LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
November 13/16
Compiled
& Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The
Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
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Bible Quotations For Today
Verses telling the
Story of Zechariah the Prisest & His Wife
Elizabeth, John the Paptest's Parents
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke01/01-25/:"Since many
have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been
fulfilled among us, just as they were handed on to us by those who from the
beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, I too decided, after
investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly
account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that
you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been
instructed. In the days of King Herod of Judea,
there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name
was Elizabeth.
Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the
commandments and regulations of the Lord.
But they had no children, because Elizabeth
was barren, and both were getting on in years. Once when he was serving as
priest before God and his section was on duty, he was chosen by lot, according
to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer
incense. Now at the time of the incense-offering, the whole assembly of the
people was praying outside. Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord,
standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he
was terrified; and fear overwhelmed him. But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be
afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will
bear you a son, and you will name him John. You will have joy and gladness, and
many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.
He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be
filled with the Holy Spirit. He will turn many of the people of Israel to the
Lord their God. With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to
turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom
of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.’Zechariah
said to the angel, ‘How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and
my wife is getting on in years.’ The angel replied, ‘I am Gabriel. I stand in
the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this
good news. But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be
fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day
these things occur.’Meanwhile, the people were
waiting for Zechariah, and wondered at his delay in the sanctuary. When he did
come out, he could not speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a
vision in the sanctuary. He kept motioning to them and remained unable to
speak. When his time of service was ended, he went to his home. After those
days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she remained in
seclusion. She said, ‘This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked
favourably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my
people.’"
It will be reckoned to us who believe in
him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over to death for
our trespasses and was raised for our justification
Letter to the Romans 04/13-25/:"The promise that he would inherit the
world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through
the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the
heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but
where there is no law, neither is there violation. For this reason it depends
on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all
his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who
share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, as it is
written, ‘I have made you the father of many nations’) in the presence of the
God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence
the things that do not exist. Hoping against hope, he believed that he would
become ‘the father of many nations’, according to what was said, ‘So numerous
shall your descendants be.’He did not weaken in faith
when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was
about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s
womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew
strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was
able to do what he had promised. Therefore his faith ‘was reckoned to him as
righteousness.’ Now the words, ‘it was reckoned to him’, were written not for
his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him
who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over to death for our
trespasses and was raised for our justification."
Question: "How can I learn to
trust that God is in control?"
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/11/12/how-can-i-learn-to-trust-that-god-is-in-control/
GotQuestions.org/Answer: Before we can learn to trust that God is in control of
all of life’s circumstances, we have to answer four questions: Is God really in
control? How much control does He have? If He is not in complete control, then
who/what is? How can I learn to trust that He is in control and rest in that? Is
God really in control? The concept of the control of God over everything is
called the “sovereignty” of God. Nothing gives us strength and confidence like
an understanding of the sovereignty of God in our lives. God’s sovereignty is
defined as His complete and total independent control over every creature,
event, and circumstance at every moment in history. Subject to none, influenced
by none, absolutely independent, God does what He pleases, only as He pleases,
always as He pleases. God is in complete control of every molecule in the
universe at every moment, and everything that happens is either caused or
allowed by Him for His own perfect purposes.
“The LORD of hosts has sworn, saying, ‘Surely, as I have thought, so it shall
come to pass, And as I have purposed, so it shall stand’” (Isaiah 14:24).
Nothing is random or comes by chance, especially not in the lives of believers.
He “purposed” it. That means to deliberately resolve to do something. God has
resolved to do what He will do, and nothing and no one
stands in His way. “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient
times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all
that I please” (Isaiah 46:10). This is our powerful, purposeful God who is in
control of everything. That should bring us great comfort and help to alleviate
our fears.
But exactly how much control does God have? God’s total sovereignty over all
creation directly contradicts the philosophy of open theism, which states that
God doesn’t know what’s going to happen in the future any more than we do, so
He has to constantly be changing His plans and reacting to what the sinful
creatures do as they exercise their free will. God isn’t finding out what’s
going to happen as events unfold. He is continuously, actively running
things—ALL things—here and now. But to think He needs our cooperation, our
help, or the exercise of our free will to bring His plans to pass puts us in
control over Him, which makes us God. Where have we heard that lie before? It’s
a rehash of Satan’s same old lie from the Garden—you
shall be like God (Genesis 3:5). Our wills are only free to the extent that God
allows us that freedom and no farther. “All the peoples of the earth are
regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the
peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: ‘What have
you done?’” (Daniel 4:35). No one’s free will trumps the sovereignty of God.
Some people find it appealing to think that Satan has control over a certain
amount of life, that God is constantly revising His plans to accommodate
Satan’s tricks. The book of Job is a clear illustration of just who has the
sovereign power and who doesn’t. Satan came to God and, in effect, said, “Job
only serves you because you protect him.” So God gave Satan permission to do
certain things to Job but no more (Job 1:6–22). Could Satan do more than that?
No. God is in control over Satan and his demons who try to thwart God’s plans
at every step.
Satan knew from the Old Testament that God’s plan was for Jesus to come to the
earth, be betrayed, crucified and resurrected, and provide salvation for
millions, and if there was any way to keep that from happening, Satan would
have done it. If just one of the hundreds of prophecies about the Messiah could
have been caused by Satan to fail to come to pass, the whole thing would have
collapsed. But the numbers of independent, “free will” decisions made by
thousands of people were designed by God to bring His plan to pass in exactly
the way He had planned it from the beginning, and Satan couldn’t do a thing
about it.
Jesus was “delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God” (Acts
2:23). No action by the Romans, the Pharisees, Judas, or anyone else kept God’s
plan from unfolding exactly the way He purposed it from before the foundation
of the world. Ephesians 1 says we were chosen in Him before the world was even
created. We were in the mind of God to be saved by faith in Christ. That means
God knit together Satan’s rebellion, Adam and Eve’s sin, the fall of the human
race, and the death and crucifixion of Christ—all seemingly terrible events—to
save us before He created us. Here is a perfect example of God working all
things together for good (Romans 8:28).
Unlimited in power, unrivalled in majesty, and not thwarted by anything outside
Himself, our God is in complete control of all circumstances, causing or
allowing them for His own good purposes and plans to be fulfilled exactly as He
has foreordained.
Finally, the only way to trust in God’s sovereign control and rest in it is to
know God. Know His attributes, know what He has done in the past, and this
builds confidence in Him. Daniel 11:32b says, “The people who know their God
shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.” Imagine that kind of power in
the hands of an evil, unjust god. Or a god that really
doesn’t care about us. But we can rejoice in our God’s sovereignty,
because it is overshadowed by His goodness, His love, His mercy, His
compassion, His faithfulness, and His holiness.
But we can’t trust someone we don’t know, and there is only one way to know
God—through His Word. There is no magic formula to make us spiritual giants
overnight, no mystical prayer to pray three times a day to mature us, build our
faith, and make us towers of strength and confidence. There is only the Bible,
the single source of power that will change our lives from the inside out. But
it takes effort, diligent, everyday effort, to know the God who controls
everything. If we drink deeply of His Word and let it fill our minds and
hearts, the sovereignty of God will become clear to us, and we will rejoice in
it because we will know intimately and trust completely the God who controls
all things for His perfect purpose.
Recommended Resource: Trusting God by Jerry Bridges
Titles For
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources
published on November 12-13/16
Lebanon’s progress/Statesman News Service/ November 12, 2016
Just how much can Lebanon change under Aoun/Haytham Mouzahem/Al Monitor/November 12/16
Hezbollah and the power of obstruction/Nayla Tueni/Al Arabiya/November 12/16
Trump files: Future of US-Gulf ties/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/November 12/16
President-elect Trump deserves a chance/ Khalaf Ahmad
Al Habtoor/Al Arabiya/November
12/16
King Abdulaziz and the Yemen book/ Mshari Al Thaydi/Al Arabiya/November 12/16
Europe's Planned Migrant Revolution/Yves Mamou/Gatestone
Institute/November 12/16
Qatar's Shopping Spree to Buy and Displace the West/Giulio
Meotti/Gatestone Institute/November 12/16
The Russian-Iranian alliance that wasn't/Hamidreza Azizi/Al Monitor/November 12/16
Why Moscow won't recognize genocide against Yazidis
in Iraq/Yekaterina Chulkovskaya/Al
Monitor/November 12/16
Does Trump actually hate Muslims/By Mamdouh AlMuhaini/Al Arabiya/November
12/16
CAIR Leader: Overthrow the U.S. Government/Daniel Pipes/Cross-posted from
National Review Online/Nov 11, 2016
Arab World Reacts To Trump's Presidential Win With Cautious Optimism, Hope For
Future Cooperation/MEMRI/November 12/16
Titles For Latest Lebanese
Related News published on on November 12-13/16
Report: Aoun Plans to Reactivate Saudi Arms
Grant in Visit to Kingdom
Berri Criticizes 'Cheap' Banks Donations to Assist
Lebanese Army
Berri: Extending parliament's period slaughter s
current era
Report: Strained Saudi-Lebanese Ties Improving
Allawi Meets Mashnouq:
Looking Forward for Iraqi Role in Lebanon and Region
Man Found Slain and a Policeman Found Stabbed in Bekaa
North Lebanon Residents Protest Landfill Establishment
Zahra: Democratic life cannot be rectified unless through opposition outside
government
Aoun to ask Riyadh to restore defence grant
One-Third Veto Ruled out in Hariri’s Government
U.K. premier congratulates Aoun on election
Lebanon’s progress
Zahra Hits Back at Gemayel: We're in 2016 Not 1975
UNIFIL Commander: Strong partnership between peacekeepers and local community
vital
Berri sends condolences cable to Saudi Monarch
Aoun sends condolences cable to Saudi Monarch
following his brother's passing away
Lebanese arrested in Majdal Anjar
on charges of belonging to Daesh
Fayyad: We will cooperate with allies to form new cabinet soon
Just how much can Lebanon change under Aoun
Hezbollah and the power of obstruction
Titles For Latest LCCC
Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on on
November 12-13/16
Intense Fighting in East Mosul
Watchdog Slams Damascus, IS for Toxic Arms Use
Iraqi victims suffer ‘ISIS chemical attacks’
Russian Warship Flotilla Now off Syrian Coast
Syrian Troops Reverse Rebel Advance West of Aleppo
Anti-Trump Protesters March amid Tear Gas, Flash Grenades
Why Iran Regime Fears the Consequences of Electing Donald Trump President?
Trump Considers Seeking Bill Clinton's Advice
French Journalist Detained in Turkey
Brother of Saudi King Dies
Government Austerity Tops Kuwait Election Campaign
Russia Arrests 10 Suspected Terrorists
Kurdish Demonstrators Rally against Erdogan in
Cologne
Afghan Parliament Dismisses 3 Cabinet Ministers
Iran: A look at the popular protests on November 11, 2016
Mahan Air is owned by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards; transfers weapons and
guards to Syria and must be sanctioned
US confirms four Americans killed in Afghanistan base blast
ISIS claims shrine blast in southwestern Pakistan
Markham principal apologizes for ‘discriminatory’ Facebook
posts,”
Latest Lebanese Related News published on November 12-13/16
Report:
Aoun Plans to Reactivate Saudi Arms Grant in Visit to
Kingdom
Naharnet/November 12/16/The first visit that the
newly elected President Michel Aoun will make is to
Saudi Arabia where he plans to push for the reactivation of the Saudi grant to
arm the Lebanese army after it was halted early this year, As Safir daily reported on Saturday. Preparations for the
visit are ongoing, and the exact date will be set after the formation of the
cabinet and after the cabinet wins a vote of confidence, added the daily.
Sources close to the Foreign Minister told As Safir
that Aoun does not want to restrict his visit to
protocol measures, but wishes to give it a political character that includes a
Saudi announcement of reactivating the 3 billion dollar grant for the armament
of the Lebanese army with French weapons. The issue has been raised between
French and Lebanese authorities earlier and the efforts of both parties are
expected to push in that direction. An unnamed Lebanese official said that Aoun, being a Lebanese, Arab and Christian character, will
try to build bridges between the Sunnis and Shiites and plans to visit Riyadh and Tehran
in an attempt to display a new leading role for the Christians in the region.
In February 2016 Saudi Arabia
halted a $3 billion program for military supplies to Lebanon in protest against Hizbullah's policies and diplomatic stances by the Lebanese
foreign ministry. The $3 billion program financed military equipment provided
by France.
Lebanon
received the first tranche of weapons designed to bolster its army against
jihadist threats, including anti-tank guided missiles, in April 2015 but the
program then reportedly ran into obstacles. Alleged leaders of Hizbullah are under sanctions by Saudi Arabia. Hizbullah
is supported by Saudi Arabia's
regional rival Iran,
with whom relations have worsened this year. Riyadh
cut diplomatic ties with Tehran
in January after demonstrators stormed its embassy and a consulate following
the Saudi execution of a prominent Saudi Shiite cleric and activist.
Berri Criticizes 'Cheap' Banks Donations to Assist Lebanese
Army
Naharnet/November 12/16/Speaker Nabih
Berri picked at the Lebanese banks and what he
described as “cheap donations” allocated to buy weapons and assist the Lebanese
army, al-Akhbar daily reported on Saturday. “This is
unacceptable. A single investor can alone pay an amount of ten million dollars.
This is incomparable to the sacrifices and responsibilities that the army
shoulders,” furious Berri told his visitors. The
Speaker added: “Only if each bank had offered a donation of at least one
million dollars the amount would have gone beyond 30 millions dollars. Where are they hiding the money?”“They have allocated wealth worth of billions in the last
few months and now they are being stingy,” concluded the Speaker. Early in
November and during a meeting between the Speaker and the Lebanese Banks
Association, the banks have approved to make donations to aid the army. The
army had received in October a quantity of ammunition that have
been granted to Lebanon
by the Belgian authorities. Britain
and Canada
signed in March a Memorandum of Understanding to increase assistance to the
Lebanese army against rising terrorist threats. In 2010, Lebanon opened a bank account to
receive donations to buy arms for its poorly-equipped army.
Berri: Extending parliament's period slaughter s current
era
Sat 12 Nov 2016/NNA - Parliament Speaker stressed on Saturday the need to speed
up the formation of a new cabinet in order to gain time to establish a new
electoral law based on proportionality, warning of the possibility of extending
the parliament's period. Berri's words came during
welcoming "Amal" AUB students' delegation
after winning the University vice-president post, a post secured for AUB
students to be represented in the AUB's council. Berri described politics as a mathematical game that aims
at meeting the homeland interest, adding "it is not, by any means, an
avenging process because the country that uses politics in such a way would
never be prosperous nor establish any development." Berri
said that he, the Republic President, and the Prime Minister-Designate agreed
on the need of having a new electoral law, adding if we could not approve a new
electoral law at present, then we had to extend the parliament's period. I warn
that the extension slaughters the present era, it slaughters not only the
Parliament but the whole current era." The Parliament Speaker
stressed the need to have a new electoral law that gives women and young people
their rights and in which all the Lebanese are represented. "Lebanon is still enjoying stability and
security, thanks to the Army security forces and the Resistance," Berri said, adding "but we cannot sleep on that,
especially that Israel
is still occupying Shebaa Farms and Kfarshouba Hills and is seeking to have our water."
The Speaker urged "the present (Presidential) era to embrace
everybody," calling upon all political parties to work hand in hand to
protect each other and to play a major role in finding solutions for the
regional problems. Berri stressed that the compass
should always be Palestine,
noting "when the Arab and Muslims forgot that, chaos prevailed on the
domestic level. The absence of political solutions gave rise to all the current
terrorism and extremism." Berri said that Lebanon which
succeeded via dialogue to learn from 1975 lesson and stay away from civil wars
should be keen on playing a vital role in finding solutions for the regional
problems. Separately, Berri welcomed the Syrian
Ambassador to Lebanon Abdel Karim Ali who said after
the meeting that he briefed the Speaker on the Syrian Army and its allies'
victories in Aleppo, Damascus and all other Syrian regions. Ali
hoped the Lebanese cabinet would be soon formed and would contribute in the
success of the new era and in maintaining security and stability in Lebanon. The
pair also discussed in facilitating issues between the two countries and
exchanging needed commodities.
Report: Strained Saudi-Lebanese Ties
Improving
Naharnet /The meeting of Saudi Charge d'affairs Walid al-Bukhari with caretaker Foreign Minister Jebran
Bassil on Friday signaled
an improvement in relations between Lebanon
and the Gulf States
after an earlier deterioration in ties, al-Joumhouria
daily reported on Saturday. Discussions between the two men focused on the
latest developments in Lebanon
and the region, reports had said. Al-Bukhari conveyed
two messages to Bassil, the first from the Saudi
authorities and another from his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir.
No details were revealed about the content of the messages. Unnamed sources at
the foreign ministry described the atmospheres of talks and told the daily:
“Dialogue was positive, and the meeting came after previous strained relations
between Lebanon and the Gulf State.
There is no turning back and the Lebanese-Saudi relations are back on the right
track. “Lebanon adheres to
good relations with Riyadh
and the Gulf,” they concluded. Relations between the two countries deteriorated
in February after Saudi Arabia
halted a $3 billion program for military supplies to Lebanon
in protest against Hizbullah's policies and
diplomatic stances by the Lebanese foreign ministry, warned its citizens
against traveling to Lebanon.
Allawi Meets Mashnouq: Looking
Forward for Iraqi Role in Lebanon and Region
Naharnet/November 12/16/Iraq's Vice President Ayad Allawi stressed that “Iraq
can play a supportive and active role at the regional level, especially in
Lebanon and Syria, after terminating the Islamic State militarily and changing
the political environment which nurtures it,” the National News Agency reported
on Saturday. Allawi's words came after a visit to
outgoing Interior Minister Nouhad Mashnouq
at his office in the ministry where they held a lengthy meeting with
discussions reportedly featuring high on the Lebanese and Iraqi situations as
well as the regional developments. Touching on the impact of the Iraqi
situation on Syria and Lebanon, Allawi said,
“Syria and Iraq are fighting the Islamic State group,
extremism and terrorism at the same battle field,” adding that he personally
worked to establish strong economic ties with Lebanon. Allawi
concluded: “I believe that Iraq
could support Lebanon and
even Syria if the demands of
the Syrian people were met as for the return of stability and calm,” stressing
that Iraq
is waiting to play its constructive role in the Arab world after the
termination of the IS and the change the environment that nurtures it.
Man Found Slain and a Policeman Found
Stabbed in Bekaa
Naharnet/November 12/16/A Syrian man was found
stabbed to death in the area of Bar Elias in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa valley, the state-run National News Agency reported
on Saturday. The victim, Abdullah Mohammed al-Nazzal,
sustained knife wounds in his abdomen and back after a personal dispute erupted
with unknown parties in the al-Tilyani camp, NNA
added. No further details were revealed about the circumstances of the crime
and the assailant is still at large.In another town
in Bekaa specifically in Qobb
Elias, two assailants stabbed a policemen after a
dispute. NNA said the dispute erupted between municipality policeman Lotfi Qassem al-Harati and the assailants Youssef
Aa. and
Tarek B.
North Lebanon Residents Protest Landfill Establishment
Naharnet/November 12/16/Residents of
the al-Sfira town in North
Lebanon blocked the major road to the village protesting a
decision to establish a landfill in the area, the National News Agency reported
on Saturday. The locals blocked the road with burning tires and protested the
municipality's performance and a decision to establish a waste sorting plant in
al-Sawmaa in the outskirts of the Dinnieh
district.They argue that establishing a landfill in
an area that rises 1400 m from seawater level inflicts damages on the local
residents and pollutes the environment, added NNA.
Zahra: Democratic life cannot be rectified unless through opposition outside
government
Sat 12 Nov 2016/NNA - Lebanese Forces Parliamentary Bloc Member, MP Antoine
Zahra, deemed on Saturday that "democratic life in the country cannot be
set right except by having an opposition existing outside the government.""This does not mean veto against
anyone," Zahra added, speaking in an interview to "New TV" Channel.
"The Lebanese Forces is a very realistic and open Party, and is
ready for facilitating all matters for the sake of ensuring a smooth start for
the new mandate," Zahra underlined, noting that his Party has proved to be
a contributor to finding solutions. "Lebanon is in great need for a
government the soonest possible," he insisted, adding that "if all
sides participated in a realistic manner, then the new cabinet shall be
significant, reflecting an atmosphere of transparency and good
performance."
Aoun to ask Riyadh to restore defence grant
Joseph A. Kechichian/Gulf News/November 12/16
Funds were cancelled after Lebanon’s foreign minister refused to condemn
Iranian attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions
Beirut: The pro-Hezbollah daily Al Safir
reported on Saturday that Michel Aoun, the newly
elected Lebanese President, will soon visit Riyadh.According
to the paper, Aoun plans to push for the reactivation
of the Saudi grant to purchase French weapons for the Lebanese Armed Forces,
which were halted in February 2016 when Foreign Minister Jibran
Bassil, Aoun’s son-in-law,
refused to condemn Iranian attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran. It was
unclear whether the matter was cleared with France, the seller of the
equipment, and whether Riyadh
received assurances that these would not fall into Hezbollah’s hands. An
unnamed Lebanese official told Al Safir that Aoun will now try to build bridges between Sunnis and
Shiites and plans to visit Riyadh and Tehran in an attempt to
display a new leading role for the Christians in the region. Hezbollah was
designated a terrorist organisation by GCC states earlier this year. They have
imposed sanctions on the Shiite group since 2013, after it entered Syria’s war in
support of Bashar Al Assad. It was unclear whether Aoun would try to convince Riyadh to soften its stance over Hezbollah. Lebanon
received the first tranche of weapons under the Saudi grant in 2015. The
financial support was intended to bolster the Lebanese army with, among other
weapons, anti-tank guided missiles. But Bassil’s
continuous jabs at Saudi
Arabia led to the cancellation of the grant.
GCC relations with Iran
nosedived earlier this year after Saudi Arabian diplomatic missions in Iran were
ransacked by rioters. Riyadh cut diplomatic ties
with Iran
after the attacks.
One-Third Veto Ruled out in Hariri’s
Government
Youssef Diab/Asharq Al
Awsat/12 November/16/Beirut-There are signs that Lebanon’s cabinet line-up is
imminent after major obstacles were removed following a near consensus to keep
the Finance Ministry as part of the share of Speaker Nabih
Berri’s Amal Movement.
Sources close to Berri said that the ministry, which
is currently led by Amal official Ali Hassan Khalil, will remain with Amal
under Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri’s new government.
Unlike with the formation of previous cabinets where the March 8 alliance used
to insist on a one-third veto power, the deliberations on the formation of
Hariri’s government have steered clear from such a dispute. A high-ranking
parliamentary source told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that the election of President Michel Aoun “moved Lebanon
from the phase of Taef 1 to Taef
2.” “With the onset of the new stage, we have turned the page of Christian
frustration and launched the stage of full implementation of the Taef,” said the source. “The consolidation of the Taef (agreement) means creating the right balance in state
institutions so that no single sect feels marginalized,” the source added.
The disputes that previous government used to witness on veto power are no
longer applicable. Yet the rival parties are competing on the division of
shares. Sources close to Berri considered the next
stage would witness the opening of channels of contact between different sides
as a result of large-scale consensus on Hariri. The sources stressed that the
finance ministry will remain with Amal despite the
insistence of the Lebanese Forces to bring at its helm an LF figure. An
official from Hariri’s Future Movement, former MP Mustafa Alloush,
said the obstacles on the so-called sovereign portfolios (Interior, Foreign, Finance and Defense ministries)
have been mostly resolved. Alloush told Asharq Al-Awsat that the LF’s demand for the Finance Ministry remains the only
hurdle. “The LF insists on having a sovereign portfolio to compensate for its
absence from previous governments and due to the role it played in facilitating
Aoun’s election,” said the Future official.
U.K. premier congratulates Aoun
on election
The Daily Star/November 12/16/BEIRUT:
The British government has committed over $550 million to support Lebanon since
2011 and will continue to assist the country, British Prime Minister Theresa
May said in a letter sent to President Aoun following
his election.
“The U.K. has committed over $550
million since 2011 as part of its partnership with Lebanon, assisting the
Lebanese government to protect its borders, educate its children, support its
most vulnerable communities and to underpin security and stability,” May said
in a letter sent on Nov. 4 and published by Michel Aoun’s
office Friday. The British premier also said she was “proud of this
cooperation” and added that “the U.K.
will continue to assist you in your pursuit of a stable and sovereign Lebanon with
strong and transparent state institutions.” Gen. Aoun
was elected as Lebanon’s 13th president at session of Parliament on Oct.
31.While expressing a hope that Aoun’s election would
reinvigorate the political process and increase democratic participation in
Lebanon, May’s letter also offered several subtle pointers for the new head of
state. “I am convinced that a secure future for Lebanon
will be reinforced by governance that is in accordance with the principles in
the Baabda Declaration and aligned with the relevant
U.N. Security Council resolutions,” she wrote before highlighting how
“adherence to these principles also best enables Lebanon’s friends to support her.”May also expressed her desire
that Lebanon
continue to implement its statement of intent made at February’s London
Conference on Supporting Syrian and the Region. This included an agreement by
the government to look into ways to increase Syrian’s access to economic
opportunities and jobs, as well as residency conditions and work permits.
Humanitarian organizations estimate two-thirds of Syrians in the country are
unable to maintain legal status and work permits are difficult to obtain. This
contributes to the dire economic situation many refugees are living in. May
explained that the Statement of Intent had “marked an important step in
rallying international support to buttress Lebanon’s considerable efforts to
support Syrian refugees.”Looking ahead, May explained
that she “looks forward to working with [Aoun] to
implement our mutual commitments to secure a stable future for the Lebanese
people, as well as for the Syrian refugees you so generously host.”
Lebanon’s progress
Statesman News Service/ November
12, 2016
Amidst the turmoil in Aleppo and Mosul, the
presidential election in Lebanon
has been a relatively less noticed development. The election of the former
General, Michel Aroun, ends more than two years of
political gridlock in the country.
The stalemate has been of a piece
with the political limbo in different parts of the Arab world. In the event,
Lebanese MPs have elected a staunch ally of Iran as President, and this ends
the 29-month power vacuum that is rooted in the rivalry between Tehran and
Saudi Arabia. His election has undercut the possible influence of the desert
kingdom on the pivotal affairs of Lebanon. Geopolitics and the
regional balance of power have had an impact on the election of Lebanon’s Head
of State.
Markedly, Aoun
had gained the support of the former Lebanese Prime Minister, Saad al-Hariri, whom Saudi Arabia had at one stage
preferred. The latest development in a volatile part of the Arab world has
politically legitimised Hezbollah as a nationalist group with cross-sectarian
support. It is a measure of the importance of Lebanon’s presidential election
that rallies in support of Aoun have been organised
from the Hezbollah-dominated areas around Beirut to beleaguered Damascus, where
Bashar al-Assad’s regime has lent its support to the
new President. At his swearing-in ceremony, Aoun has
advanced an emotive plea that must resonate across the region.
Lebanon,
he said, must be protected from what he called “regional fires” -- a reference
to the conflict in neighbouring Syria
where Hezbollah is fighting in support of Assad. Though he stopped short of
spelling out a position on the conflict, he has made it clear that “It remains
a priority to prevent any sparks from reaching Lebanon.”
The conflict in Syria has been raging for close to six years,
and as the new President with a military background, Aoun
cannot but be unaware that there could be a spillover
in peripheral Lebanon,
as it has across the Turkish border. Saudi Arabia
had been vehemently opposed to Aoun’s nomination,
fearing that he will consolidate Iran’s
influence in Lebanon,
which has remained vulnerable since the end of its civil war 25 years ago.
As it turns out, the legislature
was determined to end the stalemate. Mr Aoun, an
81-year-old Christian nicknamed “The General”, won the surprise support of two
of his oldest and most bitter rivals as Beirut’s
politicians sought an end to the vacuum in governance which has prevented legislation
from being passed for more than two years. There appears to have been a
surprising shift in allegiances across the country’s deeply divided political
parties. Even Prime Minister Hariri’s surprise endorsement seemed necessary, as
he says, to “protect Lebanon,
protect the [political] system, protect the state and protect the Lebanese
people”. Hopefully, Aoun’s assumption of authority
does not symbolise a patchwork quilt, however protective.
Zahra Hits Back at Gemayel:
We're in 2016 Not 1975
Naharnet/November 12/16/Lebanese Forces bloc MP
Antoine Zahra snapped back Friday at Kataeb Party
chief MP Sami Gemayel, after the latter accused LF
leader Samir Geagea of
seeking to exclude Kataeb from the new government.
“It is not true that we want to exclude the Kataeb
Party from the government,” Zahra said in an interview with MTV. “I want to
remind him that we are in 2016 not 1975 and claims of an isolation attempt will
not lead to the same result... These false claims are rejected,” Zahra added,
referring to an attempt by the rival leftist-Muslim camp to isolate Kataeb during the beginning of Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war and
the support Kataeb received from the other Christian
forces back then.“Claims of
being aggrieved are not useful today,” the MP noted. He stressed that the LF is
not “vetoing” anyone's participation in the cabinet and that it rejects that
any party be “isolated.”Zahra also reminded that “Kataeb joined (Tammam Salam's)
government with three ministers and left with only one,” in reference to
ministers Sejaan Qazzi and Ramzi Jreij, who defied Kataeb's resignation decision and stayed in the Cabinet.
“We are partners in this presidential tenure and we will take part in it
effectively like we deserve,” Zahra added. In remarks to An Nahar
newspaper published Friday, Gemayel said Kataeb “has always been stigmatized.” “This is not the
first time that we face an isolation attempt,” Gemayel
lamented, decrying how “Geagea does not mind to be
with Hizbullah in the same government as he refuses Kataeb's participation.”MTV
reported Friday evening that “things are back to square one” in the government
formation process due to the “vetoes and counter-vetoes” of the political
parties. Horsetrading is mainly revolving around the
distribution of key posts like the finance, defense,
foreign affairs and energy ministries.
UNIFIL Commander: Strong partnership
between peacekeepers and local community vital
Sat 12 Nov 2016/NNA - Naqoura - During his
introductory meeting with local authorities and religious leaders from
south-western Lebanon, Head of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Major
General Michael Beary today underlined the importance
of cooperation between UN peacekeepers and the host community in order to
sustain the existing calm while working together for a permanent peace. Major
General Michael Beary told the gathering of some 60
dignitaries, including Qaem Maqams,
mayors, mukhtars and religious leaders, that while
the ten years of peace in south Lebanon is a work in progress "its cause
can only be advanced one small step at a time.""One
of the most fundamental and enduring features of Lebanese society is its sense
of community and the respect that the people of the south have for their
religious, political and civil leaders," said the UNIFIL Head. He noted
that since the last of his three previous deployments to UNIFIL, in 1995, south
Lebanon
has changed almost beyond recognition. "My eyes have been opened by the
new infrastructure, the economic developments, the educational opportunities
and most importantly, the security situation," said Major General Beary. Major General Beary added
that such an achievement can only be done through the strong partnership
between the local leaders, the LAF, the Government of Lebanon and UNIFIL. He
stated that achieving the final goal of permanent peace is ultimately what the
implementation of the resolution 1701 is all about.
Today's fruitful interaction between the UNIFIL Head of Mission and local
leaders was frank, open and constructive. Major General Beary
emphasized that those around the table needed to work together to continue the
progress that has been made over the last 10 years. He said it is time to look
forward. "UNIFIL peacekeepers will do everything to safeguard peace, while
working together with you," he assured. During today's meeting, Major
General Beary asked the local leaders and dignitaries
to contact the Mission's civil affairs officers or the local battalion or
sector commanders should they have any issue concerning UNIFIL.He
also said UNIFIL's freedom of movement, as mandated
by resolution 1701 and within its area of operations, is "central to the
success of our mission and your support in making this possible will be
critical." He also sought the local leaders' support in preventing incidents
of Blue Line violations. Since taking charge of UNIFIL in July, the UNIFIL Head
has been meeting with Lebanese leaders, both in Beirut
and in southern Lebanon, to
convey his deep appreciation for their unwavering support to the Mission and to discuss
issues of mutual concern. UNIFIL has contributed more than $178 million - in
the form of salaries, pensions and procurement of goods and services - to the
Lebanese economy in the past three years. So far this year, UNIFIL has
completed 180 small-scale projects at a total cost of $2.3 million. Since UNIFIL's deployment in 1978, 325 military and civilian
members of the Mission
have paid the ultimate price in the cause of peace. "None of us want the
sacrifice of those peacekeepers and their families to have been in vain,"
said Major General Beary.
Berri sends condolences cable to Saudi Monarch
Sat 12 Nov 2016/NNA - House Speaker Nabih
Berri cabled Saudi King Salman
ben Abdel Aziz on Saturday, expressing sincere
condolences for the loss of his brother, Prince Turki
ben Abdel Aziz, who passed away today.
Aoun sends condolences cable to Saudi Monarch following
his brother's passing away
Sat 12 Nov 2016 /NNA - President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, sent a cable of condolences to Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, upon the death of his
brother, Prince Turki bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, on
Saturday. President Aoun expressed, on behalf of the
Lebanese people, deep sorry and regret at the loss of the Saudi Prince, praying
for mercy for the deceased and patience and solace for his family.
Lebanese arrested in Majdal Anjar
on charges of belonging to Daesh
Sat 12 Nov 2016 /NNA - Army Intelligence arrested on Saturday a
Lebanese citizen in the town of Majdal Anjar on charges of belonging to "Daesh"
terrorist organization, NNA correspondent reported.
Fayyad: We will cooperate with allies to
form new cabinet soon
Sat 12 Nov 2016 /NNA - Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc member, Deputy Ali
Fayyad, said on Saturday, that his Party would work hard with their allies to
haste the formation of the new government. MP Fayyad's words came during the
occasion of the "Martyr Day" held by Hezbollah in South of Lebanon.
The Deputy added that the aim of speeding the cabinet formation came with the
need to meet citizens' needs. The Deputy concluded by saying that his Party is
ready to facilitate the path of the cabinet formation.
Just how much can Lebanon change
under Aoun?
Haytham Mouzahem/Al
Monitor/November 12/16
Following the election of Gen. Michel Aoun as president of the Lebanese Republic
on Oct. 31 and the appointment of Saad Hariri as
prime minister on Nov. 3, the two men will face numerous challenges, starting
with forming a national government. Hariri is seeking to form his government
before Independence Day on Nov. 22, but he is currently unable to meet the
demands of some parliamentary blocs that seek key portfolios or service
ministries.
Lebanese President Michel Aoun’s plans for economic
and political reform will face numerous challenges including endemic corruption
and his own limited powers.
On Nov. 8, Aoun’s Change and Reform parliamentary
bloc called on politicians to facilitate the formation of a new government.
Hariri's Future Movement parliamentary bloc urged political parties to keep
their demands for ministries realistic to help Hariri form a new government.
Aoun and Hariri will have to address many serious
socio-economic and political problems, especially the deteriorating economic
situation and rising unemployment rate. They will need to maintain security and
stability, combat terrorist networks and meet the needs of more than a million
Syrian refugees residing in Lebanon.
Aoun acknowledged the difficulty of this mission in
his inaugural speech, describing himself as a “president who took office in
difficult times and a president highly expected to overcome difficulties and
secure stability.” He pointed out that political stability can only be achieved
by respecting the National Pact, the constitution and the law through national
partnership. He also stressed the need to fully implement the National Pact and
the Taif Agreement without “any kind of selectiveness
or discretion and develop it as needed through a national consensus.”
Aoun’s recent recognition of the Taif
Agreement, which he had rejected in 1989 for limiting the president’s powers,
indicates that he has adopted a realistic policy of compromise, especially in
light of the Future Movement's rejection of any amendment to the agreement.
As for economic and social stability, Aoun said he
would adopt “a transformational approach that starts with economic reform based
on planning and coordination between the ministries. … We cannot advance
without a comprehensive economic plan,” he said. “This socio-economic reform
can only succeed with the consecration of a system of transparency and a legal
system that helps prevent corruption. This can be done by appointing an
anti-corruption committee and engaging the monitoring bodies and enabling them
to carry out all their duties.”
In his Baabda
Palace speech Nov. 6 in
front of a crowd that came to celebrate his presidential victory, Aoun stressed that his goal is to build a strong state
based on a constitution respected by all politicians. He said that no
politician shall breach the constitution, and corruption will be uprooted. Aoun added that the Lebanese people need projects to
provide water, electricity and roads, and he will seek to start them as soon as
possible.
Political analyst Amin Qamouriyeh
told Al-Monitor that Aoun was “looking forward to
marking his reign with social, political and development reforms and uprooting
anti-corruption, but the current [limited] powers of the president of the
republic do not allow him to repeat the experience of former reformist
President Fouad Chehab. Chehab, who ruled the country from 1959 to 1962, fought
corruption and worked toward the institutionalization of the state.”
Qamouriyeh added, “The current financial situation
does not allow [Aoun] to carry out development
projects and bring about reform at the level of the semi-dysfunctional
institutions. It should be noted that corruption is deeply rooted and difficult
to combat, even with the convergence between him and the prime minister.”
Lebanese researcher Michel Abu Najm told Al-Monitor
that Aoun "will put the building of the state on
track and countering corruption will be his priority, despite the fact that the
Taif Agreement limited the powers of the president.
However, the agreement still granted the president the positions of guarantor
of national unity and protector of the constitution, and this is more than
enough for the president to launch his works in cooperation with other
constitutional institutions.”
For his part, Lebanese analyst Toufiq Shuman told
Al-Monitor that Aoun has “built his popularity on
reform and anti-corruption slogans, and therefore [has always] criticized the
economic project of late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri
that has been in place since the early 1990s. However, the question today is
whether Aoun will be able to deliver on his slogans
and promises, as corruption in Lebanon
has become the general culture with sectarian, political and partisan
protection and based on the quota system — which in turn produced interest
lobbies inside and outside the state.”
Shuman added that the limits of presidential powers raise questions about Aoun's ability to implement his program and vision,
especially since the prime minister is “responsible for executing the general
policy that is set by the Council of Ministers,” according to the Lebanese
Constitution.
Aoun stressed the need for “effective parity” among
Muslims and Christians. He said, “The first obligations of such a parity is to adopt an electoral law that ensures fair
representation prior to the date of the next election.”
This comment shows that Aoun is in favor of proportional law and against the current majoritarian electoral law, which allows Muslim leaders to
choose some Christian parliamentarians in Muslim-majority provinces. The
electoral law is likely to stir controversy between Aoun
and his allies Hezbollah and the March 8 coalition, and Hariri and his allies
the March 14 coalition. Based on the current law of 1960, Hariri and the March
14 coalition enjoy the majority in parliament. Abu Najm
said, "The election law will be subject to consultations between President
Aoun and other political components, but he will work
on changing the current law of 1960 and reach a law that enjoys
popularity."
According to Aoun, the first pillar of security is
national unity and protecting Lebanon
from the flames raging in the region. He called for “the need to stay away from
foreign conflicts, all the while respecting the Charter of the League of Arab
States, and Article 8 in particular, and the need to adopt an independent
foreign policy based on the supreme interests of Lebanon and international law.”
Article 8 states that each member-state “shall respect the systems of
government established in the other member-states and regard them as exclusive
concerns of those states. Each shall pledge to abstain from any action
calculated to change established systems of government.”
It seems that Aoun was trying to balance Hezbollah’s
stance, which supports the Syrian government, and the March 14 stance, which
supports the Syrian opposition, by reaffirming respect for the current Arab regimes
and Lebanon's
obligation not to interfere in their internal affairs.
As for the conflict with Israel,
Aoun said in his inaugural speech, “We will spare no
effort and no resistance to liberate the remaining occupied Lebanese
territories and protect our country from an enemy that still covets our land,
water and natural resources.”A source close to
Hezbollah told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, “President Aoun’s statement about the need for the resistance to
liberate the Lebanese territories occupied by Israel confirms the legitimacy of
the resistance and its backbone, Hezbollah.”
The source added that Aoun also mentioned protecting Lebanon from Israel, which implies a role for
weapons as a deterrent to Israeli interference.We
shall prevent, deter, counter and even eliminate terrorism,” Aoun said.
According to the Hezbollah source, “This is a clear understanding of
Hezbollah’s intervention in Syria,
which is aimed at deterring terrorism and fighting it proactively … through
both the security forces and Hezbollah inside Lebanon.”
Qamouriyeh concluded that the self-distancing policy
is impossible and that moving forward, Aoun will try
to avoid the issue of Hezbollah and its role in Syria. Although the president's
powers are limited and the actual powers are in the hands of the Cabinet, a
strong president like Aoun, who enjoys a strong
parliamentary bloc and a large number of ministers and influential allies, can
still bring about some change and achieve some reforms in this troubled system.
Hezbollah and the power of obstruction
Nayla Tueni/Al Arabiya/November 12/16
Michel Aoun has been elected president of the
Lebanese republic and he assigned Saad Hariri the
position of prime minister-designate and tasked him with forming a new cabinet
while Nabih Berri will
remain speaker of the parliament. Given all that, the strong figures in their
sects - as per the Lebanese context - have become partners in governance and
they have assumed authority. This lays the foundation for real partnership -
also as per the Lebanese context. Authorities will balance out and none of them
will dominate over the other like what happened with the Christians since the Taif Agreement and with the Sunnis since Hariri’s
government was toppled in 2010. This means that the developments which we
witnessed last week with the election of a president will reach its happy
ending with the speedy formation of a new government. Perhaps this new
government will be able to prepare an electoral law for the parliamentary
elections for the beginning of next summer. However, what we can conclude from
Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah’s statements does not inspire confidence and does
not reflect an honest will to push the project of the state forward. Hezbollah,
which was embarrassed after Hariri endorsed Aoun for
the presidency, could not evade the election process because it knows well the
consequences of not electing Aoun. Minister Gebran Bassil said it clearly
through a live broadcast that if Hezbollah does not commit to electing Aoun, it means it will have exited the Memorandum of
Understanding between the two parties (Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic
Movement). If Aoun abandons this MoU,
Hezbollah will go back to its isolation and this will increase other countries’
will to hunt it down. Nasrallah’s recent statements
appear positive on the surface. However, they do not pave way to launching a
new era as much as they create a new wall of obstruction that can be added to
the past two and a half years of presidential vacuum which was caused by
obstructing parliamentary sessions through collusion between Hezbollah and the
FPM. Hezbollah authorized Berri with all negotiations
pertaining to forming a government. This means that within the framework of
satisfying its Shiite ally, it will not facilitate Aoun’s
and Hariri’s task as it knows there are distant relations between Aoun and Berri and it’s
well-aware that the two men and those surrounding them do not have the ability
to carry out any constructive communication and may thus need Hezbollah’s
mediation. Hezbollah will put us through a new chapter of obstruction - a
chapter in which Hezbollah will play the hero . The
president warned against forming a cabinet that does not include Amal representatives, and therefore does not include Hezbollah
representatives, and reminded players of the need to be repaid for what he owes
the two Shiite parties which stood by him and by his demands during the
consecutive governments of former president Michel Sleiman.
This means that not pleasing Berri will topple Hariri
as prime minister and will prolong the crisis. It will cause a new crisis that
will quickly take a sectarian dimension as Hezbollah did not name Hariri for
the premiership and did not want to cooperate with him and only wanted to
launch this new era within the context of the Shiite “obstructing third.” As
for the distribution of ministerial portfolios, the situation is not any
better. Hezbollah’s refusal to grant the Lebanese Forces (LF) a sovereign
ministerial portfolio means imposing conditions that cancel out others. The LF
is equal to all parties and it’s even more popular than some other parties
which Nasrallah is demanding be
granted major ministerial portfolios. Nasrallah
commended current Prime Minister Tammam Salam for his
patience and called on him to achieve more in his caretaker government. This
implies that the current phase will once again be prolonged - this has become
clear - and that Hezbollah will put us through a new chapter of obstruction - a
chapter in which Hezbollah will play the hero. **This article was first
published in Annahar on Nov. 7, 2016.
Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
November 12-13/16
Intense Fighting in East Mosul
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November
12/16/Elite Iraqi forces were engaged in "intense" fighting with
jihadists in eastern Mosul on Saturday as they tried to fortify positions
before advancing further into the city, an officer said. Iraqi forces launched
a massive operation to retake the country's second city from the Islamic State
group on October 17, and the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) special
forces have pushed the jihadists back from some Mosul neighbourhoods. But there are still
weeks if not months of fighting ahead in the battle to recapture the last IS-held
Iraqi city. "The fighting is intense this morning. We're trying to fortify
our positions in Arbajiyah before continuing our
attack into Al-Bakr," said Staff Lieutenant
Colonel Muntadhar Salem of CTS, referring to two Mosul areas.CTS forces launched
an assault on Arbajiyah the day before, and Salem said that they were
in control of the area on Saturday. IS overran large areas north and west of
Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes have since
regained significant ground from the jihadists.
Watchdog Slams Damascus, IS for Toxic Arms
Use
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November
12/16/The executive body of the global chemical arms watchdog took the
unprecedented step Friday of condemning Syria and Islamic State jihadists for
using toxic weapons and called for stepped up inspections, sources and
officials said. It is the first time the watchdog has found a state member to
have violated the Chemical Weapons Convention, and came during a rare vote by
its 41-member executive council, sources who attended the closed session told
AFP. A four-page resolution put forward by Spain voiced "grave
concern" over the findings of a one-year investigation by a joint panel of
the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
(OPCW), according to a copy seen by AFP. It "condemns in the strongest
possible terms" the use of chemical weapons in Syria and calls on
"all parties identified" in the report to "immediately desist
from any further use".The joint U.N.-OPCW
panel's report released last month concluded that President Bashar
al-Assad's forces had carried out three toxic arms attacks on villages in 2014
and 2015. Syrian government helicopters flying from two regime-controlled air
bases dropped chlorine barrel-bombs on the villages of Qmenas,
Talmenes and Sarmin, in
rebel-held Idlib province. IS jihadists meanwhile
were found to used mustard gas in August 2015 in Syria. The OPCW resolution
pointedly "demands" that Syria "comply fully with its
obligations under the convention," and mandated the watchdog as soon as
safely possible to carry out inspections at the site of the attacks.
'Accountability'
Based in The Hague, the OPCW usually works by consensus, but after weeks of
behind-the-scenes negotiations on the text it became impossible to reach
unanimity, mainly due to Russian objections, one source who attended the
session told AFP.
When it was clear that "an overwhelming majority" supported the
resolution it was decided to put it to a vote, the source said. A total of 28 countries
including Britain, France and the United
States voted in favour of condemning Syria and
Islamic State, gathering the two-thirds needed to pass, the sources said. Four
countries voted against -- China,
Iran, Russia and Sudan -- while nine countries
abstained. "This decision confirms that the Assad regime and Daesh are responsible for using abhorrent chemical weapons
against civilians," said British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson in a
statement after the vote. "There is a clear determination across the
international community to hold those who have used these heinous weapons to account."Syria
officially joined the Chemical Weapons Convention in October 2013, vowing under
the terms of the pact to hand over its stockpile of toxic arms for destruction
and undertaking never to use chemical weapons. After years of denying it
possessed any chemical weapons, Syria
was pushed into the convention under a deal brokered by the United States and Russia,
averting a threatened U.S.
air strike on its facilities. All its declared stock of chemical weapons have
now been destroyed by the OPCW, but attacks have continued and in July the
body's head Ahmet Uzumcu
said Damascus had "not yet adequately explained the presence of indicators
of four chemical warfare agents". Friday's vote again pitted Washington against Moscow.
Russia has blocked moves at
the U.N. Security Council to sanction Syria for atrocities committed by
Syrian forces on civilians during the five-year war. The OPCW's
resolution will now be submitted to the Security Council, and Syria will likely top the agenda at the annual
conference of the watchdog's 192 member states which opens on November 28 in The Hague.
Iraqi victims suffer ‘ISIS chemical
attacks’
John Davison, Reuters Saturday, 12 November 2016/The skin on five-year-old Doaa’s legs, arms and neck is blackened and hard even weeks
after the attack. She is still in severe pain and tries not to touch anything
or move too much. Doaa was playing in the courtyard
when a rocket fired by ISIS landed and exploded
in the neighbor’s garden, emitting a toxic gas, her
father Abdallah Sultan and other residents said.
Around a month after the blast, a strong burning smell still pervades the air
and stings the nose. The wall next door is black and all the plants in a small
vegetable patch have died. Part of the rocket, which the families avoid touching, is left on the ground. The rest has been
removed by rescue workers. “We don’t know what the substance in the warhead
was. All we know is that it made Doaa break out in blisters all over her body, and she’s not got
better,” 33-year-old Sultan said. She was a victim of what appears to have been
the fourth chemical weapons attack launched by ISIS during September and
October against civilians in the town of Qayyara in northern Iraq. Rights workers have so far
documented at least three others. Sirhan Awwad shows his injuries after he tried to help remove a
rocket fired by ISIS that landed and exploded
in Qayyara. (Reuters) The United Nations says ISIS is
stockpiling ammonia and sulfur in civilian areas and
fears it intends to carry out more chemical attacks as Iraqi forces, backed by US air power, battle the extremists in an effort
to drive them out of Mosul, their last major
stronghold in Iraq.
The ultra-hardline group has shown its willingness to
use toxic substances and to repeatedly target civilians, lashing out at
populations in areas under its control as it has retreated towards Mosul. The attacks on Qayyara, some 50 km south of Mosul, took place just before the current offensive
began in earnest on Oct. 17. Qayyara was recaptured
from ISIS in August but the militants were
still in the area until last month.
Russian Warship Flotilla Now off Syrian Coast
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November
12/16/A flotilla of Russian warships is now in the eastern Mediterranean off
the Syrian coast after being sent to reinforce Russia's military in the area, a
naval commander said on state television. The commander of Russia's flagship Admiral Kuznetsov
aircraft carrier Sergei Artamonov said via videolink that the ships are "in the eastern Mediterranean" and "are now jointly carrying
out tasks, manoeuvering to the west of the Syrian
coast".
Syrian Troops Reverse Rebel Advance West
of Aleppo
Naharnet/Associated Press/November 12/16/Syrian
government forces regained control Saturday of areas they lost over the past
two weeks to a rebel offensive on the edge of the northern city of Aleppo,
ending a major attempt by insurgents to break the siege on eastern parts of the
city, an activist group and pro-government media said. The insurgents had
seized a couple of strategic areas in western Aleppo after launching an
offensive on Oct. 28 in an attempt to break the siege imposed in July on
rebel-held eastern Aleppo, which has also been targeted by waves of Syrian and
Russian airstrikes. Russia
said last month that it would halt the airstrikes on the city and urged
insurgents to leave. But the fighters, including members of the al-Qaida-linked
Fatah al-Sham Front, refused to leave after the government opened corridors for
them to cross to the nearby province
of Idlib,
an insurgent stronghold. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
said Saturday that government forces and their allies have regained control of
Al-Assad and Minyan districts, west of Aleppo. "The epic
battle for Aleppo
has failed," said the Observatory's chief Rami
Abdurrahman, using the term that the insurgents had assigned to the offensive.
Syrian state media reported that the two districts have been retaken. State TV
reported live from inside Minyan, which appeared to
be under the firm control of government troops. "We fought them in every
street, house, neighborhood and schools, and they
used mosques to launch attacks," an army brigadier general in Minyan who identified himself as Nabil
told Al-Manar TV. The network is run by the Lebanese
militant group Hezbollah, which is fighting alongside Assad's forces. The
Observatory said the fighting left 508 dead, including civilians and fighters
from both sides. It said the dead insurgents included 90 foreign fighters while
on the government side, 83 troops, 28 Hezbollah gunmen and 41 other fighters
from Iran and Iraq were
killed as well. On Thursday, Jan Egeland, the special
adviser to the U.N. envoy for Syria,
said the last food rations in besieged eastern Aleppo will run out by next week. Speaking in
Geneva, Egeland said
the last time the more than 250,000 people inside east Aleppo received any humanitarian aid was in
the beginning of July. Residents and activists in besieged east Aleppo have
spoken of rising prices of food products due to the siege. Russia's military says it is willing to consider
a new humanitarian pause for Aleppo
if U.N. officials confirm their readiness to deliver aid and evacuate wounded
and sick civilians. Defense Ministry spokesman Maj.
Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Saturday that such aid had
been blocked by the insurgents during previous pauses in the fighting, which
"showed that assurances of U.N. representatives about 'preliminary'
agreements with militants in Aleppo
are just words." The capture of Minyan and
Al-Assad came a day after the Russian military and a main Syrian opposition
group traded allegations that the Syrian military or rebels used chemical
weapons in Aleppo.
Anti-Trump Protesters March amid Tear Gas,
Flash Grenades
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November
12/16/Police hurled tear gas and flash-bang grenades in response to rowdy
protests in Portland, Oregon, as people around the country once again took to
the streets denouncing Donald Trump's presidential election victory. Early
Saturday, Portland police said on Twitter that
they were investigating a report of a shooting and a possible injury on a Willamette River bridge that protesters were
heading toward. They asked the public to leave the area. It wasn't immediately
clear if the report had anything to do with the protests.On
Friday night, they reported, again on Twitter, that tear gas was used in
response to "burning projectiles" thrown at officers. Hundreds of
people marched through the city, disrupting traffic and spray-painting
graffiti. Authorities said vandalism and assault had taken place during the
rally, which organizers had billed as peaceful earlier in the day. In other
parts of the country, spirited demonstrations on college campuses and peaceful
marches along downtown streets have taken place since Wednesday. Hundreds
joined a Friday afternoon "love rally" in Washington
Square Park
in Manhattan.
Leslie Holmes, 65, a website developer from Wilton,
Connecticut, took an hour-long train ride to
the demonstration — her first protest since the 1970s, when she hit the streets
of San Francisco
to oppose the Vietnam War. She described herself as an armchair liberal but
declared, "I'm not going to be armchair anymore." "I don't want
to live in a country where my friends aren't included, and my friends are
fearful, and my children are going to grow up in a world that's frightening,
and my granddaughters can look forward to being excluded from jobs and politics
and fulfilling their potential, so I'm here for them," she said.Evening marches disrupted traffic in Miami and
Atlanta.
Trump supporter Nicolas Quirico was traveling from South Beach
to Miami. His
car was among hundreds stopped when protesters blocked Interstate 395.
"Trump will be our president. There is no way around that, and the sooner
people grasp that, the better off we will be," he said. "There is a
difference between a peaceful protest and standing in a major highway backing
up traffic for 5 miles. This is wrong." More than a thousand protesters
took to the streets across California after
night fell including downtown Los
Angeles, where over 200 were arrested a night earlier.
In Bakersfield,
where Trump is far more popular than in most of the state, some held signs
reading "Anti-Trump, Pro-USA." Small protests also were held in Detroit; Minneapolis; Kansas City, Missouri; Olympia, Washington and Iowa City. More than 200
people, carrying signs gathered on the steps of the Washington state Capitol. The group chanted
"not my president" and "no Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA."
In Tennessee, Vanderbilt
University students sang civil rights
songs and marched through campus across a Nashville
street, temporarily blocking traffic. A protest also occurred in Minneapolis. In Chicago, multiple groups
planned protests through Saturday. Nadia Gavino, 25,
learned about the rallies on Twitter and protested Thursday evening. Gavino, whose father is from Peru and whose mother is of Mexican
and Lithuanian heritage, said she took Trump's harshest statements about
immigrants and Latinos personally. "I obviously agree that he's racist,
he's sexist, he's phobic, he's misogynistic. He's all
these things you don't want in a leader," she said. Ashley Lynne Nagel,
27, said she joined a Thursday night demonstration in Denver. "I have a leader I fear for the
first time in my life," said Nagel, a Bernie Sanders supporter who voted
for Hillary Clinton. "It's not that we're sore losers," she said.
"It's that we are genuinely upset, angry, terrified that a platform based
off of racism, xenophobia and homophobia has become so powerful and now has
complete control of our representation."Demonstrations
also were planned Saturday in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and other
areas. Previous demonstrations drew thousands of people in New York and other large urban centers. The
largely peaceful demonstrations were overshadowed by sporadic episodes of
vandalism, violence and street-blocking.
Why Iran Regime Fears the Consequences
of Electing Donald Trump President?
Saturday, 12 November 2016/NCRI - The hostile gangs in the Iranian regime are
concerned about the results of presidential and congressional elections in America.
Khamenei fears that no chance remains to attempt
terrorist blackmail and to take hostages. Rafsanjani, Rouhani
addressed their opponent with envy and write:"it
will not be long when many Iranian people will hopelessly wait for a day in the
future so that Obama takes the office again since we lost a precious
opportunity in Iran."The
government bodies are also worried about the election results in US and they
have clashes with each other. On 10th November 2016, Tasnim
News Agency wrote: “Trump’s winning has encountered the Rouhani's
government and his philosophy of continuity with a great deal of challenge and
perhaps no Iranian would be as much upset as Rouhani
inside and outside of the country." The Qods
terrorist group News Agency also wrote: “electing Trump as the president was
the last resort and prospect for Iran's deal with US." Vatan Newspaper writes: “Trump’s victory has surprised the Rouhani's advisor." Keyhan
Newspaper affiliated with Khamenei wrote: “now the
extremists in Iran
are lamenting like the democrats as if they have themselves lost the battle of
election. They are frustrated and disillusioned." The Media and Cultural Counselor of IRGC, the commander Moghadamfar
said: “Trump’s remarks about annulling the Iran's
deal signify that we should not have laid an egg on Iran's
deal since US is a hypocrite existence."The IRGC
wrote in its News Agency: “Politico Magazine published a report on Wednesday
and introduced some of the possible alternatives of the elected president of US
for the Department of Defense and the State
Department. The former chairman of the US Congress Newt Gingrich was a staunch
supporter of Donald Trump and he is one of the alternatives to take the office
in the State Department of US. He is one of the people who attended in the Iran's Resistance gathering held in Paris and he slammed the
Iranian regime harshly. IRGC News agency added: “the current chairman of the
Foreign Relations Committee of Senate, Bob Corker is the person against Iran's Deal and
the supporter of imposing sanctions against the Iranian regime. He is the other
alternative that Trumps regards, as Politico Magazine reported. John Bolton is
the former ambassador of US in UN and he is the third option to hold a position
of presidency in the US
diplomacy office. For the Department of Defense, the
republican senator, Jeff Sessions is against Iran's Deal and is also another
alternative of Donald Trump. The former advisor of the US National Security,
Stephan Hadley will also hold a position in Trump's new government. "
Trump Considers Seeking Bill Clinton's
Advice
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November
12/16/Donald Trump has said he would consider seeking advice from Bill Clinton,
just days after besting the former president's wife, Hillary, in the upset US
presidential election. Trump received a call from Bill Clinton after the vote
in which the former president "couldn't have been more gracious," the
70-year-old Republican billionaire said in excerpts of an interview released
Friday by CBS. The comments echo Trump's remarks after a meeting with President
Barack Obama on Thursday, when he said he looked "forward to dealing with
the president in the future," including receiving Obama's counsel. When
asked whether he would seek the advice of Bill Clinton, Trump said "I
would certainly think about that. "He's a very
talented guy, I mean, this is a very talented family," Trump said. He also
spoke of his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton's call acknowledging defeat
following the Tuesday vote. "It was a lovely call, and it was a tough call
for her, I mean, I can imagine. Tougher for her than it would
have been for me. I mean, for me, it would have been very, very
difficult. She couldn't have been nicer. She just said, 'Congratulations,
Donald, well done,'" Trump said. Earlier in the day, Trump made waves with
an interview in the Wall Street Journal when he said he would consider an
"amended" version of Obama's signature health care law -- a shift in
position after repeatedly vowing on the campaign trail that he would repeal the
measure. He reiterated those comments in the CBS interview, stating that any
repeal of the law would be accompanied by an immediate replacement. "We're
going to do it simultaneously... And we're not going to have, like, a two-day
period and we're not going to have a two-year period where there's
nothing," he said. Trump also said that he favored
maintaining a prohibition on insurance companies denying consumers coverage
based on so-called pre-existing conditions. And he added that he would try to
keep a provision that requires insurers to allow children to remain on their
parents' insurance policies until the age of 26, a key Obamacare
tenet. "It adds cost, but it's very much something we're going to try and
keep," he said.
French Journalist Detained in Turkey
Naharnet/Associated Press/November 12/16/A French
news website says one of its journalists has been detained in Turkey, and it is demanding his
immediate release. Les Jours website says Olivier
Bertrand was detained Friday, along with a Turkish photographer, while
conducting an interview in the city of Gaziantep,
near the border with Syria.
The photographer was subsequently released. No reason was given for Bertrand's
detention, Les Jours said, and Turkish officials
could not immediately be reached for confirmation. The website says Bertrand
was working on a series about the aftermath of Turkey's failed coup in July, which
resulted in a massive crackdown on the followers of an Islamic movement blamed
for the attempt. Dozens of journalists have also been detained and hundreds of
media outlets shut down as part of the post-coup clamp down.
Brother of Saudi King Dies
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November
12/16/Prince Turki bin Abdel Aziz, a brother of Saudi Arabia's
king, has died, a statement from the palace published on the official news
agency SPA said early Saturday. Prince Turki -- who
was born in 1934, according to his official biography -- was a son of the
kingdom's founder, King Abdul Aziz bin Saud, and a member of a formidable bloc
of brothers known as the Sudairi seven, after their
mother Hassa bin Ahmed al-Sudairi.
The bloc also included king Fahd and princes Sultan and
Nayef, all now dead, as well as Saudi Arabia's King Salman. Prince Turki, who was
deputy minister of defence from 1968 to 1978, was to be buried later on
Saturday. King Salman is to receive condolences for
three days from Saturday evening, the palace said.
Government Austerity Tops Kuwait Election
Campaign
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November
12/16/Candidates in Kuwait's parliamentary elections have focused their
campaigns on unpopular government austerity measures as the oil-dependent Gulf
country faces financial stress due to low crude prices. Kuwait, which
sits on around seven percent of the world's proven crude reserves, has resorted
to a series of measures to cut spending and boost non-oil revenues in a bid to
diversify its economy. But measures including raising power and water charges
and hiking petrol prices have triggered a political crisis, leading to the
parliament being dissolved last month and snap polls being called for November
26. "The government has tried to resolve the economic crisis by raising
funds from citizens, like hiking petrol prices," independent candidate Hisham al-Baghli charged at an
election rally this week. "This policy will result in serious consequences
for ordinary citizens," warned Baghli, a former
lawmaker. Before crude prices began to slide in mid-2014, Kuwait
generated around 95 percent of its income from oil.
But the country's oil revenues dropped from a massive $97 billion in the fiscal
year 2013/2014 to just $40 billion last fiscal year, which ended on March 31, according
to finance ministry figures. And oil income is projected to slide further to
around $35 billion this fiscal year. In 2015/2016, the OPEC state posted its
first budget deficit of $15 billion after 16 years of surpluses. The government
-- which had increased its expenditures to record levels between 2006 and 2015,
mainly on wages and subsidies -- cut its spending by around 15 percent after
oil prices dropped by 60 percent.
It has lifted subsidies on diesel and kerosene, hiked petrol prices by 40 to 80
percent and decided to raise power charges from next year. The measures have
triggered fiery reactions from parliamentary candidates seeking to drum up
public support.
- 'Red line' -"Undermining the income of citizens through government
measures is a red line... and will be firmly confronted by the next
parliament," said Askar al-Enezi,
a former lawmaker who hopes to be re-elected. Kuwait has been providing a
generous cradle-to-grave welfare system to its nationals, who make up 30
percent of its population of 4.7 million. "We won't allow the government
to plug the budget deficit from the pockets of citizens," said Jamal
al-Omar, another candidate. The government has insisted that without austerity
measures, it may not be able to pay wages, which account for over half of
expenditures. Hamad al-Matar,
who is also running in the polls, said Kuwait's dependence on oil as its
only source of income put the country in a precarious situation after the price
slump. "What has aggravated the economic crisis is rampant corruption in
many state institutions," the former opposition member
of parliament said. He and other candidates said the government has
failed to carry out economic reforms and diversify sources of income to reduce
its dependence on oil. During its 16 years of surpluses, Kuwait amassed
reserves worth $600 billion invested mostly abroad. But to plug growing budget
shortfall, the country has started borrowing for the first time in two decades.
The government has issued domestic bonds worth $4.6 billion as part of measures
to finance the budget deficit, the finance minister said on Tuesday. It plans
to start issuing foreign bonds totalling around $10 billion early next year, he
said. The Fitch Ratings agency believes fiscal measures in Kuwait will be
implemented only partly, it said on Wednesday. "Execution risks are also
high for other proposed reforms... as they could prove to be complex and
politically contentious," it said in a report. A total of 454 candidates,
including 15 women, have registered to stand for election to the 50-seat
parliament. The election sees the return of major opposition groups and
individuals, ending a four-year boycott in protest against the government for
amending the voting system.
Russia Arrests 10 Suspected Terrorists
Naharnet/Associated Press/November
12/16/Russia's security service says it has arrested 10 people who were
preparing terrorist attacks in Moscow and St. Petersburg and who had contacts
with the Islamic State group. The statement from the Federal Security Service was
reported by Russian news agencies on Saturday. The security service, known by
its acronym FSB, said those arrested were from Central Asian countries; it did
not specify the countries but said the arrests were made in cooperation with
the former Soviet republics of Kyrgyzstan
and Tajikistan.
The FSB said homemade bombs and firearms were seized in the Saturday arrests
and the suspects admitted to having contact with Islamic State figures.
Kurdish Demonstrators Rally against Erdogan in Cologne
Naharnet/Associated Press/November 12/16/About 6,000
pro-Kurdish demonstrators are holding a rally in the western German city of
Cologne in protest against the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Police said Saturday that the rally in an industrial area along the Rhine River
has been peaceful so far. Erdogan's government
recently ordered the arrest of nine lawmakers of the pro-Kurdish HDP party,
which it accuses of acting as the political wing of the outlawed Kurdistan
Workers' Party, or PKK — an allegation the HDP rejects. The PKK has waged a
three-decades-long insurgency against the state, and Erdogan
has blamed Europe for supporting and arming
the group.
Afghan Parliament Dismisses 3 Cabinet
Ministers
Naharnet/Associated Press/November 12/16/Afghanistan's
parliament has voted to dismiss the foreign minister and two other Cabinet
members for their failure to spend funds in their development budgets. Foreign
Minister Salahuddin Rabbani,
Public Works Minister Mahmood Baligh
and Labor and Social Affairs Minister Nasreen Oryakhel, were stripped
of their posts following no confidence votes on Saturday. Parliament speaker
Abdul Raouf Ibrahimi
announced the decision. President Ashraf Ghani will need to submit new candidates to parliament for
approval. The dismissals come as Afghanistan is mired in an economic
crisis and at war with the Taliban.
Iran: A look at the popular protests on
November 11, 2016
Saturday, 12 November 2016/NCRI - A group of victims of ‘Padideh
Shandiz’ a Tourism Development Company, who lost
their financial assets, staged a gathering on the last day of the media
exhibition in Tehran to protest against plundering of their properties by
governmental gangs involved in the project of this company. One of the victims
said: “Aren’t you a Muslim? Don’t you have children yourself? How can you sleep
at night while I, at the age of 24, have to sell my kidney? A day earlier, when
a number of frustrated people angry at the plunderers of “Mehr
Pardis” housing project realized that the head of the
regime’s Central Bank was visiting the media exhibition, they quickly gathered
there and staged a protest against him chanting slogans such as “They stole our
money and didn’t give us our house.” The bodyguards of this state official were
forced to quickly take him away from the scene. Also a number of applicants for
the housing project in the Southwestern city of Ahvaz staged a protest
gathering in front of the regime’s court in this city. Meanwhile, Teachers’
Trade Association held a campaign in support of Ismail Abdi,
a member of the Association recently arrested by the notorious Intelligence
Ministry and transferred to Evin prison. The
campaign, titled “Teacher’s place is not in prison”, started its work on a
Telegram channel and wrote: “One demand of the educators’ Global Campaign is to
end security approach and dealing with the Teachers' Trade Union activists.” In
addition, a group of teachers rushed to visit Mr. Abdi’s
family in solidarity. In Anbarabad town in Southern
city of Kerman,
people who were faced with a brutal attack by the government officials and
security forces to cut off the electricity and power to their homes, clashed
with government forces whose number reached as high as 70 to 80 agents. One of
the residents said many of them were plainclothes and their brutality against
the villagers had no border. National Student Trade Council across the country
issued a statement condemning censorship of news on students protest actions…
The student organization in its statement adds: “Media outlets are run by
people whose interests make them censor and distort (falsify) the events and
take advantage of them. For example, one can point out the media’s silence on
the trade protests by students of Tehran
University in 2015 and the recent
protest gathering at Chamran dormitory, several trade
protests at Universities in Zanjan, Orumiyeh, and Shahrood, as well
as Noushirvani
University in Babol,
Allameh University in Tehran,
and other universities.”
The Students of Razi University in Kerman disrupted a speech by Saeed Jalili former nuclear
negotiator, from Khamenei’s band. The students held
placards demanding release of Yashar Soltani, chief editor of Me’mary
(Architecture) publication who exposed Pasdar Ghalibaf’s theft (land grabbing and illegal seizure of land)
in Tehran’s City Municipality.
The protest was so intense that Jalili had to stop
his speech unfinished and leave the university.
Mahan Air is owned by the Iranian
Revolutionary Guards; transfers weapons and guards to Syria and must be
sanctioned
Saturday, 12 November 2016 /The Iranian resistance emphasizes that Mahan Air
belongs to the IRGC and is engaged in transferring weapons and forces to Syria
to massacre the people of that country, and is a tool to clearly violate UN
Security Council’s resolutions, and calls on the Council and its member states
especially European countries for a total sanction of the company and any
dealings with it. Mahan Air is apparently a private company founded in 1991 in Kerman. The major
shareholder of the firm is "Charity of Mowla al-Movaheddin", which belongs to the Iranian
Revolutionary Guards (IRGC). The company owns 60 passenger and cargo aircrafts
and, in addition to domestic flights, flies to 52 destinations in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Mahan Air has multiple daily
flights from Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan,
Shiraz and Abadan
to Damascus.
These flights use Iraqi air space and carry weapons, equipment and
Revolutionary Guards for war against the Syrian people. Three daily direct
flights from Abadan airport to Damascus is mainly done by Mahan Air. Sending
troops to Syria
through Mahan began in early 2012. Commanders of the IRGC and the Qods Force travel to Damascus
by these flights. The company transfers Afghans residing in Iran to Damascus
airport who have been recruited by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards to go to Syria in
batches of 200. Iraqi militia groups linked to the Qods
Force are sent by bus through Basra to Abadan and from there are transferred to Damascus with Mahan aircrafts. According to
reports obtained from inside the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, several Iraqi Qods battalions by the names of al-Nojaba,
Badr, Kataeb Hezbollah, Asaib al-Haq and the Hezbollah
have been sent to Syria
in October 2016 in this way. These forces are commanded by the Iranian Revolutionary
Guards and are directly involved in the siege of Aleppo and killing of the Syrian people.
Reuters on March 15, 2013 wrote, "Iranian arms shipments
to Syria
has intensified in recent months! ..... Iran Air and Mahan Air send and
at least 5 tons of weapons per flight to Syria!"Forbes news site wrote on August 23, 2016,
"Mahan Air flew from Abadan to Damascus on June 10 of
this year, but used the Tehran-Damascus flight number. The aircraft went from
Tehran to Damascus on June 9 and 16, while it was using now unused Najaf-Tehran
flight number... one of these last flights was from Yazd while it was using
Tehran - Damascus flight number on June 30". Mahan company
was put in the sanctions list of the United States in October 2011.
However, it is said that at the beginning of 2015 it was able to purchase 9
Airbuses and utilize it in its fleet. Secretariat of the National Council of
Resistance/November 11, 2016
US confirms four Americans killed in Afghanistan base blast
AFP, Kabul Saturday, 12 November 2016/The
Pentagon has confirmed that four Americans were killed in a blast at a base in Bagram, Afghanistan. The Americans - two
service members and two contractors - were killed at Bagram
Airfield, the largest US
military base in Afghanistan,
early on Saturday. No militant group has so far claimed responsibility for the
blast, which occurs as the Taliban steps up nationwide attacks before the onset
of winter, when fighting usually ebbs. “We can confirm that there was an
explosion at Bagram Airfield this morning just after
5:30 am (0100 GMT). There have been casualties,” the military coalition said in
a brief statement. France
condemned the attack and reiterated its support for those fighting terrorism in
Afghanistan.
"France reiterates its support for the American and Polish governments,
whose citizens were hit in the attack," the Foreign Ministry said a
statement.(With Reuters)
ISIS claims shrine blast in southwestern Pakistan
Reuters, Quetta, Pakistan Saturday, 12 November 2016/ISIS has claimed
responsibility for an explosion at a Muslim shrine in southwestern
Pakistan killed at least 43 people and wounded dozens of others, local
officials said. Hashim Ghalzai,
a local district commissioner, told Reuters that the toll was based on initial
reports, and could rise further. The blast occurred at the Shah Noorani shrine, located in Baluchistan province, about
100km (62 miles) north of the port city of Karachi. It took place while hundreds of
people were inside, said Ghalzai. Dozens of wounded
people were being moved to the nearby town of Hub
and to Karachi,
rescue official Hakeem Nasi told Geo TV. The
government dispatched 25 ambulances from Hub to the shrine, said Akbar Harifal, provincial home secretary for Baluchistan.
“Every day, around sunset, there is a dhamaal (ritual
dance) here, and there are large numbers of people who come for this,” said Nawaz Ali, the shrine’s custodian. Baluchistan has seen
some of the worst militant attacks this year in Pakistan,
one of which was claimed by an extremist movement that is allied to ISIS. The province is also key
to a $46 billion transport and trade corridor between Pakistan and China,
which hinges on a deep-water port in the southwestern
city of Gwadar.
Markham principal apologizes for
‘discriminatory’ Facebook posts,”
Noor Javed and Kristin Rushowy/Toronto Star, November 10, 2016
A Markham elementary school principal has apologized for her “discriminatory”
social media posts and says she pledges to learn from her actions and create an
“open and inclusive” school community. In September, the York Region District
School Board said it was investigating after being notified about anti-Muslim
postings on the Facebook page of Ghada
Sadaka, a principal at Sir Wilfrid
Laurier Public
School. After months of silence, Sadaka’s apology was posted on the school board’s website
Thursday, under the weekly message from director J. Philip Parappally.
“As an educator for 26 years, my days are filled with ensuring that the
students with whom I am entrusted are given constant opportunities to learn,” Sadaka’s statement said. “In the last two months, I have
been the one who has learned a number of lessons about how sharing
inappropriate posts on social media has affected those around me, my reputation
and the reputation of one of the most diverse school boards in the country. “I
apologize for my actions and accept responsibility for ensuring that I learn
from them,” Sadaka wrote. Sadaka
said she “did not intend to be disrespectful towards any group or individual
and I sincerely regret the upset this has caused to those who were offended by
the posts.“Upon reflection,
I accept that sharing the posts was discriminatory, and should not have
occurred. I am committed to improving my understanding of human rights issues,
and ensuring that I am more careful, respectful and aware of what I post and
share on social media.”Some of the Facebook posts the principal is alleged to have shared and
commented on include: videos purportedly showing violent “Muslim takeovers” of Paris and London,
and one headlined: “Must see: Dutch mayor tells fellow Muslims they can f—— if
they don’t like freedom.”Sadaka didn’t respond to a
request for comment Thursday. In his weekly message Parappally,
the school board director, said he appreciated Sadaka’s
apology and “believe all of us within the Board can use this as an opportunity
to learn and grow. “As one of the most diverse regions in the country, we have
a responsibility to continue the work of equity,” he said. The statement was
issued on the same day Parappally and board chair
Anna DeBartolo met Education Minister Mitzie Hunter
to discuss allegations of racism and trustee transparency,
that the Star has chronicled over the past year. “As previously
disclosed, this was the minister’s first meeting with the chair and director
and she used this opportunity to discuss her expectations of Ontario’s publicly
funded education system to be one of inclusion and opportunity, a beacon of
equity and respect, and a strong example of transparency and efficient use of
precious student funding,” said spokesman Patrick Searle. Parappally’s
message on the school board website doesn’t clarify the outcome of the
investigation into the principal, or say if the policy for such investigations
was followed. Last month, two trustees asked the board to confirm if proper
policy was followed during their investigation. The board has said the
investigation was a confidential personnel matter. Previously, board spokesman Licinio Miguelo said: “I can
confirm that in any case where such allegations are brought forward all
applicable policies and regulations are strictly followed.”York
Region parents said that while they welcome Sadaka’s
apology, they still have concerns. “This is a good first step,” said parent Naeem Siddiqi, after speaking to
parents with children who attend Sir
Wilfrid Laurier Public School.
“But what (Sadaka) needs to do is start a dialogue
with parents and children, and take steps to show that she is sincere…
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis
& editorials from miscellaneous sources published on November 12-13/16
Trump files: Future of US-Gulf ties
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/November 12/16
Since the news about Donald Trump winning the presidential elections is highly
topical, I will discuss how it will affect our regional issues, the main one of
which is US relations with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf. Most of the common issues
between the two sides, the US
and the Gulf, are in fact related to other countries and issues such as
terrorism, wars, Yemen, Syria and Libya. There are no disagreements
related to bilateral relations; they have been on good terms during President
Barack Obama’s presidency. What is being said about Trump’s stances on Islam or
Saudi Arabia
and its interests is not true. I don’t think that Trump has presuppositions
upon which he decides his policies. President Barack Obama will pass on
controversial, complicated and dangerous case files related to Saudi Arabia
and the Gulf Arab states to Trump. The Gulf has never been at odds with Washington up until
Obama’s era. The problem was Obama’s policies in Iran,
Iraq, Syria and to a lesser
extent, Yemen.
The Gulf countries did not negatively react when Obama revealed his greatest
secret agreement with Iran
to halt its nuclear program. The Gulf did not reject it but expressed reservations
regarding its political framework as it included a very dangerous deal that
freed the extremist regime of all restrictions and allowed it to intrude in the
region without taking into consideration the safety of US allies.
Gulf countries look forward to playing a pivotal role with Trump’s government
in addressing the situation in the region. Will Trump follow in Obama’s
footsteps and let Iran
threaten the security of the Gulf? In my opinion, Trump would not commit to any
previous non-binding agreement. He will only carry on with the JCPOA
obligations because it is an international plan of action and not just a
bilateral deal between the two countries. Iran will continue to manipulate
the world with its nuclear project but Trump does not have to remain silent
regarding the Iranian and Russian interference in wars outside their borders.
This explains the rush of the regime in Tehran
to wage large-scale wars in Aleppo, Mosul, Tal Afar and others - Iran wanted to strike before the
arrival of the new American president because it cannot guarantee his position.
I believe that the Gulf States
are eager to stop military interventions in conflict zones. The Iranians will
object under the pretext that Turkey
has interfered in Iraq and Syria and Saudi
Arabia has interfered in Yemen,
although these supposed interventions would stop if Iran were to stop its
interferences. The efforts in the Yemeni crisis were purely diplomatic and
sponsored by the UN until Iran,
through its allies, took control of the government by force. This is what led
the Saudis and their allies to intervene. The chaos in the Middle East
threatens the whole world as well as the security of the United States.
It is normal that the Gulf will focus on Tehran
being a source of instability in the upcoming discussion. The relations between
the US
and the Gulf can revive the common traditional role that rejects military
adventures through alliances and diverse efforts. Gulf countries objected to
Obama’s project to open up to Iran
economically and politically because it turned out that Obama turned a blind
eye to Iran’s
military adventures. By the end of Obama’s presidency, the Iranians are on the
verge of militarily dominating four important Arab countries, namely Lebanon, Syria,
Iraq and Yemen and it is threatening Bahrain as
well. This situation worries Gulf governments because it will drag more
countries into the conflicts in the region and threatens to exacerbate the
problems in Europe. It is certain that amid
the chaos fueling the sectarian conflict, terrorism
will grow and will only be eradicated once Mosul
and Raqqah are liberated from ISIS.
Gulf countries look forward to playing a pivotal role with Trump’s government
in addressing the situation in the region as they have done for the past
decades without resorting to military solutions.
Finally, what about the problem of terrorism and extremism? Saudi Arabia is the number one partner of the United States
in the fight against international terrorism. The Iranians will not be able to
play this role and they have already convinced Obama’s administration that they
can do so but failed in the end. Everybody will notice that the Gulf countries
are deploying great efforts to exterminate extremist groups that the US
government is constantly objecting to but these groups should not only be
persecuted in the Gulf and Islamic countries, but also in Western countries
where they can find greater freedom.
*This article was first published in Asharq al-Awsat on Nov. 10, 2016.
President-elect Trump deserves a chance
Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor/Al
Arabiya/November 12/16
Free and fair elections are one of democracy’s main pillars as is the
smooth and peaceful transfer of power. America has chosen and, whether one
approves of that choice or not, it should be accepted and respected both at
home and abroad. It is no secret that while I wrote an op-ed in August, 2015
backing Donald Trump to the hilt and supported his bid for the White House
during my keynote address to delegates attending the 24th Annual Arab-US
Policymakers Conference held in Washington last year. I felt then – and still
do – that a successful businessman would have the skill set to strengthen the US economy,
which, in turn, gives a boost to the global economy. I cannot deny that I was
shocked and surprised at his stated intention to bar Muslims from visiting the US (an
ill-conceived policy that recently disappeared from Trump’s own website), which
forced me to rescind my initial enthusiastic endorsement.
I now believe that once he is in office he will gain a better grasp of
issues and a greater understanding of potential consequences. In recent days,
he projects a far more presidential persona. His rhetoric is softened and his
bearing reflects the seriousness of his aspirations.
Hard fought race Give Mr Trump his due. He
won an exceptionally hard fought race despite constant criticism from the media
leaning overwhelmingly towards Hillary Clinton and establishment figures of all
political hues, including attacks from President Barack Obama. I have to admire
his gumption. He rode to Pennsylvania
Avenue on the back of sheer determination while
throughout his two-year journey his enemies never ceased to nip at his heels.
America
needs to do some soul-searching to discover why a rank outsider succeeded in
surpassing a seasoned politician with decades of experience. The fact is that
the system has let down many millions of struggling Americans who on November 8
rejected more of the same embodied by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. America needs
to do some soul-searching to discover why a rank outsider succeeded in
surpassing a seasoned politician with decades of experience. The fact is that
the system has let down many millions of struggling Americans who on November 8
rejected more of the same embodied by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. These
are people forgotten by the pollsters; people who felt left behind by Washington. Many voted
for the first time in their lives. Donald Trump related to ordinary men and
women. He spoke their language, tapped into their grievances and offered not
only real change but he also ignited a renewed sense of national pride. Now the
President-elect should be given the opportunity to follow through on his
pledges. He should be given the chance to formulate his policies, get his team
together and prove to his fellow Americans that his promises to create jobs, build new infrastructure, double GDP growth – and work
with allies to eradicate ISIL, were not just vote-getting hot air.
Common good
But as a prerequisite to his advancement of US domestic and external
interests, Americans must bury their misgivings and come together for the
common good. Mass protests, riots and vandalism are not solutions; they only
exacerbate existing hatreds and divisions.
No matter how many anti-Trump placards are held up or slogans chanted, no
amount of opposition will halt destiny’s unfolding. Donald Trump won 290
electoral votes and will be inaugurated as the 45th President in the history of
the United States
on January 20, 2017.
Those determined to ruin that day with protests are shooting themselves
and their fellow citizens in the foot. When Americans pull in opposite
directions, nothing will be achieved. America needs unity not division.
The country desperately needs healing. President Obama gets it, which is why he
has put all the insults and bad feeling behind him to graciously reach out to
his successor.
I would urge all Americans to emulate Obama’s class. Harboring
grudges and harping on ‘what ifs’ are destructive. There is nothing to gain by
making the future President’s job harder than it already is or diminishing his
stature in the eyes of the world.
Once he has appointed his dream team, give him breathing space of at
least a year to show what he can do. On the foreign policy front, it is my hope
that he renegotiates the Iranian nuclear deal, works to end the carnage in Syria, and
cleanses our planet from the twin scourges of terrorism and extremism. Here is
a prediction. Just as President Ronald Reagan was a different man to the Hollywood actor who dared to run for the top job and was
ridiculed for doing so, President Donald Trump will summon his personal
strengths, surround himself with experienced people and rise to the occasion.
Just as the man shapes the offices, so the office shapes the man. I can only
wish Mr Trump and the people he will swear to serve in less than seven weeks,
good luck in revitalizing the American dream and consolidating America’s
rightful place as leader of the free world. Forgiveness and reconciliation are
the keys to a bright future for all.
King Abdulaziz
and the Yemen book
Mshari Al Thaydi/Al Arabiya/November 12/16
Perhaps the most recurrent advice that is currently being given to Saudi Arabia,
from those who are well-informed and those who are not, is that the Saudi
government should intensify its media activity to defend Saudi internal and
external issues. “We need a new media policy” – it is an expression that has
been repeated a lot recently and has become a cliché. We need a new media
policy for almost everything: the US JASTA law, the Yemeni war and the anti-Houthi and Ali Abdullah Saleh
propaganda. Arabs and the West are looking into this advice. But, is it valid
advice? I think that part of it is valid while the other part does not make
sense because whatever you do, there are some who have already decided to be at
odds with you for political, ideological or personal reasons. Anyway, I
recently read an old book that was republished by Saudi historian Dr. Mohammed
al-Zulfa after suffering for so long to find it. The
book is entitled “A statement about the relations between Saudi Arabia
and Imam Yahya Hamid
al-Din, 1925 to 1934.”In his introduction, al-Zulfa
said that “the most important reference is the green Saudi book that was
published by the Saudi government immediately after the Saudi-Yemeni war.”Yemen,
with Houthi and Saleh this time, is still
waging wars of negative publicity against Saudi Arabia. King Abdulaziz indicated in his speech to senior delegations
from the Islamic world in 1353 AH (1934 Gregorian), a few days after the end of
the war: “The explanation of the relation between us (the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia) and him (Imam Yahya) is very long, but
Muslims should read the green book that we prepared, so that everyone will know
that we talk the talk and walk the walk.” In the introduction of the green
book, it was said that, when the Imam accepted the peace terms, the government
decided not to publish the green book because it contained all records and
supporting documents relating to the Saudi position: “in order to save the
dignity of a man belonging to the Arab nation and to avoid a worldwide
humiliation.” However, in response to the negative propaganda against
Saudi Arabia which was spread by Imam Yahya and his
supporters in Arab media outlets at a time when he was conducting discussions
directly with Saudi Arabia, and “for fear that people might be misled by these
words that are not true or real, the government decided to speed up the
publication of the book,” the king said. These extracts were taken from the
book so that we can have a glimpse into how King Abdulaziz
worked to resolve the regional crisis and how he defended the Saudi position. Yemen, with Houthi and
Saleh this time, is still waging wars of negative
publicity against Saudi
Arabia. It still finds people that will
listen and believe these lies, whether internationally or regionally.
Perhaps, there is an urgent need to restore the Saudi book’s approach in
a new modern format with documented arguments.
*This article was first published in Asharq al-Awsat on Nov. 11, 2016.
Europe's Planned Migrant Revolution
Yves Mamou/Gatestone Institute/November 12/16
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9183/europe-migrant-revolution
Between 2005 to 2014, Germany welcomed more than
6,000,000 people.
Two essential questions about integration must be put on the table: 1) What do we ask of newcomers? And 2) What
do we do to those who do not accept our conditions? In Europe,
these two questions of integration were never asked of anyone.
In the new migrant order, the host population is invited to make room for the
newcomer and bear the burden not of what is an "integration,"
but the acceptance of a coerced coexistence.
"No privileges are granted to the Europeans or to their heritage. All
cultures have the same citizenship. There is no recognition of a substantial
European culture that it might be useful to preserve." — Michèle Tribalat, sociologist and
demographer.
"We need people that we welcome to love France." — French Archbishop Pontier, Le Monde, October 2016.
When "good feelings" did not work, however, the authorities have
often criminalized and prosecuted anti-immigration critics. The Dutch
politician Geert Wilders is currently on trial for
trying to defend his country from Moroccan immigrants whose skyrocketing crime
wave has been transforming the Netherlands.
Everyone now knows -- even German Chancellor Angela Merkel -- that she
committed a political mistake in opening the doors of her country to more than
a million migrants from the the Middle East, Africa
and Asia. It was, politically, a triple mistake:
Merkel may have thought that humanitarian motives (the war in Syria and Iraq,
the refugee problem) could help Germany
openly pursue a migration policy that was initially launched and conducted in
the shadows.
Merkel mainly helped to accelerate the defense
mechanisms against the transformation of German society and culture into a
"multicultural" space -- the "multi" being a segregated,
Islamic way of life. The anti-immigration party Alternative for Germany (AfD) is now a big player on the German political scene.
Merkel raised anxiety all over Europe about
the migrant problem. She might even have encouraged the United Kingdom to Brexit
and pushed central European countries such as Hungary to the point of seceding
from the European Union.
For many years, Germany was
the country in Europe most open to
immigration. According to Eurostat, the official data
body of the European Union, between 2005 to 2014, Germany
welcomed more than 6 million people. [1]
Not all six million people came from Middle East.
The vast majority of them, however, were not from Europe.
Clandestine immigration is not, of course, included in these figures.
Other countries also participated in a migrant race. In the same time frame,
2005-2014, three million people immigrated to France, or around 300,000 people
a year. In Spain,
the process was more chaotic: more than 700,000 migrants in 2005; 840,000 in
2006; almost a million in 2007 and then a slow decrease to 300,000 a year up to
2014.
The "refugee crisis," in fact, helped to make apparent what was
latent: that behind humanitarian reasons, a huge official immigration policy in
Europe was proceeding apace. For economic
reasons, Europe had openly decided years ago to encourage a new population to
enter, supposedly to compensate for the dramatic projected shrinking of Europe's native population.
Thousands of migrants cross illegally into Slovenia on foot, in this
screenshot from YouTube video filmed in October 2015.
According to population projections made by Eurostat
in 2013, without migrants, Europe's population
would decline from 507.3 million in 2015 to 399.2 million by 2080. In roughly
65 years, a hundred million people (20%) would disappear. Country by country,
the figures seemed even were more terrifying. By 2080, in Germany, 80
million people today would become 50 million. In Spain, 46.4 million people would
become 30 million. In Italy,
60 million would decline to 39 million.
Some countries would be more stable: by 2080, France,
with 66 million in 2015 would grow to 68.7 million, and England, with
67 million in 2015, would shrink only to approximately 65 million.
Is migration in itself a "bad" thing? Of course
not. Migration from low-income countries to higher-income countries is
almost a law of nature. As long as the number of births and deaths remains
larger than the number of migrants, the result is considered beneficial. But
when migration becomes the major contributor to population growth, the
situation changes and what should be a simple evolution becomes a revolution.
It is a triple revolution:
Because the number of migrants is huge. The 2015 United Nations World
Population Prospects report states: "Between 2015 and 2050, total births
in the group of high-income countries are projected to exceed deaths by 20
million, while the net gain in migrants is projected to be 91 million. Thus, in
the medium variant, net migration is projected to account for 82 per cent of
population growth in the high-income countries."
Because of the culture of the migrants. Most of them
belong to a Muslim and Arabic (or Turkish) culture, which was in an old and
historical conflict with the (still?) dominant Christian culture of Europe. And mainly, because this Muslim
migration process happens at a historic moment of a radicalization of the
world's Muslim population.
Because each European state is in position of weakness.
In the process of building the European Union, national states stopped
considering themselves as the indispensable integrator tool of different
regional cultures inside a national frame. On the contrary, to prevent the
return of large-scale chauvinistic wars such as World War I and World War II,
all European nation-states engaged in the EU process and decided to program
their own disappearance by transferring more and more power to a bureaucratic,
unelected and untransparent executive Commission in Brussels. Not
surprisingly, alongside Islamist troubles in all European countries, weak
European states have now to cope with the strong resurgence of secessionist and
regionalist movements, such as Corsica in France, Catalonia in Spain, and
Scotland and Wales in United Kingdom.
Why did France, Germany and
many other countries of the European Union opt for massive immigration, without
saying it and without letting voters debate it? Perhaps because they thought a
new population of taxpayers could help save their healthcare and retirement
systems. To avoid the bankruptcy of social security and the social troubles of
"dissatisfied retirees," the EU took the
risk of transforming more or less homogenous nation-states into multicultural
societies.
Politicians and economists seem blind to multicultural conflicts. They seem not
even to suspect the importance of identity questions and religious topics.
These questions belong to nations and since WW II, "the nation" is
considered "bad." In addition, politicians and economists appear to
think any cultural and religious problem is a secondary question. Despite the
growing threat of Islamist terrorism (internal and imported from the Middle East), for example, they seem to persist in
thinking that any violent domestic conflict can be dissolved in a
"full-employment" society. Most of them seem to believe in U.S.
President Barack Obama's imaginary jobs-for-jihadists solution to terrorism.
To avoid cultural conflicts (Muslim migrants vs
non-Muslim natives) Germany
could, of course, have imported people from the countries of Europe where there
were no jobs: France, Spain, Italy. But
this "white" workforce is considered "expensive" by big
companies (construction, care-givers and all services...) who need cheap
imported workers no matter the area (Middle East, Turkey, Northern Africa) they
are coming from. Internal migration inside the EU would not have solved either
the main problem of a projected shrinking European population as a whole. Added
to that, in a world where competition is transferred partially from nations to
global regions, the might of European countries might be thought to lie in
their population numbers.
Can Europe borrow a Muslim population from Turkey,
Northern Africa, sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East,
and become a European world power, based on a population that is multicultural
and multi-religious?
In theory, one can do that. But to succeed and avoid being crossed, day after
day, by racial and religious tensions, two essential questions about
integration must be put on the table: 1) What do we
ask of newcomers? And 2) What do we do to those who do
not accept our conditions?
In other words, integration is an asymmetrical process where the newcomer is
expected to produce the effort to adapt.
Of course, if the flow of migrants is big, the host society will change, but
that is evolution; the sense of cultural and historical continuity will not be
demanded into a decline.
In Europe, these two questions of integration
were never asked of anyone. According to Michèle
Tribalat, sociologist and demographer:
"EU countries agreed at the Council of 19 November 2004, on eleven common
basic principles to which to commit. When it is question of integration
they disclaim any asymmetry between the host society and newcomers. No
privileges are granted to the Europeans or to their heritage. All cultures have
the same citizenship. There is no recognition of a substantial European culture
that it might be useful to preserve. The social bond is designed as a
horizontal one, between the people in the game. Its vertical dimension in
reference to history and to the past seems to be superfluous. They speak about
values, but these values appear to be negotiable".
In France, in Germany, and in Sweden, it became rapidly clear
that growing flow of a radicalized Muslim population began to change the rules of
the integration game. The migrants did not have to "adapt" and are
free to reproduce their religious and cultural habits. By contrast, the local
"natives" were ordered not to resist "environmental"
changes produced by immigration. When they tried to resist anyway, a political
and media machine began to criminalize their "racist" behavior and supposed intolerance.
In the new migrant order, the host population is expected to make room for the
newcomer and bear the burden of not what is "integration", but the
acceptance of a coerced coexistence.
France's Archbishop Pontier declared to Le Monde in
October 2016:
"We need people that we welcome to love France. If we always offer a
negative view, they cannot love the country. However, if we see them as people
who bring us something new, we get to grow together".
When "good feelings" did not work, however, the authorities have
often criminalized and prosecuted anti-immigration critics. The Dutch
politician Geert Wilders is currently on trial for
trying to defend his country from Moroccan immigrants whose skyrocketing crime
wave has been transforming the Netherlands.
He may go to jail for as long as a year and could be fined a maximum of €7,400 ($7,000 USD).
In France, the Paris prosecutor opened a
preliminary investigation for an "apologia of terrorism" against the
anti-immigration writer Eric Zemmour. In an interview
with the magazine Causeur, published October 6, Zemmour said that "Muslims must choose" between
France and Islam. He added that he had "respect for jihadists willing to
die for what they believe." The Paris
prosecutor chose to take this sentence out of context to prosecute him.
Will this double movement -- the injunction to love Islam plus criminalizing
anti-Islam critics -- be enough to kill off any opposition to the EU's
migration policy, and serve to Islamize the continent?
We shall find out.
**Yves Mamou, based in France, worked for two decades as a
journalist for Le Monde.
[1] Statistical breakdown:
707.352 migrants in 2005
661.855 in 2006
680.766 in 2007
682.146 in 2008
346.216 in 2009
404.055 in 2010
489.422 in 2011
592.175 in 2012
692.713 in 2013
884.893 in 2014
© 2016 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The
articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of
Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced,
copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone
Institute.
Qatar's Shopping Spree to Buy and Displace the West?
Giulio Meotti/Gatestone
Institute/November 12/16
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9243/qatar-unesco-west
Qatar sits on the executive board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the UN agency that has just erased 3000
years of Jewish history in Jerusalem, and has set its sights on the main chair
at UNESCO: as the successor of UNESCO's secretary general, Irina Bokova.
Human rights organizations have already promoted a campaign to prevent Qatar's Kawari from taking the UNESCO seat. Citing a vast amount of
anti-Semitic material present at the Doha Book Fair, Kawari's
flagship, the Simon
Wiesenthal Center
launched a campaign against his candidacy.
Qatar is the puppeteer
behind UNESCO's anti-Semitic resolution on Jerusalem, and a world center of Islamic
extremism. Qatar
does not make a secret of trying to submit Western culture to the Muslim
crescent.
The Soviet Union, during the Cold War,
invested in propaganda operations in the West to subvert capitalism and
democracy. Communism found precious allies in the so-called "useful
idiots" who facilitated Soviet work in academia, newspapers and publishing
houses. Political Islam has been using the same convenient outlets and mechanisms
to spread Islamic sharia law in the West.
The old role of Soviet propaganda has now been taken up by Islamic regimes. Qatar, for instance, is not only interested in
buying large segments of Europe's economy (Hochtief,
Volkswagen, Porsche, Canary Wharf and Deutsche Bank), but also in playing a key
role in Europe's culture.
Qatar sits on the executive board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the UN agency that has just erased 3000
years of Jewish history in Jerusalem, and has set its sights on the main chair
at UNESCO: as the successor of UNESCO's secretary general, Irina Bokova.
The favorite for this race is, in fact, the former
minister of culture of Qatar from 2008 to 2016, Hamad
bin Abdulaziz al Kawari,
who currently serves as "cultural adviser to the Emir," Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. In 2017, the UNESCO leadership is supposed to go to
a representative of the Arab world, according to the rule of geographic
rotation; Kawari will have to defeat the candidacy of
a Lebanese and an Egyptian.
Kawari recently landed in Rome, apparently to start his promotional
tour, and he met with its mayor, Virginia Raggi, who
received the Islamic emirate's delegation. Kawari
received an honorary degree from Tor Vergata University, Rome's
second most important university. The photo of the ceremony speaks volumes
about political Islam's level of penetration in Europe's
academic culture. Abdullah Bin Hamad Al Attiyah, Qatar's
former deputy prime minister, even spoke at Tor Vergata.
Qatar's Hamad
bin Abdulaziz al Kawari
(center), who serves as "cultural adviser to the Emir," is pictured
receiving an honorary degree from Rome's Tor Vergata University
last month. (Image source: Askanews video screenshot)
Kawari also had a meeting with Italy's
minister of culture, Dario Franceschini and minister
of education, Stefania Giannini.
Last June, Kawari was also in the Vatican to meet
with Pope Francis and sign an agreement between the Vatican Apostolic Library
and the Qatar Foundation for Education. Kawari,
fluent in Arabic, English and French, is an affable man of the world, at home
in Paris, where he graduated from Sorbonne University;
his climb to the leadership of UNESCO has the support of the rulers of the Gulf
and Saudi Arabia.
Human rights organizations have already promoted a campaign to prevent Kawari from taking the UNESCO seat. Citing a vast amount of
anti-Semitic material present at the Doha Book Fair, Kawari's
flagship, the Simon
Wiesenthal Center
launched a campaign against his candidacy. In a letter to Kawari,
Shimon Samuels, Director for International Relations of the Wiesenthal Center,
said the material on display every year in Doha "violates the values
promoted by Unesco".
Samuels listed at least 35 anti-Semitic titles, including nine editions of the
anti-Semitic forgery The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, four editions of Mein
Kampf by Adolf Hitler, and four editions of Henry
Ford's The International Jew. "From this point of view, Doha
is far from Paris,"
said Samuels, referring to the general headquarters of UNESCO.
Qatar is the puppeteer
behind UNESCO's anti-Semitic resolution on Jerusalem, and a world center of Islamic
extremism. Doha
just held a meeting between the Palestinian Authority's leader, Mahmoud Abbas, and the heads of
Hamas, a terrorist organization devoted to the destruction of the State of
Israel. Qatar
does not make a secret of trying to submit Western culture to the Muslim
crescent. The only question is, which country's
culture will UNESCO erase next?
The Qatari royal family is now much involved in "the arts." According
to the BBC, "To take a recent example, the Qatari royal family sponsored
the Tate's Damien Hirst retrospective. It's now moved
to Doha, where
Tate director Nicholas Serota attended the official
launch." Major works by Warhol, Bacon, Rothko, Koons
and Hirst are all thought to have made their way to Qatar.
Qatar is buying academic
chairs in Europe's universities, such as the pact between Doha
and Rome's Tor Vergata. What is the university presumably expected to do
for Qatar
in exchange for that? Qatar academic purchases are also the subject of Le Monde's investigation entitled, "Tariq Ramadan: le
sphinx," which details how Tariq Ramadan, the well-known European Muslim
intellectual, was been able to obtain a chair at the University of Oxford. Mediapart, the French leftist magazine, ran a long exposé
about Tariq Ramadan as "Qatar's
showcase."
The Qatari monarchy, in 2015 alone, donated £11 million to renew Oxford's St Antony's
College, where Tariq Ramadan works. Sheikha Moza, the wife of Emir Al Thani,
inaugurated the magnificent building designed by the late architect, Zaha Hadid.
Qatar also financed the
creation of an Islamic section at the Bloomsbury
publishing house and the "Doha Debates" program that aired on the
BBC. It would be interesting to know how Qatar's
sharia can find agreement with the sybaritic Bloomsbury's British culture.
The attorney-general of Qatar
also signed an agreement with the president of Sorbonne
University, Philippe Boutry, in Paris, for the enrollment of hundreds of migrants from the Middle East. The Sorbonne accepted 600,000 euros a year, for three years.
Many British universities also receive large donations from Qatar. University College
London, for example, has an archeology
campus in Qatar.
The Qatar Development Fund recently donated $4.3 million to the Margaret
Thatcher Scholarship Trust at Oxford
University.
Qatar is also having a shopping
spree in American universities, and is funding their university departments in
the Arabian desert.
Universities such as Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, Georgetown,
Texas A&M and Virginia Commonwealth
have all signed agreements with Emir Al Thani. Each
will receive $320 million dollars a year. Students of American Universities
based in Doha
are also invited to attend the sermons of Yusuf al-Qaradawi,
the spiritual mentor of the Muslim Brotherhood, who is known for his
hate-ridden religious edicts. The Simon
Wiesenthal Center
has called it "outrageous" for Cornell
University to decide to open a campus
in Doha while the kingdom funds Hamas's war
against Israel.
The Financial Times once called Qatar
"the world's most aggressive deal hunter." Emir Al Thani is now promoting a takeover of Western culture. But
very few in Europe seem to care about that. Is
it because "it is difficult to avoid its money and influence",
especially for an economically depressed Europe?
With their telling silence, are they simply aligning with Qatar's sharia
rulers, and hoping they will chosen to be bought out
next?
*Giulio Meotti, Cultural
Editor for Il Foglio, is an Italian journalist and
author.
© 2016 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The
articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of
Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced,
copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone
Institute.
The Russian-Iranian alliance that wasn't
Hamidreza Azizi/Al
Monitor/November 12/16
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Oct. 28 in Moscow hosted his Iranian and Syrian counterparts,
Mohammad Javad Zarif and Walid Moallem, respectively, to
discuss the latest developments regarding Syria and to coordinate action to
resolve the crisis there. The meeting, the latest sign of Russian-Iranian
cooperation and coordination on Syria,
took place as debate on the nature and level of Tehran-Moscow relations and the
prospect of the presently close relationship continuing has
again been raised in the media. In another sign of warming relations between
the two countries, it was announced Oct. 24 that Russia plans to lift visa
requirements for Iranian citizens. Furthermore, Russia
has over past months declared its willingness to back Iran’s full membership in the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization and to increase cooperation between Iran and the
Eurasian Economic Union. Given these developments, one key question is whether
it is possible to speak of an “alliance” being formed by Iran and Russia.
Collaboration between Iran
and Russia
on regional matters is growing, but there are still major obstacles to a true
Russian-Iranian alliance.
At the international level, it could be argued that a major part of Moscow’s current foreign policy conduct stems from its
confrontation with the West, especially the United
States, that
began in 2014 over the Ukraine
crisis and has since been intensifying over other heated issues, such as Russia’s military campaign in Syria and NATO’s plans for further
eastward expansion. Within this context of being under pressure by the West, Russia has been trying to increase its weight in
international equations and balance against the United States by putting itself at
the center of a series of counter-hegemonic bilateral and multilateral
partnerships, building cooperation and partnerships with a range of regional
and global powers. Russia's
agenda on its eastern front therefore includes cementing ties with China, and in South Asia, expanding and
reinforcing relations with India.
Meanwhile, at the institutional level, Moscow
is trying to further activate and reinvigorate the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization and the BRICS.
Iran, as a regional power in
the Middle East, could be part of Moscow's
strategy of partnerships and cooperation, but this very notion means that for Russia, the development of relations with Tehran has an exogenous
and passive logic, rather than an endogenous and active one. At the regional
level, and in connection with the abovementioned points, it should be noted
that in the Middle East, Moscow’s attempts to
counter the United States
have not been limited to developing ties with Iran. Although Russia has at present, and on a critical issue
such as Syria, comparably
the most expansive ties with Iran,
it is also trying to develop relations with other important players in the
region.
In the latter vein, following the of normalization of
relations with Turkey
this fall, the two countries have been rapidly moving toward regional cooperation.
Furthermore, over the past few months, Egypt
has also been slowly but visibly moving toward Russia, with the two sides reaching
economic and military agreements. At the same time, Moscow
has been serious about improving relations with Riyadh, at least in the economic sphere. When
it comes to Turkey and Saudi Arabia, both regional rivals of Iran, the path being pursued by Moscow
is not in line with Tehran’s
interests. As such, this shows that Russia’s
approach toward Iran is not
as unique and special as it may seem, but rather first and foremost is driven
by the logic of creating a balance on the international stage with the aim of
improving Moscow’s
global standing.
At the bilateral level, apart from regional cooperation, especially regarding Syria, the
Russian-Iranian relationship lacks a strategic dimension, thus effectively
precluding an alliance. The Syrian crisis serves as an important example of
this dynamic.
The main reason for Russia’s
decision to become militarily involved in Syria
was its desire to secure its bases in western Syria that guarantee it access to the Mediterranean Sea. In other words, to Moscow,
the relationship with Damascus
has an obvious geopolitical dimension and is directly related to its “hard”
interests. In the case of Russia’s
relations with Iran,
however, ties have so far been limited to economic exchanges, the arms trade
and, at the highest level, cooperation in the sphere of nuclear technology. For
Russia,
however, none of these areas of collaboration are considered strategic or
non-negligible interests.
Thus, it could be argued in general that what Russia
has so far been trying to achieve through its Middle East policy is obtain US recognition
of its role and interests as an equal. If Russia can achieve this primary
objective by establishing a successful balance of power or by another means —
such as some form of compromise — its approach toward its international
partnerships will change or at least result in a slower pace for the
development of such partnerships. Under these circumstances, the
Russian-Iranian relationship can only move toward a serious partnership or an
alliance by either being institutionalized through genuine Iranian engagement
with Russian-centered regional initiatives, such as the Eurasian Economic
Union, or by expanding the level of bilateral cooperation to a more structured
relationship in “harder” political and security spheres, such as the signing of
a mutual security agreement with certain conditions and promises. As such,
given Moscow’s current foreign policy approach,
if Iran really wants to
elevate the level of its bilateral relationship with Russia, now is the best time to do
so. If not, Iran
should have in place alternative plans for the day when regional and
international circumstances change.
Why Moscow
won't recognize genocide against Yazidis in Iraq
Yekaterina Chulkovskaya/Al
Monitor/November 12/16
A shopping mall named Shengal
— an exotic name to Russians — is located in the eastern part of Moscow. Shengal is the Kurdish name of the city of Sinjar, which is located in northern Iraq where Yazidis live. Most of the customers I met in the shopping
center have no idea what “Shengal” means. They also
are unaware that on the ground floor of the building there is a TV studio
called Lalish TV, the only satellite Yazidi channel in the world.
The newly established Yazidi Congress in Russia is the first political platform uniting
all Yazidis in their quest to urge Russia to recognize genocide against Yazidis in Sinjar, Iraq.
Lalish TV was launched in April. “We are the only Yazidi channel in Russia that broadcasts in the Yazidi language [Kurmanji or
Kurdish dialect] for Yazidis all over the world. We
have no link with any political party or movement. We are not politicized. Our
aim is to help Yazidis save their identity. We want
to give them more information about Yazidi culture,
language, religion and history,” a representative of Lalish
TV told Al-Monitor.
Mirza Sloyan, a Yazidi Russian businessman, sponsors Lalish
TV. Areas of broadcasting include Russia,
Europe, Armenia, Georgia
and Iraq.
Some of the programs are produced in Moscow; the
others are produced in studios based in Germany
and France.
The estimated population of Yazidis in Russia is
40,586, according to the 2010 population census. The majority
of them live in big cities such as Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Yaroslavl
and Krasnodar.
Some Yazidis identify themselves as Kurds or Yazidi-Kurds. For many years they have been members of the
Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) or of Iraqi political parties such as the
Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. In all of
these establishments, Kurdish identity prevails over the Yazidi
one.
History of the Yazidi minority in Russia dates
back to the beginning of the 20th century. At that time, thousands of Yazidis had to leave their homes in order to avoid
persecution by the Ottoman Empire. They moved
to Armenia and Georgia, which
were parts of the Russian Empire at that time. In the Soviet
Union, when all Soviet citizens had to put their nationality in
passports and other identity documents, Yazidis
preferred to identify themselves only as "Yazidi."
Jangir Sindjoyan, a
political observer of the news portal Ezidipress, the
only news source about Yazidis in the Russian language,
told Al-Monitor, “After the collapse of the USSR,
many Yazidis left Georgia
and Armenia and moved to Russia. My
family also came to Russia
from Georgia.
In Russia,
Yazidis work in the spheres of education, media [and]
have [their] own business[es].
There are many prominent sportsmen of Yazidi origin.”
Despite a large number of Yazidis living in Russia, until
this year there was no single platform upon which all Russian Yazidis could unite. Politically active Yazidis
joined different Kurdish organizations in Russia linked to the PKK or other
Iraqi Kurdish parties. Then mass killings of Yazidis
in Iraq in the summer of 2014 pushed Russian Yazidis
to activate, and on Sept. 28, the Yazidi Congress —
the first and only Yazidi organization in Russia —
was registered.
“The genocide against Yazidis in Iraq pushed us to establish the Yazidi Congress,” Samvel Kochoi, head of the Yazidi
Congress in Russia,
told Al-Monitor. There are more than 50 representatives of the congress all
over Russia.
It has several objectives. First, there are a number of unsolved problems
regarding Yazidi religion, language, culture and
history. The congress wants [to solve all of them] by attracting scientists and
religious authorities. There is a huge identity problem; some Yazidis identify themselves as Kurds, some deny their
Kurdish identity and identify themselves as Yazidis,
said Kochoi. The Yazidi
Congress organizes different conferences, roundtables and seminars where all
these problems are discussed.
One of the main objectives of the organization is to communicate with Russian
authorities and media. The Yazidi Congress wants Russia to recognize the assault on Yazidis in Iraq
as genocide. They have already sent the request to the Russian parliament but
have received no concrete response yet, Kochoi said.
Head of the Russian Federation Council's International Affairs Committee — the
upper house of the Russian parliament — Konstantin Kosachev
told Al-Monitor he "has no information about the request of the Yazidi Congress.” A representative in the International
Affairs Committee of the Russian State Duma — the
lower house of parliament — had neither confirmed nor denied receiving the
request from the Yazidi Congress. A source in State Duma told Al-Monitor that the Russian parliament is very
cautious when it comes to questions such as whether or not to recognize any
genocide.
According to Kochoi, “Russia
shows little interest in Yazidis, although Russia — which is now leading a military
campaign in Syria
— should be interested in cooperation with Yazidis
more than any other country. Yazidis are a major
international factor in the Middle East. They
are being killed only because of their identity, the Yazidi
identity, not Kurdish. The radicals from ISIS [Islamic State (IS)] target and
kill Yazidis [and] consider them 'heretics.'”
When asked why he wants Russia
and other countries to recognize genocide against Yazidis,
Kochoi replied, “First, we want to receive moral
support and solidarity. Second, we need guarantees that no one could threaten
lives of Yazidis in Iraq, and if there is any threat to
them, they will be protected. Third, Yazidis need
compensation. They lost everything. There were 72 acts of genocide against Yazidis, but the last one, organized by [IS], was the most
severe.”
The official recognition of Yazidi genocide could be
the start of the establishment of a Yazidi autonomous
region in northern Iraq.
“We want to be an autonomous region in Iraq, like Iraqi Kurdistan. It will
be ideal for us,” Kochoi said. He thinks that if Iraq collapses, then with the support of Russia and
Western countries, a Yazidi state or Yazidi-Christian state could be established.
Shengal, or "Sinjar"
in Arabic — the territory where Yazidis live in Iraq — is a disputed territory between Baghdad and the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of Kurdistan. After the Mosul campaign is over, the question of this
disputed territory will be raised again. The leader of Iraqi Kurdistan, Massoud Barzani, has already
said, “Aside from the Kurdistan flag, we do
not accept any other flag rising over Sinjar.” The
representatives of the Yazidi Congress in Russia are skeptical about his statement. They are afraid that
becoming part of Iraqi Kurdistan will mean assimilation with Kurds and total
loss of Yazidi identity.
If the question of the future of Yazidi-populated Shengal is raised, will Moscow
support Yazidi autonomy in northern Iraq? Russia could
support this decision, especially considering that everything changes so fast
in the region. The forecast should not be based on Russian unwillingness to
recognize the genocide against Yazidis. There is a
strong possibility that the request sent by the Yazidi
Congress was lost somewhere in the bureaucratic structures of the Russian
parliament. It is necessary to remember that Russia tries to avoid recognizing
any genocide, as it could lead to complications with regional powers and
disastrous consequences for itself. While there’s great sympathy and a tacit
support for the Yazidi case among Russian
policymakers, political action is highly unlikely.
Does Trump actually hate Muslims?
By Mamdouh AlMuhaini/Al Arabiya/November 12/16
In a similar approach to those of religious preachers
who continuously warn of the looming judgment day as a consequence of the
spread of sins, writers and commentators, during the last few months,
maintained a cautious note of catastrophic implications if Donald Trump was
elected president of the United
States. Some of them have overplayed the
tone, even depicting him as a dog, a pig and sometimes as manic and demented,
while entirely ignoring the possibility that he may be elected president in the
end. Freedom of speech grants each person the right to criticize, but alas,
this was done in order to spread a campaign designed to psychologically impose
rigid visions. But Trump is now officially president-elect of the strongest
country in the world, hence it is better to disregard and overlook all those
overstatements and psychological inclinations, and with a pragmatic spirit try
to re-examine the outlook.
Before discussing Trump, let us start by talking about Hillary Clinton. Though
she is a seasoned politician, her foreign policies are not in tune with our
region. She is a vigorous advocate for the Iran nuclear deal while soft when
it comes to Iranian militias being deployed in other Arab nations. She is
sympathetic to Islamist political groups contending that they are a better
alternative to radical Islamism, in what can be illustrated as a frequent
liberal American simplistic disregard. They are a two side of the same coin. No
doubt, it would have been a remarkable and historic event had she been elected
as the first female US
president but her gender means nothing if her policies sides with the Iranian
project that counters our interests. There is an overall distinction between
Trump the businessman and that of the presidential candidate, in the core that
he is a liberal tolerant with no anti-Muslims or migrants’ slogans. Clinton was right on intervention in Syria, a
position she flipped-flopped later on. The Obama administration, from which we
have experienced the worst phases in our region, would have eventually remained
the same as Clinton
would have reshuffled the same faces. It would be such a contentment to see
this administration’s back.
Trump the capitalist vs Trump the president
Trump’s reading is more complex due to the confusion ensued between entirely
different characters he reflected during the different stages of his campaign:
Trump the capitalist businessman and Trump the presidential candidate. Two characters
that are absolutely in contrast to the one he showed during his victory speech
where he struck a conciliatory tone in stark contrast to his renowned dark
rhetoric. The president-elect ran his election campaign skillfully
to attract a broad range of voters by employing controversial rhetoric such as
saying he would ban Muslims from entering the US, deporting all the illegal
immigrants and beside playing the misogyny card. Later he reserved some of these rhetoric, such as the remarks that have been regarded
as offensive to Muslims which were temporarily deleted from his campaign
website.
Examining the essence of Trump’s statements after the adjustments, some seem
valid and rational. Constructing a US-Mexico border wall is much needed to stop
the influx of illegal immigrants and put a stop to the drug smuggling trade.
The idea is not chauvinistic and racist, as described by some, as it has proved
effective in some countries. It is a plan that had it been proposed by any of
our own officials, they would have been honored. But
Trump was considered a vile racist when he advocated for it. This is part of
anti-Trump media campaign that was carried out to denigrate him internally
during the presidential campaign, and we believed the ploy.
Trump has altered his previous statements of a total and complete shutdown of
Muslim entering the United
States, by stating he is against radical
Muslims and the Muslim Brotherhood. We are the ones to benefit most from such a
policy considering that terrorists attain safe havens in Arab and Islamic
countries rather than in America.
However, combating and eliminating them is far better than Hillary’s
conciliatory approach. US
media cleverly exploited this statement, not for the love of the Muslims nor to defend them, but as a weapon in a campaign to smear
his image and to illustrate him as a radical evangelist. We were distracted by
this systematic campaign from his encouraging statement concerning the Iranian
regime, ISIS and his plan to rebuild the
alliance with the Arab allies to his country, who were depicted previously by
Obama as “free riders”.
There is an overall distinction between Trump the businessman and that of the
presidential candidate, in the core that he is a liberal tolerant with no
anti-Muslims or migrants’ slogans. Trump the president was characterized when
his pick Mike Pence as his running mate. The solemn republican Indiana governor is an
obvious indicator of Trump’s coherence. Recent reports suggest that Trump’s
potential cabinet may include, among others, Newt Gingrich, Bob Corker and Rudy
Guiliani. The handpicked hawkish republican figures
will instigate his vision to counter the Russian-Iranian project. In his
victory speech, Trump altered his controversial rhetoric when he said he would
president for all Americans from different backgrounds, races and religions.
This is a quick and brief analysis of the recent developments, my views may not
be as accurate, but nonetheless, we reject the political analysis suggesting
that Trump is the new Stalin or Mussolini. *This opinion piece also appears on
AlArabiya.net.
CAIR Leader: Overthrow the U.S.
Government
Daniel Pipes/Cross-posted from National Review Online/Nov 11, 2016
http://www.danielpipes.org/blog/2016/11/cair-leader-overthrow-the-us-government
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) successfully presents itself to the media as a benign civil rights organization,
comparable to the NAACP or the ADL, a description that conservatives
ineffectively rail against. In this light, perhaps a tweet sent out just after
midnight EST on Nov. 9 by Hussam Ayloush,
long-time head of CAIR's Los Angeles office, will help awaken the
press to CAIR's true Islamist identity. Ayloush wrote:
Ok, repeat after me: Al-Shaab yureed
isqat al-nizaam.(Arab
Spring chant)
Tweet by CAIR's Hussam Ayloush just as Donald Trump's victory became apparent.
That second line is Arabic ("الشعب
يريد إسقاط
النظام") for "The
people wants to bring down the regime."
In other words, Ayloush unambiguously and directly
called for the overthrow of the U.S.
government.
Comments: (1) Ayloush may be the most vicious of the
CAIR leaders. So far as I know, for example, he's the only one of them to bandy
about the term "Zionazi," as evidenced in
his e-mail below, dated March 18, 2002.
E-mail from Hussam Ayloush
referring to "Zionazis."
(2) Ayloush is not a marginal figure but someone with
access to the heights of American power, including the White House. According
to an Investigative Project on Terrorism analysis in 2012, he was a delegate to
the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C.
[and] ... attended at least two White House meetings. The logs show Ayloush met with Paul Monteiro,
associate director of the White House Office of Public Engagement on July 8,
2011 and Amanda Brown, assistant to the White House director of political
affairs Patrick Gaspard, on June 6, 2009. According
to reliable sources, Monteiro was White House liaison
for secret contacts with CAIR, especially with Ayloush.
Further, "IPT has learned that the White House logs curiously have omitted
Ayloush's three meetings with two other senior White
House officials."
(3) The dawning of Donald Trump's victory was apparently a trying moment for Ayloush, so he let loose with an emotion he'd normally have
kept under wraps. In other words, he offered a rare, candid insight into the
mind of one CAIR apparatchik.
(4) According to 18 U.S. Code § 2385, "Advocating overthrow of
Government":
Whoever knowingly or willfully advocates, abets,
advises, or teaches the duty, necessity, desirability, or propriety of
overthrowing or destroying the government of the United States ... Shall be
fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.
So, journalists, editors, and producers: do please note what CAIR stands for.
(November 11, 2016)
Arab World Reacts To
Trump's Presidential Win With Cautious Optimism, Hope For Future
Cooperation
MEMRI/November 12/16
Donald Trump's election as the 45th U.S. president was received in the
Arab world with mixed emotions. While Syria
and Egypt welcomed the
result and expressed hopes for cooperation with the new American
administration, reactions in the Gulf states,
especially Saudi Arabia and Qatar,
were ambivalent. Although the Gulf states
were glad to see the back of the Obama administration, which had brought them
tremendous disappointment because of its Iran
and Syria
policies, and expressed cautious optimism that Trump's policies would be
radically different, they were at the same time very concerned because of his
hostile statements regarding Muslims.
The different positions of Arab countries was
manifested in their leaders' reactions to Trump's victory. Egyptian President 'Abd Al-Fattah Al-Sisi was among
the first leaders to call and congratulate him, and also invited him to visit
the country.[1] Others, including Saudi King Salman,
sufficed with sending congratulatory letters stressing the importance of their
countries' relations with the U.S.
This document will review reactions in several Arab countries to Trump's win,
as expressed in statements by officials as well as in press articles,
especially editorials and op-eds by prominent
journalists. It should be mentioned that the Palestinian press has yet to
publish editorials addressing Trump's victory.
Egypt: We Expect Trump To
Bring New Spirit To Egypt-U.S.
Relations
The Egyptian regime, under President 'Abd Al-Fattah
Al-Sisi, welcomed Trump's election. As soon as his
win was announced, Al-Sisi was one of the first to
call him and congratulate him.[2] A statement by the president's office read:
"Egypt expects that Trump's presidential term will bring a new spirit to
the relations between the countries" and that the two countries will
become closer.[3]
Editor Of Official Egyptian Daily Al-Ahram: Trumps'
Victory – An Opportunity For Egypt To Regain Regional, International Prominence
Muhammad 'Abd Al-Hadi 'Allam, editor-in-chief of the official Egyptian daily Al-Ahram, wrote in a similar vein: "The phone
conversation between Egyptian President 'Abd
Al-Fattah Al-Sisi and U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump,
and the congratulations [Al-Sisi] conveyed to
[Trump], are a direct reflection of [the former's] honest desire for deep
relations with a country that, for over three decades, has had tight strategic
diplomatic and economic ties with Egypt – although in the last few years these
relations were marred by disagreements about internal [Egyptian] and security
matters that created a schism between the largest Arab country and the world's
most powerful country...
"Trump's victory and Clinton's defeat [deliver] a crushing blow to the
foundations of the tamkin project [the Muslim
Brotherhood's plan for strengthening Islamic rule in Egypt], and pave the way
for Egypt to regain its natural role as the pivot of the Middle East and the
Arab world. The opportunity exists, and both sides must seize it. If we what to
seize this opportunity to cooperate with the new administration in Washington,
which understands that Egypt's role can be realized only [if there is]
cooperation and understanding on crucial issues, we must recalibrate [our
course] and make changes, so we can play a more central role and dare to
confront the existing positions of [certain] regional countries that openly
sponsor terrorist organizations."[4]
Similar sentiments were expressed by Al-Ahram Ahmed 'Abd Al-Tawab: "Whatever the
commentary on his tendencies and ideas, most of which concern domestic U.S.
matters... from now on we must consider the positive points where we can
collaborate with him, especially in light of his explicit remarks on the war on
terrorism, and specifically his promise to eliminate ISIS.
"As for Hillary Clinton, her defeat is highly profitable for Egypt and the
Arab region. She was involved in all the destructive actions that harmed the
region since she became secretary of state. It was she who adopted and helped
spread the policy of reliance on the so-called 'moderate Islam,' that included
the Muslim Brotherhood [MB] in that moderate camp. Therefore, the MB is
miserable over her defeat, since while she deluded herself into thinking that
she was ahead, she promised to help them return to Egypt's political life. She also
boasted of her support for Israel
and questioned her rival Trump's support for it, and even ratcheted up
presidential campaign with overblown slogans about who supports Israel more!
She also acknowledged U.S.
involvement in establishing the notorious Al-Qaeda terrorist organization.
Trump once accused her of participating in creating ISIS..."[5]
On the other hand, Al-Shurouq editor-in-chief 'Imad Al-Din Hussein, known for his criticism of the Al-Sisi regime, wrote: "We forget that it was the various
organizations' increasing extremism and terrorism in the name of Islam, and
their operations in Europe and the U.S., that triggered the rise of Western
extremism. Extremists everywhere, especially ISIS, will be the ones who are
happiest with Trump's victory, as he will breathe new life into them.
"We in Egypt
and in the Arab world must read and understand the Americans' real feelings,
how they think, and what motivated them to elect a man believed by nearly the
entire world to be insane. Most world leaders did not yearn for a Trump
victory, and some even openly hoped he would lose. But everyone in politics
will forget about that and look ahead. This is the reality in the cruel world
of politics...
"Personally, hand on my heart, I am afraid of Trump's surprises [to come,
which may pose] the greatest danger to the world. But in politics we must learn
to be pragmatic, and must completely separate passionate emotions and aspirations
from interests..."[6]
Egyptian TV Host Tamer Amin: At Least Trump Says He's
An Enemy to Your Face – Democrats Wear One Million Masks
On Egypt's Al-Hayat TV, on November 9, television
host Tamer Amin said that he was happy that Trump had
won, adding that he couldn't stand Obama’s policies in the Middle East, and
accused Clinton of founding and financing ISIS. He further said that
Republicans tell the truth to your face, while Democrats have "70 faces
and one million masks." He concluded: "We congratulate ourselves that
we will get to see First Lady Trump, as well as his daughter, who is truly a
sight for sore eyes."
Editor Of Syrian Daily: Trump's Election Brings Joy To Syria
In Syria, there was optimism and joy at Trump's win, because of his positions on
terrorism, but primarily because of his defeat of Clinton, who as secretary of
state when the Syria crisis erupted in 2011 was firmly against the regime's
violent suppression of the revolution against it.
President Bashar Al-Assad's political and military
advisor Bouthaina Sha'aban
expressed caution in an interview with NPR: "Syria does not interfere in the
results of the elections and in who won them. What interests Syrians is the
policy of the new president. If the policy is in line with Damascus's
aspirations, then Syria will
be open to any collaboration with the U.S. as well as with other nations
that respect national sovereignty and preserve the interests of people, instead
of interfering in their affairs. American interference in the affairs of other
countries has brought nothing but disaster. The U.S. must undertake a policy of
collaboration with countries, as opposed to one of superiority and [issuing]
dictates."[7]
However, Syrian MP Muhammad Kheir Al-Akam, who is one of the regime's representatives in talks
with the opposition, was more decisive: "A Trump victory is better than a Clinton victory. [Had she
won], the situation in the region would have been far worse, and the Gulf states
would have been the big winners."[8]
Waddah 'Abd Rabo, editor-in-chief of the Syrian daily Al-Watan, which is close to the regime, was thrilled at
Trump's win, saying that all his views "benefit Syria." In an article
titled "Trump – Crisis For Global Elites, Joy For
Syria," he wrote that the American street "has chosen extremism over
manipulation and honesty over lies and deception." He said that the win of
both Brexit in the U.K. and Trump in the U.S. clearly
showed that both peoples "are more aware [than before] of their
politicians' deceit, lies, and destructive wars, as well as their reliance on
Gulf money, their obsequiousness to backwards and reactionary [Gulf] emirates,
and their disregard for the spread of Wahhabi Islam
in their own countries' mosques and suburbs – and of the fact that they had
enabled Al-Sa'ud [the Saudi royal family] and others
to arm and fund terrorist organizations..."
Explaining why he was glad about Trump's win, he wrote: "U.S.
President-Elect [Trump] has no aspirations regarding Syria
and the region, and does not believe that the Gulf states' plans to destroy Syria are beneficial. He, like most
Syrians, seeks the elimination of ISIS and other extremist terrorist groups,
and could take the hands of Russia and Syria so that they together could end
one of the most horrible crimes of the century, which was perpetrated by the
previous American administration along with its Saudi, Qatari, and Turkish
allies; he could also protect his own country's borders and revive its
deteriorating economy. These positions all benefit Syria. Therefore, you could not
miss the joy on the faces of most Syrians, many of whom spent the entire night
watching the tally of the votes, while others awoke to the results for which
they had hoped but did not expect." 'Abd Rabo added: "There is no way that Trump will take, and
hold, power without seriously changing his country's foreign policy..."[9]
Senior Figure In Syrian Opposition: We Expect To Cooperate With Trump In Order
To Stop Killing Of Syrian People
At the same time, the Syrian opposition also congratulated Trump on his win and
expressed hope to cooperate with him in order to end the tragedy of the Syrian
people. The general coordinator of the High Negotiations Committee (HNC), Riyad Hijab, sent a letter to
Trump in which he congratulated him on his own behalf and that of the HNC, and
"on behalf of millions of Syrians yearning for freedom and
democracy," and wrote: "This is a historic opportunity that we must
seize in order to deepen the friendship between the Syrian and American
peoples... We in Syria expect to deepen the ties and the coordination with you
in order to bring peace to our region and find just and expedient solutions to
the threat of terror that is endangering the region, in all its forms and
organizations, especially the state terror that the [Syrian] regime is
employing against the Syrian people – [a people] that is fighting to rid itself
of a repugnant dictatorship and enjoy freedom and democracy like all other
nations of the free world... We expect to cooperate [with you] in order to stop
the killing of Syrians and find, along with [the U.S.] and Syria's other
allies, the best and most expedient ways to defend [Syria's] citizens, relieve
their suffering and bring peace and security to our region."[10]
Qatari Dailies: "Trump's Win Is Greatly Worrying For Arab Rulers And
Leaders"
In the Gulf countries there was cautious optimism and hope that Trump's
policies on issues of regional concern, particularly Iran and Syria, would
differ from those of his predecessor. Gulf leaders sent Trump congratulatory
messages expressing their desire for closer relations with the U.S.
However, the London daily Al-Quds
Al-Arabi, owned by Qatar,
that openly supported Clinton,
reported that "far from [diplomatic] protocol, Trump's win is greatly
worrying for Arab rulers and leaders. They are facing a new America led by
Trump, and they fear that he will change the regional order that existed for
decades." The daily also stated that Gulf leaders "want an American
president who understands their fears, after eight years of lack of confidence
because of Obama, with whom they did not have the kind of personal relationship
that they highly value."[11]
The daily's November 11, 2016 editorial expressed these apprehensions felt by
the Gulf states.
It noted that the first to rejoice at Trump's victory and congratulate him were
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu,
Egyptian President 'Abd Al-Fattah Al-Sisi and the Syrian regime of Bashar
Al-Assad, whereas the Gulf states felt "considerable apprehension" about
his win. He added: "One of the controversial aspects of Trump's election
campaign was his position towards the Arab
Gulf states, and his statements to the
effect that the U.S.
would not defend these states for free, but would exact a price for this protection.
This is close to blackmail... The fact that he made similar statements
regarding [America's]
allies in NATO may comfort the Arabs somewhat, but this statement nevertheless
alerts [the Arabs] to how he truly sees them: as weaklings who need to bribe
someone to defend them!
"Some might say that Trump the president will be completely different from
Trump the candidate who wanted to collect votes, and that the U.S. is a state
of institutions. Those are reasonable arguments, but Trump is known as an authoritarian
figure, and unlike Obama, his party has a majority in
Congress. Add to that the fact that the Supreme Court will be under his
influence, [and we are led to the conclusion that] the distance between his
slogans and his actions may not be so big. Therefore, some of the Arabs' and
Muslims' fears may unfortunately come true."[12]
In an editorial, the Qatari daily Al-Raya called on Trump to take seriously the
Gulf countries' apprehensions about U.S. policies in the region, and to rethink
them so that they are more in line with these countries' regional and
international status: "The history of solid relations between the Arab
Gulf states and the U.S., which evolved into a strategic partnership, mean that
the new American president must take seriously the concerns in the Gulf about
U.S. policy, particularly the U.S. position on problems in the region – the
bizarre JASTA [Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act], Iran's interference
in regional affairs, Israel and the Palestinian problem, and the situation in
Yemen, Iraq, and Syria – because these issues impact relations between the U.S.
and the Gulf states...
"Trump's presidential win, and the beginning of a new presidential era for
the U.S.,
offer the perfect opportunity for the American administration to reexamine its positions on Gulf and Arab issues. Therefore,
the U.S.,
which is facing a new era, must realize that the international and regional
situation has completely changed, and that the Gulf Cooperation Council states
will no longer stand on the sidelines of the regional and international crises
that affect them. This is especially true after they became main
and central actors, whose positions on all matters are listened to, and after
they became central partners regionally and internationally who cannot be
dismissed, circumvented, or glossed over, as the past.
"Therefore, the Gulf states,
including Qatar which has
congratulated the new American president on his victory, openly yearn for the
glorious future that awaits their relations with the U.S., because they grasp their
importance. They hope that the Gulf and the U.S. will act together to overcome
the fears impacting their relationship and will strengthen their strategic
partnership on the basis of new principles that meet Gulf demands. This hinges
on settling of matters that are pending, which is the most important thing
being demanded of the new American administration."[13]
Saudi Editorial: Perhaps Trump, Unlike Obama, Will Once Again Acknowledge The
Existence Of A Global Axis Of Evil
Saudi King Salman bin 'Abd
Al-Aziz sent his congratulations to Trump, underlining the close U.S.-Saudi
relations and expressing his wish for even greater closeness in a way that will
serve the interests of both.[14] Saudi prince and businessman Walid bin Talal, who last year
called Trump a "disgrace... to all America" and demanded that he
withdraw from the presidential race for his remarks about Muslims, tweeted:
"President elect @realDonaldTrump whatever the
past differences, America has spoken, congratulations & best wishes for
your presidency."
Several editorials in Saudi dailies expressed optimism about Trump's future
policies. The official Saudi daily Al-Watan's stated:
"Trump promised that he would reexamine
international treaties signed between the U.S.
and other countries, chiefly Iran,
whose foreign minister yesterday asked the new American president to honor past agreements. Perhaps Trump will [re-acknowledge
the existence of] the global axis of evil declared by George Bush Jr., [a recognition] which Obama abandoned when he negotiated
[with Iran
on the nuclear issue], saying at that time that this was a good thing...
"There is no doubt that Trump, who blamed Obama and his administration for
the failure of American foreign policy, will be successful in his own foreign
policy, as the years past have been one long failure because of false red
lines, empty promises, and agreements that damaged international peace and
security. There will be no radical changes to the strategy of U.S. policy
around the world despite eight years of weakness and withdrawal to the domestic
arena. But Trump will restore confidence in the U.S. government, which has lost
credibility worldwide [due to events in] Crimea, Syria, China, and
Libya..."[15]
In its editorial, the official daily 'Okaz stated:
"We are hopeful – [although] it is hope mingled with fear – that the new
[American] policy that we will see in Trump's presidency will be more positive
vis-à-vis the important issues in the Middle East, after the waning of the U.S.
role [here] changed the situation in the region from one end to the
other."[16]
Former Editor Of Saudi Daily: Trump's Position Against Terrorist Muslims Should
Not Be Considered Racist
Senior Saudi journalist 'Abd Al-Rahman
Al-Rashed, formerly editor of the London-based Saudi
daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat and
also former director of Al-Arabiya TV, sought to
reassure readers, writing that the U.S. is a state of institutions, and that
even if Trump does make changes in U.S. foreign policy, there will not be a
complete reversal: "Don't look at President-Elect Trump, but at the U.S.,
which is an establishment state... Perhaps there will be changes, but there
will be no reversal of [U.S.]
foreign policy. Trump won the U.S.
presidential election, so the debate that comprised the election campaign is
over, and you will hear no more statements against Muslims and foreigners...
"Will Trump go very far from the policy of his predecessor Obama? He may
do so on issues that the previous policy failed to tackle, and on issues that
have been proven by developments to threaten the interests of the U.S. or its
allies in Europe, or that are connected to the international balance of
power..."
With regard to Trump's statements about Muslims, Al-Rashed
wrote: "The president-elect has a rich background in his attitude towards
Muslims, and he never took a racist stance and never joined informational or
political campaigns against Muslims in the U.S. or outside it, even in the wake
of the phobia that prevailed following the September 11 terror attacks in New
York, his own city...
"Being against Muslims involved in terrorism and in extremism should in no
way be seen as racist. This is also the Muslims' position. It is groups of
ideologies with a terrorist perception that are trying to blur [the difference
between] hostility to extremism and hostility towards Islam, and it is they are
trying to disrupt and incite for their own political aims. The Arab countries
have much to do in order to create a relationship with the new administration
in Washington once it is established, and in
order to work with the U.S.
superpower that impacts the region's stability and prosperity. We must not
blame Washington
[for our troubles] and ignore the fact that most of our problems stem from our
own decisions and actions, and that most of the solutions are in our own
hands."[17]
A post on the Twitter page of Saudi blogger and human rights activist Raif Badawi likewise reacted to
Trump's election. Badawi, founder of the
"Liberal Network" website and a prominent figure in Saudi Arabia's
liberal movement, was sentenced in May 2014 to 10 years in prison and 1,000
lashes for insulting Islam. The post on his Twitter account, which is managed
by his wife, congratulated Trump and urged him not to forget to defend human
rights and the prisoners of conscience against extremism.[18]
Jordan: Relations With The U.S. Are Not Impacted By
Election Results
In Jordan too, it was
emphasized that the U.S.
is a state of institutions, and that relations with it will not be impacted by
the election results. King Abdullah sent a letter of congratulations to Trump
expressing his hope that U.S.-Jordan relations will become closer.[19]
Jordanian government spokesman Muhammad Al-Momani
said: "Our relations with the U.S. are friendly and strategic in economic,
political, military, and security aspects, and they are genuine relations
between institutions, not only between leaderships... The U.S. is a state
of institutions and cooperation with it continues regardless of the election
results... President[-Elect] Donald Trump has already expressed his esteem for
Jordan, in several statements in the past, saying that he, like the
Congressional leaders, expects to cooperate with King Abdullah II, particularly
in matters pertaining to fighting terrorism and to security and stability in
the region."[20]
Editor In Official Jordanian Daily Al-Rai: Jordan's Good And Strategic Relations With U.S.
Will Continue In Trump Era
On the day after the elections, the official Jordanian daily Al-Rai published on its front page an article titled
"Jordan-U.S. Relations Are Good and Strategic," by Faisal Malkawi, a senior member of the paper's editorial board. He
wrote: "Over the last decades, Jordan's
relations with the U.S.
have developed from [mere] bilateral ties into strategic ties and an alliance
in various domains. This did not change with the changing U.S.
administrations, whether Democratic or Republican... The various U.S. administrations [all] appreciated Jordan's role
and the leadership of King Abdullah II, [and Jordan's] positions on regional
and international issues...
"Jordan-U.S. relations will [continue to] develop in all areas under the
administration of the 45th American president, Donald Trump...
"At all stages and in all conditions, and under various U.S. administrations,
the Middle East, with all its issues, crises and circumstances, has been at the
focus of U.S. concern, and it is expected to remain a central issue of concern
for the new U.S. president Donald Trump... In the coming days we will witness
strategic Jordan-U.S. relations anchored in a long history and with a present
and future based on cooperation and trust... There is nothing to keep Jordanian
diplomacy from embarking on a new path of [joint] work with President[-Elect]
Donald Trump and the new U.S. administration..."[21]
Newspaper of Lebanon's March 14 Forces: Trump Will Necessarily Adopt A Middle
East Policy That Differs From Obama's
Lebanese Prime-Minister Elect Sa'd Al-Hariri sent a
congratulatory telegram to Trump, stressing that in light of the great
challenges faced by the Middle East, his leadership is "essential for
achieving stability, security, and peace in it." He stressed in the
telegram that Trump will find Lebanon to be a partner for his efforts, and that
the Lebanese "have high hopes for his help in advancing peace, security,
stability, and democracy in our region that suffers from instability, [and
this] begins with a political, peaceful solution for the Syria crisis."
In its editorial, the Lebanese Al-Mustaqbal daily,
which Al-Hariri owns, stated that in light of the failure of the Obama
administration's policy, the Trump administration would certainly change U.S.
foreign policy, but wondered whether this would be better or worse for the
world: "After Trump's election, the Lebanese and the Arabs in general
cannot but hope for an improvement in the atmosphere in the region, in a way
that will advance a policy of tackling explosive issues instead of letting them
be a main cause of loss of human life, property, and resources and a wide arena
for terrorism...
"There is no argument that Obama's policy, characterized by hesitation,
withdrawal, and passivity, was one of the main reasons for the escalation and
spread of these crises, for the increase of the human and humanitarian
tragedies that they brought, and for their spilling across their geographic
borders, particularly in Syria and Iraq, into farther-flung areas in the region
and in the world.
"Therefore, no one disputes that the only sure thing now is that
President-Elect Donald Trump will change the policy of his predecessor and
adopt a different perception with regard to what is going on inside and outside
the Arab region, as he himself said. The question is whether this change will
help or hurt the region and the world."[23]
Endnotes:
[1] On Egyptian regime's preference for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton
during the election campaign, see MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis No. 1278,
Egypt's Severe Economic Crisis Sparks Harsh Criticism Of Regime's Economic
Policy, Calls To Topple Regime On November 11 , November 10, 2016.
[2] Al-Ahram (Egypt), November 9, 2016.
[3] Al-Watan (Egypt), November 9, 2016.
[4] Al-Ahram (Egypt), November 11, 2016.
[5] Al-Ahram (Egypt), November 10, 2016.
[6] Al-Shurouq (Egypt), November 10, 2016.
[7] Al-Watan (Syria), November 10, 2016.
[8] Al-Watan (Syria), November 10, 2016.
[9] Al-Watan (Syria), November 10, 2016.
[10] Twitter.com/hijab_riad, November 9, 2016.
[11] Al-Quds Al-Arabi (London), November 10,
2016.
[12] Al-Quds Al-Arabi (London), November 11,
2016.
[13] Al-Raya (Qatar),
November 10, 2016.
[14] Alarabiya.net, November 9, 2016.
[15] Al-Watan (Saudi Arabia), November 10, 2016.
[16] 'Okaz (Saudi Arabia), November 9, 2016.
[17] Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (London), November 10,
2016.
[18] Twitter.com/raif_badawi, November 11, 2016.
[19] Petra news agency (Jordan), November 9., 2016.
[20] Al-Rai (Jordan), November 10, 2016.
[21] Al-Rai (Jordan), November 11, 2016.
[22] It should be noted that the cartoon was also posted the same day in the Jerusalem-based
Palestinian daily Al-Quds.
[23] Al-Mustaqbal (Lebanon), November 10, 2016.