LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

March 30/16

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.march30.16.htm

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Bible Quotations For Today

When you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 21/15-25:"When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ And he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.’(He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, ‘Follow me.’Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; he was the one who had reclined next to Jesus at the supper and had said, ‘Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?’When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, what about him?’Jesus said to him, ‘If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!’So the rumour spread in the community that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, ‘If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?’This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true. But there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth,
Letter to the Colossians 03/01-11:"If you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life. But now you must get rid of all such things anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all!"

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 30/16
Assad dials the West from Palmyra: Let’s talk ISIS/Joyce Karam/Al Arabiya/March 29/16
The world according to Trump: An America-first policy in the Middle East/Dr. John C. Hulsman/Al Arabiya/March 29/16
Why terrorists do what extremists think/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/March 29/16
EgyptAir hijacking a wakeup call for aviation security awareness/Dr. Theodore Karasik/Al Arabiya/March 29/16
The Arabs and President ‘Two-Face’ Obama: what went wrong/Faisal J. Abbas/Al Arabiya/March 29/16

Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on March 30/16

Sisi asks Obama for military intervention to save Egypt from ISIS
Pakistan Detains Hundreds as Militants Taunt PM over Easter Blast
Hijacker of EgyptAir Flight Arrested as Cyprus Airport Drama Ends
Syria Regime Forces Advance on IS Town near Palmyra
Paris Hails Palmyra Recapture but Raps Damascus for War
Oxfam: Rich States Resettle Barely One Percent of Syrian Refugees
U.S. Welcomes IS Loss of Palmyra
IS Suicide Bomber Kills Three in Baghdad
Bahrain Court Jails 10 over Police Attack
China Appoints Special Envoy to Syria
U.N.: Six Children Killed, Maimed Daily in Yemen since Saudi Air Strikes Began
ISIS ‘planning attack on Jewish children in Turkey’
Iranian president postpones Austria visit 'for security reasons'
Sanders team pushes Clinton for New York debate
Sisi sacks man who alleged Egypt state corruption

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 30/16

Hollande in Beirut on April 16 in 'Show of Support'
Two Teens Arrested for Threatening to 'Blow Up Police Stations'
Two ISF Officers Held on Charges of Forging Medical Bills
Zoaiter on Airport Security: $1.4 Million Needed for Security Procedures
Report: EU Seeking to Blacklist Hizbullah
Berri to Pressure Rival Parties on Adoption of Electoral Law
FPM Defends Bassil over Naturalization Remarks as Mustaqbal Slams 'Fabrications'
Contacts to Calm Ain el-Hilweh Tension Fail, Hand Grenade Tossed Tuesday
Report: IS Turns Eye to Akkar Again
Nusra Leaflets to Arsal Refugees: No more Protection Next Month
Kataeb Says Naturalization Warnings May be Aimed at 'Deviating Attention' from Presidency
Hariri arrives in Moscow
Harb inaugurating optical fiber communication centers in Batroun: We are the ones that uncovered scandal
Bassil’s practices are inflicting great damage on Lebanon -Future bloc

Links From Jihad Watch Site for March 30/16
Pakistan: 25,000 supporters of blasphemy law clash with police, set fire to cars.
Maine: Muslims “frustrated” by “backlash” after Brussels jihad massacre.
Minnesota: Muslim in contact with Islamic State jihadis threatens to “shoot up,” “blow up” a Walgreens.
Southern California: Muslims screaming “Allahu akbar” fire hundreds of shots in remote area, are arrested and released.
The Islamic State has agents all around the very sensitive facilities in the world, like metro stations, like airports”
Belgium: Imams refuse to pray for the souls of the non-Muslim victims of Brussels jihad massacre
Brussels jihadi was “migrants’ rights activist”
UK: National Union of Teachers rejects teaching “fundamental British values” as “cultural supremacism”
Hugh Fitzgerald: Christopher Dickey and “Anti-Muslim Hysteria”
Germany wants Muslim migrants to integrate or lose their rights to residency
Defense Department admits that freed Guantanamo jihadis have murdered Americans
Australia: Muslim cleric threatens violence if headscarf laws not changed
Muslim hackers infiltrate water utility’s control system, change levels of chemicals used to treat tap water
New York Times: Governments can’t figure out why people become terrorists, they “defy a single profile”
Southern California: Muslims screaming “Allahu akbar” fire hundreds of shots in remote area, are arrested and released
Robert Spencer in FrontPage: Paris Jihadis Went Dancing, Then Went Killing
Washington Post: “Fighting terrorism may actually increase the risk of terrorist attacks”
Video: Muslim stomps on Brussels memorial for jihad victims, screams “Palestine!”
New documentation: Turkish government allowing Muslims to pass freely through Turkey to the Islamic State

Hollande in Beirut on April 16 in 'Show of Support'
Naharnet/March 29/16/French President Francois Hollande is expected to visit Beirut on April 16 in a "show of support" for Lebanon amid difficult conditions in the Middle East, a French source said on Tuesday. The source told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat that Hollande’s trip to Lebanon would be part of a tour to the region that will also take him to Egypt and Jordan. The French President had postponed his visit to Lebanon on many occasions for security reasons but he insisted on coming next month despite advice not to, said the source. Hollande wanted to include Beirut in his Mideast tour to express France’s solidarity with Lebanon on the Syrian refugee crisis and to stress Paris’ support for security and stability in the country. The visit has an important connotation, said the source, because it comes amid a political crisis that has been gripping Lebanon since the end of the term of President Michel Suleiman in May 2014.
Hollande carries with him a message that France will continue to support Lebanon despite the difficult regional situation although he does not carry with him a magical solution for the presidential deadlock, the source told al-Hayat. After his Beirut visit, the French president will travel to Egypt for talks with top officials, including his Egyptian counterpart President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and later to Jordan to meet with King Abdullah II.

Two Teens Arrested for Threatening to 'Blow Up Police Stations'
Naharnet/March 29/16/Two teenagers have been arrested on charges of calling the police and threatening to blow up police stations, the Internal Security Forces announced Tuesday. “A person called the Zgharta police operations center on Monday, threatening to blow up a police station, especially the Zgharta police station,” the ISF said, adding that the person called the center “around 15 times.” “Following intensive investigations, members of the Zgharta police station managed to arrest the suspect on Tuesday in Miryata,” the ISF said. It identified the suspect as 14-year-old Lebanese national M. D. “During interrogation in the presence of his father, the boy confessed to the charges and accused 18-year-old Lebanese national A. J. of inciting him to make the phone calls,” the ISF added. The 18-year-old teenager denied any link to the issue after he was arrested, the ISF said. The two detainees have been referred to the Tripoli judicial police department for further investigations, it added.

Two ISF Officers Held on Charges of Forging Medical Bills
Naharnet/March 29/16/A retired Internal Security Forces brigadier general and a chief warrant officer have been detained on charges of forging medical aid bills, state-run National News Agency reported on Tuesday. “At the request of Sate Prosecutor Judge Samir Hammoud, Attorney General Charbel Abu Samra ordered the detention of retired Brig. Gen. Mohammed Qassem and Chief Warrant Officer Khaled Najm on charges of forging medical aid bills belonging to ISF members,” NNA said. The two men are accused of “siphoning off huge amounts of money,” the agency added.

Zoaiter on Airport Security: $1.4 Million Needed for Security Procedures
Naharnet/March 29/16/Public Works and Transport Minister Ghazi Zoaiter said on Tuesday that an amount of $1.4 million is required to buy equipment to complete the security procedures at the Rafik Hariri International Airport. “We need funding to buy the equipment that serve the airport's safety and security,” he said in a press conference he held at the terminal. “An amount of $1.4 million is needed to complete the measures at the airport. If the funds were not approved at the cabinet I will start the project with the available funds.”Zoaiter's comments came after Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq raised fears last week saying that the airport suffers from “security gaps.”He vowed while on a visit to Britain that he will exert efforts to address the “security gaps” at the terminal, hours after suicide bombers killed 35 people and wounded over 200 at Brussels airport and a metro train.

Report: EU Seeking to Blacklist Hizbullah
Naharnet/March 29/16/The European Union is exerting efforts to label Hizbullah a terrorist organization and implement sanctions against it, political and intelligence sources have said. The sources told the Kuwaiti daily al-Seyassah published on Tuesday that the EU would implement the sanctions not just on Hizbullah but on all those who support it and back it if the party was officially labeled a terrorist group. The EU put Hizbullah’s military wing on its terror blacklist in 2013. The blacklisting opened the way for EU governments to freeze any assets Hizbullah's military wing may have in Europe. If the EU brands Hizbullah a terrorist group, it would follow in the footsteps of the Arab League which took a similar move on March 11. The move aligned the 22-member league firmly behind Saudi Arabia and the Saudi-led bloc of six Gulf Arab nations, which made the same formal branding against Hizbullah on March 2.
It also brings the league in line with the United States, which is closely allied with the Gulf states and has long considered Hizbullah to be a terrorist organization.

Berri to Pressure Rival Parties on Adoption of Electoral Law
Naharnet/March 29/16/Speaker Nabih Berri is expected to urge Lebanon’s rival leaders during Wednesday’s all-party talks to agree on an electoral law, sources have said. The sources told al-Mustaqbal daily published on Tuesday that Berri will review during the national dialogue session, which he will chair in Ain el-Tineh, the final report of the parliamentary committee tasked with drafting the electoral law. The discussion of the report at the all-party talks aims at pressuring the country’s politicians into assuming their responsibilities and ending the deadlock, said the sources. The 10-member committee was formed in November last year to reach an agreement on a new law to replace the 1960 voting system adopted in the last parliamentary elections in 2009.In 2014, lawmakers extended their term for two years and seven months after the rival parliamentary blocs failed to agree on a new electoral law. If parliamentary elections were held amid a vacuum at the helm of the country's top Christian post, the government would become illegitimate because the constitution states that the head of state should name a new prime minister to form the cabinet. Lebanon has been without a head of state since May 2014 when Michel Suleiman's six-year term ended amid the failure of the rival MPs to elect a successor.

FPM Defends Bassil over Naturalization Remarks as Mustaqbal Slams 'Fabrications'
Naharnet/March 29/16/The Free Patriotic Movement and al-Mustaqbal movement continued their war of words on Tuesday after FPM chief and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil warned of an alleged scheme to naturalize Syrian refugees in Lebanon. In a statement issued after its weekly meeting, al-Mustaqbal bloc condemned what it called Bassil's “shameful behavior towards U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon when he refused to receive him and welcome him.”The U.N. chief and the international delegation that accompanied him “came to Lebanon to support the country and its sovereignty and independence, in addition to underscoring the importance of holding the constitutional juncture” of the presidential election, the bloc stressed. Bassil “accused this prominent international visitor of visiting Lebanon to promote a scheme aimed at naturalizing Syrian refugees. This issue is baseless and no such discussions whatsoever took place with the Lebanese officials,” Mustaqbal underlined. “This claim is nothing but mere fabrications and incitement by the minister, who is apparently acting at the behest of Hizbullah,” the bloc charged. It also described Bassil's failure to meet with Ban Ki-moon as “a new blow to Lebanon in the wake of the tensions that he caused between Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and the rest of the Arab nations.”“Minister Bassil's behavior and practices are inflicting very great damage on Lebanon,” Mustaqbal warned, urging him to “stop the practices that harm Lebanon and apologize over the mistakes that he has committed.” “The policy of fabricating illusions and scaremongering is aimed at deviating attention from the main issue, which is the persistence of the presidential vacuum problem,” the bloc added. The FPM's Change and Reform parliamentary bloc snapped back later on Tuesday, stressing that Bassil “did not commit any protocol mistake” by shunning the visiting U.N. chief. “Why do al-Mustaqbal movement and its followers consider themselves accused of seeking naturalization?” the bloc wondered in a statement issued after its weekly meeting. “You have let in 1.5 million Syrian refugees and yet you are accusing us of racism. Are you seeking naturalization?” Change and Reform asked. Asking Mustaqbal's officials to care about the “essence” of the issue instead of its formalities, the bloc emphasized that it wants “transparency in addressing the topic.”Bassil had warned on Saturday that Lebanon must adopt “unilateral and sovereign steps, otherwise naturalization will be imposed on us.”“I know that some politicians have remained silent over this issue for political and sectarian interests,” Bassil said. “Displacement causes chaos. The sense of abandonment fuels the need for revenge and eventually terrorism,” he warned, noting that some European countries have recently started turning back refugees. “Lebanon has never adopted such measures and it has always been generous towards the displaced, even to those who do not qualify to be labeled as refugees,” Bassil added. “What have we gotten in return? What have the Lebanese people gotten in return?” he asked, while lamenting the lack of serious efforts to resolve the refugee file. Lebanon is home to more than 1 million registered Syrian refugees, or nearly a quarter of the country's 4.5 million people. Lebanese officials say that another half a million Syrians live in the country as well.

Contacts to Calm Ain el-Hilweh Tension Fail, Hand Grenade Tossed Tuesday
Naharnet/March 29/16/Unknown assailants tossed a hand grenade on Tuesday in the al-Fawqani street at the Ain el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near the southern city of Sidon, the state-run National News Agency reported. The grenade attack was followed by machine-gun fire at the grocery market conjunction, NNA added. On Monday, tensions were high at the camp after an Islamist militant shot dead a member of the secular Fatah Movement and unknown gunmen retaliated by killing the man's brother. Omar al-Natour, a member of Bilal Badr's group, opened fire at Fatah Movement member Abed Qiblawi, killing him on the spot at the intersection of al-Fawqani street's grocery market, it was reported. The two parties went on alert after the incident, which prompted the Joint Palestinian Security Force to intervene in a bid to contain the situation. But tensions flared again in the evening after unknown assailants killed Hamza al-Natour, Omar's brother, NNA said. Palestinian and Lebanese officials held intensive contacts to prevent further deterioration. Such incidents have become frequent in recent years in Ain el-Hilweh, the largest of Lebanon's 12 Palestinian refugee camps. By long-standing convention, the Lebanese army does not enter the Palestinian camps in the country, leaving the Palestinian factions themselves to handle security. That has created lawless areas in many camps, and Ain el-Hilweh has gained notoriety as a refuge for extremists and fugitives.

Report: IS Turns Eye to Akkar Again
Naharnet/March 29/16/Western security officials have warned that the Islamic State extremist group began mulling once again to transfer the battle from the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal to the northern district of Akkar. The officials, according to al-Akhbar daily published on Tuesday, said that the IS is eyeing Akkar and planning on renewing its strategy to create a passage to Lebanon's coastline by linking the Syrian Qalamoun mountains with Arsal and Akkar. The newspaper said that a U.S. security delegation has recently visited Akkar out of fears that there would be a battle in the future in that area. There are also fears that the IS would revive its sleeper cells in the North to control the villages of Akkar and guarantee a safe passage for the jihadist group to the coast. Army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji said in 2014 that the IS wanted to ignite civil war in Lebanon and create the passage to the coastline in the North. The IS threat first came to Lebanon in August 2014, two months after the group's summer blitz in which it seized large swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria. In a surprise attack, the IS and al-Nusra Front militants crossed over from Syria and overran Arsal, hitting Lebanese army positions and killing nearly 20 soldiers.

Nusra Leaflets to Arsal Refugees: No more Protection Next Month
Naharnet/March 29/16/The al-Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front has distributed leaflets in Syrian refugee encampments, which lie outside the Lebanese army’s control in the northeastern border town of Arsal, that it will no longer be able to protect them next month, al-Akhar daily reported on Tuesday. Al-Nusra informed the residents of the settlements that it will leave the area by April 15, sources in Arsal told the newspaper. The leaflets were distributed at a time when al-Nusra engaged in fierce clashes with militants from the extremist Islamic State group on the outskirts of Arsal and Ras Baalbek. The fighting has left a large number of militants from both sides dead or wounded, the state-run National News Agency reported Monday. It said the clashes erupted when the IS launched a dawn attack on al-Nusra's posts, killing and wounding several of the group's militants. In response, al-Nusra waged a counter-attack. Security sources told al-Akhbar that the army has been bringing in reinforcements since a roadside bombing targeted a military patrol on Thursday. Army units are closely monitoring the battles between the two jihadist groups to thwart any possible attacks on the military or the infiltration of terrorists, the sources said.
 

Kataeb Says Naturalization Warnings May be Aimed at 'Deviating Attention' from Presidency
Naharnet/March 29/16/The Kataeb Party warned Tuesday against any attempt to “deviate attention from the obstructed presidential vote” by “stirring sensitive issues such as national partnership and naturalization, regardless of their importance.”“The right step to face such schemes, which have started to surface, would be through electing a president rather than preventing the parliament from electing a Christian president,” said the party in a statement issued after its politburo's weekly meeting. “The Christian president, who is a main pillar for national partnership, would be the first constitutional bulwark in the face of any new naturalization attempt,” Kataeb added. It was referring to remarks voiced Saturday by Foreign Minister and Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil, who warned that there are indirect efforts to naturalize Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Bassil stressed during a press conference that Lebanon must “adopt unilateral and sovereign steps, otherwise naturalization will be imposed on us.” “I know that some politicians have remained silent over this issue for political and sectarian interests. Some officials want to naturalize the refugees in order to gain a sectarian upper hand in elections,” he claimed. He also rejected claims that resolving the presidential vacuum will end the refugee crisis. “This problem existed prior to 2014,” he told reporters.

Hariri arrives in Moscow
Tue 29 Mar 2016NNA - Former Prime Minister, Saad Hariri, arrived on Tuesday evening in Moscow, accompanied by Interior Minister Nohad Mashnouq, Dr. Ghattas Khoury, and Mr. Nader Hariri. Hariri's Moscow visit came upon the invitation of Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, with whom he shall meet tomorrow over the situation in Lebanon and the broader Arab region. A business lunch is scheduled next.

Harb inaugurating optical fiber communication centers in Batroun: We are the ones that uncovered scandal
Tue 29 Mar/ 2016/NNA - Telecom Minister Boutros Harb deemed recent media campaigns leveled against the Ministry and its affiliated institutions as "unfair and not in place," saying that he had to be forbearing out of his belief in media liberties and citizens' rights. Minister Harb's fresh words on Tuesday came during a tour in the province of Batroun, where he inaugurated a number of fiber optic communication centers (FTTC FTTO) in Upper Tannourine, Lower Tannourine, Rachana, Tahhoum, Kfer Abeeda, Rasnahash al-Hiri, and city of Batroun. "We are the side which uncovered the recent scandal and unveiled others... Not vice versa," Harb remarked in response to a question. Harb said that the purpose of his tour is to launch the exemplary project by the Ministry of Communication to provide fast Internet service with high quality and great speed for this region, as part of a strategic integrated project by the Ministry to provide Internet service for all Lebanon via what is termed as optical fiber. The Minister also underlined that any unfair words or statements leveled against the Ministry shall not whatsoever affect its work, stressing that it shall relentlessly continue to provide and secure citizen's rights for best communication and internet. Harb also affirmed that the project shall be completed to entail all villages in the Batroun province.

Bassil’s practices are inflicting great damage on Lebanon -Future bloc
LBC/March 29/16/Future bloc condemned on Tuesday what it called Foreign Affairs Minister Gebran Bassil’s "shameful behavior towards United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon when he refused to welcome and receive him at the airport." "Bassil accused this prominent international visitor of visiting Lebanon to promote a scheme aimed at naturalizing Syrian refugees. This issue is baseless and no such discussions whatsoever took place with the Lebanese officials,” the bloc said in a statement following its weekly meeting. The bloc believes that “the least that Bassil should do is to cease his practices that are offending Lebanon, as well as to apologize and renege on his mistakes.”

Sisi asks Obama for military intervention to save Egypt from ISIS
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report March 28, 2016/
Egyptian President Abdel Fatteh El-Sisi has sent a secret missive to President Barack Obama asking for urgent US military intervention in support of Egypt’s war on the Islamist State in Sinai, before the jihadis pose a real threat to Cairo. debkafile’s exclusive intelligence and counterterrorism sources report that El-Sisi has come to the conclusion that Egyptian army lacks the ability to eradicate the terrorist peril without direct US military support. In his note, he asks Washington to replicate in Sinai the format of US intervention in the war on ISIS in Iraq and Syria, namely, to send in special operations forces to establish bases and operate drones against jihadist targets. Unless stopped, he warns, the Islamic State is on the point of transforming the Sinai Peninsula into its primary forward base in the Middle East, bolstered by its branches of terror across North Africa, especially in Libya. US intervention is necessary to avert this.
So far, Sisi has received no answer from the White House and no sign of one in the pipeline. Our military sources note that, given his record as former defense minister and a much-decorated general in the Egyptian army, an appeal to a foreign power for military assistance is out of character and would normally be found unacceptable in his own milieu. It must therefore be seen as a sign of extreme distress over Cairo’s failure to vanquish - or even contain ISIS, which now poses a strategic threat to Egypt proper. In this situation, the generals in Cairo were dismayed to read a New York Times leader on March 25, captioned “Time to Rethink US relationship with Egypt,” which faults the Egyptian regime’s human rights record and suggests that the relationship does Washington more harm than good. The NYT concludes by saying, “Over the next few months, the president should start planning the possibility of a break in the alliance with Egypt. That scenario appears increasingly necessary.” Since this article appeared out of the blue, it is feared in Cairo that it is President Obama’s way of spurring the Egyptian president’s SOS. Some high-ranking military figures in Cairo have started talking about alternatives: If Washington refuses to come up with military assistance for fighting the Islamic State, perhaps the time has time to go elsewhere. An Egyptian appeal to Moscow cannot be ruled out.

Pakistan Detains Hundreds as Militants Taunt PM over Easter Blast
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 29/16/Pakistan has detained more than 200 people since the Easter Sunday park bombing which killed 73 people including many children, officials said Tuesday, as the militants behind the attack taunted the prime minister. The raids across the eastern province of Punjab were announced as parks reopened under tight security in the teeming provincial capital Lahore. But Gulshan-i-Iqbal, where explosives packed with ball bearings ripped through crowds near a children's play area, remained closed. Hundreds were injured in the suicide bombing claimed by the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar faction of the Pakistani Taliban, whose official name is the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). A spokesman for the group said it had targeted Christians, a minority community in overwhelmingly Muslim Pakistan. "More than 5,000 people were searched and interrogated and most of them were allowed to go, but some 216 have been apprehended for further investigations," Punjab provincial law minister Rana Sanaullah told reporters Tuesday. Sanaullah said police, paramilitary troops and intelligence agents had launched 56 intelligence operations in the last 24 hours in Punjab. More were being undertaken in all districts of the province "against sectarian militants and extremists", he said. Security for hundreds of churches was increased. Many of the victims were children and anguished families spent Easter Monday burying their dead. On Tuesday the death toll climbed to 73 after a 16-year-old boy succumbed to his injuries, doctors said. "The boy had lost his father and sister in the blast while his mother is being treated for critical injuries," Dr. Tariq Mohsin told AFP.
Taliban taunts
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his powerful military chief have both vowed to bring those behind the attack to justice. "Terrorists cannot dent our resolve. Our struggle will continue until the complete elimination of the menace of terrorism," the premier said Monday after visiting victims in the provincial capital, a stronghold of his ruling Pakistan Muslim League. But on Tuesday Ehansullah Ehsan, spokesman for the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar faction, derided the prime minister on Twitter. "After the Lahore attack, Nawaz Sharif repeated old words to give himself false assurances," he wrote. "Nawaz Sharif should know that war has reached his doorstep, and God willing the mujahideen will be the winners in this war."Kashir Nawab, a 32-year-old Christian from the Youhanabad district of Lahore, said a "pall of gloom" hung over the area as mourners visited the homes of those lost in the blast. Nawab said he was working to help arrange funeral services. "Everybody is frightened and the Christians particularly feel unprotected," he said. The attack was the worst so far this year in a country grimly accustomed to atrocities, and will further fray inter-religious ties. Christians make up an estimated 1.6 percent of Pakistan's 200 million people and have long faced discrimination. Twin suicide attacks against churches in Lahore killed 17 people in March last year, sparking two days of rioting by thousands of Christians. The country is still scarred by a Taliban assault on a Peshawar school in 2014 that killed 150 people, mostly children. A military operation targeting insurgents was stepped up in response. Last year the death toll from militant attacks was the lowest since the TTP umbrella grouping was formed in 2007. But analysts have warned the group is still able to carry out major attacks.

Hijacker of EgyptAir Flight Arrested as Cyprus Airport Drama Ends
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 29/16/Authorities arrested the hijacker of an Egyptian airliner that was diverted to Cyprus on Tuesday, after the plane's passengers and crew were able to escape unharmed. The hijacker, who officials said was motivated by personal reasons and who had reportedly claimed to be wearing an explosives belt, was detained after several tense hours at Larnaca airport where the plane had landed. "The hijacker has just been arrested," Cypriot government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides said on Twitter. No further details were immediately available. An AFP correspondent saw a man emerging from the aircraft, walking across the tarmac and then raising his hands to two awaiting counter-terrorism officers. They laid him on the ground and searched him for around two minutes before taking him away. Passengers and crew had earlier been seen leaving the aircraft, including one who climbed out of the cockpit window. "The passengers are safe and the crew is safe," Egypt's civil aviation minister Sherif Fathy said on state television minutes after Cyprus said the hijacker had been taken into custody. Egypt's Prime Minister Sharif Ismail said in televised remarks that the alleged hijacker was an Egyptian and had demanded to speak to a European Union representative. Officials earlier said there was no link to "terrorism" in the incident and that the hijacker had demanded to see a Cypriot woman who was his estranged lover, with whom he had children.
'Psychologically unstable
"This is not about terrorism. This is about the individual action of a person who is psychologically unstable," said the Cypriot foreign ministry's permanent secretary, Alexandros Zenon. The EgyptAir plane landed at the airport in the southern coastal city of Larnaca at 8:50 am (0550 GMT), after the hijacker had contacted the control tower 20 minutes earlier to demand the diversion. Egyptian civil aviation said he had threatened to detonate an explosives belt on the Airbus A-320, which had been headed from the Mediterranean coastal city of Alexandria to Cairo. Most of the passengers were allowed to disembark after the plane landed, but a handful of crew and passengers had remained on board until shortly before the hijacker's arrest. Fathy had told a press conference that the captain, a co-pilot, an air hostess and a security guard, along with three passengers, had remained on board after other passengers and crew were released. Fathy said there had been 55 passengers on board the plane and that the hijacker had demanded it land in either Turkey or Cyprus. The plane had been carrying 21 foreigners including eight Americans, four Dutch citizens, four Britons and a French citizen, an Egyptian civil aviation ministry statement said.
Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades had earlier told reporters the incident appeared to be motivated by personal reasons. "The hijacking is not terrorism-related," he told a joint news conference with the visiting president of the European Parliament, Martin Schultz. Asked about reports that the hijacker had demanded to see a Cypriot woman, Anastasiades laughed and said: "Always there is a woman."
Flights diverted
The plane had been parked on the tarmac away from the new terminal building but just 200 meters (yards) from a beach where dozens of foreign tourists were out. The airport, the main entry point for tourists to the resort island, was closed and incoming flights diverted to Paphos on the country's western edge.
Concerns were raised about security at Egyptian airports after a Russian airliner was downed on October 31 over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people on board. The Islamic State group claimed to have smuggled a bomb on board the plane. Larnaca is no stranger to hostage crises. Several hijacked planes were diverted to the airport in the last few decades. In August 1996, a Sudan Airways Airbus A-310 was hijacked by seven Iraqis between Khartoum and Amman with 199 people on board. After a stopover in Larnaca it flew on to London's Stansted airport, where the hijackers gave themselves up. In 1988, a Kuwait Airways flight hijacked en route from Bangkok to Kuwait was diverted to Iran's second city Mashhad and later to Larnaca, where hijackers killed two Kuwaiti passengers and dumped their bodies on the tarmac. In February 1978, an Egyptian commando unit stormed a hijacked Cyprus Airways DC-8 at Larnaca airport, where 15 passengers were being held hostage. Some 15 Egyptian soldiers were killed and 15 wounded in a firefight with Cypriot forces. All the hostages were freed and the hijackers arrested.

Syria Regime Forces Advance on IS Town near Palmyra
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 29/16/Syrian regime forces were locked in fierce clashes with Islamic State group jihadists on Tuesday on the outskirts of a key town near the ancient city of Palmyra, a monitor said. Just two days after seizing Palmyra from IS, pro-government fighters advanced southwest towards the jihadist-held town of Al-Qaryatain. They seized a series of hilltops overlooking the town during the night and battled IS militants into the afternoon, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Britain-based monitor said the troops were backed by both Syrian and Russian air raids. IS seized Al-Qaryatain in August 2015, kidnapping at least 230 people, including dozens of Christians, and razing its famed Mar Elian monastery. The town lies on a key road linking Palmyra with the Qalamun region of Damascus province to the west. Government forces overran Palmyra on Sunday and vowed to use the city as a launchpad for military operations against other IS-held towns in the area. A military source told Agence France Presse on Monday that Al-Qaryatain was "the next goal for the Syrian army" as it consolidated its control around Palmyra. In September, Moscow deployed its air force to back fighters loyal to President Bashar Assad. It has drawn down its forces in recent weeks but has vowed to keep striking "terrorist groups" like IS.

Paris Hails Palmyra Recapture but Raps Damascus for War
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 29/16/France on Tuesday hailed the recapture by Syrian forces of the ancient city of Palmyra as "positive news" but stressed Damascus bore the main blame for the war in Syria. "The advances against Daesh today cannot erase the fact that the (Syrian) regime bears the main responsibility for the conflict and its 270,000 dead over the past five years," said foreign ministry spokesman Romain Nadal, using an alternate name for the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, also known by the acronyms of ISIS and ISIL. Speaking at a press briefing, Nadal reiterated France's call for a halt to attacks on "moderate opposition groups" in Syria. Russian-backed Syrian forces recaptured the oasis city known as the "Pearl of the Desert" on Sunday. Analysts said the government's seizure of the UNESCO World Heritage site was the biggest blow so far in the war against IS and a major coup both for Damascus and Moscow. It was a strategic as well as symbolic victory for President Bashar Assad, providing control of the surrounding desert all the way to the Iraqi border, they said.

Oxfam: Rich States Resettle Barely One Percent of Syrian Refugees
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 29/16/Wealthy countries have resettled only a fraction of the nearly five million refugees who have fled Syria, Oxfam said on Tuesday, urging them to step up and do their share. The British charity called on wealthy countries to resettle at least 10 percent of the 4.8 million Syrian refugees registered in the region surrounding the war-ravaged nation by the end of the year. So far, rich countries have pledged few than 130,000 resettlement spots, and only around 67,100 people -- a mere 1.39 percent of the refugees -- have made it to their final destinations since 2013, Oxfam said.
The charity issued its report ahead of an unprecedented UN-hosted conference in Geneva on Wednesday, where countries will be asked to pledge resettlement spots for Syrian refugees. As the brutal conflict enters its sixth year, most of the people who have fled are located in Syria's immediate neighbors such as Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. But as the war has dragged on and conditions have worsened in the surrounding states, Syrians have increasingly set their sights on Europe, accounting for most of the more than one million migrants who risked their lives crossing the Mediterranean last year. They are also believed to be heavily represented among the more than 7,500 people, including many children, who have died trying to make the crossing since 2014. Wednesday's conference, which will be opened by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, will aim to ensure "global responsibility sharing" for the crisis sparked by Syria's brutal conflict, which has claimed more than 270,000 lives.
Disappointing
"To date the response to calls of increased resettlement of vulnerable refugees has been disappointing, and the conference is an opportunity for states to mark a change of course," the Oxfam report said. The charity said its analysis showed only three of the world's wealthy countries -- Canada, Germany and Norway -- had pledged more resettlement spots than what was considered their "fair share" according to the size of their economies. Five other countries, Australia, Finland, Iceland, Sweden and New Zealand had meanwhile pledged more than half of their fair share, while the remaining 20 nations included in the analysis fell far short, Oxfam said. Thus, France had only so far pledged to take in 1,000 Syrian refugees, or only four percent of the nearly 26,000 considered to be its fair share, the report said. The United States, which has resettled 1,812 Syrian refugees and said it will take in 10,000 more, has meanwhile pledged just seven percent of the nearly 171,000 considered to be its fair share, it showed. The Netherlands also stood at seven percent, Denmark at 15 and Britain at 22, Oxfam said. "We need to show Syrian people that 'solidarity' is an action, not a sound-bite," Oxfam chief Winnie Byanyima said in a statement. "Countries with a strong economy, good services and developed infrastructure can immediately resettle 500,000 refugees between them -- if they chose to," she said. Byanyima said that in Lebanon, one in five inhabitants is a Syrian refugees, while they constitute 10 percent of the population in Jordan, which counts a refugee camp as its fourth largest "city". "These countries have fragile economies and weak infrastructure. They can no longer shoulder this responsibility virtually alone," she said, insisting that the Geneva conference "should result in urgent solutions, offering people safe and legal routes to a welcome in third countries".

U.S. Welcomes IS Loss of Palmyra
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 29/16/The United States on Monday welcomed the victory of Syrian leader Bashar Assad's Russian-backed forces over the Islamic State group in the historic city of Palmyra, despite concern over his brutal record. "We do think that it's a good thing that Daesh no longer controls it," State Department spokesman John Kirby said, using his department's preferred term for the jihadist group. "That said, we're also mindful, of course, that the best hope for Syria and the Syrian people is not an expansion of Bashar Assad's ability to tyrannize the Syrian people."Backed by Russia, Syrian government and allied fighters overran Palmyra on Sunday after nearly 10 months in which the Islamic State group held sway in the city. Washington is leading its own coalition campaign against the IS group, but has also accused Assad of fomenting chaos by provoking civil war in Syria. Russia, in contrast, has sent warplanes and advisers to assist Assad's battle against both the armed opposition and extremists such as the IS group. In the case of Palmyra, however, Kirby welcomed the battle as a setback for a common foe. "The short answer is yes, we think it's a good thing," Kirby said, speaking for Secretary of State John Kerry, who met Russian leaders in Moscow last week. "I wasn't aware that there was confusion before, but there was no confusion on the secretary's part. In his mind, this was a good thing. "We can't forget what Daesh did in this place; destroying our common heritage -- human history -- beheading a renowned archeologist who was responsible for maintaining those sites."

IS Suicide Bomber Kills Three in Baghdad
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 29/16/A suicide bomber detonated an explosive belt in central Baghdad on Tuesday morning, killing at least three people in an attack claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group, officials said. The bomber targeted workers gathered at Tayaran Square, also wounding at least 22 people, according to security and medical officials. IS said in an online statement that it carried out the attack, claiming it targeted Shiite paramilitary forces. The jihadist group overran large parts of Iraq in 2014 but has since lost significant ground to Iraqi forces and allied militia groups. While suicide bombings are relatively common in Iraq, they have recently targeted areas outside Baghdad or neighborhoods on the outer edge of the capital that are easier for militants to access.

Bahrain Court Jails 10 over Police Attack
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 29/16/Bahrain on Tuesday sentenced four people to life in prison and six others for up to 15 years for attacking police during a protest in a Shiite village, the prosecution said. The 10 defendants were found guilty of being behind "terrorist plots", detonating explosives and resisting police, the kingdom's public prosecution said in a statement. "Four were sentenced to life in prison, while the remaining defendants were jailed between three to 15 years," it said. The defendants were charged of detonating a roadside bomb when a police patrol passed in the village of Akr, south of Manama, in April 2014. Three police vehicles were damaged in the attack, the prosecution statement said. Bahrain has been shaken by unrest since it quelled a month-long Shiite-led uprising demanding reforms which erupted on February 14, 2011. Tiny but strategic, the kingdom is connected to regional Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia by a causeway, lies across the Gulf from Shiite Iran and is home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet. Despite the crackdown on the 2011 uprising, protesters frequently attack police in Shiite villages outside the capital Manama.

China Appoints Special Envoy to Syria
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 29/16/China has appointed its first special envoy to Syria, its foreign ministry said Tuesday, as the Asian nation seeks to increase its diplomatic footprint in the Middle East. China depends on the volatile region for its oil supplies but has long taken a back seat in its disputes, only recently beginning to expand its role. In recent months, Beijing has hosted high-level delegations from both the Syrian government and the opposition. It consistently says the crisis needs a "political solution" but has four times vetoed U.N. Security Council measures aimed at addressing the conflict -- the latest seeking the investigation of war crimes in the country.Xie Xiaoyan, who has been China's ambassador to Iran, Ethiopia and the African Union, will be Beijing's new special envoy to Syria, foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a regular briefing. The appointment would help facilitate peace talks and "contribute Chinese wisdom and solutions" towards attempts to resolve the crisis, he said, reiterating that a political solution was the "only way out". As Beijing's global heft and reach expands it has sought a more prominent role on the world stage, but its increasing involvement -- and the growing number of Chinese businessmen and personnel working overseas -- can also bring challenges. In November, the Islamic State jihadist group -- which holds swathes of Syrian territory -- said it killed a Chinese hostage, publishing graphic pictures of his body. It was unclear when, where, or how Fan Jinghui was killed, but Beijing's foreign ministry confirmed his "inhuman" death, vowing to bring his killers to justice.

U.N.: Six Children Killed, Maimed Daily in Yemen since Saudi Air Strikes Began
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 29/16/Six children have been killed or maimed daily in Yemen since Saudi-led air strikes began a year ago, the UN said Tuesday, warning the conflict was taking a horrifying toll on the country's youth. In a report marking the anniversary of the start of the Saudi-led campaign, the UN children's agency said nearly a third of the more than 3,000 civilians killed in Yemen were children. "Children are not safe anywhere in Yemen. Even playing or sleeping has become dangerous," UNICEF representative in Yemen Julien Harneis told Agence France Presse in an email.
The Saudi-led intervention in support of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi began on March 26 last year, but has yet to deal a decisive blow to the Huthi rebels and their allies, who still control Sanaa and key parts of the country. Hopes for a breakthrough in the conflict emerged last week when the warring sides agreed on a ceasefire to be observed before peace talks on April 18. A halt to the violence is sorely needed in what before the escalation of the conflict was already one of the world's poorest nations. The UN estimates 82 percent of the population is now in desperate need of humanitarian aid, with 320,000 children considered severely malnourished. "The scale of suffering in the country is staggering," Tuesday's report said, providing heart-wrenching testimony from children caught up in the violence. "Everything around me is frightening. My mother's sad face and tears are what torture me the most," said 13-year-old Abdullah Nawar, who is trapped with his family in Aden. "I am scared that all of us will die in this dark basement," he added. - 'Extreme and cruel' -In addition to the thousands of children who have been direct victims of the violence and "hurt in the most extreme and cruel ways", Tuesday's report showed even more were suffering the secondary effects of the fighting. "Basic services and infrastructure in Yemen are on the verge of total collapse," it said. UNICEF estimates that close to 10,000 children under five may have died over the past year alone from preventable diseases as a result of the decline in access to vaccines and other key health services. This comes on top of the nearly 50,000 children who die every year in Yemen before their fifth birthday, the agency said. The UN says 63 healthcare facilities have been attacked over the past year and three have been occupied for military purposes. Children, desperate for a sense of normalcy amid the physical and emotional violence they are experiencing, are also often cut off from attending school, which provides a compass point. There had been more than 50 direct attacks on schools and teachers, and some 50 schools have been occupied by fighters, UNICEF said.
More than 1,600 schools meanwhile remain closed due to insecurity, infrastructure damage or because they are being used to house some of the some 2.4 million people who have been displaced by the conflict. Many children are also being forced to take part in the violence surrounding them. UNICEF said it had documented 848 cases of children being recruited by different sides in the conflict, with reports indicating children as young as 10 were forced to take part in the fighting. "Tragic as it is, these statistics are only a tip of the iceberg," the report said, adding that the actual numbers were likely "much higher".

ISIS ‘planning attack on Jewish children in Turkey’
AFP, London Tuesday, 29 March 2016/Britain’s Sky News quoted intelligence sources on Monday as saying that ISIS had “advanced plans” to kill Jewish children in Turkey by attacking kindergartens, schools and youth centers.
Sky Foreign Affairs Editor Sam Kiley said the information on the “imminent” threat came from six operatives arrested over the past week in the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep. It was not clear which country’s intelligence service had provided the information to the British news network. Reuters could not verify the report and Turkish officials were not immediately reachable for comment. “In light of these circumstances, extraordinary security measures are being taken above and beyond the high alert level already in place by the Turkish police, as well as vigilance within the Jewish community,” Sky quoted an intelligence source as saying on its website. “Undercover and other covert counter-terror measures are being implemented around the clock. This is a more than credible threat. This is an active plot,” the source was quoted as saying. More than 80 people have been killed in a series of suicide attacks this year in Turkey, a NATO ally of the United States. The latest attack, blamed on ISIS, killed three Israeli tourists and an Iranian in Istanbul on March 19. The group has also claimed responsibility for suicide blasts that killed 35 people last week in Belgium. In an upgraded travel advisory on Monday, Israel urged its citizens visiting Turkey to leave “as soon as possible”, predicting possible follow-up attacks. Sky said the most likely target of an attack was a synagogue in Istanbul’s Beyoglu district which has a community center and a school attached to it.

Iranian president postpones Austria visit 'for security reasons'
AFP, Vienna Tuesday, 29 March 2016/Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has postponed for security reasons a planned visit to Austria this week, only his second to Europe since last year's nuclear deal, Austria's presidency said Tuesday. "The visit for March 30-31 by President Hassan Rouhani and his delegation has been postponed by the Iranian side for security reasons," it said in a statement, without giving further details. Rouhani had been due to meet Austrian President Heinz Fischer on Wednesday in Vienna and Chancellor Werner Faymann the following day as well as attend an Austro-Iranian economic forum. He visited Rome and Paris in January. The 2013 election of Rouhani, a relative moderate, led to something of a rapprochement with the West which in turn helped Iran and major powers reach the mammoth nuclear deal in Vienna last July. Entering into force in January, Iran substantially scaled down its nuclear programme in order to put an atomic bomb out of reach. In return nuclear-related sanctions -- but not others -- were lifted. Ructions with the West remain, however, including over Tehran's support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the conflict in Yemen, Iran's ballistic missile programme and computer hacking. With Rouhani having been elected on a promise to improve the economy, Tehran is also frustrated at what it sees as an incomplete lifting of sanctions, in particular on its banks. Austria, like other European countries, and having hosted numerous rounds of talks that led to the nuclear deal, is keen to see its firms profit from the opening up of the Iranian economy.

Sanders team pushes Clinton for New York debate
AFP, Washington Tuesday, 29 March 2016/Bernie Sanders’ campaign team called on Hillary Clinton to relent and agree to hold a debate between the Democratic presidential hopefuls in New York before the state primary on April 19. Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, is hanging on in the race for the party ticket and trounced frontrunner Clinton at the weekend in three western states. He will need to replicate that stunning success in the remaining states with the three largest delegate allocations – California, New York and Pennsylvania – if he is to stand any hope of pulling off a shock and beating the former secretary of state to the party nomination. The last debate was in Miami on March 9 and two more are theoretically planned for April and May, with dates and venues undecided. Sanders, a Vermont senator originally from Brooklyn, is pushing for New York to be one of the venues. Opinion polls show Clinton well ahead in the state. “It has been disappointing that there seems to be some hedging on the part of the Clinton campaign,” said Sanders’s campaign manager Jeff Weaver in a call to reporters. “To deny the people of New York the opportunity to see a debate, when it’s a state where the secretary represented them, was elected twice to the US Senate, has her national headquarters in Brooklyn, to then say you're not willing to debate Bernie Sanders in New York, I think is just not going to be acceptable to voters in New York state.” Joel Benenson, Clinton’s chief strategist, accused Sanders of waging a “negative” campaign over his attacks on everything from the former first lady’s links to Wall Street to the Iraq War. “Let’s see the tone of the campaign before we get to other questions,” he told CNN. “Senator Sanders doesn’t get to decide when we debate, particularly when he’s running a negative campaign.”

Sisi sacks man who alleged Egypt state corruption
By Omar Fahmy Reuters, Cairo Tuesday, 29 March 2016/President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Monday sacked Egypt's top auditor who had stirred controversy by publicly concluding that government corruption had cost the country billions of dollars. Hesham Geneina came under heavy fire from senior officials and pro-government media after he alleged widespread graft in newspaper interviews at the end of last year. Sisi appointed a presidential commission that quickly concluded that Geneina had misled the public by saying corruption had cost 600 billion Egyptian pounds (about $76 billion) over a four-year period. The presidency did not spell out in a decree why Geneina was dismissed but the move came hours after the State Security Prosecution said his findings were inaccurate. Sisi, who as army chief removed Egypt's first freely-elected president in 2013, has made fighting corruption a top priority for the government. Geneina's removal is likely to raise questions about Egypt's commitment to fighting graft as it struggles to rebuild an economy hammered by years of political turmoil following a 2011 uprising that toppled veteran autocrat Hosni Mubarak. The most populous Arab state also faces a Sinai-based Islamist militant insurgency that has hurt the tourism industry, a traditional pillar of the economy. Egypt's pro-government media accused Geneina of being an Islamist because was appointed by President Mohammad Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, which was outlawed and declared a terrorist group.
Sisi ousted Morsi in 2013 after mass protests against his rule, and then launched a fierce crackdown on dissent, drawing widespread allegations of abuse by human rights groups, allegations the government denies. Seen as a decisive figure who could deliver stability, Sisi gained the support of millions of Egyptians. But he no longer enjoys cult-like adulation as Egyptians grow frustrated with unemployment and high prices.

Assad dials the West from Palmyra: Let’s talk ISIS?
Joyce Karam/Al Arabiya/March 29/16
The recapture of Palmyra by the Assad regime forces from ISIS this week, 10 months after its fall, has two major connotations. Primarily the strategic location of the ancient city puts Assad at a geographical advantage to go after ISIS in Deir Zour and reconnect the routes with Iraq and Iran. But more importantly, defeating ISIS in the birth land of Queen Zenobia six days after the Brussels attacks, signals to the West that Assad and his strong backer Russian President Vladimir Putin could reemerge as partners against ISIS terrorism. From Palmyra, Assad is flirting with Europe and trying to seduce its intelligence and political class to break his isolation and open channels on fighting ISIS, while turning a blind eye to his killing machine against Syrian civilians and the opposition. This equation could find echo in Europe and amongst an elite that sees counterterrorism as the only priority in Syria. It is however, shortsighted and might end up backfiring in the long term by strengthening ISIS, the same way that the policies of marginalization in Iraq led to its rebirth in 2014.
Assad flirting with Europe
The timing of the Palmyra operation cannot be seen in isolation of the Brussels attacks last week. The Assad strategists, who have long managed to maintain a channel of intelligence cooperation with the West and the United States despite their authoritative record at home and foreign policy differences, jumped at the opportunity to reemerge as a partner against ISIS. Backed by the Russian air force, and following the severe blow that Moscow dealt to the moderate rebels in the last six months, the message from Palmyra was that only the Assad regime is capable of fighting ISIS in Syria, and that it’s time for the Europeans to jump ship and resume Intel cooperation with the dictator. While publicly many Europeans will shy away from embracing this strategy and insist on a political solution, Assad is forcing himself as a fait accompli, as the negotiations struggle and the moderate rebels suffer logistically and militarily.
The Assad regime that has built its survival on buying time and outlasting the skeptics, is wooing Europe to take him as a potential partner against ISIS
Many European delegations have visited Assad as recent as this week and chatter from Paris to Berlin about resuming cooperation with his regime started last year. For Europe, its safety and sharing intelligence on ISIS comes ahead of any other priority in Syria. While dancing with the Putin and Assad will damage Europe’s credibility, it is not unforeseeable that the leaders of the old continent will hand the keys to Putin in Syria in order to buy their security and force a lid on refugee flow. If Europe flirts back with Assad, it won’t be the first time for such reversal. In the aftermath of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri killing in 2005, Assad suffered international isolation and was dealt new sanctions for his regime’s alleged role in Lebanon’s and Iraq’s instability. This isolation loosened dramatically when French President Nicholas Sarkozy reopened channels with the regime and received him in Paris in 2008. With more than 250,000 dead, Assad will unlikely be in Paris anytime soon, but his flirtations with Europe could revive intelligence sharing against ISIS while ignoring the political stalemate in Syria.
Shortsighted approach
Partnering with Assad to fight ISIS is almost equivalent to partnering with an arsonist to set off the fire it had a major role in creating. Defeating ISIS cannot happen in the absence of a political process that addresses the roots of its rise, found in policies of suppressing dissent and bloody crackdowns that have long composed the playbook of Assad and other dictators. Judging by Iraq, bandages in the shape of military operations that are not accompanied by political processes ultimately fail the test of time against ISIS. The group successfully reemerged in 2014 despite the so-called military defeats by Washington and former Iraqi prime minister Nouri Maliki against it in 2006-2008. It was the misguided policies of Maliki driven by a sectarian agenda and feeding off a regional proxy war, that reignited ISIS’ support and allowed it to take over Mosul two years ago. From Mosul to Brussels to Palmyra, ISIS has many Godfathers and none of them can exclusively be trampled militarily. The regional divide, internal dysfunction in Syria and Iraq, as well as Europe’s own marginalization and radicalization problem requires political strategies, that won’t be embraced by Assad because they would lead to his relinquish of a four-decade-old power hold. Such political strategy will also ring hollow in the midst of regional proxy war that seeks increasing influence and not fighting ISIS. For now, the Assad regime that has built its survival on buying time and outlasting the skeptics, is wooing Europe to take him as a potential partner against ISIS. While it is tempting for global leaders to turn the page on the Syrian war and return to the status quo ante, such path is doomed to fail. It can only temporarily choke off ISIS while promising a more vicious return for the group or a similar phenomenon under the same political circumstances.

The world according to Trump: An America-first policy in the Middle East
Dr. John C. Hulsman/Al Arabiya/March 29/16
“We will not be ripped off anymore. We’re going to be friendly with everybody, but we’re not going to be taken advantage of by anybody.” --Donald Trump, to The New York Times
A Jacksonian Primer
Following last week’s extraordinary series of interviews with The New York Times, it is difficult to say that Donald Trump has not laid out the contours of his foreign policy anymore. For all the vitriol and disdain that has been hurled at him (including by me) as to the doleful consequences that would occur if his policy utterances are taken seriously, it is also impossible to deny that he has put forward a broadly coherent foreign policy vision. His stances are well within the bounds and traditions of American thinking on the subject, even if his views have been a decided minority position in both parties for the last few generations. Trump amounts to a garden variety Jacksonian in terms of his foreign policy thinking, a school of thought explored by Walter Russell Mead in his seminal work, Special Providence. Tracing its roots back to the original American populist movement of the 1820s, Jacksonians have an honour culture view of America, it must not be mocked or belittled, humiliated or taken advantage of, and its credibility—its global standing—as a great power, with full, complete, sovereign control over its actions, must be upheld at all times.
Jacksonians are leery about entering wars, but loath to get out of them until total victory has been achieved. It is no accident that Trump lists Generals Patton and MacArthur as his heroes, as both unfashionably believed in total victory at a time of Cold War limits.
If Jacksonians are leery of wars, they are highly skeptical of allies, who in their view all too often free ride off a gullible America, without contributing much to the overall cause. Above all, alliances must not be allowed to get in the way of America’s freedom to manoeuvre, constrain American actions, or hamper the country’s plans. Jacksonian thinking can be summed up by the rattlesnake motto on many of the American Revolutionary War flags of the Continental army of George Washington, “Don’t tread on me.”
Trump’s worldview
Specifically, Trump’s Jacksonian, America-first views translate surprisingly directly into the policy world of today. Alliances will be rethought – from the Middle East to Asia to NATO – and only if they are adjusted to suit America’s terms will they be continued. For example, Trump abhors what he sees as the free-riding of so many of America’s present allies, as they nestle securely beneath America’s security blanket, all the while an economically weakened US gullibly foots the bill. As such, Trump questions NATO’s continued relevance (it doesn’t do counter-terrorism and the US pays a disproportionate price for it, relative to the rich and largely disarmed Europeans), the terms of America’s defence treaty with Japan, and America’s longstanding ties to Saudi Arabia and other Arab allies in the Middle East. To be fair, the Republican frontrunner has long held this position, having placed ads in The New York Times in the far away 1980s, calling for both Japan and Saudi Arabia to spend more on their defences.
It is no accident that Trump lists Generals Patton and MacArthur as his heroes, as both unfashionably believed in total victory at a time of Cold War limits
Arrestingly, at the regional level in the Middle East, Trump’s overall geostrategic views track with the current administration’s position: America should take a step back. The American shale revolution – plus secure energy supplies being available in next door Canada and Mexico – means that while the Middle East remains important, it is less so for the US than in the immediate past. Trump’s America would stay engaged in the Middle East, but would certainly devote less time to the region than has been the norm over the past generation. Again, oddly echoing President Obama, what all of this amounts to is an unconscious recognition that the world has changed, that we live in a new multipolar world of many powers, where the US remains by a long way the greatest power in the world, but one that is presently in relatively decline as others from China to India slowly but inexorably rise. In such a world, in Trump’s view, the US can simply no longer be called upon to stupidly foot the bill for indolent allies who are not paying their fair share, either in terms of finances or military commitments.
Trumpism in the Middle East
Specifically, it is this ideological context which explains the Republican frontrunner’s startling comments about the Middle East. In his two interviews with The New York Times, Trump called for the US to halt purchases of oil from Riyadh and other Gulf Arab allies unless they commit ground troops to fight ISIS, or at the very least pay the US back for taking the caliphate on, as ISIS threatens their stability directly and not that of the United States. Consistently in line with his position that the US must be willing to reconsider traditional alliances if countries are not willing to pay, in terms of either money or their own troop commitments, for the stabilising presence of US forces around the world, Trump suggests that Germany and the Gulf states should foot the bill for safe zones in Syria. A Trump administration would establish these safe zones on the Turkish-Syrian border for the refugees, and then set about protecting them, but only if others managed the price, as they again have far more at stake in terms of interests over this wrenching issue than does far away America. Finally, the other long-standing pillar of America’s alliance structure in the Middle East, Israel, also has a lot to feel queasy about, given Trump’s foreign policy. While mouthing the standard words about his support for a two-state solution to the Palestinian question (in return for the Palestinian Authority’s recognition of Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state), Trump has been far less pro-Israel than has been the norm, talking instead about serving as a more neutral partner in any status talks to come. In both the Saudi and Israeli cases, to put it mildly, Trump is not terribly sentimental about America’s longstanding alliances in the region.
A typical populist
As is true for many populists, both of this era and the past, Trump’s foreign policy analysis is far better than are his dangerous prescriptions. He is right in that the world has fundamentally changed in a multipolar direction, just as I have great sympathy for his frustration with allies who depressingly often do not pull their weight, either in terms of guns or money, leaving America to pick up the slack. As the world has changed this will no longer be possible, and Trump’s focusing on this key and too often neglected point serves as a welcome wake-up call. Saying this, again in line with standard populist thinking, all too often Trump wants to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Just because America’s alliances are in desperate need of revision does not mean they should be done away with, or that they do not generally serve American interests around world. Having identified a key strategic problem, Trump’s nihilistic answer to it would leave the world without the alliance structure that has helped provide order to a world in desperate need of it. Trump and his foreign policy views must and should be taken seriously. But then real answers to the real questions he raises must be found.

Why terrorists do what extremists think
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/March 29/16
It is naïve to accuse writers and commentators of spreading local narratives about Islamist extremism beyond borders and of inciting people against their own religion. What’s being written and spoken about can be interpreted very easily. The world does not need local translators or writers or inciters to understand what is going on as the tools available for gathering and monitoring information and analyzing them are beyond imagination. More importantly, the truth is clear to everyone: terrorists do what extremists think. During its period of influence, al-Qaeda released publications urging violence and detailed a manifesto of governance. Its theorists rooted for violence based on their vision. Academic and security apparatuses no longer need to read between the lines or analyze phone calls to decode how extremists think. They need to know what the next target is as the ideology is the same no matter how different these organizations and their names are.When al-Qaeda emerged, there was controversy over the real motives behind terrorism and questions were asked as to what extremist ideology is behind terrorism. Terrorists are now getting more and more violent. It is now evident that extremism leads to violence and this is no longer a mere theory or conclusion by a researcher who is ignorant of the language and religion.
Are there parties spreading extremist ideology to serve their political aims? Of course, and they are mainly political groups who use extremists to target their local or foreign rivals. This is what is happening in Egypt’s Sinai and in Syria. The rise of religious extremism has nothing to do with social justice or political injustice. It represents an ideological project that aims to seize control and neutralize others. Are there parties exploiting extremist organizations to serve their own objectives? Of course, there are. Iran is the best example; its regime has managed to use extremist organizations for 30 years in Lebanon, Iraq, Palestine, and most recently, in Yemen. Those adopting an extremist ideology, or defending it, do not understand that they are partners of politically violent groups like the ISIS and al-Qaeda. They agree with them on several principles even though they don’t support their political plans. Those propagating extremism in this politically tense atmosphere are tools for the Tehran regime. Extremists serve Iran’s interests because they are putting their countries within the range of the world’s cannons. For example, rivals accuse each other of being the source of extremist ideology and justify such statements by referring to extremist practices. Let’s not forget that Iran was the party that formulated the political rhetoric that’s currently spread among Islamists and which is about global arrogance and religiously and politically fighting it.
Cascading effect
Regardless of political exploitations which are usually common in wars, the new threat comes from the complications caused by the spread of extremism, which now threatens us and threatens Muslim communities in the West. Extremist ideology that the terrorists are acting upon is proving to be a major threat to Muslim governments and communities and their relations. Unless we admit the presence and spread of extremism the situation will continue to worsen and we will find ourselves clashing with other victims. Some theorists try to justify terrorism by putting religion and governments at the forefront. They do this either to protect themselves or to involve them in disputes raised by them. This nothing to do with Muslims in general who end up paying the price of violence taking place in Lahore, ar-Raqqah or Brussels. Extremists have exhausted the justifications they have used over the years to support terrorists. In the beginning, violence was justified because of the American bases in Saudi Arabia. Then they used Afghanistan to defend al-Qaeda and Taliban. Then they moved on to defending Saddam Hussein in Iraq despite his Baathist regime. After the Americans exited Iraq, those justifying terrorism started using the excuse that Muslims are being persecuted in the West. All that while they ignored acts of terrorism targeting Muslims in Syria, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Morocco. The rise of religious extremism has nothing to do with social justice or political injustice. It represents an ideological project that aims to seize control and neutralize others. This is why when an organization commits a crime on the basis of an extremist ideology, the latter must also pay the price and the rest of the Muslims must not be expected to defend it or cover for it. We must separate the extremists from among us, between extremists and the rest of Muslims and between extremists and Islam. We must reject their statements that the West opposes Islam or Sunnis or Saudis. Truth is that the West opposes them (extremists) and blames them for what is happening and warns against them. Extremists have become more dangerous than terrorists even as terrorism has escalated across the world. ISIS defends itself and sacrifices its fighters while extremists want a suicide attack seeking to target everyone.

EgyptAir hijacking a wakeup call for aviation security awareness
Dr. Theodore Karasik/Al Arabiya/March 29/16
Although the hijacking of an Egypt Air Flight MS 181 turned out to be a lover’s quarrel, the fact remains that there is a high degree of nervousness regarding commercial aviation after a number of terrorism incidents involving aircraft and airports. Social media was flooded with angst and disbelief over today’s incident only to be followed by nervous joking. But this incident is not a laughing matter in today’s hyper sensitive environment. This latest incident may raise questions about the safety and reputation of Egypt’s air industry, which is still reeling after a bomb on a Russian passenger plane on October 31, 2015, killed all 224 people on board. ISIS claimed responsibility for bringing down the Russian A321 passenger jet over Sinai, which was bound for St. Petersburg. Two employees at Sharm el-Sheikh Airport were arrested on suspicion of assisting those who planted the explosive device on the Russian jet that crashed in Sinai. An investigation showed that Sharm el-Sheikh Airport had many gaps in security, such as lax searches at the entry gate and poor quality of scanning devices. Seven officials involved in security at Sharm el-Sheikh Airport, several with more than a decade’s service, told of lapses.
It should be noted that Egypt is upping its security precautions at major airports with more careful procedures and protocols being implemented. That’s good news given past problems with Egypt’s airports and airlines. In 2004, Flash Airlines Flight 603 took off and crashed from Sharm El-Sheikh killing 135 French nationals. The findings of the investigation were disagreed upon by the investigating countries including terrorism claims by a Yemeni group versus mechanical failure. Before that incident, EgyptAir Flight 990 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean about 60 miles (100km) south of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, killing all 217 people on board. The official “probable cause” of the crash was deliberate action by the relief first officer. Not only does civil aviation need to treat every air hub as a potential target with enhanced security precautions but also employees and passengers need to be observed not by profiling but by behavior. Of course, the ISIS attack on Belgium’s Zaventem Airport is still fresh in everybody’s minds and reverberations are continuing. Air hubs across Europe stepped up security measures amid the attacks in Brussels for the foreseeable future. The security error at Zaventem Airport is clear: No screening or portals into the arrival area of the airport for explosives or weapons. Too many other countries have experienced this weakness and the bad guys know how to exploit these security lapses. There is no doubt that all airports need to implement stringent measures on a global scale not only in arrival areas but also departures. Russia learned fast that such gaps are necessary to fix after the Domodedovo International Airport suicide bombing in January 2011 in the arrival area. These Russian commercial aviation safety measures should be seen as a gold standard for all international airports. Currently, many airports lack such protection. With the low price of oil, airlines should be contributing more to the safety of the air hubs that they use.
Mental incapacity
Unfortunately, civil aviation is becoming a target not only for extremists but also for people with mental health issues. The best example, besides Egypt Air Flight 990, is Germanwings Flight 9525 in March 2015 when co-pilot Andreas Lubitz reportedly committed suicide by killing 150 people with him. Extremists are also seen, by some scholars, in the same light, in terms of a severe mental incapacity. In both the cases, depressive symptoms fall squarely into the health arena. We know that any form of depression is associated with negative sentiment, including a sense of hopelessness, worthlessness and helplessness. Such an outlook can fuel thoughts that crime, violence, and suicide is a solution. Depression can also leave people feeling irritable and aggressive. Even a lover’s quarrel can potentially hurt dozens of people potentially. With the anti-climactic end to today’s Egypt Air Flight MS 181, there should be a sigh of relief.
Nevertheless, the preverbal genie is out of the bottle: civil aviation needs to up its game against acts of malice or intent to harm. Not only does civil aviation need to treat every air hub as a potential target with enhanced security precautions but also employees and passengers need to be observed not by profiling but by behavior. A 50 percent solution based on complaining about cost is a debate of the past. A new method is required for a more robust, comprehensive due diligence, and common sense, and consistency with airlines and ground personnel to work seamlessly together. No more stovepipes where information is compartmentalized literally to death. In addition, new technologies are available that boost biometrics to new levels of sensitivity to help weed out potential troublemakers. To be sure, no systemic approach is 100 percent perfect but the more effort given, the better for the rest of the flying public.
Unfortunately, all of the above is the sign of the times.

The Arabs and President ‘Two-Face’ Obama: what went wrong?
Faisal J. Abbas/Al Arabiya/March 29/16
Much has already been written in response to the collection of interviews with President Obama recently penned by Jeffrey Goldberg for The Atlantic. Given the unexpected criticism Obama directed towards almost all of his country’s historic allies, it was no surprise that his remarks were received by a mixture of astonishment and severe disappointment. This was the case not just in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, but even in countries like France, Israel and the United Kingdom. Of course, the dispute here isn’t about criticisms such as the ones on women’s rights in Saudi Arabia (which many in the kingdom agree with, by the way), but to the unjust comments questioning the efforts of key US allies in fighting terrorism and stabilizing the region. However - since actions speak louder than words - one could argue that the best response, so far, to Obama’s “free-riders” accusations was yesterday’s Riyadh meeting of military chiefs from over 30 Muslim countries. The meeting - which is part of the efforts of the newly-established Saudi-led Islamic Military Alliance - discussed a new framework for combatting terrorism through armed, financial, media and intellectual efforts. Now, Obama - or indeed anyone who believes in “leading from behind” (if such a thing even exists!) - may not grasp the sheer magnitude and importance of this step. However, given that the US president is due to visit Riyadh next month, one hopes that he would have at least read recent comments made by his own defense secretary, state department, treasury department and Centcom commander on the “crucial” relationship the US enjoys with Saudi Arabia, particularly in areas of security, counter-terrorism and defense.
As for the Saudis, it is perhaps too late - and futile - to try and fix this so-called “Obama Doctrine” during the upcoming visit. Indeed, nothing said can bring over 200 thousand Syrians back to life, undo the creation of ISIS, or contain the danger which Tehran now imposes on the region (thanks to the divisive nuclear deal which has left Iran - which Obama himself describes as a “state sponsor of terror” - totally unshackled). To add to this, come January next year, we will have to deal with a new White House anyway. This means that whoever ends up becoming the next US president will have to deal with the harsh realities of our region. By default, this also means that the next occupant of the White House will need the support and advice of America’s longtime regional allies. As such, it is more useful for the US’s Arab allies to figure out how they will win the next president’s support in restoring balance to our region. Naturally, having this new Saudi-led Islamic coalition will definitely be helpful on that front.
But what went wrong?
As Obama’s two terms near their end, it is definitely worth finding out how and why we lost his ear. After all, with a name like Barack Hussein Obama, his family history, upbringing and cultural sensitivity, one could argue that there couldn’t have been a U.S. partner who understands our region better.
We should also remember that the relationship with this current administration wasn’t always so tense. Indeed, Obama is the same American president who - near the beginning of his tenure - bowed to the late Saudi King Abdullah. Furthermore, according to two sources close to the former monarch, Obama is also said to have kissed King Abdullah’s hand on a later occasion (reportedly telling him that he did so in response to Fox News’s criticism of his bow). One has to wonder if the waters were poisoned by those in the current administration who are for Iran, or are Muslim Brotherhood sympathizers. This would be incredibly hard to grasp given President Obama’s undisputed intellect and shrewdness. Or was abandoning the US’s regional allies Obama’s hidden agenda from the beginning? This could be a possibility; after all, since he was already awarded a Nobel Peace Prize (for no apparent reason, one should add), the argument here would be why bother with a region which will put you at risk, exhaust your resources and where people will still curse you for doing the right thing? I of course intended for this last set of questions to sound like those that would cross the mind of a reluctant comic book superhero. After all, what we recently discovered about the US president is that he apparently draws his Middle East policy from the 2008 Batman film, The Dark Knight. According to his interview with the Atlantic, Obama sees the Middle East as the corrupt, crumbling Gotham City. Its leaders are like gang bosses and ISIS are like the sadistic, impetuous Joker, determined to watch the whole world burn. As such, Obama could have easily ended his presidency as a Batman-like hero, particularly given the support he enjoyed after his 2009 Cairo Speech. Unfortunately, given the transformation in his stance since then, it is a shame he ended up becoming Harvey ‘Two-Face’ Dent! Since we’re talking in comic-book comparisons, I’m not sure if Obama has ever been a fan of Spiderman. However, all I can say is that it’s regrettable that the 44th president of the United States will go down as the commander-in-chief who forgot that “with great power, comes great responsibility!”