LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
September 03/17
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For Today
In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 14/01-07/:”‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.’Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

‘I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.’
Acts of the Apostles 03/01-10L:”One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, at three o’clock in the afternoon. And a man lame from birth was being carried in. People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms. Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, ‘Look at us.’ And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, ‘I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.’And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. Jumping up, he stood and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. All the people saw him walking and praising God, and they recognized him as the one who used to sit and ask for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.”

Question: "What does it mean that believers are to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16)?"
Answer: Jesus used the concepts of salt and light a number of different times to refer to the role of His followers in the world. One example is found in Matthew 5:13: “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” Salt had two purposes in the Middle East of the first century. Because of the lack of refrigeration, salt was used to preserve food, especially meat which would quickly spoil in the desert environment. Believers in Christ are preservatives to the world, preserving it from the evil inherent in the society of ungodly men whose unredeemed natures are corrupted by sin (Psalm 14:3; Romans 8:8).
Second, salt was used then, as now, as a flavor enhancer. In the same way that salt enhances the flavor of the food it seasons, the followers of Christ stand out as those who “enhance” the flavor of life in this world. Christians, living under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and in obedience to Christ, will inevitably influence the world for good, as salt has a positive influence on the flavor of the food it seasons. Where there is strife, we are to be peacemakers; where there is sorrow, we are to be the ministers of Christ, binding up wounds, and where there is hatred, we are to exemplify the love of God in Christ, returning good for evil (Luke 6:35).
In the analogy of light to the world, the good works of Christ’s followers are to shine for all to see. The following verses in Matthew 5 highlight this truth: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16, NASB). The idea here is similar—the presence of light in darkness is something which is unmistakable. The presence of Christians in the world must be like a light in the darkness, not only in the sense that the truth of God’s Word brings light to the darkened hearts of sinful man (John 1:1-10), but also in the sense that our good deeds must be evident for all to see. And indeed, our deeds will be evident if they are performed in accordance with the other principles which Jesus mentions in this passage, such as the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-11. Notice especially that the concern is not that Christians would stand out for their own sake, but that those who looked on might “glorify your Father who is in heaven” (v. 16, KJV).
In view of these verses, what sorts of things can hinder or prevent the Christian from fulfilling his or her role as salt and light in the world? The passage clearly states that the difference between the Christian and the world must be preserved; therefore, any choice on our part which blurs the distinction between us and the rest of the world is a step in the wrong direction. This can happen either through a choice to accept the ways of the world for the sake of comfort or convenience or to contravene the law of obedience to Christ.
Mark 9:50 suggests that saltiness can be lost specifically through a lack of peace with one another; this follows from the command to “have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.” And in Luke 14:34-35, we find a reference to the metaphor of salt once again, this time in the context of obedient discipleship to Jesus Christ. The loss of saltiness occurs in the failure of the Christian to daily take up the cross and follow Christ wholeheartedly.
It seems, then, that the role of the Christian as salt and light in the world may be hindered or prevented through any choice to compromise or settle for that which is more convenient or comfortable, rather than that which is truly best and pleasing to the Lord. Moreover, the status of salt and light is something which follows naturally from the Christian’s humble obedience to the commandments of Christ. It is when we depart from the Spirit-led lifestyle of genuine discipleship that the distinctions between ourselves and the rest of the world become blurred and our testimony is hindered. Only by remaining focused on Christ and being obedient to Him can we expect to remain salt and light in the world.
**Recommended Resource: Love Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul, Revised and Updated by J.P. Moreland
**GotQuestions.org?

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on September 02-03/17
Hezbollah says bulk of IS convoy has left Syrian government area/Reuters/September 02/17
Hezbollah helps hundreds of ISIS jihadists stuck in Syrian desert/Ynetnews/September 02/17
US media details Hezbollah's spread throughout Middle East/Ynetnews/September 02/17
How Qatar’s leadership is working for Iran/Abdullah bin Bijad Al-Otaibi/Al Arabiya/September 02/17
Financing terrorism drains Iran’s economy/Dr. Ibrahim Al-Othaimin/Al Arabiya/September 02/17
GCC and the possibility of Qatar’s withdrawal/Salman al-Dosary/Al Arabiya/September 02/17
ISIS crisis: Setbacks bring change to media strategy/Dr. Halla Diyab/Al Arabiya/September 02/17
New NGO Racket: Smuggling, Inc./Douglas Murray/Gatestone Institute/September 02/17

Titles For Latest LCCC Lebanese Related News published on September 02-03/17
Hezbollah says bulk of IS convoy has left Syrian government area
Iran: 'If attacked, war won't be limited to our borders'
Hezbollah helps hundreds of ISIS jihadists stuck in Syrian desert
US media details Hezbollah's spread throughout Middle East
Hezbollah holds America responsible for subjecting Daesh buses to shelling, urges international community to prevent terrible massacre
Hariri to CNews: Supporting Army strengthens the State, enables it to fight terrorism
Bou Assi says Lebanon cannot be built based on the current balance of power in the country
Zahra: Hariri is trying to keep government coherent, yet it has not succeeded in gaining confidence todate
Lebanese citizen dies in Mecca during Hajj rituals

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 02-03/17
Thousands of Arab-Israelis to have citizenship revoked
Belgian FM stresses need for ‘transparent financial flows’ in Qatar meeting
Coalition airstrike destroys Houthi ballistic missile platform
Donald Trump to host world leaders in UN to push for reform

Latest Lebanese Related News published on September 02-03/17
Hezbollah says bulk of IS convoy has left Syrian government area
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=58383
https://in.reuters.com/article/myanmar-rohingya/rohingya-muslims-flee-as-more-than-2600-houses-burned-in-myanmars-rakhine-idINKCN1BD087
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Most of an Islamic State evacuation convoy stuck in east Syria has crossed out of government territory and is no longer the responsibility of the Syrian government or its ally Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shi‘ite group said on Saturday.
A U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State has been using warplanes to prevent the convoy from entering territory held by the jihadists in east Syria. Hezbollah and the Syrian army had escorted it from west Syria as part of a truce deal.
“The Syrian state and Hezbollah have fulfilled their obligations to transfer buses out of the area of Syrian government control without exposing them,” the statement said.
Hezbollah said in a statement that the U.S.-led jets were still blocking the convoy of fighters and their families, which was stuck in the desert, and were also stopping any aid from reaching it.
Six buses remain in government-held territory under the protection and care of the Syrian state and Hezbollah, the statement said. There were originally 17 buses in the convoy.
Hezbollah said there were old people, casualties and pregnant women in the buses stranded outside Syrian government control in the desert and called on the international community to step in to prevent them coming to harm.
About 300 lightly armed fighters were travelling on the buses, having surrendered their enclave straddling Syria’s border with Lebanon on Monday under a deal which allowed them to join their jihadist comrades on the other side of the country. It angered both the U.S.-led coalition, which does not want more battle-hardened militants in an area where it is operating, and Iraq, which sees them as a threat because the convoy’s proposed destination of Al-Bukamal is close to its own border. The Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad, helped by Russia and Iran-backed militias including Hezbollah, is fighting Islamic State as it pushes eastwards across the desert.
A commander in the pro-Assad military alliance said earlier on Saturday that Hezbollah and the Syrian army were seeking an alternative way for the convoy to cross into Islamic State territory, having already tried two other routes.
“Work is under way to change the course of the convoy for a second time,” the commander said. The coalition has vowed to continue monitoring the convoy and disrupting any effort it makes to cross into jihadist territory but said it would not bomb it directly because it contains about 300 civilian family members of the fighters. It has asked Russia to tell the Syrian government that it will not allow the convoy to move further east towards the Iraqi border, according to a statement issued late on Friday. On Wednesday, the coalition said its jets had cratered a road and destroyed a bridge to stop the convoy progressing, and had bombed some of the jihadists’ comrades coming the other way to meet it.
Hezbollah and the Syrian army on Thursday changed the route of the convoy from Humeima, a hamlet deep in the southeast desert, to a location further north, but coalition jets again struck near that route, the commander said.
“It was considered a threat, meaning there was no passage that way,” the commander said. On Friday coalition jets made mock air raids over the convoy, the commander added. “It caused panic among the Daeshis. The militants are scared the convoy will be bombarded as soon as it enters Deir al-Zor,” the commander said, using a plural form of the Arabic acronym for Islamic state to refer to its fighters.
**Reporting by Laila Bassam; Writing by Angus McDowall; Editing by Helen Popper, Greg Mahlich

Iran: 'If attacked, war won't be limited to our borders'
Ynetnews/September 02/17/Addressing a group of officers in Tehran, Iranian military chief Mohammad Baqeri says even the arrogant West is smart enough to know that a ground war will cost them dearly. Enemies are unlikely to attack Iran, especially on the ground, the country’s military chief predicted on Saturday, saying even “unwise” leaders in the West know that any such conflict would have huge costs for them. US President Donald Trump, adopting an aggressive posture towards Iran after its test launch of a ballistic missile, said in February that “nothing is off the table” in dealing with Tehran, and the White House said it was putting Iran “on notice.”“In the remote case of an aggression (by enemies), this won’t be on the ground because they would face brave warriors,” Iran’s semi-official news agency Tasnim quoted military chief of staff General Mohammad Baqeri as saying.
“Thank God, even the unwise who lead world arrogance (the West)... can conclude that attacking the Islamic Republic would entail heavy costs,” Baqeri said at an air defense exhibition. “Even if they would control the start of an aggression, they would not have a say about its end and they won’t even be able to limit the war to Iran’s borders,” Baqeri added. The United States imposed unilateral sanctions against Iran last month after saying the ballistic missile tests violated a UN resolution, which endorsed a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers to lift sanctions. The resolution called upon Tehran not to undertake activities related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such technology. It stopped short of explicitly barring such activity. Iran denies its missile development breaches the resolution, saying its missiles are not designed to carry nuclear weapons.

Hezbollah helps hundreds of ISIS jihadists stuck in Syrian desert
حزب الله يساعد الدواعش الجهاديين العالقين في الصحراء السورية
Ynetnews/September 02/17
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=58376
Some 300 ISIS jihadists and their families have been stuck since Monday on the Syria-Lebanon border while the US-led coalition bombs the area to stop them from advancing towards the Iraqi border; Hezbollah and the Syrian regime, who reached a deal to evacuate the jihadists out of government-held territory, are looking for new routes to take the remaining fighters out of Syria.
Hezbollah on Saturday accused US-led forces of stranding a convoy of Islamic State fighters and civilians headed for Syria's Deir Ezzor province under an evacuation deal.
The convoy carrying hundreds of ISIS fighters as well as civilians was meant to travel from the Lebanon-Syria border to jihadist-held territory in eastern Syria under a deal Hezbollah helped broker.
But the US-led coalition has pounded the road to Deir Ezzor with air strikes to prevent the convoy reaching the ISIS-held town of Albukamal on the Iraqi border.
Hezbollah, which has defended the deal to remove ISIS fighters from the Lebanese frontier, said US-led forces had effectively stranded most of the convoy's 17 buses in the Syrian desert, beyond government reach.
"They are also preventing anyone from reaching them even to provide humanitarian assistance to families, the sick and wounded and the elderly," the Hezbollah statement said.
The convoy left the Lebanon-Syria border region on Monday, but Hezbollah said six of the buses remained in Syrian government-held territory.
"The Syrian state and Hezbollah have fulfilled their obligations to transfer buses out of the area of Syrian government control without exposing them," a statement by Hezbollah said Saturday, noting the buses that left government-held areas were no longer the responsibility of the Assad regime or its allies.
Hezbollah said there were old people, casualties and pregnant women in the buses stranded outside Syrian government control in the desert and called on the international community to step in to prevent them coming to harm.
A commander in the pro-Assad military alliance said earlier on Saturday that Hezbollah and the Syrian army were seeking an alternative way for the convoy to cross into Islamic State territory, having already tried two other routes.
"Work is under way to change the course of the convoy for a second time," the commander said.
About 300 lightly armed fighters were travelling on the buses, having surrendered their enclave straddling Syria's border with Lebanon on Monday under a deal which allowed them to join their jihadist comrades on the other side of the country.
The deal, brokered by Hezbollah with the support of its Syrian regime ally after a week-long offensive against ISIS, has been fiercely criticised by US-led forces and the Iraqi government.
The international coalition fighting ISIS has said it is unacceptable for jihadists to be transported to the border with Iraq, where pro-government forces this week ousted the extremist group from the northern city of Tal Afar.
The coalition has vowed to continue monitoring the convoy and disrupting any effort it makes to cross into jihadist territory but said it would not bomb it directly because it contains about 300 civilian family members of the fighters.
In a statement overnight, the coalition said it had sent a message to Damascus through Syria's ally Russia to say that "the Coalition will not condone ISIS fighters moving further east to the Iraqi border."
"The Coalition values human life and has offered suggestions on a course of action to save the women and children from any further suffering as a result of the Syrian regime's agreement," it added, without providing further details.
The coalition said it would not strike the convoy, but acknowledged hitting ISIS fighters and vehicles "seeking to facilitate the movement of ISIS fighters to the border area of our Iraqi partners."
Hezbollah accused US forces of hypocrisy, saying they had previously allowed ISIS fighters to flee territories in Iraq.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has described the deal as "unacceptable" and an "insult to the Iraqi people".
In Lebanon some criticized it for allowing fighters suspected of killing Lebanese citizens to escape on "air-conditioned buses."
Deir Ezzor in Syria's east is one of the jihadists' last remaining strongholds, where they hold most of the province and parts of its capital of the same name.
Reuters contributed to this report.
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5010904,00.html

US media details Hezbollah's spread throughout Middle East
الإعلام الأميركي يظهر تفاصيل انتشار حزب الله في الشرق الأوسط
Ynetnews/September 02/17
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=58380
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5010688,00.html
The New York Times publishes report describing how the Iranian-backed terror group, which it says has become an invaluable instrument in Tehran’s ambitions of regional domination, has stretched its influence far beyond the borders of Lebanon and Syria, into Iraq and Yemen; report documents modus operandi of recruiting new fighters.
Hezbollah has spread its military influence far and wide throughout the Middle East, with the terror organization providing thousands of fighters to Syria, training hundreds in Iraq, giving support to rebels in Yemen and even offering assistance to militias in Afghanistan, according to a Friday report in The New York Times.
The report details how Hezbollah has, over the years, become one of the most invaluable instruments in Iran’s arsenal as it pursues regional domination.
In Syria, Hezbollah and Tehran have dedicated their military resources to maintaining President Bashar al-Assad grasp on power, while in Iraq they have sent fighters to battle ISIS in yet another bid to advance Iranian interests.
Skipping the vast stretches of Saudi Arabia to Iraq’s south, Hezbollah has also penetrated Yemen, where they facilitated an occupation of the capital by local rebels, thereby dragging Riyadh—Iran’s arch nemesis—into the hostilities.
The report also acknowledges Hezbollah’s stationing of military forces along the Israel-Lebanon border as it prepares for another showdown with the IDF.
Members of militias interviewed in Iraq explained the modus operandi of the recruitment process with Iranian support to fight against ISIS.
Some of the new recruits trained in Iraq, while some were sent for 15-day training periods in Iran itself before being flown to Syria. More experienced fighters participated in advanced courses led by commanders from Iran and from Hezbollah either in Iran or Lebanon.
The New York Times report goes on to say Iranian officers were responsible for the cooperative operations that materialized between Syrian ground forces and the Russian air force, while Hezbollah provided field commanders.
In Yemen, the report continues, Iran and its terror proxy established contact with Houthi rebels who in 2014 seized control of the country’s capital Sana'a, paving the way for the dismantling of the government and providing the pretext for the Saudis to launch, along with its allies, an aerial campaign.
According to one man interviewed in the report, the Houthi rebels had already begun training in Lebanon for the eventual occupation of Sana’a and in 2012, two Hezbollah militants were arrested in Yemen.

Hezbollah holds America responsible for subjecting Daesh buses to shelling, urges international community to prevent terrible massacre
Sat 02 Sep 2017/ NNA - In an issued statement by Hezbollah on Saturday, it indicated that "until this hour, American planes are preventing buses carrying armed men and their families, who have left the area of the Syrian State authority, from moving." "They are leaving them stuck in the middle of the desert and preventing anyone from reaching them, even to provide humanitarian assistance to families and patients, the wounded and the elderly," it added. "If this continues, inevitable death awaits these families, including some pregnant women," the statement warned. Accordingly, it urged the "so-called international community and international institutions to intervene in order to prevent a terrible massacre."

Hariri to CNews: Supporting Army strengthens the State, enables it to fight terrorism
Sat 02 Sep 2017/NNA - Prime Minister, Saad Hariri, stressed that supporting the Lebanese army will lead to strengthening the State and its institutions; thus, enabling it to combat terrorism that threatens many countries. In an interview to "CNews" Channel Station in France, Hariri asserted that "the Lebanese wish to maintain consensus and compatibility in the regular work of institutions since that serves the interest of all." Asked about France's support to Lebanon, Hariri stressed on the deeply-rooted historical relations between both countries, adding "President Macron reassured me over these relations."He described the French President as "a confident man in his actions, and a man of vision." "Ever since I met him in Lebanon, I felt that he has a vision for France, even for the region, and is making good decisions for the region," Hariri went on. Over the Syrian refugees' issue, the Prime Minister stated that "we have 1.5 million Syrian refugees who have fled the regime since 2011. We have always talked about refugees but today we are doing something concrete." Responding to a question whether President Macron will mobilize France and the Europeans to attend the two expected conferences in support of Lebanon, Hariri nodded in acknowledgement, saying: "Yes, he will help to encourage France and the Europeans to attend these conferences, one on investment in Lebanon and another about refugees." Over the battle against Daesh terrorists, Hariri assuredly said, "I am convinced that we will defeat Daesh because the whole world is against them, including the Islamic world." "We must find real political solutions in Iraq and Syria on the long term, if we fail to treat the real causes of Daesh," he added.

Bou Assi says Lebanon cannot be built based on the current balance of power in the country
Sat 02 Sep 2017/NNA - Social Affairs Minister, Pierre Bou Assi, deemed Saturday that "Lebanon cannot be built according to the current balance of power in the country, for there must be a partnership between various Lebanese components." "The Ministerial Council is supposed to take decisions in Lebanon; however, a political group within the cabinet has an armed party that possesses complete independence in the decision to fight without referring to the State, and this is a huge problem," explained Bou Assi in an interview to "Al-Liwaa Newsdaily". "The government's composition provides stability in the country, yet some tension exists because of different views within its entity. As Lebanese Forces, we cannot remain silent over some matters that affect the interests of Lebanon and the Lebanese," he emphasized. "Who commissioned Hezbollah to negotiate with the terrorists and how did the terrorists withdraw to the Syrian interior? I am a Cabinet Minister representing a political team that has its presence in the country. I am posing this question because I do not know, and this issue was not discussed at the Cabinet's table," Bou Assi went on. Over the Syrian refugees' issue, Bou Assi stated that "for months, we have been insisting as a Party that Lebanon must declare the enormous burden of the Syrian displacement, and that the refugees must return to their homes." "The Lebanese State ought to prepare for the return of refugees with the support of the international community. It is most important for the State to be ready in this respect, for there are legal and practical matters that must be agreed upon," Bou Assi underscored.

Zahra: Hariri is trying to keep government coherent, yet it has not succeeded in gaining confidence todate
Sat 02 Sep 2017/NNA - Lebanese Forces (LF) Parliamentary Member, MP Antoine Zahra, deemed Saturday that Premier Saad Hariri is trying to keep the government solid; however, it has not yet succeeded in gaining confidence till this moment despite relentless efforts of some ministers, especially LF ministers. "Today we are awaiting the parliamentary elections; therefore, all political counterparts are concerned in ensuring continuation of the government's work," MP Zahra said during an interview to "Voice of Lebanon" Radio Station. The Deputy hailed the offensive operation carried out by the Lebanese Army against Daesh in the outskirts of Ras Baalbek and al-Qaa regions, but was surprised over the escape of Daesh members in the last stage of the battle. "Daesh organization is a tool being used for a specific period," Zahra went on. He doubted the direct military actions led by Iran, Syria and Hezbollah against Daesh, noting "all that we have witnessed are ambiguous settlements and sudden solutions." Commenting on the recent controversial issue over coordination between Lebanon and Syria, Zahra reckoned if Lebanon was forced to deal with the Syrian regime, it must first start reviewing the bilateral cooperation and coordination agreements that were previously signed. As for the Syrian refugees file, Zahra made it clear that this issue is an international matter and not a Lebanese-Syrian affair.

Lebanese citizen dies in Mecca during Hajj rituals
Sat 02 Sep 2017/NNA - Lebanese citizen, Abdullah Amine Hajj, died of a heart attack while performing Hajj rituals in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, National News Agency correpondent said on Saturday. Formalities are underway to transport his body to Lebanon to be laid to rest in his hometown, Arab-Salim.

Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 02-03/17
Thousands of Arab-Israelis to have citizenship revoked
Ynetnews/September 02/17Hundreds of Arab-Israeli Bedouins in the southern Negev region have their citizenship purportedly revoked by the Interior Ministry, using a law usually reserved for people convicted of 'terrorist activities.' The Interior Ministry has purportedly revoked the citizenship of hundreds, if not thousands, of Arab-Israeli Bedouins in the southern Negev region, instead granting them "resident" status. The ministry’s representatives explained in a parliamentary session that the decision was being taken because in these cases citizenship was granted by mistake or to those that registered "erroneously" between 1948 and 1951. Aida Touma-Suleiman, an Arab-Israeli legislator, called for an urgent session last year to raise concern over the move, while giving voice to the residents of Naqab, whose statuses were changed without their knowledge. "I will not relent, either the Ministry stops the new policy and returns citizenship to the Arabs, or I will file a case with the Supreme Court," Touma-Suleiman told The Media Line. Adalah, a legal center that supports the rights of Israel’s Arab minority, sent a letter to Interior Minister Aryeh Deri and Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit urging them to cancel the new policy and demanding equal status for the Bedouins in question. According to the group, the citizenship cancellations have been going on at least since 2010. "Many Arab citizens, who had survived in their land after Nakba (the 'catastrophe' of Israel’s creation), were unable to register for citizenship due to the military rule imposed on them by the government," Touma-Suleiman explained. "In some other cases, people were not aware of the need to register at all." "What is happening now," she continued, "is that Arabs in the southern area of Israel are applying to the ministry to renew their IDs or passports, and then, they are being informed of the revocation decision." The stripping of citizenship, in general, is based on Israel’s 2008 "Nationality Law," which gives the courts the right to revoke citizenship in cases where there is a "doubt in loyalty to the State of Israel;" including, for instance, in the event of terrorist attacks.
Touma-Suleiman confirmed that a few individuals from the northern Arab-Israeli town of Umm al-Fahm have lost their citizenship as a result of "terrorist activities," but that this is not a scenario that applies to the Bedouins in the Negev. In comments on Monday, an Interior Ministry spokesperson claimed that the number of people affected was inflated and that measures were being taken to rectify the situation. "The group of citizens includes about 150 people, and not 2,600," she said. "No one means to harm them. Now the ministry is asking them to legally re-register so they will remain citizens."
Speaking to The Media Line, Israeli parliamentarian for The Joint List, Dov Khenin, nevertheless slammed the Ministry’s actions and said "it has no right to revoke citizenship, which is totally against the law." "This can only be done in the event of terror acts, and even then this is done through the courts," he concluded. Overall, there are some 1.7 million Arabs living in Israel, approximately 20% of the total population.
Reprinted with permission from The Media Line .

Belgian FM stresses need for ‘transparent financial flows’ in Qatar meeting
Staff writer, Al Arabiya EnglishSaturday, 2 September 2017/Belgium stressed on the need for a mechanism to ensure the “transparency of financial flows” to religious institutions in a meeting between Belgian and Qatari foreign ministers on Friday. Belgian diplomat Didier Reynders met with his Qatari counterpart Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani to discuss the Gulf crisis which has seen Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt cut diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar since June. The four Arab states accuse Doha of supporting Islamist militants and financing terrorism in the region, allegations that Qatar denies. In an official statement, Reynders said Belgium “welcomes any initiative to combat terrorism and its financing, but that it is necessary to encourage all concerned parties [in the Gulf crisis] to intensify their efforts in this field. “It is important to distinguish, on the one hand, the financing of Islamic worship, educational centers and mosques for Muslim communities in European countries, and, on the other hand, the financing of terrorist activities. Belgium and Qatar wish to establish a bilateral mechanism to ensure the transparency of financial flows to religious institutions, in accordance with Belgian and European laws.”

Coalition airstrike destroys Houthi ballistic missile platform
Staff writer, Al Arabiya EnglishFriday, 1 September 2017/An Arab Coalition airstrike has destroyed a ballistic missile platform in northwestern Yemeni province of Hajja on Friday. A military source stated that the coalition strike targeted the missile platform after it was spotted in a rural area between the Hiran administrative district and the northern border town of Hardh. The coalition launched a number of airstrikes in the area that led to the destruction of heavy weaponry and vehicles belonging to the Houthi militias killing and injuring an unspecified number of militants. The source further stated that the platform was used to fire a ballistic missile in to the Saudi territories earlier. He said that the coalition forces located the platform and targeted it despite efforts to conceal its position.

Donald Trump to host world leaders in UN to push for reform
Sat 02 Sep 2017/NNA - US President Donald Trump will host a meeting of world leaders at the United Nations this month to push for reform of the global body that he once dismissed as a "club" for people "to have a good time." World leaders at the September 18 event will be asked to support a 10-point political declaration that backs UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "in making concrete changes to the United Nations," according to the document obtained by AFP yesterday. Attending his first UN gathering of world leaders, Trump is scheduled to address the General Assembly on September 19, on the first day of the six-day debate. His speech will likely to be the most closely watched as Washington's allies and foes grapple with the implications of his "America-First" approach to foreign policy. Trump has described the United Nations as an "underperformer" but stressed that it has "huge potential" to address the long list of world crises that it has "huge potential" to address the long list of world crises that will be at the centre of this year's UN debate. The United States is the UN's number one financial contributor, paying 28.5 per cent of the $7.3 billion peacekeeping budget and 22 per cent of the core budget of $5.4 billion. ---AP

Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on September 02-03/17
How Qatar’s leadership is working for Iran
Abdullah bin Bijad Al-Otaibi/Al Arabiya/September 02/17
When pride and glory went to Qatari leadership’s head, it gave birth to treason. Perhaps one of the most significant advantages which resulted from the four countries’ boycott of Qatar is that this pushed it to openly take the stance it had held secret for over two decades.
It has not been three months since Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt boycotted Doha and the latter has announced sending its envoy back to Iran. The terrorist and sectarian Tehran, which works to destabilize countries and sows seeds of chaos, lured Doha’s diplomats after Qatari leadership did not allow Saudi planes to transport Qatari pilgrims on the expenses of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, His Majesty King Salman of Saudi Arabia.
Doha’s delusions
Thus, Doha decided to abandon Riyadh and choose Tehran. Its iniquity is thus two-faced as the Iran-Qatar axis is supporting both Sunni and Shiite terrorist murderers and is operating their intelligence cells. The duplicity of Qatari leaders is now thoroughly exposed. Qatari leaders have started destroying their own country. Hamad bin Khalifa is now destroying the very delusions he had himself believed in and promoted. One of Hamad bin Khalifa’s and Hamad bin Jassim’s delusions was to deprive Saudi Arabia of the leadership of Sunnis, which they considered would pass on to the Brotherhood or to Turkey’s sultan. However, their attempts have yielded nothing them nothing but failure. They had also harboured the idea that they would perhaps inherit Wahhabism but they ended up aligning themselves with Tehran’s politicized clergy and followers of brutal Khomeinism.Another delusion of Hamad bin Khalifa was to seize Saudi Arabia’s political legitimacy by claiming his lineage to the Najdi tribe of Bani Tamim
Abdullah bin Bijad al-Otaibi
Another delusion of Hamad bin Khalifa was to seize Saudi Arabia’s political legitimacy by claiming his lineage to the Najdi tribe of Bani Tamim. He has also claimed his peerage back to Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Wahhab, but the Sheikh’s family has clearly rejected his claims.
In the thrall of Persia
Under Hamad’s leadership, Qatar produced a series about Al-Qaqa ibn Amr. Hamad bin Khalifa even named one of his sons after the Bani Tamim tribe and took pride in its historical role in the Battle of al-Qadisiyyah against the Persians. According to historians, Assem ibn Amr — the brother of Al-Qaqa ibn Amr and a commander during the battle — praised Arabs for defeating foreigners. When the Qatari crisis erupted – and before it had even escalated – Hamad betrayed Arabs and chose to be an agent working for non-Arabs in Persia against them.
Hamad’s propaganda machine, media and movements project him as the architect of the ‘Arab Spring’ and the savior of Arabs. However, when the crisis first erupted, he presented himself as partner and servant of the Persians and of their fundamentalist mission which opposes Arabs. In fact, he claimed to be capable of avoiding the impact of the crisis by adopting the most foolish approach of running forward towards it!
Qatar shall endure in spite of the deluded
What the crisis has clearly shown so far is that the Qatari leadership does not take into its consideration the good of neither the Qatari ruling family nor of the Qatari people. Hamad had become the emir after staging a coup against his father and sought his extradition by getting an Interpol warrant issued against him. He also expelled thousands of Qatari tribesmen. After the crisis erupted, the actions he took were similar to his now familiar approach of rejecting the mediation of Sheikh Abdullah II and his general disregard for the desire among Qataris to perform the annual Muslim pilgrimage. His actions also showed that he does not care about the interests of his own people in Saudi Arabia. He headed towards Iran although it goes against his people’s culture, sectarian affiliations, tribal extensions and strategic interests. This was clearly seen when he publicly embracing Tehran and supported a group of mercenaries which he had gathered around him for years. Ultimately, Qatar will endure because of the good in its people, the ruling family and deeply entrenched Arab values, in spite of the misadventures of a few deluded men who refuse to re-examine their actions and back down.

Financing terrorism drains Iran’s economy
Dr. Ibrahim Al-Othaimin/Al Arabiya/September 02/17
According to an English idiom “actions speak louder than words”, and despite Iran’s words of denial and evasion, it is still playing a key role in stoking the fuel of unrest in the region by continuing to finance terrorism. Through money laundering operations worth billions of dollars run by fake companies across the Middle East, the Caucasus, South Korea, and the Caribbean, Iran has managed to circumvent the sanctions placed upon it and to spend billions of dollars on terrorist organizations in the region. Its support of armed militia in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, and Gaza has turned the region into a hotbed of blood and destruction.
In 2016, for the third year in a row, the Basel AML Index, issued by the Basel Institute on Governance, ranked Iran as No. 1 in the world in terms of money laundering and terrorist financing, out of 149 countries surveyed. In September 2016, President Hassan Rohani’s government signed the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) agreement. FATF is a pioneering organization which has been fighting the financing of money laundering and terrorism for the last 20 years, having been established by the G-7 Summit in Paris in 1989. The organization set a 12-month deadline for Iran to change its behavior and warned that if the terms of the resolution were violated, it would be placed on the list of countries that support terrorism. It is essential that the international community should take a firmer position to address Iranian terrorism and cut off the sources through which it is able to fund terrorist organizations
Military intervention
Heated debate between the government and the Revolutionary Guards is going on inside Iran following the signing of the agreement, as the Guards argue that it will destabilize their overseas activities that rely on money laundering for funding, as well as undermining the financing of Iran’s military intervention in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, and pro-Iranian militia around the world. However, the government’s need to support its economy forced it to sign the agreement in a bid to lift the banking and remittance sanctions imposed on Iran. It also hoped that the signing of the agreement would pave the way to resuming the still-frozen remittances between Iranian banks and the international and regional financial institutions. When the resolution targeted some transactions that were suspected to have been conducted by individuals close to the top hierarchy of the regime and institutions of the Revolutionary Guards in Iranian banks, leaders of the Revolutionary Guards worked on freezing and circumventing the resolution. In July 2017, one year after signing the agreement, FATF issued a statement warning against financial dealings with Iran due to its continued involvement in money laundering to finance terrorism, and because it had not taken adequate measures to combat such activities. The statement called on member states to advise their financial institutions to scrutinize any transactions with Iran carefully.
It is essential that the international community should take a firmer position to address Iranian terrorism and cut off the sources through which it is able to fund terrorist organizations. Iran will not desist from money laundering and financing terrorism unless the approach of its political system and its foreign policy pattern is changed. According to reports from international organizations Iran’s illicit activities are still ongoing, and the country is still at the forefront of state sponsored terrorism.

GCC and the possibility of Qatar’s withdrawal
Salman al-Dosary/Al Arabiya/September 02/17
This time former Iranian Ambassador to Qatar Abdullah Sehrabi spoke on behalf of the Qatari government, saying Qatar’s emir is willing to withdraw from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The Iranian official didn’t express a point of view or make an analysis but he conveyed a specific information.
While the Iranian information goes in tandem with the fierce attack of the Qatari media on the GCC, it seems that Doha wishes to add the council to its rivals’ list in the region or to – at least – sabotage this successful experience. It is illogical to deny that the council is going through a real crisis as a result of a founding member’s decision to distance itself from the main purposes for which the council was established in Abu Dhabi on May 25, 1981. However, the regime in Doha missed the fact that the GCC is stronger than any failure. Doha can withdraw or suspend its membership – it can replace Turkey and Iran with its interests in the council – but it can’t prevent other states from implementing its successful project. Neither the region nor the world are in a condition that would tolerate the collapse of a rare and successful experience in the Arab world. It should be recalled that the council throughout history – almost four decades – has gone through dangerous political crises, mainly the eight-year Iran-Iraq war, then the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait in August 1990. Fortunately, these two dangerous crises occurred before the coup led by Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa against his father. That’s why the council managed to confront them in as much solidarity as possible. Had Hamad bin Khalifa been the emir at the time, then, the council’s internal crisis would have been much worse than the external one.
The dispute with Qatar didn’t and won’t affect the Gulf countries’ interests and their moving forward whether with or without Qatar
Exploiting unity
It is normal that during Qatar’s current crisis, Doha would use any means to exploit the council’s unity to help itself out of the crisis. If we consider the keenness expressed by several capitals, including Washington, Paris, London and Berlin, on GCC’s continuity, then Doha’s opportunism won’t be surprising since this is part of its strategy. Actually, it would be a surprise if Qatar acted otherwise and distanced the council from the current crisis although Doha is the one that has struck the mortal blow due to the announced and discreet violations of its authorities during the past years in the aim of causing rifts internally, inciting the violation of state sovereignty and hosting terrorist and sectarian groups that aim to destabalize the region. All eyes are on the GCC annual summit to be hosted by Kuwait in December. In my opinion, if the crisis continues along with Qatar’s intransigence then it is better to postpone it. This way the continuity of the council would be preserved. The council will be stronger when Qatar returns to be a Gulf country of equal rights and duties. If Doha is hinting on withdrawing from the council then this is its decision. But the decision of the council’s continuity isn’t linked to it. The dispute with Qatar didn’t and won’t affect the Gulf countries’ interests and their moving forward whether with or without Qatar.

ISIS crisis: Setbacks bring change to media strategy
Dr. Halla Diyab/Al Arabiya/September 02/17
Notwithstanding the steady increase in number of Muslims joining the terrorist group ISIS from around the world, the group has started to lose territories on a daily basis. Currently, all its routes are closed and it is unable to stem the heavy loss of life, particularly of its militants currently besieged in Raqqa. This has raised the question whether the group will be forced to change its military strategy, replacing its pattern of offensive warfare with defensive tactics to pick up the pieces of its shattered legacy.
Video in Spanish
Following the surfeit of international media reports on the Barcelona attack, ISIS released a bizarre video, titled ‘The Conquest of Barcelona’ that featured the Spanish-speaking militant Abu Layth al Qurtubi. Wearing battle fatigues and feigning a Che Guevara look, al Qurtubi speaks softly with his lithe frame shown to the waist only. The video shows how the group is reshaping its war rhetoric and its media campaign. With a ‘nasheed’ playing in the background, a Marxist revolutionary look-alike speaks in Spanish to woo new recruits to his cause. This new style of inveigling the impressionable reflects the desperation in the group to regain its popularity among the youth.
Unlike the earlier slick videos, which featured the decapitation of foreign hostages, where the camera used wide angle to then pan a vast horizontal and vertical stretch, this new video restricts itself to just a close-up of the militant and has minimal background music and no graphics. The group seems to be directing the viewer’s attention only to the message being delivered and not to any visuals. Raising a threatening finger, al-Qurtubi seeks to exploit the historical bitterness between the Spanish population and Arabs by invoking the history of the Spanish Inquisition, and its brutality against Muslims. Thus, it introduces a new dimension to the group’s militant discourse. What sets this video apart from its predecessors is the lack of bluster about the group’s globalist outreach and the alternating discourse from issuance of threat to denunciation of so-called tyranny.
The rapid loss of territory for the group has dealt a knockout blow to its propaganda machinery that was once highly effective in garnering global recruits for it.
From ‘hijirah’ to lone wolf
The rapid loss of territory for the group has dealt a knockout blow to its propaganda machinery that was once highly effective in garnering global recruits for it. But with proliferation of stories regarding the lack of security provided to militants from the group and rise in number of deserters, who are now joining rival forces in Syria and Iraq, ISIS is losing its credibility and popularity at a rapid clip. This situation has brought about a change in the group’s rhetoric as the mission of foreign recruits is now not linked to the performance of the so-called ‘hijra’, but to carrying out terrorist attacks wherever the group’s sympathizers may be. This implies that the group’s legacy and existence is neither connected to fighting on the front-line in Syria or Iraq, nor conditioned with their territorial expansion or loss as al-Qurtabi put it in the video: “The jihadists (sic) can perform jihad (sic) wherever they are and it will be accepted and they will triumph”. Another change in the group’s strategy lies in its bid to make “new enemies” so that ISIS could create a facade of waging a so-called defensive jihad (i.e. we kill them because they kill and fight us). ‘The Conquest of Barcelona’ video threatens the people of Spain and states that ISIS is now going to attack them to reclaim that country back from the Crusader, even though Spain has never been in any fight with the ISIS. However such rhetoric feeds their mentality of victimization and their refrain is “we will take revenge for your massacre, the one you are carrying out now against the Islamic State.”
Playing the victim card
This marks a departure in the group’s propaganda in that its belligerent rhetoric has now changed to a more sympathy evoking message, highlighting the so-called atrocities and injustices to which Muslims are supposedly being subjected, in order to present the fight for justified and noble reasons.
The use of the indigenous language and local vernacular is another addition to the new radicalisation tactic. Militants featuring in the group’s current crop of videos speak the language of their target audience, not only to attract more foreign recruits but to demonstrate that the group has grown globally in its militant outlook. Loss of territory in the so-called bastion of the Islamic Caliphate has forced the group to redirect its fight to the territory of its foes. Although their videos have become more acerbic and vitriolic in tone, replacing the earlier poetic expressions of nostalgia, ISIS narrative is now replete with symbolism like their seven-minute film “This Fertile Nation” which features two children (Yusef and Abdullah), wherein a 10-year-old American boy threatens Trump that their battle will conclude in his land (the USA).
Nearly destroyed, but not defeated
Although ISIS has failed to prove itself a formidable opponent, its ability to change its tactics, where designated roles and methods of its personnel are not fixed or conventional, but continuously morph and change shape suggests that the ISIS threat is not going to end with the dissolution of its “territory of terror”, but the outreach of its divisive and violent rhetoric will continue to threaten the world.

New NGO Racket: Smuggling, Inc.
Douglas Murray/Gatestone Institute/September 02/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10870/ngo-migrants-smuggling
Although the European Union successfully bribed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last year -- inducing him to slow the flow of migrants heading through Turkey into Greece -- Italy has received almost 100,000 people so far this year.
This summer, even more than in previous years, it has become plain that some of the NGOs working in the Mediterranean are acting as something more than intermediaries. Many have in fact been acting as facilitators. This makes the NGOs effectively no more than the benign face of the smuggling networks. Undercover workers have also discovered NGOs handing vessels back to the smugglers' networks, effectively helping them to continue their criminal enterprise indefinitely.
A group that which seeks to oppose Europe's current self-destructive insane trajectory can now not even source independent financial support. Groups, however, that continue to push Europe along its current trajectory continue to get all the official support they need. In the difference in reaction to these two groups lies a significant part of the story of the ruin of a continent.
Sometimes it is in the gap between things that the truth emerges.
In recent years Europe has been on the receiving end of one of the most significant migrant crises in history. In 2015, in just a single year, countries such as Germany and Sweden found themselves adding 2% to their respective populations. Although much of the public continue to labour under the misapprehension that those still coming are fleeing the Syrian civil war; in fact, the majority of those now entering Europe are from Africa, particularly from sub-Saharan Africa.
Although the European Union successfully bribed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last year -- inducing him to slow the flow of migrants heading through Turkey into Greece -- Italy has received almost 100,000 people so far this year. Spain -- which had ducked much of the movement of recent years -- now finds itself receiving thousands of people who are sometimes (as in this memorable footage from earlier this month) simply landing on the country's beaches and running straight into the country. In doing so, they are not only breaking into Europe in a fashion that is illegal, but flouting all the asylum protocols, and other protocols, however inadequate, that are meant to exist.
In reaction to such events, the Spanish authorities have done something extraordinary. They have gone the way of the Italian authorities and made more efforts to intercept boats heading towards the country. Not in order to turn them around or block them, but in order to "rescue" them. In merely one day last week, the Spanish coastguards "rescued" 600 migrants. The purpose of the quotation marks around "rescue" is because its use in this context is highly contestable. Somebody may be rescued from a burning car, or rescued from a sinking boat. But if thousands of people intentionally head across narrow stretches of water, it can hardly be said that each and every one of them has been "rescued'.
What have they been rescued from? They may be rescued from war. Or they may be rescued from poverty. Or slightly less rosy economic prospects than someone born in Spain. Most of these people have simply been rescued from Africa or whatever their country of origin. This situation leads to the questions which European politicians even now refuse to address -- which is whether Europe should indeed be "rescuing" anyone who ends up in a boat near Europe.
Whenever they are polled, the public in Europe consistently say that they want the migration to slow down or stop. This is a majority opinion in every European country. Across the EU as a whole, a recent survey found that 76% of the European public think that the European Union's handling of the whole crisis has been poor. But it is in the gap between the treatment of two actors in this crisis that we can discern a terrible fact about the fate of Europe.
Throughout the crisis of recent years -- and especially since the height of the crisis in 2015 -- the official vessels operated by the European states have been joined by members of non-governmental organsations (NGOs), either on the vessels or running vessels of their own. A significant amount of the "rescue" part of the migrant crisis (finding boats and transferring those onboard onto safe vessels or guiding their vessels into port) has been done by NGOs. Organisations such as Save the Children and Médecins sans Frontières have been invited to do this by European government agencies, and many of them receive significant levels of government funding as well as charitable giving from the public.
Yet, this summer, even more than in previous years, it has become plain that some of the NGOs working in the Mediterranean are acting as something more than intermediaries. Many have in fact been acting as facilitators. Agents who have infiltrated the NGO groups have found collusion between the NGOs and the smugglers networks, including coordination with these brutal and mercenary organisations. Investigations have found NGOs to have been breaking their own agreed operating rules by coordinating locations to meet and pick up vessels sent out by the smugglers. This makes the NGOs effectively no more than the benign face of the smuggling networks. Undercover workers have also discovered NGOs handing vessels back to the smugglers' networks, effectively helping them to continue their criminal enterprise indefinitely.
Some NGOs that work to pick up migrants from boats in the Mediterranean and transport them to Europe have been discovered handing vessels back to smuggler networks, helping their criminal enterprise. Pictured: A small rubber boat overcrowded with migrants passes a boat set alight by the crews of Phoenix, a vessel operated by the "Migrant Offshore Aid Station" (MOAS) NGO, after all passengers were evacuated, on May 18, 2017. MOAS's protocol of torching the smuggling boats after debarkation prevents smugglers from reusing the vessel. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
In frontline countries such as Italy, this unlawful activity has been causing growing public anger. Elsewhere in Europe, the notion that these NGOs are not entirely angelic in their operations is taking longer to sink in. But compare the reaction to them -- in receipt as they continue to be of large quantities of public and governmental money -- with a group that has a different view to that of the NGOs.
At the start of this summer, a group called "Defend Europe" raised money to hire and sail a ship off the coast of Italy. The ship aimed to deter migrants from crossing the Mediterranean. One activist was recorded saying, "We want to get a crew, equip a boat and set sail to the Mediterranean ocean to chase down the enemies of Europe." Some of the other characters and rhetoric associated with this movement may be equally unsavoury. For some weeks, the "Defend Europe" vessel, with banners prominently displayed, has floated in the Mediterranean and told people in a variety of languages, "No Way. You will not make Europe home" and "Stop human trafficking."
Now one may abhor this tactic, approve of it, or feel a whole range of emotions in between. The treatment of "Defend Europe', however, compared to the pro-migration NGOs, is startling. In recent weeks, when the "Defend Europe" vessel had some minor technical problems, it caused undisguised glee in the Western media. The suggestion that a pro-migration NGO vessel might have to rescue it caused even more delight. Now the group has had its sources of funding withdrawn. Not that "Defend Europe" would ever have received government aid. Far from it. But this past week, the US-based crowd-funding website Patreon shut down the group's profile page, making it impossible for them to raise funds through it. The ostensible cause was that Patreon believed the actions of "Defend Europe" were "likely to cause loss of life."
It may easily be argued, of course, that pro-migration NGOs that are colluding with smuggling gangs and assisting them in their work are "likely to cause loss of life", if not in the Mediterranean then in encouraging thousands of people to give their money to smuggling gangs and encouraging millions more to set out for a new life in a continent which is increasingly less likely to receive them with warmth. A group that seeks to oppose Europe's current self-destructive trajectory can now not even source independent financial support. Groups, however, that continue to push Europe along its current trajectory continue to get all the official support they need. In the difference in reaction to these two groups lies a significant part of the story of the ruin of a continent.
**Douglas Murray, British author, commentator and public affairs analyst, is based in London, England. His latest book, an international best-seller, is "The Strange Death of Europe: Immigration, Identity, Islam."
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