LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

July 15/16

 Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.july15.16.htm

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Bible Quotations For Today

You have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 11/52-54:"Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.’When he went outside, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile towards him and to cross-examine him about many things, lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say."

Paul Revives Eutychus who died after falling from the third floor
Acts of the Apostles 20/06-16:"But we sailed from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days we joined them in Troas, where we stayed for seven days.On the first day of the week, when we met to break bread, Paul was holding a discussion with them; since he intended to leave the next day, he continued speaking until midnight. There were many lamps in the room upstairs where we were meeting. A young man named Eutychus, who was sitting in the window, began to sink off into a deep sleep while Paul talked still longer. Overcome by sleep, he fell to the ground three floors below and was picked up dead. But Paul went down, and bending over him took him in his arms, and said, ‘Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.’Then Paul went upstairs, and after he had broken bread and eaten, he continued to converse with them until dawn; then he left.
Meanwhile they had taken the boy away alive and were not a little comforted.We went ahead to the ship and set sail for Assos, intending to take Paul on board there; for he had made this arrangement, intending to go by land himself. When he met us in Assos, we took him on board and went to Mitylene. We sailed from there, and on the following day we arrived opposite Chios. The next day we touched at Samos, and the day after that we came to Miletus. For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia; he was eager to be in Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost."

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on July 14-15/16

Ten years on, the war on Lebanon continues/Khairallah Khairallah/Al Arabiya/July 14/16
Who Do Bigots Blame for Police Shootings in America? Israel, of Course/Alan M. Dershowitz/Gatestone Institute/July 14, 2016
Could Italy Bring Down the Euro/Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/July 14, 2016
Egypt's Brotherhood, Sisi both put out feelers for reconciliation/Abdelrahman Youssef/Al-Monitor/July 14/16
Why recent steps with Israel, Russia won't really change Turkish foreign policy/Kadri Gursel/Al-Monitor/July 14/16
EU lawmakers warn Congress against Saudi terrorism bill/Julian Pecquet/Al-Monitor/July 14/16
Iran: One year into the nuclear agreement/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al Arabiya/July 14/16
Cameron’s legacy: Brexit and a divided kingdom/Mohamed Chebarro/Al Arabiya/July 14/16
ISIS migration is increasingly dangerous/Dr. Theodore Karasik/Al Arabiya/July 14/16

Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on July 14-15/16

We Strongly Condemn the Barbaric Terror Attack that Hit France Todayندين بشدة الجريمة الإرهابية والبشعة التي أصابت اليوم شعب فرنسا
Ten years on, the war on Lebanon continues
Amchit Highway Blocked in Protest at Arrests over Alleged Abuse of Refugees
Berri Says 'No Alternative' to Taef Accord, Rules Out 'Constituent Assembly'
Khalil-Saniora Financial Row Contained after Hariri-Berri Contacts
Three Charged with Involvement in al-Qaa Suicide Attacks
Palestinians Warned that IS, Nusra May be Plotting to Take Over Ain el-Hilweh
Army Shells Militants in Outskirts of Arsal, Ras Baalbek, al-Qaa
Foreign powers vetoed Aoun presidency: Bassil
Syrian Held for Collaborating with Syria-Based 'Terrorist Groups'
Interior Minister orders municipalities to cease power abuse
Chahal's son released from Roumieh prison
Marsaud: France not master of its foreign policy anymore
Bonne says France seeks to ensure international support for Lebanese agreement over new president
 

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 14-15/16
Truck attacker kills up to 80 in Nice Bastille Day crowd
Egypt outraged over reports minister watched soccer game with Netanyahu
Theresa May, a ‘long-standing friend of Israel’
German government agency involved in violation of Iran sanctions
Trump: 'Is President Obama trying to destroy Israel with all his bad moves?'
Ahead of One-Year Anniversary of JCPOA, Iran Boasts New Generation of Powerful Centrifuges, Threatens to Resume Nuclear Activity
Sen. Joseph Lieberman: US Government’s Weak Behavior Enhances Iran’s Nefarious Activities (INTERVIEW)
ISIS fighters say they bring down Syrian jet
Air strikes kill 12 in rebel-held areas of Syria’s Aleppo
Assad: slain journalist Marie Colvin ‘worked with the terrorists’
Assad: Russia has ‘never’ discussed transition with me
Turkish PM: No solution to Syria while Assad remains
UN hopes for Syria progress in US-Russian talks
Kerry arrives in Moscow for Syria talks
France to redeploy aircraft carrier in Mosul fight
US labels two Russian ISIS operatives ‘global terrorists’
ISIS-linked agency confirms Shishani is dead

Links From Jihad Watch Site for July 14-15/16
Unconfirmed reports: Islamic State claims responsibility in at least 73 deaths in France
France: 60 dead in likely jihad attack as truck crashes into Bastille Day crowd in Nice, driver exchanges gunfire with police
Jihadis target French delegation at Rio 2016 Olympics
Islam, Revolution, and Black Lives Matter
The error of blaming right-wing extremism as much as Islamic jihad
Kenya: Jihadi at police station grabs gun, murders four, takes hostages
Pakistan lauds jihad terrorist slain by India as “freedom fighter”
Robert Spencer in Breitbart: Four Reasons Why Iran Is Worse than the Islamic State
Istanbul jihad massacre suspect shy student who “turned to Islam”
Robert Spencer: ‘Iran Is What ISIS Wants to Be When It Grows Up’
Hugh Fitzgerald: What’s Up Down Under
Islamic State reportedly preparing for loss of caliphate, group focusing on jihad abroad
Islamic State jihadists’ laptops filled with porn
Brave Yazidi female battalion battles to wipe out the Islamic State

Latest Lebanese Related News published on July 14-15/16

We Strongly Condemn the Barbaric Terror Attack that Hit France Todayندين بشدة الجريمة الإرهابية والبشعة التي أصابت اليوم شعب فرنسا
Elias Bejjani/July14/16
صلاتنا من أجل راحة نفوس الضحايا الأبرياء الذين قلتهم اليوم وحش الإرهاب والبربرية.. نقدم أحر وأصدق وتعازينا لذويهم وللشعب الفرنسي العظيم، ونطلب من الرب الذي هو رب محبة ورحمة الشفاء العاجل لكل المصابين
Our prayers go for the souls of the innocent victims that were murdered by human beasts in France today. We extend our deepest condolences to their families and to the French great people. Meanwhile,We ask almighty God, God Of Love and Mercy to embrace with His care all those injured and fasten their full recovery

Ten years on, the war on Lebanon continues
Khairallah Khairallah/Al Arabiya/July 14/16
We commemorate the 10th anniversary of the war triggered by Hezbollah on July 12, 2006, which led to Israel destroying parts of Lebanon’s infrastructure and Iran tightening its grip on the country. Hezbollah still believes it achieved a “divine victory” over Israel, in a war that effectively ended with the party triumphing over both Lebanon and its people.
This is epitomized by the country’s deteriorating economy and presidential vacuum, amid increasing calls to scrap the Taif Agreement, which divided everything equally between Muslims and Christians and maintains a national balance, thus preserving the rights of all religions. Decentralization would help prevent Hezbollah from blackmailing government and institutions with its weapons.
The 2006 war marked a turning point in Lebanon’s history. It proved that it is not about a single battle in which Lebanese can deter their enemy, like what happened when they threw out Syrian forces in 2005.
The war against the country is ongoing, and will continue to do so as long as Tehran is determined to put Beirut under its full guardianship, as is the case with Baghdad and Damascus, and as would have been the case with Sanaa had it not been for Operation Decisive Storm.
The assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on Feb. 14, 2005, did not make the Lebanese people give up. However, the more they resisted the custodianship of Hezbollah and Iran, the more the attacks on their small country increased, to make them believe that it is not their right to be free.
It is as if they have to act like sheep and believe in empty slogans. They are prohibited from questioning their reality, such as why young Lebanese men are dying in Syria defending the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
After the 2006 war, Hezbollah unsurprisingly and suddenly forgotten who stood by Lebanon and helped rebuild it. The party forgot the Saudi role and the circumstances that led to the end of the war, not to mention the efforts exerted by Lebanon’s then-government headed by Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.
The war against the country is ongoing, and will continue to do so as long as Tehran is determined to put Beirut under its full guardianship, as is the case with Baghdad and Damascus
Hollow victory
Hezbollah’s announcement of its triumph in that war was nothing but a victory sign over the corpse of what they still called Lebanon. Israel did not mind the declaration of victory because it achieved some of its objectives in UN Security Council 1701.
However, Hezbollah’s use of missiles targeting “Haifa and what is beyond Haifa” made Israel reconsider its aim of keeping its border with Lebanon a bleeding wound, which is what Iran and Syria want in order to keep using Lebanon and its people. How long will Israel maintain the status quo, which has seen the longest period of truce with Lebanon since the signing of the Cairo Agreement in 1969.
Ever since its victory over Lebanon in the 2006 war, Hezbollah has humiliated the Lebanese people by all means, starting with the sit-in in downtown Beirut to destroy the country’s economy and displace the largest possible number of its youth, to the invasion of the capital in May 2008, to the present day. Besides the economic situation, Lebanon is witnessing an unprecedented presidential vacuum and Arab isolation.
Hezbollah and Iran are keen to deter Arabs, and especially Gulf tourists, from visiting and investing in Lebanon. Moreover, the party insists on getting involved in the war waged by the Syrian Alawite regime under Israeli and Russian cover, due to deep-rooted understandings between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Hezbollah does all this to please Iran while disregarding Lebanese suffering.
The 10th anniversary of the 2006 war comes at a time when the region has completely changed. The Syria we knew no longer exists. Nor does Iraq. Turkey has normalized relations with Israel and Russia, while the Palestinian cause is almost forgotten.
What has not changed in the region is the ongoing war on Lebanon and its people. How long will it remain a target of an expansionist project that has nothing to do with the Lebanese, and that only seeks to destroy Arab countries and societies?
This article was first published in Al-Arab Online on July 13, 2016.

Amchit Highway Blocked in Protest at Arrests over Alleged Abuse of Refugees
Naharnet/July 14/16/Residents from the town of Amchit blocked the vital highway that links Mt. Lebanon to the North on Thursday to protest the arrest of five municipal policemen accused of mistreating a number of Syrian refugees. The policemen were detained at the orders of Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq after they reportedly appeared in pictures that went viral on social media. The pictures show a number of Syrian refugees kneeling on the ground with their hands tied behind their backs, surrounded by several guards belonging to the Amchit Municipality. The footage prompted activists to ask whether municipal police has the jurisdiction to make arrests, accusing the Amchit Municipality of xenophobia and human rights violations. The uproar pushed Mashnouq to order an investigation into the matter during which the five policemen where summoned for interrogation. The minister also called on the Amchit Municipality to “stop any violations in this regard end any abuse of power by the municipal guards.”The country has been on high alert since the unprecedented suicide bombings that hit the Christian border town of al-Qaa in late June. Scores of people have been arrested in a major crackdown on Syrian refugee encampments and gatherings that followed the attacks. Al-Qaa's blasts occurred after the arrest of several Islamic State-linked cells plotting bombings in the country and amid a flurry of media reports about possible attacks during the holy month of Ramadan.

Berri Says 'No Alternative' to Taef Accord, Rules Out 'Constituent Assembly'
Naharnet/July 14/16/Speaker Nabih Berri stressed Thursday that “there is no alternative” to the 1989 Taef Accord that ended the civil war while ruling out the possibility of holding a so-called constituent assembly in the foreseeable future. “Commitment to the Taef Accord is final and let no one think of any new constituent assembly. The Taef Accord is not a Quran or a Bible, but changing it is out of the question,” said Berri in a speech at an economic conference for Lebanese expats. “There is no better alternative at the moment and you must first implement the Taef Accord before talking about improving it,” the speaker added. There are fears in the country that the ongoing political and presidential vacuum might eventually lead to introducing constitutional amendments or holding a constituent assembly that would radically change the current political system that is based on a delicate distribution of power among the country's sects. Berri himself and Hizbullah have been recently accused of seeking a constituent assembly aimed at altering the political system in their favor. In June 2012, Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah openly called for “a constituent assembly elected by the people.”“Why don't we form a constituent assembly elected by the people -- not on a sectarian or regional basis but on the basis of competency -- in order to discuss all options. Let it discuss the Taef Accord, a new social contract or a non-sectarian system,” he said. “We must support the state and its institutions if we want Lebanon to remain unified in this region that is facing the threat of segregation. I'm not talking slogans, we believe in this approach and we are educating our cadres accordingly. Lebanon cannot bear partitioning or federalism and its future can only be secured through a real, capable state ruled by law rather than factional affiliations,” said Nasrallah. He also called for “a conference that would put Lebanon on the right track.”

Khalil-Saniora Financial Row Contained after Hariri-Berri Contacts
Contacts between Speaker Nabih Berri and al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri have managed to contain the latest dispute between Mustaqbal bloc chief ex-PM Fouad Saniora and Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, who is also Berri's political aide, a media report said on Thursday. “A phone call between the Center House and Ain al-Tineh has contributed to containing the row between ex-PM Saniora and Minister Khalil,” al-Liwaa newspaper quoted a source from the Mustaqbal bloc as saying. “Ex-PM Hariri intervened personally to rein in the exchange of tirades before it turns into a crisis between the two parties, noting that the country cannot withstand a war of words over the financial issue,” the source said. The clarifications that were voiced by Saniora on Wednesday and the statement that was issued by the Mustaqbal bloc have also played a role in pacifying the situation, the source added, pointing out that Khalil had also announced on Wednesday that the page has been turned on the dispute. In the Mustaqbal statement that was recited by MP Ammar Houry on Wednesday, the movement had declared that “it is not at all willing or interested in engaging in any debate or exchange of insults with anyone regarding the financial issue.”“The country needs us all to be responsible during these circumstances,” it said. Saniora for his part described the row that pointed the finger at his role as finance minister in the previous governments as “a storm in a teacup.”During a cabinet session on Tuesday, Khalil had announced that he has a report about budget irregularities from the period between 1997 and 2010, during which Saniora was a finance minister, hinting that “the coming period might witness measures and accountability.”Khalil's statement aggravated Saniora, according to reports, and drew a response from the Mustaqbal bloc, which said in a statement that the Finance Ministry under Khalil has “failed to find and secure the right financial resources to boost the treasury's revenues.”The minister hit back, saying his ministry does not need a certification from “someone who faces financial, administrative and legal accusations,” adding that “the public opinion has not forgotten the 11 billion dollars,” in a jab at Saniora.

Three Charged with Involvement in al-Qaa Suicide Attacks
State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr on Thursday charged three suspects, including a detainee, with involvement in the unprecedented multiple suicide bombings that rocked the Christian border town of al-Qaa in late June, state-run National News Agency reported. The three were charged with “staging acts of terror, carrying out two waves of suicide bombings in the town of al-Qaa, murdering and attempting to murder a number of civilians and other individuals, and sabotaging public and private property,” NNA said. The case has been referred to First Military Examining Magistrate Riad Abu Ghida, the agency added. Al-Qaa is a predominantly Christian town nestled in a hilly border area that has been shaken by violence since Syria's conflict erupted in 2011.
Four suicide bombers hit the town before dawn on June 27 and another four suicide bombers carried out an evening attack, killing five people and wounding 28 others.
The site of the dawn blasts lies on a main road linking the Syrian town of al-Qusayr to Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley. Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq said the bombers came from the Islamic State group's bastion in the Syrian province of Raqa while Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has said that they came from the IS posts in the outskirts of the nearby border town of Arsal. Lebanon's army has fought off jihadist factions along the frontier and has sought to clamp down on local cells operating in the area. In August 2014, the army fought deadly battles in and around the town of Arsal with militants from the IS and al-Nusra Front, al-Qaida's Syria affiliate.

Palestinians Warned that IS, Nusra May be Plotting to Take Over Ain el-Hilweh
Palestinian factions and the residents of the Ain el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp have reportedly received warnings from Lebanese sides that some militants are seeking to enable jihadist groups to seize control of the camp, which is the largest in Lebanon. “There are terrorist preparations to overrun some areas in the Ain el-Hilweh camp and the pro-Islamic State groups are being led by Imad Yassine while the pro-Nusra Front groups are being led by Haitham al-Shaabi, al-Joumhouria newspaper reported on Thursday. It quoted security sources as saying that the Palestinian factions and residents have been cautioned that “the terrorists are trying to turn the camp into a time bomb that might explode any moment.”“Should the situation deteriorate and explode, it will lead to severe repercussions for the camp's residents, who will be the first casualty of the plots of these groups,” the sources warned, calling on Palestinians to “protect the camp and expel the malicious terrorist elements from it.”The sources also called for “avoiding another Nahr al-Bared experience,” referring to the devastating 2007 conflict between the Lebanese army and the extremist Fatah al-Islam group, which razed the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp to the ground. “The factions and the residents must prevent these groups from achieving the objective of turning the camp into an emirate for them and a launching pad for creating conflict between the camp and its neighbors,” the sources added. The sources, however, reassured that “the army is thoroughly monitoring what is happening in the Ain el-Hilweh camp and is still counting on the rational parties to defuse the unrest plots and eliminate its reasons through a series of measures.”“The army will not allow terrorism to find a safe haven in the camp or in any area in Lebanon,” the sources stressed. “It is totally unacceptable to turn the Ain el-Hilweh camp into a hub for terrorism that might spread to blow up entire Lebanon and any attempt will be confronted with all due force and resolve,” they added.

Army Shells Militants in Outskirts of Arsal, Ras Baalbek, al-Qaa
The army fired heavy artillery Wednesday at the posts of the militant groups in the outskirts of the Bekaa border town of Arsal after detecting suspicious movements near their positions, state-run National News Agency reported. It later said that the army had been firing heavy artillery and multiple rocket launchers since morning at the posts of the militants in the outskirts of the nearby towns of Ras Baalbek and al-Qaa and that the bombardment intensified in the afternoon. MTV had earlier reported that the jihadist Islamic State group suffered casualties after the army fired artillery at IS posts and movements in the outskirts of Ras Baalbek and al-Qaa. The army has been on high alert since the unprecedented suicide bombings that hit the Christian border town of al-Qaa in late June. Militants from the IS and the Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front are entrenched in rugged areas along the undemarcated Lebanese-Syrian border and the army regularly shells their posts while Hizbullah and the Syrian army have engaged in clashes with them on the Syrian side of the border. The two groups briefly overran the town of Arsal in August 2014 before being ousted by the army after days of deadly battles. The retreating militants abducted more than 30 troops and policemen of whom four have been executed and nine remain in the captivity of the IS group.

Foreign powers vetoed Aoun presidency: Bassil
The Daily Star/July 14/16/BEIRUT: Free Patriotic Movement chief Gebran Bassil Wednesday said an understanding with the rival Future Movement whereby Michel Aoun would receive their support for the presidency was blocked by "foreign intervention."Speaking to MTV in a nighttime talk show, Bassil said dialogue between his party and Future head Saad Hariri had reached the stage of support for Aoun's presidential bid before being preventeWe ask our Almighty God, God Of Love and mercy to embrace with His Care all those injured and fasten their recoveryd by a foreign entity he did not name.Aoun, the founder of the FPM, is one of the main presidential candidates and is backed by Hezbollah. Hariri backs Marada Movement leader Sleiman Frangieh.Bassil said the FPM's alliance with Hezbollah "saved national unity," whereas their reconciliation with the Lebanese Forces "saved Christian unity.""Our understanding with the Future Movement is to save the presidency," he added.

Syrian Held for Collaborating with Syria-Based 'Terrorist Groups'
A Syrian man has been arrested on charges of communicating and collaborating with Syria-based terrorist groups, General Security announced on Wednesday. “As part of its surveillance operations and follow-up on the activities of terrorist groups and their sleeper cells, the General Directorate of General Security has apprehended a Syrian national for his communication with terrorist groups,” it said in a statement. “During interrogation, he confessed to having ties and contacts with terrorist groups and that he was involved in the activities of providing and transferring arms, ammunition and funds in Lebanon with the aim of smuggling them into Syria,” General Security added. “Efforts are underway to arrest the rest of the culprits,” it said. The country has been on high alert since the unprecedented suicide bombings that hit the Christian border town of al-Qaa in late June. Scores of people have been arrested in a major crackdown on Syrian refugee encampments and gatherings that followed the attacks. Al-Qaa's blasts occurred after the arrest of several Islamic State-linked cells plotting bombings in the country and amid a flurry of media reports about possible attacks during the holy month of Ramadan.

Interior Minister orders municipalities to cease power abuse
Thu 14 Jul 2016/NNA - Minister of Interior, Nohad Mashnouq, ordered districts' governors nationwide, in a memo on Thursday, to notify municipalities of the obligation to confine to their powers without any abuse, especially towards displaced Syrians.
He also indicated that the five municipal police members, detained in Amshit, had been released.

Chahal's son released from Roumieh prison
Thu 14 Jul 2016/NNA - Detained Zaid Chahal, the son of the founder of the Salafist Movement in Lebanon, Islam Preacher al-Chahal, was released from Roumieh prison, after the implementation of the military court's one year sentence on charges of shooting and illegally entering into Syrian territories, NNA reporter said on Thursday. Chahal's son was acquitted of charge of terrorism while maintaining his full civil rights.

Marsaud: France not master of its foreign policy anymore
Thu 14 Jul 2016/NNA - French Deputy, Alain Marsaud, said on Thursday that France was hesitant and concerned and was no longer the master of its foreign policy. The diplomat's words came on Thursday during his meeting with the French diaspora in Lebanon at St. Georges Hotel, Beirut, in the presence of figures. Marsaud added that France was not doing ok, it experienced pain due to the terrorist attacks, and "Bataclan is known today as the deadliest theatre in history." "When I met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, he told me that his country was not interfering in Lebanon's affairs," indicated the French MP, noting that Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince told him the same. The diplomat also talked about primary elections in France, calling French people to be mindful and know how to choose because "these elections will decide who will be our future President."

Bonne says France seeks to ensure international support for Lebanese agreement over new president
Thu 14 Jul 2016/NNA - French Ambassador to Lebanon, Emmanuel Bonne, hosted on Thursday a reception ceremony upon the French National Day, in presence of representatives of top leaders and officials, alongside a panel of journalists and social and diplomatic figures. In his word, Bonne said that the Lebanese knew they could rely on France, stressing that his country is working on keeping Lebanon away from current threats. Tackling Syria, he underlined that his country was concerned with preserving security in Lebanon and along borders, as well as on the national soil. "For this reason, we are cooperating with the concerned institutions and we are supporting the Lebanese army," he said. "It is important that international solidarity enable Lebanon to face the repercussions of the Syrian crisis, especially regarding refugees. France is fully assuming its role and even increasing its aids to refugees and the host communities," he added, highlighting the necessity that refugees return to their homeland as soon as it is possible. "France is carrying on work for a political transitional phase that remains the best solution to quench the war in Syria," he said. "It is also important to reach a solution to the political gridlock in Lebanon; France encourages the Lebanese parties to find the means of a settlement that would allow the election of a new president, the formation of a national unity government, and the renewal of the Parliament," he pointed out. "As France realizes that it is difficult to reach such an agreement, it simply aims to provide a suitable climate and obtain international guarantees to ensure that the agreement, if reached, would be respected by all," he explained. "As a matter of fact, it is of everybody's interest that Lebanon remains away from regional crises (...) negotiations are possible to exit crises," he concluded.
 

Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 14-15/16

Truck attacker kills up to 80 in Nice Bastille Day crowd
Reuter/July 15/16/An attacker killed up to 80 people and injured scores when he drove a heavy truck at high speed into a crowd watching Bastille Day fireworks in the French Riviera city of Nice late on Thursday, officials said.
Counter-terrorist investigators were seeking to identify the driver, who a local government official said opened fire before police shot him dead. The official said weapons and grenades were found inside the 25-tonne, unmarked truck.
The attack, which came eight months and a day after Islamic State gunmen and suicide bombers killed 130 people in Paris, appeared so far to be the work of a lone assailant.
Newspaper Nice-Matin quoted unidentified sources as saying the driver was a 31-year-old local of Tunisian origin.
The truck careered for hundreds of meters (yards) along the famed Promenade des Anglais seafront, slamming into spectators watching the fireworks, listening to an orchestra or strolling above the beach towards the grand, century-old Hotel Negresco.
"It's a scene of horror," a local member of parliament, Eric Ciotti, told France Info radio, saying the truck had "mown down several hundred people." Local government leader Christian Estrosi put the death toll at 77, while BFM TV later put it at 80. An Interior Ministry spokesman said "several dozen" had died.
Nice-Matin said 42 people were in critical condition and many others injured.
"People went down like ninepins," Jacques, who runs Le Queenie restaurant on the seafront, told France Info.
"I saw people go down," bystander Franck Sidoli, who was visibly shocked, told Reuters at the scene. "Then the truck stopped, we were just five meters away. A woman was there, she lost her son. Her son was on the ground, bleeding,"
› EU's Tusk says stands with France after Nice attack
Nice-Matin posted photographs of the truck, its windshield starred by a score of bullets and its radiator grille destroyed.
Since the Islamic State attacks last year, major public events in France have been guarded by troops and armed police, but it appeared to have taken some minutes to halt the progress of the deadly truck as it tore along pavements and a pedestrian zone.
Police told residents of the city, located 30 km (20 miles) from the Italian border, to stay indoors as they conducted further operations, though there was no sign of any other attack.
President Francois Hollande, who raced back to Paris from the south of France after the attack, was due to address a sleepless nation on television at 3:30 a.m. (0130 GMT). Hours earlier, in a traditional Bastille Day interview, he had said an eight-month state of emergency might end in two weeks time.
Islamic State militants killed 130 people in Paris on Nov. 13, the bloodiest in a number of attacks in France and Belgium in the past two years. On Sunday, a weary nation had breathed a collective sigh of relief as the month-long Euro 2016 soccer tournament across France ended without a feared attack.
Four months ago, Belgian Islamists linked to the Paris attackers killed 32 people in Brussels.
Police denied rumors on social media of a subsequent hostage-taking in Nice. Vehicle attacks have been used by isolated members of militant groups in recent years, notably in Israel, as well as in Europe, though never to such devastating effect.
U.S. President Barack Obama said in a statement: "On behalf of the American people, I condemn in the strongest terms what appears to be a horrific terrorist attack in Nice, France, which killed and wounded dozens of innocent civilians."
One woman told France Info that she and others had fled in terror: "The lorry came zig-zagging along the street. We ran into a hotel and hid in the toilets with lots of people."
Regional government chief Estrosi has warned in the past of the risk of Islamist attacks in the region, following the attacks in Paris and Brussels over the past 18 months.
Nice, a city of some 350,000 that has a history as a flamboyant resort but is also a gritty metropolis, has seen some of its Muslim residents travel to Syria to fight, a path taken by previous Islamic State attackers in Europe.
"Neither the place nor the date are coincidental," a former French intelligence agent and security consultant, Claude Moniquet, told France-Info, noting the jihadist presence in Nice and the fact that July 14 marks France's 1789 revolution.
"Tragic paradox that the subject of Nice attack was the people celebrating liberty, equality and fraternity," European Council President Donald Tusk said on Twitter.
(Additional reporting by Michel Rose, Bate Felix and Andrew Callus in Paris; Writing by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Sandra Maler and Leslie Adler)
 

Egypt outraged over reports minister watched soccer game with Netanyahu
Jerusalem Post/July 14/16 /The Egyptian government on Thursday issued a denial that its foreign minister and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had watched the Euro 2016 soccer final together in Jerusalem after the premier posted a photo of occurrence on social media, according to Iranian state news agency Press TV. The denial was issued following a fierce backlash from the Egyptian public, targeting Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry's apparent fraternizing with the Israeli leader. A spokesperson for Egypt's Foreign Ministry issued a statement shortly thereafter saying that Shoukry had merely stumbled into the living room where the game was playing while visiting the prime minister's residence in Jerusalem. “Netanyahu brought a cameraman to record everything that was happening," the spokesperson claimed in the statement. "The Egyptian foreign minister doesn’t watch soccer games during a formal and important visit such as this."Netanyahu had posted to Facebook and Twitter a photo of the two watching the match between Portugal and France on Sunday, with the former winning 1 to 0. “This evening my wife Sara and I hosted Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in our home in Jerusalem," the Netanyahu post reads. "He arrived today for a visit to Israel. When our meeting ended, we had time to watch the Euro 2016 final,” it added. Shoukry's visit last week was the first high-profile visit by a senior Egyptian official in over a decade. After the post went public, a number of social media users and public figures began denouncing Shoukry's friendly moment with the prime minister. “I would understand if our foreign minister would watch a game, a movie or a play with an Arab official, who is a friend... But not an Israeli official,” Imad ad-Din Hussein, an editor from the Egyptian in the daily newspaper al-Shorouk, wrote in the publication. This “dastardly” regime “is the main reason for most disasters in Egypt,” he added.

Theresa May, a ‘long-standing friend of Israel’
Jerusalem Post/July 14/16
Jerusalem is confident that the strong relationship with Britain it enjoyed under Prime Minister David Cameron will continue when Home Secretary Theresa May takes over the job by Wednesday. May, according to former ambassador to London Daniel Taub, “has been a long-standing friend of Israel and the Jewish community.”He said that as home secretary, May was very supportive of “our efforts to deepen British- Israel ties in the area of homeland security, and also very receptive to the concerns of the Jewish community regarding anti-Semitism and violent extremism.” Her ministry was responsible for Britain’s MI5 intelligence service, and as such was both aware and appreciative of the close intelligence and security cooperation between the two countries. Jerusalem had no formal comment Monday on the political developments in Britain, waiting until she formally takes over as prime minister before issuing a congratulatory statement. One official said that when it comes to Israel, May “comes with her heart in the right place.”If, indeed, that is the case, then she will follow a long line of British prime ministers, going back to Margaret Thatcher and including John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and Cameron, who were considered good friends in Jerusalem. May’s only visit to Israel was in the summer 2014, when the bodies of the three kidnapped youth from Gush Etzion were discovered. In a speech in September of that year to the Conservative Friends of Israel, she discussed that trip, and that speech provides a glimpse of her outlook on Israel.“The murder of those boys – and the loss of life among Israelis and Palestinians in the subsequent military operations in Gaza – is a sad reminder that the Arab/Israeli conflict is not just an abstract debate argued over the pages of Western newspapers and television screens,” she said. “It is a real conflict with innocent victims on both sides. It is about self-identity for the Palestinian people. And it is about Israel’s right to defend its citizens from indiscriminate terrorist attacks and existential threats.”May ticked off the threats Israel faces, from Hezbollah and Hamas to the collapse of Syria the threats from Iran. She then said, “No democratic government could, in the face of such danger, do anything but maintain a strong defense and security capability and be prepared to deploy it if necessary. That is why I – and the whole British government – will always defend Israel’s right to defend itself.”May said that those sympathetic to Israel’s security predicament also must make clear that the loss of all civilian life is an appalling tragedy.
“We must remember that there will be no lasting peace or justice in the region until the Palestinian people are able to enjoy full civil rights themselves,” she said. May said that while it is easy to talk about a two-state solution, it is almost impossible to know how to move toward that goal. “But that does not mean we can afford to give up,” she said. “Taking even the smallest of steps towards a lasting peaceful settlement will take acts of huge political bravery and great statesmanship on both sides of the divide – but they are steps that need to be taken.” In another speech, this one at a Bnei Akiva Independence Day celebration at a London synagogue last year, May – after gallantly trying a few words in Hebrew – said that Israel is a “fulfillment of many generations of struggle.”Noting that Independence Day falls after Memorial Day for Israel’s fallen soldiers, she said it was a “tragic fact of history that the Jewish people have had to protect themselves from repeated attempts to obliterate them, and that the safety of the Jewish people can never be taken for granted.”She ended her speech with the three-word Bnei Akiva Hebrew battle cry: “Kadima [forward], Bnei Akiva.”The parliamentary chairman of the Conservative Friends of Israel, MP Eric Pickles, issued a statement saying that “Israel can rest assured that a UK led by Theresa May will be there in its moments of need.”May, he said, “saw how terrorism affects Israel during her first visit to the country in the summer of 2014 when the bodies of the three Israeli teenagers kidnapped by Hamas were found. She personally saw how deeply the sad events affected the country and was absolute in condemning the act of terrorism, vowing that ‘Britain stands with Israel.’”He said that May has a “deep understanding of the seriousness of the threat radical Islam poses to the UK, Israel and wider international community. It will not be one that she takes lightly.”

German government agency involved in violation of Iran sanctions
Jerusalem Post/July 14/16
BERLIN – A German government quality control agency and a private certification agency that works with it both violated EU sanctions and the federal agency’s policy by providing certificates to Iranian banks, constructions companies and energy firms, a joint investigation by The Jerusalem Post and the Federal Republic’s largest daily, Bild, reveals. The quality control certificates make it easier for the Iranian firms to conduct business, because of Germany’s reputation for high industrial standards. The violations occurred between late October 2012 and January 2016, when the Iran nuclear agreement was implemented.After accusations of sanctions violations emerged in 2012, Kurt Lindenblatt, the head of certification for the Bonn-based TÜV InterCert SAAR private agency, wrote, in an email obtained by the Post and Bild: “The list of the companies that are under an embargo was briefly scrolled through... there are several Iranian companies... that possess certificates from us.” TÜV InterCert SAAR issues management systems quality control certifications to companies, as does the German Accreditation Council, the country’s national accreditation body. The Federal Economic Affairs and Energy Ministry oversees the council, which is a government agency. According to a 2013 email from Peter Hissnauer, an Accreditation Council employee, “Apparently TÜV InterCert GmbH Saar did not comply with the [sanctions] requirements and continued to issue certificates. We must assume that the embargo regulations were possibly not observed here and used as a competitive advantage.”Hissnauer also references in his email a policy established on October 25, 2012, in which “DAkkS [the German Accreditation Council] completely discontinued its activity in Iran.” The policy states that all private certification agencies that work with DAkkS are barred from issuing “certificates with the DAkkS indication of accreditation.”
German Accreditation Council accreditation logos appeared on the quality control certificates of Iranian companies such as the Bushehr Province Gas Company, Bank Saderat Iran, the ILAM Gas Co., and the Oil Industries Engineering and Construction Co. Scores of Iranian engineering received German Accreditation Council certifications. The companies involved manufacture mechanical seal and spare parts of pumps, industrial batteries, and offshore and onshore pipeline equipment, energy software, and heavy earth-moving drill technology. A German Accreditation Council logo was found on the DANA Kish Drilling company certificate. The use of drill technology is on the radar screen of nuclear weapons experts because Iran has used heavy earth moving equipment to build underground nuclear facilities. Bank Saderat was certified with a German Accreditation Council logo in January 2015. The EU sanctioned Bank Saderat in 2010, accusing it of providing “financial services for entities procuring on behalf of Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.”In 2006, the US Treasury department sanctioned the bank and blocked its access to US financial markets because “Bank Saderat has been a significant facilitator of Hezbollah’s financial activities and has served as a conduit between the government of Iran and Hezbollah, Hamas, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.”
During the period of German Accreditation Council accreditations in Iran, between late October 2012 and January 2016, the EU imposed massive financial and energy sanctions on the Islamic Republic in an effort to compel the country’s rulers to stop its nuclear activities. The sensitivity and risks of certifying sanctioned Iranian companies was expressed in the email exchanges secured by the Post and Bild. Lindenblatt cited a passage from an oversight organization, warning his colleagues, “Where there is proven evidence of fraudulent behavior or the CAB [conformity assessment bodies] intentionally provides false information, or the CAB deliberately violates accreditation rules, the CAB shall initiate its process of withdrawals.”Lindenblatt stressed in one email that the head of the TÜV InterCert SAAR, Feridoon Sergizzarea, “decided to continue to issue accredited DAkkS logos to Iranian companies despite the Iran embargo and the policy from October [2012].”Sergizzarea told the Post and Bild, “We had a conversation with Hissnauer during the embargo. Everything was looked at. I assume that everything was permitted.” He said the embargo affected only the military and nuclear sectors. When asked about the Bushehr energy company, he said, “That is a supplier and not affected by the embargo. It is a private firm.”Asked if the Economic Affairs and Energy Ministry was aware of the German Accreditation Council activity in Iran, Sergizzarea said he did not know. Dr. Beate Braams, a spokeswoman for the ministry, said the German Accreditation Council is an “autonomous” organization that can exercise “independent responsibilities.”
Oliver Dieser, a spokesman for the council in Berlin, wrote the Post and Bild by email. He said the council “called for all of the [certification] entities it works with to stop issuing accreditations. This, however, does not mean that accreditations were completely banned for customers operating in Iran.”He said compliance with the embargo regulations was “the responsibility of the accredited [certification] agencies alone.”Dieser added that “it is not the responsibility of the German Accreditation Council to examine or approve every accreditation symbol.”Volker Beck, a leading Bundestag deputy from the Green Party and head of the German-Israel Parliamentary Group, told the Post and Bild, “Urgent clarification is required here. The Federal government must explain whether there was a breakdown in sanctions against Iran, with its knowledge or under its responsibility in the period of economics minister [Philipp] Rösler (FDP). In addition, it needs to be explained whether these activities continued under [the current] Economics Minister [Sigmar] Gabriel (SPD).”He asked: “What did the Federal government know about the activities? When was the Bundestag informed of the possible accreditation problems by the German Accreditation Council in connection with the Iran sanctions regime and, if not, why not?” Beck continued, “In the event such activities were not known by the Economics Ministry though the responsible [certification] agencies possibly knew, it raises a fundamental question regarding supervisory control. “Sanctions are an important foreign policy instrument” to react to human rights violations and security threats, he continued. “That applies especially for Iran’s nuclear program, if the words about Israeli security as a German national interest are not to be empty words,” Beck said.

Trump: 'Is President Obama trying to destroy Israel with all his bad moves?'
Jerusalem Post/July 14/16
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump took a stab at US President Barack Obama's stance on Israel late Wednesday, taking to Twitter to ask: "Is President Obama trying to destroy Israel with all his bad moves?""Think about it and let me know!" the billionaire real-estate mogul continued. As Obama's personal relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been marked by tensions, Trump has previously criticized the current US president and his administration for its attitudes toward Israel. Trump's tweet came days after the Republican Party's Platform Committee unanimously agreed to language on Israel that omits references to a two-state solution with the Palestinians. In his tweet Wednesday, Trump claimed that the new proposed language of the platform is the "most pro-Israel of all time!" The committee meeting Tuesday in Cleveland voted on the language approved Monday by its national security subcommittee. The two-state concept has long been a pillar of both Democratic and Republican policy in the region, and a stated policy of Netanyahu, although not of his government. For decades it has also been a mainstay of pro-Israel activism and of the pro-Israel lobby, including its leader, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Yet in contrast with 2012, when AIPAC reportedly opposed the language, this year it did not offer resistance and praised the platform. “The US seeks to assist in the establishment of comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East, to be negotiated among those living in the region,” the platform says. “We oppose any measures intended to impose an agreement or to dictate borders or other terms, and call for the immediate termination of all US funding of any entity that attempts to do so,” it also says, a reference to Palestinian Authority efforts to seek statehood status outside the framework of negotiations. “Our party is proud to stand with Israel now and always.”The language must be approved by the full Republican National Committee ahead of the convention in Cleveland next week. Other language on Israel “reject(s) the false notion that Israel is an occupier” and describes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and “indivisible,” both changes from the 2012 platform. Israelis are nearly equally divided on the question of who would be a better president of the United States for Israel, Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, according to a poll taken for Channel 2 in June. When asked who would be better for Israel, 37 percent said Trump and 36% Clinton. Asked who was more fit to be president for the US, 47% said Clinton and 31% Trump. In the most conclusive answer in the survey, 57% said Clinton was more likely to pressure Israel to make concessions to the Palestinians and only 13% said Trump. Following extended conflicts between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Democratic presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, 43% of respondents said he would get along better with the presumptive Republican nominee, Trump. Thirty-four percent said he would get along better with Clinton, the presumptive nominee of the Democratic party. **Gil Hoffman contributed to this report.
 

Ahead of One-Year Anniversary of JCPOA, Iran Boasts New Generation of Powerful Centrifuges, Threatens to Resume Nuclear Activity
Lea Speyer/algemeiner/July 14/16/Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization (AEOI) announced Wednesday that the country’s experts are testing a new generation of centrifuges, the Islamic Republic’s semi-official state news agency Fars reported. AEOI spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi was referring to the centrifuges Iran unveiled in January, which, it claimed, are 15 times more powerful than the ones already in its possession. According to Fars, Kamalvandi emphasized Iran’s capability to resume the nuclear activities currently frozen by the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the deal that Tehran signed with the P5+1 powers exactly a year ago. Referring to and warning those powers — China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany — Kamalvandi said, “They have seen how smart our scientists are and we are not therefore concerned about returning to the past conditions and capacities and we are able to develop even more than the past.” Kamalvandi’s comments echo similar claims made earlier in July by Alaeddin Boroujerdi — chairman of the Iranian parliament’s national security and foreign policy commission — who warned that his country would “resume large-scale uranium enrichment” if the West doesn’t give Tehran the economic support it claims it is entitled to under the JCPOA.  Iran’s threats come amid reports from Washington that US lawmakers are seeking legal channels through which to quell the Obama administration’s power to make further concessions to Iran. Speaking to the Washington Free Beacon this week, Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS) — a leading member of the House Intelligence Committee — accused the administration of “misleading members of Congress, and the American people, on critical issues of national security.” Pompeo — who said such deceit is “tragically becoming commonplace” by the administration — believes the White House is not being honest about the extent to which the US has been conceding to Iran beyond the terms of the nuclear agreement. “Although the Obama administration likes to operate as if it is in a vacuum — free of any challenges to its Iran policy — it is not,” he stated. Pompeo’s comments reflect similar sentiments among many Washington lawmakers and political insiders, who have criticized the US president for rewarding Iran for its seemingly bad behavior. Writing in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, foreign policy columnist Bret Stephens — a vocal critic of the Iran deal — slammed the Obama administration for its dealings with Tehran.Referencing a recent bombshell German intelligence report — revealing that Iran has increased its efforts to acquire illegal nuclear materials in Germany — Stephens wrote: For the past year it [the administration] has developed a narrative — spoon-fed to the reporters and editorial writers Ben Rhodes publicly mocks as dopes and dupes — that Iran has met all its obligations under the deal, and now deserves extra cookies in the form of access to US dollars, Boeing jets, US purchases of Iranian heavy water (thereby subsidizing its nuclear program), and other concessions the administration last year promised Congress it would never grant…Mr. Obama says Iran is honoring the nuclear deal, but German intelligence tells us Tehran is violating it more aggressively than ever. He promised ‘snapback’ sanctions in the event of such violations, but the US is operating as Iran’s trade-promotion agent. He promised ‘unprecedented’ inspections, but we’re not permitted to inspect sites where uranium was found. He promised an eight-year ban on Iran’s testing of ballistic missiles, but Tehran violated that ban immediately and repeatedly with only mild pushback from the West. He promised that the nuclear deal was not about ‘normalizing relations with a rogue regime….Is Mr. Obama rationalizing a failed agreement or did he mean to mislead the American public? Either way, truth is catching up with the Iran deal.
Thursday, July 14 marks the one-year anniversary of the signing of the JCPOA.

Sen. Joseph Lieberman: US Government’s Weak Behavior Enhances Iran’s Nefarious Activities (INTERVIEW)
Lea Speyer/algemeiner/July 14/16/The American government’s behavior has enhanced Iran’s inflammatory rhetoric and nefarious activity, former US senator Joseph Lieberman told The Algemeiner on Wednesday. “If we are weak, Iran will take advantage of our weakness,” said Lieberman, chairman of advocacy group United Against a Nuclear Iran (UANI). “If we are strong, they will adjust their behavior as much as they feel they have to.” His comments coincide with the one-year anniversary of the July 14, 2015 signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and world powers. However, said Lieberman, a vocal critic of the JCPOA, “The single greatest failure of the nuclear agreement is that, rather than blocking Iran’s path to building nuclear weapons, it opens an internationally approved way for Iran to build nuclear weapons in no more than 15 years.” In addition, as The Algemeiner reported, Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization (IAEO) announced Wednesday that the country’s experts are testing a new generation of centrifuges 15 times more powerful than the ones already in its possession. These centrifuges could be used to carry out large-scale enrichment of uranium. In a threat aimed at the P5+1 powers — China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany — an IAEO spokesman emphasized Iran’s capability to resume nuclear activities currently frozen by the JCPOA, should the West not concede to Iran’s interpretation of conditions under the JCPOA. Iran’s nuclear activities have also taken on a more secretive nature since the signing of the JCPOA. As reported by The Algemeiner, a bombshell German intelligence report released last week confirmed that Iran has been engaging in “clandestine methods” to obtain illicit materials in Germany, “especially goods that can be used in the field of nuclear technology” and that can “potentially serve to deliver nuclear weapons.”While Tehran overtly and covertly disregards the JCPOA, according to Lieberman, the nuclear agreement has another prominent weakness when it comes to keeping Iran’s behavior in check — namely its failure to address Tehran’s sponsorship of global terrorism. “The JCPOA only dealt with Iran’s nuclear program, not its extremist ideology, support of terrorism, suppression of its people’s human rights or regional aggression,” the former senator told The Algemeiner. “With the JCPOA, this anti-American, anti-Israel regime has billions more dollars to pursue all their nefarious goals.”Since last year, Iran has increased its inflammatory rhetoric against the West and Israel. As reported by The Algemeiner, earlier in July, a senior Iranian military commander warned that tens of thousands of missiles located across the Middle East — 100,000 in Lebanon alone — are ready to strike the Jewish state at a moment’s notice. According to Lieberman, Iran’s sponsorship of terrorism has been greatly enhanced through the JCPOA, thereby strengthening the abilities of its terror proxies — namely Hezbollah, Hamas and Iranian-backed militias — to carry out its threats. “Those threats have all been made worse by the nuclear agreement, because it legitimizes Iran’s nuclear program, and funds both the radical regime in Tehran and its terrorist proxies in the region and throughout the world,” he told The Algemeiner.

ISIS fighters say they bring down Syrian jet
Reuters, Beirut Thursday, 14 July 2016/ISIS fighters brought down a Syrian jet near the eastern city of Deir al-Zor on Thursday, a monitoring group and an agency linked to the radical militant group said. Amaq agency released video footage showing the flaming wreckage of a plane scattered across a stretch of barren rocky ground, as well as parts of a corpse in military uniform and a white helmet, hung out for display on a street. It said the body was that of the pilot. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based organisation which monitors Syria’s war through a network of sources inside the country, said ISIS had targeted and brought down the plane in the Thardah hills, about 5 km southwest of Deir al-Zor military airport. ISIS controls most of the eastern province of Deir al-Zor, though forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad hold the airport and part of Deir al-Zor city on the Euphrates river. It was not immediately clear how the militants downed the jet, which the Observatory said was the second jet to be brought down over ISIS territory since April. It said ISIS had also brought down two helicopters in recent months.

Air strikes kill 12 in rebel-held areas of Syria’s Aleppo
AFP, Beirut Thursday, 14 July 2016/Air strikes killed at least 12 civilians including children in two rebel-held neighborhoods of Syria’s Aleppo city on Thursday, a monitoring group said. Nine people were killed in the Tariq al-Bab neighborhood, and another three in the district of Salhin in the east of the city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. The Britain-based group said it was unclear whether the strikes were carried out by warplanes of the Syrian government or its ally Russia. Video obtained by AFP of the aftermath of the attack in Salhin showed smoke billowing from the front of a multi-story building shorn of its facade by the strikes.
Aleppo’s divide
The charred skeleton of a car, its windows blown out, sat in front of the building. Civil defense workers battled a fire sparked by the attack, while civilians with ladders retrieved belongings from the ruins. “Total destruction,” said resident Jomaa Hassan, gesturing to a smoking building behind him. “These are civilians: a taxi driver, a municipal worker. These are the terrorists in their eyes.”Aleppo city is divided roughly between government control in the west and rebel control in the east. Last week, government forces advanced to within firing range of the only remaining supply route into the rebel-held east, effectively cutting it off and prompting food shortages and spiraling prices.

Assad: slain journalist Marie Colvin ‘worked with the terrorists’
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Thursday, 14 July 2016/Syrian President Bashar al-Assad denied in comments aired on Thursday that his forces targeted US-born journalist Marie Colvin, a veteran correspondent for The Times who was killed in Syria in 2012, and accused her of working “with the terrorists.” In an interview with NBC News, Assad was asked to comment on a lawsuit filed by Colvin’s relatives in US federal court claiming that Syrian government officials targeted and killed Colvin to silence her reporting on Syria and the besieged central city of Homs. The wrongful-death lawsuit filed Saturday in Washington by the Center for Justice and Accountability on behalf of Cathleen Colvin, Marie Colvin’s sister, and Justine Araya-Colvin, the reporter’s niece, said the Assad government “hunted down journalists and media activists” who were trying to tell the story of the government’s deadly crackdown on Syrian rebels. But Assad denied that the regime had knowledge of her death. “Nobody knows if she (was) killed by missile, or which missile, and where did the missile come from, or how. No one has any evidence,” he said. The Syrian president said Colvin entered Syria illegally and “worked with the terrorists,” adding that the government cannot be responsible for those who enter the country illegally. The Syrian government has contended that its attacks targeted “terrorists.”“When you’re caught in crossfire somewhere, you cannot tell who killed who ... these are all allegations,” Assad said. Assad’s government uses the term “terrorist” for all armed opposition fighters and militants battling his forces, whether they are Western-backed rebels or al-Qaeda and other Islamic fighters. The lawsuit filed last week said Syrian officials launched a rocket attack on a makeshift broadcast studio in a neighborhood of Homs on February 22, 2012, killing Colvin, along with French photojournalist Remi Ochlik. Just hours before her death, the 56-year-old Colvin, a native of New York City, had filed another report on the Syrian government’s crackdown and its impact on civilians.
(With the Associated Press)

Assad: Russia has ‘never’ discussed transition with me
AFP, Damascus Thursday, 14 July 2016/Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in an interview released Thursday that his Russian ally has “never” discussed a political transition with him, despite international support for such a process. Speaking to NBC News in Damascus, the embattled leader insisted his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had never raised the issue of his departure or a political transition with him. “Only the Syrian people define who's going to be the president, when to come, and when to go. They never said a single word regarding this,” he said. His comments came as US Secretary of State John Kerry headed back to Moscow for new meetings with Putin to discuss the situation in Syria, where a devastating five-year civil war has killed more than 280,000 people. Russia and the United States are nominally co-chairs of international efforts to bring Assad's regime to the negotiating table with armed opposition groups. Hopes for the existing peace process rest on the UN-backed blueprint sketched out by the 22-nation, US and Russian-led International Syria Support Group. Under this road map, signed by both Syria's ally Iran and Assad’s pro-rebel foe Saudi Arabia, a nationwide ceasefire will precede Geneva-based talks on “political transition.” But there has been little progress towards a resumption of political talks that was scheduled for August 1. A close ally of the government in Damascus, Russia has intervened directly in the conflict since October 2015, when it began air strikes in support of regime forces.

Turkish PM: No solution to Syria while Assad remains
AFP, Istanbul Thursday, 14 July 2016/Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has warned there can be no solution to the Syrian conflict or the threat from miltants while President Bashar al-Assad remains in charge. In recent days, Yildirim has repeatedly said Turkey would seek good relations with Syria after diplomatic successes with Israel and Russia, raising speculation of a possible change in Turkish policy. However, in an interview with the BBC broadcast late on Wednesday, Yildirim said Assad had to go because with him in charge, the conflict would not be solved. “On one hand, there’s Assad and on the other, Da’esh (ISIS). If you ask, should we prefer Assad or Da’esh (ISIS), we cannot choose one over the other. They both have to go – they’re both trouble for Syrians,” he said. “Let’s imagine we got rid of Da’esh, the problem still won’t be solved. As long as Assad is there, the problem won’t be solved. Another terrorist organization would emerge.” He accused the Assad regime of creating IS through its policy of killing its own citizens deliberately. There has been confusion this week over whether Turkish policy towards Syria and Assad was changing after several terror attacks by IS in Istanbul and in the capital Ankara in October. Despite previously having good relations before the start of Syria's five-year civil war, Turkey has been one of the Syrian regime's fiercest opponents, supporting opposition groups fighting against Assad. On Wednesday, Yildirim told his party’s provincial leaders in Ankara that he was sure Turkey would “normalize” relations with Syria and in the BBC interview, Yildirim said Assad had to change without specifying what kind of change. “Things must change in Syria but first Assad must change. Unless Assad changes, nothing changes.”

UN hopes for Syria progress in US-Russian talks
Reuters, Geneva Thursday, 14 July 2016/UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura voiced hope on Thursday that a US-Russian meeting would achieve progress on the Syria peace process, including a halt to indiscriminate bombing and a formula for political transition. “Let's see what happens in Moscow in the next few hours. Let's hope there is some type of general understanding or progress,” he told reporters in Geneva as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry prepared to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Secretary Sergei Lavrov in Moscow. De Mistura is waiting for certain conditions to allow him to call a new round of peace talks in Geneva, with the goal of delivering a road map for Syria's political transition in August. The talks' chief sponsors, the United States and Russia, have conducted a lot of informal diplomacy, de Mistura said. “I think the next few days are crucial in order to make sure we know where they stand. When the two co-chairs agree on something..., that helps a lot.”A US- and Russian-backed ceasefire agreed in late February has largely fallen apart, partly because there is no agreement over the exact location of fighters belonging to the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, which is a legitimate target in UN eyes. Opposition groups have accused Russia, the main ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, of carrying out air strikes on rebels who should be protected by the ceasefire arrangement. Agreement on stopping indiscriminate bombing and a formula for a political transition would create the necessary conditions for a new round of talks and the possible basis of a peace deal, de Mistura said. He declined to comment on a Washington Post report that the United States was proposing increased cooperation and intelligence-sharing with Russia to identify and target ISIS and Al Qaeda operations in Syria. Jan Egeland, who chairs the United Nations weekly humanitarian task force, said fighting had prevented access to besieged areas and that the government continued to remove medical supplies from aid convoys. The rebel-held east of the city of Aleppo, where at least 200,000 people are cut off from aid, is meeting conditions to be considered Syria's 19th and largest besieged area, Egeland said. In some besieged areas such as Madaya, malnutrition was worsening. “Starvation is next,” he said.

Kerry arrives in Moscow for Syria talks
AFP, Moscow/Paris Thursday, 14 July 2016/US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Moscow on Thursday for talks with President Vladimir Putin on ways to revive the stalled Syrian peace process. Kerry’s visit to Moscow -- his second this year -- comes as ferocious bloodshed continues in Syria despite a series of ceasefires, and Russia and the US appear increasingly at odds over the way forward. Earlier, the Washington Post reported Thursday that the United States is to offer to cooperate with Russia in joint military action against the Al-Nusra Front and ISIS extremist groups in Syria. Kerry, who was on his way to Moscow for talks with Putin, did not deny the report, but refused to discuss the proposal in detail until he had been to the Kremlin. According to the Post, which cited sections of what it said was a draft agreement, US and Russian commanders would set up a joint command and control centre to direct intensified air strikes against the groups. Currently, Russian forces in Syria are operating in support of Bashar al-Assad’s regime against a variety of rebel factions while a US-led coalition focuses its fire ISIS. Any deal between the great power rivals would be controversial, since for many - including critics of President Barack Obama in Washington - it would amount to a tacit acceptance of Putin’s efforts to shore up Assad’s regime.Kerry was due in Moscow later Thursday and was to hold talks first with Putin at the Kremlin then on Friday with his opposite number Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Asked if he wanted to comment on the reported US offer of a military pact, Kerry said: “I don’t right now. I’ll have comments. I’m going to Moscow, meeting with President Putin tonight, and we’ll have plenty of time to talk about it.”“I’ll give you all a sense of where we are,” he added.

France to redeploy aircraft carrier in Mosul fight
The Associated Press, Paris Thursday, 14 July 2016/President Francois Hollande has announced that France will redeploy the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier this fall to step up the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and suggested an increase in ground troops for training and support to take back Mosul, in northern Iraq. Hollande, speaking Wednesday ahead of the Bastille Day military parade Thursday, said “we must strike and destroy those who aggressed us here” in two sets of attacks last year. Hollande said the November attacks in Paris claimed by ISIS “were decided” in Raqqa, Syria and Mosul in northern Iraq, the two strongholds of ISIS militants. Those attacks killed 130 and 17 more died in two January attacks. With the carrier battle group in place, France can up its striking power in the US-led coalition carrying out strikes on ISIS. Watch: More foreign ISIS fighters come from France

US labels two Russian ISIS operatives ‘global terrorists’
AFP, Washington Thursday, 14 July 2016/The US State Department designated two Russians allied to ISIS as “global terrorists” Wednesday, including a former Guantanamo detainee and a Chechen militant tied to deadly attacks in Moscow. The State Department said Aslan Avgazarovich Byutukaev, also known as Amir Khamzat, is the ISIS leader in Chechnya and responsible for suicide bombings in Russia including the January 2011 attack on Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport, which killed 35. Since becoming an ISIS leader in June 2015, the department said, Byutukaev has planned attacks for the group. It said that last November, Russian special forces discovered a large bomb hidden on the side of the road in Ingushetia that was part of a planned attack “directed by Byutukaev.”Ayrat Vakhitov, who also goes by the name Salman Bulgarsky, is a former inmate at the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay who was arrested in Afghanistan in 2001 and released in 2004 to Russia. In recent years, the ethnic Tatar has fought for the ISIS group in Syria and uses the internet to recruit fighters for the group, according to the State Department. According to a Voice of America report, he was detained by Turkish authorities early this month in relation to the June 28 attack at Ataturk international airport, which left 45 people dead. “Today’s action notifies the US public and the international community that Aslan Avgazarovich Byutukaev and Ayrat Nasimovich Vakhitov are actively engaged in terrorism,” the State Department said. The designation includes sanctions that prohibit Americans from transactions with the two, and blocks any of their assets under US jurisdiction.

ISIS-linked agency confirms Shishani is dead
AFP, Baghdad Thursday, 14 July 2016/A top ISIS group commander, Omar Al-Shishani, has been killed in Iraq, the militant-linked Amaq agency said on Wednesday. Citing a “military source,” Amaq said Shishani was killed “in the town of Sharqat as he took part in repelling the military campaign on the city of Mosul,” referring to the last ISIS-held city in Iraq. Amaq did not specify when Shishani was killed, but the loss of the commander is a significant blow to the militant group, which has suffered a string of setbacks in Iraq this year. The Pentagon announced in March that American forces had killed Shishani and said his death would likely hamper ISIS’s ability to carry out operations inside and outside of Iraq and Syria. But it did not specify how or where he was killed. US officials previously said Shishani “likely died” in an air strike, but reports surfaced that he had survived. Shishani was a fierce, battle-hardened warlord with roots in Georgia and a thick red beard who was one of the most notorious faces of ISIS. Also: Top militant Umar Khalifa killed in US air strike in Afghanistan. Shishani, whose nom de guerre means “Omar the Chechen,” was one of the ISIS leaders most wanted by Washington which had put a multi-million-dollar bounty on his head. His exact rank was unclear, but US officials had branded him as “equivalent of the secretary of defence” for the militant group. Shishani came from the former Soviet state of Georgia’s Pankisi Gorge region, which is populated mainly by ethnic Chechens. He fought as a Chechen rebel against Russian forces before joining the Georgian military in 2006, and fought Russian forces again in Georgia in 2008. He later resurfaced in northern Syria as the commander of a group of foreign fighters, and became a senior leader within ISIS. ISIS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but has since lost significant ground to Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes, training and other assistance. The Sunni extremist group has responded to the battlefield setbacks by striking civilians, particularly Shiites, and experts have warned there may be more bombings as the militants continue to lose ground.

Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on July 14-15/16

Who Do Bigots Blame for Police Shootings in America? Israel, of Course!
Alan M. Dershowitz/Gatestone Institute/July 14, 2016
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8469/police-shootings
In response to the tragic deaths of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling at the hands of police officers in Minnesota and Louisiana, the New York University chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) posted the following on its Facebook page:
"In the past 48 hours another two black men have been lynched by the police.... We must remember that many US police departments train with #IsraeliDefenceForces. The same forces behind the genocide of black people in America are behind the genocide of Palestinians. What this means is that Palestinians must stand with our black comrades. We must struggle for their liberation. It is as important as our own. #AltonSterling is as important as #AliDawabsheh. Palestinian liberation and black liberation go together. We must recognize this and commit to building for it."
Even in moments of national mourning such as these, SJP bigots cannot help but exploit the deaths of innocent Americans to further their own anti-Semitic political agenda, namely to delegitimize and demonize the nation state of the Jewish people.
By implicating Israel in these killings, SJP is engaging in the old trope of blaming Jews for systemic and far-reaching societal problems. This practice was anti-Semitic when some Christian communities used it to blame Jews for plagues, poisonings, and murders; it was anti-Semitic when the Nazis used it to blame Jews for the failing German economy; and it is still anti-Semitic today. There is no more evidence that any of the police who killed Mr. Castile and Mr. Sterling were in fact trained in Israel than there was that Jews were responsible for any of the other crimes that formed the basis for traditional blood libels.
The oppression of black Americans long predates the founding of the state of Israel; contrary to the claims of SJP and like-minded groups, Zionism did not beget racism, nor is Zionism a reflection of racism. It is the national liberation movement of the Jewish people. But the twisted logic on the part of SJP should come as no surprise, given that the same organization blamed Zionism for rising tuition costs in the City University of New York college system. The essence of anti-Semitism is the bigoted claim that if there is a problem, then Jews — and now Zionists — must be its cause.
Addressing the structural causes of racism in the United States will take more than scapegoating Israel — it will require the type of far-reaching legislative action of which our current Congress seems incapable. By morphing the discussion about criminal justice reform and systemic racism in the United States into a polemic against Israel, SJP makes progress even more difficult.
That said, the reaction by SJP is reflective of a broader trend in hard left politics. Increasingly, groups such as Black Lives Matter (BLM), MoveOn, Code Pink, and Occupy Wall Street have embraced intersectionality — a radical academic theory, which holds that all forms of social oppression are inexorably linked.This radical concept has led to the linking of disparate left-wing causes, no matter how tenuous their connections. Some intersectional feminist activists, for example, insist that feminists must oppose drone strikes (and by extension, Hillary Clinton), because they negatively impact women in the developing world. Even more absurdly, Jill Stein — the Green Party candidate for president — has come out in favor of the bigoted Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel, partly on the grounds that support for Israel furthers the interests of the military-industrial complex, and by extension the fossil fuel industry.
Those activists that do not sufficiently embrace the new intersectional orthodoxy, meanwhile, have been targeted by protests: the 2016 Gay Pride parade in Toronto, for example, was broken up by Black Lives Matter for including a police float, and for not sufficiently prioritizing the concerns of black trans women. Similarly, a gay rights event in Chicago was broken up by activists, who insisted on the exclusion of an Israeli organization, which they claimed was co-opting the gay rights agenda and "pinkwashing" Israeli crimes against Palestinians.
Intersectionality seems to be driving hard left activists towards a "No True Scotsman" worldview: increasingly, they insist on a package of unrelated left-wing causes that must be embraced by anyone claiming the label of progressive — including the demonization of Israel as a racist, apartheid state.
Perhaps more worryingly, intersectionality tends towards the conclusion that the existing social, political, and economic system is flawed in so many profound ways, that any attempt at remaking it through democratic means is unacceptable. Activists have become increasingly obsessed with "Shut it Down" protest tactics, and a proud politics of "disrespectability," that prioritizes resistance to a "corrupt," "rigged" socio-economic system over respectful discourse and political compromise.
This helps to explain the sympathetic attitude of Black Lives Matter activists towards groups like Hamas, which embrace terror as a mode of "resistance" (in their view) against Israel. Indeed, Black Lives Matter activists have visited Gaza to express solidarity with Palestinians oppressed by so-called racist Israeli self-defense measures. While Black Lives Matter claims to disavow violence in securing its political objectives, many of its most prominent members are far more eager to criticize the "Israeli genocide of Palestinians" than to criticize Hamas for using rockets to target Israeli civilians. Black Lives Matter and other hard left groups have been notably silent about other oppressed ethnic groups such as Tibetans, Chechens, and Kurds. The only alleged "oppressors" they single out for condemnation are the Jews. This double standard raises legitimate questions about their real motivations.
Black Lives Matter activists have a sympathetic attitude towards groups like Hamas, which embrace terror as a mode of resistance against Israel. Indeed, BLM activists have visited Gaza to express solidarity with Palestinians oppressed by so-called racist Israeli self-defense measures.
Moreover, the conflation of police actions in American cities with Israeli military actions in Gaza raises a disturbing question: if the so-called oppression of Palestinians in Gaza and the oppression of people of color in the United States are two sides of the same coin — as the SJP implied in its tweet — are the violent tactics employed by Hamas, and perversely supported by many on the hard left, an appropriate model to emulate in the United States? One hopes that the answer is no, and that the intersectionalist radicals will make that clear to their followers.
**Professor Dershowitz is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, Emeritus and author of Taking the Stand: My Life in the Law.
© 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.

Could Italy Bring Down the Euro?
Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/July 14, 2016
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8468/italy-euro
A move by Italy — the third-largest economy in the eurozone — to abandon the euro could strike a potentially fatal blow to the currency and to the bloc itself.
Meanwhile, at more than 130% of GDP, Italy has one of the biggest public debt burdens in Europe, second only to Greece.
"A perfect storm of slow or zero Italian economic growth, low interest rates and politically connected, often corrupt, lending have combined to create a situation where the Italian financial system is in need of a large rescue." — Mihir Kapadia, Sun Global Investments.
M5S blames the euro for Italy's woes, and many Italians agree.
The eurosceptic Five Star Movement (M5S) has overtaken Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's Democratic Party (PD) in several opinion polls and is now the most popular political party in Italy.
The poll results represent a significant shift in Italy's political landscape and have potentially far-reaching implications for the future of the European Union.
M5S, which would win national elections if they were held today, has called for a referendum on whether Italy, which is facing the collapse of its banking system, should keep the euro, the single currency of the European Union, or bring back the Italian lira.
A move by Italy — the third-largest economy in the eurozone — to abandon the euro could strike a potentially fatal blow to the currency and to the bloc itself.
An Ipsos poll, published by the newspaper Corriere della Sera on July 5, gave M5S 30.6% of the vote, up from 28.9% in April, while Renzi's center-left PD fell to 29.8% from 31.1%.
A Demos poll, published by La Repubblica on July 1, gave M5S 32.3% of the vote, compared to 30.2% for the PD. An EMG Acqua poll for TeleGiornale La7 television on June 28 gave M5S 31.7%, compared to 31.2% for the PD.
According to Ipsos pollster Nando Pagnoncelli, the polls show that M5S "is increasingly viewed as a political force that is capable of governing the country."
The anti-establishment M5S was founded in 2009 by Beppe Grillo, a well-known comedian and blogger who has led a popular fight against rampant corruption in Italy's political system. The party advocates for direct democracy — a system in which political decision making is devolved from the government to citizens — as a way to bypass traditional political parties embroiled in corruption scandals.
M5S, which portrays itself as post-ideological and draws support from both the left and right sides of the political aisle, has leveraged the internet to attract millions of voters, especially among the young.
The 67-year-old Grillo recently handed over the reins of the party to a new "directorate" of five young leaders, of which 30-year-old Luigi Di Maio has become the most prominent. He is widely expected to be the party's candidate for prime minister at the next election.
M5S achieved a major breakthrough in municipal elections on June 20, when it won 19 out of the 20 cities — including Rome and Turin — in which its candidates stood for mayor. The M5S landslide presents a serious challenge to Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.
Renzi has staked his political future on an October referendum in which he wants Italian voters to support wide-ranging reforms to the constitution. The most important reform involves reducing the size and curtailing the power of the Italian Senate in order to ease gridlock in the lawmaking process.
Renzi, who says the reforms are essential to streamlining the government, has promised to resign if he loses the vote. M5S and all other opposition parties are against the reforms, which they say will erode democratic checks and balances.
A Euromedia Research poll conducted on July 1 found that 34% of Italians would vote against Renzi's plan, with 28.9% in favor, 19.4% undecided on which way to vote and 17.7% undecided on whether to vote.
The political uncertainty in Italy is drawing renewed attention to the country's financial woes. Italy's banks are burdened by €360 billion ($400 billion) in bad loans. This figure amounts to more than 20% of Italy's GDP and accounts for one-third of all non-performing loans in the eurozone. Meanwhile, at more than 130% of GDP, Italy has one of the biggest public debt burdens in Europe, second only to Greece. The International Monetary Fund expects the Italian economy to grow just 1% this year.
Mihir Kapadia of Sun Global Investments explains:
"A perfect storm of slow or zero Italian economic growth, low interest rates and politically connected, often corrupt, lending have combined to create a situation where the Italian financial system is in need of a large rescue."
M5S blames the euro for Italy's woes, and many Italians agree. Faced with a financial crisis of potentially epic proportions, the October vote could backfire on Renzi and turn into a referendum on the Italian government itself — and even on the euro.
Writing in the Financial Times, columnist Wolfgang Münchau, cautioned:
"The political dynamic in Italy is not much different from the one in the UK. The electorate is in an insurrectionary mood. The country has had virtually no productivity growth since it joined the euro in 1999. The Italian political establishment has until recently been as dismissive of its chances of losing the referendum as the British establishment was until [Brexit on June 23]. They are still dismissive of the chances of a Five Star victory — and will be until the moment it happens."
M5S's Luigi Di Maio, who, polls show, has a very good chance of succeeding Renzi as prime minister, has reiterated his party's long-standing call for a referendum on the euro:
"We want a consultative referendum on the euro. The euro as it is today does not work. We either have alternative currencies or a 'euro 2.' We entered the European Parliament to change many treaties. The mere fact that a country like Great Britain even held a referendum on whether to leave the EU signals the failure of the European Union."
A referendum on the euro would be "consultative" because Italian law does not allow such plebiscites to change international treaties, including those that involve Italy's relations with the European Union.
Luigi Di Maio, who, polls show, has a very good chance of becoming Italy's prime minister, has reiterated his party's long-standing call for a referendum on the euro, saying "The euro as it is today does not work." (Image source: M5S video screenshot)
But Grillo is seeking a legislative change to allow an "ad hoc" exception, similar to the one in June 1989, when Italy held a consultative referendum on whether to transfer certain powers to the European Parliament. The exception would presumably be approved if M5S wins the prime minister's office.
Meanwhile, analysts are warning that the turmoil in Italy could spread to the rest of the eurozone. The risk of contagion is due to the so-called "doom loop" that exists between European governments and European banks, which have more than doubled the holdings of their own governments' debt from a low of €355 billion in September 2008 to €791 billion today.
International banks have lent Italy more than €500 billion, according to Die Welt, which reports that French banks alone hold €250 billion of Italian debt. German banks hold €84 billion of Italian bonds. The only question, according to analysts, is whether taxpayers or bondholders will be left holding the tab.
Wolfgang Münchau of the Financial Times warned of the consequences of a disorderly Italian exit from the euro:
"An Italian exit from the single currency would trigger the total collapse of the eurozone within a very short period. It would probably lead to the most violent economic shock in history, dwarfing the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy in 2008 and the 1929 Wall Street crash."
As Ambrose Evans-Pritchard of the Telegraph has pointed out, however, Italy must choose between the euro and its own economic survival. Leaving the euro "may be the only way to avert a catastrophic deindustrialization of the country before it is too late."
**Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute. He is also Senior Fellow for European Politics at the Madrid-based Grupo de Estudios Estratégicos / Strategic Studies Group. Follow him on Facebook and on Twitter. His first book, Global Fire, will be out in 2016.
© 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.

Egypt's Brotherhood, Sisi both put out feelers for reconciliation
Abdelrahman Youssef/Al-Monitor/July 14/16
The word “reconciliation” has been dominating the Egyptian political scene for almost two weeks. Talk has revolved around the future of the relationship between the regime and the Muslim Brotherhood, which is facing the worst crackdown since its establishment.
Political discussions in Egypt are not what brought about this prevalent idea; rather, it emerged due to a number of coalesced factors, notably the statement of Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Magdy al-Agaty, who said in an interview that “we can reconcile with a member of the Brotherhood as long as his hands are not stained with blood. [Brotherhood members] are Egyptians in the first place. Why don’t we make peace with them and integrate them into the fabric of the Egyptian people if they did not commit any crime?”However, it was not long before this controversial issue came to the surface again when Mohamed Fayek, head of the National Council for Human Rights, said July 3 that “there will be a presidential pardon soon for all the detained young people who were not involved in armed activities.”
Such statements cannot be made by people close to the regime without prior communication and coordination with the head of the regime. While some officials criticized Agaty’s statement, the criticism came from politicians who were neither as influential as Agaty nor in a ceremonial post like Fayek. However, a source in the Egyptian parliament told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that “it is too early to talk about an explicit reconciliation with the Muslim Brotherhood, especially while the Egyptian regime is in a strong position and does not need to make any reconciliations.” The source, who is close to some influential quarters, added, “Agaty’s statement fell only within the context of putting the transitional justice law into effect,” indicating that his “communications affirm that there will be no reconciliation in that sense during this period.”
As for the Brotherhood, there were some indicatives that the reconciliation scenario is probable even if it did not take the previously stated form. The split, which the Brotherhood has been undergoing for almost a year, cast a shadow over its relationship with the current regime. The group, led by Brotherhood’s Secretary-General Mahmoud Hussein and acting Supreme Guide Mahmoud Ezzat, who has been in hiding since before the dispersal of the Rabia al-Adawiya sit-in, issued an 11-page report — which Al-Monitor obtained a copy of — that served as a “situation assessment” and tackled three scenarios of the reconciliation, accusing the other (Brotherhood) camp of adopting violence. The report, which was issued to senior Brotherhood leaders, outraged a number of the movement’s young cadres after some parts of it were leaked. According to Ezz Eldeen Dwedar, a young Brotherhood member living abroad who opposes the idea of reconciliation, the young cadres considered this report “an introduction to a [coming] reconciliation over the bloodshed.”
In an attempt to explain his position, Dwedar said, “In light of the current balance of power, the proposed reconciliation projects are certainly disguised surrender. These projects are an attempt to save the two groups seeking to conclude the reconciliation: the leaders of the internally divided Brotherhood on one hand and [President Abdel Fattah al-] Sisi on the other. The first group has embroiled the Brotherhood in conflicts to the extent that it [the Brotherhood] can’t justify its attitude, afford the consequences of its own actions or have a vision to make the revolution successful. On the other hand, Sisi is suffering from a steep fall in popularity as well as internal conflicts among various quarters in his regime, not to mention his inability to handle or stop the threat of bankruptcy. Therefore, any reconciliation project will be a rebirth for Sisi and a safe exit for Brotherhood leaders.” Based on this, Dwedar stressed that he refused the idea of negotiations. “Rather, we should revive the revolution, rearrange [our] strengths, review the enemy’s weaknesses, reshape the international and domestic map of alliances, and work on weakening Sisi in order to get him and his group out of the scene and defeated as soon as possible,” Dwedar said. However, Talaat Fahmy, a Brotherhood spokesman affiliated with the Hussein and Ezzat front, told Al-Monitor in reference to Agaty’s statement, “Any institution considers [different] scenarios for the future. Constructing scenarios does not mean that you prefer or adopt a certain one.”
“The coup [leaders] are marketing the reconciliation as if it was going to be made with the Egyptian people. However, we don’t have any problem with the Egyptian people. The real problem is between the Egyptian people and the coup [government]. Agaty’s statement is being proposed as if the reconciliation is between the Egyptian people and the Brotherhood, which is untrue,” Fahmy said.
Yasser Fathy, a young Brotherhood member who calls for change, explained the points of disagreement inside the group to Al-Monitor. “There is no doubt that there are disagreements as to the vision and how to deal with the current regime. There are those who tend to be more vigilant and agree to live with this repressive regime. … The disagreement is between those who agree to live with a state of weakness and helplessness on one hand and a large segment of the Brotherhood and the Egyptian society that seek not to focus only on slogans but to work on restructuring the political discourse. This segment wants to look deeply into the society’s problems, the essence and goals of the January 25 Revolution, and the relationship with the outer world on the regional and international levels.”However, what about politicians who are close to the Brotherhood? Veteran Egyptian politician and former presidential candidate Ayman Nour told Al-Monitor that he rules out the possibility of making any reconciliations while Sisi is in power. “Egypt needs a genuine project to overcome authoritarianism,” he said.
Nour pointed out that the statements issued by parties associated with the regime are “trial balloons and not a potential vision or a distinctive initiative.”“Reconciliation and transitional justice are both mentioned in the July 3 statement and the constitution of 2014. However, the regime wants to act as if it was the winner, despite the fact that the crisis is more complex. The crisis is not only between the regime and the Muslim Brotherhood. Rather, it is between all the components of the society including the Brotherhood, which is also divided internally,” Nour said. In light of the above, it is evident that all sides deny attempts at “reconciliation,” arguing that what is happening is merely a consideration of the matter, i.e., a test to see how it will be received by the other. The regime, in the eyes of its opponents, is going through a major economic crisis that requires internal coherence and efforts to improve its image abroad in order to show that the crisis is on its way to being resolved. However, many observers believe that the regime is in a position of strength and merely seeks to subdue the Brotherhood and aggravate its split, not to make peace with it.
Also, a Turkey-based Brotherhood source — who is close to the decision-making circles — told Al-Monitor that “the old conservative camp [in the Brotherhood] is willing to come to an undisclosed agreement with the regime in the hope all detainees will be released and the movement will gradually return to the public sphere.” The source, who preferred anonymity, said, “What prevents this agreement from being concluded is the presence of Sisi in the heart of the [political] scene as well as a segment inside the Brotherhood and among Egyptians that opposes this idea, as this reconciliation might lead to the abandonment of certain political demands, the political legitimacy of Morsi and other issues that have been the key driver of the discourse of the Brotherhood’s leaders since the coup.”The source added, “If there will be a reconciliation, it is not going to be classical.”
This point of view is supported by the stance of many detained Brotherhood members. For instance, Israa, a detainee’s wife who spoke to Al-Monitor on the condition that only her first name be used, said, “The issue is not the reconciliation with the regime; rather, it is about taking a step back and reviewing all the occurrences that took place in the past three years — what we have gained and what we have lost — to see if we have achieved anything in return for all the martyrs, detainees and energy exerted. … We must step back and rearrange the lines and correct the mistakes after admitting them first.”
“The idea of releasing the detainees is dominant among a large segment of the Brotherhood. This segment supports reconciliation,” Israa said, indicating that “there is another current that does not accept the deaths or prison sentences, yet it accepts any political concession in return for achieving a solution to the human rights crisis.”However, what hinders the solution? And what do the detainees think? Israa answered, saying, “The Brotherhood is internally divided between the young people and the senior leaders who are the decision-makers. The senior leaders are no longer able to control the young people because social media enabled the latter to create an independent front opposed to the idea of making reconciliation.” “My husband and many other detainees believe that any sign of concession will aggravate the crackdown on the Brotherhood. Therefore, the detainees are divided between whether to continue the struggle against the regime or make concessions, even undisclosed,” she added. Fahmy, commenting on these ideas, said “the coup regime wants to force the detainees to change their convictions and haggle over their freedom, which is unacceptable. As for concessions, we have nothing but our principles. Do they want us to give up on our principles?”“We welcome any solution that comes within a national framework where the Egyptian people have the authority,” Fahmy concluded.

Why recent steps with Israel, Russia won't really change Turkish foreign policy
Kadri Gursel/Al-Monitor/July 14/16
According to some Turkish and international observers, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is making a U-turn from his confrontational foreign policy these days, moving to a more moderate one. The argument is based on two developments in June. The first is the agreement Turkey reached with Israel after protracted secret negotiations to restore bilateral ties, which had been in a state of a near cold war since the Mavi Marmara crisis in 2010. The second development is the letter Erdogan sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin apologizing for the November shooting down of a Russian fighter jet, which had allegedly violated Turkish airspace along the Syrian border.Meanwhile, Erdogan is also making overtures toward Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's administration in Egypt, which he had declared "illegitimate" after Sisi's overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood government in July 2013, but these efforts have yet to bear fruit. Erdogan's solutions with Israel and Russia are called "normalization" in the media. Hence, some argue Turkish foreign policy is changing, too, based on the assumption that ties with Israel and Russia have been normalized. But how much do the terms "normalization" and "change" correspond to the actual state of affairs? To make a reality check, let's use the two questions below and see whether one could answer them in the affirmative.
Do Erdogan's steps vis-a-vis Israel and Russia signify a definitive end to his "new foreign policy," which had crystallized in 2009 with Ahmet Davutoglu's appointment as foreign minister?Now that Erdogan has removed Davutoglu from the prime minister's post and sidelined him from politics, is another "new foreign policy" emerging?
The available facts do not justify a "yes" answer to either question. One simply lacks the grounds to suggest Erdogan has abandoned his old "new foreign policy." The solutions employed to ease tensions with Israel and Russia are devoid of any content that heralds the emergence of "the newest foreign policy."To use a metaphor, Erdogan's foreign policy today is a ship run aground — the result of the reckless adventure he and Davutoglu embarked on with great hopes in 2009. Moreover, the accident is not something new — the ship has been stuck for quite some time. This failed policy Islamized Turkey's Western-oriented, secular and republican political culture, while seeking to reorder the Middle East under the leadership of "new Turkey." It bore the hallmarks of Islamist ideology, both in terms of content and style, and the line separating foreign policy from domestic politics became virtually nonexistent. The new regime was Islamist and pro-Sunni, both at home and abroad, and therefore it was anti-West. Pulling Turkey away from the West was in fact an objective the new foreign policy pursued. In this context, the suspension of reforms needed for EU membership was not a mere coincidence.
After the 2009 Davos incident, anti-Israelism became the engine of the new foreign policy, in which Hamas — an ideological ally of Erdogan's Justice and Development Party — was accorded the centerpiece. The drive culminated in the Mavi Marmara incident on May 31, 2010, but this climax proved to be also its dead-end. Then, the Arab Spring came to the rescue. Erdogan and Davutoglu were simply tantalized by the rebellion against Bashar al-Assad's regime in neighboring Syria in the wake of uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. Tempted to topple the regime and replace it with an ideologically friendly Islamist government, the duo embarked on a policy that was well over the head of Turkey's military, economic, diplomatic, academic, institutional and social capacities. The miscalculation stemmed from the false assumption that the Assad regime would crumble in months, if not weeks, which, in turn, was the result of poor knowledge, intelligence and analysis. In September 2011, while Syria descended into chaos, Erdogan and Davutoglu officially made the lifting of the Gaza blockade a third precondition to resolve the Mavi Marmara crisis with Israel, in addition to apology and compensation. They were well-aware they could never get the blockade lifted, but what they really wanted was something else — to tie the solution of the Mavi Marmara crisis to the solution of the Gaza-Hamas problem, and thus make it virtually impossible. This was necessary in order to perpetuate the state of crisis with Israel, which promised political fuel for their dream of leadership in a bloc of Brotherhood-inspired regimes encompassing Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Turkey.
But that's all water under the bridge now. Erdogan no longer needs the crisis with Israel, for Sisi's coup in Egypt has destroyed his dream of a Brotherhood union and his proxy war in Syria has long proved unwinnable. Russia's military intervention in September 2015 was only the proclamation of Erdogan's irreversible defeat.
That's how Erdogan's Turkey ended up lonely and isolated in the Middle East. Deprived of dialogue channels, incapable of developing a new policy and with no room to sustain its existing one, it was immobilized by a self-inflicted paralysis.
So, the Israel and Russia solutions are an attempt to get the ship afloat again. Yet they remain tactical maneuvers aimed at damage control. There is no indication to suggest that a fundamental policy change is under way. Reading the "change" argument through the chain of values, principles and actors leaves no room for any other conclusion. So what is actually happening? The deal with Israel became possible because Turkey dropped its condition for lifting the naval blockade on Gaza. Technically, it was Erdogan who made a concession. Israel had already extended an apology and will now compensate the victims' families. The two sides will exchange ambassadors. Turkey, meanwhile, has dispatched humanitarian aid to Gaza, via the Israeli port of Ashdod, consisting of items permitted by Israel. None of these is an indication that Turkish-Israeli ties are on a normalization course. Normalization requires the establishment of a minimum level of mutual trust. Economic, diplomatic and military cooperation needs to be institutionalized and updated. Reining in the anti-Israelism in Turkey, which has become part of the country's new political culture and often borders on anti-Semitism, is also a prerequisite for normalization.
When it comes to Russia, normalization will take more than a Turkish apology and a compensation for the downed jet. That much could secure the return of some Russian tourists, of course, but economic and political ties will remain unsettled. For a true normalization, an explicit and fundamental revision in Turkey's Syria policy is a must, including an unequivocal end to Turkish support for jihadi groups, the restoration of border control and an unconditional struggle against the Islamic State. Turkey's Syria policy was the core cause of the Russian intervention in Syria; hence, no normalization should be expected unless this policy is fully abolished. Though certain signals to that effect have to be acknowledged, there is no indication that Turkey's support for jihadis has been terminated. In sum, Erdogan is not changing his foreign policy — he is resetting it. Getting the foreign policy ship afloat is nothing but an attempt to reset — or jump-start — his pro-Sunni, Islamist agenda. What Turkey needs is not a reset but a reformatting of its foreign policy — a reprogramming from A to Z. This means the dismantling of an extremely personalized Islamist and sectarian foreign policy and its replacement with a secular one that relies on the Foreign Ministry’s institutionalism and projects the classic values of modernity to the Middle East, namely human rights and democracy. With Erdogan in office, none of these can ever materialize.

EU lawmakers warn Congress against Saudi terrorism bill
Julian Pecquet/Al-Monitor/July 14/16
European lawmakers are putting Congress on notice that a bill to allow 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia could inadvertently harm relations with some of America’s closest allies across the Atlantic. The Dutch parliament wrote to House lawmakers ahead of a July 14 hearing to warn them that the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) would represent a “gross and unwarranted breach of Dutch sovereignty” that could result in “astronomical damages.” The July 12 letter obtained by Al-Monitor endorses the Obama administration’s opposition to the bill, and asks that Congress take into account a July 6 motion from the Dutch House of Representatives calling the bill “unacceptable.” “To the extent the State Department enunciates concerns about JASTA’s adverse impact upon sovereign immunity of important US allies,” the letter states, “the enclosed binding motion associates the Dutch parliament with the expression of those concerns.”The motion is particularly noteworthy because the Netherlands can hardly be accused of any kind of knee-jerk alignment with Saudi Arabia. The Dutch parliament voted to ban arms exports to Riyadh in March out of concern over Saudi actions in Yemen, making the Netherlands the first country to adopt a motion by the European Parliament in February urging an EU-wide Saudi arms embargo. The July 12 letter was signed by Labor Party member Jeroen Recourt, who also initiated the binding motion opposing the bill. It is addressed to Reps. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., and Steven Cohen, D-Tenn., whose Judiciary Committee subpanel on the Constitution and Civil Rights is scheduled to hold a hearing on the bill following its unanimous passage by the Senate in May.
“The House Judiciary Committee believes that it should hear from all sides on the merits of the legislation before advancing it for consideration by the whole House of Representatives,” Franks and full committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., said in a statement ahead of the hearing. “We look forward to hearing from experts and members of the executive branch on the critical foreign policy issues at play with this legislation.”
Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Anne Patterson and State Department legal adviser Brian Egan are scheduled to testify against the bill, while lawyers for terrorism victims’ families will argue the other side. US officials have warned that weakening the sovereign immunity clause that guides international relations could open up both US and key allies such as Israel to retaliatory lawsuits for their own actions. Saudi Arabia for its part denies any involvement in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Riyadh strongly objects to the JASTA bill, and has warned that it would sell off $750 billion worth of American assets if it passes. The Netherlands is believed to be the first European nation to formally weigh in on the bill, but other countries are also debating the merits of getting involved. British parliamentarian Tom Tugendhat, a former adviser to the head of the British armed forces, warned in a June 5 op-ed that the bill could have “serious unintended consequences for Britain” if, for example, victims of terrorism were to sue over the country’s past tolerance for radical Islamist preachers. The specific concerns that fueled the Dutch parliamentary action aren’t clear, but it’s possible that the failure to apprehend a terrorism suspect who went on to kill two Americans and 13 others at the Brussels airport in March may have played a part. The Dutch Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The bill, as passed by the Senate, would allow a judge to stay action against a foreign state if the secretary of state certifies that the United States is in “good faith discussions” with that nation over resolution of terrorism-related claims. The bill also prohibits suing foreign nations for “mere negligence,” but those restrictions haven’t convinced skeptics. “The act would expose the British government to the possibility of revealing the secrets of intelligence operations in open court, or paying damages over alleged failures to prevent terrorist attacks,” Tugendhat wrote in The Telegraph. “Either outcome would put the special relationship under severe strain.”

Iran: One year into the nuclear agreement
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al Arabiya/July 14/16
On July 14, 2015, Iran and the six world powers known as the P5+1 (China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) reached an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program that would curb the country’s nuclear ambitions and put a hold on Tehran’s illicit nuclear activities.
The advocates of the deal including President Obama promised that the deal will bring positive changes. To get the nuclear deal through, they raised hopes that engaging with the Iranian leaders as well as signing a nuclear deal with Tehran would make the Iranian government’s behavior more moderate.
For example, Mr. Obama pointed out in an interview with NPR’s Steve Inskeep that as a result of the nuclear agreement “Iran starts different decisions that are less offensive to its neighbors; that it tones down the rhetoric in terms of its virulent opposition to Israel. And, you know, that’s something that we should welcome.”
Now one year into the nuclear agreement, what are the domestic, regional, global, geopolitical and economic implications? How has the Iranian government changed?
Reports show that as the hardliners gain more power in Iran, as a result of the lifting of sanctions, domestic crackdowns have been on the rise as well
The domestic implications
On the domestic level, a new poll shows that Iranian people have become disappointed the nuclear agreement, which is officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Money has not trickled down to the people.
In the last year, The Islamic Republic hit the highest rate of executing people since 1989. The official number indicates that Iran executed nearly two times more people in 2015 in comparison to 2010 when Iran faced sanctions, when the hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was in office, as well as roughly 10 times more than the number of executions in 2005.
Approximately 1,000 people were executed in 2015, according to the latest report from the United Nations investigator, Ahmed Shaheed, the special rapporteur for human rights in Iran. The unofficial number is higher.
Reports show that as the hardliners gain more power in Iran, as a result of the lifting of sanctions, domestic crackdowns have been on the rise as well.
The regional implications
As the nuclear terms started being implemented, the Obama administration began transferring billions of dollars to Iran’s Central Bank. One of the payments included $1.7 billion, in January 2015, of which approximately 25 percent ($400 million) came from money paid by the government of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and the remaining amount was the accumulated interest.
Iran immediately increased its military budget by $1.5 billion from $15.6 billion to $17.1 billion. On April 10 2015, The Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) quoted Mohammadreza Pour Ebrahimi, a member of the parliament’s Economic Affairs Committee, as pointing out that: “In addition to the approved figures, $1.5 billion has been allocated to prop up defense of the country and this amount has been approved by this committee.”
Based on regional developments, after the nuclear agreement, a decrease in Iran’s interference in domestic affairs of other regional states did not correlate with expectations. For the first time, Hezbollah admitted receiving financial and military assistance from Iran.
Iran’s military involvement in Iraq has been steadily on the rise. The Islamic Republic became more forceful in supporting and assisting the Syrian government, Bashar Al Assad, militarily, and economically, as well as providing intelligence and acting in an advisory role.
Almost all signs indicate that the continuation of sanctions relief, as a consequence of the nuclear accord, is also helping Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Quds force (IRGC branch which functions in extraterritorial operations) to buttress Iran’s proxies including Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iraqi Shiite militias.
According the State Department intelligence report, Iran remained “the foremost state sponsor of terrorism in 2015”. The report added that Iran has been “providing a range of support, including financial, training and equipment, to groups around the world.”
The nuclear terms and implications
One of the concerns of the nuclear agreement has been that Iran might cheat after it gets what it wants. The sanctions being lifted, and Iran has cheated based on the latest report. In its annual report of 317 pages, Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution said that the Iranian government has pursued a “clandestine” path to obtain illicit nuclear technology and equipment from German companies “at what is, even by international standards, a quantitatively high level.”
This is in violation of the nuclear deal that requires Iran to get permission from a UN Security Council panel for "purchases of nuclear direct-use goods.”
In addition, while there were expectations were that the nuclear accord would draw some boundaries or reduce Iran’s ballistic missile program, Iran has escalated its ballistic missiles exercises publicly.
Furthermore, the major decision maker in Iran, the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has not shown any sign of moderating his provocative statements and stance towards other countries in the region, or even towards, the United States.
The United States and other members of the P5+1 have disregarded Iran’s violations, the increasing regional adventurism and interventionism. They have not reacted forcefully or sent a robust signal to Iran’s IRGC that these activities would further endanger the stability of the Middle East and potentially run the risk of scuttling the nuclear agreement.
Not only Iran has technically breached the nuclear deal, but also been empowered to apply more hard power domestically and regionally due the nuclear agreement. Iran appears more determined to build a regional hegemony or acts belligerently with its hard power capabilities and enhanced legitimacy.
These issues are also occurring due to the acquiescence of the Western powers. The more the West continues with the appeasement policies towards Iran, the more Iran will be emboldened to continue this path.

Cameron’s legacy: Brexit and a divided kingdom?
Mohamed Chebarro/Al Arabiya/July 14/16
Prime Minister David Cameron lasted as head of the Conservative party for 11 years. He headed the UK’s first coalition government since World War-2 and went on to lead with a parliamentary majority in 2015, the first for the Conservatives after 22 years.
Cameron will be remembered for three referendums – one to change the UK electoral system, which was rejected and the second one for breaking the Union and giving Scott’s independence, which did not happen. The third led to Brexit, and history will always remember him as the prime minister who took Britain out of the EU, leaving the UK's future in unparalleled uncertainty.
Cameron the politician was liked by all pundits. During his six plus years of tenure as head of UK conservative-liberal democrat coalition government he followed a robust economic policy trying to lift the UK out of the recession that hit the world after the financial meltdown of 2008.
Internally, he tried to unify the Conservative party and attempted to revive it by steering it more toward the center. His main achievement was to win the vote in parliament to allow same-sex marriage. Even though he lost some grass root conservative supporters, he also sent a strong signal about the country that he believed in, a tolerant and inclusive Great Britain.
In times of terror threat, economic fragility and migration pressures, Cameron should have measured the dwindling faith better and protected the street by not dancing to its tune
On an international stage he also took Britain to war and persuaded President Obama to bless the French and British intervention in Libya to enforce a no-fly zone against Colonel Qaddafi’s forces, which led to his removal from power.
In the Middle East, he went to parliament for a vote to sanction military action with the US against Assad’s forces. This was after finding the regime in Damascus guilty of using chemical weapons against civilian population. In August 2013, Cameron became the first British PM to lose a vote in parliament on military action in 100 years, an issue that dented his authority as a leader.
The post-Brexit legacy
It is too early to discuss Cameron’s Legacy as it is still hanging in the balance for which way the UK will go after Brexit. If a decade or two passes us by and Britain is seen to be better off outside Europe, then Cameron would stand vindicated.
But from our standpoint today the ordeal is yet to start and is likely to test Britain like never before. This test is coming at a time when division is looming within the governing party and the opposition Labor is in disarray with a leader short of leadership skills for testing times.
Cameron will go down in history as the youngest prime minister to lead the country in 200 years. Moreover, in my opinion, he would definitely be seen as a gambler without a vision. Yes, Cameron was a likeable politician, a family man, reliable and true to his words, and one that I would like to have as my neighbor.
But as a prime minister and leader steering a country in turbulent times I believe that Cameron sleep-walked into making true some promises that undermined parliamentary democracy and circumvented parliamentary procedures so dear to the UK.
In times of terror threat, economic fragility and migration pressures, and a common sense of vulnerability for an ageing population in the UK and most European nations, Cameron should have measured the dwindling faith better and protected the street by not dancing to its tune.
But the gambler in him took over and now, I reckon, history will see him rather simplistically as the man who took Britain out of the European Union.

ISIS migration is increasingly dangerous
Dr. Theodore Karasik/Al Arabiya/July 14/16
During Ramadan, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) suicide bombers killed hundreds in different cities, including Istanbul, Baghdad and Madinah. Each attack held symbolism – a packed airport, a busy business district, Islam’s second-holiest site. The upswing in suicide attacks during Ramadan was not because ISIS sees itself as on the verge of defeat. It is only growing stronger as it makes the world its operational space so as to spread its ideology, aggression and evil ways. The terrorist movement believes its so-called caliphate exists, whether in a physical sense or in its own imagination. It is the imaginary aspect we should be concerned about.
We are witnessing the evolution of a group via purposeful and thoughtful strategic adjustment. It is now present in Southeast Asia in a much more robust way, and is expanding into sub-Saharan Africa for new planning and operating grounds with regional and international reach.
While the caliphate’s heart may have shrunk, ISIS’s limbs are extending as individuals seek to instill insecurity and fear in its name to achieve personal notoriety.
We are witnessing the evolution of a group via purposeful and thoughtful strategic adjustment. It is now present in Southeast Asia in a much more robust way, and is expanding into sub-Saharan Africa
Terror tactics
ISIS’s violent tactics may reach new levels as it expands. At least two tactics should be taken into consideration during this strategic shift: attacking Iran and using weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Many have asked why ISIS has not launched terrorist attacks in Iran, given that Tehran backs the Iraqi and Syrian governments, and funds Shiite militias battling the group in Iraq.
While Iran’s internal security is robust, evidence suggests ISIS may send Tehran a sharp and clear message via a terrorist attack. According to a recent report, ISIS intended to attack more than 50 sites in Tehran and other Iranian cities during this year’s Ramadan.
In the near term, an attack in Iran seems inevitable. When it occurs, regional tensions will jump considerably. ISIS knows this, so it is a card to be played sooner rather than later.
A WMD attack by ISIS should be considered during its evolution and migration. It has already used chemical weapons, including mustard gas, in Iraq against the Kurds numerous times. ISIS also possesses sodium cyanide, a toxic chemical and precursor to the warfare agent tabun.
These materials can be used to poison water supplies to instill fear. ISIS is able to attract foreigners with degrees in physics, chemistry and computer sciences, and access poisonous substances.
Its use of WMD would not be a sign of desperation, but part of its new strategic and tactical environment on a global scale. WMD would cause the chaos necessary to achieve the next phase in its evolution.
ISIS is more dangerous than ever and nowhere near defeat. It is time to take a correct reading of where it is going, and the scenarios that could bring confrontation to a whole new level.