LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
February 20/2018
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias
Bejjani
The Bulletin's Link on the
lccc Site
http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/newselias18/english.february20.18.htm
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Bible
Quotations
Obey
your parents as if you were their slave
Sirach (Apocrypha), chapter 03/01-16: "Children, listen to me; I am your
father. Do what I tell you and you will be safe, for the Lord has given
fathers authority over their children and given children the obligation to
obey their mothers. If you respect your father, you can make up for your
sins, and if you honor your mother, you are earning great wealth. If you
respect your father, one day your own children will make you happy; the Lord
will hear your prayers. If you obey the Lord by honoring your father and
making your mother happy, you will live a long life. Obey your parents as if
you were their slave. Honor your father in everything you do and say, so
that you may receive his blessing. When parents give their blessing, they
give strength to their children's homes, but when they curse their children,
they destroy the very foundations. Never seek honor for yourself at your
father's expense; it is not to your credit if he is dishonored. Your own
honor comes from the respect that you show to your father. If children do
not honor their mothers, it is their own disgrace. My child, take care of
your father when he grows old; give him no cause for worry as long as he
lives. Be sympathetic even if his mind fails him; don't look down on him
just because you are strong and healthy. The Lord will not forget the
kindness you show to your father; it will help you make up for your sins.
When you are in trouble, the Lord will remember your kindness and will help
you; your sins will melt away like frost in warm sunshine. Those who abandon
their parents or give them cause for anger may as well be cursing the Lord;
they are already under the Lord's curse.
Titles
For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources
published on February 19-20/18
Unprecedented Situation in Syria/Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al Awsat/February
19/18
US-Russian Proxy War in Syria/Eli Lake/Bloomberg View/February 19/18
Israel...Corruption or Iran/Daniel Gordis/The Washington Post/February 19/18
International Community Must Unite to Save the Syrian Civilians/Sheikh Sabah
Khalid al-Hamad Al Sabah and Margot Wallström/Asharq Al Awsat/February 19/18
Turkey Threatens to Invade Greece/Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/February
19/2018
Germany: Meet Jens Spahn, Merkel's Possible Successor ..."I am a burkaphobe."/Soeren
Kern/Gatestone Institute/February 19/2018
Successful investment gurus are made not born/Dr. Mohamed A. Ramady/Al
Arabiya/February 19/18
Russia ‘hacking’ American elections/Mashari Althaydi/Al Arabiya/February
19/18
How Qatari funding contributed to Arab destruction/Sawsan Al Shaer/Al
Arabiya/February 19/18
The triumph of truth/Hussein Shobokshi/Al Arabiya/February 19/18
Titles For Latest LCCC Lebanese Related News
published on February 19-20/18
Assad’s forces, Hezbollah prepare for Iranian-Israeli confrontation in Syria
Lebanese Minister: We Cannot Ask for Donor Support without 2018 Budget
Lebanon: No Deal Yet Between Jumblat, Christian Parties
Aoun to head to Iraq, Armenia on official visit
Aoun to Visit Iraq and Armenia
Nasrallah Expects 'Paid Campaign' against Hizbullah Candidates
Berri Announces AMAL Candidates for Elections, Stresses Adherence to
Constitution, National Pact
Cabinet Forms Hariri-Led Panel to Finalize Budget
Hariri Sponsors Launching of Business Support Unit
EDL Contract Workers Scuffle with Police
Tashnag Says No Vetoes on FPM-Murr Electoral Alliance
Jumblat Holds Talks with Emir of Kuwait
UK Minister Meets Mashnouq, Stresses Support for Lebanon Stability
U.N. chief warns of nightmare scenario if Israel, Hezbollah clash
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For
Miscellaneous Reports And News published on February 19-20/18
Shin Bet Arrests Cell Plotting to Assassinate Defense Minister
Egypt: 3 Soldiers, 4 Militants Killed in Sinai Campaign
14 dead, 75 injured in latest Assad raids on eastern Ghouta
‘We do not work for you,’ Iraqi officials tell advisor to Iran’s Khamenei
Qatari envoy abused, thrown out of hospital in Gaza
Turkey welcomes Syrian forces entering Afrin
Three Egyptian troops killed in anti-militant operation in Sinai
Iranian rescuers find wreckage from plane crash
Khamenei Says Progress Needed on Justice
Kremlin: No Evidence that Russia Meddled in 2016 US Election
Abbas: Saudi Arabia Had No Hesitation in Supporting Us
77 Dead, 300 Hurt in Syria Regime Bombardment of Rebel Enclave
Three Police Killed in Sufi Protests in Iran
Israel Announces 'Historic' Gas Contract with Egypt
Pro-Regime Forces to Enter Syria's Afrin 'within Hours'
Detailed LCCC English News
Bulletin For February 20/201
Latest Lebanese Related News published
on February 19-20/18
Assad’s forces, Hezbollah prepare for
Iranian-Israeli confrontation in Syria
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Monday, 19 February
2018/The Syrian regime and Hezbollah have begun military preparations in
Quneitra’s countryside amid fears that Daraa and Quneitra will turn into an
arena for an Israeli-Iranian confrontation. Activists said regime forces and
Hezbollah fighters stationed in several areas in Quneitra’s countryside are
on security alert. They’ve been arming with heavy weapons and monitoring the
area 20 kilometers off the borders with the Occupied Golan Heights.
According to analysts there are four possible scenarios. The first scenario,
which is most likely, is that the Syrian regime and the opposition will
reach some sort of reconciliation. The opposition will stay in the area as a
guarantee to prevent Iran and Hezbollah from approaching the borders.The
second scenario is setting a de-escalation zone in south Syria while
choosing a third party to supervise the monitoring checkpoints. The third
one is that the Syrian regime will control the entire area and Russia will
play the role of the guarantor while UN peace troops return to the border
area.The last scenario would be a direct confrontation between Israel and
Iran where the former launches airstrikes on regime forces and Iranian
militias.
Lebanese Minister: We Cannot Ask for Donor
Support without 2018 Budget
Asharq Al-Awsat/February 19/18/Lebanese Finance Minister Ali
Hassan Khalil stressed on Monday the importance of approving a new budget
for 2018. “Lebanon cannot ask for support at an upcoming donor conference
unless it first passes the 2018 budget,” he said after a cabinet meeting
chaired by President Michel Aoun. Political tensions had left Lebanon
without a government budget from 2005 until it passed one last year. The
government must now agree a budget for 2018. Hassan Khalil said there was a
commitment to finalizing the 2018 budget and referring it to parliament for
approval by end of the month. If this is done within 15 days there is a
possibility it will be approved before parliamentary elections scheduled for
May 6, he told reporters at the Baabda presidential palace. “The 2018 budget
will not include any new tax measures,” he stated. Lebanon is expected to
ask donors at a variety of international meetings this year for support for
its economy and army, and to help it deal with the approximately one million
Syrian refugees it is hosting. Later on Monday, the cabinet formed a
ministerial committee, headed by Prime Minister Saad Hariri, to study the
budget before referring its suggestion to the government. The committee will
hold four meetings this week and a number of others next week, explained
Hassan Khalil.
Lebanon: No Deal Yet Between Jumblat, Christian Parties
Asharq Al-Awsat/February 19/18/Discussions between head of
the Democratic Gathering bloc MP Walid Jumblat and Lebanese Christian
parties on a political alliance in the Shouf-Aley electoral district have
reached a standstill although the Druze leader secured a deal with Prime
Minister Saad Hariri in other areas where both sides enjoy large influence.
A leading Democratic Gathering minister told Asharq Al-Awsat that talks held
between Jumblat, the Free Patriotic Movement, the Lebanese Forces and the
Kataeb Party are running in a vicious circle, particularly in the Shouf-Aley
district which is diverse politically and confessionally. Jumblat hopes to
form an electoral alliance that involves all political factions, to
consolidate consensus and ward off security and economic threats. Meanwhile,
other sources described a meeting held lately between Jumblat and Hariri as
positive, saying the two officials were able to agree on their electoral
alliances. Jumblat also held talks with President Michel Aoun in a meeting
described as “excellent.”In a related development, Asharq Al-Awsat learned
that Jumblat’s son, Taymour, met with MP Sami Gemayel in Bikfaya as part of
a “gathering that included several mutual friends.”Although the meeting
tackled the next parliamentary elections, sources said that Gemayel and
Jumblat have not yet agreed on the formation of any alliance. In the Shouf
district, the Lebanese Forces (LF) refuses to support Naji Boustani,
Jumblat’s candidate, while the Free Patriotic Movement insists on receiving
a “fair share” of seats. Sources expect that Jumblat will soon send his two
envoys, MPs Nehmeh Tohmeh and Akram Shehayeb, to Maarab for talks with LF
leader Samir Geagea before agreeing on the latest electoral alliances.
Tohmeh told Asharq Al-Awsat on Sunday that Jumblat has not shut his doors to
any party. “Jumblat is keen on reaching out to all political entities. We do
not want to eliminate any force, but on the contrary, we are keen on
protecting the political diversity of the Mountains,” Tohmeh said.
Aoun to head to Iraq, Armenia on official visit
The Daily Star/February 19/18/BEIRUT: President Michel Aoun is set to leave
Lebanon on Tuesday for official visits to Iraq and Armenia, where he will
meet with the countries’ top officials. Aoun is expected to discuss
bilateral relations with Iraqi and Armenian leaders, including ways to
promote economic exchange and strengthen diplomatic ties with the two
countries, according to a statement from the presidency. He is scheduled to
meet with Iraqi President Fuad Masum, Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi and
Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri. He is then expected to leave Baghdad
for Yerevan on Wednesday for talks with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan,
Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan and Parliament Speaker Ara Babloyan. Aoun
will also meet with members of the Lebanese community living in Armenia. The
Lebanese delegation accompanying Aoun on the visits will include Interior
Minister Nouhad Machnouk, Industry Minister Hussein Hajj Hassan, Tourism
Minister Avedis Guidanian, Minister of State for Combating Corruption
Nicolas Tueni and the head of the Armenian Tashnag party, MP Hagop
Pakradounian.
Aoun to Visit Iraq and
Armenia
Naharnet/February 19/18/President Michel Aoun will kick start visits to Iraq
and Armenia on Tuesday at the invitation of his Iraqi and Armenian
counterparts where he will be heading a ministerial, administrative,
parliamentary, and consultative delegation, al-Joumhouria daily reported on
Monday. The accompanying delegation will be comprised of Interior Minister
Nouhad al-Mashnouq, Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, Industry Minister
Hussein Hajj Hassan, Tourism Minister Avedis Kedanian, State Minister for
Combating Corruption Nicolas Tueini and head of the Tashnaq party MP Agop
Pakradonian, well-informed sources told the daily. In Iraq, Aoun will meet
with President Mohammed Fuad Masum, Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi and
Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri, it added. Aoun will travel on Wednesday
to Armenia for talks with the President, PM and Parliament Speaker of
Armenia. He will also meet with the Lebanese community living there.
Economic and political issues will be discussed including bilateral
relations between the two countries and the ways to promote economic
exchange and strengthen diplomatic relations.
What distinguishes the visit to Iraq is compatibility in views on a number
of pivotal issues on the Arab and regional arenas, especially in confronting
terrorism and the crisis of the displaced and the call to confront the US
decision to adopt Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, added the daily. Al-Joumhouria
highlighted potentials of an “Iraqi aid and gift program” for Lebanon as a
welcome gesture for the Lebanese president through which it will contribute
to strengthening relations between the two countries, particularly at the
“military and security levels.”
Nasrallah Expects 'Paid Campaign' against Hizbullah
Candidates
Naharnet/February 19/18/Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan
Nasrallah announced Monday the names of his party's candidates for the
upcoming parliamentary elections, as he warned of a “paid” social media
campaign against them. “Everyone knows that some are spending hundreds of
millions of dollars to tarnish the reputation and image of Hizbullah and its
leaders and officials. There are attempts to spread rumors about leaders
from Hizbullah and nowadays the electronic armies of Israel and the Gulf are
carrying out attacks on us in order to incite the public opinion against
us,” Nasrallah said in a televised speech dedicated to announcing the names
of the candidates. “As of tonight, we expect a certain electronic campaign
against our candidates to tarnish their image. We are not claiming that we
are offering people infallible candidates, but we have scrutinized our files
and candidates very well,” Nasrallah added. He also announced that from now
on, Hizbullah's MPs will not be nominated for ministerial portfolios.
“Throughout the past period, our ministers have also been members of
parliament, shouldering heavy ministerial and parliamentary
responsibilities. Today we have preferred to distribute the responsibilities
and to separate parliamentary posts from ministerial posts,” Nasrallah
explained. He added that, accordingly, Sport and Youth Minister Mohammed
Fneish “will be in the next government and will not be nominated for a
parliamentary seat.”Nasrallah also revealed that MPs Hussein al-Moussawi and
Bilal Farhat will not be among the party's candidates. He said Moussawi will
be replaced because he personally “has decided to quit parliamentary work
and resume his duties as a Hizbullah official.” Farhat will meanwhile be
replaced by an AMAL Movement candidate in the Baabda district as per an
agreement with the movement. Nasrallah also noted that Monday's announcement
only involves the names of candidates who are members of Hizbullah and that
the names of “friends backed by Hizbullah” would be announced at a later
stage. Hizbullah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem had recently announced that
Maj. Gen. Jamil al-Sayyed – a controversial ex-General Security chief – will
be on the party's electoral list in the Baalbek-Hermel district. Nasrallah
concluded his speech by announcing Hizbullah's candidates as follows:
- Hussein al-Hajj Hassan, Ali al-Moqdad, Ibrahim Ali al-Moussawi and Ehab
Hamadeh for the Baalbek-Hermel district
- Nawwaf al-Moussawi and Hussein Jishi for the second district in the South
- Mohammed Raad, Hassan Fadlallah and Ali Fayyad for the third district in
the South
- Anwar Hussein Jomaa for the Zahle district
- Ali Ammar for the Baabda district
- Hussein Mohammed Zoaiter for the Jbeil-Keserwan district
- Amin Sherri for Beirut's second district
Berri Announces AMAL Candidates for Elections, Stresses
Adherence to Constitution, National Pact
Naharnet/February 19/18/Speaker Nabih Berri announced in a press conference
on Monday the names of the AMAL Movement candidates that will be running in
the parliamentary elections, urging commitment to forthcoming electoral
lists that will be gathering AMAL, Hizbullah and other allies.
Berri said the AMAL Movement's program is based on commitment to the
Constitution and the Taef Agreement. “Committing to the Constitution and the
National Pact is our foremost choice,” he stressed. He pointed out that “he
will keep up efforts to eliminate political sectarianism in Lebanon and to
adhere to the trilogy formula of Army, People and the Resistance.” Referring
to Israel's threats against Lebanon's oil and land rights, he called for
completing the “demarcation of the maritime Blue Line and to protect
Lebanon's offshore excavation rights. Israel is our enemy, not Iran,” he
said.
Berri said they will work on improving the representation of women in the
parliament. Amal Movement's candidates are listed as follows:
-Tyre-Zahrani (second electoral district in the South): Ali Khreis, Inaya
Ezzeddine, Ali Osseiran, Nabih Berri, Michel Moussa
-Nabatiyeh-Marjeyoun-Hasbaya (third electoral district in the South): Ayoub
Hmayed, Ali Bazzi, Yassine Jaber, Hani Qobeissi, Ali al-Khalil, Anwar al-Khalil,
Qassem Hashem
-West Bekaa (second electoral district in Bekaa) : Mohammad Nasrallah
-Baalbek-Hermel (third electoral district in Bekaa): Ghazi Zoaiter
-Beirut second electoral district : Mohammed Khawaja
-Baabda (Mount Lebanon): Fadi Alameh
Cabinet Forms Hariri-Led Panel to Finalize Budget
Naharnet/February 19/18/The Cabinet on Monday formed a ministerial panel
headed by Prime Minister Saad Hariri and tasked with "studying the budget
figures and returning to the Council of Ministers with final
suggestions."The Cabinet meeting was presided over by President Michel Aoun
at the Presidential Palace in Baabda. It was dedicated to discussing the
State's 2018 budget. During the session, Hariri announced that he will "call
for consecutive Cabinet sessions to finalize the 2018 State budget."Aoun for
his part stressed the need to address the issue of housing loans, saying:
“The recent house loans isse must be addressed in coordination with the
Social Affairs Ministry and the Central Bank of Lebanon.”Before the meeting,
Deputy PM and Health Minister Ghassan Hasbani voiced hope that the budget
will be approved before May 6, the date set for the country's parliamentary
elections. “We wish to approve the budget before the elections without
inflated expenses or any reduction in investments,” said Hasbani. Finance
Minister Ali Hassan Khalil assured that the figures of the budget will be
thoroughly discussed. As for a suggestion of reducing 20 percent of the
budgets of ministries, he said: “We will see this in the session.”“We will
wait to see which reforms will be included in the budget,” Economy and Trade
Minister Raed Khoury stated.
Hariri Sponsors Launching of Business Support Unit
Naharnet/February 19/18/Prime Minister Saad Hariri said on Monday the
government will continue to work and implement vital projects despite the
obstacles. The PM's remarks came during the launching ceremony of an
investment fund for start-ups in the telecommunications sector and the
Business Support Unit at the Investment Development Authority of Lebanon
IDAL.“I would like to thank you all for establishing this fund. I would also
like to thank IDAL, Alfa and Touch, because this is very important for the
Lebanese youth and the entire Lebanese as well,” said Hariri. “Our priority
in the government is to work to keep the Lebanese youth in their country,
and it is our duty to find the means and work to lift all the obstacles and
problems they face. We have a specialized unit in the Grand Serail working
on the modernization of old laws, which date back to the fifties and
sixties, and hopefully these laws will be presented to the Cabinet and
included in the budget of 2018,” he added. “I also want to thank our Chinese
partners working in the country, we want them to stay in Lebanon and
hopefully this whole work will benefit the Lebanese citizen.”“We will
continue to work. We hear racket and this racket will continue and will
increase. I will not stop, and I will do what Martyr Prime Minister Rafic
Hariri did, which was building hospitals, universities and developing the
regions. No matter how loud the racket, this government will continue to
work,” he concluded.
EDL Contract Workers Scuffle with Police
Naharnet/February 19/18/A violent brawl erupted on Monday between protesting
Electricite du Liban contract workers and anti-riot police who prevented
them from accessing the company's premises in Nahr Ibrahim area. The angry
protesters have gathered outside the premises in solidarity with EDL
contract worker Hassan Akel who was slapped in the face by a Security Forces
officer during a protest last week.They briefly blocked the road in both
ways outside the company's headquarters. Security forces have reportedly
threatened to open the road by force if the protesters did not comply and
reopen it. One of the campaigners tried to kill himself with a blade. The
workers have long claimed their full time employment.
Tashnag Says No Vetoes on FPM-Murr Electoral Alliance
Naharnet/February 19/18/A meeting was held Monday at the headquarters of the
Tashnag Party in Bourj Hammoud to discuss the electoral alliances in the
Metn district. The National News Agency said the meeting was attended by
Tourism Minister Avedis Guidanian of Tashnag, independent MP Michel Murr,
ex-minister Elias Bou Saab of the Free Patriotic Movement, Tashnag
Secretary-General MP Hagop Pakradounian and the FPM's candidate for Metn
Eddie Maalouf. “For a while now, we have been seeking to bring together a
Metn list comprising the FPM, (ex-)deputy PM Michel Murr and Tashnag. There
are also other options to spare the Metn region and the Metn residents a
fierce battle in these parliamentary elections,” Pakradounian said after the
meeting. “We had held preparatory meetings with FPM chief Minister Jebran
Bassil, MP Ibrahim Kanaan and (ex-)deputy PM Michel Murr, and we agreed to
hold this meeting,” Pakradounian revealed. “This is the first official
meeting and we can say that it was very positive,” he added. Asked whether
there are vetoes on an FPM-Murr electoral alliance, Pakradounian said: “Not
at all. There are no vetoes – neither from the FPM nor from (ex-)deputy PM
Murr. We are seeking this alliance because our alliances are characterized
by loyalty.”Pakradounian also noted that “there is a possibility to benefit
from this alliance, even if we ended up on different lists.”
Jumblat Holds Talks with Emir of Kuwait
Naharnet/February 19/18/Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat
held talks Monday in Kuwait with the Gulf emirate's ruler Sheikh Sabah
al-Ahmed al-Sabah. A statement issued by the PSP's press office said
discussions tackled the situations in the region. Jumblat was accompanied by
Democratic Gathering MPs Ghazi Aridi, Akram Shehayyeb and Wael Abu Faour.
The meeting was held in the presence of Kuwaiti Minister of Emiri Diwan
Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah al-Sabah
UK Minister Meets Mashnouq, Stresses Support for
Lebanon Stability
Naharnet/February 19/18/British interior minister Amber Rudd stressed Monday
her government's continued support for Lebanon's stability during talks in
Beirut with Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq. Underlining keenness on
security in Lebanon, Rudd lauded the ministry's preparations for the
upcoming parliamentary elections and listened to a briefing from Mashnouq
about the logistic and administrative mobilization. “This round will see the
highest number of women candidates, which will encourage women voters,”
Mashnouq told Rudd. And following discussions on the latest regional and
international developments, the visiting British minister thanked Mashnouq
over his “efforts to enhance aviation safety,” the National News Agency
said. “Strengthening the airport's security and safety has been one of the
ministry's priorities for more than three years now, in cooperation with the
Public Works and Transport Ministry which is carrying out extraordinary
efforts in this regard,” Mashnouq told Rudd. The Lebanese minister also
thanked the UK visitor over “the very fruitful British support for the
security forces that are under the authority of the Interior Ministry in
Lebanon,” explaining to her “the importance of the achievements of Lebanese
security agencies, especially the Intelligence Branch (of the Internal
Security Forces), in the field of combating terrorism and eliminating
sleeper cells.” Rudd for her part lauded Mashnouq over the stable security
situation in the country and thanked him for the serious and instant
follow-up that led to the speedy arrest of the suspected killer of British
diplomat Rebecca Dykes, the National News Agency said. She also applauded
the efforts of the Lebanese government and Interior Ministry regarding the
Syrian refugee file. A statement issued by the British embassy in Beirut
said talks addressed “a range of issues and what more we can do to further
strengthen our countries’ bilateral relationship.” Rudd's visit “was an
opportunity to see firsthand how the UK’s £628 million in assistance to
Lebanon is helping the country maintain security and stability and
supporting local communities coping with the Syrian refugee crisis,” the
embassy added.
U.N. chief warns of nightmare scenario if Israel,
Hezbollah clash
LISBON (Reuters) February 19/18/United Nations Secretary-General Antonio
Guterres said on Monday he was worried about the possibility of a direct
confrontation between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement. U.N.
Secretary General Antonio Guterres gives a speech during a ceremony at
Lisbon University where Guterres received his honoris causa degree, Portugal
February 19, 2018. REUTERS/Rafael Marchante Guterres said the latest signals
from Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah showed the will to not let this
happen but “sometimes a spark is enough to unleash this kind of a conflict”.
Hezbollah said last week it could act against Israeli oil facilities if
necessary in an Lebanon-Israel offshore energy dispute. U.S. diplomats have
been mediating between the two countries after a rise in tensions also
involving a dispute over a border wall and Hezbollah’s growing arsenal.
U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres gives a speech during a ceremony at
Lisbon University where Guterres received his honoris causa degree, Portugal
February 19, 2018. REUTERS/Rafael Marchante “I am deeply worried about
hard-to-foresee escalations in the whole region,” Guterres told reporters in
his native Lisbon, also referring to Israel’s concerns about various militia
groups in Syria approaching its borders..“The worst nightmare would be if
there is a direct confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah...the level of
destruction in Lebanon would be absolutely devastating, so there are major
points of concern around this situation.”The powerful Shi‘ite movement is
part of Lebanon’s coalition government. Israel sees Hezbollah as the biggest
security threat on its borders. Hezbollah was formed in the 1980s as a
resistance movement against Israel’s occupation of southern Lebanon. The two
remain bitter enemies but there has been no major conflict between them
since a month-long war in 2006. Reporting By Andrei Khalip; Editing by Angus
MacSwan
Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on February 19-20/18
Shin Bet Arrests Cell
Plotting to Assassinate Defense Minister
Ramallah - Asharq Al-Awsat/February 19/18/Israel's Shin Bet security service
announced Sunday it had arrested members of a Palestinian cell who were
plotting to assassinate Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman in a roadside
bombing while on his way to his hometown Nokdim settlement in Gush Etzio.
According to the Shin Bet investigation, the group of Islamic Jihad sought
assistance in carrying out the attack from activists in the Gaza Strip. But
the agency said the group was “deterred” by Lieberman’s security detail and
the plot was foiled. The statement did not specify when the arrests took
place, but sources indicated it had been recent. To arrive in Nokdim,
Lieberman passes through several Palestinian towns and his security detail
combs the streets regularly. The statement said six suspects linked to the
Palestinian Islamic Jihad were involved in the plot to detonate an explosive
device underneath Lieberman’s car while it was traveling in the West Bank.
The ringleaders of the cell were identified as Awad Mahmoud al-Asakra, 25,
and Muhammad Ali Ibrahim al-Asakra, 32, who both live in Asakra town near
Lieberman ’s house. Asakra had been jailed for two years between 2015 and
2017. The suspects told Shin Bet investigators they sought assistance from
groups in the Gaza Strip to buy the materials for the bomb. When they were
unable to purchase the materials or secure assistance from Gaza, the group
built a homemade device. The bomb was confiscated during their arrest. This
is not the first time Shin Bet uncovers a plot to kill Lieberman. In 2014,
when Lieberman was foreign minister, Hamas sought to target his convoy on
his way home with an RPG. The plot failed too, and the cell was arrested.
Shin Bet also announced another Islamic Jihad cell was taken into custody
following the arrest of the members operating in Bethlehem area villages in
the West Bank. They had been recruited to carry out shooting attacks on
Israeli residents and Israeli troops in the vicinity of the Gush Etzion
settlement bloc south of Jerusalem. No further details were given on the
second cell.
Egypt: 3 Soldiers, 4 Militants Killed in Sinai Campaign
Ramallah - Asharq Al-Awsat/February 19/18/Egypt said Monday three of its
soldiers had been killed in the Sinai Peninsula during a wide-ranging
operation against militants. It was the first report of military casualties
since the army started its campaign on February 9.Four "extremists" were
also killed, the military said in a statement. The army has killed about 60
militants and arrested hundreds of suspects since “Operation Sinai 2018”
began. An Egyptian military spokesman said on Thursday that after crushing
blows in Iraq and Syria, ISIS militants could be eyeing the Sinai Peninsula
as a new home base.Operation Sinai 2018, which involves the army, navy, air
force and police, targets "terrorist and criminal elements and
organizations" in north and central Sinai, parts of the Nile delta and the
western desert.
14 dead, 75 injured in latest Assad raids on eastern
Ghouta
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Monday, 19 February 2018/Around 14 people
were killed and over 75 injured in the latest air raids and artillery
attacks by the Assad regime on eastern Ghouta, the Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights (SOHR) reported. The observatory added that among those killed
many were women and children. The attacks came as an escalation by regime
forces as a prelude to the large-scale military operation aimed at ending
the control of opposition factions in eastern Ghouta. Regime forces targeted
several towns with hundreds of rockets, according to the SOHR, where more
than 270 rockets were fired within hours of the attack. The Assad regime
sent military reinforcements surrounding Ghouta which indicates that an
imminent attack will occur against the remaining opposition factions, the
SOHR said. The latest wave of air raids came after a weary calm in Ghouta
which coincided with talks between the Assad regime and the opposition that
were mediated by Russia.
‘We do not work for you,’ Iraqi officials tell advisor
to Iran’s Khamenei
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Monday, 19 February 2018/Iranian politician
Ali Akbar Velayati’s statements that Tehran will not allow liberals or civil
society activists or anyone who does not fit Tehran’s criteria to return to
power sparked Iraqi officials’ outrage. National Coalition bloc MP Abdul
Karim Abtan slammed Velayati and said Iraqis do not work for him. “We do not
work for Velayati or anyone else. We are Iraqis and our national project is
Iraqi. Velayati may have power over one or two Iraqi (politicians) but this
power will not last,” Abtan told Al-Hadath television channel, adding that
they will not allow Velayati to interfere in Iraqi affairs. He added that
neither the Sunnis nor the Shiites will accept tutelage over Iraq.
Meanwhile, Iraqi Communist Party leader Raid Fahmy said Velayati’s
statements mark an interference in Iraqi affairs and violate the
constitution. Fahmy also called on Velayati, who is an advisor of Iranian
supreme guide Ali Khamenei, to clarify his remarks. Iraqi politician Izzat
Shabandar called on Iraqi Shiites to condemn Velayati’s statements, adding
that Velayati always makes statements that embarrass Iran and its Iraqi
allies.
Qatari envoy abused, thrown out of hospital in Gaza
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Monday, 19 February 2018/The Qatari
ambassador in Palestine was kicked out from a hospital by the staff and
public images and video shared on Monday revealed. The video showed angry
staff at the Shifa hospital in Gaza showing Qatari envoy, Mohammed al-Emadi,
being forced out, throwing shoes at him and tearing up the flag of Qatar
while chanting slogans against Qatar. Ambassador Al-Emadi planned to hold a
press conference at the hospital before being attacked and thrown out by
staff. The assailants justified their act by saying that Qatari aid was not
genuine and aimed at strengthening the Palestinian divide.
Turkey welcomes Syrian forces entering Afrin
Reuters, Beirut Monday, 19 February 2018/Militias allied to the Syrian
government will enter the Afrin region, Syrian media reported on Monday,
after a Kurdish official said a deal had been struck with the Syrian army to
help Kurdish forces end a Turkish offensive. Turkey said it would welcome
any move by Damascus into Afrin to get rid of the YPG Kurdish militia, but
if Syrian troops were entering to protect the Kurdish fighters, then the
Turkish assault would go on. A second Syrian Kurdish official said no
pro-government military forces were arriving in Afrin on Monday. While the
deal was supposed to have been announced formally on Monday, the source
said, external pressure might prevent it going ahead. Turkey began its
operation last month with allied Syrian rebel groups to drive out the YPG,
which Ankara regards as a terrorist group linked to an insurgency at home
and sees as a security threat to its border. That offensive further
complicated the web of rivalries and alliances in northern Syria among
Kurdish forces, the Syrian government, rebel factions, Turkey, Iran, the
United States and Russia. But on Sunday, a senior Syrian Kurdish official
said Kurdish forces and the Syrian government had reached a deal for the
Syrian army to enter Afrin, and that it could be implemented within two
days. All deals between the Syrian government and the Kurds, which each hold
more territory than any other side in Syria, are closely watched because
they could prove pivotal for the future course of the war.
While President Bashar al-Assad’s government and the YPG espouse different
visions for Syria’s future and their forces have clashed at times, they have
mostly avoided direct conflict. “Popular forces will arrive in Afrin in the
next few hours to support the steadfastness of its people in confronting the
aggression,” state news agency SANA reported, citing its correspondent in
Aleppo, 35 km (22 miles) from Afrin.
Three Egyptian troops killed in anti-militant operation
in Sinai
The Associated Press, Cairo/Monday, 19 February 2018/Egypt’s military says
three troops, including an officer, were killed in restive Sinai in fighting
with militants. They are the first casualties Egypt has announced from an
offensive Cairo launched on February 9. Military spokesman Tamer al-Rifai
said Monday that two other officers and a conscript were wounded in the
fighting, part of the sweep aiming to end a years-long insurgency by Islamic
militants. He says four militants were also killed. The operation covers
north and central Sinai and parts of Egypt’s Nile Delta and the Western
Desert, along the porous border with Libya. It involves land, sea and air
forces, and the army claims to have destroyed hundreds of targets and killed
dozens of fighters. The army’s figures cannot be independently confirmed as
journalists are banned from the area.
Iranian rescuers find wreckage from plane crash
AFP, Tehran Monday, 19 February 2018/Iranian search and rescue teams on
Monday reached the site of a plane crash that authorities say killed all 65
people on board, Iran’s Press TV reported. The Aseman Airlines ATR-72, a
twin-engine turboprop used for short-distance regional flying, went down on
Sunday in foggy weather, crashing into Mount Dena in a remote area of
southern Iran. The airliner said all on board Flight EP3704 were killed,
including six crew members. The crash of the aircraft, brought back into
service only months ago after being grounded for seven years, was yet
another fatal aviation disaster for Iran, which for years was barred from
buying necessary airplane parts due to Western sanctions over its contested
nuclear program. Press TV said search teams reached the crash site before
dawn on Monday. The station said the weather had improved, though it was
still windy. The semi-official Tasnim news agency cited the military as
saying Russia had helped locate the crash site. Russia and Iran are close
military allies. The TV broadcast footage of a helicopter joining the search
and showed ambulances and rescue vehicles preparing to reach the site on
Mount Dena, which is about 4,400 meters (14,400 feet) tall. The site is
reportedly at a height of 3,500 meters (11,500 feet). Other Iranian news
outlets and officials did not confirm that the crash site had been reached.
State radio said five helicopters and five drones are active in the search
operation. Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency said that more than 150
climbers have joined the operation. Transport Minister Abbas Akhoundi left
Tehran on Monday to visit the site of the crash, state TV reported. Footage
posted on independent news websites showed him in the cockpit of a plane
taking part in the search. State TV quoted him as saying the cause of the
crash was still “not clear.”High winds have made it difficult to fly
helicopters and drones, hampering search efforts.
The cause of the crash
The 2015 nuclear accord with world powers lifted international sanctions on
Tehran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear enrichment program, allowing
Iran to purchase airplanes and airplane parts. The country has since signed
deals to purchase tens of billions of dollars’ worth of new aircraft.
However, President Donald Trump’s refusal to recertify the deal has injected
uncertainty into those sales. The ATR-72 went down near its destination, the
southern city of Yasuj, some 780 kilometers (485 miles) south of the
capital, where it took off.
It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the crash, although weather was
severe. Dense fog, high winds and heavy snow in the Zagros Mountains made it
impossible for rescue crews in helicopters to reach the site in the
immediate aftermath, state TV reported. Aseman Airlines spokesman Mohammad
Taghi Tabatabai told state TV that all on board Flight EP3704 were killed.
The plane had 59 passengers and six crew members, the state-run IRNA news
agency reported late Sunday, lowering the initially reported death toll of
66. The US expressed condolences over the crash in a Farsi-language
statement posted on social media Sunday.
Khamenei Says Progress Needed on Justice
Asharq Al-Awsat/February 19/18/Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has called
for prioritizing foreign policy with the east rather than the west to
improve the economy. He also admitted that the government needs to work on
social justice, stressing that officials owe Iranians an apology. Addressing
a group of people from Tabriz, Khamenei responded to the controversy that
erupted in Iran after President Hasan Rouhani called for a popular
referendum to overcome economic, political, social and cultural crises.
Khamenei began his speech with hints to popular protests that took place
recently in more than 80 Iranian cities. He said that criticism against him
personally or targeting the government "does not mean opposition to the
origin of the regime." “Progress has been made in various sectors in the
real sense of the term; However, we admit that in the area of ‘justice’ we
are lagging behind.”
His remarks came in the context of previous calls for the Iranian government
to improve living conditions and combat discrimination. After Rouhani's
re-election for a second term, Khamenei said that "the improvement of living
conditions must become one of the new government’s top priorities."
Khamenei attacked Iranian officials who depend "on the affluent classes
instead of attending to the underprivileged and the fragile
strata."“Revolution means transformation, course change and movement toward
lofty goals and if these objectives are forgotten, revolutions are
meaningless," he warned.
Discussing foreign affairs, Khamenei stated: "In foreign policy, our top
priority includes preferring the East to the West, preferring the
neighboring countries ... and nations and countries that share our common
goals." Khamenei's remarks reignited the debate on Iran's foreign policy
priorities. Some officials like Rouhani and FM Mohammed Javad Zarif call for
enhancing relations with Western countries, while others - including Iran's
former Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi and Khamenei's advisor on
international affairs Ali Akbar Velayati - want Tehran to strengthen ties
with China, India, Russia and Central Asian countries. Iran should not
depend on foreign countries, announced Khamenei. He stressed: "I am not
against foreign funding; however, the leaders and managers should be
Iranian. Work must not be trusted to foreigners. If too much work is
entrusted to foreigners, Iranian managers will lose their grip on matters."
With respect to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Khamenei
stated: “We witnessed the result of relying on foreigners in the case of
JCPOA, and achieved nothing from trusting them in nuclear negotiations.” He
noted that officials are "fortunately" dealing with the issue well, and the
foreign minister is adopting a strong approach to the deceits of the US and
Europeans. “We must take advantage of the foreigners, but we should not
trust and rely on them, because they would seek to dominate the country’s
fate,” Khamenei added.
Kremlin: No Evidence that Russia Meddled in 2016 US Election
Asharq Al-Awsat/February 19/18/In first official comments since last week’s
indictment, the Kremlin dismissed on Monday Washington’s accusations that
Moscow had meddled in the 2016 US presidential election campaign. Kremlin
spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that there was no proof for Washington to
support its claims, saying the indictment centered on individuals rather
than the Russian state. "They are talking about Russian citizens, but we
have heard in announcements from Washington accusations about the
involvement of the Russian state, the Kremlin and the Russian government,"
he told reporters on a conference call. "There are no indications that the
Russian state could have been involved in this and nor can there be any.
Russia did not meddle, does not have the habit of meddling in the internal
affairs of other countries, and is not doing so now."
"As before, we insist that we consider such evidence groundless, we don't
consider it exhaustive or fair at all and we cannot agree with it."The
office of US Special Counsel Robert Mueller charged on Friday 13 Russians
and three Russian companies with interfering in the election campaign. The
indictment said that a Russian propaganda arm oversaw a criminal and
espionage conspiracy to tamper in the 2016 US presidential campaign to
support Donald Trump and disparage Hillary Clinton. It alleges that a
campaign directed by Yevgeny Prigozhin, an ally of Russian President
Vladimir Putin, became focused on hurting Clinton and helping Trump swing
the vote. The effort allegedly involved hundreds of people working in shifts
and with a budget of millions of dollars. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on
Saturday dismissed the indictments as "blabber" and "fantasies," speaking at
the Munich Security Conference.
Abbas: Saudi Arabia Had No Hesitation in Supporting Us
Asharq Al Awsat/February 19/18/Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas confirmed
his commitment to the option of negotiations to achieve peace with Israel
and his refusal to yield to pressure. He said that the peace he believes in
is based on "the resolutions of international legitimacy and the Arab peace
initiative."Abbas said his country has been carrying out consultation with
the Saudi leadership, which is stressing that the solution should only be
based on a guarantee that Jerusalem will remain Palestine’s capital. “We
have talked and carried out consultations with King Salman and Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman since US President Donald Trump announced Jerusalem as
the capital of Israel, also coordinated and discussed with them - along with
the Arab brothers, the upcoming steps that should be taken,” Abbas said, in
his interview with Arrajol Magazine. “Saudi Arabia has historically stood by
our cause and our people,” Abbas added, pointing out that Saudi Arabia “has
never intervened in our internal affairs and has never hesitated to support
our rights and our people.” He explained that he has never rejected any
offer to carry out talks aimed at achieving the two-state solution. “We
insist on carrying out serious negotiations to achieve peace and for the
establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital on the
1967 borders,” Abbas said, adding that the negotiations require a partner
“who believes in a two-state solution and not a party that imposes power.”He
described Trump’s decision to consider Jerusalem as the capital of Israel as
a "second Balfour Declaration," adding that it is contrary to the
international law and challenges the feelings of Muslims and Christians. He
said such measures would "encourage extremist groups to turn the conflict
from political to religious one." Abbas said he called on EU foreign
ministers to put "a new mechanism for sponsoring the negotiations, which is
a multi-international mechanism that can include the international quartet
and a number of other European and Arab countries as well." He refused the
US administration to "remain the only sponsor for the political process
after it declared Jerusalem as the capital of Israel."Regarding his
statement about the death of Oslo Accords, which were signed with Israel 25
years ago, Abbas said “Israel has killed Oslo. It has terminated Oslo”
through its denial and full and deliberate violation of the Oslo accords
since 1994 until today. “Israel has imposed colonial facts instead of Oslo
to consolidate its control and sovereignty over the land, resources and the
Palestinian people in order to implement the project ‘Greater Israel in the
historic land of Palestine,’ Abbas explained. "Today we count on any new
mediation that is put forward for peace and we are with it." In his response
to a question about possible alternatives to the work of the Palestinian
Authority after the suspension of recognition of Israel and the end of Oslo
accords, Abbas said that the Palestinian Central Council, which held its
session mid-January, has adopted a new strategy. He told Arrajol magazine
that this strategy focuses on “working to achieve independence and
sovereignty of Palestine and move from the phase of self-governing authority
to the phase of a state, in implementation of the resolutions of the
National Council and United Nations, until the end of the occupation and the
achievement of peace through a pluralistic UN framework.”
77 Dead, 300 Hurt in Syria Regime Bombardment of Rebel
Enclave
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 19/18/At least 77 civilians were
killed on Monday in heavy Syrian bombardment of the rebel-held enclave of
Eastern Ghouta near the capital Damascus, a war monitor reported. The
Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 20 children
were among those killed in the assault, revising an earlier toll of 54 dead.
Around 300 others were injured.
Three Police Killed in Sufi Protests in Iran
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 19/18/Three policemen were killed in
"a vicious attack" in the Iranian capital during protests by a Sufi sect on
Monday, a police spokesman told local media. "Three police officers were
martyred in the street in a vicious attack using a bus," spokesman Saeed
Montazer Almehdi told the official IRNA news agency. Footage shown on state
television appeared to show the moment the bus plowed into a group of police
officers in northern Tehran. Members of Iran's Gonabadi Sufi order, known as
dervishes, were protesting the arrest of members of the sect, according to
unconfirmed social media reports. Police said gunshots were fired to
disperse the protests, and unverified footage on social media showed riot
police running through the streets and clashing with black-clad protesters.
"The law enforcement forces arrested a number of dervishes and ended the
protest by firing tear gas," a witness told IRNA. The conservative-linked
Fars news agency said several police officers were also wounded in the bus
attack and had been hospitalized. The Gonabadis are one of the
country's largest Sufi sects, originating from Khorasan Razavi province in
the country's northeast but with a presence in cities across Iran. The sect
accuses the Iranian government of frequent harassment and discrimination.
During the presidency of hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad between 2005 and
2013, there were multiple clashes between the Sufis and militias associated
with hardline elements of the Iranian establishment.
Officials and the media routinely refer to Gonabadi Sufis as "deceived
elements" and senior clerics have disavowed their teachings. There were
unconfirmed reports in late January and early February that security forces
had clashed with sect members outside the home of their leader, Noor Ali
Tabandeh, in Pasdaran in northern Tehran. A website linked to the group said
police were trying to set up checkpoints around the home to monitor
visitors. Sufi worship is not illegal in Iran but the practice is frowned
upon by many conservative clerics. The Islamic mysticism followed by an
array of Sufi orders since the early centuries of the faith has always
aroused suspicion among orthodox Muslims, whether Shiite or Sunni. In Shiite
Islam, some Sufi orders have been further tarnished by the accusation of
heresy because of their association with the unorthodox Alevi faith
practised in parts of Syria and Turkey.
Israel Announces
'Historic' Gas Contract with Egypt
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 19/18/Israel has struck an "historic"
contract for sales of billions of dollars' worth of natural gas to Egypt,
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Monday. "This will bring
billions of dollars to state coffers," he said in a statement announcing the
deal with Egypt, which in 1979 became the first Arab state to sign a peace
treaty with Israel. The Israeli energy group Delek said the value of the
contract was $15 billion. It said agreements have been signed between Delek
and its associate Noble Energy of the United States to supply 64 billion
cubic meters (2.26 trillion cubic feet) of gas from Israel's Leviathan and
Tamar offshore fields to the Egyptian firm Dolphinus over a 10-year period.
In September 2016, Jordan struck a deal to buy 300 million cubic feet (8.5
million cubic meters) of Israeli gas per day over a 15-year term, in a deal
estimated to be worth $10 billion. Tamar, which began production in 2013,
has estimated reserves of up to 238 billion cubic meters (8.4 trillion cubic
feet). Leviathan, discovered in 2010 and set to begin production in 2019, is
estimated to hold 18.9 trillion cubic feet (535 billion cubic meters) of
natural gas, along with 34.1 million barrels of condensate.
Israel hopes its gas reserves will give the country energy independence and
the prospect of becoming a supplier for Europe as well as forging strategic
ties within the region.
Pro-Regime Forces to Enter Syria's Afrin 'within Hours'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 19/18/Pro-government fighters were
expected Monday to enter Syria's Afrin after talks with Kurdish forces, in a
move that could pave the way for a settlement in a month-old Turkish assault
on the northern enclave. "Popular forces will arrive in Afrin within a few
hours to support its people's stand against the Turkish regime's attack on
the area and its people," state news agency SANA said, citing its
correspondent in Aleppo. SANA said the forces would "join the resistance
against the Turkish aggression." "This comes in the framework of supporting
residents and defending the territorial unity and sovereignty of Syria," the
agency added. Even hours after the announcement, AFP correspondents on the
outskirts of Afrin did not see any military forces arriving, although state
media was present. The Syrian region of Afrin, which borders Turkey, is held
by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and has faced a month-old
assault by Ankara and allied Syrian rebels. Turkey sees the YPG's presence
on its southern border as a direct threat, and observers have noted it would
be more comfortable with a regime force deployed there. The Afrin operation,
dubbed "Olive Branch," has seen Ankara deploy ground troops and pound the
region with air strikes and artillery fire, including on Monday. YPG
spokesman Birusk Hasakeh could not immediately confirm the deployment of
regime-affiliated forces on Monday. Syrian government forces withdrew from
Kurdish-majority areas across the country's north in 2012, paving the way
for Kurdish authorities to implement de facto self-rule. But negotiations
have been ongoing for a potential return of government-affiliated forces to
the enclave, officials have said.
Heve Mustafa, the co-chair of Afrin's executive council, told AFP on Sunday
that talks on the subject were ongoing. "These talks are happening on the
military level," she said.
- 'No problem' with forces -
Last week, YPG chief Sipan Hamo told journalists his forces would have "no
problem" with Damascus intervening to help repel Turkey's assault.
"We don't have a problem with the entry of the Syrian army to defend Afrin
and its border in the face of the Turkish occupation," Hamo said. But
Kurdish officials have remained vague on what kind of regime deployment they
would accept in Afrin. Mustafa's co-chair in Afrin, Othman Al-Sheikh Issa,
told AFP last month that Damascus should intervene to stop Turkish warplanes
flying overhead. State media did not elaborate on the make-up of the
"popular forces" due to enter Afrin on Monday and made no mention of regular
army troops being deployed. Damascus has denounced Ankara's "aggression" but
until Monday had not explicitly said it would intervene. Turkey and allied
rebels launched the offensive on January 20 in a bid to clear the YPG from
territory along the border. The assault has brought to the surface the
complex and competing interests of world powers embroiled in Syria's
seven-year conflict. Turkey has backed Syrian rebels to fight government
troops, jihadists, and the YPG. Ankara sees the YPG as a "terror" group and
the Syrian arm of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has
fought a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state. The United
States -- Turkey's NATO ally -- has allied with the YPG elsewhere in Syria,
providing it with arms and other support to fight the Islamic State jihadist
group. Regime ally Russia had also directly supported the YPG in Afrin,
training Kurdish forces there before withdrawing as Turkey announced its
assault last month. On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and
his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discussed the Afrin offensive in a
phone call, the Kremlin said, without giving details. The contact came as
Turkey said it would rather see regime troops in Afrin than the YPG. "If the
regime is entering (Afrin) to oust the PKK, YPG, there is no problem. But if
they are entering to protect the YPG, then no one can stop us and Turkish
soldiers," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said. Cavusoglu said the aim of
the operation was "clear" and aimed at "removing terrorists" from its
border.
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on February
19-20/18
Unprecedented Situation in Syria
Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al Awsat/February 19/18
Iraq has never witnessed such a situation despite all it has endured. Libya
has never experienced it either despite its ongoing chaos. Lebanon, during
the worst period of its wars, has also never seen such a reality. The same
can be said of Somalia, Afghanistan and other countries whose unity and
sovereignty fell victim to foreign meddling.
Syria’s story is different and unique. Never before have all these flags,
interests, dangers, armies, militias, internal divisions and regional and
international clashes come together on its territories. From the South to
Idlib to Hmeimem to Afrin, Syria is like a powder keg. It is at the heart of
a complex and vast geo-strategic conflict that is impossible to resolve with
force and where losses and rewards will be difficult to predict. This is all
unprecedented.
Those who knew Syria before its army withdrew from Lebanon in 2005 realize
the calamity that it is experiencing. Prior to that, Syria was a major
player in its immediate surroundings and throughout the Middle East.
Diplomats tackling the region’s crises have long described it as the
“complication and solution,” “the necessary route” and the “inevitable
partner.” Resorting to Damascus was necessary when addressing the
post-Saddam Iraq. It was necessary to discuss Lebanon’s future and it was
indispensable to the Palestinian cause.
Syria became adept at gathering powerful cards. It hosted many opposition
factions, whether Iraqi, Lebanese, Palestinian, Kurdish, Arab Gulf or even
Pakistani. It hosted these factions and orchestrated their actions to serve
its own interests. It often reaped the rewards of its success in reining in
the demons that it hosted and sponsored. This is how Syria played in the
territory of others and boasted of its upper hand or negotiated over it.
That Syria was Iran’s ally, but it also realized the importance of the
Saudi-Egyptian-Syrian alliance that provided a balance to its policies and
protected its stances. Syria was the ally of the Soviet Union without become
a “Soviet proxy.” It sat on both Moscow and Washington’s laps. It assessed
international developments and adjusted to them. When Hafez Assad sensed
that the Soviet Union was weakening, he dispatched a unit to take part in
the war to liberate Kuwait.
Another development demonstrated its skill. During the Iraqi-Iranian war,
the Iranians requested surface-to-surface missiles from Syria. Assad did not
reply despite his animosity to Saddam Hussein. History would later show that
Iran bombarded Iraqi cities with rockets from Syria’s arsenal. The Syrian
agencies advised Iran to refer their request to Tripoli where the rockets
were eagerly provided for free by Abdessalam Jalloud and Moammar al-Gaddafi.
Another incident also proved its skill. One day, Iran failed to provide
Syria with a full oil shipment, prompting Damascus to prevent the travel of
Iranians to and from Lebanon through Syria. The message was clear: the key
to Iran reaching “Hezbollah” was in Damascus’ hands.
Syria gathered the cards and used them at the opportune time. It boasted in
closed-door meetings that its most powerful weapon was the foreign forces’
inability to possess and properly use cards in Syria.
The card-gathering game added to Syria’s strong geographic position and
unwavering stability. Journalists who accompanied Assad on his meeting with
Bill Clinton in Geneva in March 2000 sensed that Syria had succeeded in
portraying itself as more powerful than its actual abilities.
The Syria of the past stands in stark contrast to the current reality. The
Russian army is credited with saving the Syrian regime from collapse,
according to Moscow. Russia enjoys legitimate and declared bases in Syria.
The United States also has bases and airports east of the Euphrates River.
The most dangerous American factor in Syria is time, which is working
against Russia. Russia has been unable to couple its saving of the regime
with a political solution. The past few days have dealt a series of setbacks
to Russia. A Russian jet was downed, the Sochi congress failed, and
increasing differences have emerged between it and Iran and Turkey. Add to
that the scandal of Russian mercenaries, who were killed by a US attack.
This story gets more interesting when it was revealed that their superior is
a man dubbed the “Kremlin’s chef” and their main goal was to secure oil or
gas fields in exchange for a high commission. This greed spurred their last
attack and gave the US the opportunity to discipline them and expose their
role in Syria.
The situation is not limited to the Russian and American armies in Syria,
which also has its allies deployed there. The regional aspect should be
taken into consideration. Iran is present in Syria through its Revolutionary
Guards and militias. It stresses that its presence there is legitimate and
based on the regime’s request. The Turkish army is meanwhile waging battles
in the Afrin region to fragment the Kurds and establish a safe zone on the
Syrian side of the border. Ankara did not ask for Damascus’ request to enter
Syrian territories. It is likely that it received Russia’s blessing to the
incursion as a reward for its participation in sponsoring the Sochi talks.
Add to that claims that Ankara proposed to US Secretary of State Rex
Tillerson American and Turkish military deployment in Manbij in return for
the Turkish withdrawal there. Other claims said that Moscow suggested
dressing up Kurdish fighters in Afrin in Syrian army uniforms to avert the
Turkish attack. Unprecedented scenes. Israel announced for the first time
that its jets targeted Iranian position on Syrian soil. Israeli Premier
Benjamin Netanyahu displayed parts of the downed Iranian drone that he said
had infiltrated Israeli airspace. He threatened before the Munich Security
Conference to target Iran itself and not just limit attacks to its proxies.
Throughout all this, we should not forget those who infiltrated Syria from
neighboring and far-flung countries. Fighters from Kazakhstan came to kill
the regime backers, while fighters from Afghanistan came to kill its rivals.
This clash has its own clear sectarian flair.
The dangers of the Syrian fighter have gone beyond all others fires. Former
French Ambassador to Syria Michel Duclos recently wrote in Asharq Al-Awsat
that the Dayton Agreement that ended the Yugoslavia war should inspire
solutions in Syria and bring all players to a single negotiations table. The
regional and international circumstances do not appear ripe for such talks
to happen. The Syrian tragedy is open to the most dangerous possibilities.
For the first time, the Syrian is the weakest player in the current game
that is unfolding on its land and the decisions that are being taken without
him.
US-Russian Proxy War in Syria
Eli Lake/Bloomberg View/February 19/18
If you've been listening just to the Kremlin and the Pentagon, you probably
didn't know that Russia attacked American forces and their allies in Syria
last week, suffering heavy casualties.
Yes, all sides admit that there was an incident at a US base in Deir Ezzor.
And that elements of the Syrian regime and Shiite militias participated in
the assault. The Pentagon and Kremlin both acknowledge that Russian
"mercenaries" participated, too. But the line for now is that those
contractors had gone rogue, and Moscow didn't know anything about it. When
reporters asked US Secretary of Defense James Mattis about the incident, he
called the whole thing perplexing. "I have no idea why they would attack
there, the forces were known to be there, obviously the Russians knew," he
said. "We have always known that there are elements in this very complex
battle space that the Russians did not have, I would call it, control of."
Now, it should be said that Mattis, a retired four-star Marine Corps
general, is a very smart man. His perplexity in this case is probably what
Plato called a "noble lie," a falsehood spoken by a leader to achieve a
greater social good. If Mattis acknowledges the obvious -- that the Kremlin
authorized a direct assault on a US-sponsored base by non-uniformed
personnel -- he risks an escalation spiral in Syria. Better to express
bewilderment and give Russian President Vladimir Putin a chance to back down
and deny culpability, which he ended up doing despite the heavy casualties
suffered by his mercenaries.
But make no mistake: There is overwhelming evidence that those Russian
contractors were working at the behest of the Kremlin. What's more, the
Russians knew US military personnel were in Deir Ezzor, which has been part
of successive agreements to separate, or "deconflict," forces fighting in
Syria.
Let's start with the fine reporting of my colleagues at Bloomberg News who
discovered that the wounded mercenaries were flown out of Syria and treated
at military hospitals in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
US officials who monitor Syria tell me that there is no doubt that the
Russian military knew all about the attack in Deir Ezzor. Evelyn Farkas, a
former deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia
during the Obama administration, told me Thursday: "Any Russian mercenaries,
whether they are in Ukraine or Syria, work for the Russian government." This
is not an accident, particularly for the contractor in question, Wagner. One
of its leaders, Dmitry Utkin, is a former lieutenant colonel in Russia's
military intelligence agency, the GRU. He and the firm have been closely
tied to the oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, known as "Putin's chef" because he
owns the Kremlin's food-service providers. Contractors like Wagner are a key
part of Russia's broader strategy of "hybrid warfare," a mix of kinetic and
information aggression to advance Russian interests -- such as the
deployment of fighters without uniforms that helped take Crimea from Ukraine
in 2014. "They help Russia obfuscate Russia's role in Syria," Matti
Suomenaro, a researcher for the Institute for the Study of War told me last
week. "In eastern Syria, the Russian Ministry of Defense can say, 'We don't
know they were doing this.' But it's very likely this had some kind of
direction from higher-ups in the Kremlin."
Finally, there is the strategic argument for why Russia would participate in
the attack at Deir Ezzor. US policy at the moment is a bit confusing. When
Mattis and other US officials publicly discuss the US mission in Syria, they
say only that it is to fight ISIS. So far, there is no official policy on
whether the US military's role includes countering Russian-Iranian efforts
to help the Bashar Assad regime retake territory it lost in the civil war.
Add to this the mixed messages sent by the US last month when it failed to
stop Turkey from bombing the Kurdish-controlled city of Afrin. While the US
has attempted to end the Turkish assault through diplomacy, it has not
offered to protect Kurdish fighters aligned with the People's Protection
Group, or YPG, who remain in the city. The YPG are key US partners in the
campaign against ISIS. Indeed, Kurdish fighters stationed in Deir Ezzor in
recent weeks have traveled to Afrin for the fighting, making the enclave a
more attractive target for the Russo-Iranian alliance in Syria.
For Putin, whose air force has bombed other enclaves of US-supported rebels
in Syria, the inability of the US to stop a NATO ally, Turkey, from
attacking another ally in Afrin is a sign of weakness. The assault last week
on Deir Ezzor with mercenaries was a chance to again probe for a US
response.
The good news is that the US response was swift and brutal. While there are
no hard figures on casualties, some Russian press outlets reported that more
than 200 Russian mercenaries were killed.
This brings us back to Mattis, and why he declined to directly blame Russia
for the incident. "My guess is he said he was perplexed because he was
sending a signal to the Russians: 'I am willing to give you a little time to
cut this out, but don't do it again,'" Farkas told me. "And the Russians
know they are playing with fire, if you look at how they are
responding."There is a downside, though, to this kind of noble lying.
Considering that mercenaries like Wagner are a key part of Russia's broader
strategy and tactics, it's also important for the US to deny Moscow its
plausible deniability. Russia needs to be told, going forward, that an
attack by its mercenaries will be treated as an attack by its armed forces.
Israel...Corruption or Iran?
Daniel Gordis/The Washington Post/February 19/18
The phone alerts began to pop up early in the evening. The police, Israelis
were informed, were about to reveal their recommendations as to whether
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be indicted on accusations of fraud
and bribery. Israelis were glued to their televisions and computers, waiting
to hear what the police would say. Netanyahu had sought to block the police
from making such public recommendations, but the Supreme Court overruled him
and now the police were about to address the public.
The recommendations were clear. Netanyahu, the police said, should be
charged with bribery and breach of trust in two matters. The first
investigation, known as Case 1000, alleges that Netanyahu accepted lavish
gifts from wealthy businessmen in exchange for influence. Case 2000, known
as the Yediot Achronot affair, alleges that the prime minister offered the
editor of that newspaper, Arnon Mozes, support for a bill that would weaken
Israel Hayom, the newspaper owned by casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and
Mozes’s biggest competitor, in exchange for favorable coverage in the press.
The police also recommended that Mozes be indicted. Attorney General Avihai
Mandelblit will now consider the charges. Netanyahu, as expected, denied any
wrongdoing, and equally predictably, the opposition in the Knesset called on
him to resign immediately. Israeli law does not require a prime minister to
step down simply because the police recommend he be indicted. He may not
have to resign even if he is indicted, unless he is eventually convicted.
The indictment could take a year to come; a conviction could take even
longer.
What could bring Netanyahu down would be the collapse of his coalition. At
least for now, though, his important coalition partners are sticking by him.
Moshe Kahlon, head of the Kulanu (All of Us) Party, could topple the
coalition by leaving it, but he has no plans to do so. Naftali Bennett, head
of the right-wing, nationalist Jewish Home party and Netanyahu’s primary
political worry at the moment, agreed that Netanyahu did not have to resign,
but seemed to leave his options open by chastising the prime minister for
failing to serve as a model of ethical behavior.
And what about the public? If one were to judge by the morning papers, it
would seem that large swathes have had enough. Yediot Achronot (the same
paper Netanyahu allegedly sought to influence) ran a New York Post-style
front cover with a photograph of the prime minister and the word BRIBERY in
large letters. The paper’s columnists, many of Israel’s most-widely read,
took care to praise their editor (also accused in the affair), but were
clear that Netanyahu has lost their trust.
Is the prime minister thus headed to the political desert? It is far too
early to know. Although there have been, in recent weeks, large protests in
Tel Aviv in opposition to political corruption, the sad reality is that
Israelis are no longer shocked by such accusations and the zero-tolerance
culture that was (at least in theory) in effect has long since faded. When,
in 1977, the press revealed that then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s wife,
Leah, maintained a small overseas bank account (left over from their years
when he had served as Israel’s ambassador to the United States), a practice
then prohibited by Israeli law, the country exploded in fury. Rabin had to
resign.
Since then, however, corruption has become widespread. Ehud Olmert resigned
as prime minister in March 2009 after allegations of corruption. In February
2016, he became Israel’s first former prime minister to go to jail (he was
released a few months ago). He joined Moshe Katsav, who had resigned as
president in July 2007 after he was accused of raping members of his staff.
Katsav was also convicted and entered prison in December 2011. Katsav shared
a cell with Shlomo Benizri, former minister of labor and social welfare, who
had also been convicted of fraud. Several dozen former ministers, members of
Knesset and other public officials have been convicted of fraud or other
crimes and a former chief rabbi is now on his way to jail -- a serious blow
to the social ethos once prevailed in Israel. Although the country can still
take some comfort in the fact that the judiciary has been successful in
prosecuting even the country’s highest officials, the corruption trend has
not been reversed.
Yet one major factor may well weigh in favor of Netanyahu, the ultimate
political survivor. The Israeli version of “the urgent trumping the
important” is security trumping everything else. This week, Israel shot down
an Iranian drone that had entered its airspace, which led to an Israeli
bombing raid on Syrian and Iranian installations in Syria in which an
Israeli F-16 was shot down (the first since Ron Arad was shot down in 1986).
Israel followed up with an intense attack on more Syrian and Iranian
installations, which the army thinks took out nearly half of Syria’s air
defense system.
As both pilots parachuted to safety (one suffered serious injuries but is in
an Israeli hospital and expected to make a full recovery), the day ended
with a sigh of relief. But a low level of dread prevails. In some of the
Israeli press, the day is being called the first battle of an all but
inevitable Israel-Iran war. The question on many Israelis’ minds is, “When
will the next war begin?”
That may help Netanyahu, for Israelis want to know who will protect them
best. And they trust Netanyahu to fight when needed, but not to do so
recklessly. Ultimately, more than any other Israeli politician, in times of
war (which have been few during his administrations), he proves to be the
grownup in the room. In a country that has never known a day of peace since
its founding in 1948, no matter how distasteful they may find the corruption
allegations, having a strong but level-headed leader matters more to
Israelis than anything else.
Exclusive - International Community Must Unite to Save
the Syrian Civilians
Sheikh Sabah Khalid al-Hamad Al Sabah and Margot Wallström/Asharq Al Awsat/February
19/18
After seven years of war, the violence and intolerable suffering inflicted
on the civilian population in Syria continues without respite. In fact, we
are now witnessing some of the worst fighting since the conflict began. In
the past few weeks alone, hundreds more people have lost their lives and
tens of thousands have been driven from their homes. There are persistent
reports of attacks directed at hospitals and schools, revealing complete
disregard for human life and the duty to protect civilians.
Time is running out for the people of Syria. Even before the most recent
escalation, the humanitarian situation in Syria was one of the worst in the
world. The conflict has driven 11 million people, half of the Syrian
population, from their homes, time and again. Many have found refuge in the
region and beyond. Inside Syria, 13 million people are dependent on
humanitarian assistance to stay alive. The worst affected are the 2.5
million people trapped in towns and cities that are cut off from the rest of
the country by military sieges. As a result of this cruel tactic,
humanitarian access to these communities is now almost non-existent. They
cannot survive much longer. The current escalation of violence will
undoubtedly push many over the edge. Children and young people make up more
than half of the displaced, as well as half of those in need of humanitarian
assistance.
Against this background, and in response to calls from the United Nations
and its humanitarian agencies, Sweden and Kuwait have proposed a resolution
in the UN Security Council. The draft resolution calls for an immediate
pause in hostilities in Syria to enable regular aid convoys with food and
medicines to all those in need, increased protection of civilians and the
safe medical evacuation of the critically ill and wounded. Our message is
clear: the international community can no longer stand idly by as this
devastating human tragedy continues to escalate.
We must now show unity and put the lives of civilians first. The human toll
of this conflict to date has been devastating and the unwillingness of the
Security Council to act is putting its credibility at stake. However, the
adoption of resolution 2393 in December 2017 shows that meaningful Council
action to alleviate the suffering in Syria is possible. Resolution 2393
ensured the continuation of a vital humanitarian lifeline for three million
Syrians in parts of the north and south of the country. It was the only
resolution on Syria adopted within the Council last year. More must be done
to address the needs of civilians right across the country. Although the
tireless efforts of the humanitarian community are important, the only way
to end the humanitarian crisis in Syria is through a sustainable political
solution to the conflict. We know that a sustainable peace is more likely to
be achieved when women are adequately represented and actively participate
in the decision-making. We remain convinced that the only viable path to a
just peace in Syria is through the UN-led political process. The UN
Secretary-General and his Special Envoy, Staffan de Mistura, have our full
support in their efforts.
In the absence of a political solution, civilians will continue to bear the
brunt of the conflict. They need us to act now to save lives. We trust that
all members of the Security Council will put their differences aside, engage
constructively and adopt a purely humanitarian resolution that can make a
real difference for people who have suffered through seven years of
conflict. Surely, we can do at least this.
Turkey Threatens to Invade Greece
Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/February 19/2018
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11907/turkey-greece-invasion
Turkey's ruling party, and even much of the opposition, seem intent on, if
not obsessed with, invading and conquering these Greek islands, on the
grounds that they are actually Turkish territory.
"The things we have done so far [pale in comparison to the] even greater
attempts and attacks [we are planning for] the coming days, inshallah [Allah
willing]." – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, February 12, 2018.
The head of the state-funded Directorate of Religious Affairs, the Diyanet,
has openly described Turkey's recent military invasion of Afrin as "jihad."
This designation makes sense when one considers that Muslim Turks owe their
demographic majority in Asia Minor to centuries of Turkish persecution and
discrimination against the Christian, Yazidi and Jewish inhabitants of the
area.
In an incident that took place less than two weeks after the Greek Defense
Ministry announced that Turkey had violated Greek airspace 138 times in a
single day, a Turkish coast guard patrol boat on February 13 rammed a Greek
coast guard vessel off the shore of Imia, one of many Greek islands over
which Turkey claims sovereignty.
Most of the areas within modern Greece's current borders were under the
occupation of the Ottoman Empire from the mid-15th century until the Greek
War of Independence in 1821 and the establishment of the modern Greek state
in 1832. The islands, however, like the rest of Greece, are legally and
historically Greek, as their names indicate.
Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), however, and even much
of the opposition seem intent on, if not obsessed with, invading and
conquering these Greek islands, on the grounds that they are actually
Turkish territory.
In December, for instance, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of the main
Turkish opposition CHP party, stated that when he wins the election in 2019,
he will "invade and take over 18 Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, just as
former Turkish PM Bulent Ecevit invaded Cyprus in 1974." He said that there
is "no document" proving that those islands belong to Greece.
Meral Akşener, the head of the newly established opposition "Good Party,"
has also called for an invasion and conquest of the islands. "What is
required must be done," she tweeted on January 13.
The most garish muscle-flexing has come from Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdoğan, of course, who seems emboldened by his military invasion of the
Afrin region in northern Syria having gone virtually unchallenged.
"We warn those who have crossed the line in the Aegean and Cyprus," Erdoğan
declared, continuing:
"Their courage persists only until they see our army, our ships and our
planes... Whatever Afrin is to us, our rights in the Aegean and Cyprus are
the same. Do not ever think that the natural gas exploration in the waters
of Cyprus and the opportunistic attempts in the Aegean Sea drop off our
radar.
"Just as we disrupt the plots [in the region] through Operation Euphrates
Shield and Operation Olive Branch [on Syria], and soon in Manbij and other
regions, we can and we will disrupt the plots of those who engage in
miscalculations on our southern border... Our warships and air forces are
keeping an eye on the area closely to intervene in every way when required."
Referring to the days of the Ottoman Empire, Erdoğan went on:
"Those who think that we have erased from our hearts the lands from which we
withdrew in tears a hundred years ago are wrong.
"We say at every opportunity we have that Syria, Iraq and other places in
the geography [map] in our hearts are no different from our own homeland. We
are struggling so that a foreign flag will not be waved anywhere where adhan
[Islamic call to prayer in mosques] is recited.
"The things we have done so far [pale in comparison to the] even greater
attempts and attacks [we are planning for] the coming days, inshallah [Allah
willing]."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan recently said: "We warn those who
have crossed the line in the Aegean and Cyprus... Their courage persists
only until they see our army, our ships and our planes." (Photo by Elif
Sogut/Getty Images)
The Ottoman dynasty and empire was established by a nomadic Turkmen chief
sometime around the year 1300. During the more than 600 years of the Ottoman
period, the Ottoman Turks, who also represented the Islamic Caliphate,
regularly launched wars of jihad, invading and occupying lands across five
continents.
Neo-Ottomanists in Turkey still proudly embrace the concept of jihad
(Islamic holy war) against the kafirs (infidels). The head of the
state-funded Directorate of Religious Affairs, the Diyanet, has openly
described Turkey's recent military invasion of Afrin as "jihad."
This designation makes sense when one considers that Muslim Turks owe their
demographic majority in Asia Minor to centuries of Turkish Muslim
persecution and discrimination against the Christian, Yazidi and Jewish
inhabitants of the area. In the 11th century, Turkic jihadists from Central
Asia invaded and conquered the Greek-speaking, Christian Byzantine Empire,
paving the way for the gradual Turkification and Islamization of the region
through methods such as murder, kidnapping, rape and forced conversions.
The greatest 20th century Turkish assault against Christians took place in
the 1914-1923 genocide of Greeks, Armenians and Assyrians (Syriacs/Chaldeans)
in Ottoman Turkey. This did not prevent Turkey, which continues to deny the
genocide, from becoming a member of NATO in 1952. The assault also did not
stop Turkey, three years after joining NATO, from committing a savage
anti-Greek pogrom in Istanbul or from forcibly expelling the remaining
Greeks from Turkey in 1964.
It is precisely because the Turks have never been held accountable for their
criminal actions and aggression that they continue to threaten the security
and sovereignty of their neighbors. It is high time for the West wake up and
take Ankara to task.
*Uzay Bulut is a Turkish journalist born and raised in Turkey. She is
presently based in Washington D.C.
© 2018 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.
Germany: Meet Jens Spahn, Merkel's Possible Successor
..."I am a burkaphobe."
Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/February 19/2018
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11912/germany-jens-spahn
"What is clear at any rate: the financing [of imams] by foreign actors must
stop." — Jens Spahn, Deutsche Welle.
"The message that 'If you reach a Greek island, you will be in Germany in
six days,' not only encourages refugees from Syria, but also many people in
Bangladesh and India. No country in the world, and no European Union, can
withstand that if we give up control of our external borders." — Jens Spahn,
Die Zeit.
"To anyone who makes their way to Germany, it must made be clear that their
life here will be very different from that at home. They should think
carefully about whether they really want to live in this western culture." —
Die Welt.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has sparked a mutiny from within her own party over
a controversial coalition deal that allows her to remain in office for a
fourth term. The deal, in which Merkel agreed to relinquish control over the
most influential government ministries, has led a growing number of voices
from within her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) to say — publicly — that it
is time to begin looking for her successor.
In a prime-time interview with ZDF television on February 11, Merkel,
already in power for 12 years, rejected the criticism and insisted that she
will serve another full four-year term. "I ran for a four-year term," she
said. "I promised those four years and I'm someone who keeps promises. I
totally stand behind that decision."
Merkel, who has been called the "Teflon Chancellor" because of her political
staying power, may indeed manage to eke out another four years in office,
albeit in a much-weakened position. Her decision in 2015 to allow into
Germany more than a million migrants from Africa, Asia and the Middle East
sparked a mass defection of angry CDU voters to the anti-immigration
Alternative for Germany (AfD), now the third-largest party in the German
parliament. As a result, in Germany's inconclusive election in September
2017, Merkel's party achieved its worst electoral result in nearly 70 years.
The coalition deal, reached on February 7 between her center-right CDU,
their Bavarian partners, the Christian Social Union (CSU), and the
center-left Social Democrats (SPD), must still be formally ratified by the
SPD's 460,000 rank and file members in a postal vote that begins on February
20. The outcome of that vote will be announced on March 4.
If the coalition agreement is not approved, Merkel may attempt to form a
minority government, or German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier may call
fresh elections. Either way, Merkel likely will face growing pressure to
step aside.
A poll published by Focus on February 17 found that German voters are
increasingly growing weary of Merkel. Nearly half (47.2%) of the respondents
said that Merkel should step aside during the next legislative period; 38.5%
said Merkel should to complete the full term.
The jockeying to succeed Merkel has intensified in recent days. At least
half-a-dozen people are said to be in the running to assume leadership of
the CDU if Merkel steps down.
A top contender, according to German political commentators, is Jens Spahn,
a 37-year-old openly homosexual Roman Catholic with a reputation for
straight talk. One of the rising stars of CDU's younger generation, he is
viewed by many as a possible future chancellor.
Spahn, who hails from Ahaus, a small town near the German-Dutch border, was
elected to parliament at the age of 22, before he was graduated from
university. As deputy finance minister since 2015, he has been a vocal
critic of Germany's healthcare and pension systems because of the massive
financial burden they impose on future generations.
Spahn, a politically incorrect "liberal-conservative," appears determined to
reverse some of the CDU's leftwards ideological drift, which occurred under
Merkel's leadership. He has accused the CDU of being "too accommodating of a
liberal elite that has become convinced of its own moral superiority." He
has also said that he wants to win back disgruntled CDU voters who defected
to the AfD.
Merkel may try to thwart Spahn's ambitions in retaliation for his public
criticism of her policies. Spahn does not, however, appear easily
intimidated.
Pictured: German Chancellor Angela Merkel (right) and Jens Spahn (left), a
top contender for succeeding Merkel as leader of the CDU party. (Photo by
Volker Hartmann/Getty Images)
The following is a brief compilation of Spahn's stated positions on issues
related to Islam, immigration and integration.
Islam
Spahn has said that Germany needs an "Islam law" to regulate Muslim
religious communities and ensure that what is being preached in mosques
around the country is "transparent." He cited Austria as a precedent: "The
Austrians have had an Islam law since imperial times and things there
function better. We could learn from them."
Spahn has called for German language tests for imams, saying that many of
the preachers who deliver sermons in German mosques come from abroad, cannot
speak German and are paid by other countries: "Do we really know if their
sermons are being made in accordance with our laws? And it's about more than
that. Is it enough, just to ask that they don't break the law? Should they
not encourage cooperation and integration?"
Spahn has demanded that mosques be registered, saying that authorities "do
not know how many mosques there are in Germany, where they are or who
finances them."
In addition, Spahn has called for the training of imams, teachers of
religion and counselors to be paid for with taxpayer money. "That will be a
hard debate, but I would rather we finance this than that the money comes
from Turkey or Saudi Arabia," he said, noting that a "church tax" for
Muslims was also a possibility: "If the Muslim communities want a tax law,
we should talk about it." He added: "What is clear at any rate: the
financing by foreign actors must stop."
Spahn has criticized Christian churches in Germany, accusing them of being
"uncritical" with respect to Islam. "A friendly photo of fast-breaking, then
each goes their own way; it can't go on like that."
In an interview with the Guardian, Spahn said: "Germany's dominant culture
and lifestyle has become a lot more liberal in the last 10 years, whether
you are looking at gays and lesbians or at immigration. But my biggest fear
is that this new openness is under pressure—from a very conservative form of
Islam and a rightwing backlash against immigration—and that we will have to
fight very hard to preserve it."
Spahn recently asked: "What is our relationship to Islam? I would like to
turn this question around: what is the relationship of Islam to us?"
Open Borders
Spahn has repeatedly criticized Merkel's open-door migration policy. He has
described Merkel's failure to control mass migration as "a kind of state
failure."
In an interview with Die Zeit, Spahn said he supports Hungarian President
Viktor Orbán's decision to close the Balkan refugee route: "The protection
of the EU borders is in the EU treaties. What Orbán is doing at the EU's
external borders is EU law, whether that pleases you or not. The message
that 'If you reach a Greek island, you will be in Germany in six days,' not
only encourages refugees from Syria, but also many people in Bangladesh and
India. No country in the world, and no European Union, can withstand that if
we give up control of our external borders."
Integration
Spahn has said that all migrants should be required to adapt to German
society. In an interview with the Financial Times, Spahn said: "For me what
is decisive is that those who come here, understand, above all, that the
values of the western world, this freedom, these basic principles, are
different from those in Afghanistan, Syria, China or Bangladesh and that our
society is therefore different.
"In essence, it is not only a matter of living by and recognizing the rules,
but also of feeling that you belong to a community with a common future."
Spahn told Die Welt: "To anyone who makes their way to Germany, it must made
be clear that their life here will be very different from that at home. They
should think carefully about whether they really want to live in this
western culture."
In an interview with Stern, Spahn said that German immigration policy must
be revised: "Let us formulate common expectations for those who want to be
part of our society, and then ensure that those expectations are complied
with."
Spahn told Der Spiegel: "To anyone who considers our open society to be
corrupt and effeminate, or who wants to live in a theocracy, I simply say:
go and find another country."
Spahn has attacked those on the political left who, he said, have sought to
justify honor killings and forced marriages as being culturally determined.
Spahn has demanded strict penalties for Muslims who refuse to send their
children to school: "Anyone who does not allow his daughter to attend school
must know that in the future the girl will be picked up at her home by
government agencies and brought to school. If children are persistently
truant, welfare benefits should be cut. We have not been consistent enough
in the past, and this misunderstood tolerance has always been to the
detriment of the children."
Spahn has called for punishing repeat offenders with tougher penalties: "The
biggest problems we have with the lack of willingness to integrate is with
migrants from the Arab region—unfortunately also in matters of crime."
Spahn has called for a burqa ban: "A ban on the complete veiling, of nikabs
and burkas, is overdue, even as a signal to the world." He added that men
who force their wives to wear the Muslim full veil are "wrong" to be in
Europe. "I do not want to see a burka in this country," he said. "In this
sense, I am a burkaphobe." On a television talk show broadcast by ZDF, one
of Germany's main public broadcasters, Spahn said: "It is not particularly
enriching to drive through streets where I don't see any women, and if I do,
they are wearing headscarves."
Muslim Anti-Semitism
Spahn has repeatedly warned that Germany is "importing" anti-Semitism from
the Muslim world, where, he said, the hatred of Jews is an "omnipresent part
of everyday life." In an interview with Der Spiegel, said that Muslim
immigrations were responsible for a resurgence of anti-Semitism in Germany:
"Let's not fool ourselves: immigration from Islamic countries is changing
the climate in our country."Spahn denounced pro-Palestinian demonstrators
who in December called for the murder of Jews and burned Israeli flags at
the Brandenburg Gate to protest the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as the
capital of Israel. "Burning the Star of David in front of the Brandenburg
Gate is unacceptable, whether by right-wing extremists or Arab fanatics. The
response from our government must be resolute." He added: "We have been
ignoring imported anti-Semitism for too long with shrugs of misunderstood
tolerance."
Spahn appears to harbor no illusions about Palestinian nationalism. "Israel
uses weapons to protect its civilians, Hamas uses civilians to protect its
weapons," he wrote in a tweet.
Anti-Americanism
Spahn has criticized the SPD for stirring
up "cheap resentment" against the United States: "I find it impossible that
[Foreign Minister Sigmar] Gabriel and [SPD chancellor candidate Martin]
Schulz constantly show our American friends the middle finger." He said that
the SPD's treatment of the United States, Germany's closest ally, was
"irresponsible" and added: "There are transatlantic traditions that a
Foreign Minister should not trample on." He also accused Schulz and Gabriel
of setting "completely different standards" with regards to U.S. President
Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Future Plans
Spahn, who has said that politics are part of his genetic makeup, recently
visited an elementary school in his electoral district, where a
fourth-grader asked him: "Do you want to be chancellor one day?" Spahn
replied: "Let's wait and see. I enjoy being part of making fundamental
decisions. We'll see what jobs might await."
*Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute.
© 2018 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.
Successful investment
gurus are made not born
Dr. Mohamed A. Ramady/Al Arabiya/February 19/18
In many coffee shops in the Gulf, discussion soon turns to how friends,
lowly or otherwise, made millions in their investments, and to bragging
about one’s own imaginary prowess in this field. The truth is often less
glamorous with more stories of woes than riches. While there are very few
globally recognized successful investors such as Warren Buffet, there are
many smaller successful individual investors. What are the common factors
that these smaller investors have in common and the secrets of their
success? They might not be making 30 or 40 percent plus- returns every year,
but they have been consistently successful and it is apparent that they
share some common factors. Amongst these are some well-founded investment
principles which our coffee shop loving friends should bear in mind. The
first is simple – not accepting announced company financial figures without
questioning but is the most difficult as it involves some hard research.
Analysis of released company financial and other management information is a
good place to start, as well as more research on the company from public
sources, and this is why lazy but financially literate individual investors
pay high fees to professional investment managers to do. A good researcher
will be able to examine further items on the income statement (profitability
statement) where investors should be aware of remarks noting “exceptional
earnings” items such as in selling land that has not gained from operational
activities of the listed company. Too many Gulf statements and reports are
nothing but glossy PR documents and still lack fuller transparency. A second
approach is technical by buying low debt-to-equity stocks. While some
investors have their own target ratio, most of these successful investors
seem to stick to companies with a debt-to-equity ratio of below 50 percent.
These investors felt uncomfortable with companies with a high debt ratio on
a company’s balance sheet. They believe that during times of financial
crisis and tough bank lending policies, companies with high debt were the
ones most likely to be in trouble in their expansion plans or in meeting
their debt obligations. Those in the Gulf with Islamic finance preference,
also feel more comfortable with such type of companies.
While not every successful investor will be the same, yet there are common
characteristics that successful investors share which could be easily
adopted by any investor seeking long term returns
Key assets
Another tip is to concentrate portfolios in key assets. While portfolio
asset management best practice is to have a more diversified portfolio, yet
some of the successful investors chose to have concentrated portfolios based
on a smaller number of stocks. This was only successful as it was based on
some very detailed company research, and not on “tips” and guess-work.
Another is avoiding a dividend trap. Paying out large dividend returns might
be something that all investors look forward to receiving, but sometimes
paying out large dividends might not necessarily be a good sign. The company
could be setting a “dividend trap” to ensure their stock is in high demand,
when careful analysis of their income statement and balance sheet reveals
that this high dividend payment is not sustainable. Again, in the Gulf, some
investors seem fixated on this short-term goal. Another well-established
strategy and seemingly obvious is seeking out promising companies that are
undervalued because of temporary operational problems. These successful
investors did not follow the “herd mentality” and looked for investment
opportunities that were either over priced because of irrational buying
(they sold out), or were sharply sold due to irrational selling (they
bought). Sometimes a temporary “negative” news about a company’s operations
or a slowdown in its expected commercialization of a particular patent or
investment plans gave some of these successful investors the opportunity to
buy the company stock based on their long-term expectations of a turnaround
in the negative news. This though requires nerves of steel and avoiding
self-doubt. Too ‘greedy’. While some investors wait until their stocks have
risen ten-fold before selling, others are content to sell after a few points
have been gained. The key point here is that one should not get too “greedy”
but take profits which are in line with achievable goals and targets.
Setting achievable goals only comes about if there is a strategy in place
which has clear asset-allocation and risk/reward portfolio parameters in
place. Setting achievable goals also includes being disciplined savers, as
savings will facilitate investment opportunities. The story of Warren Buffet
and how he made his millions is an inspiration of a success story for all
investors. Known as the “Oracle of Omaha” for his remarkable investment
skills, Buffet has made a huge fortune but is also is a significant
philanthropist giving billions to charity.
What is the basis of his success? In summary, Buffet’s investment philosophy
was one based on the principle of buying stocks in well-managed and
primarily under-valued companies. He was a long-term investor and not a
short-term speculator which alas seems to be the majority of those
individuals investing in the regional stock markets. He refused to be swayed
by new investment “gimmicks” and did not enter the “dot.com” investment
bubble and sat out the incredible run-up in technology stocks during the
late 1990’s and is today wary of the Bitcoin craze.
He focused on basic industries serving the long term needs of the community
such as health, food, telecommunication and transport. Buffet saved
consistently and still remains frugal and low key in his personal
expenditure. In conclusion, while not every successful investor will be the
same, yet there are common characteristics that successful investors share
which could be easily adopted by any investor seeking long term returns.
Next time one meets with coffee shop investment guru friends, just remember
some of the basics of successful investments and sit back and enjoy the
coffee.
Russia ‘hacking’ American elections
Mashari Althaydi/Al Arabiya/February 19/18
US special counsel Robert Mueller’s recent report which he discussed at a
Congress hearing session frankly indicted Russian figures and exposed the
depth of Russia’s infiltration of American affairs and not just of American
elections. Mueller’s report accused 13 Russians of involvement in a
conspiracy that aims to influence the results of the 2016 presidential
elections by using Facebook and Instagram accounts.Mueller’s report and
American media reports have spoken about frantic Russian activity over the
past few years to create social media content that serves the Russian scheme
all the way from Moscow or Saint Petersburg. The issue, which is only in the
beginning, is alarming. We are before a new chapter of the Russian-American
war where Russian youths or American agents who are skilled in software
programming are used to manipulate ordinary Americans. Some parties in our
Arab world are doing what the Russian intelligence is doing. Online pages
and websites have been created by the Brotherhood and its sympathizers to
attack certain states. Countries that sponsor the Brotherhood in the region
have also spent a lot of money to create content that serves the
Brotherhood’s propaganda – as seen via Qatar’s media platforms and websites.
Fake Twitter and Facebook accounts and YouTube channels are created every
hour to confuse the public opinion, particularly that of Saudi Arabia, Egypt
and the UAE
Fake accounts
Al-Jazeera television channel often cites strange websites that are depicted
as skilled and professional. Fake Twitter and Facebook accounts and YouTube
channels are created every hour to confuse the public opinion, particularly
that of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE. Let’s go back to Russia’s
cyberattack on the US and the West as even France was not spared of these
attacks. The Russians have been very successful at this new war, and we are
all familiar with the story of Russian-American spy Snowden. Commenting on
social media networks which have become an arena for recent Russian
operations, like Facebook, Ann Ravel, a former member at the US Federal
Election Commission, said internet companies may have to resort to bank
practices to identify their customers and periodically exchange information
with the authorities. Meanwhile, Facebook said it will make “major
investments” to look out for future cyberattacks and will cooperate with US
security apparatuses. The Russians were quick to make use of their youths’
sense of adventure and turned them into global commando operatives. For
example, in 2016, the University of St. Petersburg won a software
programming championship for five times in a row. During a ceremony honoring
students, the Russian defense minister said: “We must work with these
youths, one way or another, because we desperately need them.”
We are truly in a world of deadly illusions.
How Qatari funding contributed to Arab destruction
Sawsan Al Shaer/Al Arabiya/February 19/18
Recent reports and investigations have exposed Qatar’s role in funding
rebels in Arab countries under the excuse of “supporting persecuted people”
and showed that the Arab Spring was neither spontaneous nor random. Evidence
which has been hidden for years eventually came to surface exposing how the
so-called Arab Spring was schemed in the dark. Qatar’s role in the Tunisian
Jasmine Revolution was concealed for years in an attempt to make the latter
look like it was spontaneous. However, movements that oppose political Islam
and Ennahda Movement insist not to let the “crimes” which the latter
committed pass without punishment. Some prohibitions have been permitted and
some crimes have been justified such as high treason that’s represented in
accepting money from foreign military parties. Such crimes would not have
been allowed if there hadn’t been a “legitimate cover.”Qatar’s friends in
Tunisia attempted to conceal Doha’s role in dubious funding in North Africa;
however, these attempts have failed as al-Hurra parliamentary bloc MP Sahbi
Ben Faraj revealed that Tunisian military officials and civilians benefited
from Qatari funds for unknown purposes. Qatar’s role in the Tunisian Jasmine
Revolution was concealed for years in an attempt to make the latter look
like it was spontaneous
A retired general
According to a document cited by Faraj, suspicious money transfers were made
by a “retired general in the Qatari armed forces to some Tunisian banks.”
The account included funds derived from an account under the name of the
Qatari Armed Forces, which is part of the bank account of the Embassy of the
State of Qatar in Tunisia. The suspicious funds and cash withdrawn from the
account amounted to $2 billion. The commission tasked with investigating the
matter examined semi-high officials, including military personnel, who
benefited from these funds. Then-Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa was informed of
the matter on November 17, 2014. The Ministry of Defense questioned the
suspected Qatari general on December 4, 2014, before referring the case to
the military court. On April 4, 2015, then-Prime Minister Habib Essid took
legal action that led to issuing a judicial order to hand over the case file
to a department that looks into terror crimes. On July 24, 2015, the bank
accounts of the Qatari general in question were frozen based on a judge
order. The frozen amount is estimated at 3 million Tunisian dinars. After
four years of investigation and not announcing who’s involved and who’s
responsible, whether in the defense or justice ministries or at the Central
Bank, MP Marwan al-Falafel told Al Arabiya that Al Hurra parliamentary bloc,
will “set up a committee for investigation and follow-up in the framework of
its oversight and parliamentary responsibilities.”
Tunisia’s security
He added that no one was above the law “especially when it comes to Qatar’s
infiltration of Tunisia’s security and when dealing with foreign parties
that want to destabilize the country and the region.”For four years, Qatar’s
friends who benefited from Qatar’s funds tried to dismiss the matter but
free Tunisian parties rejected doing so and insisted on exposing facts and
on informing the public opinion all about Qatar’s and traitors’ role in
harming Tunisia and leading it into the dark. National principles and values
have been tampered with in favor of so-called cross-border parties which
must be strictly confronted and exposed to all those who have been misled by
their lies. Those who prohibited groups in Bahrain to accept any Iranian
funds must also reject any Qatari funding of a Tunisian, Egyptian, Algerian
or Moroccan movement. Principles are principles and they can neither be
fragmented nor amended.
The triumph of truth
Hussein Shobokshi/Al Arabiya/February 19/18
Barring the renowned businessman Michael Bloomberg who later became the
mayor of New York City, the most important and famous mayor in the history
of the great city was Edward Irving Koch. He was known for his very unique
management style. He always went to the streets and walked among the people
and asked them without any introductions: “What do you think of my
performance?” His philosophy and justification for this behavior is that the
city’s residents are his “clients” or “customers” and he must know directly
and without any intermediary about their satisfaction with his performance,
as they are the only one concerned. I remembered all this. I was talking to
a distinguished Arab minister who I met recently by chance. The talk was
about the administrative methods that must be adopted and how he is
“different” from his predecessors. He said his purpose is development and
progress, but the people “did not absorb” the purpose and began to explain
detailed challenges faced by, no one else can face it, and no one can
appreciate that task. And when he found me, I did not comment on what he was
saying, so he said: Why do not you join me in the talking? I said to him
that you cannot tolerate the other opinion and consider any criticism as an
objection and denial. However, I am from the school that believes that any
decision should lead to the public good, and it is not harmful as we know
the purposes of the Shariah that the law does not come only fine and what
causes harm is not lawful. You are required to open clear, transparent and
respectable lines with your “customers” and listen to them with depth,
respect, seriousness and non-transcendence, considering that they “did not
understand your aim” and therefore be “the defect in them”, I told him
remember well our dialogues before you and get this position? Direct
communication is the shortest way between the official and people and
honesty is always saved
The last meeting
You were very understanding and very convinced of many of the same points I
mentioned to you in our last meeting about the challenges. He tried to
object. I told him that meant we had one of two things, you change your
opinion, or the second possibility is that you were not convinced enough and
was not a principled position or did not understand and absorb it and in
both cases, the defect remains with you. We ended the conversation cordially
and left the place and I have a growing conviction that the problem of
ministers in the Arab world is the result of the communication gap between
decision-making and “decision-receivers”. There is contempt for the media by
the ministers in addition to considering the right of the citizen to
question is a kind of curiosity, by itself. This automatically creates a
very embarrassing and negative situation of mistrust and thus constant
skepticism about declarations and promises. This never helps to instill
confidence and build a spirit of hope amidst a climate full of rumors,
noise, negativity and pessimism. Direct communication is the shortest way
between the official and people and honesty is always saved. It is a new old
wisdom and what was applied yesterday is also valid for the day.