LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
July 02/16
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.july02.16.htm
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Bible Quotations For Today
The Parable of
the Samaritan who extended his hand and helped the Robbers Victim
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 10/29-37/:"But wanting to
justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’Jesus replied, ‘A man
was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers,
who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance
a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the
other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed
by on the other side. But a Samaritan while travelling came near him; and when
he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds,
having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought
him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave
them to the innkeeper, and said, "Take care of him; and when I come back, I will
repay you whatever more you spend." Which of these three, do you think, was a
neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’He said, ‘The one
who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’"
After this I will return, and
I will rebuild the dwelling of David, which has fallen; from its ruins I will
rebuild it,and I will set it up
Acts of the Apostles 15/13-21/:"After they finished speaking, James replied, ‘My
brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first looked favourably on
the Gentiles, to take from among them a people for his name. This agrees with
the words of the prophets, as it is written, "After this I will return, and I
will rebuild the dwelling of David, which has fallen; from its ruins I will
rebuild it,and I will set it up, so that all other peoples may seek the Lord
even all the Gentiles over whom my name has been called.Thus says the Lord, who
has been making these things known from long ago." Therefore I have reached the
decision that we should not trouble those Gentiles who are turning to God, but
we should write to them to abstain only from things polluted by idols and from
fornication and from whatever has been strangled and from blood. For in every
city, for generations past, Moses has had those who proclaim him, for he has
been read aloud every sabbath in the synagogues.’"
Pope Francis's Tweet For Today
In the world of work today it is essential to educate and follow the luminous
and demanding path of honesty.
Aujourd’hui, dans le monde du travail, il est urgent d’éduquer à parcourir la
route lumineuse et difficile de l’honnêteté.
هناك ضرورة ملحّة اليوم، في عالم العمل، للتربية على اتباع درب الإخلاص، درب مُنيرة
ومُلزِمَة.
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on July 01-02/16
'We will send jihadists straight to
hell': Lebanese Christian women take up arms after deadly suicide bombings/Carey Lodge/ Christian Today Journalist 29 June/16
The Political Blame Game: Pulling Tricks to Deny the Obvious/Douglas Murray/Gatestone
Institute/July 01/16
Iran deal: Why is Team Obama trying so hard to hide information from you/FoxNews/Jay
Sekulow/June 30/16
Obama Gives Up on Syria. Again/JONATHAN S. TOBIN /Commentary/July 01/16
How Khamenei and IRGC are winning Iranians’ support/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al
Arabiya/July 01/16
Historic letter will fail to change Obama’s approach to Syria/Brooklyn
Middleton/Al Arabiya/July 01/16
A suicidal referendum and failed leaderships/Eyad Abu Shakra/Al Arabiya/July
01/16
On King Abdulaziz’s bravery/Mshari Al Thaydi/Al Arabiya/July 01/16
Question: "Why did God put the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the Garden
of Eden/GotQuestions.org/July 01/16
Question: "Does the Bible require the death penalty for homosexuality/GotQuestions.org/July
01/16
Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on July 01-02/16
Army
Searches for IS Jihadist Involved in Thursday's Terror Cell
Basbous Appoints Naim Shammas as ISF Chief of Staff
Kaag Hails Security Forces 'Exceptional Job', Urges 'Compromise' President
Derbas: Ministry to Conduct Full Survey to Assess Presence of Syrian Refugees
Berri Advises MPs to Approve his Initiative Before it is 'Too Late'
Syrian Refugees in Lebanon Tell of Pain, Hope in Traveling Theater Play
Hariri: Mustaqbal Bulwark against Extremism, Only State Can Protect Lebanon
Geagea: Terrorism Suffered Total Failure in al-Qaa
Ruling in STL Case against al-Amin, al-Akhbar Scheduled for July 15
Nasrallah Says 'Security under Control': We Won't Allow Displacement of Qaa
Residents
Berri meets Bassil, agreement on oil file
Health Ministry Protection Director: Frequent food poisoning cases in Lebanon
South Lebanon governor bans electric motorcycles in Sidon in preservation of
citizens' safety
Moqbel after visiting Aoun: Fears do exist yet no need for panic
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 01-02/16
'We will send jihadists straight to
hell': Lebanese Christian women take up arms after deadly suicide bombings
Gunmen Hold Hostages at Restaurant in Bangladesh Diplomatic Zone
70 killed in battles north of Syria’s Aleppo
Assad: Western nations quietly collaborating with Syria
Syria warplane crashes near the capital, pilot missing
UN expects residents to start returning to Fallujah by August
Russian and Turkish FMs hold first meeting since ties repaired
Turkey’s parliament passes law to restructure judiciary, bolstering Erdogan
Turkey detains more suspects over airport attack
Russian and Turkish FMs Hold First Meeting since Ties Repaired
Palestinian woman shot dead after stabbing attempt
Iranians hold annual anti-Israel rallies to mark al-Quds day
Woman dies, children hurt in Bahrain blast
Donald Trump floats idea of using NATO in ISIS fight
While denouncing the Orlando shooter, Iran regime leads the world in attacks -
Gov. Tom Ridge
Political prisoner calls for participation in “Free Iran” rally
IRAN: Jafar Azimzadeh in critical condition on day 63 of hunger strike
Raymond Tanter: The Way Forward After the Iran Nuclear Deal
Gérard Deprez MEP: Human rights deteriorate in Iran despite European optimism
Links From Jihad Watch Site for
July 01-02/16
Hugh Fitzgerald: I’m With the “Ignorant Masses” – What About You?
Arkansas: Heavily-armed Muslima charged over online jihad threat
UK: Tommy Robinson charged with inciting hatred for parading a “F*** ISIS” flag
Ramadan in Bangladesh: Muslims screaming “Allahu akbar” take hostages in
restaurant
Why Canadian media went silent after Islamophobia hate crime headline
hullaballoo
UK: Three Muslims jailed for sexually abusing teen girl
U.S. takes record number of Syrian refugees in June: 99% Muslims, only 8
Christians
A lot of those people are ISIS’: Trump on Hillary’s plan to take 65,000 Muslim
migrants yearly
Massachusetts: Muslim indicted for Islamic State jihad mass murder plot
Michael Cutler Moment: Terrorists Evading Detection and Arrest
Reading the Qur’an during Ramadan 27: Juz Qala Fa-ma Khatbukum
Ramadan in Bangladesh: Muslims hack Hindu priest to death at temple
Ramadan in Egypt: Muslims kill Christian priest with hail of
bullets outside church
July 01-02/16
'We will send jihadists straight to
hell': Lebanese Christian women take up arms after deadly suicide bombings
Carey Lodge/ Christian Today Journalist 29 June 2016
All women in Qaa have reportedly begun carrying weapons.
Christian women in Lebanon are arming themselves in the wake of a series of
devastating suicide attacks on Monday.
Five people were killed and more than two dozen wounded after eight bombers blew
themselves up in the predominantly Christian village of Qaa, a few kilometres
from the border with Syria, on June 27. At least two of the attacks took place
in the evening outside the Mar Elias church, where mourners had gathered for a
vigil in honour of those killed earlier in the day.
According to Arabya English, the bombings "triggered fear and panic among Qaa's
residents", and photos released by Reuters on Tuesday showed Christian women
holding guns to protect themselves from future attacks.
"We will not allow Lebanon to become a new Iraq. We will not flee, we have
weapons and are ready to protect ourselves," one woman from Qaa told Assyrian
campaign group A Demand for Action (ADFA).
She said that all women in the village have decided to arm themselves.
"Jihadists think they go to hell if they are killed by women, we will send them
straight to hell," she added.
The priest of Mar Elias church, Rev Elian Nasrallah, told the New York Times via
telephone on Monday that the residents of Qaa were "living in terror".
"People are stuck in their houses, not daring to go out and fearing more suicide
bombers," he said.
Melkite Catholic Archbishop Elias Rahal of Baalbek told Catholic News Service:
"We pray, we pray, we pray for the dead, for the injured... We are here for the
families and for their children".
The Archbishop travelled to Qaa after the first suicide bombing on Monday, and
insisted that Christians would remain in the region "despite all that has
happened".
"We are here and we are here to stay," he added.
President of the Syriac League of Lebanon, Habib Afram, told ADFA the world
needed to wake up to "the growing Islamic anger against Christians.
"This is not the first time and not the last time," he said. "For how long is
the west going to ignore the fact of the ongoing genocide in Syria and Iraq that
terrorists now also try to extend to Lebanon?"
No group has yet claimed responsibility, but officials suspect ISIS was behind
the attacks.
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/we.will.send.jihadists.straight.to.hell.lebanese.christian.women.take.up.arms.after.deadly.suicide.bombings/89505.htm
Army Searches for IS Jihadist
Involved in Thursday's Terror Cell
Naharnet/July01/16/The Lebanese army is still in a search operation for an IS
member who managed to escape after it had arrested five terrorists a day earlier
who planned to carry out attacks in Lebanon, An Nahar daily reported on Friday.
The army is closely monitoring the suspect's movements and it is expected that
he he will be arrested soon, added the daily. For its part, al-Akhbar daily said
that the sixth member who is still at large, is a suicide attacker who was
tasked to carry out an assault. The army said in a statement on Thursday that it
foiled attacks planned by the IS jihadist group on a tourist site and a crowded
area, arresting five terrorists including the mastermind. The detainees have
confessed to having carried out terrorist attacks against the army previously,
it added. Lebanon has been repeatedly shaken by attacks linked with the war in
neighboring Syria, where Hizbullah is fighting in support of President Bashar
Assad. On Monday, five people were killed when four suicide bombers attacked a
predominantly Christian village near the border with Syria. There was no
immediate claim of responsibility for Monday's attacks but they bore the
hallmarks of jihadist organizations like IS or al-Qaida.
Basbous Appoints Naim Shammas as
ISF Chief of Staff
Naharnet/July01/16/Internal Security Forces chief Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Basbous on
Friday appointed Brig. Gen. Naim Shammas as ISF Chief of Staff, after Brig. Gen.
George Lattouf reached the legal retirement age. The file of security and
military appointments has long been the subject of major controversy and some
ministers, especially those of the Free Patriotic Movement, have continuously
rejected term extensions for security and military chiefs, including for Army
Commander General Jean Qahwaji. Disputes have also engulfed the issue of
appointing a new ISF chief. Months ago, al-Mustaqbal Movement announced its
rejection of linking the ISF appointments to those of the army command before
the movement reportedly accepted a settlement involving the appointment of
Chamel Roukoz -- MP Michel Aoun's son-in-law – as army chief in return for the
appointment of Brig. Gen. Imad Othman as ISF commander. Interior Minister Nouhad
al-Mashnouq, however, issued a decree in 2015 extending Basbous' term for two
years, while brigadier generals Fadi al-Hashem, Joseph al-Helou and Joseph
Kallas were allocated senior ISF posts.
Kaag Hails Security Forces 'Exceptional Job', Urges 'Compromise' President
Naharnet/July01/16/UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Sigrid Kaag on Friday
lauded the anti-terror efforts of the army and the security forces in the wake
of the latest attacks and arrests, as she urged politicians to reach a
“compromise” over the stalled presidential vote. “I met with the Prime Minister
in anticipation of my visit to Washington and New York, where obviously the
stability and security situations will be discussed, both with the American
authorities but also with the Security Council,” said Kaag after talks with PM
Tammam Salam at the Grand Serail. “I believe this is a particularly difficult
period for Lebanon, and I would of course like to offer and reiterate my
condolences to the families of the victims of the terrorist attacks, but also
hope for the quick recovery of those who were injured,” she added, referring to
the unprecedented suicide bombings that rocked the border town of al-Qaa on
Monday. Five people were killed and 28 others were wounded in the blasts.“It is
also a moment where of course we need to be vigilant but also united. This was a
theme that the Prime Minister and I reviewed, the importance of national unity,
vigilance to secure and stabilize Lebanon in this very volatile and challenging
period,” Kaag went on to say. She added: “There are a number of areas of course
where additional support is needed, I would say for the security apparatus and
the Lebanese Armed Forces who are doing an exceptional job.”“Very few countries
could continue to provide this level of security against such threats, so
nothing but high praise and respect for the entire security apparatus, but more
support is needed,” Kaag noted. She also pointed out that further means must be
explored in order to “support Lebanon’s own coping mechanisms, the State, (and)
avoid further erosion of the institutions of State.”“That can be through
economic financing, capacity support, but of course the political track is one
that will ultimately provide the new impetus and level of stability and security
to citizens to allow Lebanon to thrive and that is the election of a
president... through appropriate compromise amongst all the parties,” Kaag
added.“It is a moment where we need to focus our hearts and minds on what can be
done and what should be done to protect Lebanon and to engage in future conflict
prevention,” the U.N. official went on to say.
Derbas: Ministry to Conduct Full
Survey to Assess Presence of Syrian Refugees
Naharnet/July01/16/Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbas said that the Lebanese
must not develop enmity towards the Syrian refugees, and assured that the
Ministry will conduct a full survey of the displaced in Lebanon, An Nahar daily
reported on Friday. “We must not fall into the trap of developing hostility
towards the refugees. I support their deportation if we have the means. The
issue is linked to a political solution and safe zones (in Syria)” Derbas had
warned. He revealed to the daily that “the Ministry kicked off a United Nations
funded program to carry out a full survey of the Syrian presence in Lebanon to
see exactly who is a refugee and who is not.”On reports that the UN aid for the
municipalities in Lebanon is linked to the number of refugees in the its scope,
Derbas denied and said: “International aid for host countries continues and our
role is to only set the destination of this aid for the UN to deliver.”On
whether the international organizations are seeking to make the municipal
council bear the burden of refugees in preparation for their naturalization, the
Minister said: “The Lebanese government was clear to explain that a local
integration is not an option in these circumstances. The best solution is that
the Syrian refugees go back to their homeland when the conditions
permit.”Lebanon is home to more than one million registered Syrian refugees --
equal to about a quarter of the country's 4.5 million people. It's the highest
refugee population in the world per capita. Lebanon says that another half a
million Syrians live in the country as well, unregistered, and officials say
their presence has generated a severe burden that Lebanon can no longer handle
alone. More than four million refugees have fled Syria for the relative safety
of the neighboring countries, according to the U.N. Millions more have been
internally displaced.
Berri Advises MPs to Approve his
Initiative Before it is 'Too Late'
Naharnet/July01/16/Speaker Nabih Berri urged Lebanon's political forces on
Friday to accept an initiative he made to end the political impasse and warned
that the due date for the parliamentary elections are growing closer, al-Joumhouria
daily reported on Friday. “This is our last chance and time is passing,” Berri
told the daily. Berri had launched an initiative that aimed at ending the
deadlock. He called for shortening the term of parliament and that the elections
be held based on the 1960 law should political forces fail to agree on a new
electoral one. He also called for staging the presidential elections after the
parliamentary ones and forming a national unity government. Berri expressed
surprise at the attempts of some politicians to thwart the “basket of solutions”
that will be put down for discussion in August, he said: “The basket remains to
be the easy solution and the easy way out of the problem we are suffering from.”
“It is no more possible to tolerate further procrastination and obstruction. I
hereby tell everyone that they must rush because November is behind the door and
we are racing against time. The basket is the solution, so let us all agree
before the due date because after that we might be unable to do anything,” Berri
stressed.The parliament extended its own term twice, the first time in 2013 and
a second time in 2014. Political forces have also failed so far to agree on a
new parliamentary electoral law. Lebanon has been without a president since the
term of president Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014. Conflicts between the rival
political camps have thwarted all attempts aiming at electing a successor.
Syrian Refugees in Lebanon Tell of
Pain, Hope in Traveling Theater Play
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/July01/16/Crouched atop a blue minivan at a
refugee camp near Lebanon's eastern border, the Syrians act out tales of pain
and hope with which their audience is all too familiar. Gesticulating wildly and
engaging with fellow refugees from the makeshift stage, the young actors perform
in "The Caravan," a collection of stories about the challenges of daily life as
a Syrian in Lebanon. One of them makes a revving noise while another pretends to
sit on an invisible motorbike, as the narrator tells the story of a checkpoint
at which only Syrian riders are stopped. "When the Lebanese had their civil war
(1975-1990), we hosted them with hospitality. Why are they acting this way with
us? We are the same people," says Ahmad, 20, the Syrian director of the play.The
young actors will use the van to take their show on tour to refugee camps in
Lebanese cities and towns, and across its countryside.
More than one million Syrians have sought refuge in Lebanon from the devastating
conflict in their homeland that has killed more than 280,000 people. But once in
Lebanon, they face a whole new set of challenges including finding adequate
shelter, paying for residency papers, and feeling discriminated against by
people in general. Many Lebanese hold deeply rooted prejudices towards Syrians,
some as a legacy of the Syrian army's nearly 30-year presence in the country,
and others out of fear they will take lower-income jobs and put people out of
work. In another scene from "The Caravan," a distressed female narrator calls
several Lebanese hospitals to find an incubator for her ailing newborn daughter.
But doctors and nurses pass her from one person to the next as she becomes
increasingly desperate. "This story really touched me because the woman was not
able to hospitalise her daughter, who then died," Ahmad says. - 'It's about us'
-The final production is made up of eight plays chosen from nearly 300 that
refugees came up with through storytelling workshops in Lebanon, says its
artistic director Sabine Choucair. The 34-year-old Lebanese woman hatched the
idea for "The Caravan" as a way for Syrians to engage in group therapy. "We talk
a lot about the number of refugees, but rarely about the human side," she says.
Choucair says the objective is to promote coexistence between Syrians and
Lebanese, "but also with Iraqis, Palestinians, and other Syrians because these
stories are about them, too." The project was sponsored by Beirut DC, an
association that promotes Arab cinema, and was funded to the tune of 113,000
euros ($125,000) by the European Union and the UN children's agency UNICEF.In
the camp near Bar Elias, one of the areas that hosts the most refugees in
Lebanon, small children crowd around Choucair to ask when the next performance
is. The van that serves as the stage is decorated with orange, green, and red
pieces of fabric, bits of wood, and plastic bottles. A crowd of about 100
people, mostly women and children, sit cross-legged on the ground under the
summer sun. "Every day, I see Syria in my dreams. I'm with my neighbours at the
market in Homs, once the war is over," says Fatima, a mother of two toddlers. "I
love this play because it's about us. It gives our children an idea of what
we're suffering." Ahmad's mother says she discouraged him from taking part in
the theatre production at first. "At the beginning, I would tell my son that it
was ridiculous to be in a play. But now I realise that it's good that he can
tell these kinds of stories," says Hasna, 48. She sits next to three of her
friends, all dressed in black, and wipes away tears welling up in her eyes. "We
lost everything: children, brothers, sisters. My son has three children, and I
haven't heard anything about him since 2013," she says, her voice cracking. At
the end of the play, a microphone is passed around the audience. "We have to
succeed in living together. We love the Lebanese and we would like them to love
us too," one woman declares as her fellow spectators clap.
Hariri: Mustaqbal Bulwark against
Extremism, Only State Can Protect Lebanon
Naharnet/July01/16/Al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri announced
Thursday that his movement is a “firm bulwark in the face of extremism and
terrorism,” while stressing that “only the State and the army” can protect
Lebanon against any terrorist threats. “I raise my voice to condemn the insane
and cowardly terrorist attacks that targeted the Bekaa town of al-Qaa, which
serve no purpose other than senseless killing and insulting our religion in
addition to spreading strife and destruction,” said Hariri during an iftar
banquet in the Sidon suburb of Majdelyoun. “We are al-Mustaqbal Movement, the
movement of moderation and the firm bulwark in the face of extremism and
terrorism, and no one can protect Lebanon and all Lebanese except the State, the
army and the legitimate armed forces, in addition to the unity of Lebanon's sons
and their solidarity with the State,” the ex-PM added. His remarks come four
days after eight suicide bombers attacked the eastern border town of al-Qaa in
two waves, killing five people and wounding 28 others. “Our people in al-Qaa
confronted the assault bravely and with national awareness and insistence on
holding the State and its legitimate military and security forces responsible
for confronting terrorism and eradicating it from our land,” Hariri went on to
say. “The State must not hesitate towards such a responsibility and it must
mobilize all its assets to protect its sovereignty over its territory and the
safety of its sons and to foil any plot aimed at undermining security and sowing
discord,” the former premier urged.“The terrorist organizations are seeking to
sow chaos and destruction across the region, but the incubator for these
organizations is the continued war in Syria and the tyranny, killing,
displacement and devastation in which (Syrian President) Bashar Assad has
drowned Syria,” Hariri added. Addressing the international community, the former
premier pointed out that “this problem started in Syria and it must end in Syria
through a political solution.”“The international community must shoulder its
responsibilities as to putting an end to the war, securing the return of all
refugees to Syria, and rescuing Lebanon and the entire region from the beasts of
tyranny, ignorance, bigotry, extremism and terrorism,” Hariri said.
Geagea: Terrorism Suffered Total
Failure in al-Qaa
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said Friday that “terrorism suffered total
failure in al-Qaa,” urging citizens not to surrender to fear. “Amidst everything
that is going on around us, the best response to terrorism is to continue our
path and our daily life normally,” said Geagea at an anti-narcotics conference
in Maarab. “Terrorism suffered total failure in al-Qaa despite the fall of five
martyrs in an attack by eight suicide bombers,” Geagea added, referring to the
unprecedented pre-dawn and evening suicide attacks that targeted the eastern
border Christian town on Monday. “Our people are heroes and we must continue our
journey as part of our anti-terror campaign,” the LF chief added.
Ruling in STL Case against
al-Amin, al-Akhbar Scheduled for July 15
Naharnet/01 July/16/The Contempt Judge at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon,
Judge Nicola Lettieri, has scheduled the judgment in the contempt case against
al-Akhbar newapaper editor-in-chief Ibrahim al-Amin and Akhbar Beirut S.A.L for
July 15, 2016, the STL said in a statement on Friday. The trial opened before
the Contempt Judge on February 24, 2016 with opening statements by the Amicus
Curiae Prosecutor and the Defense. The Amicus presented his case in chief from
February 24 to 26 and on February 29 and March 1. The Defense presented their
own case from 7 to 8 April. Both parties presented their closing arguments on
May 13 2016. Akhbar Beirut S.A.L. and al-Amin are charged with “knowingly and
willfully interfering with the administration of justice by publishing
information on purported confidential witnesses in the Ayyash et al. case.”In
April 2013, a list of 167 names of so-called witnesses for the Rafik Hariri
murder trial was published by a previously unknown group identified as
"Journalists for the Truth."The group said it wanted to "unveil the corruption"
of the STL. Both al-Akhbar and al-Jadeed television published the list. The STL
is trying five members of Hizbullah it has accused of involvement in the attack
that killed Hariri and 22 others on February 14, 2005, in Beirut. Hizbullah
accuses the court of being part of an "Israeli-US" plot, and has yet to hand
over the suspects. The trial of the Hizbullah operatives opened in a suburb
outside The Hague in January 2014.
Nasrallah Says 'Security
under Control': We Won't Allow Displacement of Qaa Residents
Naharnet/01 July/16/Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah reassured Friday
that the security situation in Lebanon is “under control” after security fears
engulfed the country in the wake of unprecedented suicide attacks in the eastern
border town of al-Qaa and amid a flurry of media reports about possible
terrorist attacks in the country. Through the ongoing security investigations, I
believe that some people will know the identity of the handler who sent the
suicide bombers to al-Qaa,” said Nasrallah during a speech marking Quds Day.
“All indications suggest that the suicide bombers did not come from the refugee
encampments (around al-Qaa) but rather from the posts of Daesh (Islamic State
group) in the outskirts of (the nearby border town of) Arsal,” Nasrallah added.
Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq had on Wednesday also announced that the
bombers did not come from the encampments but rather from “Raqa,” the de facto
Syrian capital of the IS group. Addressing Hizbullah's critics who argue that
the party's involvement in the Syrian war has led to terrorist attacks inside
Lebanon, Nasrallah noted that suspected IS militants have staged a spectacular
attack on Istanbul's airport in recent days although Turkey “has not fought the
IS.” “Turkey has kept it border open for the crossing of thousands of militants.
The problem lies in the ideology of the IS, al-Qaida and al-Nusra Front, which
is the same Wahhabi ideology that is present in Saudi Arabia,” Nasrallah added.
“Had it not been for our preemptive war, you would have witnessed eight suicide
bombers everyday in the various Lebanese towns and villages … Had it not been
for the efforts of the army and the security agencies and Hizbullah's preemptive
war, we would have found monsters on our border and we would not have managed to
repel them,” he said. Commenting on the security fears in the country, Nasrallah
said the Lebanese “must not let anyone scare them about a possible collapse of
the security situation in Lebanon.”
“The security situation is under control and I call on the Lebanese and all the
people of the region to place their confidence in the Lebanese security forces
and agencies,” he stated. “A breach occurred in al-Qaa but nothing can be 100%
guaranteed. Look at what happened in Turkey, France, Belgium, the US and Russia.
Had we continued the preemptive war in the border region, al-Qaa's attack would
not have happened, but everyone knows the political situation in Lebanon and how
things are being run,” Nasrallah lamented. And calling for an “official,
national anti-terror strategy,” Nasrallah vowed that Hizbullah will not allow
the IS to “displace the residents of al-Qaa.” “Al-Qaa is like Hermel and all of
Bekaa's residents are our people. We are neighbors and we won't allow that al-Qaa's
residents be displaced. We will protect you 'with our eyes' and this is a
national, ethical, human and religious commitment,” he pledged.
Four suicide bombings rocked al-Qaa on Monday evening, injuring eight people,
only hours after four suicide bombers killed five people and wounded 15 others
in the town before dawn. Al-Qaa and the nearby Ras Baalbek are the only two
towns with a Christian majority in the predominantly Shiite Hermel region, where
Hizbullah holds sway. The group has sent thousands of its fighters to Syria to
bolster President Bashar Assad's forces against rebels and jihadist extremists
trying to topple him. Several deadly bombings have targeted Hizbullah's
strongholds in the eastern Bekaa region and Beirut's southern suburbs since the
start of the Syrian conflict in 2011. Most of the attacks were claimed by
extremist groups such as al-Qaida and the Islamic State. The attacks killed
scores of civilians and wounded hundreds.
Berri meets Bassil, agreement
on oil file
Fri 01 Jul 2016/NNA - Speaker of the House, Nabih Berri met on Friday afternoon
at Ain el Tineh with FPM leader, Minister Gebran Bassil and in the presence of
Minister Ali Hassan Khalil. Discussions focused on the current situation and
several files, particularly the oil file. Bassil and Khalil held a press
conference after the meeting. "We discussed main issues related to the Lebanese,
particularly the exploration of the oil wealth from the sea. We have agreed to
approve decrees related to this file," Khalil said. Bassil from his part said,
"We discussed the oil and gas file and ways to extract it from the Lebanese
waters. We have agreed with the AMAL Movement on the points of disagreement
which gives the country an opportunity for stability."Separately, Berri received
a delegation from the Red Cross. The delegation has suggested a proposal for the
implementation of supporting program to development legal frameworks for
disaster management planning in Lebanon and risk reduction in collaboration with
the House of Representatives.
Health Ministry Protection
Director: Frequent food poisoning cases in Lebanon
Fri 01 Jul 2016/NNA - The Director of prevention and health protection
department at the Ministry of Health, Joseph Helou, told the NNA that more food
poisoning cases were recorded in various regions in Lebanon, adding that people
suffering from food poisoning need to be hospitalized to get adequate treatment.
He added that the ministry would cover the treatment costs and send teams to the
regions in order to inquire about the application of food safety measures. He
also said that Minister Wael Abou Faour was closely following the case, advising
citizens not to buy food at risk.
South Lebanon governor bans
electric motorcycles in Sidon in preservation of citizens' safety
Fri 01 Jul 2016/NNA - South Lebanon Governor, Mansour Daou, issued on Friday a
decree which banned the conduct of electric motorcycles in the city of Sidon, as
of 8.00 p.m. this evening until 6.00 a.m. in the morning every day till further
notice, in preservation of citizens' safety, NNA reporter said.
Moqbel after visiting Aoun:
Fears do exist yet no need for panic
Fri 01 Jul 2016/NNA - "Change and Reform" head MP Michel Aoun met on Friday at
his Rabieh residence with National Defense Minister, Samir Moqbel, who said that
the visit comes as part of briefing politicians on the current security
situation.In response to a question on emerging about the copious circulated
rumors on security situation, Minister Moqbel categorically stressed that though
fears do exit, yet there is no need for panic, underlining that the army and
security agencies are fully vigilant and equipped. In reply to a question about
measures undertaken in this regard, Moqbel said that the military institution
and the army have taken the proper measures and they are vigilant round the
clock in protection of the nation across all its territories.
Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on July 01-02/16
Gunmen Hold Hostages at Restaurant
in Bangladesh Diplomatic Zone
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/01 July/16/Gunmen stormed a crowded restaurant
popular with foreigners in the Bangladeshi capital on Friday night, apparently
taking diners hostage and sparking a firefight with police in which at least one
officer was killed, officials said.The attackers entered a Spanish restaurant in
Dhaka's diplomatic quarter and opened fire at around 9:20pm (1320 GMT), police
said. Mohammed Suhrawardy, a businessman who lives nearby told a local newspaper
his family heard screams of "Allahu Akbar" (God is the Greatest) followed by
several loud blasts. "Police immediately rushed to the place and fired back. An
unknown number of people are still inside but we cannot confirm whether they are
held hostage," Gulshan area police officer Sayedur Rahman told AFP. The US State
Department said it appeared to be a hostage situation, and a senior Bangladeshi
government official confirmed to AFP there were several people inside the
restaurant."I heard that one Italian national who works at the restaurant and
several other people were still inside the restaurant," said the official on
condition of anonymity. Police said one officer had been killed in the firefight
and another three people including two police had been seriously injured.The
head of Bangladesh's elite security force Benazir Ahmed told reporters the
attackers were still inside the Holey Artisan Bakery restaurant. "We are trying
to communicate with them (gunmen). We want to resolve it peacefully," Benazir
said.Heavily armed police and paramilitary guards cordoned off the area as the
gunfight broke out. "They were eight or nine people," another witness told
reporters."They were shouting Allahu Akbar as they entered the restaurant."The
incident took place near the Nordic Club, where expatriates of Nordic nations
gather, and the Qatar embassy. Bangladesh has been reeling from a wave of
murders of religious minorities and secular activists by suspected Islamist
militants. Earlier Friday a Hindu temple worker was hacked to death in western
Bangladesh. Police also shot dead two Islamist students suspected in last
month's murder of an Hindu priest and arrested a top Islamist militant who
masterminded an attack on a Hindu lecturer last month.
70 killed in battles north of
Syria’s Aleppo
AFP, Beirut Friday, 1 July 2016/At least 70 regime and rebel fighters have been
killed in 24 hours in a government assault and a militant-led counterattack in
northern Syria, a monitor said Thursday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
said 30 regime soldiers and 39 rebel fighters had been killed in battles around
Al-Maleh, north of Aleppo, since Wednesday afternoon. Militants fighting for the
Al-Nusra Front, the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda, were also killed, said
Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman, who did not provide a precise number. The
government of President Bashar al-Assad has been attempting to seize Al-Maleh
for more than two years. His forces have been trying for months to surround
Aleppo by cutting supply lines between rebel-held districts of the city and
nearby Turkey, which supports opposition forces. For nearly a week, regime
troops backed by Syrian and Russian warplanes have been battling for control of
Al-Maleh. Assad's regime is also attempting to cut the Castello Road, a key
supply route from the Turkish border to rebel-held eastern suburbs of Aleppo.
The pro-regime website Al-Masdar News reported that the Syrian army withdrew
from the farms of Al-Maleh as they faced a rebel counter-offensive led by the
Al-Nusra Front. It said rebels attacked government forces with two suicide car
bombs. The Observatory said two children were killed by regime bombs in a
rebel-held area of Aleppo. The majority of Aleppo province is controlled by Al-Nusra
and its Islamist allies, while the city, the country's pre-war commercial
capital, has been divided since July 2012 into rebel-held and regime-held areas.
Thirteen civilians including four children were also killed in regime missile
attacks on Eastern Ghouta in the Damascus region, the Observatory reported
Thursday, updating an earlier toll. The conflict in Syria, which has lasted five
years, has killed more than 280,000 people.
Assad: Western nations
quietly collaborating with Syria
By AP Sydney Friday, 1 July 2016/Western nations publicly critical of Syrian
President Bashar Assad’s regime have been quietly sending security officials to
collaborate with his government, Assad said in an interview broadcast Friday. In
an interview with Australia’s SBS news channel, the Syrian leader accused
Western governments of hypocrisy for criticizing him while working with him
behind the scenes. “This is the double standard of the West in general: They
attack us politically and they send us their officials to deal with us under the
table, especially the security, including your government,” Assad told SBS.
“They all do the same. They don’t want to upset the United States. Actually,
most of the Western officials, they only repeat what the United States wants
them to say. This is the reality,” he said. President Barack Obama is opposed to
armed intervention in Syria’s civil war, which has left at least 250,000 people
dead and contributed to a global refugee crisis. Though he blamed Assad for
using chemical weapons in 2013 and threatened military strikes against Syrian
forces, he has thus far only authorized strikes against the ISIS movement and
other US-designated terror groups in Syria.
Assad said that while he had no dialogue directly with the US, there was
indirect communication between the countries through back channels, including
“businessmen going (and) traveling around the world and meeting with the
officials in the United States and in Europe.”“But there’s nothing serious,” he
said. “Because we don’t think the administration, the American administration,
is serious about solving the problem in Syria.”Assad said he was not opposed to
working with the US, but criticized America for creating problems that it fails
to solve. “(Former President George W.) Bush invaded Iraq; in a few weeks, he
could occupy Iraq. But then what’s next? It’s not about occupying. This is a
great power. We’re not a great power,” Assad said. “So, it’s not about America
occupying Syria. What’s next? What do they want to achieve? They haven’t
achieved anything. They have failed in Libya, in Iraq, in Yemen, in Syria,
everywhere. They only created chaos. So if the United States wants to create
more chaos, it can ... but can they solve the problem? No.”Assad said he wasn’t
concerned about a recent internal memo from more than 50 US State Department
officials urging US military action against Syria’s government. The diplomats
who signed the “dissent channel cable” said that targeted US attacks could
increase leverage over Assad in diplomatic negotiations that have repeatedly
failed. “Warmongers in every American administration always exist,” Assad said.
“It’s not something new.”
Syria warplane crashes near
the capital, pilot missing
By AP Beirut Friday, 1 July 2016/Syria’s official news agency says a warplane
has crashed east of the capital Damascus due to “technical failure during a
training mission.”SANA says the search is on for the pilot, who successfully
ejected from the Syrian warplane Friday. The eastern suburbs of Damascus, where
the plane crashed, are held by rebels opposed to President Bashar Assad. The
Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, says the
plane appeared to have crashed because of technical failure, adding that the
pilot was captured by rebels. The Jaish al-Islam, or Army of Islam, rebel group,
which operates east of Damascus says it shot down the plane. The report could
not be confirmed. Rebels in Syria have long called on their backers to arm them
with anti-aircraft missiles against Syrian airstrikes. now watch: Death of
Khaled Issa.. The direct threat for every citizen-journalist
UN expects residents to start
returning to Fallujah by August
Reuters, Baghdad Friday, 1 July 2016/The United Nations said Iraqi authorities
will allow civilians displaced by the assault on ISIS-held Fallujah to start
returning home as early as August.More than 85,000 people fled their homes
during a month-long campaign that ended on Sunday when Iraqi authorities
declared they had completely recaptured the city, an hour's drive west of
Baghdad. A report on Thursday from the UN refugee agency UNHCR, noting the
government's plans, said the level of destruction will make their return
difficult in the short term and explosives would pose a hazard to residents. The
civilians at government-run camps, who make up about a third of Fallujah's total
population before ISIS took over 2-1/2 years ago, are currently relying on
handouts from the United Nations and aid groups. Lack of funding means many do
not have adequate shelter, food or water amid temperatures exceeding 50 degrees
Celsius (122 Fahrenheit). Humanitarian agencies fear poor sanitation could
spread infectious diseases like cholera and skin diseases in addition to
exacerbating chronic illnesses. The head of Iraq's Sunni endowment, a public
institution that manages religious sites, delivered the first Friday sermon
since the city's recapture at a mosque inside Fallujah. A few dozen worshippers,
including senior military commanders and tribal sheikhs, were gathered there. "I
can see from liberated Fallujah the gates of Nineveh open to you Iraqis, you
fighters; enter them with your rifles as liberators," Abdul Latif al-Humaim said
in a live television broadcast. Mosul, the capital of Nineveh province in the
north and the largest city still controlled by ISIS, is the top target in the
government's campaign against the militants who seized a third of Iraqi
territory two years ago.
Russian and Turkish FMs hold
first meeting since ties repaired
By AFP Moscow Friday, 1 July 2016/Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met his
Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu on Friday for the first time since Moscow
and Ankara mended ties that were shattered by the downing of a Russian jet last
year. “We hope that this encounter will set the right tone for the normalization
of relations,” Lavrov was quoted as saying by TASS news agency at the start of
their meeting on the sidelines of a regional economic cooperation conference in
the Black Sea resort of Sochi. The encounter comes after Moscow on Thursday
ended a ban on the sale of package tours to Turkey in the first step to ending
broader sanctions slapped on Ankara after it shot down a Russian fighter jet on
the Turkish-Syria border in November. The tourism move was agreed in a
breakthrough phone call by leaders Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan on
Wednesday, after the Turkish strongman sent a letter that Moscow said contained
an apology. Turkey has argued that the Russian plane strayed into its airspace
and ignored repeated warnings, but Russia insisted it did not cross the border
and accused Turkey of a “planned provocation”.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov
said Friday’s talks were expected to help pave the way for a meeting between
Putin and Erdogan that could take place either before or at a G20 summit in
China in September. The jet downing slammed the brakes on burgeoning relations
between the two nations and sparked a bitter war of words between the two
leaders. Putin has now ordered his government to hold talks on lifting an
embargo imposed on some Turkish food and to restore full trade ties with Ankara.
The crisis in relations with Moscow had dealt a blow to Turkish tourism, with
the number of Russian tourists drastically declining in holiday resorts along
the Mediterranean coast.
Turkey’s parliament passes
law to restructure judiciary, bolstering Erdogan
By Reuters Ankara Friday, 1 July 2016/Turkey’s parliament approved sweeping
plans late on Thursday to restructure the high courts, in a victory for
President Tayyip Erdogan that critics say will allow him to remove troublesome
judges and tighten his grip over the judiciary. The ruling AK Party has said the
law will clear bottlenecks in the legal system. But opponents see it as giving
Erdogan even more power at a time when he is seeking a constitutional change to
introduce an executive presidency. The main opposition CHP said it would launch
an appeal at the Constitutional Court, although the success of that challenge
looks doubtful. The European Union has repeatedly raised concerns about the
erosion of judicial independence in Turkey, with officials warning it is taking
the country away from European standards and further undermining its already
strained EU membership bid. Under the new law, most of the 711 judges at two of
the highest courts - the Council of State, which hears cases lodged by citizens
against the government, and the Supreme Court of Appeals - will be removed. It
is not clear how many of them will be reappointed. There will be fewer judges
and new appointments will be carried out by the High Council of Judges and
Prosecutors (HSYK), which oversees judicial appointments and falls under the
control of the Justice Ministry. Erdogan will also be able to appoint a quarter
of the judges at the Council of State, allowing him to stack one of the
country’s most important legal bodies with his allies. The AKP says the law will
reform a high judiciary swamped by as many as two million cases, some waiting
for years to be heard. The reforms come on top of an unprecedentedly large
reshuffle last month of the HSYK, which saw 3,700 judges and prosecutors
reassigned, sparking accusations of a witch hunt.
The courts have already become more loyal to Erdogan’s agenda, his opponents
say, since large-scale purges in the judiciary following a corruption scandal in
2013. Sources said the HSYK was likely to implement the new appointments as soon
as possible, meaning any ruling from the Constitutional Court to cancel the law
would not be able to reverse the changes.
Turkey detains more suspects
over airport attack
Reuters, Istanbul Friday, 1 July 2016/Turkish police detained 11 foreigners
suspected of being members of an ISIS cell in Istanbul linked to the suicide
bombers who staged the attack this week at Istanbul's main airport, broadcaster
Haberturk said on its website on Friday. The arrests in the dawn raid, by a
counter-terror police squad in the Basaksehir district on the European side of
the city, brought the number of people detained in the investigation to 24, it
said. A police spokesman could not confirm the report, which was also carried by
other media. Three suspected ISIS suicide bombers killed 44 people in a gun and
bomb attack at Istanbul's main airport on Tuesday, the deadliest in a string of
attacks in Turkey this year. The suspected suicide bombers were Russian, Uzbek
and Kyrgyz nationals, a Turkish government official said on Thursday.
Separately, security forces on Wednesday detained four Turkish citizens at the
Oncupinar border gate in southeast Turkey on suspicion of membership in a
terrorist group, the local governor's office said in a statement. The four were
attempting to return to Turkey from a conflict zone in Syria under ISIS control,
it said.
Russian and Turkish FMs Hold First
Meeting since Ties Repaired
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/July01/16/Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
met his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu on Friday for the first time since
Moscow and Ankara mended ties shattered last year by the downing of a Russian
jet. Lavrov said both sides wanted to "set the right tone for the normalisation
of relations" at the meeting on the sidelines of a regional economic cooperation
conference in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. "We can talk with Russia on every
issue, positive or negative, because the dialogue that had been cut has
restarted and our relations have begun returning to old days," Cavusoglu said
after the meeting, in comments aired on Turkish television. The encounter comes
after Moscow on Thursday ended a ban on the sale of package tours to Turkey in
the first step to ending broader sanctions slapped on Ankara after it shot down
a Russian fighter jet on the Turkish-Syria border in November. The diplomatic
breakthrough was made on Wednesday in the first phone call since the incident
between presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan after the Turkish
strongman sent a letter that Moscow said contained an apology. Cavusoglu said
Erdogan could fly to Sochi in August for a face-to-face meeting with Putin. -
'The most difficult issues' -The jet downing slammed the brakes on burgeoning
relations between the two nations and sparked a bitter war of words between the
two leaders. Turkey argued that the Russian plane strayed into its airspace and
ignored repeated warnings, but Russia insisted it did not cross the border and
accused Turkey of a "planned provocation". The two sides still remain on
opposing sides in the Syrian conflict, with Ankara backing rebels fighting to
topple President Bashar al-Assad who has the backing of Moscow. Lavrov said
after the meeting that they had agreed to restart a "working group on fighting
terrorism" and that contacts between the armed forces from the two sides could
improve. "I think that contacts will develop along other channels, including
between the militaries of the two countries, taking into account the activities
of our air force."
He said the two sides could discuss "even the most difficult issues", including
the "the task of not allowing Turkish territory to support terrorist
organisations in Syria". During the diplomatic spat Putin accused Erdogan of
profiting from the illegal oil trade with the Islamic State group in Syria. The
meeting in Sochi came after at least 44 people were killed in a triple suicide
bombing at Istanbul's international airport on Tuesday, with the government
pointing the finger of blame at IS jihadists. The crisis in relations with
Moscow had dealt a blow to Turkish tourism, with the number of Russian tourists
drastically declining in holiday resorts along the Mediterranean coast.
Palestinian woman shot dead
after stabbing attempt
AFP, Jerusalem Friday, 1 July 2016/A Palestinian woman attempted to stab Israeli
border police guards at a flashpoint West Bank shrine on Friday and was shot
dead, Israeli police said. They said that no police were wounded in the attempt
at the site in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, known to Muslims as the
Ibrahimi Mosque and to Jews as the Cave of the Patriarchs. It was the third
violent incident in two days. On Thursday morning, a Palestinian fatally stabbed
a US-Israeli teenager in her home at a Jewish settlement adjoining Hebron,
before being shot dead by security guards.That evening, in the Israeli seaside
town of Netanya, a Palestinian from the northern West Bank stabbed a man and
woman, both Israelis, before being shot dead by a passing civilian, police said.
Hebron has been a flashpoint in a spate of deadly unrest that has rocked Israel
and the Palestinian territories since last October. Several hundred Jewish
settlers live in a tightly guarded enclave in the heart of the city of more than
200,000 Palestinians, a persistent source of tensions. Kiryat Arba lies on the
outskirts of the city and has a population of more than 7,000. The violence
since October has killed at least 213 Palestinians, 33 Israelis, two Americans,
an Eritrean and a Sudanese.
Iranians hold annual
anti-Israel rallies to mark al-Quds day
The Associated Press, Tehran Friday, 1 July 2016/Iranians are staging
anti-Israel rallies across the country, with protesters condemning the Israeli
occupation of Palestinian territories and chanting “death to Israel.”Tens of
thousands of people are marching in the capital, Tehran, as part of the al-Quds
day rallies held each year on the last Friday of Ramadan. Some protesters
trampled the Israeli flag and also chanted "down with the USA."Iranian state
media reports that similar rallies are taking place across the country. Iran
does not recognize Israel and has marked al-Quds day since the start of its 1979
Islamic revolution. Al-Quds is a historic Arabic name for Jerusalem, and Iran
says the day is an occasion to express support for the Palestinians and
emphasize the importance of Jerusalem for Muslims.
Woman dies, children hurt in
Bahrain blast
Reuters, Manama Friday, 1 July 2016/A Bahraini woman died and three children
sustained minor injuries when their car was hit by a bomb blast on Thursday that
police said was carried out by "terrorists" in southern Bahrain. Shrapnel hit
the car the woman was in, the police said, and security forces were
investigating the scene of the attack in the village of East Eker, south of
Bahrain's capital, Manama, according to an Interior Ministry statement. "A
terrorist act on Thursday claimed the life of a woman and injured three children
who were with her in a car that was hit by shrapnel after a bomb exploded," the
director general of Manama's police directorate was quoted as saying by state
media. Sporadic violence and bomb attacks largely aimed at Bahraini security
forces have been frequent. In July, 2015 two policemen in the village of Sitra
were killed in a bomb blast that authorities said involved the use of explosives
smuggled from Iran. Tehran denies interference in Bahrain but openly supports
opposition groups seeking greater rights for the Shiite majority.
Donald Trump floats idea of
using NATO in ISIS fight
Reuters, Washington Friday, 1 July 2016/Republican Donald Trump said Thursday
that if elected president Nov. 8 he would be open to drawing NATO forces into
the fight against ISIS militants in a new mission for an alliance he has called
obsolete.
Trump made the comments in an interview with ABC News. The presumptive
Republican presidential nominee has for months raised questions about the money
the United States pours into NATO, which he says needs to be reconfigured to
take account of today's threats. "I like the idea of using NATO and also
neighbors that aren't in NATO and take them out. You gotta take them out," Trump
said. Under President Barack Obama, the United States has relied heavily on U.S.
airstrikes to attack ISIS targets in Syria and Iraq. Republicans have criticized
this policy as not enough to stop the militants. Trump said the idea of using
the Cold War-era alliance would be to ease the load on American forces. "I don't
want to get too much of ours involved. I want NATO to be involved," Trump said.
"We spend a tremendous amount of money on NATO. We take care of countries that
frankly should be taking care of themselves in terms of economically."Trump's
comments came amid an uproar over a meeting between former President Bill
Clinton and Attorney General Loretta Lynch at a time when Clinton's wife,
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, is under federal
investigation. The private meeting took place on Lynch's plane after she landed
in Phoenix Monday night and Bill Clinton was leaving the airport after a rally
he held for his wife earlier that day. Hillary Clinton is under an FBI
investigation for her use of a private email server when she was President
Barack Obama's first-term secretary of state. Trump told conservative radio talk
show host Mike Gallagher that the meeting was proof of his charge that the U.S.
political system is "rigged" in favor of political elites. "It's unheard of,"
Trump told ABC News. "You have this massive investigation on emails and they'd
have a meeting like this."Lynch, appointed to her position by Obama more than a
year ago, said she did not discuss the email investigation or other pending
matters before the Justice Department with Bill Clinton. "When I was landing at
the airport, I did see President Clinton at the Phoenix airport as I was leaving
and he spoke to myself and my husband on the plane," Lynch told reporters."Our
conversation was a great deal about grandchildren. It was primarily social and
about our travels. He mentioned the golf he played in Phoenix and he mentioned
travels he had to West Virginia...But there was no discussion of any matter
pending for the department or any matter pending before any other body," Lynch
said. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating Hillary Clinton about
her email use and has already interviewed some of her aides. The investigation
into whether laws were broken as a result of the server kept in her New York
home has overshadowed Clinton's campaign.
While denouncing the Orlando
shooter, Iran regime leads the world in attacks - Gov. Tom Ridge
National Council of Resistance of Iran/ hursday, 30 June 2016
The Iranian regime's condemnation of the Orlando mass shooting must be viewed
against a backdrop of its status as the world’s most active state sponsor of
terrorism, former United States Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge wrote in
an op-ed piece in The Washington Times on Thursday.
"It’s hard to imagine an expression of sympathy more disingenuous," he wrote,
adding that the West must not fall for the deceptive smiles of the terrorist
regime in Iran.
"The Orlando condemnation was issued by the administration of President Hassan
Rouhani, known to wear a much friendlier face in public than its predecessor.
This was most obvious during the nuclear negotiations last July. But neither the
nuclear deal nor any subsequent statements justify claims that Mr. Rouhani and
his colleagues represent a trend toward moderation."
"Indeed, just last week, inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency
confirmed that traces of man-made uranium were found at the Parchin facility,
southeast of Tehran, indicating that Tehran was pursuing a weapons program."
"Mr. Rouhani himself has contributed to a recent surge in propaganda, declaring
at the end of May, for instance, that the nuclear negotiations represented an
“historic turning point,” specifically because they constituted the defeat of
'the plots of Zionism and [Western] arrogance.'"
"Mr. Rouhani came to power amidst promises of not only a new opening with the
international community, but also of domestic reforms, the release of political
prisoners, and a generally freer Iranian society. Three years later, and one
year prior to his re-election bid, none of these has come to pass. Quite the
contrary, the situation has only gotten worse in several crucial ways, according
to experts, such as the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in Iran."
"The rate of executions has skyrocketed. Some 2,600 people have been executed
since Mr. Rouhani took office, in a country that already held the record for the
highest number of executions per capita in the world."
And yet, it is sadly possible, Gov. Ridge added, "that those not paying
attention to circumstances inside the Islamic Republic might be lulled by the
Orlando statement into more wishful thinking that domestic reform is still just
around the corner. Some Western policymakers embraced that sentiment after Mr.
Rouhani’s election, and then again after the conclusion of the nuclear
negotiations."
"Such predictions have been proven false at every turn. It would be ridiculous
to allow the Rouhani administration’s latest hollow statements to renew that
optimism. At this point, we should know better than to pay any mind to
disingenuous comments from Tehran. We would be better served to pay attention to
the voice of the Iranian people, like the tens of thousands of Iranian
dissidents who will gather in Paris on July 9 for a major international rally in
support of the National Council of Resistance of Iran."
"In contrast to Tehran’s attempts at masking ongoing abuses under an outpouring
of empty sentiment, the gathering will highlight an array of concrete examples
of the Iranian regime’s human rights violations, terrorist acts, its continued
support of the Assad regime that has killed a quarter-million people, and
expressions of the very same poisonous ideology that apparently motivated the
Orlando shooter."
"All of this will serve to emphasize a point that the National Council of
Resistance of Iran has expressed repeatedly as Western policymakers sought
openings with Iran: We cannot hope to defeat Islamic extremism on a global scale
until and unless we confront it everywhere, whether in the cold-blooded murders
of a lone gunman or the deceptive smiles of a terrorist state," he added.
**Tom Ridge was the U.S.'s first Homeland Security Secretary and a governor of
Pennsylvania.
Political prisoner calls for
participation in “Free Iran” rally
Friday, 01 July 2016/NCRI - Political prisoner Arzhang Davoudi, who has suffered
brutal physical and mental torture at the hands of the Iranian regime since
2003, sent out a message from Rajai-Shahr (Gohardasht) Prison this week, which
invited all people who support democracy and freedom to participate in the
Iranian Resistance’s “Free Iran” gathering held on July 9 in Paris.
The following is a text of his invitation:
"In this land, no bird flies, no spring comes, it is a limitless prison, with
the rise of dawn by tomorrow the hands of freedom will be soaked with life's
abundance. With the friendliest greetings to the purest souls who sacrificed
their lives for the freedom of other human beings, I would like to inform all
that the fake regime emerged from the revolution in 1979. This regime did not
only withhold freedom, democracy, peace, and justice from us Iranians, but it
also scattered millions of our countrymen and intellectuals across the world.
This regime is being transformed day by day to an unrestrained entity, which
lacks domestic and international legitimacy.
This corrupt system does not appreciate humanity. In the past 37 years, this
regime has repressed all political thinkers and public intellectuals by force
and with the help of its brutal mercenaries and its domestic intelligence
agency, which seeks to stifle freedom at any corner. The latter agents are the
trainees of the regime's two most notorious organs, the Basij and the IRGC. The
only remedy for getting rid of this wicked regime is to fight it with an
organized tactic .We must also try hard to change the theocratic framework of
the regime. The Iranian democratic revolution is the third revolution, which
calls for the support of domestic and foreign actors.
All Iranian and international democrats know very well that every educated
person must be open-minded to varying views and different cultural and social
manners. Accordingly, people must work together with genuine and consistent
actors to free those in oppression. Indeed, we must strive to fulfill these
ideas with our persistent attempts.
In light of the passive and corrupt regime, we put our hope in all libertarians
who want to free Iran and the Iranian people. Thus, in order to achieve our
goals of a "Free Iran" we invite you to participate in the Iranian Resistance's
gathering held on July 9, 2016 in Paris. In advance, we appreciate the continual
efforts of those people organizing this gathering and we welcome all
participants of this event coming from all over the world. I thank you all
sincerely."
Viva Iran,
Long live Iran,
Victory to the rightful struggle of Iranians,
Arzhang Davoudi
Rajai-Shahr (Gohardasht) Prison
July 2016
IRAN: Jafar Azimzadeh in
critical condition on day 63 of hunger strike
Thursday, 30 June 2016/NCRI - Imprisoned Iranian workers' rights activist Jafar
Azimzadeh who is on day 63 of a hunger strike is in critical condition.
According to reports from inside Iran, eye-witnesses at the hospital where he is
being held said he threw up today and doctors have said that his condition is
very serious since his digestive system no longer even accepts water. Doctors
have said he has passed the point of no return.
On Wednesday, June 29, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) in a
statement reported that hundreds of workers, teachers and youths rallied outside
the office of the Iranian regime’s president Hassan Rouhani in Tehran earlier in
the day in support of Mr. Azimzadeh, demanding urgent action to save his life.
Gathering from different cities across Iran, protesters were seen chanting,
“Workers don’t belong in prison. Workers’ wages is not lashing,” “Jailed workers
must be freed,” “Political prisoners must be freed,” “62 days have passed and
Jafar remains in jail,” and “Plunderers are free, workers are in jail.” The
repressive intelligence agents and police prevented anyone from taking any video
footage or still images of the rally.
A day prior to this gathering Rasoul Boddaghi, Ismail Abdi and Mahmoud Beheshti
Langroudi, jailed teachers who were recently released, were joined by 180 other
teachers and workers issuing a statement announcing a hunger strike from
Thursday, June 30, to Saturday, July 2 in support of Mr. Azimzadeh.
Moreover, Mr. Ali Moezi, a supporter of the People's Mojahedin Organization of
Iran (PMOI or MEK) and a number of other political prisoners in the prisons of
Evin and Gohardasht underscored the repressive regime and its so-called
judiciary are responsible for Mr. Azimzadeh’s health and well-being, adding
they, too, will be on hunger strike starting Tuesday, June 28.
Mr. Azimzadeh has gone unconscious many times in the past few days. Despite his
conditions, Hajilou, the regime’s representative in the public prosecutor’s
office, has said they will do nothing in the case of Mr. Azidzadeh losing his
life.
Azimzadeh has been on hunger strike protesting the “violation of the fundamental
rights of teachers and workers,” “their detention and prosecution for bogus
reasons” and raising charges such as “acting against security” against labor
activists and teachers.
Mr. Azimzadeh, who was arrested on November 8, 2015, is currently serving a
six-year prison sentence in Ward 8 of Evin Prison for engaging in peaceful and
legitimate trade union activities.
On May 27, Mr. Azimzadeh sent an open letter to the International Labor
Organization (ILO) from prison in which he lambasted the Iranian regime's
mistreatment of workers.
A key demand of Mr. Azimzadeh and other workers’ union activists is for the
authorities to drop the charge of “gathering and colluding to commit crimes
against national security” and other national security charges in cases of union
activities.
Mr. Azimzadeh sent a statement out of Evin Prison following the release on bail
of fellow political prisoner Ismail Abdi, Secretary General of Iran’s Teachers’
Trade Association (ITTA), vowing to continue his hunger strike until the
"demands of millions of teachers and workers" are met.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) in a May 24 statement once
again called on all defenders of human rights, particularly the United Nations
High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other
cruel and inhumane punishments, the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone
to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental
health, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, and the
Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, to take urgent and effective action to
secure the release of political prisoners on hunger strike in Iran, including
Mr. Azimzadeh.
Raymond Tanter: The Way
Forward After the Iran Nuclear Deal
Thursday, 30 June 2016/Prof. Raymond Tanter, a former senior staff member of the
U.S. National Security Council, has written an op-ed in the run-up to the
anniversary of the world powers’ nuclear deal with the Iranian regime.
In an article for Townhall on Thursday, Prof. Tanter writes:
Agreed to on July 14, 2015, we are fast approaching the first year anniversary
of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and the world
powers. The next couple of weeks are an ideal time to evaluate what changes have
occurred in the interim.
Regional Instability
According to Matthew McGinnis, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute,
about a year after the nuclear deal with Iran, it is embroiled in several major
regional conflicts. Two are “hot” ones: against opposition and Islamist groups
in Syria and Islamic State in Iraq. The more are “colder” ones: a regional feud
with Saudi Arabia and efforts against Israel in southern Lebanon and the Golan
Heights, which are shaped by the Syrian Civil War.
On Apr. 3, 2016, United Arab Emirates Ambassador Yousef al Otaiba stated in the
Wall Street Journal that, “One Year after the Iran Nuclear Deal—don’t be fooled.
The Iran we have long known—hostile, expansionist, violent—is alive and well.”
On June 29, he was on a panel I attended in Washington and elaborated on the
argument in the WSJ. In October, November and in early March, Tehran conducted
ballistic-missile tests in violation of UN Security Council resolutions.
Regarding March fighting in Yemen, the French navy seized a large cache of
weapons en route from Iran to the Houthis in rebellion against the UN-backed
legitimate government. In late February, Australia intercepted a ship off the
coast of Oman with thousands of rocket-propelled grenades. In December, Tehran
fired rockets dangerously close to a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Strait of
Hormuz, a few weeks before detaining a group of American sailors.
Unknown Compliance
What about an International Atomic Energy Agency May 27, 2016 report on Iran’s
compliance with the nuclear deal? Seeing the best in the nuclear agreement
requires ignoring the obvious weaknesses in the IAEA report, which does not even
specify how much low-enriched uranium the Islamic Republic has stockpiled, how
many centrifuges are running at the Natanz enrichment site or whether enrichment
activities have actually stopped at Fordow. That’s because under the terms of
the nuclear deal, Iran only needs to demonstrate minimum openness. The head of
the UN watchdog nuclear agency says that although Iran seems to be adhering to
the letter of the deal, “his inspectors are stretched thin by the task of
monitoring compliance across a country the size of Alaska.”
The Way Forward
Considering lack of real compromise from Iran and its posture toward the rest of
the world, the forthcoming anniversary is a fine time to admit that it is time
to consider removal of Iran’s theocratic dictatorship and establishment of a
popularly-elected democratic government.
Mid-July will be doubly fortuitous. Even before we mark the anniversary of the
nuclear deal, the world will have an opportunity to hear from the resistance
against the unelected Iranian theocracy and a plan of the oppositionists for a
democratic alternative: There is to be a rally of supporters of the National
Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), called “Iran Freedom” rally in Paris on
July 9. Last year’s event drew over 100,000 people.
One path forward is to recognize that a core argument of the Obama
administration’s case for marketing the Iran nuclear deal is the narrative that
the election of Hassan Rouhani and other Iranian “moderates” made the deal
possible. White House Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic
Communications Ben Rhodes admitted, that such a story was “the center of the
arc” of a false narrative that was “largely manufactured” for the purpose of
selling the deal.
The NCRI rejects the idea that the nuclear deal will lead to a more moderate
Iran, or strengthen the role of “moderates” in Tehran. Moreover, Iranian
dissidents do not accept the conventional wisdom that the regime is immune to
regime change from within. The trend of events in Iran since last year lends
credence to view that regime change by Iranians is within reach.
In view of regional instability and unknown compliance in the aftermath of the
nuclear deal with Iran, anyone who is still on the fence about the way forward
for U.S. policy toward Iran would be well-advised to listen to what the NCRI and
its American, European and Middle Eastern allies have to say at their rally.
Once their voices have been heard, the international community should have a
clearer idea how to bring about regime change from within. In this regard, my
research suggests supporting the democratic alternative to the Iranian regime is
the road to regional stability and nuclear compliance.
**Raymond Tanter, a professor emeritus, University of Michigan; and a former
senior staff member, National Security Council, Reagan-Bush administration, is
an adjunct scholar of The Washington Institute, researching U.S. policy options
toward Iran.
Gérard Deprez MEP: Human
rights deteriorate in Iran despite European optimism
National Council of Resistance of Iran/Friday, 01 July 2016 /No amount of trade
and economic growth can make up for the suffering and loss of life caused by
Iran’s brutal regime. The West must demand change before deepening relations
with Tehran, writes Gérard Deprez, a veteran member of the European Parliament.
Mr. Deprez is vice-president of the Belgian Liberal Mouvement Reformateur Party
and chairs the Friends of a Free Iran group in the European Parliament.
Writing for Euractiv on Friday, July 1, he said:
Last week I, together with 270 of my colleagues in the European Parliament from
all political groups, including six vice-presidents of the Parliament, signed a
joint statement decrying the human rights situation in Iran. We called on
European governments to require improvements to that situation before further
expanding relations with Tehran and expressed our concern for the rising number
of executions in Iran since the so-called “moderate” president Hassan Rouhani
took office three years ago.
In his latest reports to the UN Human Rights Commission, Dr Ahmed Shaheed, the
UN special rapporteur for human rights in Iran, pointed out that nearly 1,000
people were put to death in Iranian jails during the year 2015 alone. He has
clarified that this represents the worst period of executions in 27 years, in a
nation that consistently executes more people per capita than any other.
The trend continues to this day, even in the wake of the implementation of the
Iranian Nuclear Deal. It continues even as some European politicians insist on
regarding the Rouhani administration as moderate, and as a potential source of
internal reforms in the months and years to come.
Iranian opposition sources have added to Shaheed’s statistics by noting that
President Rouhani has overseen a total of approximately 2,500 executions during
his three years in office. Various Iran-focused human rights organisations have
continued to report executions in recent weeks and have pointed out, for
instance, that at least 73 people were hanged in May, some even in front of
public crowds that included young children.
Such brutal spectacles are only one of the ways in which the Iranian regime
maintains its commitment to plainly medieval values, regardless of whether
Western observers keep up scrutiny and pressure on Tehran’s behavior, or praise
it for its “moderation”. Repressive measures against women and religious
minorities have continued to increase. The joint statement by the European
lawmakers highlights not only the overall scope of executions, but also the fact
that Iran leads the world in executions of juvenile offenders. Victims of
Iranian hangings include political prisoners convicted of “crimes” like “enmity
against God”, which may consist of nothing more than donating money to media
outlets linked to the opposition PMOI, or otherwise speaking out against the
regime’s abuses.
Even those who avoid the noose may be punished with either excessively long
prison sentences or forms of legally mandated violence that would be shocking to
any civilized person. According to the last report from Amnesty International,
the country’s fundamentalist leadership continues to cling to the literal
doctrine of “an eye for an eye”, and has very recently carried out punishments
that involve blinding prisoners or removing their limbs.
Sentences of flogging are not only eagerly meted out by Iran’s revolutionary
courts; they appear to be increasingly popular as ways of attempting to
“correct” the behavior of a restive population, particularly women, who are
thoroughly fed up with forced Islamic dress codes, comprehensive media
censorship, and the criminalisation of anything resembling Western society. Near
the end of May, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned “the
outrageous flogging of up to 35 young men and women in Iran” who had been
rounded up at a graduation party and almost immediately subjected to 99 lashes
each for removing headscarves and dancing with the opposite gender.
For those who have been waiting for signs of reforms from inside the Iranian
regime, surely that wait has gone on long enough. Former claims of moderation
have been thoroughly contradicted in both word and deed by the regime in
general, and by the Rouhani administration in particular. The laws leading to
the above-mentioned executions and physical violence have all been eagerly
embraced by the Iranian president, who has described them as “the law of God”
and “the laws of the parliament, which belongs to the people”.
In reality, the Iranian parliament belongs to no one other than the ruling
theocracy. The recent political victories for Rouhani’s faction were nothing
other than victories of one hardline wing over another. All genuine reformists
were ousted from the race long before the Iranian people had any opportunity to
weigh in on the future of the country. And more than that, many of the staunch
opponents of repressive theocracy and fundamentalism were ousted from the
country altogether, years ago.
On 9 July, many lawmakers from Europe, the United States, and throughout the
world will join in the international rally of the Iranian opposition in Paris
under the leadership of Maryam Rajavi to emphasise our commitment to supporting
the Iranian people’s aspiration for democratic change.
Our message is that the Iranian people cannot afford European and American
policies that continue to avoid putting pressure on the regime over the human
rights situation. No amount of economic growth or trade with Iran can make up
for the pain and loss of life that will persist if the regime is allowed to
commit its newfound wealth to the same old human rights abuses.
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources
published on July 01-02/16
The Political
Blame Game: Pulling Tricks to Deny the Obvious
Douglas Murray/Gatestone Institute/July 01/16
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8338/orlando-gay-islam-blame
Immediately after the massacre in Orlando, the gay press was full of articles
that adamantly refused to admit the reality of Islamic homophobia.
The same organisations that obsess over which bakeries in the U.S. and Europe
will or will not bake wedding cakes for gay couples, and rightly have no trouble
berating homophobic Christian pastors, seemed wholly uninterested in the
motivations of the Pulse nightclub killer. Instead, these papers and websites
were filled with articles, petitions and joint letters, enjoining people not to
notice the Islamic element.
These gay activists have a vision of the world where only "patriarchal" white
males of Jewish or Christian heritage can cause the world's problems.
A small minority of very vocal "far-left" activists are now using their LGBT
status as a smokescreen not to advance gay rights but to advance "far-left"
politics.
The recent shootings at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando Florida have already
begun to be submerged by the news cycle. Shock at the worst mass-shooting in
American history -- which saw the death of forty-nine people and the wounding of
even more, fifty-three -- has been further dulled by various distractions in the
debate. This time, these have included a debate on America's gun laws and
speculation around the sexuality of the gunman.
All of these matters have been fought backwards and forwards and should
certainly be components of any argument. But the part of the debate that has
been the most important and -- as usual -- the most covered over, has been the
religious motivation of the gunman. This, and the response it has entailed, is
worth dwelling on: it reveals a concerted effort not to learn from events.
Just as it is inevitable that those obsessed with gun legislation should wish to
make the debate about gun legislation, so it is inevitable that those with any
other over-riding political agenda should wish to pin responsibility for the
shooting on whatever is their particular obsession. It seems inevitable, for
instance, that "Black Lives Matter" would blame the shooting on "the four
threats of white supremacy, patriarchy, capitalism, and militarism."
But why would government and the community which had been attacked try to
pretend that the gunman's religion had absolutely nothing to do with the
shooting? One could understand why the most ardent proselytiser for Islam or the
most sensitive Muslim believer might like to downplay the Islamic element of a
Muslim going into a gay nightclub and gunning down gays. But why would so many
others be at such pains to erase this aspect of the story?
To say that the U.S. government has done so is simply a statement of fact.
Consider the partial transcripts of the 911 calls of the gunman, Omar Mateen, on
the night in question, released by the FBI. There are two especially notable
aspects to these transcripts. The first is that where the gunman refers to
"Allah," the FBI transcript has changed "Allah" to "God'. This cannot be in
order to translate from the Arabic and thus make Mateen's sense clearer to any
American who did not know what "Allah" meant (which is itself highly unlikely
after all these years). Most of the call is in English. There is no reason for
the FBI to use an English-speaker's use of the word "Allah" and turn it into
"God" -- other than to cover over an important aspect of the call.
The second is that the FBI chose to redact those portions of the call which
refer to ISIS. Where Mateen had said in his call that he was doing what he was
doing in Orlando in the name of ISIS, no version of the group's name was
originally included. Instead, the FBI transcript related that Mateen said: "I
pledge allegiance to [omitted]." Of course, the Obama administration has tried
to refrain from referring to ISIS in any of its forms other than the cutesy
Arabic term, "Daesh" (which means the same thing as ISIS but avoids any variant
of the "I" word reaching tender American ears). Since the outcry in response to
the FBI's redactions, it has released a full, unedited transcript of Mateen's
call. In this the shooter says, among other things, "My name is I pledge of
allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi of the Islamic State.'
Perhaps it is inevitable that this administration in Washington would try to
cover over the Islamist nature of this attack. It is administration policy to do
so -- a policy they are unlikely now to reverse, however many more Orlandos are
to come.
The most confused and confusing motive of all, however, is that of organised
sections of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
Immediately after the massacre in Orlando, the gay press was full of articles
that adamantly refused to admit the reality of Islamic homophobia. The same
organisations that obsess over which bakeries in the U.S. and Europe will or
will not bake wedding cakes for gay couples, and rightly have no trouble
berating homophobic Christian pastors, seemed wholly uninterested in the
motivations of the Pulse nightclub killer. Instead, these papers and websites
were filled with articles, petitions and joint letters enjoining people not to
notice the Islamic element. Or, as one open letter published in one of the major
Scottish papers put it, "Don't use Orlando shootings to demonise Islamic
communities', say prominent LGBTI Scots." This exemplar of the problem stated:
Prominent Scots are among signatories to an open letter published in The
National today condemning the use of the Orlando massacre by figures such as
Donald Trump to stoke Islamophobia."
There may be forty-nine dead gay people, but these activists knew where they
were going to put the blame.
Among other things the letter's contents said:
"In the wake of this atrocity, it has been additionally distressing to see
various far-right commentators attempt to equate the killings with Islam, and in
doing so fan the flames of Islamophobia.
"We want to emphasise that this is not happening in any way in solidarity with
the LGBT+ community, and wholeheartedly reject any attempts to use the Orlando
killings as a tool to demonise entire communities on the basis of the actions of
one individual."
A number of tricks are pulled here. Not least of them is the denigration of the
few people (of all political persuasions) who express concern about Islamist
violence as "far-right." The other is to claim that such people -- even when
they are gay -- do not represent LGBT people, whereas this group of noticeably
under-qualified "far-leftists" do. If one imagined that any genuinely unified
expression of LGBT opinion must surely encompass some centre-right or
conservative voices, these signatories would disagree.
This tiny morsel of activism in fact demonstrates a far greater problem. Just as
the Obama administration cannot face up to -- or even name -- the problem,
because doing so would run wholly counter to its seven-year old policy, so
"far-left" LGBT activists who dominate LGBT politics have to downplay or
"disappear" the Islamist nature of such events, while accusing others who do not
of "Islamophobia." As with the Obama administration, this decision is a
political stand. These gay activists have a vision of the world just as much as
the "Black Lives Matter" and other such campaign groups do. This vision includes
a world where only "patriarchal" white males of Jewish or Christian heritage can
cause the world's problems.
It is high time that this was more widely pointed out. A small minority of
extremely vocal far-left activists are now using their LGBT status as a
smokescreen not to advance gay rights but to advance far-left politics. Gay
rights are in fact a casualty of their politics -- but a casualty they are
willing to accept. It is unlikely that this political wing of the gay community,
who have formed such a smokescreen around radical Islam, will become aware of
their mistake anytime soon. Forty-nine dead bodies were not enough, so there is
no reason to imagine that hundreds more would be. But it is to be hoped that the
wider public remember that those who would deny this problem come from all walks
of society -- from the top of the U.S. government all the way down to the most
unknown but fervent signatories of identity politics.
**Douglas Murray is a current events analyst and commentator based in London.
© 2016 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
Iran deal: Why is Team Obama
trying so hard to hide information from you?
Jay Sekulow/June 30, 2016/FoxNews.com
The Obama administration continues to drag its feet by refusing to release
important information about the deal with Iran –- information the American
public wants and deserves. My organization, the American Center for Law and
Justice (ACLJ) filed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests with the U.S.
Department of State last month to get to the bottom of why the State Department
deleted press briefing video footage that appeared to confirm that the Obama
administration lied about its dealings with Iran. You can imagine what happened.
Nothing. Predictably, there’s only been silence from the State Department – no
response to our FOIA requests. That left the ACLJ with no choice but to go to
federal court to file a lawsuit against the State Department demanding that it
follow the law and provide key records shedding light on its cover-up of the
Obama administration’s Iran deal.
Last month, Fox News Chief Washington Correspondent James Rosen reported that
the U.S. Department of State had deleted a portion of its official video – the
portion containing the spokesperson’s acknowledgment to Rosen that the Obama
administration had lied to the American public about when it began its secret
bilateral talks with Iran.
The timing is important because the Obama administration maintained it waited
until after an allegedly more moderate regime was elected in 2013 before
engaging Iran. This was part of its strategy in selling the “Iran Deal” to the
American people and to Congress.
At the Daily Press Briefing on December 2, 2013, Rosen asked spokesperson Jen
Psaki if the talks had really begun as far back as 2011, as Deputy National
Security Adviser Ben Rhodes recently admitted to the New York Times. Here is
what Rosen said, referencing a prior press briefing in February 2013:
QUESTION: — about Iran. And with your indulgence, I will read it in its entirety
for the purpose of the record and so you can respond to it.
“Rosen: There have been reports that intermittently, and outside of the formal
P5+1 mechanisms, the Obama administration, or members of it, have conducted
direct secret bilateral talks with Iran. Is that true or false?”
“Nuland: We have made clear, as the Vice President did at Munich, that in the
context of the larger P5+1 framework, we would be prepared to talk to Iran
bilaterally. But with regard to the kind of thing that you’re talking about on a
government-to-government level, no.”
That’s the entirety of the exchange.
Rosen followed up with a valiant attempt to get a straight answer. Finally:
QUESTION: Let me try it one last way, Jen —
MS. PSAKI: Okay.
QUESTION: — and I appreciate your indulgence.
MS. PSAKI: Sure.
QUESTION: Is it the policy of the State Department, where the preservation or
the secrecy of secret negotiations is concerned, to lie in order to achieve that
goal?
MS. PSAKI: James, I think there are times where diplomacy needs privacy in order
to progress. This is a good example of that. . . .
As Rosen reported, the official State Department video record of that Daily
Press Briefing had been altered and that portion of the Briefing deleted.
The administration originally claimed the deletion was a “glitch” – but after
receiving the ACLJ’s FOIA request and under increasing pressure from a skeptical
media, it admitted the deletion was not a glitch, but was instead “deliberate.”
Our FOIA requests – and now lawsuit – are aimed at finding out who in the Obama
administration was involved in censoring an official State Department press
briefing video to delete an embarrassing admission that the administration lied
about its Iran deal negotiations.
The ACLJ carefully crafted its requests to avoid arguable claims that the
records we seek are exempted from disclosure. For example, the ACLJ did not seek
sensitive records of the actual Iran negotiation, which would undoubtedly be
withheld under the FOIA “foreign affairs” exemption.
Instead, the ACLJ only requested records addressing the cover-up – the decision
to delete portions of the video and the decision to call it a “glitch.” FOIA
provides no exemption for cover-ups.
As the ACLJ alleges in the complaint:
As of the date of this Complaint, [the State Department] has failed to produce
any records responsive to the request, indicated when any responsive records
will be produced, or demonstrated that responsive records are exempt from
production.
Sadly, the FOIA foot-dragging in this case is symptomatic of an administration
which promised to be the most transparent in history – while in reality – it is
anything but transparent.
A new study by the Associated Press released a new analysis of government data
and the results are stunning.
“The Obama administration set a record for the number of times its federal
employees told disappointed citizens, journalists and others that despite
searching they couldn't find a single page requested under the Freedom of
Information Act,” the AP reported.
And here’s the unbelievable finding: the Obama administration denied 77 percent
of FOIA requests in 2015 – a new record – and an increase of 12 percent since
the president’s first year in office.
According to the AP:
“In more than one in six cases, or 129,825 times, government searchers said they
came up empty-handed last year. Such cases contributed to an alarming
measurement: People who asked for records under the law received censored files
or nothing in 77 percent of requests, also a record. In the first full year
after President Barack Obama's election, that figure was only 65 percent of
cases.”
The AP analysis covered some 100 federal agencies. And it’s clear the failure to
comply with such FOIA requests is widespread among many agencies.
“The FBI couldn't find any records in 39 percent of cases, or 5,168 times. The
Environmental Protection Agency regional office that oversees New York and New
Jersey couldn't find anything 58 percent of the time. U.S. Customs and Border
Protection couldn't find anything in 34 percent of cases.”
Astonishing. So, for all intents and purposes, it appears the policy inside the
Obama administration – just ignore the FOIA requests, or if you do respond,
provide censored information. This is a horrible track record for an
administration that continues to insult the American people by claiming it is
the most transparent administration in history.
This incident involving the Iran deal is not the only time the Obama
administration has scrubbed records to conform them to fit its narrative. This
spring, reports surfaced that the White House had manipulated video to delete
the French president’s reference to “Islamist terror,” and just this month, the
administration censored the Orlando 911 transcript to delete Omar Mateen’s
pledge of allegiance to the Islamic State and translate “Allah” to “God.” The
ACLJ recently submitted FOIA requests to obtain records showing who was behind
the decision to censor the 911 transcript and the reasons for the censorship.
This administration’s track record in courts – which have repeatedly slapped
down executive power grabs, foul play, unreasonable positions, and even
bald-faced misrepresentations – is not good. The ACLJ is prepared to litigate
this new FOIA lawsuit in order to enforce the rule of law and shed light on this
shameful cover-up. The manipulation, the hiding, has to stop. The ACLJ’s legal
team intends to hold this administration accountable by bringing these very
troubling facts to light. The law protects the right to know. That’s exactly why
the ACLJ has taken the Obama administration to court so the American people can
find out the truth behind President Obama’s deal with Iran.
**Jay Sekulow is Chief Counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ),
which focuses on constitutional law. He’s a New York Times bestselling author.
Jay's latest book “Undemocratic: Rogue, Reckless and Renegade: How the
Government is Stealing Democracy One Agency at a Time” (Feb 2) is available now.
He hosts "Jay Sekulow Live"-- a daily radio show which is broadcast on more than
850 stations nationwide as well as Sirius/XM satellite radio. Follow him on
Twitter @JaySekulow.
Obama Gives Up on Syria.
Again
JONATHAN S. TOBIN /Commentary/ JULY 1, 2016
President Obama has never wanted to get involved with the conflict in Syria. He
passed on taking action early in the civil war, back in 2011, when relative
moderates might have toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime and averted the horrors
that followed. In 2012, he told Assad that any use of chemical weapons against
his people would trigger U.S. action but punted in 2013 when the butcher of
Damascus did just that. Since then, Obama has acquiesced to Russia and Iranian
intervention in the Syrian conflict that all but ensured Assad’s survival
despite repeated calls by the president for his ouster. Even after he pledged to
wage war against ISIS, a group that controls much of that tortured country,
Obama has fought it on the cheap without any real plan for victory.
The situation has deteriorated to the point where 51 U.S. diplomats have signed
a letter calling on the White House to use force against Assad in order to halt
the slaughter and the flow of refugees, so Obama has now come up with an answer
for his critics. And it’s worse than even they might have imagined.
The president’s solution for Syria is to trust that Russia can solve the West’s
problems.
As Josh Rogin reported in yesterday’s Washington Post, the administration has
offered a deal to Russia. The proposed agreement will have the U.S. will expand
military cooperation with Moscow’s forces in Syria against Jabhat al-Nusra,
al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate, in exchange for a Russian promise. Russia is
supposed to persuade its client Assad to stop bombing the rebel forces in his
country the U.S. favors and thus presumably lessen the ongoing humanitarian
disaster in the country.
That makes sense if Obama’s sole objective is to avoid decisive U.S. action and
is ready to further legitimize Russia’s role in helping Assad and his Iranian
and Hezbollah allies massacre opponents. The president and Secretary of State
Kerry (whom Rogin’s sources identify as a strong supporter of the idea while
Defense Secretary Ash Carter opposes it) are so desperate for more Russian help
against ISIS that they have clearly given up on getting rid of Assad or on
increasing arms supplies for the rebels the West supports.
What does the U.S. get out of this? If the Russians keep their word, it will
lessen casualties in the war and perhaps help preserve a cease-fire that has
generally been observed in the breach. It would also lessen pressure on the
White House to do something and theoretically bring more Russian support for the
dead-in-the-water Syrian peace process Kerry has championed. Even so, the big
winners are the Russians and Assad, the war criminal of the decade. As Rogin
pointed out, the White House is clearly giving up on resolving the conflict in
Syria or ousting Assad while essentially abandoning the Syrian rebels who have
looked to the West for help as Damascus and its allies have laid waste to the
country.
While Assad will benefit from Obama’s choice, so will ISIS. Sunni support for
the group has always rested on the notion that the Islamist group is that
population’s defender against the ruling minority Alawites in the Assad regime
and its Shiite allies. Both Assad and the Russians have always been more
interested in fighting the rebels the West supports than in interfering with
ISIS, and it’s unlikely that will change. As Rogin also pointed out, if, as is
entirely likely, Russia doesn’t keep its end of the bargain, the situation will
be even worse. The U.S. will have given the Russians and Assad assistance in
subduing more of the country, something that will only bolster support for
radical Islamists. As those courageous U.S. diplomats made clear, U.S. bombing
alone won’t defeat ISIS. But the West helping Assad is the best recruiting tool
ISIS can get.
Let’s concede the U.S. has never had any really good choices in Syria. Even so,
Obama’s decisions have only contributed to the carnage, helped midwife ISIS, and
enabled the Putin regime to become a far more dangerous player in an already
unstable Middle East. Having persuaded himself that further American action was
the worst possible option, Obama has stood by while ISIS has grown and has let a
brutal Assad government kill hundreds of thousands and drive millions of people
out of Syria, who have become a problem for all of the region and Europe. If
that wasn’t bad enough, he has now agreed to a situation where Russia is openly
arming Hezbollah terrorists. Indeed, ten years after the Second Lebanon War,
Obama’s green light to Russian and Iranian intervention in Syria has resulted in
Hezbollah becoming a full-fledged army.
This deal might be a way for the president to slink out of the White House
without having to do more to resolve the Syrian crisis. But it is also a
horribly fitting end to years of mistakes and cowardice. When the history of the
Syrian civil war is written, there will be plenty of villains and plenty of
blame to go around. But by choosing cowardice and placing his trust in Putin,
President Obama has earned his share of infamy and then some.
How Khamenei and IRGC are
winning Iranians’ support
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al Arabiya/July 01/16
It goes without saying that a majority of Iranian people, particularly the youth
under the age of 30, who constitute more than 60 percent of the country’s 80
million population, disagree with Iran’s domestic policies – besides widespread
corruption, economic mismanagement, human rights violations, lack of freedom,
and strict social and political rules. The majority of Iranians have voted for
the moderates. When it comes to domestic policies, the hardliners have been
experiencing difficulty in winning the support of the people. But for several
reasons, the hardliners – specifically the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Quds force – have been more
successful than the moderates. They have successfully used various tactics to
rally the public and obtain people’s support to achieve their hidden agenda –
regional hegemonic ambitions, and keeping the politico-economic power in the
hands of IRGC and Khamenei. They have been projecting to the Iranian people that
because of extremist Sunnis, the Shiites – whether in Iran, Syria, Bahrain,
Iraq, Yemen, or other countries – would have their very survival threatened
without the presence of Iran’s military power, the IRGC and Quds force. IRGC’s
presence, role and power are disproportionately being exaggerated.
Iran has been successful at gathering people’s support for its regional military
interventions by labeling all these Sunni groups and government as takfiris or
terrorists
Exploitation of sectarian agenda
First of all, the hardliners have been relying indirectly on exploiting the
sectarian line of the Sunni versus Shiite, a simplistic and binary dichotomy. As
a religious minority in Islam, they have been projecting the Shiite as the
victims in a Sunni-majority region. Alongside, they also play the fear and
terror card. They seem to be instilling fear in people’s minds about the
“danger”, “terror” and “threat” of the Sunnis taking over the region and Iranian
territories. These tactics have frightened many Iranians so much so that they
see no option but to support IRGC’s military adventurism, operations, and
expansionism in the region.
Secondly, by using the media, they simplistically and masterfully dub all Sunni
groups – who have different and diverse ideologies – into one category:
terrorists or the takfiris. They have created a narrative where the words
“terrorist” or “takfiri” equal the word “Sunni”. Iran also spreads the narrative
that these extremist groups are being supported by the Sunni governments. In
other words, Iran has been successful at gathering people’s support for its
regional military interventions by labeling all these Sunni groups and
government as takfiris or terrorists. Khamenei has repeatedly warned of the
“high price” that Sunni governments in the region would have to eventually pay
for assisting and supporting Sunni groups, even for supporting the Syrian rebels
groups which are battling Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Iran’s staunchest ally.
Khamenei pointed out: “Unfortunately, some regional countries do not take heed
of the danger of takfiri groups, which will threaten them in future and they are
still backing these groups.”The Supreme Leader’s website (khamenei.ir) states:
“Some of the regional countries are backing the takfiri groups and supporting
their massacres and crimes in Syria… Eventually these countries will be forced
to eradicate these extremists, with a high price”.Iran propagates the narrative
that all the state or non-state actors – including ISIS, Jubhat al-Nusra, Syrian
Sunni opposition groups, rebels, Iraqi Sunni opposition groups, and Sunni
governments, are extremists, which are taking over the region and that their
goal is to suppress all Shiite communities.
Exaggerating ISIS threat
Iranian hardliners have also exaggerated the power of these groups and their
infiltration in Iran. Iranian TV news outlets and newspapers reportedly
broadcast dubious reports not only of the horrific acts of Sunnis against Shiite
minorities. They also repeatedly show extremist Sunni fighters, including those
from ISIS, being captured in Iran before reportedly carrying out their terrorist
mission against Shiite communities. Finally, powerful Iranian conservative
moderates – including Hassan Rowhani and Akbar Rafsanjani – do not dare to
challenge Khamenei and the IRGC’s narrative. If they argue that not all Sunni
groups have the same ideology, that Sunni governments do not support groups such
as ISIS, or that Sunni opposition groups do not pose a threat to Shiite
communities including Iranians, and that their threats to Iranians are
exaggerated, then they run the risk of challenging the IRGC and Khamenei.Such
arguments would subsequently weaken Rowhani and Rafsanjani’s power, political
position, as well as project them as not being nationalist enough to support
Iran’s Shiites against the threat of extremist Sunnis. Khamenei and IRGC leaders
believe that diplomacy is not the tool that will advance Iran’s regional
ambitions and help maintain its power. From their perspective, the reason behind
the Islamic Republic’s success and expansion over three decades are two issues:
Iran’s revolutionary principles and ideology, which can solely be advanced
through military adventurism and expansionism of the IRGC and the Quds force,
not through diplomatic initiatives.
Historic letter will fail to
change Obama’s approach to Syria
Brooklyn Middleton/Al Arabiya/July 01/16
A historic letter of dissent written by dozens of United States diplomats is
unlikely to spark any changes to President Barack Obama’s approach to the Syrian
conflict. However, it does serve as a record of the writers’ efforts to place
themselves firmly on the right side of history and it further highlights the
fact that US policy in Syria has been dictated by maintaining short-term
interests while continuously ignoring long-term consequences.
The letter expresses exasperation with the current administration’s failure to
address the primary reason for the entire conflict: Bashar al-Assad’s regime and
its continued crimes against the Syrian people. Nonetheless, as President
Obama’s eight-year term comes to a close and as the bloody Syrian conflict
continues to rage, renewed calls for a total overhaul of the current
administration’s strategy in Syria are sure to go ignored.
The long overdue letter – signed by at least 51 US diplomats – is based on the
logical conclusion that after years of endless bloodshed, the Assad regime has
every reason to assess the US will not retaliate in response to its utter
violations of agreements made between the Syrian government and the
international community.
The intent of the letter was clear; the authors have demanded that the US flex
muscle against Assad’s forces, carrying out “targeted military strikes in
response to egregious regime violations” in an effort to pressure Damascus to
actually adhere to the most basic terms of agreements made during negotiations.
“We believe that achieving our objectives will continue to elude us if we do not
include the use of military force as an option to enforce the Cessation of
Hostilities (CoH) and compel the Syrian regime to abide by its terms as well as
to negotiate a political solution in good faith,” the diplomats wrote. The
regime has continually made a mockery of UN resolutions and the chemical weapons
deal, ultimately carving out ways to massacre civilians with impunity. With the
US-led coalition’s focus remaining solely on ISIS – which must continue to be
degraded and battled – the Assad regime cannot continue to be ignored.
The success of the campaign against ISIS will prove ephemeral so long as Assad
remains in power. This letter is an important plea to stop ignoring what has
been undeniable since the most embryonic stages of the Syrian conflict.
At some point in the years to come, those that called for direct action against
Bashar al-Assad’s criminal regime will not be criticized as warmongers
Why now?
It is difficult to pinpoint what finally prompted this letter, which the New
York Times referred to as “extremely large, if not unprecedented.” Inarguably,
the years of the conflict have been punctuated by a number of deeply horrifying
and chilling attacks by Assad’s forces – each justifying military action against
his regime. A version of this letter could and should have been written in the
aftermath of the barbaric sarin attack in eastern Ghouta in August 2013 and
again after each chlorine attack or barrel bombing massacre or intentional
targeting of health clinics and hospitals. It could have certainly been written
after Caeser bravely defected and handed the entire world thousands of pieces of
evidence showing the regime’s systematic torture and starvation of civilians,
which the US Holocaust Museum displayed at their own institution. With endless
documentation of Assad’s crimes, the diplomats are now refusing to let history
view them as partly culpable due to US inaction. At some point in the years to
come, those that called for direct action against Bashar al-Assad’s criminal
regime – the party responsible for the vast majority of civilian deaths and the
worst chemical weapon massacre since Halabjah – will not be criticized as
warmongers but instead will be noted as those who refused to think Syrians must
be forced to choose between a barbaric dictator or terrorist organization.
A suicidal referendum and
failed leaderships
Eyad Abu Shakra/Al Arabiya/July 01/16
One of Winston Churchill’s inspired quotes is: “The best argument against
democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter”. How true this
is in the light of the UK’s European Union membership referendum.
The “leave” campaign won the day thanks to a mélange of intentional
misrepresentations, racist and xenophobic scaremongering, attractive false
promises, and flawed statistics. All these were more than capable of attracting
a wide spectrum of British voters, ranging from the ultra-conservative racist
and xenophobic Right to the traditionalist extremist semi-educated Labor Left
concentrated in old industrial and mining heartlands.
The “leave” campaign was able to present to each section of the electorate
either what would woo it or frighten it with no insignificant help from populist
Right-wing tabloids; and actually, it succeeded in achieving remarkable
successes in England’s traditional industries’ urban centers and rural areas
with a high percentage of pensioners, in addition to the old Labor strongholds
of South Wales’ mining valleys.
On the other side, the pro-Europe “remain” campaign did well in London (around
60 percent), the great global cosmopolitan city, as well as the enlightened
university cities such as Cambridge (around 74 percent), Oxford (more than 70
percent), Bristol, Manchester, York, Liverpool, Bath, Brighton, Winchester and
Norwich. It also won in Scotland (around 62 percent) – more so in its capital
Edinburgh scoring more than 74 percent – and in Northern Ireland (more than 55
percent).
It is ironic now that the country whose racists and xenophobes are the most
vociferous against Eastern European workers was the most insistent on admitting
their countries into the EU
Flawed statistics
Among the most striking examples of intentional misrepresentations and flawed
statistics related to the UK’s contributions to the EU and what it gained in
return. The facts are – based on 2014 official figures – the UK’s bill was £18
billion pounds, but in reality it only paid £13 billion while getting £5 billion
in rebates, meaning it didn’t really pay more than £8.5 billion (after
adjustments).
Furthermore, this sum makes up no more than 1.2 percent of the country’s budget,
dwarfed by 22 percent for social services, 19.7 percent for health, and 12.4
percent for education.
Add to the above, that the UK occupies the last but one rank among Western
European countries per capita contributions table; as only Portugal pays less.
This table is headed by Luxemburg, followed respectively by Sweden, Denmark, The
Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Austria, Ireland, France, Italy and
Spain!
Also on misrepresentations, the “leave” campaign leaders – including Boris
Johnson, a grandson of a Muslim Turk – warned of the threat of immigration,
asylum seekers, cheap labor from Eastern Europe, and Muslim Turkey’s impending
EU membership. However, the UK is not a Schengen state and thus is not committed
to “freedom of movement” of immigrants and asylum seekers.
However, as regards cheap labor from Eastern Europe, these workers come, work
and pay taxes; moreover it was the UK which spearheaded and incessantly fought
to admit the former Warsaw Pact countries after the end of the Cold War and the
collapse of the Berlin Wall.
Then, under Margaret Thatcher, London was keen to undermine any chance of
creating a “United States of Europe” through diluting the influence of the six
founding members, i.e. Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and
Luxemburg, and ensuring the union ties are loose and weak.
It is ironic now that the country whose racists and xenophobes are the most
vociferous against Eastern European workers was the most insistent on admitting
their countries into the EU.
Another irony is that among the accusations the “leave” supporters levelled
against the EU is that the UK was being governed by Brussels’ bureaucrats,
although the latter are appointed by democratically elected governments unlike
giant business trusts, cartels and corporations.
So, now that England has voted to leave while Scotland and Northern Ireland
voted to remain, what logic could London use against the elected Edinburgh and
Belfast ‘governments’ refusing to be governed by the bureaucrats of London’?
Young and the old
On another level, the majority of younger voters voted to remain in the EU
(around 73 percent in the 18-24 age group) while the majority of the about 60
years old voted to leave. This is interesting since most of the tax payers who
finance public services are from the productive younger voters, while most of
the older ones do not pay into the system but still benefit from it. It is also
worth mentioning that many of those are pensioners living in Europe, especially
France, Spain and Portugal.
These are important details pertaining to the UK referendum; and although they
may not mean much to readers in the Arab world, I believe one needs to look into
the political dimensions, not only the living conditions, of the seismic change
the referendum has caused.
The outcome has indeed discredited the Conservative and Labor leaderships that
mishandled the referendum, and failed miserably to stem the tide of racism many
of us thought was defeated by the election of Sadiq Khan as mayor of London. It
may also mean that the UK is now paying a heavy price for underinvesting in its
industrial base, relying instead on foreign investment thanks to its attractive
financial services.
The fact of the matter is that this tide of racism is alive and well not only in
the UK but also throughout Europe, as well as America and Australia. This why
the six founder members of the EU reacted firmly to the referendum result; as
they feel it would be impossible to allow racist parties – who, actually, hate
each other – to build a single cross-borders mega tactical alliance whose aim is
to undermine co-existence, progress and moderation. The six founder members find
themselves responsible for rewriting the future vision and institutions of the
EU, in order to protect it against blackmail and destruction. In turn, the UK
faces a tricky period of self-appraisal after a suicidal referendum that has
uncovered how inadequate its political leaderships are.
This article was first published in Asharq al-Awsat on Jun. 29, 2016.
On King Abdulaziz’s bravery
Mshari Al Thaydi/Al Arabiya/July 01/16
People tend to glorify characteristics of individual bravery embodied in
fighting, carrying a weapon or fencing. However, what is more important than
individual bravery is the depth of the bigger aim that bravery, generosity, hope
and determination are employed to achieve. Those who have big aims never deviate
from the right path, and are not distracted by whatever comes their way. Such
men are rare. One of the most significant in Arab history is King Abdulaziz bin
Abdulrahman al-Faisal, founder of Saudi Arabia.
I will cite the words of he who experienced his characteristics of noble
governance: “While talking about Kuwait, Abdulaziz, his family and supporters,
King Faisal bin Abdulaziz, may he rest in peace, said: ‘Despite their defeat in
several battles, the minute he [Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman al-Faisal] restored
his father’s army, which was small at the time, he’d rise to restore his
country, armed by the power of his faith and determined to either die or win in
Riyadh.” The far-sighted ruler’s causes were not personal. There were higher
aims from which he did not deviate, and for which he either went to war or
achieved peace
“For example, I remember when he was in Al-Hariq Battle, soldiers wanted to flee
but he stood before them riding his horse and carrying his sword and said:
‘Brothers, he who loves Abdulaziz, step forward. Those who prefer comfort, go
home. But I swear I will only leave [this battlefield] either dead or
victorious.”“I remember when a dispute erupted between him and Imam Yahya, the
former imam of Yemen, he tried to smoothly resolve the problem to the point
where we, his children and statesmen, almost accused him of weakness. However,
he did not care about that and did what he had to do, then he had to resort to
the power of the sword. When Arabs intervened, he was quick to stop fighting.”
(Egyptian Al-Musawar magazine, 1948, as narrated by Mohammad Mounir al-Badawi in
one of his books).
Higher aims
It means the long-sighted ruler’s causes were not personal. There were higher
aims from which he did not deviate, and for which he either went to war or
achieved peace.
Many stories reflect Abdulaziz’s concessions of his personal rights, and show
how when it came to the general interest and the idea of the state itself, he
did not manoeuver or make concessions, but stood his ground until the very end.
This is one of the secrets behind his success following a struggle that consumed
more than two-thirds of his life. This article was first published in Asharq al-Awsat
on June 29, 2016.
Question: "Why did God put
the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden?"
GotQuestions.org
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/07/01/question-why-did-god-put-the-tree-of-knowledge-of-good-and-evil-in-the-garden-of-eden/
Answer: God put the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden to
give Adam and Eve a choice to obey Him or disobey Him. Adam and Eve were free to
do anything they wanted, except eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Genesis 2:16-17, “And the LORD God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from
any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.’” If God had not
given Adam and Eve the choice, they would have essentially been robots, simply
doing what they were programmed to do. God created Adam and Eve to be “free”
beings, able to make decisions, able to choose between good and evil. In order
for Adam and Eve to truly be free, they had to have a choice.
There was nothing essentially evil about the tree or the fruit of the tree. It
is unlikely that the fruit, in and of itself, gave Adam and Eve any further
knowledge. That is, the physical fruit may have contained some vitamin C and
some beneficial fiber, but it was not spiritually nutritious. However, the act
of disobedience was spiritually deleterious. That sin opened Adam’s and Eve’s
eyes to evil. For the first time, they knew what it was to be evil, to feel
shame, and to want to hide from God. Their sin of disobeying God brought
corruption into their lives and into the world. Eating the fruit, as an act of
disobedience against God, was what gave Adam and Eve the knowledge of evil—and
the knowledge of their nakedness (Genesis 3:6–7).
God did not want Adam and Eve to sin. God knew ahead of time what the results of
sin would be. God knew that Adam and Eve would sin and would thereby bring evil,
suffering, and death into the world. Why, then, did God allow Satan to tempt
Adam and Eve? God allowed Satan to tempt Adam and Eve to force them to make the
choice. Adam and Eve chose, of their own free will, to disobey God and eat the
forbidden fruit. The results—evil, sin, suffering, sickness, and death—have
plagued the world ever since. Adam and Eve's decision results in every person
being born with a sin nature, a tendency to sin. Adam and Eve's decision is what
ultimately required Jesus Christ to die on the cross and shed His blood on our
behalf. Through faith in Christ, we can be free from sin's consequences, and
ultimately free from sin itself. May we echo the words of the Apostle Paul in
Romans 7:24-25, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of
death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
Question: "Does the Bible
require the death penalty for homosexuality?"
GotQuestions.org
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/07/01/does-the-bible-require-the-death-penalty-for-homosexuality/
Answer: After the June 2016 terrorist attack by an Islamic extremist against a
gay night club in Orlando, Florida, some have claimed that Christians are just
as guilty as the terrorist because, after all, the Bible pronounces the death
penalty against homosexuals. It is true that in Leviticus 20:13 the Bible says,
“If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an
abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.” So,
does the Bible require us today to put homosexuals to death?
It is crucial to understand that Jesus fulfilled the Law (Matthew 5:17–18).
Romans 10:4 says that Christ is the end of the Law. Ephesians 2:15 says that
Jesus set aside the Law with its commands and regulations. Galatians 3:25 says,
now that faith has come, we are no longer under the guardianship of the Law. The
civil and ceremonial aspects of the Old Testament Law were for an earlier time.
The Law’s purpose was completed with the perfect and complete sacrifice of Jesus
Christ. So, no, the Bible does not command that homosexuals should be put to
death in this day and age.
Also important to understand is that the civil laws within the Mosaic Law were
meant for Israel under a theocracy. God’s chosen people, living in the Promised
Land, following God as their King, were to adhere to a system of civil laws with
divinely prescribed punishments. The priests taught the laws, the rulers
enforced the laws, and the judges meted out punishments as necessary. The rule
of Leviticus 20:13, “They are to be put to death,” was given to duly appointed
government officials, not to ordinary citizens or vigilantes. The civil laws of
the Old Testament were never intended to apply to other cultures or other times.
There’s a reason why the nightclub attacker was not Jewish or Christian. Jews
and Christians understand the intent and limits of the Old Covenant Law. By
contrast, the Koran does not qualify its command to kill homosexuals, and many
Muslims see that command as enforceable today.
Another consideration is that the Old Testament Law did not allow for
vigilantism. One of the reasons for the cities of refuge was to protect those
accused of murder until they could receive a fair trial. The Mosaic Law said
that only civil government was allowed to implement capital punishment, and that
only after a fair trial with at least two witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:6). So, even
during the time the Old Testament Law was in effect, the mass murder of
homosexuals by a vigilante was not what the Law prescribed.
So, the Bible no longer requires the death penalty for homosexuality. But the
question still arises as to why the death penalty was required in the Old
Testament Law in the first place. The answer is this: all sin is an affront to a
holy God. God hates all sin. And while God only required a civilly administered
death penalty for some sins, all sins are ultimately worthy of death (Romans
6:23) and eternal separation from God. The Bible describes homosexuality as an
abomination, an immoral perversion of God’s created order. The purity of God’s
people in the Promised Land was vitally important, as was the continuance of
bloodlines (one of which would lead to the Messiah). That is why God demanded
the death penalty for those who engaged in homosexual intercourse.
Homosexuality is still immoral and unnatural. But we are no longer under the
ancient Jewish system of governance. In terms of obtaining forgiveness from God
through faith in Jesus Christ, homosexuality is no greater sin than any other.
Through Christ, any sin can be forgiven. Salvation is available to everyone by
faith (John 3:16). And when that salvation is received, the indwelling Holy
Spirit will provide the means to overcome sin through a new creation (2
Corinthians 5:17).