democracies. "The
declaration of the state of emergency at the time being is a necessary
procedure, just like the case in established democratic countries that viewed
the state of emergency as a necessity to preserve their stability and security,"
Ismail stated.
This is the third time that Egypt announces a state of emergency.
A state of emergency was first declared in April following suicide bombings in
churches in Alexandria and Tanta on Palm Sunday that killed 47 worshippers. The
state was extended for three more months in July and after the previous
three-month state of emergency expired, Sisi issued the presidential decree on
October 12. Ismail vowed before parliament that the government would not resort
to exceptional measures unless required to confront terrorism, and that
emergency law would not be used to curtail the rights of citizens or their
public freedoms. According to Article 154 of the Egyptian constitution, a state
of emergency cannot exceed six months from its date of declaration. It must also
be approved by parliament within seven days. "I stand before you today in the
painful and tough circumstances the country witnessed in the past few days,
where several policemen sacrificed their lives confronting terrorist elements
who have no religion except blood-shedding," Ismail said referring to the deadly
shootout. Head of the Media, Culture and Antiquities Committee Osama Heikal said
that the days following the Wahat incident were difficult, adding that Egypt was
engaged in a war with elements who intend on breaking the nation's morale. "We
are fighting an enemy from within, and this enemy bets that the longer the
battle against terrorism, the better the chance that we will lose our nerve and
morale and become despondent," Heikal said, announcing his approval of the new
state of emergency. Head of the Arab Affairs Committee Saad al-Gamal said that
Egypt had successfully terminated terrorism during the eighties and will be able
to do end current terrorist threats. Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed
Forces, Lieutenant General Mahmoud Hegazy, left Cairo on Thursday to head to
Washington for the Conference of Chiefs of Staff of States, to partake in a
discussion on the war on terrorism. Armed Forces spokesperson stated that Hegazy
headed to the US upon an official invitation from the Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff. The conference focuses on coordinating regional and
international efforts to eliminate terrorism and to confront threats and
challenges aimed at security and stability especially in the Middle East. Hegazy
will hold meetings with senior US military officials to boost military
cooperation between the two countries. In related news, Giza criminal court
sentenced 11 people, including four people in absentia, to death in the trial
known as the "Giza terrorist cell". The court also sentenced 14 others to 25
years in jail and a juvenile to 10 years in prison. The case dates back to 2014
and the defendants are accused of joining an illegal group, attacking personal
freedoms, manufacturing explosive materials, and attempted murder of two police
officers, as well as destroying a police vehicle.
Observatory: ISIS
Executed Scores in Syria’s Qaryatayn
Asharq Al Awsat/October 23/17/ISIS killed at least 128 people it accused of
collaborating with the Syrian regime in al-Qaryatayn this month before losing
the central Homs town to Bashar Assad’s forces, the Observatory for Human Rights
said Monday. ISIS has over a period of 20 days executed at least 128 people in
reprisal killings, accusing them of collaboration with regime forces, the
Britain-based monitor said. Regime forces retook al-Qaryatayn on Saturday, three
weeks after the terrorist group seized control of it. ISIS had first occupied
the town in August 2015 and relied on the strategically located town to defend
another of their bastions, the historic city of Palmyra. But the terrorist group
lost al-Qaryatayn to Russian-backed Syrian forces last year. "After the regime
retook it (on Saturday), the town's residents found the bodies on the streets.
They had been shot dead or executed with knives," the head of the Observatory,
Rami Abdel Rahman said. He said what happened in the town was a "massacre."
"Most of the ISIS militants who attacked the town a month ago were sleeper
cells... They are from the town, know the town's residents and who is for or
against the regime," he said. The majority of those killed were executed in the
last two days before the extremist organization lost the town again, Abdel
Rahman added. There was no immediate comment from the regime in Damascus on the
find of the civilian bodies in al-Qaryatayn.
Catalonia Remains
Defiant as Spanish Senate to Vote on Imposing Direct Rule on Region
Asharq Al Awsat/October 23/17/Catalan lawmakers will meet later this week to
address Madrid’s move to impose direct rule on the region less than a month
after it voted to secede from the rest of Spain. Last week, Prime Minister
Mariano Rajoy’s government invoked special constitutional powers to fire the
regional government and force a new election to counter an independence drive
that has rattled the economy. A vote in the Senate to implement direct rule is
due on Friday. Catalan president Carles Puigdemont on Monday called the Catalan
parliament to meet this week to agree on a response to Madrid, something many
observers said could pave the way for a formal declaration of independence. The
assembly will meet on Thursday to agree a response to direct rule. Catalan
leaders have rejected Madrid’s move, saying the October 1 referendum gave them
the mandate to claim independence from the rest of Spain. "It's not that we will
refuse (orders). It is not a personal decision. It is a seven million-person
decision," Catalonia's foreign affairs chief Raul Romeva told BBC radio. Romeva
was asked whether he believed all institutions, including the police, would
follow orders from Catalan institutions rather than from the Spanish government.
"And from that perspective, I have no doubt that all civil servants in Catalonia
will keep following the instructions provided by the elected and legitimate
institutions that we have right now in place (in Catalonia)," he said. Civil
disobedience was meanwhile backed by far-left party CUP, a key support for
Catalonia's pro-independence minority government in the regional parliament,
which called Madrid's actions an aggression against all Catalans." “An
aggression which will be met with massive civil disobedience," the CUP said in a
statement. Several hundred Catalan municipalities said they were against direct
rule from Madrid and asked the Catalan parliament to vote on a motion rejecting
it. Several influential Catalan newspapers called on Puidgemont on Sunday to
resolve the crisis by calling a snap election before direct rule becomes
effective. However, Catalan government spokesman Jordi Turull said this was not
an option. It is not clear whether a vote in the region would help resolve the
crisis. Spain's Deputy Prime Minister said Puigdemont would be out of a job once
direct rule was enforced and Madrid would install its own representative. The
Spanish government has said it would call a regional election within six months.
"They are president of the regional government and senior figures in that
government because of the constitution," said Soraya Saenz de Santamaria during
a radio interview. "They are not entrusted with that role by any divine
authority," she also said. Catalan authorities said about 90 percent of those
who took part in the referendum voted for independence. But only 43 percent of
the electorate and 1 in 3 Catalans participated, with most opponents of
secession staying at home. The Catalan crisis has raised fears among European
countries that it could spill over to the rest of the continent. From Scotland
to Flanders and Lombardy, the 2007-09 financial crisis, unemployment and
migration have allowed anti-EU and populist parties to feed off discontent with
political elites and reopen regional divisions. Two wealthy regions of northern
Italy voted overwhelmingly on Sunday for greater autonomy.
Five-month Battle with Militants Ends in Philippine’s Marawi
Asharq Al Awsat/October 23/17/Five months of military operations against ISIS
supporters in the southern Philippines that claimed more than 1,100 lives has
ended, defense chiefs said on Monday. "We now announce the termination of all
combat operations in Marawi," Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told reporters
on the sidelines of a regional security meeting in Clark, a northern Philippine
city. "There are no more militants inside Marawi city." The conclusion of the
conflict ended immediate fears that ISIS would establish a Southeast Asian base
in the southern city of Marawi. But concerns remained about its longer-term
intentions and capabilities for the region. Hundreds of local and foreign gunmen
who had pledged allegiance to ISIS rampaged through Marawi on May 23. They then
took over parts of the city using civilians as human shields. An ensuing
US-backed military campaign claimed the lives of at least 920 militants, 165
soldiers and 47 civilians, according to the military. More than 400,000
residents were displaced as near-daily air strikes and intense ground combat
left large parts of the city in ruins. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte
traveled to Marawi on Tuesday last week and declared the city had been
"liberated", a day after the Southeast Asian leader for ISIS, a Filipino
militant named Isnilon Hapilon, was shot dead there. However the continued
fighting in subsequent days raised questions over whether the city was indeed
free of militants. "The presence of the Maute-ISIS was confined to two
buildings: one of them a mosque," armed forces chief General Eduardo Ano told
reporters on Monday as he explained the situation in Marawi following Duterte's
liberation proclamation. "That is where the last fighting occurred and that is
the place where we rescued (an) additional 20 hostages. "In that fighting, we
gave the chance for these militants and terrorists to surrender. But they fought
to the last breath so we had no choice."The bodies of 42 militants were
recovered after the final battle, including two women and five foreigners,
according to Ano. US Defense Secretary James Mattis on Monday praised the
Philippines for its success. "One of the first things I'm going to do when I get
there is commend the Philippine military for liberating Marawi from the
terrorists," Mattis told reporters on board a flight to the Philippines to
attend the security meeting in Clark.
IS 'Executed' 116 in Syria Town Revenge Campaign
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 23/17/The Islamic State group executed
dozens of civilians this month in the Syrian desert, a monitor said Monday, in a
gruesome massacre as the jihadists see their "caliphate" collapse. The extremist
group last week lost its key Syrian stronghold of Raqa, the latest in a string
of setbacks for the jihadist who are facing multiple offensives in both Syria
and neighbouring Iraq.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said IS
fighters massacred more than 100 people in the desert town of Al-Qaryatain this
month before they lost it to regime forces."IS has over a period of 20 days
executed at least 116 civilians in reprisal killings, accusing them of
collaboration with regime forces," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.
Regime forces retook Al-Qaryatain, which lies in the central Homs province, on
Saturday, three weeks after the jihadists seized control of it. IS first
occupied the town in 2015 and lost it to Russian-backed Syria forces last year.
"After the regime retook it (on Saturday), the town's residents found the bodies
on the streets. They had been shot dead or executed with knives," Abdel Rahman
said. "Most of the IS fighters who attacked the town a month ago were sleeper
cells... They are from the town, know the town's residents and who is for or
against the regime," he said. The majority of those killed were executed in the
last two days before IS lost the town again, he added. The regime seized back
Al-Qaryatain on Saturday after more than 200 jihadists withdrew from the town
overnight, pulling back into the vast desert region that stretches all the way
to the Iraqi border. Al-Qaryatain was a symbol of religious coexistence before
the civil war broke out in 2011, with some 900 Christians among its population
of 30,000. But it was ravaged by IS during the group's eight-month-long
occupation of the town in 2015-16, with its Christian sites including a
fifth-century church reduced to rubble. - IS decline -At the peak of its power
in 2014, IS's self-styled "caliphate" in Syria and Iraq was approximately the
size of Britain.But it has suffered a string of major setbacks in recent months,
including the loss in July of its most important Iraqi stronghold, the city of
Mosul.
Last week, it also lost its most important Syrian bastion, the city of Raqa,
after a campaign of more than four months led by the Kurdish-Arab Syrian
Democratic Forces, a US-backed militia. The jihadist group is now mostly
confined to the oil-rich province of Deir Ezzor in the country's east, along the
border with Iraq. IS holds around 40 percent of the province, which was once
almost completely in its hands, and faces two separate offensives, including by
the SDF. The US-backed militia is fighting the group mostly on the eastern side
of the Euphrates River that slices diagonally across the province. On Sunday,
SDF fighters seized one of the country's largest oilfields from the group.
Syria's regime is conducting a separate, Russian-backed offensive in the
province, largely on the western bank of the river. In September, the offensive
ended an IS siege of nearly three years on government-held parts of the
provincial capital Deir Ezzor city. The group now holds just eight percent of
the city, according to the Observatory. Elsewhere in the country, IS holds just
a few pockets of territory, including a handful of recently recaptured villages
in central Hama province, and parts of the Palestinian Yarmuk camp in southern
Damascus. An allied group, Jaish Khaled Bin Walid, is also present in parts of
southern Syria.
Deadly air strike hits Syrian govt-held Deir al-Zor
Reuters, BeirutTuesday, 24 October 2017/An air raid in the government-held Qusur
district of Deir al-Zor city in eastern Syria killed more than a dozen people,
Syrian state television and a war monitor said on Monday. State television said
jets from a US-led international coalition battling ISIS carried out the air
strike and that it killed 14 civilians and wounded 32 others. The war monitor,
the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, reported that it was not
known which aircraft carried out the strike, but that at least 22 people were
killed. The Syrian army, backed by Russia and Iran, is fighting ISIS in the city
of Deir al-Zor, as well as in parts of the surrounding countryside. Both Syrian
and Russian jets have been hitting Islamic State in that area. The US-backed
coalition has been conducting air strikes against ISIS in support of the Syrian
Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias to the east of
Deir al-Zor across the Euphrates. Coalition spokesman Colonel Ryan Dillon said
by phone that he would check the reports, but that there was no reason for
coalition jets to strike targets in Deir al-Zor city because the SDF was not
fighting there. The rival US-backed and Syrian army offensives against ISIS have
clashed several times over recent months as they have pushed the extremists from
territory in eastern Syria. The US and Russia have said they communicate with
each other to prevent possible points of conflict of violence between the two
offensives.
Israel arrests 51 Palestinians in East Jerusalem raid
AFP, JerusalemMonday, 23 October 2017/Israeli police raided a Palestinian
neighbourhood in annexed East Jerusalem overnight and arrested 51 people accused
of violent protests against security forces, authorities said Monday. The 51
Palestinian suspects from Issawiya were arrested for participating in recent
“riots and terror-related incidents,” including throwing stones and firebombs at
security forces, a police statement said. They were expected to appear in court
later in the day. Palestinian youths in parts of east Jerusalem regularly clash
with Israeli security forces during protests against Israel’s occupation. Israel
occupied east Jerusalem and the West Bank in the 1967 Six-Day War. It later
annexed east Jerusalem in a move never recognised by the international
community. Israel sees all of Jerusalem as its undivided capital, while the
Palestinians see east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.
ALSO: $50,000 payments help grieving Gaza families end blood feuds Police had
raided Issawiya along with a number of other Palestinian neighbourhoods in east
Jerusalem three months ago, when tensions rose and clashes erupted after Israel
placed metal detectors at the entrance to a Jerusalem holy site. The metal
detectors were put in place after a deadly shooting in which Arab Israeli gunmen
emerged from the holy site and killed two police officers. Since then, the
situation in Issawiya and other Palestinian areas has largely been calm.
HRW Targets France's 'Disgraceful' Approach to Egypt
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 23/17/Human Rights Watch urged French
President Emmanuel Macron to end France's "disgraceful policies of indulgence"
towards Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Monday ahead of a meeting
between the two leaders in Paris. Macron, who raised alleged human rights abuse
in Russia with Vladimir Putin in May during his trip to France, will welcome al-Sisi
to the Elysee Palace on Tuesday for talks set to be focused on security. Egypt
is a major buyer of French military equipment with orders worth more than 5.0
billion euros (5.8 billion dollars) since 2015 including for 24 Rafale fighter
jets. Human Rights Watch (HRW) said France should "stop ignoring serious abuses"
and pressure al-Sisi by making future economic cooperation and military support
conditional on improvements in human rights. "President Macron should refuse to
continue France’s disgraceful policies of indulgence toward al-Sisi’s repressive
government," HRW France director Benedicte Jeannerod said in a statement. A
statement from Macron's office last week said the talks would focus on security
and regional security "but also the human rights situation to which France is
particularly attentive."Rights groups have repeatedly accused former army chief
and now President al-Sisi of repressive policies that stifle dissent in the
media and politics, as well as the use of torture by security forces. But the
most populous country in the Middle East is viewed as a vital partner by Western
countries which fear more instability in the war-ravaged region. At the weekend,
16 policemen were killed in a shootout on a road 200 kilometres (125 miles)
southwest of Cairo. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian sent his
condolences and pledged solidarity in "the fight against terrorism".
Regions Prepare Rome Challenge after Autonomy Victory Vote
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 23/17/Two of Italy's wealthiest regions
were drawing up plans Monday to claw back power and money from Rome after a
victory for autonomy campaigners that could deepen divisions in Europe. Over 95
percent of voters who flocked to the polls in the Veneto and Lombardy regions,
home to Venice and Milan, supported a mandate to negotiate a better deal with
the Italian capital. Turnout was higher than expected and the results should not
be underestimated in the context of the crisis created by Catalonia's push for
independence, analysts warned. Voter participation stood at 57 percent in Veneto
and nearly 39 percent in Lombardy. Both regions are run by the Northern League (LN)
party, which was once openly secessionist but has lately shifted its focus to
run on an anti-euro ticket in the hope of expanding its influence into the
south. The leaders of the two regions, which contribute up to 30 percent of
Italy's GDP, will now embark on negotiations with the central government on the
devolution of powers and tax revenues from Rome. Once the terms are agreed, they
will need a green light from parliament in a process that could take up to a
year.
Veneto leader Luca Zaia said the regional council, which was meeting Monday, was
aiming to get Rome to agree it could keep ninety percent of taxes, rather than
handing them over to a capital it has long accused of waste.
'Growing unease in Europe' -"More than five million people voted for change. We
all want less waste, fewer taxes, less bureaucracy, fewer state and EU
constraints, more efficiency, more employment and more security," said LN head
Matteo Salvini. He said the party was committed to winning greater autonomy for
all regions up and down the country. Secessionist sentiment in Veneto and
Lombardy is restricted to fringe groups but analysts see the autonomy drive as
reflecting the same cocktail of issues and pressures that resulted in Scotland's
narrowly-defeated independence vote, Britain's decision to leave the EU and the
Catalan crisis. "Lombardy is not Catalonia, nor indeed is the Veneto, but the
revival of the autonomist flame here takes place in a Europe which tends towards
fragmentation and closing in on itself," Italian political commentator Stefano
Folli said. Economist Lorenzo Codogno, a former senior official in the finance
ministry, said the 'Yes' victory would likely "add to the sense of uneasiness in
Europe". "Following the populist wave, now Europe has also to face a
nationalist/regionalist wave, which somewhat overlaps with the populist one, and
makes European integration even more difficult," he added. And Folli evoked the
fear in Italy that the results, which "captured a growing divide between the
North and South", could aggravate deeply rooted antipathies that predate the
country's unification in the 19th century.
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from
miscellaneous sources published on October
23-24/17
Fr Georges Massouh: Is the Ecumenical Movement "Heretical"?
Monday, October 23, 2017
John said, "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we
forbade him because he does not follow with us." So Jesus said to him, "Do not
forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side" (Luke 9:49-51). This
discussion comes in the context of the healing of a young boy from an "unclean
spirit" that was living within him, after which came John's question and Jesus'
reply in the the next two verses.
What is meant by the unclean spirit cannot be limited to illnesses alone.
Rather, it means in particular the evil that man commits against his fellow man.
The unclean spirit does not enter into a person by its own force. Rather, it is
the person who cordially invites it to dwell within him and guide him along the
path of evil. When something serious happens, this person rushes to curse the
devil responsible for his evil deeds in order to excuse himself, while he is
primarily and ultimately responsible for his evil deeds.
Today, in certain circles of the Orthodox Church, a takfiri language is
prevalent, one that regards the ecumenical movement as a "Christian heresy."
These extremist circles likewise think that those taking part in the activities
of this ecumenist church are heretics. Their list of names includes Antiochian
patriarchs, bishops and priests, given the fact that that the patriarch of
Antioch and All the East, His Beatitude John X, is a leading participant in the
World Council of Churches.
We need to start by saying, on a dogmatic level, that in its ecumenical
discussions the Orthodox Church has not offered any dogmatic concession in order
to please her partners in the Christian faith. One can only pronounce a judgment
of heresy against something that touches upon the essence of the faith. That is,
what was decided in the Creed and some of the rulings made by the ecumenical
councils, such as the decision issued by the Seventh Ecumenical Council
regarding the necessity of venerating icons... As for Christians praying
together during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity-- that is, outside the
mysteries-- this is in no way heresy. Did not Peter and Paul pray together
despite their fierce disagreement, so that the Lord might inspire them to the
path of peace, reconciliation and love...?
Christ did not ask those who want to cast out demons in His name whether they
are His followers or not. He did not ask them to recite the Creed or what church
they belonged to. He said one thing: "He who is not against us is on our side.'
What is this love-killing pride that wants to monopolize work in the name of
Jesus for itself, rejecting that someone else might do work in Jesus' name that
it would like to perform? Jesus Himself prevented His disciples from
monopolizing this for themselves, when they wanted to monopolize Christ for
themselves alone and not for others. It seems like that they are greater than
the disciples, God knows.
Along with our partners in the World Council of Churches, we strive to regain
visible unity. In order for this to happen, we must take significant steps,
including that they are churches, not merely Christian communities, so that we
can sit together and dialogue about what separates us. The Church cannot
dialogue except with a church that she recognizes, which with she is together in
many things and separated in other things. So why focus on the disagreements in
order to confirm division and not recognize the things in common in order to
make it possible to solve the disagreements? Moreover, no Orthodox has ever said
that the Orthodox Church does not realize the perfect expression of what the
Creed confesses, "and in one, holy Catholic and Apostolic Church."
What prevents us Orthodox from casting out demons with people of other the
churches-- with the Catholic Church, the non-Chalcedonian churches, and some of
the Protestants? The first demon that must be cast out is the demon of the
schisms and quarrels that divide us, especially in the East. Are they not
demonic, those who refuse to recognize the martyrdom of Copts in Egypt, the
Syriacs and Chaldeans in Iraq, or of the martyrdom of Catholics in Syria?
A heretic is someone who does not confess the activity of the Holy Spirit in the
world, in Christians and in non-Christians. Therefore let us dare to speak of
the madness of those who accuse the ecumenical movement and those who work in it
of heresy.
UK's Hateful Hate-Crime Hub
Douglas Murray/Gatestone Institute/October 23/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11207/britain-hate-crime-hub
The problem is that "hate" is an ill-defined thing. What is hateful to one
person may not be hateful to another. What is hateful in one context may not be
hateful in another.
British authorities have gone along with a definition of hate-crime which allows
the victim (real or perceived) to be the arbiter of whether an offence has been
committed. This privilege allows a list of people who believe they have been
"trolled" or "abused" online over their "race, religion, sexual orientation,
disability or transgender identity" to be arbiters as well as reporters of any
and all such crimes. It is worth considering where this can end up.
Can anyone daring to express dissent against any popular view be reported for
"trolling", "abusing" and "committing a hate crime"?
If you were a police officer what would you rather do: sit in the cold outside
the house of a known extremist all day, or sit behind a desk with a cup of tea
and scrolling through Twitter?
In May, just after the second of four Islamist terrorist attacks in the UK so
far this year, British intelligence officials apparently identified 23,000 known
extremists in the country. Of these, around 3,000 are believed to pose a present
threat and are under investigation or active monitoring. The other 20,000 are
categorised as posing a "residual risk". Due to the strain on resources, those
20,000 are not under constant observation.
This is a subject which, since the terrorist attack in May, has caused some
agonising among the British public, not least because of the identities of the
attackers. Khalid Masood, the Westminster Bridge and Parliament assailant, for
instance, as well as Salman Abedi (the young man of Libyan heritage who carried
out a suicide bombing outside a concert in Manchester) had both been on the
radar of the British authorities -- both had been in the pool of people
considered "former subjects of interest" but not an immediate threat. If the
authorities had sufficient resources to follow everyone of interest, perhaps
they would have been under observation at the time they were planning their
attacks. Perhaps, also, a number of people killed in those attacks would still
be alive.
The public, though, can be forgiving on these matters. They recognise that
resources are not endless, that judgements have to be made and that departments
have to choose where to allocate their budgets.
These choices are another reason why the public may judge dimly last week's
announcement from the Home Office. Last week, Britain's Home Secretary Amber
Rudd announced the creation of a new national police hub to crack down on
hate-crime and "trolling" online. The unit -- which will apparently be run by
specialist officers -- will assess complaints and work out whether they amount
to a crime or not. They will also recommend removing material from online
platforms if they -- at the official hate-crime hub -- deem such material
"hateful".
Last week, Britain's Home Secretary Amber Rudd announced the creation of a new
national police hub to crack down on hate-crime and "trolling" online. Pictured:
Rudd (left) and Prime Minister Theresa May (center) meet Chief Constable of
Greater Manchester Police Ian Hopkins on May 23, 2017 in Manchester, England.
The initiative claims to "improve support for victims and increase prosecutions
of trolls who abuse others online over their race, religion, sexual orientation,
disability or transgender identity." The Home Secretary has said:
"What is illegal offline is illegal online, and those who commit these cowardly
crimes should be met with the full force of the law. The national online hate
crime hub that we are funding is an important step to ensure more victims have
the confidence to come forward and report the vile abuse to which they are being
subjected."
The problem is that "hate" is an ill-defined thing. What is hateful to one
person may not be hateful to another. What is hateful in one context may not be
hateful in another. Might there one day be people who will claim to find
material "hateful" when it is in fact merely material containing opinions with
which they do not agree?
There are, quite rightly, already strong and appropriate provisions in place to
prevent incitement, which is already a crime. But "hate" is different from
incitement. Let alone "hate" when allowed to be diagnosed by such a broad range
of people.
In Britain, there is an added complexity. Since 1999 and the publication of the
Macpherson Report (into the racist murder of the black teenager Stephen
Lawrence) in the UK, the British authorities have gone along with a definition
of hate-crime which allows the victim (real or perceived) to be the arbiter of
whether an offence has been committed. This privilege allows a list of people
who believe they have been "trolled" or "abused" online over their "race,
religion, sexual orientation, disability or transgender identity" to be arbiters
as well as reporters of any and all such crimes. It is worth considering where
this can end up.
Someone who is transgender, for instance, may well be referred to unpleasantly
by somebody online. If someone says they will kill him, that this is already a
crime. What, however, if someone simply asks, for instance, what their
chromosomes are? What if the "trans" person says he is unwilling to concede that
chromosomes matter, and it is how he identifies them -- and that alone -- that
matters. Can anyone daring to express dissent against this -- or any popular --
view be reported for "trolling", "abusing" and "committing a hate crime"? Will
material which says that chromosomes matter be removed from the internet? It is
hard to see how it could remain available, able as it is to cause such deep
upset and potential cries of "hate".
Consider furthermore what might happen if someone -- anyone -- were to go along
with the official line that Islamism is a major problem but differed with the
official view -- which is that this Islamism has no connection with the
peaceable and popular religion of Islam. What if they expressed this concern or
thought? It is not inconceivable that somebody one day might? How then will the
authorities view this? Is it hate? Can things that are hateful also be true? And
if so, which do we prioritise: "hateful" facts or "hate-less" lies?
Alert to such criticisms, the relevant authorities have stressed that freedom of
speech will still exist within in the UK. And the National Police Chiefs'
Council lead for hate crime, assistant chief constable Mark Hamilton, has said:
"We recognise and will uphold the right to free speech even where it causes
offence -- but this does not extend to inciting hatred or threatening people."
In 2015-2016, a total of 62,518 hate crimes were recorded by forces in England
and Wales. The Crown Prosecution Service says that it completed 15,442 hate
crime prosecutions during that year. All of which happened at the same time as
Khalid Masood, Salman Abedi and 20,000 other "known extremists" were allowed to
walk free. And so the priorities of the authorities and the priorities of the
public would appear to be dividing: a fact that can only have negative
consequences -- whether they are "hateful" or not.
**Douglas Murray, British author, commentator and public affairs analyst, is
based in London, England. His latest book, an international best-seller, is "The
Strange Death of Europe: Immigration, Identity, Islam."
© 2017 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
The Iran-Hamas Plan to Destroy Israel
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/October 23/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11209/iran-hamas-destroy-israel
Iran's goal in this move? For Hamas to maintain and enhance its preparation for
war against Israel.
Iran's message to Hamas: If you want us to continue providing you with financial
and military aid, you must continue to hold on to your weapons and reject
demands to disarm.
Iran wants Hamas to retain its security control over the Gaza Strip so that the
Iranians can hold onto another power base in the Middle East, as it does with
Hezbollah in Lebanon.
In a historic reawakening, Iran is once again meddling in the internal affairs
of the Palestinians. This this does not bode well for the future of
"reconciliation" between Hamas and Palestinian Authority's Fatah faction run by
President Mahmoud Abbas.The re-emergence of Iran, as it pursues its efforts to
increase its political and military presence in the region, does not bode well
for the future of stability in the Middle East.
The Iranians are urging Hamas to hold on to its weapons in spite of the recent
"reconciliation" agreement signed between Hamas and Fatah under the auspices of
Egypt. Iran's goal in this move? For Hamas to maintain and enhance its
preparation for war against Israel.
A high-level Hamas delegation headed by Saleh Arouri, deputy chairman of Hamas's
"political bureau," traveled to Tehran last week to brief Iranian leaders on the
"reconciliation" deal with Fatah. During the visit, Iranian leaders praised
Hamas for resisting demands (by Fatah) to disarm and relinquish security control
over the Gaza Strip.
"We congratulate you on your refusal to abandon your weapons, an issue that you
consider as a red line," Ali Velayati, a senior Iranian politician and advisor
to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei, told the visiting Hamas
officials. "The Palestinian cause is the most important cause of the Islamic
world, and after all this time you remain committed to the principle of
resistance against the Zionists despite all the pressure you are facing."
During the visit of a high-level Hamas delegation to Iran last week, Ali
Velayati (pictured above in 2016), a senior Iranian politician and advisor to
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told the visiting Hamas officials: "We
congratulate you on your refusal to abandon your weapons..." (Image source:
Hamed Malekpour/Wikimdia Commons)
Arouri and his colleagues rushed to Tehran to seek the support of the Iranian
regime in the wake of demands by Abbas that Hamas allow the Palestinian
Authority to assume security control over the Gaza Strip. The "reconciliation"
agreement stipulates nothing about the need for Hamas to disarm, and Hamas
officials have stressed during the past two weeks that they have no intention of
laying down their weapons or dismantling their security apparatus in the Gaza
Strip.
Hamas views the demand to disarm as part of an Israeli-American "conspiracy"
designed to eliminate the Palestinian "resistance" and thwart the
"reconciliation" accord with Abbas's Fatah. Hamas's refusal to disarm is already
threatening to spoil the "reconciliation."
Arouri was quoted during his visit to Tehran as saying that Hamas "will not
backtrack on the option of defending the Palestinian people." He specified that
the "reconciliation" agreement with Fatah would not affect the weapons of the
Palestinian "resistance," including Hamas. Hamas, he added, will "confront the
Israeli-American conspiracy through national unity and reconciliation and by
continuing the resistance. The Palestinian resistance forces will always stick
to their weapons and will not lay them down."
Hamas also sees the visit of its top officials to Tehran as a rejection of
Israel's demand that it cut off its ties with Iran. Hamas officials say they
continue to see their relations with Iran as "strategic and significant,"
especially in wake of Tehran's financial and military aid to their movement in
the Gaza Strip.
By aligning itself with Iran, Hamas is also seeking to resist any demand that it
abandon its ideology and charter, which call for the destruction of Israel and
oppose any peace process between Israelis and Palestinians.
Iranian officials apparently do not like Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian
Authority and are not keen on seeing them return to the Gaza Strip. Iran
considers Abbas a "traitor" because his Palestinian Authority conducts security
coordination with Israel in the West Bank and claims that it is committed to a
"peace process" with Israel. This position goes against Iran's wish to destroy
the "Zionist entity."
Abbas, for his part, has always considered Iran a threat to his regime as well
as to stability in the region. In the past, he has criticized Iran for
"meddling" in the internal affairs of the Palestinians by supporting Hamas and
Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip.
Earlier this year, the Palestinian Authority strongly condemned Iran after a
senior Iranian official accused Abbas of waging war in the Gaza Strip on behalf
of Israel. The official's statement came in response to a series of punitive
measures imposed by Abbas on the Gaza Strip.
Abbas's spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudaineh, accused Iran of meddling in the internal
affairs of the Palestinians and some Arab countries. He said that Iran's actions
"encouraged divisions" among the Palestinians. "Iran must stop feeding civil
wars in the Arab world," he said. "Iran must stop using rhetoric that only
serves Israel and the enemies of the Arabs."
Abbas and the Palestinian Authority are now convinced that Iran is working
towards foiling the "reconciliation" agreement with Hamas. They believe that
Iran invited the Hamas leaders to Tehran to pressure them not to lay down its
weapons.
Abbas and the Egyptians were probably naïve to think that Hamas would disarm and
allow Abbas loyalists to deploy in the Gaza Strip after the signing of the
"reconciliation" agreement. It is possible that some of the Hamas leaders had
lied to Abbas and the Egyptians by hinting that Hamas would give up security
control of the Gaza Strip.
The Egyptians, who played a major role in brokering the Hamas-Fatah deal, are
also believed to be worried about Iran's renewed meddling in the internal
affairs of the Palestinians. Both the Palestinian Authority and Egypt see the
visit of the Hamas delegation to Iran as a serious setback to the
"reconciliation" agreement and as a sign that Hamas is not sincere about
implementing the accord.
Some Palestinian Authority and Hamas officials have recently claimed that Israel
was not happy with their "reconciliation" agreement and was doing its utmost to
foil it. The truth, however, is that it is Iran and Hamas that are working to
thwart the agreement by insisting on maintaining the status quo in the Gaza
Strip. Iran's message to Hamas: If you want us to continue providing you with
financial and military aid, you must continue to hold on to your weapons and
reject demands to disarm.
What is in it for Iran? Iran wants Hamas to retain its security control over the
Gaza Strip so that the Iranians can hold onto another power base in the Middle
East.
Iran wants Hamas to continue playing the role of a proxy, precisely as Hezbollah
functions in Lebanon.
The last thing Iran wants is for the Palestinian Authority security forces to
return to the Gaza Strip: that would spoil Tehran's plans to advance its goal of
destroying Israel.
Iran's continued support for Hamas stems not out of love for either Hamas or the
Palestinians, but from its own interest in consolidating its presence in the
Middle East.
Many Palestinians see the "successful" visit of the Hamas officials to Tehran as
a major setback for efforts to end the 10-year-long Hamas-Fatah dispute.
Similarly, the Egyptians are now wary of the sudden rapprochement between Iran
and Hamas and are beginning to ask themselves whether they have been duped by
Hamas. An Israeli delegation that visited Cairo on the eve of the signing of the
Hamas-Fatah deal is said to have warned the Egyptians that the "reconciliation"
would not work unless Hamas disarms and severs its ties with Iran. However, the
Egyptians reportedly failed to listen to the Israeli warning.
As for Israel, the US and other Western parties, the lesson to be drawn from the
renewal of ties between Hamas and Iran is that Hamas has not changed one iota.
Contrary to delusional hopes, discussed on the heels of the "reconciliation"
agreement in Cairo and based on lies and thin air, Hamas is not headed toward
moderation and pragmatism. By openly supporting Hamas, Iran is once again
demonstrating that it aims to fan the fire in the Middle East and continue to
sabotage any prospects for peace.
*Khaled Abu Toameh, an award-winning journalist, is based in Jerusalem.
© 2017 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Saudi Arabia's Bogus Promise: Allowing Women to Drive
A. Z. Mohamed/Gatestone Institute/October 23/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11178/saudi-women-driving
Saudi women will first have to get permission from a male guardian just to apply
for a driver's license. Enabling women will still be mainly in the hands of
their Saudi male guardians, and many will probably not allow their women to
drive.
Any discontent felt by angry men who want total control over their women,
household or other people will probably not allow their women to drive. If women
are disappointed or frustrated by this domination, the blame will stay mainly
within the Saudi family. The woman is not able to blame the government, but only
her male guardian. Yes, the government may technically have annulled the driving
ban but it has issued nothing actually to help women to drive.
The real challenge King Salman needs to face now is how to deal with calls for
abolishing male guardianship -- a far more urgent and significant reform that,
after calculating the risks and rewards, might be postponed indefinitely.
On 27 September, the Council of Senior Scholars, the highest clerical council in
Saudi Arabia, endorsed the royal decree allowing women to drive, thereby
disrupting years of ultra-conservative fatwas and religious opinions by the
kingdom's leading religious scholars including current and former grand muftis
and council members.
In a statement published by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the council said that
King Salman had issued the decree to serve "the best religious and worldly
interests of the country and people," agreeing that Islam allows women the right
to drive.
In attempt to defend previous fatwas banning driving and to avoid alienating
dissatisfied hardline adherents to Wahhabi Salafism, the council said that the
current fatwas are "based on the benefits and disadvantages of women driving"
evaluated first by the ruler and then by clerics and the women's male guardians:
"Male guardians will have to consider both sides of this issue." In short, women
will first have to get permission from a male guardian just to apply for a
driver's license.
It seems that the main and only winner of all this is Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman.
It seems that the main and only winner of the Saudi royal decree allowing women
to drive is Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
For a start, the council's endorsement of the royal decree proves clearly that
senior clerics' fatwas and opinions are open to dramatic changes. Their fatwas
are not fixed or unchangeable. Council members, including the current and former
muftis, had banned women driving. The council's endorsement also emphasizes that
the king is more powerful in facing the clerics and cares more about his people.
The new decree emphasizes the image of the new king as a powerful, great and
disruptive reformer.
These developments also implicitly hurt the image of most of powerful clerics
who previously banned women driving, whether they have changed their opinions or
not. Such developments lead people to believe that clerics' fatwas have been
just reflections of what rulers want, that the clerics are yes-men and not
independent.
Development such as allowing women to apply for drivers' licenses throw into
doubt all fatwas and statements issued by all clerics, dead or alive, who may
contradict any of King Salman's future decrees or decisions. The most
challenging one is the kingdom's possible formal recognition of Israel and
normalizing relationships with it.
As for deceased clerics, such as the former grand mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz ibn Baz
and the popular and influential Sheikh Mohamed ibn al-Uthaymeen, Saudi citizens
think that if these clerics were alive today, they would have changed those
fatwas exactly as the current council members and the current grand mufti Sheikh
Abdulaziz Al-Alsheikh did. As head of the council of senior scholars, he
endorsed the royal decree -- in direct contradiction to his fatwa last year.
Saudi people will now think that senior clerics change their fatwas and
religious opinions after the king, and will realize that their authority is
secondary to the king's and therefore should not be their main reference.
This change also leads Saudi people to believe that the king knows their
"religious and worldly interests" better than the clerics, and that the clerics
can be favorably (or unfavorably) flexible and moderate, even about women's
issues. Such a shift may be judged favorably or unfavorably depending on how
liberal or conservative or liberal one is. If, then, the king is enough, who
needs clerics in social and political life?
To ward off any influence that clerics who did not changed their opinions might
have, they were quickly deemed extremists, banned, arrested or banned. The
online newspaper Sabq said that the punishment for "mocking" royal decrees is up
to five years in jail.
King Salman has so far successfully managed to minimize the power of clerics and
get their support as well. He was able clearly to show his people that the
political authority is in his hand and clerics share nothing of it; they just
following him and are not necessarily reliable. The king, however, is still
supported by the clerics.
Clerics therefore seems to have lost a big part of their credibility and
influence; what remains can be utilized by the king when needed, to lead the
judiciary and education sectors to legalize, enforce, and sustain reforms,
changes and policies.
It also seems that for the first years of implementing the driving decree, the
government may detach itself from direct responsibility for enabling women to
drive. Even though a woman can now apply for license, her male guardian may not
give her permission to get a license; or he might let her get a license but then
not let her drive. The government cannot force him to give her permission to get
a license or to drive. The woman is not able to blame the government, but only
her male guardian. Yes, the government may technically have annulled the driving
ban but it has issued nothing actually to help women to drive.
Enabling women is still therefore in the hands of their male guardians and many
will probably not allow their women to drive -- for different reasons. In the
view of many, driving exposes women to "evil": to mix with men on roads, gas
stations, traffic police departments; women might abuse freedom to drive and go
out without guardian's supervision; wicked men may cause harm to driving women,
and so on.
Any discontent felt by angry men who want total control over their women,
household or other people will probably not allow their women to drive. If women
are disappointed or frustrated by this domination, the blame then stays mainly
within the family; the government will not be blamed.
The real challenge King Salman needs to face now is how to deal with calls for
abolishing male guardianship -- a far more urgent and significant reform that,
after calculating the risks and rewards, could well be indefinitely postponed.
*A.Z. Mohamed is a Muslim born and raised in the Middle East.
© 2017 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Jumping Off Maps is Forbidden
Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al Awsat/October 23/17
A stable Iraq, which comprises all the nation’s components, is needed at the
Arab, regional and international levels. The removal of the Iraqi leg from the
Turkish-Iraqi-Iranian triangle has weakened the Arab arena’s immunity to
non-Arab influence. Therefore, Iraq is needed to restore balance and to control
the appetite of countries, the roles of which have caused instability.
The visit of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to Riyadh expressed Iraq’s desire to
resume its normal role. At the same time, it reflected the Saudi and Arab
embrace of this longing. American support for this orientation was present and
clear. The launch of the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council promises to establish
relations on the basis of mutual interests and numbers. Partnership in the war
on terror and extremism facilitates the opening of wide doors for consultation
and cooperation.
Iraq is vitally needed. Erbil may have misjudged the strategic importance of a
unified and stable Iraq when it went too far in the referendum and involved the
disputed areas. This is why the message was harsh: jumping off the map is
forbidden.
The world does not like jumping off maps. It is a dangerous adventure. The
manipulation of the unity and limits of states is feared. It is therefore
advisable to look for solutions within the states no matter how late they are
and whatever the price will be. Dealing with marriage problems is better than
divorce and its high costs.
Nevertheless, in recent decades, the world has been going through experiences
that it wished to avoid. Eritrea jumped off Ethiopia’s embrace. The South of
Sudan has reinstated its independence and its divisions. Members of the Yugoslav
family were dispersed as if Marshal Tito had been forcing them to live under one
roof.
Czechoslovakia chose the Velvet Divorce. Masoud Barzani was hoping for a divorce
of this kind, forgetting that he does not reside in Europe, and that it is not
usual for the people in the Middle East to have a “velvet discussion”.
These thoughts crossed my mind as I was touring Kirkuk last month. The city has
become a plight in Iraq’s life over the past decades. Attempts to control it by
disputing parties have caused many wars and tragedies.
Kirkuk summarizes the predicament of both the Kurds and the Iraqis. Kurds cannot
forget it or give it up. Baghdad cannot let it flee the map to become the
nucleus of an independent Kurdish state. In the past decades, Iraq’s neighbors
have disagreed over everything except on preventing the Kurds from jumping off
the maps, in which they were distributed one hundred years ago. The region
cannot tolerate maps to be shredded.
Rebelling against history is much easier than rebelling against geography.
History comprises stories and tales that can be circumvented and reinterpreted.
Geography has harsh features and fixed judgments.
Geography becomes more rigid when the insurgent lives among nationalities,
ethnicities, languages and nations that are ultimately the heirs of empires.
When a country regards maps as tight outfits, how would it agree to lose more of
its land, wealth and prestige?
Jumping off the map is forbidden, especially in this part of the world, where
gunpowder barrels are placed near many wells. This explains the international
and regional support received by the Iraqi government in the process of taking
back Kirkuk and the disputed areas. It is clear that there is an international
and regional agreement on the need to restore the Iraqi State… the restoration
of its full presence within the map.
There is a feeling that the return of Iraq as a normal and effective country is
needed at the regional and international levels to reinstate balance between the
components of the Middle East, especially as Iran went far in its coup against
the international borders and has changed capitals and locations of the
concerned countries. Abadi’s government has so far faced two major tests:
recapturing Mosul and taking back Kirkuk. The tests are completely different. In
the first, there was no solution other than to uproot ISIS and to eliminate
local terrorists and mobile fighters. The Peshmerga forces were active partners
in this battle.
Taking back Kirkuk is not similar to recapturing Mosul. It is an old conflict
between the people of the map itself, and victory must never turn into a defeat
that would force the other component to live with bitterness waiting for a
chance to retaliate. Perhaps for this reason, Arab and international support
doubles the responsibility of the Abadi government. Iraq’s real success will be
in reintegrating the Kurds, not only in taking back Kirkuk.
Reintegration begins with the return to the provisions and spirit of the
Constitution, i.e. the return to the logic of the state, institutions and
national partnership. It is no secret that what is happening in Iraq now would
not have happened if successive governments had complied with Article 140 of the
Iraqi Constitution, which set out a mechanism to address the problem of disputed
areas.
Abadi’s government sent a conclusive message to Erbil that jumping off the map
is forbidden. But successfully achieving the State project, instead of defeating
the Kurds, is essential.
It is perhaps an opportunity for a comprehensive Iraqi awareness to allow for
necessary concessions to make the Shi’ites, Sunnis and Kurds able to live again
in a country that can accommodate everyone… A state of law and institutions; a
state that makes its decisions in Baghdad for the benefit of all its citizens; a
sovereign state that contributes to restoring balance to this sensitive part of
the world…
Jumping off the map is forbidden. Iraq’s Kurds have received a harsh message.
The same message also targeted every group or minority dreaming of a safe haven
by withdrawing from the map to which it belongs.
The Rubble in Raqqa Reminds us of the US Military Might.
David Ignatius/Gatestone Institute/October 23/17
Looking at photographs of the ruined, desolate streets of what was once ISIS’s
capital of Raqqa is a reminder of the overwhelming, pitilessly effective
military power of the United States.
Perhaps it’s a tribute to the inevitable nature of American force, once it’s
engaged, that the fall of Raqqa in Syria this week provoked so little public
discussion. Commentators focused on whether President Trump had dissed the
parents of America’s fallen warriors, but they barely seemed to notice that our
military has achieved a goal that three years ago seemed distant and uncertain.
The heaps of rubble in Raqqa that once housed terrorists and torturers convey a
bedrock lesson, as valid now as in 1945: It’s a mistake to provoke the United
States. It may take the country a while to respond to a threat, but once the
machine of US power is engaged, it’s relentless — so long as the political will
exists to sustain it.
The Raqqa campaign is a reminder, too, of something we rarely see in these
divisive days — the continuity of US commitments from the Obama administration
to Trump. Truly, it was a shared enterprise. Trump deserves credit for
accelerating the campaign against the ISIS and giving commanders more authority.
But the basic strategy — and the will to resist the militants in the first place
— was President Barack Obama’s.
A secure and confident Trump would invite Obama to the White House to meet with
commanders and troops returning from the battle. That would remind the world
that the United States can keep its word across administrations. Trump, still
anxious about his authority, seems incapable of such generosity.
Thinking back to the beginning of this campaign is to recall how fragile it
seemed at first. ISIS exploded in the summer of 2014, overrunning Mosul and
racing like a firestorm across the Sunni regions of Syria and Iraq. The lines of
defense buckled. The Kurdish capital of Irbil was in danger; so was Baghdad.
As a condition of US military involvement, Obama demanded a new government in
Baghdad that would better win Sunni trust. He was right, and he got what he
wanted in the replacement of Nouri al-Maliki as prime minister with Haider al-Abadi,
who has had a steadier hand than Iraq-watchers initially predicted.
When Obama announced his goal to “degrade and ultimately destroy” ISIS, it
sounded like an obtuse and conditional war aim. And it didn’t help that nobody
agreed on a name for this enemy, variously called “ "Daesh."
The United States was hardly enthusiastic for the war after long, frustrating
battles against militants in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The campaign got off to a slow start. Tribes in Iraq’s Euphrates Valley pleaded
for US aid that was initially slow to arrive. The Iraqi military was a mess
until the US-trained Counter-Terrorism Service began to display real combat
power. But gradually, mostly invisibly, the battle turned: US air power killed
tens of thousands of recruits to ISIS, obliterating anyone who raised a digital
signal. The US military said little about this harsh campaign, but Syrian and
Iraqi fighters saw it, and people go with a winner.
Watching this battle unfold during multiple visits to Iraq and Syria, I saw two
factors that changed the tide. First, the United States found committed allies.
The toughest fighters initially were Kurdish, the KDP and PUK peshmerga militias
in Iraq, and the YPG in Syria. They stood their ground and fought — and died.
(This Kurdish loyalty is worth remembering now, in their time of trouble.) The
anti-ISIS alliance broadened as the Iraqi military got stronger, and the YPG
recruited Sunnis into an expanded coalition dubbed the Syrian Democratic Forces.
Victory came from marrying these committed fighters to America’s devastating
firepower. The United States could dial in strikes from an array of platforms —
drones, fixed-wing aircraft, advanced artillery. The ruin of Raqqa makes it look
like we just pounded everything, and the United States should make a
self-critical accounting of civilian loss of life. Honesty about the war’s human
cost, and US responsibility for mistakes made in the fog of battle, is the best
bridge to the future.
The problem with this campaign from the beginning was that our military
dominance was patched on top of political quicksand. That’s still true. Obama
never had a clear political strategy for creating a reformed, post-ISIS Syria
and Iraq; neither does Trump. Our military is supremely effective in its sphere,
but the enduring problems of governance, it cannot solve.
A Russian Take on 'The Americans' Scares Moscow Liberals
Leonid Bershidsky/Bloomberg View/October 23/17
While the US gets accustomed to Russia's potential to make or break its
presidential candidates, Russia is living in a dreamlike haze of its own. A good
way to understand it is through a television series about US meddling in Russia
that recently hit the country's main state-owned channel.
The series (now available on YouTube, but only in Russian) is called "The
Sleepers." The eight-part first season is addictive viewing to anyone who has
watched Moscow elites up close during the Vladimir Putin era. It has characters
based on Putin's top political opponent Alexei Navalny, "system liberals" in the
government, muckracking journalists, a troll factory owner, even former US
ambassador Michael McFaul (who managed to express delight at the portrayal). The
recognition effect is uncanny -- and almost everyone in this Moscow society who
doesn't work for Russia's domestic intelligence service, known as the FSB, is
either corrupted by US influence or is a Central Intelligence Agency agent
recruited and left to await "activation." Even some of the FSB operatives -- the
more pro-Western ones -- actually work for the CIA.
Unlike the US sleeper agent series "The Americans," which is set in the Reagan
era, "The Sleepers" is very much about the present. With a series of murders
(liberals die one after another, and the Navalny character is kidnapped) and a
terror attack at an anti-FSB rally, the CIA attempts to destabilize Russia and
disrupt a gas deal with China. A real-life agreement signed in 2014, soon after
Russia was hit with sanctions for annexing part of Ukraine, seems to be the
inspiration. The attempt is ultimately thwarted, though a US agent succeeds in
blowing up the entire Chinese delegation, and the US intelligence officer in
charge of the operation moves on to Ukraine. So does the protagonist, a
patriotic, soulful FSB officer.
In the world of "The Sleepers," liberal convictions and a pro-Western
orientation are symptoms of a treasonous bent. They only accuse the state of
being oppressive because they are Russia's enemies, a fifth column. "We are
those, who, just three years ago, thought there was freedom of speech in this
country," rants the series' main antagonist, a prominent journalist and, of
course, a CIA asset. "We thought civilization would be here in just a short
while.
Watching this in Berlin, I suppressed an impulse to throw my drink at the
screen.
But it's even more uncomfortable to watch from Moscow. To the Russian capital's
literati, the artsy crowd, progressive bureaucrats and anti-Putin activists,
"The Sleepers" is not just a spy series like lots of similar US-produced
schlock, just with Russians as goodies and Americans as baddies. It's
practically an overt threat. Channel One, which ran the series in prime time, is
an official mouthpiece. While it carries some of the most concentrated Kremlin
propaganda on its news programs, it has steered clear of lashing out at liberals
elsewhere on the programming schedule.
"The Sleepers" was seen as a political statement. Angry, disgusted, sarcastic
reactions on liberal-leaning websites followed?: 'The Sleepers' is concentrated
ideology," Oleg Sulkin wrote on the anti-Putin website New Times. "What's
dangerous about this series?" Natalya Isakova wrote on another liberal site,
Colta.ru. "Don't we know from the news that Russia is surrounded by enemies and
the opposition is willing to kill itself if only that can harm our dear state?
Well, the news doesn't have the emotional tension. The series is a chance to
hammer ideological maxims into the viewers' hearts."
That, of course, is not how pro-government commentators saw it. State-run RIA
Novosti countered that "The Sleepers" fed the Russian critical, creative class
"some of its own bitter medicine." But that didn't quite add up. It was directed
by Yuiri Bykov, who had been the darling of liberal viewers thanks to a previous
film in which corrupt regional bureaucrats were the main villains. As the
backlash intensified, he deleted his Facebook account and wrote on the Russian
social network Vkontakte that he might end his movie career in order to avoid
misleading "those who really want to believe it's possible to change something."
Today in Moscow, it doesn't matter whether Bykov's threat of retirement is
genuine or whether he'll start shooting the second season tomorrow. The
political conversation is increasingly revolving around cinematic versions of
reality. Another hot topic in recent weeks is a movie about the last Russian
czar's love affair with a ballerina, which conservatives, including a prominent
lawmaker, are trying to have banned for slandering Emperor Nicholas II. A lively
discussion of socialite and reality TV star Ksenia Sobchak's bid for the
presidency on a mildly anti-Kremlin platform, announced on Wednesday, is about a
similar kind of escapism. Her run is transparently sanctioned by the Kremlin
while Navalny, who really challenges Putin, is barred from the election. yet
liberal bloggers are all too happy to analyze Sobchak's views, goals and
potential influence on the election campaign.
The best thing about these TV dreams is that they leave most of Russia cold.
"The Sleepers'" viewership share was weak for a prime time series at about 13
percent -- and significantly lower outside Moscow. This apathy signals ordinary
Russians' waning receptiveness to propaganda messages, no matter how expensively
and convincingly packaged. Indifference is the biggest threat to the legitimacy
of Putin's all but certain election victory next year -- and the biggest source
of hope for the "fifth column."
The FBI’s Black Phantom Menace
Andrew Rosenthal//Gatestone Institute/October 23/17
When most Americans think of domestic terrorism, they probably think about the
Oklahoma City bomber, white supremacists who wallow in Nazi nostalgia, racists
who spray gunfire in black churches and lone-wolf psychopaths like the one who
murdered at least 59 people in Las Vegas on Oct. 1.
Not the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It’s thinking outside that narrow box.
In a report that was never supposed to be made public, but was on Oct. 6 by
foreignpolicy.org, the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division has concluded that there
is a real threat from the “black identity extremist” movement.
It said “Black Identity Extremist (BIE) perceptions of police brutality against
African Americans” has been responsible for “an increase in premeditated,
retaliatory lethal violence against law enforcement and will very likely serve
as justification for such violence” in the future.
Wait, what exactly is black identity extremism? The answer is: nothing.
It’s a fiction, as others have powerfully argued, including Andrew Cohen, a
fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice.
But that doesn’t make the report any less sinister. As Cohen pointed out, the
FBI has a “history of surveillance and intimidation of black Americans that
frequently goes beyond legitimate law enforcement into paranoia, racism, and
political expediency.”
The FBI document takes pains to say that the mere exercise of constitutional
rights to protest and even the “rhetorical embrace” of violent tactics “may not”
constitute extremism. But the danger — or even the aim — is that the entire
racial justice movement gets painted with the brush of terrorism.
The next time there is an act of violence by an African-American against police
officers, brace yourself for the right-wing media or the attorney general or the
tweeter in chief to seize on the phrase “black identity extremists.”
It has already happened. Fox News obligingly used videotape of Black Lives
Matter protests as the backdrop for its credulous account of the report after it
was published.
The report inevitably draws comparisons to the notorious Cointelpro operations
against black activists in the last century. But it would be unfair to say the
FBI has not made any progress since J. Edgar Hoover ordered the agency to
“disrupt, misdirect, discredit or otherwise neutralize” what he called “black
nationalist hate-type organizations.”
The language of the new document is more cagey. But the sentiments are chilling.
The report “conflates black political activists with dangerous domestic
terrorist organizations that pose actual threats to law enforcement,” the
Congressional Black Caucus said in a letter asking for a meeting with the FBI.
“It relies on a handful of obviously terrible incidents to paint black Americans
who exercise free speech against witnessed police brutality as possible violent
extremists,” the letter said. (It was referring to six cases since 2014 in which
the FBI said the black identity menace was behind attacks on police officers,
including the reprehensible shooting of 11 police officers, five of whom died,
in Dallas on July 7, 2016.)
The FBI draws a line from the killing by a police officer of Michael Brown in
Ferguson, Mo., in 2014 to all those other cases and warns of a “surge” in
ideologically motivated violence against the police.
The report also draws a line from the activists of the ’60s and ’70s to the
“extremists” of today. The black threat, it said, had simply been dormant.
There is no such connection. The FBI failed even to make any real connection
among the six incidents it cited.
The authors of the report act as though there is doubt about the institutional
racism in our country and in some police forces. (I am not saying all white
police officers are racists.)
The FBI document talked about “perceived injustices against African-Americans” —
perceived by anyone who is really paying attention.
The counterterrorism division said it “considered” the possibility that violence
against the police is not driven by their phantom BIEs but decided that was
“very unlikely.”
Fifty years ago, Hoover’s FBI spied on civil rights leaders, including Martin
Luther King Jr. It forged letters to create friction between rival black-power
movements, which led to a shooting at the University of California in Los
Angeles in 1969 that left two dead. Undercover police officers were responsible
for framing 21 Black Panthers for a fake bombing conspiracy in New York in 1969.
The list goes on and on.
There is a slippery slope between this kind of intelligence assessment and acts
of repression. The FBI has slid gleefully down that slope before. It must not be
allowed to do so again.
Understanding Trump’s strategy on Iran
Abdullah bin Bijad Al-Otaibi/Al Arabiya/October 23/17
US President Donald Trump has slammed the nuclear deal which his predecessor
Barack Obama sealed with Iran ever since he was a presidential candidate.
Everything he said about this shameful and imperfect agreement is right. Trump
thus recently announced a new strategy towards Iran and its Revolutionary
Guards.
Obama’s foreign policy was isolationist and this undervalued America’s
international status thus allowing its rivals to expand their influence zones
and alter balances of power in sensitive areas, including the Middle East, which
were out of their reach before Obama governed. He had this strange vision of
allying with evil fundamentalists to decrease the threat of terrorism. This was
the basis of his policy towards the so-called Arab Spring and the reason behind
his alliance with the Muslim Brotherhood and Qatar in countries where protests
and uprisings erupted. However, Obama’s biggest sin was the nuclear deal with
Iran.
Obama was looking for any foreign achievement to cover up the failure of his
foreign policy. He directed attention towards Iran under the excuse of wanting
to suspend its nuclear program. However he overlooked its crimes in the region
which include spreading chaos, sponsoring Sunni and Shiite terrorist and
extremist groups and flagrantly interfering in the internal affairs of a number
of Arab countries. He allowed it to establish militias and plant espionage and
terrorist cells and adopted unfriendly policies with America’s allies in the
Middle East.
It’s not clear yet what President Trump will really do regarding the nuclear
deal with Iran but he’s heading in the direction of cancelling it or amending
it. In all cases, he will deal with Iran differently than his predecessor as
he’s well-aware of the importance of America’s big allies in the region and he
will not give up on them like Obama did.
The European countries that are involved in the deal do not share Trump’s
understanding of the region’s fears and they are trying their best to keep the
deal, which did not prevent Iran from pursuing its destructive policies and
terrorist roles, on. These countries did not convey a real vision to fully
confront terrorism and do not seem enthusiastic to eliminate it from its roots
which are mainly from Iran and Qatar.
Defending interests
Saudi Arabia emerged as a leading country in the region that bears its
responsibility in defending its interests and the interests of brotherly
countries. This was the case before Obama’s term ended and the Saudi kingdom
continues to pursue this role to eliminate Iran’s expansive illusions and deal
with its practices that support terrorism and spread chaos. The Saudi kingdom
also leads the Arab coalition in Yemen along with 10 Arab countries.
After saving Egypt from the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood’s rule, Egypt
restored its political weight and supported the Arab coalition in Yemen and
coordinated more with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, as seen with its move of
boycotting Qatar. Saudi Arabia is reestablishing ties with the Iraqi state and
communicating with its politicians and parties. Saudi minister Thamer al-Sabhan’s
tour in Syria’s ar-Raqqah after liberating it from ISIS was very expressive
especially that Obama’s administration had failed to do anything to ISIS thus
allowing it to expand.
Political balances are being redrawn in the region and they’re completely
different than how they were before Trump became president. Those who take a
look at Trump’s new strategy will realize that the next years will be difficult
on Tehran and on the Sunni and Shiite terrorist organizations and militias it
sponsors and that Saudi Arabia and its allies in the region will no longer
accept this international tampering with the region.
The rivals of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf have not yet understood Saudi Arabia’s
new and decisive role and they have not reconsidered their calculations. The
best example to this is boycotting Qatar which came after the three Riyadh
summits were held under the slogan “Together we prevail.” They did not
understand the significance of Trump’s decision to visit Saudi Arabia for his
first foreign trip. Trump met Gulf and Arab leaders there as well as leaders of
50 Muslims countries, and Qatar was only a stop in the way.
From its description, the new American strategy seems like it was formulated in
Saudi Arabia or the Gulf or in Arab countries harmed by Iran’s destructive and
terrorist policies. America adopted this new strategy after it began to maturely
look after its interests and it thus went back to standing by its traditional
allies after Obama’s policies harmed the region.
Listing the Revolutionary Guards as a terror group will be followed with
blacklisting dozens of terrorist militias, like the Lebanese Hezbollah, the
Houthi movement and other groups which Iran supports. Tightening economic
sanctions will be of great significance if financial sanctions are added to it
to force Iran to submit and abandon its destructive practices which it has
adopted for over four decades.
In 2015, I wrote in an article: “Can the Iranian option succeed in the future?
Or is failure its fate? Iran will relatively succeed but failure will be its
fate as it bets on several factors such as western passiveness. The future
foretells that a strict American president will come to change a lot in the US
and in international balances.” This is what happened when Trump was elected.
The new strategy towards Iran is an important step in the right direction.
The region’s countries do not need a superpower to fight their political or
military battles for them. They are strong enough to do so and they’re
developing their economies to build more successful and powerful states. This is
the case with Saudi Arabia. Some countries however need a superpower’s help.
There are indicators that the US’ policy towards the region has changed as after
the new strategy was announced, commander of United States Central Command
General Joseph Votel said “Washington will work on helping Arab countries deal
with Iranian threats.” According to Asharq al-Awsat daily, Votel also noted that
the Pentagon is working on establishing new American military brigades and
sending missions to the region to specifically provide consultation and help.
Can Qatar stay in the GCC?
Sawsan Al Shaer/Al Arabiya/October 23/17
Those in control of the Qatari media succeeded in isolating the Qatari people
from their Gulf surrounding and left them talking to themselves. Qatari media
outlets had not found any echo outside their Qatari environment. Al-Jazeera
itself horribly failed at marketing the Qatari stance outside Doha. Qatar is not
in harmony with its Gulf surrounding, and the upcoming Gulf Summit is an
appropriate opportunity for the Gulf media to confirm to everyone and to the
Qatari people that Gulf countries hold on to them and to the Gulf Cooperation
Council. However, most likely Kuwait will apologize and not host the summit.
Whether the summit is postponed until next year or Saudi Arabia hosts it, we
must confirm to everyone that the GCC stands and we’re the most concerned about
it. We must assert that our rejection of the Qatari regime’s presence is to
confirm that the principles which the six countries agree on are the principles
which must be adhered to as if they’re lost, the council is lost and if a member
country violates them, it must be deterred so the council remains coherent.
It’s a chance for the Gulf media to remind of the principles on which the GCC
was established in the 1970’s. These principles were based on the beliefs of the
six countries’ leaders and people, and they confirm that what threatens us is
one and that our fate is one. The 13 demands currently asked of Qatar aim to
root out terrorism. Qatar became a state member threatening the council’s
countries after it tampered with their security and stability and supported
unrest in them.
The Gulf summit’s timing is a chance to address the Qatari people who have been
recently talking to themselves and who have been dragged away from the source of
the problem by their media outlets.
We reject holding the summit with Qatar’s presence because the Qatari regime is
a source of threat to the GCC. The 13 demands aim to find a Qatar that’s
harmonious with us. It’s the Gulf Qatar that established this council with us
that we want.
The Gulf summit’s timing is a chance to confirm this council’s status for Saudi
Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE. It’s a chance for these countries to voice their
adherence to the Qatari people and to the state of Qatar which signed the first
agreements with us and to show that the cooperation between Gulf countries in
the 1970’s would have led to a union one day when everyone is ready.
It’s a chance to convey that the efforts over the past forty years – though
incomplete – were paving way towards a union and that the path must have been
adhered to. It’s a chance to address all Gulf people, including the Qataris, and
tell them that we are one people and that the 13 demands do not harm the Qataris
and are rather guarantees to protect them, and us, from groups that do not wish
us well.
It’s a chance to address the Qatari people who have been recently talking to
themselves and who have been dragged away from the source of the problem by
their media outlets.
The Gulf summit is a suitable occasion to bring up the six principles which the
four boycotting countries based their 13 demands on. These demands are:
1. Decrease diplomatic ties with Iran and expel any Revolutionary Guards members
in Qatar
2. Not have any commercial activity with Iran that contradicts with American
sanctions imposed on it
3. Close the Turkish military base and cancel military cooperation with Turkey
4. Shut down Al-Jazeera channel that’s accused of stirring unrest in the region
and supporting the Muslim Brotherhood
5. Close all media outlets which Qatar directly or indirectly supports
6. Stop interfering in the anti-terror quartet’s domestic and foreign affairs
and stop granting nationalities to citizens affiliated with the quartet and
expel those who have been naturalized
7. Hand over terrorist figures to their countries of origin
8. Stop supporting and funding organizations that the quartet and the US
blacklist as terror groups
9. Cut ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, Hezbollah, al-Qaeda and ISIS and list
them as terror groups and submit detailed files about opposition figures who are
citizens of the four countries and who are present in Qatar and whom the latter
supported
10. Commit to be harmonious with its Gulf and Arab surrounding and activate the
2013 Riyadh agreement and the 2014 Supplementary Agreement
11. Compensate these countries for any harm done or for financial losses that
were a result of Doha’s policies in the past years
12. Implement these demands within 10 days
13. Submit monthly compliance audits once every month for the first year and
once every three months for the second year and once every year for 10 years
In brief, Qatar cannot continue to be in the GCC without complying with the
tenth demand.
Referendums: The dangers of direct democracy
Adil Rasheed/Al Arabiya/October 23/17
“Democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention: have ever
been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property”. This
anti-democratic diatribe does not come from any advocate of totalitarianism, but
surprisingly from the ‘Father of the US Constitution’ and the ‘Bill of Rights’,
James Madison (Federal Papers No. 10, 1787 AD). In fact, the ‘Founding Fathers’
ensured that the United States of America becomes a Constitutional Republic,
with sufficient checks and balances on direct democracy to mitigate the dangers
they thought it is susceptible to.
Ironically, there have been many well-meaning political philosophers throughout
history — including Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Hobbes, Voltaire, Nietzsche etc. —
who have consistently pointed out the flaws of democracy, with some regarding it
worse than monarchy and a precursor to anarchy and tyranny. Even John Locke,
whose political philosophies are said to have inspired the French and American
Revolutions, was an exponent of representative form of democracy but not direct
democracy — as the representative form was designed to check the ills of
unbridled democracy, such as populism and majoritarianism.
The disturbing increase in referendums
Therefore the spate of direct democracy experiments since 2016 — such as the
Brexit vote against EU membership, the Columbian vote against the FARC peace
deal, Thai referendum in favour of military rule, Turkish vote for expanding
presidential powers, the Kurdish, Catalan and last week’s Italian referendums —
have drawn serious concerns among many Western political experts over the
increasing impact of referendums on political stability and their “undemocratic”
fallout. It is a disturbing new trend indicating growing public resentment
towards failures of democratic governance and state institutions.
Direct democracy has three principal devices: ‘Initiative’ (citizens bypass
legislatures by placing proposed statutes), ‘Referendum’ (wherein citizens vote
on policy issues, even secession) and ‘Recall’ (citizens vote to recall or
replace a public official before the end of the term of office). Another term
‘Plebiscite’ is also used and connotes a non-binding, advisory referendum
conducted by a government. However, referendum has now become a generic term for
all forms of direct democracy.
With the exception of Rousseau and Anarcho-Syndicalists like Noam Chomsky,
referendums have generally drawn intellectual flak since times of ancient Rome,
as they seek a simplistic ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response from the electorate on highly
complex political issues. To make matters worse, certain governments seek
answers from an electorate on a variety of issues in a single vote, like the
Turkish referendum this year which asked the general electorate to vote on 21
constitutional amendments in one go.
The general level of voter apathy or ignorance on complex political issues, even
in advanced countries, is cited as a drawback of direct democracy. Most voters
find it difficult to have the knowledge, inclination or time to fully study and
delve into the subtler aspect of a piece of legislation. Their views are often
influenced by campaign slogans, jingles, the social media, opinions of family,
friends, their race, religion etc. Thus, Winston Churchill once famously
observed: “The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation
with a voter”.
To circumvent these problems, Western nations devised a representative form of
democracy, wherein people elect officials, who are implicitly trusted to be
aware of the subtleties and intricacies of policy and decide on behalf of their
constituency. The legislative body and parliament retains opposition members,
whose job is to question the majority-backed legislation and bring out a more
nuanced understanding on policy issues during debates. However, referendums only
uphold the majority verdict and leave no space for the opposing view, even when
the margin of victory is narrow (like the Brexit ‘leave’ vote which garnered a
little less than 52 percent).
Populism and majoritarianism
Sometimes, the popularity of any political party or leader calling for a
referendum can influence people’s views away from the merit of the proposal put
up for a referendum. Thus, the electorate ends up voting for a political leader
or a party and not on the proposal for which the vote was sought.
Again, the time-specific vagaries and mood swings of an election can often skew
the purpose of an important referendum. Sometimes, elections are influenced by
populist or emotive issues and may violate minority rights, universal ethical
values and curtail civil and individual liberties. This is illustrated by the
fact that many dictators, like Adolf Hitler in 1934, have used referendums to
legitimise their rule. As a concept, democracy is not limited to the process of
elections, but comes with a complete set of political values including civil
liberties, minority rights, rule of law etc.
Sometimes, rich regions in an economically challenged or politically unstable
country (like the Kurdish region or Catalonia) decide to opt out or secede from
their nation, just when the state needs their support the most. Such referendums
seem oblivious to the fact that a declaration of independence might not resolve
any problem but might trigger greater hostilities and dissensions within the
province, the state and the region. It is for these reasons that the Kurdish and
Catalan referendums have not been welcomed by the international community.
Therefore, it is important to understand that the buzzword of democracy in and
of itself cannot be used to justify indiscriminate political determinism.
Democracy is a movement of collective and institutional consciousness that grows
over time and requires gradual and sustained nourishment across diverse
societies having varying socio-political sensibilities and outlook. The
one-system-fits-all approach cannot always provide desirable or sustainable
outcomes.