LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
June 29/16
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.june29.16.htm
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Bible Quotations For Today
Whoever listens
to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me
rejects the one who sent me
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 10/13-16:"‘Woe to you,
Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been
done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth
and ashes. But at the judgement it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon
than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be
brought down to Hades.‘Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects
you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.’"
Peter said in a loud voice,
‘Stand upright on your feet.’ And the man sprang up and began to walk
Acts of the Apostles 14/,08-18/:"In Lystra there was a man sitting who could not
use his feet and had never walked, for he had been crippled from birth. He
listened to Paul as he was speaking. And Paul, looking at him intently and
seeing that he had faith to be healed, said in a loud voice, ‘Stand upright on
your feet.’ And the man sprang up and began to walk. When the crowds saw what
Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, ‘The gods have come down
to us in human form!’Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes,
because he was the chief speaker. The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just
outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates; he and the crowds
wanted to offer sacrifice. When the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they
tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting, ‘Friends, why are
you doing this? We are mortals just like you, and we bring you good news, that
you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the
heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. In past generations he
allowed all the nations to follow their own ways; yet he has not left himself
without a witness in doing good giving you rains from heaven and fruitful
seasons, and filling you with food and your hearts with joy.’Even with these
words, they scarcely restrained the crowds from offering sacrifice to them."
Pope Francis's Tweet For Today
If God is present in our life, the joy of bringing the Gospel will be our
strength and our happiness.
Si Dieu est présent dans notre vie, la joie d’apporter son Évangile sera notre
force et notre bonheur.
إن كان الله حاضرًا في حياتنا، فسيكون فرح حمل إنجيله قوّتنا وسرورنا.
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials
from miscellaneous sources published on June 28-29/16
More on the "Qaa initiative"/Walid Phares DC/Face Book/June 28/16
The domino effect of the ‘British Spring’/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al
Arabiya/June 28/16
A lesson from Brexit: Stop ignoring Syria/Joyce Karam/Al Arabiya/June 28/16
Orlando massacre: A terrorist attack made easier by US gun laws/Brooklyn
Middleton/Al Arabiya/June 28/16
Did drama advertise for ISIS/Turki Aldakhil/Al Arabiya/June 28/16
The Palestinian Authority's Crackdown on Journalists/Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone
Institute/June 28/16
Turkey: A Thuggish Ramadan/Burak Bekdil/Gatestone Institute/June 28/16
To the UN and UNESCO: Don't Try to Fence Us In/Amir Taheri/Gatestone
Institute/June 28/16
3 Iranian rangers killed by poachers in 48 hours/Arash Karami/Al-Monitor/June
28/16
What Bahrain’s opposition crackdown means for country’s Brotherhood/Giorgio
Cafiero/Al-Monitor/June 28/16
Erdogan displays survival instinct in Israel reconciliation/Cengiz Çandar/Al-Monitor/June
28/16
Who is killing Syrian opposition figures in Aleppo, Idlib/Tamer Osman/Al-Monitor/June
28/16
Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on
June 28-29/16
More on the "Qaa initiative"
Lebanese Govt. Urges 'Embracing
Legitimate Armed Forces' after al-Qaa Blasts, Declares 'Full Readiness'
White House tells Iran to stop funding Hezbolla
Lebanon detains 103 Syrians after blasts
Lebanese Army Raids Syrian Refugee Encampments after Suicide Blasts
Saudi FM Says Hizbullah to Blame for Lebanon Political Vacuum
Qahwaji Says Woman among Qaa Bombers, Mashnouq Says They Didn't Come from Camps
Change and Reform Urges Action on Refugees to Protect 'Our Security, Their
Safety'
French FM Says to Visit Lebanon to Push for 'Political Solution'
UAE Jails Emirati Woman on Charges of Spying for Hizbullah
Report: Military Source Says al-Qaa Bombings Not Surprising
Jumblat Calls for Political Settlement, President Election after al-Qaa Blasts
Hariri Urges 'Army Border Force, Anti-Terror National Conference'
Egypt Expels British-Lebanese TV Show Host
Hezbollah MP: Regulate movement of Syrian refugees in Lebanon
Machnouk from Qaa: We call for political security
Geagea in televised interview: Iran main side blocking presidential elections
Suicide bomb rampage spells trouble ahead for Lebanon
Mustaqbal Suggests 'Calling Up Reserves, Seeking UNIFIL Help' to Control Border
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For
Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
June 28-29/16
Iran names new armed forces chief
No change in Iran behavior in Syria since nuclear deal: US official
Three Iranian guards killed by Kurdish rebels
Iran hopes Saudi embassy attack trial will restore confidence
Saudi slams Iran ‘destabilizing’ Mideast
US looks to Mosul after Fallujah recapture
Jordan appoints new ambassador to the US
Deadly suicide bombing rocks west of Baghdad
Suicide bomber kills nine at Iraq Sunni mosque: officials
Bomb attack kills Turkish officer, PKK blamed
Russia: Mending Turkey ties ‘not a matter of few days’
Turkey, Israel to start appointing ambassadors this week: presidency
Assad’s uncle charged in Paris with corruption: anti-graft group
Israel bans access for non-Muslims to Jerusalem holy site
Bahraini court revokes citizenship of five charged with terrorism
Data files from crashed EgyptAir plane sent back to Egypt
Why July 9th gathering? - Message of Tony Peter Clement - MP from Canada
Hamas Thanks Turkey for Gaza Efforts in Israel Deal
EU Leaders Push for Divorce after Brexit Vote
UK’s Sir Roger Gale MP in support of “Free Iran” rally in Paris
Iran: Call for urgent action to save the lives of political prisoners on hunger
strike
Political prisoner writes to UN about abuses in Iran
Links From Jihad Watch Site for
June 28-29/16
Death toll in Istanbul jihad massacre now nearing 50, the Islamic
State “is behind the attack
At least 28 murdered in jihad-martyrdom suicide bombings at Istanbul airport
Islamic State throws four gay men off rooftop, taunts gays with photos of
murders bearing #LoveWins hashtag
Gay Pride celebrators ignore the threat of jihadists and blame Republicans
Al Qaeda urges lone wolves to target whites in America to clarify its message of
jihad
Hugh Fitzgerald: “Civilizational Jihad” at the Urth Caffé
Raymond Ibrahim: Seven Myths of the Crusades
Benghazi: Hillary’s “inaction on numerous requests for additional
security…reveals a serious lack of competence”
Video: Robert Spencer on Hudud, the punishments mandated in Islamic law
“Modern Islam Is Already Impossible”
Mark Christian Moment: Can Any LGBT Individual Survive a Day Under Sharia Law?
Reading the Qur’an during Ramadan 24: Juz Fa-man azlamu
Ramadan in Baghdad: Muslim murders 12 in jihad attack on mosque
FBI didn’t bother to inform some Americans they were on Islamic State kill list
Hizballah top dog: “As long as Iran has money, we will have money”
Israel: 3 Muslim doctors and nurse arrested for jihad terror
bombing
June 28-29/16
More on the "Qaa initiative"
Walid Phares DC/Face Book/June 28/16
The project we mentioned earlier today is now being circulated among members of
Congress and a possible briefing is under consideration. However the importance
of the project is that it provides an answer to the many questions we receive
about an initiative towards Lebanon. In fact it is adapted from a wider security
plan we introduced three years ago in Washington and mentioned on social media.
The blocking of such plan is not in the US but inside Lebanon. Hopefully if
Lebanese Americans put more pressure in the US and receive the endorsement of
the Lebanese Army, a partial application may be possible. If not, we will have
to wait until 2017.
Lebanese Govt. Urges 'Embracing
Legitimate Armed Forces' after al-Qaa Blasts, Declares 'Full Readiness'
Naharnet/June 28/16/The government called on all citizens on Tuesday to “embrace
the legitimate armed forces” and not to “surrender to panic,” declaring that it
will maintain “full readiness” to follow up on the security developments after
the unprecedented suicide bombings that rocked the border town of al-Qaa on
Monday. “It is a moment for national unity in respect for the blood of the
martyrs who fell on al-Qaa's soil and it is a moment for reflecting on our
current political situation and on the efforts that are required from everyone
in order to overcome the crisis,” the government said after a cabinet session at
the Grand Serail. “The cabinet renewed its confidence in the army and the
security agencies as to the protection of the security of the Lebanese and
preserving stability, and we call on all citizens to embrace the legitimate
armed forces and not to panic,” it added. “The cabinet will maintain a state of
readiness and it declares that all governmental agencies will be in a state of
full readiness to confront the current situations,” the government reassured. It
warned that “the unprecedented method in which the attacks were carried out
represent the beginning of a new chapter in the confrontation between the State
and terrorism.” “All political forces must address the issue in a national and
not a partisan manner and everyone must shun autonomous security,” the
government added. “Prime Minister Tammam Salam noted that the security agencies'
investigations are ongoing and that the identities of the terrorists have
started to become clear, expressing concerns that the attack in al-Qaa could be
the beginning of a new wave of terrorist attacks in Lebanon,” it said. The
meeting had kicked off with a moment of silence for the victims of the attacks
that killed five people and wounded at least 23. Before the session began, Labor
Minister Sejaan Qazzi said that the discussions must focus on returning the
displaced persons back to their land. “The time is not to discuss ways to
organize the situations of the displaced. It is time to discuss ways to send
them back to their homeland and control their random spread.”
Minister of State for Administrative Development Nabil de Freige said:
“Discussing the security situation in Lebanon is a priority today.”
For his part, Telecommunications Minister Butros Harb said: “The cabinet cannot
convene without discussing the security situation. The army must take control
and a president must be elected.” Voicing concerns of future terror attacks,
Education Minister Elias Bou Saab said: “I have fears that foreign sides might
have given the orders for terrorists to enter Lebanon and start a new stage
following that of Iraq and Syria.”
Highlighting previous calls to control the random presence of displaced people
across the Lebanese regions, Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayyeb said: “We had
backed a plan to control their situations.”Four suicide bombings rocked the
eastern border town of al-Qaa on Monday evening, injuring eight people, only
hours after four suicide bombers killed five people and wounded 15 others in the
town before dawn.
Three suicide bombers riding motorcycles blew themselves up in the evening in
the center of the predominantly Christian town. In the pre-dawn attack, five
people were killed and fifteen others were wounded when four suicide bombers
targeted the town.
The suicide explosions struck at 10 minute intervals. Lebanon hosts more than
1.1 million Syrians, a huge burden for the country of four million people.
Several Lebanese politicians have warned about the inability of the country to
bear this burden and had already called for the closure of borders after
incidents.
Al-Qaa is one of several border posts separating Lebanon and war-torn Syria and
is predominantly Christian although one district, Masharii al-Qaa, is home to
Sunni Muslims. Suicide blasts in the area have typically targeted checkpoints or
military installations and rarely include more than one attacker. In August
2014, the army clashed with the Islamic State group and al-Nusra Front,
al-Qaida's affiliate in Syria, in the border town of Arsal.
White House tells Iran to stop
funding Hezbollah
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Tuesday, 28 June 2016/The White House urged
Iran on Monday to stop giving financial support to Lebanon’s Shiite movement
Hezbollah, warning of such continued backing won’t seep into “its interest.”“We
know that Iran supports terrorism,” the White House deputy press secretary Eric
Schultz told reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday. “And we know that Iran
supports Hezbollah. And that is why we’ve issued the most serious and most
severe sanctions ever on Iran for doing so. So it’s important for them to
recognize their own behavior in enabling this.”Hezbollah has been blacklisted as
a “terrorist” organization both by the US and Gulf states. On Friday,
Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah scoffed at fresh US sanctions. He said his
powerful group will not be affected by the sanctions because of its secure,
direct income from Iran and through Lebanese banks. “We are open about the fact
that Hezbollah’s budget, its income, its expenses, everything it eats and
drinks, its weapons and rockets, are from the Islamic Republic of Iran,”
Nasrallah said. Early this year, the United States lifted sanctions imposed
against Iran, allowing the Islamic republic to use up to $100 billion of frozen
funds. The White House spokesman said that “financial actors” at the end of the
day “don’t want to do business” with a country like Iran if it continues its
support to Hezbollah. “We’ve had a conversation recently about Iran’s concerns
about access to international markets,” he said: “Well, those financial actors
are looking at Iran’s behavior and if Iran’s going to continue to fund terrorism
and continue to supply resources to Hezbollah that is going to have impact.”He
warned that such continued support to Hezbollah won’t be of Iran’s interest.“So
we call on Iran to not only stop doing this because it’s not good for national
security and they’re supporting terrorism. But we call on Iran to stop doing it
because it’s not in their interest either,” he said.
Lebanon detains 103 Syrians after
blasts
AP, Beirut Tuesday, 28 June 2016/Lebanese troops detained 103 Syrians for
illegal entry into the country in a security sweep Tuesday, a day after a series
of deadly bombings struck a village near the Syrian border, the military said.
The government warned of a mounting challenge in tiny Lebanon, which abuts the
war-torn Syria, underlining the magnitude of Monday’s attack that saw nine
bombings, eight of them from suicide attackers, strike in the small Christian
village of Qaa, killing five people. “The attack on the Lebanese national
security and the unfamiliar manner in which it was executed usher in a new kind
of phase in the state’s confrontation with the dark forces of terrorism,” a
Cabinet statement said. The bombings triggered fear and panic among Qaa’s
residents and a deepening sense of foreboding in Lebanon, which has grappled for
over five years with spillovers from Syria’s civil war.Tuesday was declared a
national day of mourning and authorities postponed funerals for the five killed
in Monday’s bombings, citing security reasons. A major religious event scheduled
in the capital, Beirut, by the militant Hezbollah group was also postponed. Also
citing security concerns, the ministry of culture postponed the opening of the
Bacchus Temple, part of the famed ruins of Baalbek. A troupe of Syrian actors
roaming the Bekaa Valley with a performance about refugee woes postponed its
tour. A limited curfew was imposed in Qaa and the surrounding area. The army
said it carried out security raids in six areas in the Baalbek region, which has
many informal Syrian refugee settlements. It said nine motorcycles and two
vehicles were confiscated and two Lebanese were arrested with illegal weapons.
Monday’s explosions, four in the early morning and five at night, also wounded
nearly 30 in Qaa. Later in the day, two bombers blew themselves up outside the
village church as people gathered for funerals of those killed earlier Monday.
The army said one of the suicide bombers detonated his explosives as he was
chased by troops, while the other blew himself up near a military post when
guards fired at him. No one was killed but the two blasts wounded 13 people.
Minister of Interior Nouhad Machnouk said initial investigations indicate most
of the bombers were from inside Syria and not refugees. He didn't elaborate.
Private Lebanese OTV aired what it said was footage from security cameras in Qaa,
purporting to show a young man involved in the attack. The footage shows the
young man with a backpack heading to a gathering outside the church, apparently
to blow himself up. Qaa and the nearby Ras Baalbek are the only two villages
with a Christian majority in the predominantly Shiite Hermel region, where the
Shiite Hezbollah group holds sway. The group has sent thousands of its fighters
to Syria to bolster President Bashar Assad's forces against the predominantly
Sunni rebels trying to topple him. Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV blamed Monday’s
attack on the Islamic State group. Al-Mustaqbal daily, which is owned by
Hezbollah’s rival group, suggested the army was the target of the attack.No
group has claimed responsibility for the bombings.Sunni extremists have carried
out several attacks in the border area since Syria’s conflict began in March
2011, leading the Christians of Qaa to set up self-defense units for their
village.
Lebanese Army Raids Syrian
Refugee Encampments after Suicide Blasts
Naharnet/June
28/16/Lebanese troops raided makeshift refugee camps near a predominantly
Christian village on the border with Syria on Tuesday a day after two waves of
suicide attacks. "We are worried that there are more terrorists, so the Lebanese
army is searching the area," said Bashir Matar, mayor of al-Qaa, which lies in a
hilly border area shaken by violence since the civil war erupted in Syria in
2011. Five people were killed and 15 wounded when four suicide bombers attacked
the village before dawn on Monday. A second wave of attacks hit al-Qaa on Monday
night. Another four suicide bombers wounded 13 people. Al-Qaa lies on a main
road linking the Syrian town of al-Qusayr to Lebanon's eastern Bekaa valley. Its
3,000 residents are predominantly Christian, but the Masharia al-Qaa district is
home to Sunni Muslims and some 30,000 Syrian refugees live in a makeshift camp
on the edge of the village. "The army has deployed a large force to Masharia al-Qaa
and is carrying out widespread searches in the displacement camps, looking for
weapons or wanted people," the state National News Agency reported. In Baalbek,
an eastern city known for its ancient ruins, soldiers "carried out raids in the
refugee camp... and arrested 103 Syrians who were on Lebanese territory
illegally," an army statement said. Lebanon is host to more than one million
Syrian refugees, roughly a quarter of the small Mediterranean country's
population. Hizbullah, which has sent thousands of fighters to Syria to back
President Bashar Assad, has set up informal checkpoints along the road between
the Bekaa valley and the area of Baalbek "to search cars," a Hizbullah official
told AFP. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Monday's attacks
which bore the hallmarks of jihadist organisations like the Islamic State group
or al-Qaida. Suicide blasts in the area have typically targeted checkpoints or
military installations and rarely include more than one attacker.
In August 2014, the army clashed with the IS and Al-Nusra Front, al-Qaida's
affiliate in Syria, in the border town of Arsal.
Saudi FM Says Hizbullah to
Blame for Lebanon Political Vacuum
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir on Tuesday blamed Hizbullah and Iran for
the protracting political vacuum in Lebanon, a day after the party accused
Riyadh of blocking political solutions in the country. “Hizbullah, with Iranian
support, is to blame for the political vacuum in Lebanon seeing as it is
obstructing any effort aimed at resolving the presidential void crisis,” said
Jubeir at a joint press conference he held with his French counterpart Jean-Marc
Ayrault. “The entire world is aware of Iran's support for terrorism and its
attempts to undermine stability in the region,” the Saudi minister added.
“Tehran must respect the principle of good neighborliness and must give up the
principle of exporting revolution,” he said. On Monday, Hizbullah deputy chief
Sheikh Naim Qassem accused Saudi Arabia of blocking political solutions in
Lebanon and the election of a new president. “The reason behind the presidential
vacuum is that local political forces are awaiting foreign instructions,
especially a Saudi decision,” said Qassem during a Hizbullah educational
ceremony. “Saudi Arabia is keeping Lebanon in the waiting zone and it is not
agreeing to any solutions that are in Lebanon's interest. It sends orders and
its people here repeat like parrots,” Hizbullah number two added. Lebanon has
been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and
Hizbullah, the Free Patriotic Movement and some of their allies have been
boycotting the electoral sessions at parliament, stripping them of the needed
quorum. Al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri, who is close to Saudi
Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Marada Movement chief MP
Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations
from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. Hariri's move
was followed by Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea's endorsement of his
long-time Christian foe, FPM founder MP Michel Aoun, for the presidency after a
rapprochement deal was reached between their two parties. The supporters of
Aoun's presidential bid argue that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become
president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in
the Christian community.
Qahwaji Says Woman among Qaa
Bombers, Mashnouq Says They Didn't Come from Camps
Naharnet/June 28/16/Prime Minister Tammam Salam presided over an emergency
security meeting at the Grand Serail on Tuesday, in the wake of the
unprecedented multiple suicide bombings that hit the eastern border town of al-Qaa
on Monday. “The (Syrian refugee) encampments have nothing to do with the issue
of the suicide bombers who targeted the Bekaa town of al-Qaa,” Interior Minister
Nouhad al-Mashnouq announced after the meeting, adding that the conferees have
decided to convene when necessary to follow up on the security developments. “We
have taken the necessary measures and seven cells had been arrested before
managing to carry out any act,” he reassured. An official statement issued after
the meeting said the attack "represents a turning point in the war that the
organizations of obscurantist terror are waging against the Lebanese state and
people and it may be an indication of a new and fiercer phase in the
confrontation with the obscurantist terror, which is actively seeking to harm
Lebanon and drag it into the inferno of chaos and destruction.” The conferees,
however, cautioned that “the terrorist attack must not become an excuse for any
form of autonomous security,” urging al-Qaa's residents and all Lebanese to
“hold onto the role of the legitimate armed forces, which are exclusively
entrusted under the law with preserving the safety of people.”Prior to the
meeting, Mashnouq had noted that “the suicide bombers came from their 'emirate'
in Syria, not from the refugee encampments.”“The confrontation with terrorism is
open,” he added. Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji for his part announced that
“we are definitely before a new phase in the terrorists' modus
operandi.”“Al-Qaa's suicide bombers included a woman and three Syrians,” he
said. Mashnouq, however, announced after the meeting that the bombers did not
include any woman. General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim meanwhile
announced before the Grand Serail meeting that “security agencies had
information about expected bombings due to the confessions of some detainees
during interrogation.”Earlier in the day, the government called on all citizens
to “embrace the legitimate armed forces” and not to “surrender to panic,”
declaring that it will maintain “full readiness” to follow up on any
developments. It warned that “the unprecedented method in which the attacks were
carried out represents the beginning of a new chapter in the confrontation
between the State and terrorism.”“All political forces must address the issue in
a national and not a partisan manner and everyone must shun autonomous
security,” the government added. Four suicide bombings rocked the eastern border
town of al-Qaa on Monday evening, injuring eight people, only hours after four
suicide bombers killed five people and wounded 15 others in the town before
dawn. Three suicide bombers riding motorcycles blew themselves up in the evening
in the center of the predominantly Christian town.In the pre-dawn attack, five
people were killed and fifteen others were wounded when four suicide bombers
targeted the town. The suicide explosions struck at 10 minute intervals. Lebanon
hosts more than 1.1 million Syrians, a huge burden for the country of four
million people. Several Lebanese politicians have warned about the inability of
the country to bear this burden and had already called for the closure of
borders after incidents. Al-Qaa is one of several border posts separating
Lebanon and war-torn Syria and is predominantly Christian although one district,
Masharii al-Qaa, is mainly Sunni Muslim and home to a large number of Syrian
refugees. Suicide blasts in the area have typically targeted checkpoints or
military installations and rarely include more than one attacker. In August
2014, the army clashed with the Islamic State group and al-Nusra Front,
al-Qaida's affiliate in Syria, in the border town of Arsal.
Change and Reform Urges Action on Refugees to Protect 'Our Security, Their
Safety'
Naharnet/June 28/16/The Change and Reform parliamentary bloc on Tuesday urged
the government to “shoulder its responsibilities towards the Syrian refugee
crisis,” asking it to “take central decisions to protect our security and that
of the refugees so that they can safely return to their homeland.”"We cannot
neglect our security and borders and we must talk to the Syrian state regarding
the refugees' return to their country," said the bloc in a statement issued
after its weekly meeting in Rabieh. The statement comes a day after eight
suicide bombers targeted the Bekaa border town of al-Qaa in an unprecedented
attack that left five people dead and 28 others wounded. Al-Qaa and the nearby
Ras Baalbek are the only two towns with a Christian majority in the
predominantly Shiite Hermel region. The area of Mashrii al-Qaa -- a
predominantly Sunni area near al-Qaa -- is home to a large number of Syrian
refugees. “Decisions must be taken to help municipalities confront the threat of
the Syrian refugee influx,” Change and Reform added. “If they consider our
defense of our country to be racism, we tell them that we will not tolerate
vacuum in the issue of the decisions that must be taken by the officials,” the
bloc warned. “No one has the right to jeopardize the lives of the Lebanese or to
downplay the risks that are emanating from the unorganized Syrian refugee
influx,” it stressed.During the meeting, bloc chief MP Michel Aoun warned that
“there are countries that are seeking the naturalization of refugees in Lebanon
and keeping them in dire conditions in order to turn them into incubators for
terrorism,” the bloc added. It also defended Free Patriotic Movement chief
Jebran Bassil's latest warnings regarding the refugee crisis, saying “he was
accused of racism because he voiced responsible remarks and anticipated the
threats.” On Sunday, Bassil announced that the FPM will seek to bar Syrian
refugees from setting up encampments and opening shops in towns that witnessed
FPM victories in the latest municipal elections. More than 1,000 unofficial
refugee encampments are scattered across Lebanon, mostly in the Bekaa and the
North. Several FPM and Kataeb Party ministers have warned that the huge number
of refugees in Lebanon has started to pose major security, economic and
demographic risks. They have also warned of alleged international efforts to
naturalize or permanently settle the Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Five years into
the Syria conflict, Lebanon hosts more than one million refugees from the
war-torn country, according to the United Nations. At least two thirds of them
live in extreme poverty, the U.N. says.
French FM Says to Visit
Lebanon to Push for 'Political Solution'
Naharnet/June 28/16/French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault announced Tuesday
that he will visit Lebanon in mid-July in a bid to push for a “political
solution” in the country. “I will visit Lebanon on July 11 and 12 and I will
hold talks with all political parties,” said Ayrault at a joint press conference
he held in Paris with his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir. “I hope I will be
able to play a useful role so that a political solution can finally emerge and
so that Lebanon can have a president,” he added. The French minister's remarks
come a day after eight suicide bombers targeted the Lebanese border town of al-Qaa
in unprecedented attacks. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of
Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, the Free Patriotic Movement and
some of their allies have been boycotting the electoral sessions at parliament,
stripping them of the needed quorum. Al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad
Hariri, who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to
nominate Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his
proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as
well as Hizbullah. Hariri's move was followed by Lebanese Forces leader Samir
Geagea's endorsement of his long-time Christian foe, FPM founder MP Michel Aoun,
for the presidency after a rapprochement deal was reached between their two
parties. The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid argue that he is more
eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary
bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.
UAE Jails Emirati Woman on
Charges of Spying for Hizbullah
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 28/16/An Abu Dhabi court has jailed the wife
of a prominent Emirati for 10 years after convicting her of spying for Lebanon's
Hizbullah, Emirati media reported on Tuesday. The Emirati woman of Lebanese
origin was found guilty of "handing over classified information about top
leaders, including how political and economic decisions are made at the highest
authorities in the country, to two members of the intelligence wing of Hizbullah,"
Gulf News reported. She had also provided "sensitive information" on meetings of
senior officials in the United Arab Emirates, exploiting her marriage to "a very
important person and her relationships with men and women in political circles
close to the decision-making authority in the country," the daily added.Local
media said the woman was a 48-year-old television presenter they identified by
her initials R.M.A. They did not elaborate on her husband's position but said he
had been unaware of her activities. The state security court in Abu Dhabi
convicted her of "putting the country’s interests and security at risk by
delivering such classified information to the Iranian intelligence through
agents of Hizbullah," Gulf News said. The UAE and other Gulf Arab states have
blacklisted Hizbullah as a "terrorist" group. In April, the court sentenced
three Lebanese, including a Canadian dual national, to six months in prison on
charges of forming a local affiliate of Hizbullah. Hizbullah is fighting in
Syria in support of the government of President Bashar Assad. Gulf Arab states
have backed rebels fighting to oust him.
Report: Military Source Says
al-Qaa Bombings Not Surprising
Naharnet/June 28/16/The successive suicide attacks that targeted on Monday the
northeastern town of al-Qaa were not surprising after intelligence reports
indicated the presence of threats that could possibly target Lebanon's internal
arena, al-Mustaqbal daily reported on Tuesday. “The military and security
vigilance are at their highest levels, but that does not prevent the existence
of some gaps exploited by the terrorists to carry out their criminal suicide
operations,” a military source told the daily on condition of anonymity. The
source added that the investigators have solid evidence that is being tracked to
uncover the full circumstances of the suicide bombing that took place yesterday.
Suicide bombings rocked the eastern border town of al-Qaa Monday evening,
injuring eight people, only hours after four suicide bombers killed five people
and wounded 15 others in the town before dawn. In the evening violence, three
suicide bombers riding motorcycles blew themselves up in the center of the
predominantly Christian town, media reports said. One struck in front of a
church and the two others in front of the municipality building. In the pre-dawn
attack, five people were killed and fifteen others were wounded when four
suicide bombers targeted the town. The suicide explosions struck at 10 minute
intervals.
Jumblat Calls for Political
Settlement, President Election after al-Qaa Blasts
Naharnet/June 28/16/Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat stressed
Tuesday the importance of reaching a “political settlement” among the country's
rival parties, a day after eight suicide bombers targeted the Bekaa border town
of al-Qaa in an unprecedented attack. “I salute the medic Boulos al-Ahmar who
was martyred while performing his duty to the fullest in the face of the
terrorism that hit al-Qaa,” said Jumblat on Twitter. “I also salute all the
martyrs, those who were wounded in the terrorist attack, and the residents of
this steadfast, defiant town,” he added. Addressing politicians, Jumblat warned
that “it's high time to end the current political bickering and the exchange of
accusations that will not achieve any result.” “Let the mission be focused on
immunizing the army and the security forces and on laying out an austerity
policy seeing as we have crossed the red lines,” he urged. “Let us elect a
president at any cost and avoid holding the June 2017 parliamentary elections
under the 1960 electoral law, because in the absence of a president this
government will stay in power and act in caretaker capacity and that would be a
major disaster,” Jumblat warned. “The most important thing in politics is
accepting the principle of making a settlement, even if it might initially seem
to be bitter,” he added. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of
Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, the Free Patriotic Movement and
some of their allies have been boycotting the electoral sessions at parliament,
stripping them of the needed quorum. Al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad
Hariri, who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to
nominate Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his
proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as
well as Iran-backed Hizbullah. Hariri's move was followed by Lebanese Forces
leader Samir Geagea's endorsement of his long-time Christian foe, FPM founder MP
Michel Aoun, for the presidency after a rapprochement deal was reached between
their two parties. The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid argue that he is
more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his
parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.
Hariri Urges 'Army Border
Force, Anti-Terror National Conference'
Naharnet/June 28/16/Al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri called
Tuesday for the creation of an army “border force” and the holding of an
“anti-terror national conference,” a day after eight suicide bombers targeted
the Bekaa border town of al-Qaa in an unprecedented attack. “Solidarity with our
people in the Bekaa town of al-Qaa is solidarity with the right of the Lebanese
to sovereignty over their land and their rejection of the terrorist storm that
claimed the lives of innocent citizens who have nothing to do with the axes of
wars and sedition in the region,” said Hariri in a statement. Five people were
killed and 28 others were wounded in pre-dawn and evening attacks in the
predominantly Christian town. “I raise my voice in condemnation of this crazy
terrorist attack that only aims at killing freely, offending Islam and Muslims
and stirring sentiments in order to spread discord in all directions,” Hariri
warned. “To confront the risks coming from the Syrian war, we can only emphasize
the exclusive role of the State and its security and military forces in fighting
the plague of terrorism that is slipping into our country,” he added. “The
Lebanese army and security forces are solely responsible for protecting the
borders and ensuring the security and safety of all Lebanese,” the ex-PM
stressed. He reminded that “for more than two years now” his movement has been
calling for “an official plan to deal with the repercussions of the Syrian
exodus and for a decision that enables the army to form a border force tasked
with isolating Lebanon from the Syrian fire.”“We also called for a national
conference to formulate 'Lebanon’s declaration' in the face of extremism and
terrorism,” he added. “Today I reiterate the call for a national stance that
overcomes all political considerations and loyalties and makes the interests of
Lebanon and the Lebanese prevail over any external interest and links,” the
former premier urged. He cautioned that there is no other way to protect Lebanon
except through “comprehensive discipline under the ceiling of the higher
national interest, the State and the military and security forces.”“Otherwise,
Lebanon will remain an arena for intervention, infiltration and sabotage,” he
said. “Lebanon’s strength is in the cohesion of its people and the unity of the
Lebanese stance in support of the State and its legitimate institutions, not in
unilateral decisions and in importing wars to our land,” Hariri went on to say.
Al-Qaa and the nearby Ras Baalbek are the only two towns with a Christian
majority in the predominantly Shiite Hermel region, where Hizbullah holds sway.
The group has sent thousands of its fighters to Syria to bolster President
Bashar Assad's forces against rebels and jihadist extremists trying to topple
him. Several deadly bombings have targeted Hizbullah's strongholds in the
eastern Bekaa region and Beirut's southern suburbs since the start of the Syrian
conflict in 2011. Most of the attacks were claimed by extremist groups such as
al-Qaida and the Islamic State. The attacks killed scores of civilians and
wounded hundreds.
Egypt Expels British-Lebanese TV Show Host
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 28/16/British-Lebanese political talk show
host Liliane Daoud was arrested and deported from Egypt late Monday night, the
immigration authorities said. "She had been expelled," said the official at
Cairo airport, adding that the former BBC journalist who hosted a political talk
show on Egyptian TV was put on an EgyptAir flight to Beirut that left at 2130
GMT. Daoud's lawyer Zyad el Eleimi posted on Facebook that she had called him
from the plane before the flight departed. "Eight men who said they were from
the border police force took her to an unknown location after taking her
telephone and her British passport," Daoud's ex-husband Khaled al-Berri had
earlier told Agence France Presse. Daoud also holds a Lebanese passport. The men
said they would check whether the journalist's residence permit was valid, and
that she would otherwise face deportation.
The prominent TV talk show host's arrest came after her contract with Egyptian
OTV television expired, Berri said. Daoud has faced a barrage of online
criticism in recent months over accusations she is close to the opposition to
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's rule. Egypt's journalism union in May accused
the authorities of declaring war on media freedom. Earlier this month, the
European Union called the indictment of three top journalists' union members "a
worrying development." Human rights activists accuse Sisi of running an
ultra-authoritarian regime that has violently suppressed all opposition since
toppling Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.
Hezbollah MP: Regulate
movement of Syrian refugees in Lebanon
Now Lebanon/June 28/16/BEIRUT – A member of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc has
called for regulating the movement of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, hours after a
town in the country’s northeast was rocked by a wave of deadly terror attacks.
During an interview Tuesday morning with Voice of Lebanon (93.3) radio, Walid
Sukkarieh proposed gathering the country’s refugees in “one camp,” without
elaborating further on the efforts need to enact his suggestion. He also said
that the “movement of refugees” should be regulated through special passes
granted to them by security forces after they had been relocated to the proposed
new camp. Sukkarieh’s comments came as he called for the need to “study how to
protect Lebanon,” warning of future terror attacks after at least five civilians
were killed in the spate of suicide bombings to rock the predominantly Christian
town of Al-Qaa near the Syrian border. Interior Minister Nohad Machnouk on
Tuesday afternoon announced that preliminary investigations into the attacks
revealed that the perpetartors came from Syria, and not refugee camps within
Lebanon. Al-Qaa is located near the flashpoint Syrian border region of eastern
Lebanon, where the country’s army has for months been conducting a gradual
campaign aimed to rolling back both the Nusra Front and ISIS from the
mountainous terrain. Monday’s attack is the first suicide operation to strike
Al-Qaa, although whether the town was the intended target of the strikes remains
unknown.
Top politicians and foreign embassies all rushed to condemn Monday’s series of
suicide blasts, with Economy Minister Alain Hakim, a member of the Kataeb Party
that has just resigned from the government, saying that terrorists “were trying
to pass a message” by targeting Al-Qaa. “Christians are staying in their land
until the end of the ages,” he declared defiantly.
Machnouk from Qaa: We call for
political security
Tue 28 Jun 2016/NNA - Interior and Municipalities Minister, Nouhad Machnouk,
visited on Tuesday Qaa village where he called for political security
establishment in the country, "because security would only be restored after
presidential elections."He also called upon politicians, various parties and all
security forces to ensure security in Lebanon. Machnouk offered his condolences
to the families of victims of the bombing of Qaa.
Geagea in televised
interview: Iran main side blocking presidential elections
Tue 28 Jun 2016/NNA - Lebanese Forces leader, Samir Geagea, said on Tuesday that
Iran is the main obstruction side of the presidential elections, whereby it
considers these elections as a bargain in its hands with no side yet found to
pay its price. "There is a big conflict in the region between the Arab axis and
Iran axis, which is tantamount to an all-out war," Geagea said in a televised
interview on Tuesday, cautioning countries like Lebanon to avoid the evil
repercussions of such confrontations. Geagea stressed that stability in Lebanon
stems from the political will of parties and an internal Lebanese decision
rather than from the spiraling conflict in the region. Geagea also heaped
praises on the position demonstrated by the locals of the border town of Qaa,
saying "despite all their pains and throbbing, their resilient stand has been
honorable."
Suicide bomb rampage spells trouble ahead for Lebanon
Alex Rowell/Now Lebanon/June 28/16
For eight bombers to get past army and Hezbollah lines and launch successful
attacks suggests country more vulnerable than previously thought
Lebanese soldiers stand guard in front of a church where a suicide bomber blew
himself up the previous day in the village of Al-Qaa, near the Lebanon
A stunning torrent of no fewer than eight suicide bombings in a single day in a
single town in northeast Lebanon Monday has left the nation in mourning, anger,
and no small amount of confusion.
Al-Qaa, a mostly-Christian town situated 5km from the Syrian border, has come
under occasional rocket fire over the past five years, but never on the scale of
the carnage it experienced from before dawn yesterday till after 10pm. The
attacks, which left 5 dead and more than 30 injured, appeared to confirm fears
that jihadist groups were preparing to strike the country during Ramadan, and
raised questions as to how so large an operation was able to slip through the
many nets of the Lebanese state’s – and Hezbollah’s – various security and
intelligence agencies.
The attacks began shortly after 4am, when local resident Shadi Muqallad was said
to have become aware of movement in a field outside his house. Walking outside,
he discovered four men, claiming to be army intelligence agents. Suspecting them
of lying, Muqallad retrieved a rifle from his house, and began firing on the
men, one of whom quickly detonated an explosive vest he was wearing. Shortly
afterward, the other three also blew themselves up on a nearby street, killing 5
residents.
Some eighteen hours later, at 22:30, a fifth suicide bomber then alighted from a
motorbike and threw a hand grenade at a gathering of people outside the town
church before blowing himself up, according to a Lebanese Armed Forces
statement. A sixth suicide bomber similarly dismounted a bike and detonated his
explosive vest moments later. Finally, two further suicide bombers hoping to
reach an army position were pursued by military intelligence forces and forced
to blow themselves up without injuring any third parties, the LAF said. No
deaths were caused by any of the night-time bombings.
The attacks have not been claimed by any group at the time of writing, but a
prime suspect is the Islamic State (ISIS), several hundred of whose militants
are holed up in the mountains immediately southeast of Al-Qaa, as NOW
contributor Nicholas Blanford reported in detail in February. The modus operandi
of using motorbike-mounted attackers was also seen in ISIS’ suicide bombing of
Beirut’s Burj al-Barajneh neighborhood in November.
Yet while there are no doubts ISIS would have a general motive to strike the
town, it’s unclear why they would dispatch as many as eight operatives for a
single target of comparatively low strategic or other significance. Moreover,
previous jihadist attacks in Lebanon since the outbreak of the Syrian war have
almost exclusively targeted majority-Shiite or Alawite population centers. For
these reasons, some including LAF Commander Maj. Gen. Jean Qahwaji have
concluded the attackers had not originally intended to hit Al-Qaa, but were
forced to do so after “the alertness of the army and citizens caused their plans
to fail,” in Qahwaji’s words. One local newspaper speculated the nearby
Shiite-majority town of Hermel, struck three times by the Al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat
al-Nusra in 2014, may have been the attackers’ real target.
Bashir Matar, Al-Qaa’s mayor, himself admitted in a phone call to NOW Tuesday
that he couldn’t think why the town was targeted. Retired LAF General Elias
Hanna, however, said it was not necessarily such a mystery.
“It’s not about the target itself,” Hanna told NOW. “It’s about the consequences
and the ramifications of the incident. It [may be] a small, Christian town,
[but] the ramifications are all over Lebanon. This is the real intention […] for
them, it’s a win-win situation.”
Whatever the exact details of the original plan, perhaps a more important
question concerns how the bombers were able to carry it out. On Tuesday
afternoon, Lebanon’s Interior Minister Nuhad al-Mashnouq stated that “the
suicide bombers entered from Syria,” adding there was “no link between [Syrian
refugee] camps and the explosions.” While presumably meant to reassure the
public, this revelation is also troubling, because – as Blanford documented in
the aforementioned report – both the LAF and Hezbollah maintain some of their
strongest defenses in precisely those parts of the border zone closest to Al-Qaa.
“The approaches to Ras Baalbek and Qaa from the east and southeast respectively
are […] protected by army positions and observation towers built on mountain
tops with overlapping fields of view,” wrote Blanford. The LAF’s equipment in
these areas includes “Cessna aircraft […] pilotless reconnaissance drones,
observation towers, snipers and most recently observation balloons.” At the same
time, “Hezbollah fighters man a series of mountain crest posts facing ISIS’
positions southeast of Qaa.”
If ISIS has now discovered ways of sneaking past these lines, that could well
bode poorly for security in eastern Lebanon over the coming period – as Al-Qaa’s
mayor Matar acknowledged to NOW.
“Anything can happen. I hope no other bombings will happen, but we are ready.”
Asked what steps the LAF could take to stave off further attacks, Gen. Hanna
told NOW it would have to be a case of brain over brawn.
“This kind of warfare is not really about military force. It’s about
intelligence, it’s about social [factors,] it’s about politics.”
“This is information warfare.”
*Amin Nasr contributed reporting.
Mustaqbal Suggests 'Calling Up
Reserves, Seeking UNIFIL Help' to Control Border
Naharnet/June 28/16/Al-Mustaqbal Movement warned Tuesday against resorting to
autonomous security in the wake of the unprecedented suicide attacks in the
eastern town of al-Qaa, suggesting a call-up of army reserves or seeking the
assistance of U.N. forces if necessary. “This wave of terrorist crimes that hit
the town of al-Qaa and its residents comes after a terrorist operation that
targeted the Jordanian border and it is a new indication that Lebanon's security
has become a target for this armed terrorist group in the region and its
suspicious affiliations,” said the bloc in a statement issued after its weekly
meeting. “The Lebanese people must pay attention to this impending danger and
must quickly seek to fend it off and confront it without allowing it to grow or
spread,” it added. Mustaqbal however cautioned against “all the autonomous
security projects that have proved futile,” calling on the Lebanese to “cling to
national unity and the Muslim-Christian coexistence formula.” It also called for
“electing a president and abiding by the constitution and the Taef Accord.”“If
the developments require further extraordinary measures from the government, the
Lebanese Army can call up a part of its reserves to assist its national
mission,” Mustaqbal suggested.“Moreover, the bloc calls on the Lebanese
government to ask the U.N., through the Security Council, to secure UNIFIL
forces support for the Lebanese Army along the entire Lebanese border, in line
with Articles 11, 12 and 14 of Resolution 1701 (2006),” it added.Turning to
Hizbullah's involvement in the conflict in neighboring Syria, Mustaqbal
described it as a “main weakness in the Lebanese entity and one of the main
excuses that are being used by the terrorist groups to attack Lebanon.”Four
suicide bombings rocked the eastern border town of al-Qaa on Monday evening,
injuring eight people, only hours after four suicide bombers killed five people
and wounded 15 others in the town before dawn. Three suicide bombers riding
motorcycles blew themselves up in the evening in the center of the predominantly
Christian town. In the pre-dawn attack, five people were killed and fifteen
others were wounded when four suicide bombers targeted the town. Lebanon hosts
more than 1.1 million Syrians, a huge burden for the country of four million
people. Several Lebanese politicians have warned about the inability of the
country to bear this burden and had already called for the closure of borders
after incidents.
Al-Qaa is one of several border posts separating Lebanon and war-torn Syria and
is predominantly Christian although one district, Masharii al-Qaa, is mainly
Sunni Muslim and home to a large number of Syrian refugees. Suicide blasts in
the area have typically targeted checkpoints or military installations and
rarely include more than one attacker. In August 2014, the army clashed with the
Islamic State group and al-Nusra Front, al-Qaida's affiliate in Syria, in the
border town of Arsal.
Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 28-29/16
Iran names new armed forces chief
Reuters/June 28/16/DUBAI: Iran named Major General Mohammad Baqeri as head of
the armed forces, state media reported Tuesday. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei, who is commander-in-chief of the armed forces, issued the decree
naming Baqeri. It said he has been working in Khatam al Anbia Headquarters (KAA),
the engineering arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) that serves
to help the IRGC generate income and fund its operations. The former head of the
armed forces, Major General Hassan Firouzabadi, has been appointed senior
advisor to the Supreme Leader.
No change in Iran behavior in
Syria since nuclear deal: US official
Reuters, Washington Tuesday, 28 June 2016/Brett McGurk, US President Barack
Obama’s special envoy in the fight against ISIS, said on Tuesday he has seen no
“significant” change in Iran's behavior in Syria under the international nuclear
deal announced last July.“I have not seen a significant change in Iranian
behavior ... They are primarily working to prop up the Assad regime,” McGurk
told a US Senate hearing. He said Iran is also supporting some Shiite militia
groups that are operating in Iraq.
Three Iranian guards killed
by Kurdish rebels
AFP, Tehran Tuesday, 28 June 2016/Eleven Kurdish rebels and three of Iran’s
elite Revolutionary Guards were killed in clashes near the Iraqi border, the
Fars news agency reported on Tuesday. “A group of 11 counter-revolutionaries
linked to the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI), who were attempting to
infiltrate the country were immediately detected... and were eliminated after 10
days of pursuit in the Sarvabad region,” said General Mohammad Hossein Rajabi,
commander of the Revolutionary Guards in Kurdistan province. He added that three
members of the Revolutionary Guards were also killed. It followed reports on
Sunday that five rebels had been killed in the region. It was not clear if these
were included in the 11 reported dead on Tuesday. The commander the
Revolutionary Guards’ ground forces, General Mohammad Pakpour, threatened on
Sunday to launch cross-border attacks against rebel bases in northern Iraq.
“Since the main bases of these terrorists are in northern Iraq, if they don’t
follow through with commitments to stop these attacks, their bases will be
targeted where they are,” he said. The KDPI is the oldest Kurdish party in Iran,
having formed in 1945.It has fought on-off insurgencies demanding independence,
stepping up its armed rebellion after a crackdown by the Islamic authorities in
the wake of the 1979 revolution. Iran intervened across the border in 2011
following Kurdish rebel attacks on its territory, forcing the insurgents to
retreat deeper into Iraqi territory. Iraq’s Kurdish authorities also worked to
keep the rebels away from the Iranian border, greatly limiting attacks in recent
years. But there has been increased activity in recent weeks, with Iran
reporting at least 17 Kurdish rebels and four security personnel killed in
clashes in the northwest this month.
Iran hopes Saudi embassy
attack trial will restore confidence
AFP Tuesday, 28 June 2016/Iranian President Hassan Rowhani said Tuesday that he
hopes the trial of protesters accused of ransacking the Saudi embassy in Tehran
earlier this year will restore international confidence. “Every country is
responsible for the security of its foreign embassies,” Rowhani said in a speech
to mark a week of events on justice in Iran.“People want to know how a bunch of
rogue individuals who attacked a foreign embassy in breach of the law and
against the country’s public security... will be dealt with by the judiciary,”
he said. The trial of 48 people is due to open in Tehran on July 18.
The Saudi embassy and its consulate in Iran’s second city Mashhad were stormed
and burned on Jan. 2 in protest against the execution of a Saudi citizen. The
Gulf kingdom and some of its allies the next day severed diplomatic relations
with Iran. Rowhani said a “transparent” judiciary was needed to ensure “people’s
trust as well as the world’s trust in our country.”Earlier this month, Iran’s
judiciary spokesman repeated that his country “intends to prosecute” those who
were involved in the January attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran, but not now.
The accused are going to be tried on July 18th in Branch 1060 of Tehran’s 2nd
Criminal Courr, Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejeitold the private Tasnim News Agency.
He revealed that no one was held captive in this case “No one, among the case
proceeded by the Ministry of Justice, and there is no one in custody and all
were released on bail.”According to Tasnim, Iran’s judiciary spokesman confirmed
that lawsuits have been filed against 48 people in this case, 3 or 4 of which
will be addressed by the Special Court for Clerics. Tehran is still manipulating
the trial of those who attacked the Saudi embassy six months after the incident.
The Iranian Minister of Culture, Ali Jannati, announced on April 30th that all
those who were involved in the incident were detained, but then the plaintiff
has quickly dismissed the news. Informed Iranian sources revealed to “Saham
News,” site that is close to reformist leader Mehdi Karoubi, the identity of
other perpetrators who attacked the embassy, confirming that they were militias
belonging to what is known in Iran as “Iranian Hezbollah” formed by Basij
members affiliated to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
Saudi slams Iran
‘destabilizing’ Mideast
By Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Tuesday, 28 June 2016/Saudi Arabia’s Foreign
Minister Adel al-Jubeir on Tuesday warned against Iranian efforts to
“destabilize” the Middle East.”Speaking in a joint press conference in Paris
with French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, Jubeir said: “The entire world
knows that Iran is working to destabilize our region. “Iran must respect
principles of good neighborliness if it wishes to normalize ties,” Jubeir added.
Iranian protesters stormed Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran in January and
relations between the two countries have since been frayed. Speaking on Lebanon,
which Ayrault said he would be visiting soon, Jubeir slammed Lebanese Shiite
movement Hezbollah for “stalling any efforts to resolve Lebanon's presidential
vacuum.” The country has been without a president for more than two years.
Jubeir said the Arab Peace initiative is ongoing, hinting at continuing
Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and expressed thanks to France for supporting
the kingdom's efforts in the Middle East. Discussing the Syrian crisis, the
counterparts urged Russia to pressure the regime of President Bashar al-Assad to
stop bombing rebel positions, particularly in Aleppo. Ayrault said a ceasefire
would be the only stipulation for peace in Syria, along with a political
solution to the crisis. Meanwhile, Jubeir said the kingdom's stance towards
Assad – that he must relinquish power – has not and will not change.Earlier in
the press conference, Ayrault hailed Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, saying the plan
will set to ensure the future success of the kingdom.
US looks to Mosul after
Fallujah recapture
AFP, Washington Tuesday, 28 June 2016/The Pentagon on Monday welcomed the
recapture of the Iraqi city of Fallujah from ISIS, but warned of widespread
booby traps and pockets of remaining extremist resistance. Iraqi forces seized
ISIS’s last positions in Fallujah on Sunday, establishing full control over one
of the extremists’ most emblematic bastions after a month-long operation. “The
United States military and our coalition partners are proud to have supported
the Iraqi Security Forces under the prime minister’s command in this important
operation,” Pentagon chief Ashton Carter said in a statement congratulating Iraq
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. Iraqi forces will likely continue to meet
pockets of resistance and have much dangerous work ahead as they clear homemade
bombs - known as IEDs - from the city, officials cautioned. “Not just
vehicle-borne IEDs but these house-borne IEDs which are particularly nasty to
try to clear,” said Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis. Carter added it was
important the Iraqi government investigates alleged human rights abuses carried
out by security forces against some civilians as they tried to flee the city.
The US-led anti-ISIS coalition’s focus now shifts north, where the ultimate goal
is to recapture Mosul, the extremists’ main Iraq stronghold. The coalition is
helping Iraqi troops move north from Baiji towards the town of Qayyarah, which
lies around 35 miles (60 kilometers) south of Mosul on the banks of the Tigris
river. Abadi had already declared victory in Fallujah on June 17 after ISIS
defenses collapsed, with Iraqi forces facing only limited resistance in
subsequent clearing operations. The fighting to get into Fallujah was initially
fierce, particularly on the southern side, and Iraqi forces were supported by
more than 100 US-led coalition air strikes. “To some extent once (Iraqi troops)
got through the hard candy shell and into the chewy center, things went much
more quickly,” Davis said. “It was really a heavy fight along the frontline but
once they penetrated in it seemed to go very quickly.”Davis said the recapture
of Fallujah would “significantly” help the security situation in Baghdad, where
ISIS fighters thought to have come from Fallujah have carried out a string of
bomb attacks in recent weeks. “The loss of Fallujah will further deny ISIS
access to a province that is critically important to its overall goals,” he
said.
Jordan appoints new
ambassador to the US
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Tuesday, 28 June 2016/Jordan has appointed a
new ambassador to the United States named Dina Kawwar. In an official statement
issued by Kawar on the embassy website, she solidified Jordanian-US relations
throughout all fields. “Through cooperation, dialogue, and the exchange of
ideas, Jordan and the United States have maintained a solid friendship based on
tolerance and understanding,” the statement read. “Jordan's partnership with
United States particularly the Free Trade Agreement, is part of the global trend
that opens our borders to each other in the pursuit of economic and social
advancement as well as comfort and stability for each and every individual.”
Deadly suicide bombing rocks
west of Baghdad
Reuters Tuesday, 28 June 2016/At least 12 people were killed and 32 wounded
early on Tuesday when a suicide bomber wearing a vest packed with explosives
attacked a mosque in Abu Ghraib, about 25 km (15 miles) west of the Iraqi
capital, police and medics said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility
for the blast, the first in or around Baghdad since the government declared
victory over ISIS militants in Falluja, further west, which was seen as a
launchpad for such attacks. Worshippers were gathered at the mosque, in a
predominantly Sunni Muslim area, for prayers during the holy month of Ramadan
during which the ultra-hardline militants have called on supporters to step up
attacks.
Suicide bomber kills nine at
Iraq Sunni mosque: officials
AFP, Baghdad Tuesday, 28 June 2016/A suicide bomber detonated explosives at a
Sunni mosque near Baghdad where worshippers were gathered for prayers, killing
at least nine people, officials said on Tuesday.The attack on the mosque in Abu
Ghraib, which also wounded at least 28 people, took place during evening prayers
on Monday as Muslims mark the holy fasting month of Ramadan. There was no
immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but the ISIS militant group
frequently carries out suicide bombings targeting civilians in Iraq. The attack
came a day after Iraq declared that it was fully in control of the city of
Fallujah, located west of Baghdad, which was one of the last two cities held by
ISIS in Iraq. ISIS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but
has lost significant ground to Iraqi forces.
Bomb attack kills Turkish
officer, PKK blamed
Agencies Tuesday, 28 June 2016/One police officer was killed and seven people
were wounded in Turkey’s southeastern province of Diyarbakir on Tuesday when a
bomb exploded as an armored police vehicle was passing, security sources said.
The blast hit an area near a state hospital in the district of Dicle, north of
the region’s largest city, Diyarbakir. A police officer who suffered serious
injuries died at the hospital, the sources said. Another police officer and six
civilians were being treated for injuries, they said. The state-run Anadolu
Agency reported the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) was to blame for the attack,
which damaged buildings in Dicle district. But the government has vowed no
let-up in a relentless campaign to wipe the militants from urban centers of
Kurdish-dominated southeastern Turkey. Bomb attacks on the Turkish security
forces have surged since a two-year ceasefire between the state and the outlawed
PKK collapsed last July. The attacks killed hundreds of the security force. The
autonomy-seeking PKK, considered a terrorist group by the United States and
European Union, took up arms against the state three decades ago. In recent
months the violence has been at its most intense since the peak of the conflict
in the 1990s. Separately, the Turkish military said in a statement that it
carried out air strikes on Monday on PKK targets in northern Iraq, hitting
shelters, caves and weapon positions in the Qandil mountains where the group’s
leadership is based. (Reuters and AFP)
Russia: Mending Turkey ties
‘not a matter of few days’
Agencies Tuesday, 28 June 2016/It would take more than a few days to mend
Russia’s relations with Ankara, the Kremlin said on Tuesday after Turkish
President Tayyip Erdogan expressed regret over the downing of a Russian military
plane last year. Russian President Vladimir Putin had said an apology from
Erdogan was the condition for repairing relations between the two countries,
which were poisoned when the Russian jet was shot down near the Syrian-Turkish
border in November. After writing to Putin to voice his regret over the
incident, Erdogan said he now believed that Ankara would normalize relations
with Moscow “rapidly.”The Kremlin was more cautious on Tuesday. “One should not
think it possible to normalize everything within a few days, but work in this
direction will continue,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a conference call
with journalists.“President Putin has expressed more than once his willingness
to uphold good relations with Turkey and the Turkish people,” Peskov said. “Now
a very important step has been made in this respect.” Putin and Erdogan will
hold a telephone conversation at Moscow’s initiative on Wednesday, Peskov said.
Ankara said it shot down the plane because it entered Turkish airspace, an
allegation Moscow denies. The Russian pilot ejected from the plane but was
killed by gunfire from rebels on the ground in Syria as he parachuted down to
earth. Moscow, which imposed economic sanctions on Ankara over the downed plane,
had said that apart from official apologies it also wanted Turkey to pay
compensation for the incident. However, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim
said on Tuesday that Turkey would not pay compensation to Russia over the
downing of the plane. Yildirim also told reporters in parliament that legal
proceedings were underway against an individual allegedly responsible for the
killing of the Russian pilot. Meanwhile, Yildirim had previously said: “We have
said that if necessary we are ready to pay compensation.” He was speaking hours
after Erdogan reached out a conciliatory hand to Moscow over the incident that
shattered ties between the two nations. “I think we have reached an
understanding on this affair. We will put this incident behind us and continue
on our path,” Yildirim said. Turkey had previously refused to apologize over the
incident, insisting the Russian plane strayed into its airspace and ignored
repeated warnings.Russia insisted it did not cross the border and accused Turkey
of a “planned provocation”. Ankara is backing rebels fighting to topple Syria’s
President Bashar al-Assad, while Moscow is one of his last remaining allies.
Ankara went on a diplomatic charm offensive on Monday as it seeks to shore up
its influence in the region, hailing a deal with Israel to restore ties as well
as mending fences with Russia. Erdogan said at a dinner to break the Ramadan
fast on Monday night that he hoped for a “quick” normalization in ties with
Moscow. Earlier Monday, the Kremlin said Erdogan had apologized to Putin over
Ankara’s downing of the jet on Turkey’s border with Syria. Turkish officials
said however that Erdogan had written to Putin to “express his regrets” and did
not explicitly confirm he had said sorry. The twin breakthroughs with Russia and
Israel come as Turkey moves back towards a policy known as “zero problems with
neighbors” following a string of diplomatic crises and with its foe Assad still
in power in Syria. (With Reuters, AFP)
Turkey, Israel to start
appointing ambassadors this week: presidency
AFP, Ankara Tuesday, 28 June 2016/Turkey and Israel this week will begin the
process of exchanging ambassadors after the former allies signed a deal to
normalize ties following a bitter row in 2010, Ankara said Tuesday. Presidential
spokesman Ibrahim Kalin, making the announcement, also said Turkey and Russia’s
foreign ministers would meet in the Russian resort of Sochi on July 1 after
months of acrimony, as Ankara seeks to strengthen regional ties. “This week we
will start the process of ambassador appointment” between Turkey and Israel,
Kalin told reporters in Ankara. He added that the meeting between Foreign
Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov would take
place on the sidelines of a Black Sea Economic Cooperation meeting in Sochi. The
announcements come after Turkey went on a major diplomatic charm offensive on
Monday, seeking to restore ties with both Russia and Israel as it moves back
towards a policy known as “zero problems with neighbors.”The foreign policy
shift comes after Turkey became embroiled in a series of diplomatic crises in
recent months, and with its foe President Bashar al-Assad still in power in
Syria.
Assad’s uncle charged in
Paris with corruption: anti-graft group
AFP, Paris Tuesday, 28 June 2016/Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s uncle,
suspected of using ill-gotten gains to build a real estate empire in France, has
been charged with corruption, an anti-graft group said today. Rifaat al-Assad,
78, who was Syria’s vice president in the 1980s, was charged on June 9 with
embezzlement and money-laundering, the Paris-based Sherpa group said in a
statement. Rifaat has been ordered to remain in France except for travel to
Britain for medical treatment, said Sherpa, an activist group representing the
victims of financial crime. He was forced into exile in the 1980s for trying to
overthrow his older brother, the late Syrian dictator Hafez al-Assad. French
investigators have told AFP that since then Rifaat has divided his time between
homes in Paris, London and the southern Spanish resort city of Marbella. The
investigation into Rifaat’s finances was triggered by Sherpa, which claims the
fortune was stolen during his time at the heart of the Syrian regime. Sherpa
today hailed “this advance in the judicial investigations involving one of the
principal former dignitaries of the Syrian regime”.The Assad family claims
Rifaat’s fortune was the result of gifts from wealthy Saudi supporters,
including former king Abdullah, with whom he shared a love of horse-racing.
Israel bans access for
non-Muslims to Jerusalem holy site
AFP, Israel Tuesday, 28 June 2016/Israeli authorities announced Tuesday they
were closing Jerusalem’s flashpoint al-Aqsa mosque compound to non-Muslim
visitors after a series of clashes between worshippers and police. The decision
will apply until the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan next week, a police
spokeswoman told AFP. Clashes between Muslims and Israeli police have been
taking place every morning since Sunday over Jewish visits to the site, with
youths throwing stones and security forces firing tear gas and sponge-tipped
bullets. Prior to visiting hours on Tuesday, a stone hit an elderly Jewish woman
in the head at the adjacent Western Wall plaza, police and medics said. She was
taken to hospital with light injuries. Islamic officials accused Israeli
authorities of breaking a tacit agreement on non-Muslim access to the site
during the last 10 days of Ramadan. The period, which began on Sunday, is the
most solemn for Muslims and attracts the highest number of worshippers.Non-Muslims,
including Jews, are allowed to visit the site during set hours but are barred
from praying to avoid provoking tensions. Revered by Jews as the Temple Mount,
the mosque compound is located in east Jerusalem, occupied by Israel in 1967 and
later annexed in a move never recognized by the international community.
Bahraini court revokes
citizenship of five charged with terrorism
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Tuesday, 28 June 2016/A Bahraini court has
stripped five people of their citizenship and ordered them jailed after
convicting them on terrorism charges, the Bahrain News Agency reported Monday.
Two unnamed defendants were sentenced to three and ten years over activities
related to involvement in the Al-Wafaa Islamic Party. The two men were arrested
following a bomb attack in the northern village of al-Qadam in January 2016.
Three others were sentenced to 15 years for their involvement in another group
known as the Mukhtar Brigades. One of the men was fined 200,000 dinars
($530,000).
Data files from crashed
EgyptAir plane sent back to Egypt
Reuters and AFP, Cairo
Tuesday, 28 June 2016/Data files from the Flight Data Recorder of crashed
EgyptAir flight MS804 were sent back to Egypt on Tuesday after the device was
fixed in France, Egyptian investigators said. Egypt’s Aircraft Accident
Investigation Committee will now start extracting and analyzing the data, a
process that will take days, the committee said in a statement.Repairs on the
Airbus A320’s second black box flight recorder known as the Cockpit Voice
Recorder, started in France on Tuesday morning, the committee said. The two
black box recorders were found two weeks ago, but were too damaged to extract
information on what caused the passenger jet to go down. They were sent to
France’s BEA air safety agency -- which also extracted data from the black boxes
of the ill-fated Rio de Janeiro to Paris flight that crashed in 2009 -- to be
repaired, where they arrived on Monday. Investigators hope the recorders will
reveal the cause of the May 19 crash of flight MS804 from Paris to Cairo, in
which all 66 people on board were killed. A terror attack has not been ruled
out. The black box recorder “has been successfully repaired ... by the French
accident investigation agency laboratory”, the commission said in a statement.
“Tests have been carried out ... and we can be sure the flight parameters were
properly recorded,” the investigators said. “Work to repair the second black box
will commence tomorrow.” The Airbus A320 was en route from Paris to Cairo when
it crashed in the Mediterranean, with 40 Egyptians and 15 French nationals on
board as well as two Iraqis, two Canadians and one each from Algeria, Belgium,
Britain, Chad, Portugal, Saudi Arabia and Sudan. France’s aviation safety agency
has said the aircraft transmitted automated messages indicating smoke in the
cabin and a fault in the flight control unit minutes before it disappeared.
Egyptian investigators confirmed the aircraft had made a 90-degree left turn
followed by a 360-degree turn to the right before hitting the sea. The repaired
black boxes will be returned to Cairo for analysis in Egypt’s aviation ministry
laboratories, the committee previously said. French judges are also probing the
May 19 crash. Prosecutors had previously opened a preliminary investigation -- a
normal procedure when French citizens are involved -- and have handed their
findings to judges for a “manslaughter” probe. The crash follows the bombing of
a Russian passenger over Egypt’s restive Sinai Peninsula last October, killing
all 224 passengers and crew. The ISIS group claimed responsibility for that
attack, but there has been no such claim linked to the EgyptAir crash.
Why July 9th gathering? -
Message of Tony Peter Clement - MP from Canada
NCRI Iran News/Tuesday, 28 June 2016/Excerpts of remarks by Tony Peter Clement - MP from the Conservative Party of
Canada
Despite their claims of being more moderate, Iran is firmly controlled by its
hardliners. We must continue to oppose the Iranian regime. The facts do not lie.
Executions are up by 30 per cent. Iran's state support of terrorism has been
widely acknowledged.
The regime has used terrorism as an essential component of its foreign policy
and military strategy. The regime incites tensions across the Middle East,
including in Saudi Arabia, and Yemen, Bahrain, and they are threats to peace and
stability in the region. And Iran continues to prop up the murderous Assad
regime in Syria and call for destruction and complete elimination of Israel.
Despite claims of moderation the last election did not bring change in Iran.
This was clearly demonstrated recently as Iranian students celebrating their
graduation were arrested and given 99 lashes for simply attending a coed party.
I am pleased to be counted as a harsh critique in Canada of this brutal regime.
In 2012, our conservative government suspended all diplomatic relations with the
Islamic Republic. And we must continue to denounce and bring attention to the
actions of the Iranian regime. We must not forget the victims of their crimes
against their own people and in other countries. While we are hopeful that Iran
lives up to the commitments it has made to the international community,
including the P5+1 and the International Atomic Energy Agency, we remain highly
skeptical of Iran's real intentions when it comes to its nuclear program. The
regime in Tehran has said many things about its nuclear program, but we will
judge them by their actions not by their words. And I want to commend you on
your fight against this brutal regime and we in the conservative party of Canada
will continue to be your ally in your opposition to it.
Thank you and all the best as you gather to denounce the brutal dictatorship in
Iran.
Hamas Thanks Turkey for Gaza Efforts
in Israel Deal
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 28/16/Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas has
thanked Turkey for its efforts on behalf of Gazans in a weekend reconciliation
deal with Israel but urged it to increase pressure for an end to a decade-old
blockade. In its first reaction to the agreement, Hamas expressed its "thanks
and gratitude to Turkish President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan" and the Turkish
people late on Monday. The militant group also praised "official and popular
Turkish efforts to help our people in Gaza and lighten the blockade" imposed by
Israel. The breakthrough Israel-Turkey deal announced on Monday following six
years of acrimony will allow Turkey to deliver aid to Palestinians living in the
Hamas-run territory. It will also see Israel pay $20 million (18.14 million
euros) in compensation for a deadly 2010 commando raid on a Gaza-bound aid
flotilla, which killed 10 Turkish activists. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu has said his country's maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip will remain
after the reconciliation deal with Turkey. Israel and Palestinian militants in
Gaza have fought three wars since 2008, including a devastating 50-day conflict
in the summer of 2014. Hamas "hopes that Turkey will continue to support the
Palestinian people, to work for the total lifting of the blockade and to
pressure the Zionist occupier to stop its aggression," it said. Islamic Jihad,
the second largest Islamist group in Gaza, rejected "any Arab or Muslim move to
engage in normalisation with the Zionist enemy."
But it said it welcomed "any Arab or Muslim attempt to alleviate the suffering
of the Palestinian people."
EU Leaders Push for Divorce
after Brexit Vote
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 28/16/Spurned EU leaders will press Britain
to waste no time triggering its divorce from the bloc at a tense summit on
Tuesday, while trying to plot a future course through a crisis that has rocked
global markets. Germany, France and Italy agreed on the eve of the summit in
Brussels that there could be no talks on Britain's relations with the group
until after it has formally notified the European Union of its intention to
leave by invoking Article 50. But Prime Minister David Cameron -- who announced
his plan to resign in the wake of the shock referendum vote -- has insisted
Britain will not pull the trigger until his successor is in place in September.
With England's disgraced football team returning from France after being dumped
out of Euro 2016 by Iceland, Cameron heads to Brussels for an awkward encounter
with his 27 counterparts. A British government source said ahead of the meeting
that Cameron will reiterate his position that beginning Britain's extraction
from the EU is a job for his successor. "He will want to encourage people to
think about how both the UK and the EU needs to work now to make the best of the
decision that the British people have taken," the source added. Cameron will
first sit down with EU President Donald Tusk, before the European Council meets
later in the day. Later, the British prime minister will "explain the situation"
to his fellow leaders over a dinner, according to an invitation letter from
Tusk. - Still a full member -German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been pushing
for Britain to be given more time as the crisis tears through its political
scene, with end-2016 being seen as the latest for Britain to trigger Article 50
of the 2007 Lisbon Treaty. But she, French President Francois Hollande and
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi -- who with Britain's exit make up the three
largest economies in the bloc -- all rejected the suggestion coming from London
that they wanted a "clear view" of what its future trade relationship with the
EU would look like before initiating the divorce. Merkel, Hollande and Renzi met
on Monday in Berlin, and agreed "that there will be no informal or formal talks
on the exit of Britain until an application has been filed to leave the European
Union". Britain's reluctance to start divorce proceedings has led some countries
to think there may be space for a solution to keep it in the bloc, with Poland's
ruling party chief suggesting Monday there should be a second referendum.
But hawks including France are taking a harder line, with Hollande telling
Britain it should "not waste time".The British government source suggested that
Cameron will go to Brussels with the view that Britain is still a full EU member
-- despite its decision to leave, a position that may ruffle some feathers. "I
think he (Cameron) will want to make clear that as we approach these discussions
the UK remains a full member of the EU as it currently stands, therefore it is
down to the UK to respect its obligations but the UK should also continue to
enjoy its full rights as a member too," the British government source said.
"I think he will want to underline the importance of the economic relationship
both in our interests and the interests of the European member states," the
source added. On the second day of the summit on Wednesday Cameron will be left
out in the cold when the remaining 27 EU states hold talks without him on the
future of the bloc amid fears of a domino effect of referendums in eurosceptic
countries.
UK’s Sir Roger Gale MP in
support of “Free Iran” rally in Paris
Tuesday, 28 June 2016/NCRI - Sir Roger Gale, a leading Member of Parliament from
the United Kingdom, has pledged his support for the "Free Iran" rally on July
9th in Paris. Sir Roger Gale MP has been a long serving politician and his
experience has made him a veteran in championing causes against oppressive
regimes. He had stated that "the human rights situation in Iran is absolutely
terrible", which is why he seeks to bring attention to the issue. Moreover, he
seeks to promote Iranian civil society, so that Iranians may have a voice for
themselves. Sir Roger remarked that the Iranian people "clearly are unable to
speak their minds", since "the democratic process barely exists at all" in Iran.
Sir Roger is a longtime supporter of the Iranian Resistance, which seeks to
allow Iranians to have a voice in how their country should be governed. Sir
Roger pointed out the Iranian people cannot be satisfied if the "current
President is regarded as the least worst option available", instead there needs
to be a framework in place which allows the Iranian people to choose their best
leader for themselves. Accordingly, Sir Roger touches upon the regional
implications of the Iranian regime, and the turmoil it is causing in Syria,
which could have long term consequences. Thus, the need for change is integral
in Iran, which is why he is in support of the July 9th rally, so that he may
send a "clear signal to the rest of the world that there is a very real concern
that has to be addressed" in regards to the Iranian regime. To follow up further
with the "Free Iran" rally on July 9th rally in Paris check out http://ncr-iran.org/en/news/iran-resistance/20526-iran-prospects-for-change-one-year-after-the-nuclear-agreement
Iran: Call for urgent action
to save the lives of political prisoners on hunger strike
NCRI/Monday, 27 June 2016/The Iranian resistance calls on all international
human rights organizations especially the High Commissioner for Human Rights,
the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, the Rapporteur
on the right to life and the Rapporteur of the working group on arbitrary
arrests to take immediate and effective action to address the situation of
political prisoners especially the political prisoner on hunger strike Jafar
Azimzadeh who is in critical condition. The religious fascism ruling Iran not
only does not respond to the justified demands of political prisoners, but has
increased pressure on them, and with trumped up charges and various obstacles is
trying to further harass and torture them. Political prisoner Jafar Azimzadeh,
who is workers’ rights activist, became unconscious on Monday morning, June 27,
on the sixtieth day of a hunger strike. He remains in critical condition. His
blood pressure and heart rate have dropped dramatically and he is faced with
severe headaches. On Saturday, June 25, the doctor said after his visit that
this striking prisoner’s physical weakness will reach to the point of no return
soon. Mr. Azimzadeh went on hunger strike to protest against "the violation of
the fundamental rights of teachers and workers" and their "false trial and
imprisonment" and charges of "acting against national security" against labor
activists and teachers. But Tehran’s criminal prosecutor, Abbas Jafari
Dowlatabadi, has sent him a message saying we are ready to pay the price of you
dying due to hunger strike. The physical condition of 30-year-old political
prisoner Alireza Golipour, who suffers from cancer and serious lung infection,
in the fifteenth day of his hunger strike is very critical. Despite his
deteriorating condition, the executioners beat him a few days ago in order to
take a forced confession and apology such that he had heavy nose bleeding. He
has also suffered serious lesions as a result of torture and severe blows
pounded to his chest area, where he has had lung operation, by the henchmen.
Political prisoner Shahram Pour Mansouri, who has been on hunger strike for 21
days to protest his continued detention and not being released, suffers from
severe low blood pressure, weight loss, heart issues and chest pain. He was
arrested in 2000 while he was only 17. He has spent 16 years in detention and
according to the regime’s own court order was supposed to be released on August
21, 2015. Mardani, the head henchman of Gohardasht Prison in Karaj, instead of
responding to this young prisoner’s rightful demand, has told him even at the
cost of his life, he would not do anything for him. Mohammad Abdollahi, a
political prisoner in Urumiyeh central prison who has been on hunger strike
since 28 days ago, is in dire condition. Despite his condition, the henchmen
have transferred him to solitary confinement since 20 days ago. Following his
arrest on March 18, 2011, he was heavily tortured and persecuted and has been
condemned to death on the charge of “Moharebeh” (waging war against God).
Political prisoner Ayoub Assadi, a resident of Kamyaran, is on hunger strike
since June 6 to protest the denial of medical care. He was arrested in 2011 in a
village near Sanandaj and was sentenced to 20 years in prison and exile in
Kashmar. He suffers from asthma, lumbar disc and intestinal problems.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran/June 27, 2016
Political prisoner writes to
UN about abuses in Iran
NCRI - Iranian political prisoner, Hassan Sadeqi, who is currently behind bars
in Gohardasht (Rajai Shahr) Prison in Karaj, north-west of the Iranian capital,
has written an open letter to the United Nations Human Rights Council protesting
the authorities’ refusal to allow him to visit his wife imprisoned in Tehran’s
notorious Evin Prison.
The following is the text of his letter:
To the UN Human Rights Council,
I, Hassan Sadeqi, a political prisoner of Gohardasht (Rajai Shahr) Prison in
Karaj, write this letter to talk about my current condition. As I was schedulled
to visit my wife imprisoned in Evin Prison, one of the prison guards, named
Mohammadreza Shojai, arbitrarily prohibited my visitation with my wife. When I
asked about the reason he said that there is a court order prohibiting you from
visiting your family. I asked him to show me the court order which has been
issued for me and he refused to show it, saying that he is not permitted to do
so. I asked him how is it possible that a court order is issued for me while I
am not permitted to know about its content.
However he was explicitly lying and there was no such court order, the judicial
structure is so ignorant and abusive that a low-ranking official could have
arbitrarily imposed punishment and harassment to the prisoners. It is worth
noting that my wife and I are sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment individually
since we were charged with supporting the People's Mujahedin Organization of
Iran [PMOI or MEK]. The only hope for our children is their monthly visitation
with us. In such circumstances, the political prisoners are not allowed to make
phone calls. Although my children and I were accorded with the basic rights of
human life for ourselves to have at least a phone call, by all means, they
arrested my son because of making the effort to contact us and now we have all
been prohibited from visitations. Indeed, the pressures and the violation of
rights stem from a corrupt hierarchy, repression and systematic tortures that go
on in prison. Torturing and harassing prisoners have become the norm. As a
political prisoner whose basic rights have been violated; I want you to tell us
what to do in the current situation when no justice exists.
Hassan Sadeqi
Gohardasht (Rajai Shahr) Prison, Karaj
A major gathering of Iranians and their international supporters in Paris on
July 9, which will be attended by hundreds of senior political dignitaries,
parliamentarians, human rights and women's rights activists and religious
leaders from the United States, Europe, and Islamic countries, will bring
together international support for the cause of democracy and freedom in Iran.
The “Free Iran” gathering will in particular highlight the plight of Iran’s
political prisoners who are suffering continuously at the hands of the mullahs’
regime.
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources
published on
June 28-29/16
The domino effect of the
‘British Spring’
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/June 28/16
A lot has been said about Britain’s exit from the EU, with many saying it will
affect Europe and the rest of the world, and is not limited to minor issues such
as visas and customs. The map of the European continent and union, and relations
among its member states and with foreign alliances may change. Will the British
rise against the “EU system” ignite the desires of other European restive powers
and eventually change the political geography? They are all dominos leaning on
one another. Change brings chaos. This is what we have learnt even in the most
stable and rich regions. Separatist movements are present throughout Europe, but
they receded with the emergence of the EU. One of the most prominent is the
Basque Country in Spain. Will problems rise again? Will Scotland demand
separation from the UK? Will the British-American role in the world end
following 100 years of special bilateral relations? Will other major countries
withdraw from the EU and weaken it? Will the EU collapse due to Britain leaving?
Will Russia expand its influence in Europe following Britain’s exit? With China
and India rising as economic powers, will Europe weaken amid a shift in U.S.
focus toward Asia? Just like earthquake cracks, the effects of major events are
not limited to where they occur. This may be the case with Britain’s decision to
leave the EU
Repercussions
Just like earthquake cracks, the effects of major events are not limited to
where they occur. This may be the case with Britain’s decision to leave the EU.
Britain is a major and influential country in the union and in Europe, and its
exit will produce a vacuum whose repercussions will be measured in the coming
years. When the Brits voted, they were pretty much divided in two. The half that
supported remaining in the EU mainly consisted of youths and residents of big
cities, while the half that wanted to leave mainly consisted of old people and
residents of rural areas. The Brits in general do not consider themselves
European, although they were an important power in the EU and the continent.
Their historical ties are linked more to the commonwealth, comprising 53 states
that were mostly colonized by the British Empire. However, the commonwealth is
of little significance, and relations between its countries are just about
protocol. Exiting the EU may comfort the Brits as it shuts the door to
immigrants from poor European countries, but it will not end illegal
immigration. Leaving the EU will save Britain membership expenses, but it will
cost it opportunities in massive neighboring markets. Britain has become smaller
than it was last week, when it was part of the EU’s 4 million square kilometres.
Today, it has diminished to around 250,000 square kilometers. It may get even
smaller, as those demanding Scotland’s separation vow that in the coming years a
referendum will be held and Scotland will leave the UK. Scotland covers 70,000
square kilometres, half the area of its neighbor England. In the near past, we
used to say Britain’s disintegration was unlikely since it was in the EU, which
marginalized separatist tendencies. However, its exit has awoken the nostalgia
of local groups demanding independence, even if it is achieved at the expense of
the collective interest. Separation is not in the interest of the Scots, who
number no more than 5 million. However, referendums appeal to one’s sentiments
rather than guard national interests. The domino effect may threaten the entire
post-World War II order, as shown by Russian behavior in dealing with the
British vacuum in Europe. The U.S. tilt toward China and India will push the
Russians toward Europe. There are major Russian commercial interests developing
with countries such as Germany, and that may alter political alliances in
Europe, thus influencing other areas such as the Middle East. Britain’s exit
weakened the European formula more than any other country could have. However,
the one positive is it may correct the EU’s political approach with the rest of
the world. A Gulf politician said they failed to reach a deal about
petrochemicals because the Europeans involved political affairs in negotiations.
Some believe European leftist parties are responsible for the crisis because
they seek to politically and bureaucratically control the continent. This
article was first published in Asharq al-Awsat on June 28, 2016.
A lesson from Brexit: Stop
ignoring Syria
Joyce Karam/Al Arabiya/June 28/16
The political earthquake that Great Britain witnessed last Thursday with the
victory for the Brexit camp setting the stage to the UK’s exit from the EU, is
not only a product of David Cameron’s mistakes and Europe’s struggle with its
own demons, but has its roots 2,000 miles away in the raging war, the
counterterrorism nightmare and the humanitarian disaster called Syria. The
Syrian war is the elephant in the room when it comes to the rise of
identity-politics, and the protectionist wave across Europe and in the United
States. The unprecedented refugee influx, the largest since World War II coming
primarily from Syria, and the country’s transformation into a hub for every
Jihadist group and extremist recruitment machinery, has sent shockwaves through
Europe and is feeding a political rhetoric of hate and racism across the
continent. This rhetoric won’t necessarily go away if Syria is resolved, but it
will only grow if the conflict is left to spread and fester.
Syria is not contained
For five years, the international community stood by as the Syrian war unraveled
and fragmented a country of 23 million, sitting one border away from Europe, and
in the heart of the Middle East. Russia vetoed four Security Council resolutions
that attempted to pressure its ally Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad as he
continues to barrel bomb schools, bakeries and children’s hospitals. This is
while the US backpedaled on its early redlines to punish Assad for using
chemical weapons, and for him to step down. Instead the Obama administration has
now chosen a minimalist approach toward Syria, designed to contain the ISIS
threat and keep the country together. Five years into the war in Syria, it is
time to acknowledge the grave cost of inaction and that what happens in Aleppo
reverberates in Molenbeek and London. Today, Syria is neither contained nor
together, and the thousands of airstrikes against ISIS have failed in addressing
the larger conflict, while backfiring on Europe. Statements of condemnation from
the Obama administration and endless international meetings in Geneva, Istanbul
and Vienna have done little to mitigate the disaster. If anything, the inaction
in Syria has helped fuel terror regionally and attract Jihadists from London,
Brussels and Paris into ISIS and Nusra territory. The terror attacks that rocked
France, Belgium, Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, since last November, all have
threads to Syria, with majority having direct operational links to ISIS. Denying
or watering down this reality for political purposes won’t make it go away.
Western extremists such as Jihadi John or some of the perpetrators of the Paris
attacks have trained with ISIS in Syria. It is dangerous and naive to dismiss
Syria as another civil war such as Congo or Lebanon, or to pretend it’s another
Afghanistan. The Taliban was never a stone’s throw away from Europe, and French
extremists are not fighting in Congo. Syria today is the epicenter of terrorism
and the minimalist approach that Washington is leading has directly contributed
to the spillover, diminishing any talk of containment.
No escape from safe zones
The response to the wave of hate and fascism across Europe cannot be addressed
without a real strategy for Syria. That means going beyond half measures such as
striking ISIS while looking the other side when it comes to Assad. The
humanitarian disaster in the country started primarily in 2011 because of
Assad’s bombardment of cities, and that remains ISIS and al-Qaeda’s best
recruiting and expansion utility. Washington cannot stand idly waiting for
Russia to change its mind on Assad because it has not done so since 2011, and
seems to have directly exacerbated the tragedy with its bombing. Russia’s
reported use of phosphorous munition and pursuing a Chechnya model in its
bombing, reflects a brutal strategy from Moscow that intensifies the conflict in
Syria, and then contributes to the refugee flow as a weapon of instability into
Turkey and Europe. It is no coincidence that the fascist rhetoric heard in
Europe is attracting smiles and cheers in Kremlin as it looks to confront the
old continent and restore the Soviet glory. While the Obama administration will
unlikely change course or confront Russia, before it leaves office, establishing
safe zones in the South and the North of the country is the only way to contain
the disaster in the short term, and ease the refugee burden while pressuring
Assad on the ground to compromise politically.According to an Arab diplomat,
these plans have been proposed by Jordan as early as 2012, and later by Turkey,
the Gulf states, France, and Germany but have all been repeatedly blocked by
Washington. Such zones would be put in place to absorb the massive flow of
refugees given that the war is unlikely to wind down and with no political
solution in sight. Surely, safe zones carry military risks and a defense
commitment, but the geopolitical and national security cost is far less than the
consequences of not acting. The refugee number is only bound to grow as the US
starts its ISIS offensive, and Europe borders are more likely to be compromises
as Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey have reached a tipping point. Five years into the
war in Syria, it is time to acknowledge the grave cost of inaction and that what
happens in Aleppo reverberates in Molenbeek and London. Not recognizing this
reality will only play into the hands of the Trumps and Farages of the West, who
drive – unopposed – a narrative built on fear, continued suffering and
isolationism.
Orlando massacre: A terrorist
attack made easier by US gun laws
Brooklyn Middleton/Al Arabiya/June 28/16
For members of the LGBTQ community and their friends who gathered on a Saturday
night earlier this month, the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, was a
sanctuary. For the killer Omar Mateen, it was an easy target. As the horror
unfolded, with 49 souls ultimately lost and scores of other people maimed, it
quickly became clear that Mateen carried out a terrorist attack against members
of the LGBTQ community on behalf of the ISIS militant group. Utilizing a
strategy encouraged by both ISIS and al-Qaeda, Mateen viciously massacred scores
of civilians as a lone actor without ever receiving training from either
terrorist faction. By pledging allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi during a call
to 911, ISIS – and al-Qaeda too – were able to glorify the attack despite that
their leaders likely had no direct involvement in Mateen’s murderous plan. By
legally purchasing a Sig Sauer .223 caliber assault rifle and a handgun, Mateen
was able to carry out the deadliest shooting attack in US history – with ease.
Prior to the operation, reports indicate Mateen was investigated by the FBI on
terrorism-related suspicions no less than three times. It is an epic tragedy
that we are engaged in a war against groups abroad but are not acting to prevent
their supporters from arming themselves on our own soil. In a press conference,
FBI officials even confirmed Mateen had a connection to Moner Mohammad Abusalha,
the very first United States national to carry out a suicide bombing attack in
Syria on behalf of Jabhat al-Nusra in May 2014. Still, even on the FBI’s radar,
Mateen had no issue obtaining firearms. Following the terrorist attack in
Orlando, renewed calls for gun control prompted Democrats to once again attempt
to pass legislation that would bar suspects on the government’s terrorism watch
list from purchasing guns; so far, efforts have failed. It is an epic tragedy
that we are engaged in a war against groups abroad but are not acting to prevent
their supporters from arming themselves on our own soil; to continue allowing
such a security risk to be politicized endangers the American people and
emboldens terrorists.
Available means
Following the attack, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) issued a
statement praising the operation and called on its supporters to carry out
similar style attacks.
AQAP notes that Mateen “capitalized on the means available at his reach, his
machine gun, which he officially owned…This matter always confirms to us that
the main problem is not in obtaining the weapon, but is in the conviction,
determination and will power to execute such Jihadi operations.”ISIS, after
initially issuing a claim of responsibility for the attack, later published a
video titled, “More Effective for Us and More Damaging Upon Them.”The video
reportedly shows ISIS members praising Mateen while also displaying footage of
sites in San Francisco and Las Vegas. There is no reason to assess that ISIS is
actively plotting to directly target either cities; nonetheless, ISIS is
attempting to encourage lone actors like Mateen to strike targets in
gay-friendly San Francisco. Not every act of terrorism can or will be prevented,
especially as ISIS and al-Qaeda continue to encourage deadly attacks that
require minimum funding or planning. And it is possible that even if Mateen was
blocked from obtaining an assault rifle he still would have carried out a
massacre. However, the possibility that we could have made it more difficult for
him to do so – but failed to – should haunt us all.
Did drama advertise for ISIS?
Turki Aldakhil/Al Arabiya/June 28/16
The Saudi satirical series “Selfie” episode “Under the Ashes” aired a few hours
before Saudi twins committed the horrific crime of stabbing their parents to
death. Some academics have spoken of an unintentional advertisement that may be
caused by shedding light on terrorism. Links have often beend drawn between
dramas and crime often committed later. We respect this vision, but it is
unreasonable for dramas to look the other way and ignore major issues,
particularly when it comes to disasters such as the Islamic State of Iraq and
Syria (ISIS). When dramas address such topics, they do not do so to serve the
purpose of symbolic or unintentional advertisement, or to encourage teenagers to
commit ill practices. Linking that “Selfie” episode and the twins’ horrific
crime is meaningless and a huge exaggeration
History
Arab cinema has addressed the rise of terror groups since the 1980s. Egyptian
actor Adel Imam is famous for this in his movies “The Terrorist”, “Birds of
Darkness” and “Terrorism and Kebab.” His recent series “Maamoun and his
Partners,” airing during the holy month of Ramadan, sheds light on these crises
through the character of his extremist son-in-law Motaz. It is a great victory
for dramas to bravely confront these cases, which are difficult on societies and
nations. The unintentional advertisement that dramas may cause - assuming it
exists - is less dire than silence and complete submission to terror groups,
particularly when they are balanced by a clear that condemns violence and
supports humanity. Linking that “Selfie” episode and the twins’ horrific crime
is meaningless and a huge exaggeration. This article was first published in Okaz
on June 28, 2016.
The Palestinian Authority's
Crackdown on Journalists
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/June 28/16
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8344/palestinians-crackdown-journalists
According to his account, Abu Zeid was also subjected to shabah-style torture,
where a detainee's hands and feet are tied in painful positions while his head
is covered with a bag. He said that one of the interrogators threw him to the
floor and kicked him in sensitive parts of his lower body.
The interrogators also threatened to arrest Abu Zeid's wife, a female colleague
and his lawyer. That would have been the closest he would have gotten to the
lawyer: in the 37 days of detention, Abu Zeid claimed that he was prevented from
meeting with his lawyer or any representative of a human rights organization.
The report noted that the year 2015 witnessed a "deterioration" in human rights
in the territories and described the situation there as "catastrophic on all
levels -- political, security and human rights." The report pointed out that
Palestinians, including journalists, were being arrested by the Palestinian
Authority (PA) because of their work and postings on social media.
Ironically, this campaign by the PA against journalists, which has failed to
draw the attention of the international community and mainstream media in the
West, is designed to prevent the world from understanding that the PA is a
dictatorship. So far, the plan is working.
On May 16, Palestinian Authority (PA) security officers raided the home of
Palestinian journalist Tareq Abu Zeid in the West Bank city of Nablus. After
ransacking the house, the officers confiscated a computer and mobile phone
before taking Abu Zeid into custody.
Abu Zeid, 40, who works for the Al-Aqsa TV channel, which is affiliated with
Hamas, was held in detention for 37 days at the notorious PA-controlled Jneid
Prison in Nablus.
On June 22, a Palestinian court in Nablus ordered the release of the journalist
on 5,000 Jordanian dinars (about $8,000) bail. The same court had ordered Abu
Zeid remanded into custody three times during his detention. The court had
turned down seven petitions demanding the release of the journalist during his
incarceration.
No charges have been filed against Abu Zeid, who is originally from the West
Bank city of Jenin. It is also highly unlikely that he will ever stand trial.
Palestinian security sources said he was suspected of "publishing news that
harms the public interest and fomenting strife" among Palestinians. Although the
sources did not provide further details, it is believed that Abu Zeid was
accused of publishing stories that reflected negatively on the Palestinian
Authority and its leaders. In other words, the journalist failed to serve as a
mouthpiece for the PA and its leaders.
Abu Zeid is not the first Palestinian journalist to be targeted by the PA. Such
arrests have become commonplace under the Palestinian Authority. But now it
seems that the PA has moved from the phase of intimidation to torture.
Upon his release, Abu Zeid accused PA security forces of torturing him
physically and psychologically during his detention. He stated that he was held
in solitary confinement and deprived of sleep for three days.
According to his account, Abu Zeid was also subjected to shabah-style torture,
where a detainee's hands and feet are tied in painful positions while his head
is covered with a bag. He said that he was also slapped on the face dozens of
times by his interrogators during the first week of his detention. One of the
interrogators threw him to the floor and kicked him in sensitive parts of his
lower body, he added. "I was slapped on the face more than 100 times during the
interrogation," he recounted. "The interrogation sessions often began at 10.00
pm and lasted until the early morning."
The interrogators tried to force the journalist to smoke a cigarette, although
he does not smoke. When he refused, they threatened to extinguish the cigarette
on his body. During the lengthy interrogation sessions, the interrogators also
threatened to arrest Abu Zeid's wife, a female colleague and his lawyer.
That would have been the closest he would have gotten to the lawyer: in the 37
days of detention, Abu Zeid claimed that he was prevented from meeting with his
lawyer or any representative of a human rights organization. His mother and wife
were permitted to visit him briefly, but only in the presence of security
officers. He was banned from asking his wife and mother about his family members
or talking about his detention conditions and interrogation.
Abu Zeid that the interrogation focused on his work as a journalist and his
relations with other Palestinian journalists. He was particularly asked about
the sources of some of his reports and how he obtained information.
At one point, the interrogators asked Abu Zeid to sign a document stating that
his detention was not politically motivated or linked to freedom of expression.
When he refused to sign the document, he said, he was severely beaten.
While he was in detention, Palestinian journalists staged protests in the West
Bank and Gaza Strip to call for the immediate release of their colleague. Abu
Zeid's father said that when he saw his son during one of the court sessions to
remand him into custody, he "appeared like a statue without a soul or life."
These protests against the Palestinian Authority were almost completely ignored
by the mainstream media and human rights organizations in the West.
Palestinian journalists protest in Nablus to demand that the Palestinian
Authority release their colleague, Tareq Abu Zeid, on June 24, 2016. (Image
source: Al Resalah)
Palestinian human rights groups expressed deep concern over the detention of the
journalist, and called on the Palestinian Authority to respect freedom of the
media and expression in the West Bank. One group, Hemaya Center for Human
Rights, condemned the arrest of Abu Zeid as an assault on freedom of speech. "We
emphasize the need to give space to freedom of expression and to refrain from
making accusations in order to justify the suppression of freedom of the media
and expression, which are guaranteed by the Palestinian Basic Law and
international law," the group said.
Yet the PA goes its un-merry way. Three days after Abu Zeid's release,
Palestinian security officers arrested another journalist, Amer Abu Arafeh. Abu
Arafeh, who hails from Hebron, was arrested during a tour of Nablus. No reason
was given for the arrest of Abu Arafeh, who works for a Hamas-affiliated news
agency. His colleagues and family members said that Abu Arafeh's arrest was
directly linked to his work as a journalist and not his political affiliation.
Neither Abu Zeid nor Abu Arafeh are strangers to Palestinian prisons. The two
journalists have been arrested several times, thanks to their unfavorable
reporting on the Palestinian Authority and its security forces.
In the past few years, the Palestinian security forces have arrested several
journalists and bloggers on various charges, first and foremost for criticizing
President Mahmoud Abbas and other senior Palestinian officials.
Among those arrested are Yusef Al-Shayeb, who was accused of "insulting" the
PA's ambassador to France, Hayel Fahoum, and his deputy, Safwat Ibraghith.
Another journalist, Tareq Al-Sarkaji, was arrested by the Palestinian security
forces in 2013 for writing an article in which he criticized the Palestinian
Authority and its security coordination with Israel.
Then there is the case of journalist Tareq Khamis, who was arrested in 2012 for
criticizing the arrest of another female journalist, Esmat Abdel Khaleq. Abdel
Khaleq had been arrested after she posted a Facebook comment that was deemed
insulting to President Abbas.
Other Palestinian journalists targeted by the PA in the past few years include
Amir Abu Aram, Muhanad Salahat, Mohammed Awad, Adeeb Al-Atrash, Musa Al-Shaer
and George Kanawati.
The Palestinian Authority does not take well to any form of criticism, but it
finds particularly disturbing accusations lodged against its senior officials.
Palestinian security forces earlier this month summoned for interrogation
journalist Mohamed Abed Rabbo after he published an investigative report about
corruption of a senior Palestinian official. The report was published in the
online newspaper Alaraby Aljadeed, whose offices in Ramallah have been raided in
the past by Palestinian security officers.
In November 2015, Palestinian security forces summoned for interrogation the
newspaper's Ramallah bureau chief, Naela Khalil, on charges that she was working
for an "unlicensed" publication. The Palestinian Authority suspects that the
newspaper is affiliated with an arch-enemy of President Abbas, ousted Fatah
strongman Mohamed Dahlan, who is living in exile in the United Arab Emirates.
The PA's ongoing crackdown on journalists in the West Bank coincides with a
report published last week by a human rights organization that talked about
human rights violations in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The report noted
that the year 2015 witnessed a "deterioration" in human rights in the
territories and described the situation there as "catastrophic on all levels --
political, security and human rights." The report pointed out that Palestinians,
including journalists, were being arrested by the Palestinian Authority because
of their work and postings on social media.
Ironically, this campaign against journalists, which has failed to draw the
attention of the international community and mainstream media in the West, is
designed to prevent the world from understanding that the Palestinian Authority
is a dictatorship. So far, the plan is working. Today, the victims are
Palestinian journalists. Tomorrow, the victims will be Western journalists who
dare to criticize the PA or publish reports that are deemed "offensive" to
President Abbas.
**Khaled Abu Toameh, an award-winning journalist, is based in Jerusalem.
© 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.
Turkey: A Thuggish Ramadan
Burak Bekdil/Gatestone Institute/June 28/16
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8341/turkey-thuggish-ramadan
Observant Muslims stubbornly refuse to understand that while the Koran commands
them to abstain from alcohol, it does not command them to attack those Muslims
(and non-Muslims) who do not do so.
It has become the observant Muslims' self-granted authority collectively to
forbid evil and command good, rather than just individually to avoid evil and
choose good.
Zaytung, a popular online humor magazine (a kind of Turkish "The Onion") ran a
story:
"Government officials in this eastern city are mulling the possibility of
airdropping food, beverages and cigarettes onto busy streets, hoping that this
may break some fasters' resistance to hunger, thirst and tobacco needs. The city
has been in shock as, already one week into the holy month of Ramadan, no one
has been publicly beaten up for eating, drinking or smoking."
Zaytung's mocking was not without a reason. "If one tried to eat in a restaurant
[in some parts of Turkey] during Ramadan, one may be insulted or even physically
harmed. Indeed, each year there is an incident of an unobservant college student
being beaten up or even murdered in the southeast for not fasting during
Ramadan," observed Soner Cagaptay in a 2008 article in the Washington Institute.
In 2010, as art lovers drank sangria out of plastic cups and contemplated
iconoclastic pieces of art, a group of locals in central Istanbul attacked them
with pepper gas and frozen oranges. For an hour, they smashed windows and
injured dozens, including visiting foreigners. The attackers justified
themselves, saying that drinking alcohol, especially outdoors, violated Islamic
rules. Then Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, now president, said, "Such
incidents occur everywhere in the world."
Nearly six years after that incident, a mob of men carrying sticks and bottles
attacked a group of Radiohead fans at a record store owned by a South Korean
man. The fans had been holding a listening party of the band's music, again in
central Istanbul. Video footage of the incident shows an angry man storming into
the store, shouting curses and threats and most of the people hastily leaving. A
waiting mob then reportedly attacked the group and the door of the record store
was smashed, although fortunately there were no serious injuries reported from
the assault.
On June 17, a group of men attacked the Velvet Indieground record store in
Istanbul, because they were angry that several people in the small shop were
drinking alcohol during Ramadan. At right, Seogu Lee, the shop's Korean owner,
is seen being beaten by some of the attackers.
Once again, the mob was angry because "infidels" had dared to listen to music
and to drink during Ramadan. "We were beaten by more than 20 men with pipes in
their hands, beer bottles were broken on our heads, I don't even know how we
made it out," One of the victims explained on social media. Three of the
attackers were detained but judicial authorities later released all of them.
But that was not the entire show during the first two weeks of Ramadan in
Turkey. The thugs are not always "unofficial."
The Istanbul Governor's Office banned the LGBT Pride March, which was set to
take place between June 19 and June 26 in Istanbul's Taksim Square. Officials
cited "security concerns and public order." The decision to ban the march had
been prompted by threats from another mob of men. The Alperen Hearths, an
ultranationalist/Islamist youth organization, had initially vowed that it would
prevent the march, but later stepped back, saying that its members only wanted
their religious values to be taken into consideration. Earlier than that, an
Islamic youth group also threatened the planned march.
In Turkey, the holy month traditionally has the potential to illustrate the
Islamists' thuggish intolerance to "the other." It is a curious intolerance.
Observant Muslims stubbornly refuse to understand that while the Koran commands
them to abstain from alcohol, it does not command them to attack those Muslims
(and non-Muslims) who do not do so. Could conservative Muslims be reacting to
alcohol in fear that drinkers may disturb them and their families? What do
people normally do if drunken (or sober) people disturb an individual? They call
the police.
Why then do some Muslims attack those who do not fast? Because the Koran
commands them to break the bones of those infidels? Not necessarily. In fact,
the Koran clearly tells the faithful that sinning does not make a Muslim an
apostate and that "there is no compulsion in religion." So why do they ignore
the essential Koranic teaching and feel urged to fight the infidel whom the
Koran says is not an infidel?
The dirty looks at (lucky) drinkers and the punches in the faces of (less lucky)
ones have been at the core of the "Great Turkish Divide," after the ruling
Islamists deeply polarized society since they came to power in 2002. It has
become the observant Muslims' self-granted authority collectively to forbid evil
and command good, rather than just individually to avoid evil and choose good.
There is little, if any, reason to expect Turkey's observant Muslims to learn to
respect non-Muslims and other Muslims who practice the same religion in
different ways.
**Burak Bekdil, based in Ankara, is a Turkish columnist for the Hürriyet Daily
and a Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
© 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.
To the UN and UNESCO: Don't Try to
Fence Us In!
Amir Taheri/Gatestone Institute/June 28/16
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8345/un-unesco-hate-speech-islamophobia
A majority of the members of the UN and the UNESCO which is part of it are
states that cannot be regarded as lovers of press freedom, to say the least.
There is also talk of stopping "hate speech". But hate, like love, is hard to
define and the UN has offered no definition of it. Thus anyone could use it as
an excuse for "stopping" or restricting freedom of expression.
As for "combating Islamophobia", those who unfurl that banner ignore the fact
that it could mean creating a special category for Islam to shield it against
any form of criticism, precisely at a time that Islam could benefit from serious
critical scrutiny.
At a time that freedom of expression is under attack by a variety of groups from
all parts of the political spectrum, the last thing we should wish for is a UN
stamp of approval for censorship in any form. What we need is a free flow of
information that cannot be subjected to bureaucratic rules and regulations.
Editor's Note: Following is a condensed version of Amir Taheri's remarks as part
of a special panel of diplomats and academics, addressing journalists at the
Palace of the Nations, the European headquarters of the United Nations in
Geneva, on June 22, under the auspices of UNESCO's liaison office.
The panel took place as part of the UN's 32nd session on human rights, and in
response to UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon's special report on "violent
extremism."
Mr. Taheri spoke on the question of: "Should the United Nations play a role in
countering hate speech and expressions of 'violent extremism' and 'Islamophobia'
in the media?"
Since I haven't prepared a written speech, permit me to offer an unadorned
response to the various plans exposed here. I believe many in our profession
might share my sentiments.
The plans evoked here contain a number of words with military tonalities that
set alarm bells ringing in my head. Here are some: combat, campaign, plan of
action, order, discipline, protection etc.
Then there are phrases that either mean different things to different people or
their meaning is cancelled by their component parts. For example: violent
extremism, which implies that you could be violent without being extremist or be
extremist without being violent, but does not tell us in what dosage of its
ingredients it would operate as a concept.Here is another phrase: the "right
balance," which the Secretary-general insists we must establish in the media. Is
there a wrong balance?
Or do we mean a faux balance, like "five minutes for Hitler, five minutes for
the Jews?"
There is also talk of stopping "hate speech". But hate, like love, is hard to
define and the UN has offered no definition of it. Thus anyone could use it as
an excuse for "stopping" or restricting freedom of expression. In this room, I
feel haunted by the ghosts of the 1970s and 1980s, when an alliance of the
Soviet bloc and Third World powers tried to use UNESCO as a vehicle for imposing
control on the media across the globe. I was always deeply suspicious of
international organizations trying to legislate a one-size-fits-all scheme to
regulate freedom of expression. In those bad old days, the move in that
direction was called The New World Information and Communication Order (NWICO),
a brainchild of the Soviet bloc in the context of the Cold War. The architects
of that scheme proposed to issue UNESCO media permits for journalists across the
globe, and impose rules binding on all member states. In other words, they
wanted to fence us in by pretending they were protecting us.
The efforts of undertaken the IPI (International Press Institute) and other
groups dedicated to press freedom led to the total defeat of NWICO and a major
victory for freedom of expression throughout the world. Today, anyone trying to
revive that monster would be laughed out of the room. Nevertheless, we have to
remain vigilant against any attempt at media control via the UN or UNESCO. A
majority of the members of the UN and the UNESCO, which is part of it, are
states that cannot be regarded as lovers of press freedom, to say the least. To
ask them to regulate the media with the pretext of controlling "hate speech" and
preventing "Islamophobia" is to give them license to intensify their system of
censorship. For decades, the UN has not succeeded to define "peace" or
"terrorism" and would not be able to define the word "hate" either, and thus
cannot pretend to regulate the media in the name of "combating hate speech." The
most the UN or UNESCO can do is to create a new bureaucracy, for example The
Office of Combating Hate Speech and Islamophobia (UNOCHSI). Then we will have
one of the despots who head a majority of UN members propel a nephew into the
post of UNOCHSI Director, while fellow despots across the globe use the
"guidelines" set by it to intensify media censorship under the auspices of the
mythical international community.
At a time that freedom of expression is under attack by a variety of groups from
all parts of the political spectrum, the last thing we should wish for is a UN
stamp of approval for censorship in any form. What we need is a free flow of
information that cannot be subjected to bureaucratic rules and regulations.
Unlike despotism, which is brutally "clean", freedom is always a bit messy, the
rough coming with the smooth, and thus difficult to control. As for "combating
Islamophobia", those who unfurl that banner ignore the fact that it could mean
creating a special category for Islam to shield it against any form of
criticism, precisely at a time that Islam could benefit from serious critical
scrutiny.
The Secretary-General's plan has a romantic tone inasmuch as it aims at managing
freedom of speech in a way that no one is ever offended and no pen is ever
dipped in a poison ink. Freedom, however, is not romantic; it is the fruit of a
prosaic approach to existential reality, which takes into account our
imperfections as fallible human beings.
The UN and UNESCO would do well to mind their own business. If they wish to be
useful, they should provide space and opportunity and resources to those -- that
is to say a majority of mankind at present -- who cannot exercise their right to
freedom of expression. They could give a voice to the voiceless. They should ask
their member states not to imprison so many journalists or, maybe, even create
an annual Index of Press Freedom to expose and oppose regimes that use silence
and terror as instruments of government. Two facts encourage me in thinking that
this meeting is not going to endorse any plan for reviving the demon of NWICO
under a new mask. The first is that Finland is a co-sponsor of the session. And
we have not forgotten that Finland, along within other Nordic countries and
Great Britain, was the most steadfast supporter of our cause of press freedom
against the threat of NWICO more than two decades ago.
The second is that the session is also co-sponsored by Elaph, the oldest Arabic
language website newspaper, now blowing 15 candles, and a champion of freedom of
expression in a dark region of the world. Any talk of regulating freedom of
speech puts us on a slippery slope that could lead to censorship, curtailing
freedom of expression -- which is a basic human right. My message to you on
behalf of journalists everywhere is simple: Don't try to fence us in!
**Amir Taheri, formerly editor of Iran's premier newspaper, Kayhan, before the
Iranian revolution of 1979, is a prominent author based on Europe. He is the
Chairman of Gatestone Europe.
© 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.
3 Iranian rangers killed by
poachers in 48 hours
Arash Karami/Al-Monitor/June 28/16
The news of Iranian rangers who were reportedly killed by poachers has flooded
Iranian social media pages in the last few days. In a span of 48 hours, two
rangers were killed in Hormozgan province in southern Iran in the Geno Biosphere
Reserve, a protected area by the Iranian Department of Environment since 1976.
Another ranger was killed in Bamou National Park in Fars province.Manouchehr
Shojaei, who was killed in Bamou, was reportedly shot in the chest and thrown
off a cliff on June 25, according to Arman Daily newspaper. He was transferred
to a hospital in Shiraz where he died. The bloodied picture of Shojaei
circulated widely on Iranian websites and social media. The environmental
director for Fars province said that Shojaei was not armed during the
confrontation and that his killing was “nothing but wickedness.”
According to Iranian officials, two hunters carrying unlicensed firearms were
apprehended in the area. Bamou National Park is home to many deer, wild sheep
and wild goats, and has been protected for more than 40 years.
Masoumeh Ebtekar, the head of Iran’s Environmental Protection Organization, read
President Hassan Rouhani’s condolence letter at the funerals of Mohammad
Dehghani and Parviz Hormozi, the two rangers who were killed in Hormozgan. The
statement read that Iran’s rangers are at the “front line of protection of
Iran’s national resources.”The job of a ranger is often seen as a thankless job
and one only undertaken by those passionate about animal rights and
preservation. Not only are they responsible for the preservation of wildlife,
but also for the protection of the natural habitat. In the past when rangers
have confronted poachers, they have faced legal consequences. Shargh Daily
newspaper wrote that it was just four months ago that two rangers were released
from prison after serving seven years for killing a poacher. The rangers were
originally sentenced to death.
Some rangers have resorted to recording confrontations with poachers on their
cellphones in order to avoid legal ramifications. In a dramatic video uploaded
to YouTube last year, Iranian rangers are seen shooting warning shots at a
poacher who aims his rifle at them. The poacher is then seeing fleeing on foot.
Shargh wrote, “Many are asking why rangers are in this situation. If they kill
illegal hunters they are sentenced to death. If they do not kill them, they are
condemned to the same fate as the three rangers in Fars and Hormozgan
provinces.” In the interview with Shargh, Ebtekar said that Iran’s rangers are
bound to specific laws stipulating when an armed official is allowed to use his
weapon. She also said that the three rangers were declared martyrs by the
Iranian government, and their families would receive the full benefits that are
provided to the families of martyrs.
Ebtekar told Shargh that since the Department of Environment was founded in
1956, 119 rangers have been killed in the line of duty.
Mohammad Reza Tabesh, the head of parliament’s Environmental Commission, said
that the killings show that rangers should be equipped with modern tools and
should have the full protection of the law. Tabesh said he hopes parliament and
the administration would show more seriousness in reforming laws to protect
rangers.
What Bahrain’s opposition
crackdown means for country’s Brotherhood
Giorgio Cafiero/Al-Monitor/June 28/16
On the heels of a Bahraini court suspending Al-Wefaq for the Shiite society’s
alleged role in creating "an environment for terrorism, extremism and violence,”
Bahrain’s rulers delivered a powerful message June 20 by annulling Ayatollah
Sheikh Isa Qassim’s Bahraini citizenship.Following five years of stalemate, the
Bahraini leadership sees no purpose in engaging the Shiite opposition and
instead favors eliminating Shiites who call for the government’s dissolution
from political life in the island. By excluding popular political groups from
Bahrain’s political arena amid a wider crackdown, however, there are risks of
militancy gaining broader power and appeal within the Shiite opposition.
Throughout the past five years, Manama has grown increasingly reliant on Gulf
Arab and Western allies. The Shiite-led Arab Spring uprising unsettled Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders fearful of Bahrain aligning with Tehran
following a popular Shiite revolution. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates
were quick to deploy ground forces to the island by March 2011 to help Bahrain's
rulers quash the uprising.
Manama’s participation in the US-led military campaign against the Islamic State
(IS) and the kingdom’s “pricey PR push” on K Street seem to have further
consolidated Bahrain’s alliance with Washington, despite some diplomatic spats
over the past five years. Despite the Department of Defense’s congressionally
mandated contingency plans for relocating the Navy’s 5th Fleet, Washington is
unlikely to undergo the massive undertaking of moving the Persian Gulf’s most
powerful naval force to another facility. The United Kingdom’s plans for a
permanent base in Mina Salman, Bahrain, announced in 2014, underscore Manama’s
important role in London’s strategic return “East of Suez” 40 years after the
Royal Navy’s official departure from the Gulf.
Unquestionably, allies in Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Washington and London have
prevented the Al Khalifa rulers from being pressured into negotiating a
resolution to the kingdom’s crisis.
The king’s Sunni Islamist support networks
The ruling family’s ties with the Bahraini Muslim Brotherhood’s political wing,
Minbar, and the more conservative Salafi society, Asala, to counterbalance the
Shiite opposition has been another pillar of the regime’s strategy for standing
strong since 2011.
Formed in 1984, Minbar’s platform reflects Bahrain’s liberal (by GCC standards)
social environment, particularly with respect to women’s rights, although the
group has close connections with the Muslim Brotherhood’s Kuwaiti branch. Many
of Minbar’s members belong to the Hawala tribe, Sunni Arabs who migrated to
Persia before returning to the Arabian Peninsula’s eastern shore. The Bahraini
Muslim Brothers are middle-class professionals, many of whom are teachers and
police officers.
Despite pressure from other GCC states, Manama has not designated Minbar a
“terrorist” organization. The Sunni Islamist society not only continues
operating publicly, but Bahrain’s Royal Court and Islamic banking sector
reportedly fund Minbar. In exchange, Bahrain’s Muslim Brothers have backed the
government’s post-2011 crackdown. In February 2013, for example, Minbar
boycotted the national dialogue to protest what the island’s Muslim Brothers saw
as unacceptable Shiite “silence” on violence plaguing the uprising’s two-year
anniversary. At times, Minbar has even criticized the ruling family for
responding too softly to Shiite dissent.
Despite Bahrain’s politically active Sunni Islamists supporting the regime
during 2011, a growing number have made their own demands since that crisis
erupted. In fact, Shiite protesters shared some of these demands such as
releasing political prisoners and liberalizing Bahrain politically. Concerned
about the possibility of Sunni opposition materializing, the state implemented
electoral reforms to redraw boundaries before the 2014 elections. Consequently,
Minbar and Asala only retained a combined three seats in the National Assembly’s
Council of Representatives — down from five. Additionally, although Al-Wefaq was
the main target of legislation passed last month to ban mixing religion with
politics, the law also bodes poorly for Minbar and Asala — Bahrain’s second- and
third-largest Islamist factions, respectively, after Al-Wefaq.
The influence of extremist ideologies in the kingdom’s Sunni communities is
unsettling, particularly in light of numerous Bahraini Sunnis pledging
allegiance to IS. As of January 2015, at least a dozen Bahrainis had joined
Sunni militant organizations in Syria and Iraq. After King Hamad revoked Omar
Bozboun’s Bahraini citizenship for joining IS, he responded by threatening to
“enter Bahrain with blazing guns and behead the king.”
Turki al-Binali, a Salafi cleric hailing from a wealthy Sunni family allied with
the Al Khalifas, is now IS’ leading preacher. Prior to leaving Bahrain in 2013,
he held a rally in front of the US Embassy in Manama with his followers holding
pictures of Osama bin Laden while waving al-Qaeda flags. Two and a half years
after Binali left the kingdom, a Bahraini court tried him in absentia and nearly
two dozen other Bahrainis on charges of seeking to topple the Manama regime and
create an IS branch in the island. One family member, Mohamed Isa al-Binali, was
an officer in the Interior Ministry overseeing Shiite inmates in Jaw Prison
before defecting to IS in 2014.
There are several other reasons why Bahrain appears to be a logical destination
for the group’s agenda. These include IS offshoots waging acts of terrorism in
neighboring Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, the presence of many Shiite Muslims and
non-Muslim expatriates, the 5th Fleet being stationed in Bahrain, Manama’s role
in the Washington-led military campaign against the group in Syria and the
island’s reputation as the “brothel of the Gulf.”
Another threat to the nation’s stability stems from Manama granting Bahraini
citizenship to Jordanian, Pakistani and Yemeni Sunnis to alter the country’s
sectarian balance. Opposition voices in Bahrain maintain that these "naturalized
Bahrainis" are Sunni “fundamentalists” who harbor anti-Shiite sentiments. As
these non-Bahrainis earn their citizenship through service in Bahrain’s security
apparatus, IS infiltration into the state’s military and police is a risk.
As underscored by the past several months of violent attacks targeting Bahrain’s
security forces with improvised explosive devices and Molotov cocktails, the
crackdown is failing to resolve the kingdom’s crisis. If the cancellation of
Qassim’s citizenship and the court’s suspension of Al-Wefaq lead to the
exacerbation of violence, the government will be forced to address an
increasingly dire security crisis on top of managing social risks stemming from
austerity measures amid an era of cheap oil — itself a contributing factor to
the island’s sectarian issues.
As sectarian temperatures rise in the Gulf with Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah
officials harshly condemning Manama’s annulment of Qassim’s citizenship and
Iraqi Shiite forces retaking Fallujah from IS, the regime’s relationship with
Minbar will be an important variable to observe as the Saudi-aligned monarchy
seeks to maintain Sunni rule in a Shiite-majority island. Looking ahead, will
Minbar remain loyal to the Al Khalifas and continue viewing the crackdown as a
safeguard against a Shiite takeover? Or will discontent over the Sunni Islamist
society’s declining political influence cost the regime a key domestic ally?
Will the regime continue seeing Minbar as a domestic ally against the Shiite
opposition or as a gateway to IS?
Erdogan displays survival instinct in Israel reconciliation
Cengiz Çandar/Al-Monitor/June 28/16
The news of reconciliation between Israel and Turkey did not come as a surprise.
For several days there had been signals that it was just a matter of time for
the announcement; officials on both sides were preparing their publics about it.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in his meeting with US Secretary of
State John Kerry in Rome on June 27, said the reconciliation deal will have
“immense implications for the Israeli economy.”Netanyahu's tone in greeting the
reconciliation suggested that Israel is happy about it and does not consider it
as a volte face. Given that he also thanked US Vice President Joseph Biden for
his assistance in the negotiations to reach the agreement while not mentioning
President Barack Obama, one can easily conclude that June 2016 is well different
from March 2013.In that month, pressed by Obama — who was about to leave Israel
on his way to India — Netanyahu had reluctantly phoned then-Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as Obama stood by and apologized for the death of
10 Turkish citizens as a result of the Gaza flotilla incident of May 31, 2010.
The flotilla incident triggered the crisis between the close regional allies; at
the turn of the 21st century, Turkish-Israeli relations had become extremely
close, and not even the takeover of power by the pro-Islamist Justice and
Development Party had altered the bilateral ties. After Israeli commandos' raid
on the flotilla led by the Mavi Marmara, Turkey posed three strict preconditions
for any sort of reconciliation; this “sine qua non” consisted of an apology,
indemnity for victims and lifting of the naval blockade on Gaza. In March 2013,
the apology that came from Netanyahu to Erdogan was hailed a Turkish diplomatic
victory. It further enhanced the stature of Erdogan internally (and even
internationally), while Netanyahu was seen as if he were kneeling down before
his mighty Turkish counterpart under the gaze of Obama. This time, the picture
is diametrically opposed to what it looked like in March 2013. Turkey under
President Erdogan's rule is so isolated internationally that it desperately
needed to break out of the situation, no matter the concessions involved. This
time, it is Israel’s turn to claim diplomatic success by not meeting Turkey’s
seemingly most adamant and principled demand, the lifting of the Gaza blockade.
The Israeli daily Haaretz wrote that Turkey waived a demand for the removal of
the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip in return for Israel's enabling Turkey to
initiate infrastructure projects in Gaza, including the construction of a
hospital, a power station and a desalination facility. All the materials for
these projects would be transported via Israel's Ashdod port. The influential
Israeli commentator Zvi Bar’el, in an analysis titled “Israeli-Turkish
Reconciliation Deal Offers Lifeline to Both Sides,” emphasized that a close
relationship is of supreme importance to Israel and Turkey and rightfully added
the following remark, “Turkey and Israel could have ended this crisis six years
ago.” If Turkey had not insisted then on the lifting of the Gaza blockade that
it has now backtracked from, the same agreement reached today could have been
reached six years ago.
It could have, indeed. The Israeli press said that during a March visit to
Israel, Biden discussed Turkey with Netanyahu, telling him that Erdogan was
interested in normalizing ties with Israel as soon as possible and offering to
help relay messages to Erdogan to help the sides overcome remaining differences.
This brought to my mind some highly confidential information that had been
passed on to me. A source very close to the “horse’s mouth” told me a while ago
that Erdogan on Dec. 17, 2013, the day a major fraud probe against his rule
began, called Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu — Turkey's
former ambassador to Israel — and asked him to launch the initiative to
reconcile with Israel.
According to the source, when Sinirlioglu said Israel would never retreat from
the Gaza blockade — which remained as the main stumbling block for any
reconciliation effort between the two governments — Erdogan interrupted him and
said, “Do whatever it takes.”
It is nearly impossible to substantiate such a dialogue unless one day one of
the involved parties speaks about it, but looking closely at the reconciliation
deal, it is not difficult to come to the conclusion that Turkey dropped the
precondition in order to get the agreement with Israel.
The Turkish-Israeli reconciliation, on Turkey’s part, reflects the following:
the extent of isolation and desperation of Turkey in foreign policy; and
Erdogan’s survival instinct, which can lead him to utmost flexibility and
pragmatism.
The same day when the reconciliation between Turkey and Israel was announced,
Turkey's long-awaited apology to the Russians came. The statement regarding
Erdogan’s letter of apology to President Vladimir Putin on the Turkish downing
of a Russian fighter plane Nov. 24 is one more foray by Turkey to get itself out
of the isolation it found itself in.The timing is also very telling. It comes at
a time when Turkey has drifted into a troubled relationship with both the
European Union and the United States, specifically as a result of Ankara's
steady move toward authoritarianism. Neither Israel nor Russia has been causing
waves over this autocratic trend. Israel’s approach to Turkey is determined by
strategic thinking. The Jewish state has always attached special importance to
developing good and strong relations with the non-Arab power centers on the
geopolitical periphery of the Arab world; the relationship Israel established
with Turkey in the 1990s served many Israeli goals. Naturally, the deal will
also serve Erdogan’s Turkey in many respects. These are well outlined by veteran
diplomat Ozdem Sanberk, who represented Turkey on the UN panel investigating the
Mavi Marmara flotilla incident. He told Al-Arabiya that the deal is likely to
mark the beginning of the end of Turkey’s relative isolation in the Middle East
and that Turkish-Israeli rapprochement will bring more stability to the region,
opening the way for agreements such as exporting natural gas through pipelines
via Turkey.
The dual Turkish diplomatic offensive — reconciliation with Israel and Erdogan’s
apology to Putin — allegedly conform to the new foreign policy paradigm adopted
by new Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, who promised to increase the
number of friends in the region and minimize enemies.
The blame for being at odds with almost all neighbors could be placed on the
shoulders of Ahmet Davutoglu, the former foreign minister and former prime
minister who had been regarded as an international policy wizard until very
recently.
Thus, the latest steps in foreign policy can also serve as an opportunity to
legitimize Erdogan's move in replacing Davutoglu with Yildirim. Are these steps
sustainable? While that is unclear, there is no doubt that they are significant.
Who is killing Syrian opposition
figures in Aleppo, Idlib?
Tamer Osman/Al-Monitor/June 28/16
ALEPPO, Syria — Areas under the control of armed opposition factions in northern
Syria have devolved into a state of lawlessness leading to militant cells —
perhaps affiliated with the regime or the Islamic State (IS) — attempting to
assassinate prominent military and media personalities in an unprecedented
manner. In June, a number of assassination attempts targeted military leaders
from various armed factions operating in the northern Syrian cities of Aleppo
and Idlib; there also were attempts to assassinate independent journalists in
Aleppo with explosive devices or guns.
Between June 15 and June 22, numerous assassination attempts perpetrated by
unknown persons took place against military leaders and press figures. On June
15, an explosive device targeted and killed Abu Ali Muhajireen, a Jabhat al-Nusra
commander in the city of Idlib. In addition, unknown assailants shot at — but
failed to kill — the commander of the Handarat military command in Aleppo’s
northern countryside, Mayof Almayof, upon his return to the city of Aleppo at
dawn June 15.In this context, Almayof, known as Abu Bahr, the military leader of
one of the largest factions in Aleppo and its countryside, the Nureddin Zengi
Brigade, told Al-Monitor, “My vehicle broke down as I returned from the al-Rabat
area inside the Handarat camp at Aleppo’s northern gate, accompanied by a leader
of the Nureddin Zengi Brigade, so we stopped for repairs. A few minutes later a
motorcycle approached with two masked men who opened fire on us. We tried to
take cover behind the vehicle and returned fire, leading to the assailants
taking flight. We were not hurt, but were unable to identify the perpetrators
because of the darkness and the fact that they wore masks.”
He said, “No one — except the regime and IS — has any interest in assassinating
military leaders. The regime failed to advance along Aleppo’s front lines, and
specifically in the Handarat camp and al-Malah region. As a result, it is trying
through sleeper cells located in the liberated areas to target field commanders
and destabilize those areas by taking advantage of the armed factions’
preoccupation with military operations taking place in Aleppo and its
countryside — where key battles are raging against the regime, IS and the Syrian
Democratic Forces [SDF]. Consequently all our forces are fighting on the fronts,
leading to a weakened security situation in the liberated areas, exacerbated by
a lack of adequate security coordination among the armed factions.”
Abu Bahr added, “These factors lately has led to the rise of regime and IS
sleeper cells bent on executing their plans. We — as militant factions — started
implementing urgent and swift measures to address the lack of security spreading
throughout the liberated areas of northern Syria. These measures include
checkpoints at the entrances of the city and sensitive areas, and increased
security coordination between military factions operating in Aleppo and Idlib.”
Assassination attempts were not confined to military leaders alone. Late at
night on June 16, Aleppo was the scene of a bomb blast that targeted one of the
most prominent independent journalists of the Syrian revolution, Hadi Abdullah,
and his colleague Khaled al-Essa. Unknown assailants planted an explosive device
in the lobby of their building in the east Aleppo neighborhood of al-Shaar,
which led them to suffer severe injuries that required specialized care at one
of Aleppo’s field hospitals. They could not be stabilized and they were
immediately transferred to a Turkish hospital. Essa succumbed to his injuries
June 25.
Aleppo media activist Mujahid Abu al-Joud told Al-Monitor, “We in Aleppo are
passing through a sensitive period, due to the many incidents taking place in
the city and its countryside that require a constant and organized level of
media propaganda. There are those who want to extinguish the voice of the Syrian
revolution and exterminate those who endeavor to convey its image to the world,
either by assassinating media activists or forcing them to emigrate. We have no
idea who stands behind the assassination attempts taking place right now. But
some militant factions have been infiltrated by regime or IS sympathizers, which
explains the assassination attempts targeting military leaders and media
activists in Idlib as well as Aleppo. Media activists have always been targeted
by the regime and IS, and the assassination attempts against them lately are a
clear indication of the powerful role played by the revolutionary media in
delivering the voice of truth to the world.”The growing activity of sleeper
cells inside areas under the control of insurgents in the north Syrian cities of
Aleppo and Idlib during the month of June culminated on June 21, when Jabhat al-Nusra
announced the assassination of its military commander Abu Abdullah Jabal by
unknown assailants. This incident raised alarm bells among the security agencies
of militant factions inside Aleppo and Idlib, leading to Jaish al-Fatah’s (Army
of Conquest) central force announcing in Idlib on June 22 that six people were
arrested for planning to perpetrate bomb attacks and assassinations in the city
and its countryside.
It is unknown with which party the people arrested are affiliated, as Jaish
al-Fatah is preserving secrecy on the matter. This is while the regime and IS
have not claimed responsibility for the assassinations, and no one will, in
light of the presence of cells in the liberated areas. Meanwhile, activists in
Aleppo and Idlib continue to call for the formation of a joint security agency
composed of all militant factions present in the cities of Aleppo and Idlib, and
tasked with maintaining security and uncovering the sleeper cells that succeeded
in executing attacks by exploiting the preoccupation of militant factions in
Aleppo and Idlib with battles waged against regime forces, IS and the SDF.