LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
March 07/16

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

Bible Quotations For Today
What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 05/01-20: "They came to the other side of the lake, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when he had stepped out of the boat, immediately a man out of the tombs with an unclean spirit met him. He lived among the tombs; and no one could restrain him any more, even with a chain; for he had often been restrained with shackles and chains, but the chains he wrenched apart, and the shackles he broke in pieces; and no one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always howling and bruising himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and bowed down before him; and he shouted at the top of his voice, ‘What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.’ For he had said to him, ‘Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!’ Then Jesus asked him, ‘What is your name?’ He replied, ‘My name is Legion; for we are many.’ He begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now there on the hillside a great herd of swine was feeding; and the unclean spirits begged him, ‘Send us into the swine; let us enter them.’So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the lake, and were drowned in the lake. The swineherds ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Then people came to see what it was that had happened. They came to Jesus and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the legion; and they were afraid. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighbourhood. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed by demons begged him that he might be with him. But Jesus refused, and said to him, ‘Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and what mercy he has shown you.’ And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.

Be sure of this, that no fornicator or impure person, or one who is greedy (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Letter to the Ephesians 05/03-13: "But fornication and impurity of any kind, or greed, must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among saints. Entirely out of place is obscene, silly, and vulgar talk; but instead, let there be thanksgiving. Be sure of this, that no fornicator or impure person, or one who is greedy (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be associated with them. For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; but everything exposed by the light becomes visible,

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 07/16
Hezbollah accomplices deserve to be branded terrorists/Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor/Al Arabiya/March 06/16
An Arab blockade of Iran's Hezbollah/Mshari Al Thaydi/Al Arabiya/March 06/16
Sayyed Nasrallah: Israel, Allied Arab Regimes Will Fall All Together/Mohamed Salami/Al Manar Hezbollah Site/March 06/16
Turkey and Saudi Arabia hit back for the Obama-Putin Syrian pact/DEBKAfile Exclusive Analysis March 5, 2016
Is a free ride for Dashti in Kuwait’s interest/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Asharq Al Awsat/March 06/16
It’s the invasion of the idiots/Turki Al-Dakhil/Al Arabiya/March 06/16
Iran’s costly fake ‘democracy’/Eyad Abu Shakra/Al Arabiya/March 06/16

Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on March 07/16
Hezbollah accomplices deserve to be branded terrorists
An Arab blockade of Iran's Hezbollah
Sayyed Nasrallah: Israel, Allied Arab Regimes Will Fall All Together
Nasrallah Links Saudi 'Anger' to 'Failure': Those Confronting Saudi in Syria are Real Defenders of Lebanon
Jumblat to Meet Hollande Wednesday in Wake of Saudi Measures against Lebanon
Raad Stresses Need for Security: We Will Not Turn the Tables on Anyone
Saudi Crown Prince to French Officials: Riyadh Fears Army Grant Could Land in Hizbullah's Hands
Hariri Heads to Riyadh on Personal Visit
MEA Assures its Planes are Equipped to Handle Thunderbolts
Mashnouq: Iran Revolutionary Guard Using Lebanon for Yemen, Syria Operations
Bahrain Bans Nobel Prize Tunisians in Hizbullah Row
Abou Faour to Nasrallah: Yemen, Bahrain, Syria Conflicts Not More Important than Lebanon
Lebanese Army Rescues Missing Hikers on Mount al-Makmel
AlRai: National paralysis has led to debilitating both Presidency & Parliament
Sleiman: Talk about division, seclusion still exists in the Arab world despite globalization
Emirates Ambassador back in Beirut
Khreiss calls on government to make appropriate decision over garbage crisis
Harb questions LFFPM Understanding over Aoun's nomination, in wake of latter's disruption of elections in agreement with Hezbollah?

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 07/16
Shin Bet: Palestinian oversaw anti-Israeli terror group in Cairo
Report: Putin freezes S-300 missile transfer to Iran
Turkey and Saudi Arabia hit back for the Obama-Putin Syrian pact
Saudi, France urge ‘credible Syria solution’
Iran says Ankara and Tehran support Syrian ceasefire
Death toll soars in Baghdad suicide bomb attack
Saudi Executes 70th Convict this Year
Netanyahu Plays down rift with U.S. ahead of Biden Visit
Freed Italian hostages flown home from Libya
Iran court sentences billionaire to death in graft case
Family, friends of ex-FBI agent demand his release from Iran
Indian priest kidnapped in Yemen retirement home attack
Veteran Sudan Islamist Hassan Turabi laid to rest
Germany defends open-border refugee policy

Links From Jihad Watch Site for March 07/16
Islamic State executes teen for missing Friday prayers
France: Multiple young boys brutally raped by Muslim migrants in “refugee camp”
Educators update anti-bullying messages to protect Muslims
Hamas-linked Muslim lobbying group behind Toronto Star’s decision to stop calling the Islamic State Islamic
Hugh Fitzgerald: Islamophobia One Mo’ Time
A Christian Preacher Debates Muslims about Mohammed — on The Glazov Gang
Sweden: 46% of women over 16 are afraid to go out after dark for fear of rape by Muslim migrants

Hezbollah accomplices deserve to be branded terrorists
Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor/Al Arabiya/March 06/16
Any armed group holding a country hostage on behalf of a foreign state is a traitorous terrorist militia, not a resistance movement and certainly not a legitimate political party, as Hezbollah has always claimed. Its tentacles, stretching from Tehran, have rendered Lebanon a failed state posing a threat to the region.
Given diminishing hope that the honorable Lebanese would reclaim their country, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states officially declared Hezbollah a terrorist group - together with “its leaders, factions and affiliated organizations” - because of “hostile acts” in Syria, Yemen and Iraq, inciting sedition, smuggling weapons and recruiting terrorists. Most Arab states supported the declaration, but unsurprisingly Syria and Iraq disapproved because they, like Lebanon, are under the Iranian boot. However, the Tunisian president’s rejection of the declaration, and Algeria’s disassociation from it, were mystifying. Riyadh has rightly said it will no longer engage in Arab solidarity because it does not exist. The move follows the Saudi decision to freeze $4 billion in military and security aid to Lebanon, and GCC governments warning their nationals not to travel to there for their own safety. Gulf states are also cracking down on known Hezbollah sympathizers and funders within their borders. These actions could not come soon enough.
Silence through fear
Ironically, while Lebanon’s Interior Minister Nohad al-Machnouk was quick to reject the GCC’s labelling, last month he said on Lebanese channel LBC that terrorist cells were trained in Lebanon under the supervision of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Members of those cells were trained by Iranians jointly with Hezbollah, as we know from intelligence gleaned from the group’s spies and agitators arrested in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia. To think Machnouk does not know this is preposterous; either his intelligence-gathering capabilities are sorely lacking, or more likely he is afraid to say what every Lebanese politician knows. They are all fearful of being added to Hezbollah’s list of assassination targets. The Special Tribunal for Lebanon, formed to investigate and try the killers of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, is still waiting for Hezbollah to hand over four of its accused members for trial. Machnouk also revealed that as of 2015 there were sleeping and active IRGC cells in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Kenya, Nigeria, Cyprus and Bulgaria.
Terrorist sympathizers
Now that Hezbollah’s terrorist status is etched in stone, GCC leaderships should focus on its collaborators and appeasers within Lebanon’s political arena. For instance, Lebanese presidential hopeful Suleiman Franjieh has strongly denounced the terrorist blacklisting, tweeting: “Hezbollah as a resistance movement makes Lebanon and the Arabs proud.”The Arabs he refers to share Iran’s ideology and have betrayed their roots by selling their souls to Persian mullahs. In this case, should Franjieh not be classed as a terrorist supporter? Should parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who heads the Amal Movement that is allied with Hezbollah, not be treated as a collaborator? Amal’s political bureau blasted the GCC announcement and emphasized Hezbollah’s ‘credentials’ as a resistance movement. However, the only thing it is currently resisting is the dislodging of the barbaric Syrian regime under direct orders from Tehran. Amal also deserves a place on the GCC’s terrorist listing. It is crunch time for Lebanon’s political and military decision-makers. Are you with us or against us? Do you stand with Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies, or with Hezbollah and Iran? Likewise, the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and its founder Michel Aoun, who is Hezbollah’s pick to fill a presidential vacuum that has endured for almost two years, has strange loyalties. Ten years ago Aoun, a Maronite, signed a political memorandum of understanding with Iran’s proxy in Lebanon following 15 years in exile. He said the partnership was cemented to build a consensual Lebanese democracy on the basis of transparency, justice and equality. He has since blinded his eyes to Hezbollah’s crimes. Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, who characterized Hezbollah as part of an Iranian system in Lebanon just weeks ago, has also rejected listing it as a terrorist group. Jumblatt is a fierce critic of its involvement in Syria, and has warned its Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah that his anti-Saudi statements could negatively impact Lebanese expatriates in the Gulf. Yet when push comes to shove, he has declined to back the GCC decision.
Disappointment
The real disappointment is the figurehead of the March 14 bloc and leader of the Future Party, Saad Hariri, who until recently was considered the GCC’s most trusted Lebanese politician. We believed he was a lion capable of taking back his homeland. Throughout his self-imposed exile, his anti-Iranian, anti-Hezbollah rhetoric rarely faltered. On Feb. 14, marking the anniversary of his father’s assassination, he told his followers that under no circumstance would Lebanon become a province of Iran. His recent behavior, however, belies that pledge. Just weeks prior, he made the shocking announcement that he was prepared to share power with Hezbollah, before throwing his weight behind Franjieh for president. When asked why he would cooperate with a group deemed responsible for his father’s assassination, he said he was committed to the principle of “innocent until proven guilty.”Unlike most other politicians, Hariri did admonish Lebanon for not standing with Riyadh in the Arab League over the torching of the kingdom’s diplomatic missions in Iran. Asked why he was now supporting Franjieh for president, he said: “For me, better to have a president that I will maybe have some problems with than a total void in the presidency.”In other words, he has gift-wrapped Lebanon to be awarded to the other side. It is not better to have a president hand-in-glove with Hezbollah, Iran and Syria than no president at all. The question is whether he will continue negotiations with Hezbollah or withdraw based on its terrorist designation.
Decision time
If the Lebanese government does not back the GCC ruling and issue arrest warrants for Hezbollah’s commanders and funders, it should be classed as a terrorist abetter. I know that it is not within its power to make arrests, but at the very least its position would be clarified. Gulf leaders and their allies should consider governments and individuals standing against Hezbollah’s branding as partners within the same terrorist framework. There is no room for playing both sides or holding a middle ground. The same demand should be made to the Lebanese army. Either it is against the terrorist organization, in which case it should make a public announcement to that effect, or it must declare its alliance with Hezbollah, in which case the army should share the same stamp. The chief of the Lebanese Armed Forces, Brigadier-General Jean Kahwaji, and his top generals should affirm their allegiance to the state over the militia, and for once rise to the task of protecting the country from falling. If not, we are forced to assume that the suspicions that the military is serving Hezbollah’s goals are correct, in which case commanders must be deemed terrorist colluders. Any army proven to be hand-in-glove with servants of a foreign entity deserves to be dismantled at the very least. It is crunch time for Lebanon’s political and military decision-makers, who have reached a fork in the road. Are you with us or against us? Do you stand with Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies, or with Hezbollah and Iran? Those are questions the GCC should ask and demand answers to before reacting accordingly. Which path Lebanon takes will decide its destiny, not only for the foreseeable future but for generations to come.

An Arab blockade of Iran's Hezbollah
Mshari Al Thaydi/Al Arabiya/March 06/16
A political and legal decisiveness on the part of the Arab world is besieging the Lebanese Hezbollah party, which is affiliated to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. There is a wall being built which is getting stiffer and higher with every passing minute. Hours after the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries declared Hezbollah, its branches, affiliates and leaders as “terrorist group” – without separating the military and political wings like the Europeans, the Council of Arab interior ministers agreed with the decision. Lebanon and Iraq, however, were not party to this decision. These Gulf and Arab measures are not going to end at this point. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) must also take a decision so that any subsequent international effort in this direction stands on solid grounds. Hezbollah’s was rightly described during the Arab interior ministers’ statement in Tunisia as an entity that is “destabilizing the Arab region.” It is adept at establishing terror networks and outlawed gangs, diffusing toxic propaganda and training murderers all over the Arab world. Probably its worst is yet to come. It is just that the mask has now fallen off, revealing the threat posed by Iran to the security of the Arab world and many other countries around the Islamic world.
Similar response
Hezbollah’s reaction to the announcement was expected to be similar to that of its allies. Through its parliamentary bloc – The Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc – it targeted Saudi Arabia even though the decision was taken by the entire GCC. It was alleged that the GCC’s decision is a starting point for the development of Saudi-Israeli relations. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement denounced the decision to ban Hezbollah. In its political council statement, Yemen’s Houthis said the decision is “reckless and serves the interests of the angry Zionist entity and its tools in the region.” The Arab problem with Hezbollah is that it is a source of military training and permanent internal strife, especially with its attempts to monopolize Shiite representation across borders “Lebanon’s Hezbollah is the vanguard of resistance against the Zionist regime (Israel) and Iran is proud of the group,” Iranian state TV quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian as saying. Gulf countries had considered charging Hezbollah with terrorism in 2013 but a consensus could not be developed. However, latest developments show that Gulf citizens, including Kuwaitis, have started to sense the threat Hezbollah poses to regional security. The Arab problem with Hezbollah is that it is a source of military training and permanent internal strife, especially with its attempts to monopolize Shiite representation across borders. Hezbollah is now under Arab siege. Hassan Nasrallah’s numerous speeches are of no use in this situation. The matter at hand is more serious than mere speeches.

Sayyed Nasrallah: Israel, Allied Arab Regimes Will Fall All Together
Mohamed Salami/Al Manar Hezbollah Site/March 06/16
Sayyed NasrallahHezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah asserted on Sunday that the Zionist entity and all its allies among the Arab regimes will fall all together, noting that the Arab people will stressed that 'Israel' will keep their enemy.
Delivering a speech during Hezbollah ceremony to mourn martyr commander Hajj Ali Fayyad, aka Alaa of Bosnia, Sayyed Nasrallah said that the party highly appreciates all who supported the Resistance against the Gulf decision to label it as a terrorist group.
His eminence noted that the recent tension which struck the Lebanese-Saudi relations is attributed to KSA's 5-year catastrophic failure and disappointment in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Bahrain.
Sayyed Nasrallah added that the Saudi regime had expected that few weeks would be enough to defeat their opponents in Yemen and Syria even if the successive rulers were the terrorist groups, which denies KSA's anti-terrorist claims.
In this context, Sayyed Nasrallah wondered, "what would have happened in Lebanon if the terrorists had achieved victory in Syria?"
Sayyed Nasrallah explained what happened in one of the care houses few days ago in Yemen's Aden where the terrorists stormed the building and killed a number nuns, Muslim elders and Indian nurses, considering that they are disbelievers.
We understand the rage of the Saudis who wanted to blame Hezbollah for all their failures in the entire region, according to Sayyed Nasrallah who emphasized that the Resistance feels proud for being viewed as the party who can frustrate the Saudi schemes.
Accordingly,Sayyed Nasrallah the Saudi blacklisted Hezbollah as a terrorist groups, Sayyed Nasrallah pointed out.
His eminence went on to underline the popular reaction in a number of Arab countries to the GCC's decision against Hezbollah, considering that it indicates the sublime position of the Resistance in the view of the Arab people "who have kept the Palestinian cause as a priority."
"The Arab popular reaction challenged the political, takfiri, media and financial pressures in the region."
Sayyed Nasrallah considered that the popular reactions in a number of Arab countries sent a clear message to Israel that the Zionists can never be the guards of the Sunni Muslims.
"The message also stresses that the Israeli existence in the region can never be normalized despite all the attempts on the Zionist officials and some Arab leaders."
"The Bahraini regime jails the Muslims clerics and receives a Zionist Rabbi to highlight its relations with Israel."
On the contrary, Sayyed Nasrallah cited the instance of the Egyptian parliament where one MP beat his colleague with his shoes for receiving the Israeli ambassador in his house, what stresses the real attitude of the Egyptians towards the Israelis despite Camp David agreement.
None of the Arab regimes will be able to normalize its relation with the Zionist entity, Sayyed Nasrallah said.
"O' Zionists, if any Arab regime supports you, it will fall along with you."
Saudi will soon discover that it has lost its battle in the entire region, according to Sayyed Nasrallah.
Hezbollah leader tackled the various stages of the martyr commander Hajj Ali fayyad's life, stressing his fight against the Zionists in southern Lebanon, against the Serbian army in Bosnia and against the terrorists in Syria and Iraq.
Sayyed Nasralah highlighted that Hajj Alaa joined Hezbollah during 1980's as a fighter when he was young, believing in the autonomous capabilities of the Resistance to confront the Israeli occupation regardless of the Arab official support.
"Martyr Ali Fayyad, then, turned to be a main sacrificing commander that established Hezbollah Special Force and contributed to 2000 and 2006 victories."
Sayyed Nasrallah hoped that the Arab countries halt troubling the Resistance as they did during 2006 war, adding that the Arab regimes, including mainly the Saudis, have always worked to protect 'Israel' in order to keep their thrones by stirring the Sunnite-Shiite seditions.
"Hajj Alaa and his brethren did not wait for the Arab league to conclude an Arab consensus and a unified strategy in order to fight the Israelis."
We have resorted to the resistance path in order to liberate our territories and defend our country against the Israeli enemy, and the Arab countries that are blacklisting Hezbollah nowadays have not had anything to do with the Resistance, according to Sayyed Nasrallah.
"The people-army-resistance formula has always protected Lebanon against the Israeli threats, not the Arab league."
"The Saudi regime schemes conspiracies against all who try to confront the Zionist entity."
Sayyed Nasrallah said that Hezbollah sent a group of his fighters and commanders to Bosnia during the nineties, including Hajj Alaa, to defend the Muslims, wondering if this act can be considered as terrorist.
Sayyed Nasrallah asked, "For those who accuse Hezbollah of sectarianism, are the Muslims in Bosnia Sunnites or Shiites?."
Sayyed Nasrallah added that Hajj Alaa went to defend the Sunni Muslims in Bosnia, sacrificing martyr Ramzi Mahdi, for the sake of Holy God.
On theHajj Alaa contribution of Hajj Alaa in Iraq, Sayyed Nasrallah clarified that after ISIL terrorist group invaded in 2014 Mosul, Anbar, parts of Salaheddine and Kirkuk and reached areas near Baghdad, and entire Iraq became in danger; the Iraqi leadership asked us to send a number of commanders and military trainers to help the local forces defend their country.
"Hajj Alaa was one of the first Hezbollah commanders who joined the Iraqi forces to fight against ISIL."
"Thanks to the religious reference in Najaf, represented by Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Sistani, dozens of thousands of Iraqis joined the Popular Mobilization Forces that have changed the formula in the entire country."
Addressing the Saudis, Sayyed Nasrallah said, "You have formed a coalitions that is composed of 70 countries, yet it has failed to reach any battlefield advance against ISIL."
"What is ironic is that Saudi has formed an Islamic coalition, but that US leads it!"
“It would be misleading to think that we would wait for the Arab League approval in order to help the Iraqis against ISIL. We were fighting in Iraq under an Iraqi leadership, and if we were fighting under an American leadership, they would not label us as terrorist,” he added, referring to the GCC resolution.
To the Gulf countries, Sayyed Nasrallah said, “If it had not been for the Popular Mobilization forces in Iraq, ISIL would have been now in your palaces and it would have been killing you and enslaving your women.”
“Arab chivalry is when every Arab goes to Iraq to defend the dignity and holy sites of the Iraqis, not to label those defending Iraq as terrorists,” Hezbollah Secretary General went on to say.
"ISIL would have destroyed the holy shrines in Iraq if it had not been confronted."
Sayyed Nasrallah tackled martyr commander Ali Fayyad's role in Syria, saying that Hajj Alaa was also one of the first Hezbollah military commanders who joined Syria fight against the terrorist groups, adding that he was injured several times, but that he rejected to stop fighting in Syria till martyrdom.
Hezbollah is completely convinced that his role in Syria is constructive, according to his eminence who added that no one can prevent the Resistance from doing what it considers as suitable, nor can others force it to carry out any step if it rejects.
"Hezbollah gained a religious approval from the Supreme Leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei to fight in Syria, but his eminence did not oblige the party to intervene in the Syrian fight."
The Resistance will keep the Umma's Ceremonyhope of defeating the enemies, if God wills, Sayyed Nasrallah concluded.
Hezbollah Secretary General started his speech by offering condolences and congratulations to the family of martyr commander Ali Fayyad on his martyrdom, hailing the long and historic sacrifices of Hajj Alaa on the path of the Resistance for the sake of Holy God.
His eminence also condoled and congratulated the families of all Hezbollah martyrs who embraced martyrdom recently in Syria.
Sayyed Nasrallah's speech was during the ceremony that Hezbollah organized to mourn martyr commander Ali Fayyad in his home town, Ansar, in southern Lebanon.
The ceremonyHadi Fayyad started with a recitation of Holy Quran verses before a footage that shows glimpses of the martyr's achievements and contributions was displayed.
Then, Hajj Alaa's son, Hadi, delivered a speech to eulogize his father, stressing that he will would stick to the martyr's path.

Nasrallah Links Saudi 'Anger' to 'Failure': Those Confronting Saudi in Syria are Real Defenders of Lebanon
Naharnet /March 06/16/Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Sunday linked the latest Saudi measures against Lebanon and his Iran-backed party to what he called the kingdom's “failure” in Syria and Yemen, as he described Hizbullah's fighters in Syria as “the real defenders of Lebanese interests.”
“What protects this country is its army, people and resistance and those who expect that the Arab League or Arab consensus can prevent Israel from attacking Lebanon are delusional,” said Nasrallah in a speech marking one week since the funeral of Hizbullah commander Ali Fayyad, who was killed fighting in Syria's Aleppo province. Addressing Arab governments, Nasrallah added: “We do not want anything from you. We do not want money, arms or support, just leave this resistance, country and people alone.” His remarks come several days after the Saudi-led Gulf Cooperation Council labeled Hizbullah a “terrorist” organization over what it called "terrorist acts and incitement in Syria, Yemen and in Iraq" and alleged interference in the affairs of Gulf states. The resolution followed a series of Saudi measures against Lebanon and Hizbullah that started on February 19 when the Saudi foreign ministry announced that the kingdom was halting around $4 billion in military aid to the Lebanese army and security forces. “Hajj Alaa (Ali Fayyad) and his brothers went to Iraq when Daesh (Islamic State group) invaded Mosul, Anbar, parts of Salaheddine and Kirkuk and reached areas near Baghdad, and entire Iraq became in danger,” Nasrallah explained. “It would be delusional to think that we would wait for the Arab League in order to intervene in Iraq. We were fighting in Iraq under an Iraqi leadership and had we been fighting under an American leadership, they would not have labeled us as terrorist,” he added, referring to the GCC resolution. Addressing the Gulf states, Nasrallah added: “Had it not been for the Popular Mobilization forces in Iraq, Daesh would have been now in your palaces and it would have been killing you and enslaving your women.”“Arab dignity is when every Arab goes to Iraq to defend the dignity and holy sites of the Iraqis, not to label those defending Iraq as terrorists,” Hizbullah's chief went on to say. He noted that Lebanon is facing Saudi Arabia's “rage” because “failure leads to anger” and “when you get angry you try to do something.” “Saudi Arabia is angry because its bets in Syria and Yemen have failed,” Nasrallah pointed out. “Their anger targeted entire Lebanon because they wanted to enrage the Lebanese people against us,” he claimed. “The Lebanese know very well that the Saudi scheme in Syria was to topple the regime without caring who might rise to power, be it Daesh, al-Nusra (Front) or groups of similar ideology. Those confronting Saudi Arabia in Syria are the real defenders of Lebanese interests,” Nasrallah added, hitting out at Saudi Arabia's allies in Lebanon who have criticized the party's role in Syria and the region.

Jumblat to Meet Hollande Wednesday in Wake of Saudi Measures against Lebanon
Naharnet/March 06/16/Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat is expected to travel to France in the upcoming days where he is set to meet President Francois Hollande, reported the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Sunday. It said that he is scheduled to hold talks with the French leader on Wednesday at the Elysee Palace in Paris.Discussions are set to tackle the latest Lebanese developments in wake of Saudi Arabia's decision to halt a grant to the army in protest against Hizbullah's virulent criticism of the kingdom and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil's abstention from voting in favor of Arab League resolutions condemning attacks against the Saudi embassy in Iran in January.Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef had paid a visit to France this week to address Lebanon and the Syrian conflict. He explained to various French officials Saudi Arabia's motives for taking its measures against Beirut, including issuing a travel advisory to its citizens. Gulf states had also issued similar warnings to their citizens before blacklisting Hizbullah as a terrorist state over its actions in Syria and Yemen.

Raad Stresses Need for Security: We Will Not Turn the Tables on Anyone
Naharnet/March 06/16/Head of Hizbullah's Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Mohammed Raad highlighted on Sunday the need for stability and security in Lebanon, as well as the party's keenness to end the vacuum in the presidency, reported the National News Agency. He said: “We do not want to turn the table against anyone in Lebanon.”“We want stability, security, civil peace, and ending the vacuum in a manner that achieves the people's expectations,” he declared during the funeral of a Hizbullah fighter in the southern city of al-Nabatiyeh. “We seek revitalizing constitutional institutions and the economy,” he continued. “We want to achieve all this through preserving our sovereignty and national will. This demands loyal and honest efforts with the loyal and honest sides” in the country, remarked Raad. Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 since the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of a successor. Ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps have thwarted the polls. Hizbullah announced earlier this year that its lawmakers will boycott electoral sessions unless it has guarantees that its candidate Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun will be elected head of state.

Saudi Crown Prince to French Officials: Riyadh Fears Army Grant Could Land in Hizbullah's Hands
Naharnet/March 06/16/Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef paid a visit earlier this week to France where he defended to French officials the kingdom's decision to halt its grant to the Lebanese army, accusing Iran of extending its influence in the region to Lebanon, reported the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Sunday. A high-ranking official told the daily that the kingdom fears that arms grant would land in the hands of Hizbullah “given that the party's control over the military is increasing day by day.”The crown prince however explained that Riyadh still values it ties with Lebanon and that it will “continue to help it on the economic level and in assisting it take in Syrian refugees.”The Saudi official had met on his trip with French President Francois Holland, Prime Minister Manuel Valls, Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, and Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. The source revealed to al-Hayat that Hollande and other officials had stressed to Prince Nayef the need to “leave the door open” to unfreeze the army grant “if the Lebanese authorities took the initiative.”They emphasized the need to continue on helping the military. Saudi Arabia halted in February an aid grant worth billions of dollars that was dedicated to the Lebanese army and security forces in protest against Hizbullah's virulent criticism of the kingdom and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil's abstention from voting in favor of Arab League resolutions condemning attacks against the Saudi embassy in Iran in January. The deal was to be funded by Saudi Arabia with France providing the equipment. Riyadh then issued a travel advisory to its citizens against heading to Lebanon. Gulf states soon followed suit before blacklisting Hizbullah as a terrorist group.

Hariri Heads to Riyadh on Personal Visit
Naharnet/March 06/16/Head of the Mustaqbal Movement MP Saad Hariri traveled to Saudi Arabia on Saturday, announced his press office in a statement. The former premier headed to the Saudi capital Riyadh on a family trip. The MP had returned to Lebanon on February 13 to mark the eleventh anniversary of his father and former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassination. He had initially left Beirut in 2011 over alleged security concerns. He had last paid a visit to the country in February 2015.

MEA Assures its Planes are Equipped to Handle Thunderbolts
Naharnet/March 06/16/Lebanon's Middle East Airlines denied on Saturday reports alleging that an electric malfunction hit a plane's electronic equipment en route from Turkey to Lebanon, and assured that its planes are equipped to handle thunderbolts. “A company's aircraft had suffered a lightning strike due to bad weather conditions over the northern region of Turkey. Planes usually face such conditions. It is our duty to make clear that all our planes are equipped to protect against thunderbolts,” MEA said in a statement. “The plane did not encounter any electric or technical malfunctions, as it was not exposed to any risks that endanger safety as stated in some local news,” said the statement. It added that the pilot has reassured the passengers as soon as lighting hit the plane and that the landing process was normal at the Beirut airport. Reports said on Friday that a MEA plane suffered some malfunction following a lightning strike that hit it while it was in flight from Turkey to Lebanon

Mashnouq: Iran Revolutionary Guard Using Lebanon for Yemen, Syria Operations
Naharnet /March 06/16/Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq on Sunday accused the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps of using Lebanon as an “operations room” for its activities in Yemen, Syria and other countries. “Our stance is clear on rejecting Hizbullah's interference and Iran's Revolutionary Guard is using Lebanon as an operations room for its foreign operations in Yemen, Syria and other places,” Mashnouq said in an interview with Al-Arabiya television. “We will do all we can to prevent Lebanon from being turned into a Persian thorn in the thigh of Arabs,” the minister vowed. “We are voicing a political, peaceful stance and we do not want a military confrontation or a sectarian strife,” he underlined. Mashnouq was speaking only hours after Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah renewed his verbal attacks against Saudi Arabia over the conflicts in Yemen, Iraq and Syria and linked Riyadh's latest measures against Lebanon and Hizbullah to what he called the kingdom's “failure in Yemen and Syria.”Saudi Arabia has linked its measures to Lebanon's refusal to join the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in condemning attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran last month, and alleged Hizbullah "terrorist acts against Arab and Muslim nations."“The entire world will realize that in Lebanon there are political forces that do not accept that Lebanon be taken hostage of foreign policies that are not in the interest of the Lebanese,” Mashnouq said on Sunday. “Arab negligence towards Lebanon is what made us reach this situation. The Arab confrontation decision goes back to a few weeks ago only while we have been offering martyrs for the past ten years,” he told the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya television. Turning to his participation at the conference of Arab interior ministers in Tunisia earlier this week, Mashnouq said he told the Arab officials there “that the Arab confrontation decision came as a surprise but the means of confrontation require preparation and readiness.”“Some ministers from the Gulf Cooperation Council states expressed understanding of my stance in Tunisia and congratulated me on it and I was not told about any dismay,” the minister added, referring to his rejection of a clause that described Hizbullah as “terrorist” in the meeting's closing statement. Mashnouq had accused Hizbullah in late February of having “trained” Iran-linked militants who have been allegedly captured in several countries across the world. “Iranian revolutionary guard terrorist cells that were captured in eight countries comprised members who were trained in Lebanon” at the hands of Hizbullah, Mashnouq alleged. Saudi Arabia launched a series of measures February 19 when the its foreign ministry announced that the kingdom was halting around $4 billion in military aid to the Lebanese army and security forces. The kingdom later slapped sanctions on individuals and firms accused of ties to Hizbullah and advised its citizens against travel to Lebanon while urging those already in the country to leave it. Saudi Arabia has also pushed the Gulf Cooperation Council to label Hizbullah as a “terrorist” organization and accuse it of "terrorist acts and incitement in Syria, Yemen and in Iraq."

Israel Launches Flares in Lebanese Airspace
/Naharnet/March 06/16/Israeli aircraft released illumination and missile-deflecting flares on Sunday over the southern coastal regions of Naqoura and Tyre, Lebanon's National News Agency reported.“Israeli warplanes have dropped a number of illumination flares over the southern coast from Ras al-Naqoura to the shore of the al-Rashidiyeh (Palestinian refugee) camp,” NNA said. It earlier reported that Israeli aircraft had launched missile-deflecting flares over Lebanon's territorial waters off the town of Naqoura, south of Tyre. The warplanes “overflew the region before returning to the airspace of occupied Palestine,” NNA added. Israel violates Lebanese airspace on daily basis amid frequent encroachment on the country's land and maritime borders. On Wednesday, fifteen Israeli shells landed on the Lebanese border during Israeli exercises in the occupied Shebaa Farms. The Lebanese-Israeli border has been tense since early January when Hizbullah detonated a bomb against an Israeli vehicle in the Shebaa Farms in response to Israeli's assassination in Syria of the party's top operative Samir al-Quntar.

Bahrain Bans Nobel Prize Tunisians in Hizbullah Row
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 06/16/ Tunisia's trade union federation, a joint winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, said Sunday that Bahrain denied entry to two of its members in a row over Lebanon's Hizbullah. The two Tunisians, Noureddine Taboubi and Abdelkrim Jrad, planned to take part in a congress of Bahraini trade unions but were denied entry on Saturday, the Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT) said. Sami Tahri, the UGTT spokesman, told Mosaique FM radio that the two were banned "because of the UGTT's rejection of Hizbullah's classification as a terrorist organization."
The ban was "undemocratic" and "contrary to international law," he said, adding that "there are always countries which are against any free and independent positions."Last Thursday, the UGTT and another member of Tunisia's Nobel Prize winning quartet condemned a decision by Arab Gulf states to blacklist Hizbullah as a "terrorist" organization. The move by the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), led by Saudi Arabia, formed part of "an offensive by foreign and other regional forces to divide the Arab world and destroy its forces," the UGTT said.
The head of the Tunisian Order of Lawyers, also a member of the Nobel quartet, called on all "forces in Tunisia and in the Arab world to exert pressure on governments to reconsider their decision."

Abou Faour to Nasrallah: Yemen, Bahrain, Syria Conflicts Not More Important than Lebanon
Naharnet/March 06/16/Health Minister Wael Abou Faour hit out Sunday at remarks by Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, stressing that the conflicts in the region are not more important than “the interests of Lebanon and its people.”
“The latest crisis with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states can be resolved and the solution is in the hands of the Lebanese or some of them, who must stop antagonizing and provoking the Arab countries through stances, remarks and actions that are not in the interest of Lebanon and the Lebanese,” the minister, who is close to Progressive Socialist Party chief MP Walid Jumblat, said. Such stances “do not belong to the principles, identity of priorities of the Lebanese,” Abou Faour added. “It is not right to prioritize the calculations, interests and conflicts of Yemen, Bahrain, Syria and other regional problems over the interests of Lebanon and its people,” the minister stressed. His remarks came a few hours after Nasrallah renewed his verbal attacks against Saudi Arabia over the conflicts in Yemen, Iraq and Syria and linked Riyadh's latest measures against Lebanon and Hizbullah to what he called the kingdom's “failure in Yemen and Syria.”“Their anger targeted entire Lebanon because they wanted to enrage the Lebanese people against us,” he said. The Saudi measures started on February 19 when the Saudi foreign ministry announced that the kingdom was halting around $4 billion in military aid to the Lebanese army and security forces. The kingdom later slapped sanctions on individuals and firms accused of ties to Hizbullah and advised its citizens against travel to Lebanon while urging those already in the country to leave it. Saudi Arabia has also pushed the Gulf Cooperation Council and the council of Arab interior ministers to label Hizbullah as a “terrorist” organization and accuse it of "terrorist acts and incitement in Syria, Yemen and in Iraq." Riyadh has linked its measures to Lebanon's refusal to join the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in condemning attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran last month, and alleged Hizbullah "terrorist acts against Arab and Muslim nations."

Lebanese Army Rescues Missing Hikers on Mount al-Makmel
Naharnet/March 06/16/The army managed Sunday to rescue a number of hikers who had gone missing on the snowy slopes of Mount al-Makmel, state-run National News Agency reported. The mountain, the highest in Lebanon, is located in the al-Arz region and contains the Qurnat as-Sawda peak, the highest point in Lebanon and the Levant at 3,088 meters above sea level. NNA said the hikers were nine Lebanese citizens and a Serbian man who sustained injuries to the foot.
The agency said the ten hikers were first evacuated to Harf Mizyara before being transferred to Bsharri. Earlier in the day, NNA said the hikers "took refuge in a room to wait for the arrival of the rescue crews."

AlRai: National paralysis has led to debilitating both Presidency & Parliament
Sun 06 Mar 2016 /NNA - Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Bshara Butros al-Rai, stressed Sunday that "had it not been for the paralysis at the national level, those attempting to paralyze the presidential election and parliament sessions would not have gone this far!" Al-Rai's words came as he delivered his homily in Bkekré."We pray that each and every one would admit to the paralysis of his soul and spirit, as a result of his sin and mistakes, preventing him from his duty to his family and church, and to society and the State," he underscored. Al-Rai went on to consider such paralysis as being "the core reason for the Arab and international lacking will to end the wars in the Middle East, find political solutions, and establish a just, comprehensive and lasting peace...thus, the indifference towards millions of migrants, displaced, and homeless people, deprived of their human rights," he noted. "For this cause we pray," the Patriarch concluded.

Sleiman: Talk about division, seclusion still exists in the Arab world despite globalization
Sun 06 Mar 2016/NNA - Former President Michel Sleiman said on Sunday that "while globalization prevails, we still find people in the Arab world talking about division and seclusion."Sleiman's stance came during his meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon, Jiang Jiang, accompanied by a delegation of Shanghai's Institutes for International Studies. Discussions centered on the importance of the development of society, especially in the areas of information and communication technologies, which have positive impact on the lifestyle of individuals. Sleiman considered that "while the climate of globalization imposes on governments and leaders the duty of eliminating physical and psychological barriers and distances separating them from the people, irresponsible and maddening incitement pushes values into the gutter, as we see nowadays."

Emirates Ambassador back in Beirut
Sun 06 Mar 2016/NNA - United Arab Emirates Ambassador to Lebanon, Hamad Said Al Shamsi, returned to Beirut Sunday evening, coming from Abu Dhabi.

Khreiss calls on government to make appropriate decision over garbage crisis
Sun 06 Mar 2016/NNA - Amal Movement bloc, MP Ali Khreiss, has urged the government to adopt the appropriate decision over garbage-disposal issue.
Khreiss promptings came during a ceremony organized by the movement in south Lebanon, where he concluded that the decision he's been referring to, could be implemented thanks to the strength of government cohesion.

Harb questions LFFPM Understanding over Aoun's nomination, in wake of latter's disruption of elections in agreement with Hezbollah?
Sun 06 Mar 2016 /NNA - Tele-Communications Minister, Boutros Harb, questioned Sunday "the meaning and purpose of the Lebanese Forces and Free Patriotic Movement's consensus over General Michel Aoun's nomination, in light of his continued disruption of the presidential elections in agreement with Hezbollah?"Harb's words came before a crowd of supporters who visited him at his Tannourine home in the Casa of Batroun, with whom he discussed current prevailing hour issues of concern, most prominently the presidential elections dossier. "We are facing a dangerous situation at this stage, for we have abandoned our principles and forgotten the reasons we were fighting for; hence, our battle remains since we have not yet achieved our goals," added Harb. "We wish to restore the State in which citizens can live with dignity," Harb went on, "for which reason we ought to regain our main principles on which our battle was built," he added. Harb vowed that "we shall never bargain over Lebanon's interests and the future of our children in search of our own gains."

Shin Bet: Palestinian oversaw anti-Israeli terror group in Cairo
Yoav Zitun, Roi Kais, and Elior Levy/Ynetnews /March 06/16
Shin Bet reveals January arrest of a Palestinian who years ago left the West Bank to Egypt, supposedly to study, and confessed to working with a radical Islamist group and Hamas in order to plan and conduct attacks on Israel, including firing rockets and supporting terrorism inside Israel.
Israel arrested in January a Palestinian who allegedly moved to Egypt in 2007 in order to found a terrorist cell dedicated to attacking Israel, it was cleared for publication on Sunday. Najib Mustafa Nizal, 33, was a resident of Qatabiya until moving to Egypt, supposedly for school.
According to the Shin Bet, Nizal joined Kata'ib al-Mujahideen, a terror organization distinct from the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades and adopted radical Islamist features.The group’s operatives committed in the past few years multiple attacks on Israeli targets, especially firing rockets at Israel and attempting to support terrorist activity on Israeli soil. The group has ties to Hamas, including in the areas of labor, training and professional assistance, and weapons supplies. In practice, Kata'ib al-Mujahideen is under the sponsorship of Hamas in the Gaza Strip and receives funding and guidance from it. Nizal confessed to the Shin Bet that while in Egypt, he worked to locate and recruit students from the West Bank who were studying in Egypt. He said he sent these recruits to Gaza for military training and then helped them infiltrate the West Bank.
Nizal also told the Shin Bet that the objective of the recruitment was to create military infrastructure in the West Bank. He further admitted that he conducted his activities in Egypt from a safe house belonging to Kata'ib al-Mujahideen. He said the house was used for meetings of militants from the group in Gaza, including the organization’s leader, Assad Abu Shariah. The apartment also served as a meeting place for senior Hamas operatives from Gaza, according to the confession, as well as for other terror operatives. Nizal also told the Shin Bet that he was involved in transferring funds for the project. He also admitted knowledge of a major weapons smuggling route between Libya and Egypt and from there to the Gaza Strip.

Report: Putin freezes S-300 missile transfer to Iran
Avi Nachmani/Ynetnews/Published: 03.06.16/Kuwaiti daily Al-Jarida quotes high-level source stating that Putin decided to stop the transfer based on proof he received from Israel that Iran transferred advanced Russian missile systems to Hezbollah. Russia has decided to freeze its shipment of S-300 anti-aircraft missile system to Iran, Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida reported on Saturday. The paper quotes a highly reliable source as saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered to suspend delivery of the advanced aerial defense system because Iran failed to lived up to its promise not deliver advanced weaponry to the Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah. The source, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Kuwaiti paper that Putin based his decision on information he received from Israel, proving that the Iranians had transferred the advanced Russian-made SA-22 surface-to-air missile system to Hezbollah more than once. According to the report, Russian pilots flying missions over Syria and Lebanon have frequently mentioned that their radar systems detected advanced surface-to-air missile systems in Hezbollah-controlled regions on the Lebanese-Syrian border. Russia signed an $800 million contract to sell Iran the S-300 missile system in 2007, but in 2010 suspended their delivery because of strong objections from the United States and Israel. Moscow insisted that its decision in 2010 to freeze the S-300 delivery was based on sanctions the United Nations' Security Council imposed on Iran over its nuclear program. On January 16, 2016, the US, UN and EU announced they were lifting sanctions against Iran, following the UN atomic watchdog's announcement that Tehran had put in place all curbs on its atomic activities as required by its landmark deal with major world powers, leading Russia to announce that it will now deliver the S-300 system to the Islamic Republic. In reacton to Russia's announcement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office "expressed Israel's dismay at the decision... (and) told President Putin that this step will only increase Iran's aggression in the region and will destabilize security in the Middle East."

Turkey and Saudi Arabia hit back for the Obama-Putin Syrian pact
DEBKAfile Exclusive Analysis March 5, 2016
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/03/06/debkafile-turkey-and-saudi-arabia-hit-back-for-the-obama-putin-syrian-pact/
Headline of last issue of Turkey's Zaman before government takeover
Turkey and Saudi Arabia have taken separate steps to break free from Washington’s dictates on the Syrian issue and show their resistance to Russia’s highhanded intervention in Syria. They are moving on separate tracks to signal their defiance and frustration with the exclusive pact between Presidents Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin which ostracizes Riyadh and Ankara on the Syrian question. Turkey in particular, saddled with three million Syrian refugees (Jordan hosts another 1.4 million), resents Washington's deaf ear to its demand for no-fly zones in northern and southern Syria as shelters against Russian and Syrian air raids. Last year, President Reccep Erdogan tried in desperation to partially open the door for a mass exit of Syrian refugees to Europe. He was aghast when he found that most of the million asylum-seekers reaching Europe were not Syrians, but Muslims from Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan, in search of a better life in the West. Most of the Syrians stayed put in the camps housing them in southern Turkey.
Even the Turkish intelligence agency MIT was hard put to explain this setback. According to one partial explanation, organized crime gangs of Middle East dope and arms smugglers, in which ISIS is heavily represented, seized control of the refugee traffic heading to Europe from Libya, Iraq and Syria.
This human traffic netted the gangs an estimated $1 billion. Turkey was left high and dry with millions of Syrian refugees on its hands and insufficient international aid to supply their needs. No less painful, Bashar Assad was still sitting pretty in Damascus.  Finding Assad firmly entrenched in Damascus is no less an affront for Saudi Arabia. Added to this, the Syrian rebel groups supported by Riyadh are melting away under continuing Russian-backed government assaults enabled by the Obama-Putin “ceasefire” deal’
The oil kingdom’s rulers find it particularly hard to stomach the sight of Iran and Hizballah going from strength to strength both in Syria and Lebanon.
The Turks threatened to strike back, but confined themselves to artillery shelling of Syrian areas close to the border. While appearing to be targeting the Kurdish YPD-YPG militia moving into these areas, the Turkish guns were in fact pounding open spaces with no Kurdish presence. Their purpose was to draw a line around the territory which they have marked out for a northern no-fly or security zone. Saturday, March 5, President Erdogan proposed building a “new city” of 4,500 square kilometers on northern Syrian soil, to shelter the millions of war refugees. He again tried putting the idea to President Obama.
The Saudi Defense Minister, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman put together a more high-risk and comprehensive scheme. Its dual purpose is to hit pro-Iranian Hizballah from the rear and forcied the two big powers to treat Riyadh seriously as a player for resolving the Syrian imbroglio.
The scheme hinged in the cancellation of a $4 billion Saudi pledge of military aid to the Lebanese army, thereby denying Hizballah, which is a state within the state and also dominates the government, access to Saudi funding. But it also pulled the rug from under Lebanon’s hopes for combating ISIS and Al Qaeda’s Nusra Front, which have grabbed a strip of Lebanese territory in the northern Beqaa Valley.
The Saudi action, by weakening the Lebanese military and its ability to shore up central government in Beirut, risks tipping Lebanon over into another civil war. The London Economist commented that this Saudi step against Lebanon seems “amateurish.” Under the young prince (30), “Saudi Arabia sometimes acts with bombast and violence that makes it look like the Donald Trump of the Arab World,” in the view of the magazine. But the Saudi step had a third less obvious motive, a poke in the eye for President Obama for espousing Iran’s claim to Middle East hegemony. Resentment on this score is common to the Saudi royal house and the Erdogan government.
As a crude provocation for Washington, the Turkish president ordered police Friday, March 4, to raid Turkey’s largest newspaper Zaman, after an Istanbul court ruling placed it under government control. The newspaper released its final edition ahead of the raid declaring the takeover a "shameful day for free press" in the country. A group of protesters outside the building was dispersed with tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons. Zaman is owned by the exiled Muslim cleric Felhullah Gulen, who heads the powerful Hizmet movement, which strongly contests Erdogan government policies. A former ally of the president, the two fell out years ago. In 1999, after he was accused of conspiring to overthrow the government in Ankara, Gulen fled to the United States.
Today, the exiled cleric runs the Hizmet campaign against the Turkish president from his home in Pennsylvania, for which he has been declared a terrorist and many of his supporters arrested. The takeover of Zaman was intended both as a blow by Ankara against Muslim circles opposed to the Erdogan regime and as an act of retaliation against the United States, for harboring its opponents and sidelining Turkey from Obama administration plans for Syria. Oddly enough, the Turkish president finds himself in a position analogous to Egyptian President Abdel-Fatteh El-Sisi, who is at war with the Muslim Brotherhood, a movement which enjoys Obama’s support. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has his own dilemmas. Struggling to keep his balance while walking a tight rope on the Syrian situation between Israel’s longstanding ties with Washington and handling the Russian tiger lurking next door, he is in no hurry to welcome Erdogan’s determined overtures for the resumption of normal relations. Turkey is in trouble with both major world powers and, after living for five years under hostile abuse from Ankara, Israel does not owe Erdogan a helping had for pulling him out of the mess.

Saudi, France urge ‘credible Syria solution’
Saudi Gazette, Paris Sunday, 6 March 2016/Saudi Arabia and France stressed the need for a credible political solution to the Syrian crisis as the only way to permanently restore peace and fight terrorism. In a joint communiqué issued at the conclusion of the visit to France by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, deputy premier and interior minister, the two sides stressed support for the cessation of hostilities reiterating that the groups which have been named by the Security Council are the only parties excluded from the truce. They also stressed the need for allowing unlimited and immediate humanitarian aid to help all Syrians. The two sides discussed possible ways to strengthen international security and stability. They reaffirmed their commitment to the international coalition against ISIS and lauded all efforts to achieve stability in the region, including the formation of an anti-terrorism Islamist alliance. The Kingdom and France also expressed willingness to strengthen bilateral cooperation to combat causes of extremism, racism and sectarianism, eliminating the sources of terror financing and curbing all forms of violence whether ethnic or communal. The two sides stressed the importance of reducing violence and extremism through action at the political, intellectual, and security levels. They also expressed the desire to develop new areas of bilateral cooperation for the promotion of investments and also reaffirmed their commitment to achieve progress in many bilateral projects, during the 3rd session of the joint committee to be held in Paris in April under the chairmanship of the Crown Prince and the French Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development. The two sides also stressed their full support for the Iraqi government in its efforts to find a lasting political solution to the crisis through a national reconciliation program that includes all components of Iraqi society. They reaffirmed support for the Arab coalition in Yemen, the legitimate authorities in the country as well as the work done by Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed and expressed their grave concern at the deteriorating humanitarian situation. The two sides stressed their support for the unity, security and stability of Lebanon through official institutions, particularly the army. They stressed the need to elect a president as soon as possible. On the Palestinian issue, the two countries agreed on the need to resume the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Saudi Arabia expressed support for the French initiative to hold an international conference on this issue. Crown Prince Muhammad made a two-day official visit to France on March 3-4 at the invitation of French President Francois Hollande.

Iran says Ankara and Tehran support Syrian ceasefire
The Associated Press, Tehran Sunday, 6 March 2016/Iran's President Hassan Rouhani says that both Iran and Turkey support the current Syrian cease-fire and the preservation of Syria's territorial integrity. A Sunday report by the government-owned IRAN daily quotes Rouhani as saying, "There is no difference" between the two countries regarding stopping the war and "providing relief assistance to displaced people." His remarks came during a meeting with visiting Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu ahead of talks between the Syrian government and opposition later this month. Turkey is a leading backer of the rebels fighting to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad. Iran, along with Russia, has strongly backed Assad.

Death toll soars in Baghdad suicide bomb attack
By AP Baghdad Sunday, 6 March 2016/A suicide bomber on Sunday rammed his explosives-laden fuel truck into a security checkpoint south of Baghdad, killing at least 47 people and wounding dozens, officials said, the latest episode in an uptick in violence in the war-ravaged country. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which bore the hallmarks of ISIS. ISIS and other Sunni militants frequently use car bombs and suicide attacks to target public areas and government buildings in their bid to undermine confidence in the Shiite-led government in Baghdad. Among the dead were 39 civilians, while the rest were members of the security forces. The attacker struck shortly after noon when the checkpoint at one of the entrances to the city of Hillah was crowded with dozens of cars, a police officer said. He added that up to 65 other people were wounded and nearly 50 cars were damaged. Hillah is located about 95 kilometers (60 miles) south of Baghdad. A medical official confirmed the causality figures. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information.Iraq has seen a spike in violence in the past month with suicide attacks in and outside Baghdad, all claimed by the Islamic State group, killing more than 170 people. ISIS controls large swaths of Iraq and neighboring Syria and has declared an Islamic “caliphate” on the territory it holds. According to United Nations figures, at least 670 Iraqis were killed last month due to ongoing violence, of whom about two-thirds were civilians.

Saudi Executes 70th Convict this Year
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 06/16/Saudi Arabia executed a citizen convicted of murder on Sunday, bringing to 70 the number of people it has put to death this year. Alaa al-Zahrani was found guilty of killing fellow Saudi Abdullah al-Sumairi with a rock to the head, the interior ministry said. He was put to death in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, said a ministry statement carried by the official SPA news agency. The 70 executions so far this year include 47 death sentences for "terrorism" carried out in a single day on January 2. Most people sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia are beheaded with a sword.
In 2015, Saudi Arabia executed 153 people, most of them for drug trafficking or murder, according to an AFP count. Amnesty International says the number of executions in Saudi Arabia last year was the highest for two decades. However, the tally was far behind those of China and Iran. The kingdom has a strict Islamic legal code under which murder, drug trafficking, armed robbery, rape and apostasy are all punishable by death.

Netanyahu Plays down rift with U.S. ahead of Biden Visit
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 06/16/Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke Sunday of "strong" ties with the United States ahead of a visit by Vice President Joe Biden, despite deep disagreement over the nuclear accord with Iran. "This visit expresses the strong relations between Israel and our ally the U.S.," Netanyahu said at the start of a cabinet meeting. "There are those who have predicted the collapse of these relations. It is not so. The relationship is strong in all areas and also in face of the challenges that we are standing together against in our region." Biden is set to arrive on Tuesday for talks with Netanyahu as well as Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas in Ramallah. Israel and the United States have been seeking to move past deep disagreement over the Iran nuclear accord, which Netanyahu strongly opposed, and work out a new 10-year defense aid package. The current deal grants Israel some $3.1 billion annually, in addition to spending on other projects such as missile defense.Biden's visit comes amid a five-month wave of violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories that has killed 181 Palestinians as well as 28 Israelis. Most of the Palestinians who died in the violence were killed while carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities. Others were shot dead by Israeli forces during clashes or demonstrations. The White House said on Friday that Biden would not be pursuing any major new peace initiatives during his visit. U.S. President Barack Obama has acknowledged that there will be no comprehensive agreement between Israelis and Palestinians before he leaves office in January 2017. His administration's harsh criticism of Israeli settlement building in the occupied West Bank has added to tensions between the two longstanding allies. Biden is also expected to discuss the fight against the Islamic State group with Netanyahu.

Freed Italian hostages flown home from Libya
Reuters, Rome Sunday, 6 March 2016/Two Italian hostages freed in Libya after two fellow captives were allegedly killed by ISIS militants were flown back to Italy on Sunday, officials said. The four were employees of Italian construction company Bonatti and were seized last July near the western Libyan city of Sabratha, near a compound owned by the energy group Eni. Gino Pollicardo and Filippo Calcagno were transferred by helicopter to Tripoli from Sabratha at night and boarded an Italian plane, Libyan officials said. They arrived at Rome's military airport of Ciampino at 0400 GMT and were due to be interrogated by magistrates, Italian media said. According to a spokesman for Libyan security forces in Sabratha, fellow captives Salvatore Failla and Fausto Piano were shot dead by ISIS militants shortly before Libyan forces attacked them on Wednesday. The spokesman, Sabri Kshada, has said Pollicardo and Calcagno were released during a raid early on Friday. However the exact circumstances of both the killings and the release remain unclear. The two freed hostages have made no comment. Sabratha is one of several Libyan cities in which militants loyal to ISIS have established a presence, taking advantage of the chaos that has plagued Libya since Muammar Qaddafi was toppled in an uprising five years ago. Libya is a former Italian colony, and Rome is working with other Western powers and the United Nations to try to convince two rival Libyan governments to create a single, unity coalition and focus their energy on the fight against ISIS. Pollicardo and Calcagno were questioned by Libyan forces at Tripoli's Mitiga airport for about 45 minutes before departing for Italy and briefly appeared beside Ali Abu Zakouk, the foreign minister of Tripoli's self-declared government. "We need support and cooperation from the Italians to tackle the criminal organization of Islamic State in Libya," Zakouk said, without giving details on how the hostages were released.

Iran court sentences billionaire to death in graft case
By Reuters Dubai Sunday, 6 March 2016/A court in Iran sentenced to death Iranian businessman Babak Zanjani and two accomplices for embezzlement, the judiciary said on Sunday, in a case widely watched due to Zanjani's prominent role in helping the government evade oil sanctions. The Islamic court convicted the defendants of “spreading corruption on earth,” a capital offence, and ordered them to repay funds embezzled from, among others, state-run National Iranian Oil Company, judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said on live television. The defendants can appeal against the ruling.

Family, friends of ex-FBI agent demand his release from Iran
AP, Florida Sunday, 6 March 2016
The family and colleagues of a former FBI agent who disappeared in Iran nine years ago while on a CIA mission expressed anger and disappointment at a rally on Saturday that he wasn’t part of a January prisoner exchange with Tehran.
Several hundred people attended the rally for Robert Levinson, 67, who disappeared from Iran’s Kish Island in March 2007. A 2013 Associated Press investigation revealed that the married father of seven was working for the CIA on an unauthorized intelligence-gathering mission to glean information about Iran’s nuclear program. If Levinson remains alive, he has been held captive longer than any American - longer than then-AP journalist Terry Anderson, who was held more than six years in Beirut in the 1980s. Unlike Anderson, Levinson’s whereabouts and captors remain a mystery. US officials believe the Iranian government was behind his disappearance. It has denied that. The case drew renewed attention in January when Levinson was not part of a prisoner swap between the U.S. and Iranian governments that freed four other Americans who had been in Iran's custody. Levinson’s family insists he is still alive, even with health issues including diabetes, gout and high blood pressure. They last received video and photos of him about five years ago. Stephanie Levinson Curry, his second-oldest child, said her autistic 9-year-old son Ryan cried for days when the other American captives were released, but not his grandfather. The rally's stage was decorated with nine chained and padlocked glass cookie jars filled with yellow rocks, each one representing a day Levinson has been held captive. The crowd held yellow signs showing the social media hashtag “whataboutbob.”“Bob Levinson has been deprived of being a grandfather, a job that he would love so much,” Curry said. “We worry all the time about what he is thinking while he is alone in his cell. Even prisoners in jail get to see their families, write them letters and call them. Bob Levinson has none of that.”Retired FBI agent Ellen Glasser harshly criticized the Obama administration for not demanding that Iran release Levinson or, at least, turn over information about his whereabouts. The FBI says it still investigates every lead and remains committed to finding Levinson. A $5 million reward for information leading to his whereabouts remains in effect.
“The failure to push publicly and hard for answers about Bob was an outrage,” Glasser said. “A rare opportunity was squandered when we had the most possible leverage to bring him home. Despite many requests, no new pressure was put upon Iran to produce information on Bob's status.”
US Rep. Ted Deutch told the crowd they should send messages to Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, who is active on Twitter. “It is unfair that Bob wasn’t among the Americans who came home, but because of that, our fight continues,” he said. The 2013 AP investigation showed that in a breach of the most basic CIA rules, a team of analysts - with no authority to run spy operations - paid Levinson to gather intelligence from hotspots around the world, including the Middle East and Latin America. The official story when Levinson disappeared was that he was in Iran on private business, either to investigate cigarette smuggling or to work on a book about Russian organized crime. In fact, he was meeting a source, an American fugitive, Dawud Salahuddin. He is wanted for killing a former Iranian diplomat in Maryland in 1980. In interviews, Salahuddin has admitted killing the diplomat. The CIA paid Levinson’s family $2.5 million to pre-empt a revealing lawsuit, and the agency rewrote its rules restricting how analysts can work with outsiders. Three analysts who had been working with Levinson lost their jobs.

Indian priest kidnapped in Yemen retirement home attack
By Reuters Aden Sunday, 6 March 2016/Gunmen have kidnapped an Indian priest from an old people’s home they attacked last week in southern Yemen killing at least 15 people, local government and security officials said on Sunday. The Indian Foreign Minister announced on her twitter account an Indian national identified as Father Tom Uzhunnalil had been “abducted by terrorists in Yemen.” The minister, Sushma Swaraj, added that officials in neighboring Djibouti were trying to ascertain the whereabouts of Father Uzhunnalil “so that we can secure his release.”Officials in the local government of Aden confirmed that the priest had been kidnapped and said authorities were investigating the attack. No one claimed responsibility for Friday’s assault in which four gunmen posing as relatives of one of the guests at the home burst inside, killing four Indian nuns, two Yemeni female staff members, eight elderly residents and a guard. The motive for the attack was not immediately clear, the official said. “These terrorist acts have continued and have touched the innocent, the peaceful, the unarmed and religious figures,” state news agency Saba said, quoting a source in the Aden office of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Their aim was to “create chaos”, it added.

Veteran Sudan Islamist Hassan Turabi laid to rest
AFP, Khartoum Sunday, 6 March 2016/Senior Sudanese officials joined some 3,000 mourners on Sunday at the funeral of veteran Islamist leader Hassan Turabi, an ally turned outspoken critic of the regime. Police were out in force as Turabi’s shrouded body was laid to rest in the Burri cemetery in the east of the capital. Mourners from his Popular Congress Party, many of them wearing traditional robes and turbans, paraded banners bearing his photograph and paying tribute to his life. First Vice President Bakri Hassan Saleh was among several members of the government who attended the ceremony but President Omar al-Bashir was absent after flying out to Jakarta for an Islamic summit that opens on Monday. Bashir visited Turabi’s family on Saturday evening to offer his condolences on the 84-year-old’s death from a heart attack earlier in the day. The two men were once close allies. Turabi was a leading force behind the 1989 coup that brought Bashir to power, ushering in an Islamist regime that hosted Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden from 1992 to 1996. A power struggle between them saw Turabi dismissed from the ruling National Congress Party leadership a decade after the coup. He later formed his own party. Turabi was the only Sudanese politician to support a warrant issued for Bashir’s arrest by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide over the regime’s conduct of the conflict in Darfur. He was detained several times over a career spanning four decades, including in January 2009 two days after urging Bashir to give himself up to the ICC. An ideologue with influence beyond Sudan’s borders, Turabi was one of the driving forces behind the introduction of Islamic sharia law in Sudan in 1983, which sparked a devastating 22-year civil war with the mainly Christian south that cost an estimated two million lives and led to its secession.

Germany defends open-border refugee policy
Reuters, Berlin Sunday, 6 March 2016/German Chancellor Angela Merkel has criticized the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, saying it stirs up prejudice and polarizes society. Her comments, made in an interview with the Bild am Sonntag newspaper, reflect growing unease among Germany’s mainstream parties amid rising popular support for the right-wing AfD and its fierce opposition against Merkel’s refugee policy. Merkel faces one of her toughest electoral tests in three regional elections on March 13. The AfD is set to win almost 20 percent in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt and match the ruling Social Democrats in the southwestern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, according to the most recent polls. “The AfD is a party that is not bringing together society and not offering the appropriate solutions for the problems, but it is stirring up prejudice and polarizing,” Merkel said. The elections in Saxony-Anhalt, Baden-Wuerttemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate states are Germany’s first since last May and will serve as a litmus test of popular feeling after more than one million migrants arrived in Germany last year. Merkel said government officials and mainstream parties had to challenge the AfD in public debate by clearly distinguishing themselves from its anti-immigrant stance. The center-right chancellor defended her decision to keep Germany’s borders open despite the influx of migrants and reaffirmed her push for a joint European solution, including strengthening the continent’s external borders and cooperation with Turkey to stop refugees from travelling on to Europe. “We can only meet this challenge together,” Merkel said. The EU emergency summit with Turkey scheduled on Monday will focus on how Ankara was planning to spend 3 billion euros pledged by EU member states to stem the flow of migrants to Europe, she said. Leaders should also discuss how EU member states could help Greece to cope with “this difficult situation”, Merkel added.
Austria, one of the last stepping stones to Germany for hundreds of thousands of migrants, recently imposed border restrictions, setting off a domino effect in Europe and leaving tens of thousands stranded in poor conditions in Greece.
The move, which was publicly criticized by Berlin, reduced the number of new arrivals to Germany.

Is a free ride for Dashti in Kuwait’s interest?
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Asharq Al Awsat/March 06/16
One can say there is democracy in Kuwait as there is a parliament whose members are elected and a government which is held accountable by the members of parliament. Some sort of criticism in Kuwaiti press is also allowed. At the same time, one can say Kuwait resembles a state where rights are deprived rights and there are legal violations. Its government is not elected and its media outlets who commit “violations” have their permits withdrawn. Kuwait is witnessing challenges as a result of these contradictions. An extremist Member of Parliament such as Abdul-Hamid Dashti is allowed to attack and accuse others and incite against whosoever he wants to just because he is elected and represents a section of the Kuwaiti population as the constitution guarantees him this right.
One can also argue that Dashti has crossed the acceptable limit, exposed the country’s larger interests with its neighbors to great threat and paved a dangerous path of domestic sectarian strife between Sunnis and Shiites.
Kuwaiti authorities have previously interfered in other similar cases by stripping the nationality of those who were considered a threat to the country. They have also shut down institutions which exceeded acceptable limits, jailed some over their tweets and canceled some parliament members’ immunity and sentenced them to jail. Relatively speaking, we can consider Kuwait’s democracy reasonable but it’s not like the Westminster system. And here in the region, no one accepts violations against others in the name of democracy.
Kuwait and other countries in the region are passing through a period of dangerous political and security scenario where it has become difficult to maintain a middle ground. The skillfulness of Kuwaiti politicians, who have been well-known for resolving the country’s and region’s crises, may not be of help as the situation is bad and affects everyone. It is hence not wise to confront it.
Security component
However, taking extraordinary measures during unusual circumstances does not harm respect for the state or weaken its institutions for the sake of protecting them. Even countries that are extremely protective of high democratic values draw limits when it comes to its security situation during difficult times.
US Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump has not violated the constitution by making statements such as banning Muslim foreigners from entering the country until the “government can figure out what’s going on” or deporting all illegal immigrants and building a wall with the country’s neighbor, Mexico.
These are all promises which do not contradict the law; the problem lies with the rhetoric. Some high-ranking Republican members are so worried that they have said they will work to topple Trump even if he wins the nomination. They also criticized his refusal to denounce endorsement of former Ku Klux Klan figure David Duke even as Trump blamed a faulty earpiece.
Frankly, I do not think the statements of a silly member of parliament like Dashti are significant. However, his act of inciting public opinion is dangerous and may harm Kuwait and the region
There are moral and ethical codes which we expect politicians and other public figures to follow particularly against incitement. When they fail to do so, it is logical to deprive them of the privileges they attain by virtue of their public positions. Wherever necessary, Kuwaiti authorities have been skilled at devising legal arguments that justify bans and stripping nationality.
Frankly, I do not think the statements of a silly member of parliament like Dashti are significant. However, his act of inciting public opinion in the region, which is now witnessing sectarian tensions, is dangerous and may harm Kuwait and the region.
There are two reasons why Kuwaitis are being patient with him and others like him making sectarian, racist and provocative statements. The country wants to protect the system which grants the right to expression and representation of parliament.
It also does not want any confrontation with a foreign power by siding with another foreign party and wants to avoid getting involved in the region’s problems or even hinting that it will.
This may be a wise thing to do. However, allowing Dashti and similar extremist Shiite and Sunni figures to continue with their provocations at these times does not protect the constitution and does not safeguard Kuwait from the region’s problems. On the contrary, it produces more rivals.

It’s the invasion of the idiots!
Turki Al-Dakhil/Al Arabiya/March 06/16
There are authors who get people to love the library. Among them are Jorge Luis Borges, Alberto Manguel and Umberto Eco, who passed away recently. Such authors write as though they are flirting with the beloved who has captured the heart. This is evident in Manguel’s famous book With Borges. The story revolves around what happened in Argentina’s capital of Buenos Aires in 1964 when a blind man approached a 16-year-old library employee and asked him if he would be interested in a part-time job of reading him books. The man who made this request was Borges, one of the most prominent and significant authors while the 16-year-old boy was Manguel who later became fond of books and turned into a writer. Manguel later wrote his most notable book A History of Reading. Young Manguel continued to read for Borges and take his notes until he produced his book With Borges.
Remembering Eco
Umberto Eco, who passed away last month, was fond of writing and reading as well as of libraries and museums. His most notable works include In the Name of the Rose, Foucault’s Pendulum and his amazing masterpiece The Prague Cemetery.
We have lost one of the most important writers and philosophers of our times who was loyal to his characters and developed them in such a bright, creative and rare manner When asked about social media platforms months before his death, Eco said “they give legions of idiots the right to speak!” He concluded by saying: “It’s the invasion of the idiots…it’s the invasion of the idiots!”We have lost one of the most important writers and philosophers of our times who was loyal to his characters and developed them in such a bright, creative and rare manner.

Iran’s costly fake ‘democracy’
Eyad Abu Shakra/Al Arabiya/March 06/16
Iranians are, of course, free to accept the vali-e-faqih brand of “democracy” or reject it. But such exceptional “democracy” is proving extremely costly to the Arab world. What the ruling authorities in Tehran regard as “democracy” or “shura” is beyond the scope of this argument, it is enough to say that the current Iranian regime is underpinned on a solid theocratic – security base that monopolizes the right to choose who runs for the Majlis (The Lower House of Parliament) and the Assembly of Experts, and who are branded as traitors.
Such “democracy” in practice takes place against a background of hallows reserved to unacceptable political opponents and is distrusted by a large section of Iranian society; including once prominent symbols and figures in Khomeini’s Islamic Revolution before they ended up marginalized, exiled or placed under house arrest.
Be it as it may, this is the Iranians’ problem and nobody else’s. The people of Iran alone must decide whether the Mullah’s regime, supported by the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and its security and intelligence apparatus, reflects its aspirations or not. The real regional problem is that the current US administration trusts the Tehran regime more than the Iranians do. Such a situation has cost the Arab world dearly.
Indeed, the Arabs have paid a heavy price in terms of politics, security, and future development, for Barack Obama’s gamble on Hassan Rowhani’s presidential elections’ ‘victory’ through Ali Khamenei’s (the Supreme Guide) democratic process in 2013, and Khamenei’s “fatwas” against the development of nuclear weapons.
Given the above I venture to say that it would be too naïve to separate Washington’s negative position towards the Syrian uprising from the nuclear negotiations conducted by the US and Iran in Oman behind the backs of the former’s Arab allies; and later, separate the said negotiations from Washington’s decision to concentrate all its efforts in the Middle East on fighting ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and even “moderate” political Sunni Islam as well.
The current Iranian regime is underpinned on a solid theocratic – security base that monopolizes the right to choose who runs for the Majlis
If Washington’s “unsympathetic” attitude towards Turkey – a fellow NATO member – in its first confrontation with an aggressive Putin’s Russia in the Middle East arena, then in the issue of Kurdish “independence”, it was truly shameful that Secretary of State John Kerry would volunteer to tell the Congress that Iran “has withdrawn its fighters in Syria” only for this to be denied by Tehran. This worrying episode points clearly to Washington’s huge bet on the friendship of Iran under the pretext that it is embarking on an unflinching democratic march, and is committed to moderation, reform and openness.
Meanwhile, Iran’s state media machine, which has been quite successful in penetrating the Arab world, has smartly highlighted during the last few weeks the significance of the elections. Later, despite being doctored through partisan selectivity and exclusion, the same machine was underlining the elections’ high turnout, meaning a big popular endorsement. This was exactly what both Washington and Moscow desired to justify giving Iran a greater regional role at the expense of the Arabs.
Imminent threat
Alas, the Arabs thus far have failed to confront such an imminent threat – backed by international collusion – with the required awareness and solidarity. Worse still, some Arab countries refuse to see the existential danger posed by this Iranian onslaught on the internal order and sectarian co-existence, although what is taking place in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen is clear for all to see.
The four above-mentioned countries, which Tehran proudly boasts of controlling, is practically in various stages of Iranian “control”; from de facto occupation like Iraq and Lebanon to open civil war such as Syria and Yemen. For its part, Iran has only provided these countries with means of sedition, division and destruction of state institutions, from money and arms shipments sent exclusively to certain subservient religious sects, political assassinations, car bombs, creation of puppet leaderships, and sectarian media agitation and incitement through pulpits and financed and hired media outlets.
This is exactly what has happened in Maliki’s Iraq, Assad’s Syria, Hezbollah’s Lebanon and the Houthis’ Yemen. Tehran plans to go on and on, without any sign of change soon, especially, because some in the West, namely in Washington, insist on believing the lies of “democracy” and “moderation”.
Ironically, the only encouraging sign a few days ago has been the arrest in Tehran of Baquer Namazi, an 80 year old American citizen with links to the pro-Tehran lobby group the National Iranian American Council (NIAC). NIAC has a very loud voice in promoting the fake “democracy” and “moderation” of the Mullahs’ regime in the corridors of powers in the US capital during the last few years, and has been infrequently alleged to be linked to the plans of the present Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to found an effective lobby in Washington.
The sad story of Mr. Namazi proves that a leopard can’t change its spots. And that a regime like Tehran’s may be dangerous even to those helping it. It may also tell us that the security-intelligence apparatus in Tehran, embodied by the IRGC, is growing intolerant even with those promoting Iran’s interests in a way they feel is more persuasive in the West where freedoms are understood, and democracy properly practiced.
Since 1948, major Western powers have resisted the recognition of Palestinians’ right of self-determination because they’ve always claimed that Israel was the only democracy in the Middle East. The result as we see now, is a progressively more “militant” Israeli society that has been led away by settlers and the religious right-wingers from peace to extremism, and frustrated Palestinian reaction engendered counter religious extremism at the expense of a secular state or two-state solution.
Today the West, at the helm of the international community, is committing the same mistake again. In concentrating exclusively on fighting ISIS, it is ignoring the extremism of Tehran’s Mullahs and their IRGC, forgetting the “incubator” of the ISIS discourse, and the simple fact that extremism begets extremism.
O Democracy! What crimes are committed in thy name!”