LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
November 17/16
Compiled
& Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The
Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.november17.16.htm
News Bulletin
Achieves Since 2006
Click
Here to go to the LCCC Daily English/Arabic News Buletins Archieves Since 2006
Bible Quotations For Today
I do not have a
demon; but I honour my Father, and you dishonour me. Yet I do not seek my own
glory; there is one who seeks it and he is the judge
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John
08/46-50/:"Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do
you not believe me? Whoever is from God hears the words of God. The reason you
do not hear them is that you are not from God.’ The Jews answered him, ‘Are we
not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?’Jesus
answered, ‘I do not have a demon; but I honour my Father, and you dishonour me.
Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is one who seeks it and he is the judge.
Circumcision is a matter of the heart it
is spiritual and not literal. Such a person receives praise not from others but
from God
Letter to the Romans 02/17-29/:"But if you call yourself a
Jew and rely on the law and boast of your relation to God and know his will and
determine what is best because you are instructed in the law,and
if you are sure that you are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in
darkness, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth, you, then,
that teach others, will you not teach yourself? While you preach against
stealing, do you steal? You that forbid adultery, do you commit adultery? You
that abhor idols, do you rob temples? You that boast in the law, do you dishonour
God by breaking the law? For, as it is written, ‘The name of God is blasphemed
among the Gentiles because of you.’ Circumcision indeed is of value if you obey
the law; but if you break the law, your circumcision
has become uncircumcision. So, if those who are uncircumcised keep
the requirements of the law, will not their uncircumcision
be regarded as circumcision? Then those who are physically uncircumcised but
keep the law will condemn you that have the written code and circumcision but
break the law. For a person is not a Jew who is one
outwardly, nor is true circumcision something external and physical. Rather, a
person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the
heart it is spiritual and not literal. Such a person receives praise not from
others but from God.
Titles For
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources
published on November 16-17/16
Lebanon has significant role in region: Egypt FM/ The Daily
Star/November 16, 2016
Hezbollah military parade in Qusayr raises eyebrows/
Joseph A. Kechichian/Gulf News/November 16, 2016
Can coalition of reformers snag Lebanese parliament seats/Author Scott
Preston/Al Monitor/November 16/16
Former European lawmaker Struan Stevenson.The world
cannot allow Iran's 1988 massacre to go unpunished/NCRI/Wednesday, 16 November
UN adopts 63rd resolution condemning human rights violations in Iran/
Wednesday, 16 November 2016
Trump: Europe’s wake-up call/Dr. Azeem Ibrahim/Al Arabiya/November 16/16
Israeli government trumps up the new US president/Yossi
Mekelberg/Al Arabiya/November
16/16
A Sunni Karbala/Mshari Al Thaydi/Al
Arabiya/November 16/16
In our new Cold War, deterrence should come before detente/ David
Ignatius/Washington Post/November 15/16
Turkey Targets Oldest Syriac Orthodox Monastery/by
Robert Jones/Gatestone Institute/November 16/16
Senior Saudi Journalist Turki Al-Dakhil:
Trump Will Be Good For Gulf States
MEMRI/November 16/16/
Palestinians: The Message Remains No and No/Khaled
Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/November 16/16
Everyone Loves Israel -- Until They Don't/Robert Satloff/Mosaic/November
14, 2016
What's the Most Immediate National Security Issue Facing Trump/Mark Martin/CBN
News/November 16/16
Titles For Latest Lebanese
Related News published on on November 16-17/16
Hariri Visits Aoun as 'Draft Cabinet Line-Up'
Surfaces
Berri Optimistic as Parties Say Govt. May be Formed
within '48 Hours'
Jumblat Rejects “Dwarfing” PSP Role in Next
Government
Franco-Lebanese Mogul Says Gave Gadhafi Cash to Sarkozy Campaign in 2006-07
Geagea Mends Relations with Kataeb
in Telephone Call with Gemayel
Report: Defense Ministry Allotted to President Share
Hizbullah Denies Qassem
Said Party Has 'an Army'
Report: LF Acquires Deputy Prime Minister Post instead of Sovereign Portfolio
EU and Lebanon Adopt 'Partnership Priorities' for Next Four Years
Franjieh Requests Key Portfolio in Cabinet Line-Up
Egypt FM Meets Lebanon Leaders, Hands Aoun, Hariri
Letters from al-Sisi
Aoun: My mission is to unite Lebanese from all
confessions
Sami Gemayel tackles cabinet formation updates with Ghattas Khoury, Nader Hariri
Change and Reform bloc holds regular meeting tomorrow in Rabieh
Qadisha Valley Committee visits Rahi,
Strida Geagea confirms LF's attachment to cabinet share
Shukri after meeting Geagea:
For coalition government to preserve state institutions
Lebanon has significant role in region: Egypt FM
Hezbollah military parade in Qusayr raises eyebrows
Can coalition of reformers snag Lebanese parliament seats?
Titles For Latest LCCC
Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on on
November 16-17/16
Canada welcomes the adoption of the UN General Assembly resolution on
the situation of human rights in Iran
US House OKs bills to renew Iran sanctions
Syrian, Russian jets pound rebel areas
Syria Regime Bombs Rebels as Aleppo Food Aid Runs Out
Iraqi Paramilitaries Say Entered IS-Held Airport West of Mosul
'Our Depots are Empty': Food Aid Runs Out in Syria's Aleppo
Foreign Medics Treat Wounded Children in Iraq's Mosul
Israel Gives Initial Backing to Bill to Legalize Settler Homes
Israeli Bid to Turn Down Mosque Prayer Calls Blocked
12 Haftar Soldiers Killed in Libya's Benghazi
Egypt Policeman Sentenced to Life for Killing Vendor
Russia Withdraws Signature from ICC Founding Statute
Egypt FM Meets Lebanon Leaders, Hands Aoun, Hariri
Letters from al-Sisi
Iranian Regime's Former Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces: Missile Launch
Impossible Without Khamenei's Approval
Maryam Rajavi meets Gérard Deprez MEP
Islamic Republic of Iran: Sharia court sentences
Christians to 80 lashes for drinking communion wine
Latest Lebanese Related News
published on November 16-17/16
Hariri Visits Aoun as 'Draft Cabinet Line-Up' Surfaces
Naharnet/November 16/16/Prime
Minister-designate Saad Hariri held talks Wednesday
evening at the Baabda Palace with President Michel Aoun.
"Some details are being mulled regarding the cabinet line-up and the
atmosphere is positive," said Hariri after the meeting. Asked whether the
cabinet line-up will be announced soon, the PM-designate said "God
willing." Several political parties had announced earlier in the day that
the government might be formed “within 48 or 72 hours” after resolving the
remaining obstacles. MTV said Hariri submitted to Aoun
a draft line-up that might be announced very soon.
The following is the draft line-up as reported by MTV:
- Shiites: Ali Hassan Khalil (Finance, AMAL
Movement), Yassine Jaber
(Public Works or Economy, AMAL), Ali Abdullah (Public Works or Economy, AMAL),
Ali Fayyad (Industry or Agriculture, Hizbullah) and a
fifth minister who would be loyal to the president.
- Maronites: Jebran Bassil (Foreign Affairs, Free Patriotic Movement), Bassam Yammine (Energy, Marada Movement), Ghattas Khoury (Culture, Mustaqbal
Movement), Salim al-Sayegh
(Education, Kataeb Party) and Pierre Raffoul (Labor, FPM).
- Sunnis: Saad Hariri (PM), Jamal al-Jarrah (Telecommunications, Mustaqbal),
Nouhad al-Mashnouq
(Interior, Mustaqbal), Mohammed Kabbara
(Social Affairs or Environment, Mustaqbal), Moein al-Merehbi (Social Affairs
or Environment, Mustaqbal).
- Greek Orthodox: Elias Bou Saab (Defense, FPM), Ibrahim Najjar
(Justice, Lebanese Forces) and Ghassan Hasbani (Deputy PM, LF).
- Greek Catholic: Michel Pharaon (Tourism, LF)
and Melhem Riachi
(Information, LF).
- Druze: Marwan Hamadeh
(Health, Democratic Gathering) and Lebanese Democratic Party chief MP Talal Arslan for a portfolio that
is yet to be allocated.
- Armenians: Hagop Pakradounian
(Tashnag Party) for a portfolio that is yet to be
allocated and Jean Oghassabian (Administrative
Development, Mustaqbal).
The political forces are pushing for forming the new Cabinet before
Independence Day, which
According to media reports, a settlement has been reached under which the
Lebanese Forces will be given the deputy premier post instead of a so-called
sovereign portfolio.
“The biggest obstacle in the wrangling over services-related portfolios
is revolving around Marada Movement's insistence to
get one of three key portfolios – public works or energy or telecommunications,”
LBCI television said.
Aoun's election and Hariri's appointment as
premier-designate have raised hopes that
In a sign that Hariri's mission as premier might not be easy, Hizbullah's MPs declined to endorse him during binding
parliamentary consultations.
Hariri is likely to struggle with his government's policy statement,
which will have to make reference to
Berri Optimistic as Parties Say Govt. May be Formed within
'48 Hours'
Naharnet/November 16/16/Speaker Nabih Berri expressed optimism
Wednesday that the line-up of the new Cabinet will be announced soon as some
political parties declared that the government might be formed “within 48 or 72
hours.”“The cabinet formation process is moving
forward positively and some obstacles are being resolved,” MPs quoted Berri as saying during his weekly meeting with lawmakers in
Ain el-Tineh. The speaker also hoped the Cabinet will
be formed before Independence Day, noting that “the government should be formed
as soon as possible so that it can start addressing the pressing and vital
issues and files.”“The government must also embark on
studying and approving an electoral law, which must be a top priority,” Berri added. MP Qassem Hashem of Berri's Development and
Liberation bloc meanwhile announced that “the government line-up can be announced
within 48 or 72 hours if the last obstacles are resolved.”MP
Ayyoub Hmayyed of the same
bloc for his part stressed that the Marada Movement
is a “key ally” of Berri's AMAL Movement and the rest
of the March 8 forces. “We will not participate if Marada
does not get an important ministerial portfolio,” Hmayyed
added. Following talks with caretaker Interior Minister Nouhad
al-Mashnouq, MP Simon Abi Ramia of the Change and Reform bloc also said that Prime
Minister-designate Saad Hariri will likely announce the
line-up of his Cabinet “this week.”The political
forces are reportedly pushing for forming the Cabinet before Independence Day,
which
Jumblat Rejects “Dwarfing” PSP Role in Next Government
Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat said on Wednesday that he prefers to be allotted to
the health ministry again instead of being weakened in the new government
line-up and given the social affairs ministry which he believes has been
“drained” of its resources. “After draining the social affairs ministry they
suggest it be given to us, but I prefer not to be dwarfed in the new cabinet
line-up,” said Jumblat on Twitter. “Let each party
take by force what it wants, it is forbidden to even hint at any sovereign
ministerial portfolio, it only belongs to high-level people,” said the PSP
leader sarcastically referring to the dilutes among political parties to be
given a so-called sovereign portfolio. “After draining the social affairs
ministry they now suggest it be given to us. I know that my words might upset
some on this beautiful day, but need justifies the deeds,” added the minister.
“We prefer not to be weakened and to be kept in the health ministry,” added the
MP. The political forces are reportedly pushing for forming the cabinet before
Independence Day, which
Franco-Lebanese Mogul Says Gave Gadhafi Cash to Sarkozy Campaign
in 2006-07
Naharnet/November 16/16/Agence
France Presse/Nicolas Sarkozy's
links with the late Moammar Gadhafi
came under fresh scrutiny Tuesday after a businessman admitted delivering three
cash-stuffed suitcases from the Libyan leader toward the Frenchman's first
presidential bid. In an interview with the Mediapart
investigative news site, Franco-Lebanese businessman Ziad
Takieddine said he had made three trips from
He said he was received on the first two occasions by Claude Gueant, Sarkozy's then cabinet
chief whom he later made his interior minister.
'Mafia state'
The businessman, who said he wanted to tell all
about "the mafia state in which we are living," said he set down the
cases in Gueant's office but did not discuss the
contents with him. On the third occasion, he was received by Sarkozy himself in an apartment on the first floor of the
ministry, he claimed. After setting down the case, he said Sarkozy
spoke to him briefly about a group of Bulgarian health workers imprisoned in
Geagea Mends Relations with Kataeb
in Telephone Call with Gemayel
Naharnet/November 16/16/Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea affirmed good
relations with the Kataeb party in a telephone
conversation with ex-President Amin Gemeyal after some recent tension in ties over a statement
made by leader of the Kataeb Sami Gemayel.
Geagea hailed Gemayel's
rhetoric after his meeting with newly-elected President Michel Aoun at the Presidential Palace, the LF chief said: “
Report: Defense
Ministry Allotted to President Share
Naharnet/November 16/16/In light of horsetrading revolving around the distribution of the
so-called sovereign and services-related ministerial portfolios, it has been
decided to allot the defense ministry as part of the
share of President Michel Aoun, al-Akhbar daily reported on Wednesday. The daily said that the
current outgoing Education Minister Elias Bou Saab
will be given the defense ministry in the new cabinet
line-up, added the daily. Reports have said earlier that the defense ministry was to be given to former Deputy Prime
Minister Issam Fares and that the suggestion has been
dropped now. The new government will be composed of 24 ministers after
negotiations to raise the number to 30 were disregarded. Horsetrading
is currently revolving around the distribution of the sovereign ministerial
portfolios – finance, defense, foreign affairs and
interior – and other key portfolios like energy and public works.
Hizbullah Denies Qassem Said Party
Has 'an Army'
Naharnet/November 16/16/As Safir
newspaper has quoted Hizbullah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem as saying that the
party now has a trained "army", in remarks that were denied later by Hizbullah's media department. In a statement issued
Wednesday afternoon, the department said Qassem did
not tell As Safir that Hizbullah
“has an army now” or that the latest military parade was “a message to everyone.”"We now have a trained army and the
Resistance (Hizbullah) does not need to rely on guerilla tactics," As Safir
quoted Qassem as saying. Hizbullah's
media department disputed that quote, insisting Qassem
had actually said: "We have become more than a guerilla
movement but less than an army." "We are heavily armed and
well-trained and have acquired well-developed expertise in order to protect
Report: LF Acquires Deputy Prime Minister
Post instead of Sovereign Portfolio
Naharnet/November 16/16/To make it up for the
Lebanese Forces, Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri
suggested to give the post of deputy prime minister to the LF if the party was
not given one of the so-called sovereign portfolios in the new cabinet that
Hariri is intent on forming before Independence Day on November 22, media
reports said on Wednesday. Sources following up closely on the cabinet
formation process said, the atmospheres of finalizing a line-up are positive
after Hariri's suggestion to give LF chief Samir Geagea the post of deputy prime minister in case none of
the sovereign portfolio were given to the party. However,
information said that another obstacle still needs to be flattened in light of
the LF insistence to leave the deputy prime minister without a ministerial
portfolio. The party suggests to add his share to the
remaining share of the LF in the cabinet, which is initially composed of two
ministers, raising the number to three ministers in a 24-minister government.The political forces are reportedly pushing for
forming the cabinet before Independence Day, which
EU and Lebanon Adopt 'Partnership
Priorities' for Next Four Years
Naharnet/November 16/16/The European Union and
Lebanon adopted Tuesday the partnership priorities for the coming four years,
as well as a compact, during a visit by caretaker Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil to Brussels, the EU
delegation to Lebanon said in a statement. “The partnership priorities set up a
renewed framework for political engagement and enhanced cooperation. They were
agreed in the context of the revised European Neighborhood
Policy and the EU's global strategy for foreign and security policy,” it said.
The compact includes the mutual commitments through which the EU and
Franjieh Requests Key Portfolio in Cabinet Line-Up
Naharnet/November 16/16/Marada Movement leader
MP Suleiman Franjieh insists to be given a key
services-related portfolio in the upcoming new government and demands to either
be given the telecommunications or energy ministry, al-Akhbar
daily reported on Wednesday. Reports added that Franjieh
has rejected suggestions to allot him one of two ministries, the education or
health. Meanwhile Speaker Nabih Berri
and Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri are eager to
keep Franjieh content with the shares that will be
allotted for his party, while the Lebanese Forces and the Free Patriotic
Movement refuse that Marada be given a key ministry,
added the daily. The political forces are reportedly pushing for forming the
cabinet before Independence Day, which
Egypt FM Meets Lebanon Leaders, Hands Aoun, Hariri Letters from al-Sisi
Naharnet/November 16/16/Egyptian Foreign
Minister Sameh Shoukry held
talks Wednesday with President Michel Aoun and other
senior Lebanese leaders. “I handed President Aoun a
letter from (Egyptian) President (Abdel Fattah) al-Sisi
and it contains a message of support, solidarity and keenness on
Aoun: My mission is to unite Lebanese from all confessions
Wed 16 Nov 2016 /NNA - President of the
Sami Gemayel
tackles cabinet formation updates with Ghattas Khoury, Nader Hariri
Wed 16 Nov 2016/NNA - Kataeb Party leader, MP Sami Gemayel, met on Wednesday evening with former MP Ghattas Khoury, and head of Prime
Minister designate Saad Hariri's bureau, Nader
Hariri. Talks reportedly touched on cabinet formation updates.
Change and Reform bloc holds regular
meeting tomorrow in Rabieh
Wed 16 Nov 2016/NNA - The Free Patriotic Movement's media bureau issued a
statement on Wednesday confirming that the Change and Reform Parliamentary bloc
will be holding its regular meeting on Thursday at 3:30 pm in Rabieh.
Qadisha Valley Committee visits Rahi,
Strida Geagea confirms LF's attachment to cabinet share
Wed 16 Nov 2016/NNA - Maronite Patriarch, Mar Bechara, Boutros Rahi met on
Wednesday afternoon with a delegation representing Qadisha
Valley Committee. In the wake of the meeting, Committee member, MP Strida Geagea, said that she
expected the new cabinet to see light before Independence Day. "Fruitful
cooperation is underway with the Free Patriotic Movement. The historical
reconciliation agreement which dates back to January 2016 has sparked a series
of positive events, most importantly the election of President Michel Aoun," MP Geagea said. As
for the Lebanese Forces' cabinet share, the lawmaker confirmed her party's
keenness on receiving its rightful share. "The Lebanese Forces enjoys huge
representation. If the cabinet is to comprise of 30 ministers, then we demand
the appointment of five LF ministers. If the cabinet is to comprise of 24
ministers, then we request the appointment of 4 LF ministers," Geagae said, reiterating attachment to the LF's cabinet share. "Harmony among the new cabinet
members is paramount because Ministers are expected to communicate and run the
nation's affairs hand-in-hand," she added. "We are looking forward to
have LF ministers assume sovereignty and service ministries," Geagea added.
Shukri after meeting Geagea: For
coalition government to preserve state institutions
Wed 16 Nov 2016/NNA - Lebanese Forces leader, Samir Geagea, met on Wednesday at his Meerab
residence with Egyptian Foreign Minister, Sameh Shukri, accompanied by Egyptian Ambassador to
Lebanon has significant role in region:
Egypt FM
The Daily Star/November 16, 2016
BEIRUT: Visiting Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh
Shoukry Wednesday expressed interest in strengthening
ties with Lebanon, saying that it plays an important role in maintaining the
joint interests of Arab countries.
After holding talks with President Michel Aoun
at
"
The FM arrived in
The Egyptian FM also met with Speaker Nabih Berri at the latter’s residence in Ain al-Tineh, where he said he hoped Berri
would exert efforts to restore the Arab solidarity and joint Arab action.
Later, in a joint news conference with his Lebanese counterpart Gebran Bassil, he also reiterated
hopes that
"
Bassil said that
He added that hoped that the Arab League would restore its active and
positive role, adding that "
Shoukry later in the day met with Prime
Minister-designate Saad Hariri at his
He last visited
Hezbollah military parade in Qusayr raises eyebrows
Appearance of US weapons in parade raises questions as militia sends message to
Joseph A. Kechichian/Gulf News/November 16, 2016
Riyadh: Although the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) issued a formal denial
on Tuesday that the vehicles that appeared in a Hezbollah military parade in Qusayr (Syria) were never part of the LAF’s
arsenal, the United States announced that it had launched an investigation to
determine how the party acquired US-made tanks and armoured vehicles.
For its part, the Future Movement condemned the parade, describing it as
a “threatening message” addressed to the Lebanese, in particular to the
newly-elected head of state, asserting that Hezbollah placed “
Several media outlets published photographs of thousands of militiamen in
numerous military vehicles. Though the LAF insisted that the armed personnel
carriers (APCs) “were not taken from the army’s
arsenal”, any such transfers would be a violation of US law.
The photographs showed M113 APCs, M198 howitzer
guns, and heavy-calibre machine guns, all of which exist in the LAF
inventories, though the origins of these specific items could also be the now
defunct South Lebanon Army (the so-called Lahd Army
that was established during the 1975-1990 civil war), which was equipped by
Israel. In 2000, Hezbollah seized various SLA items as most of the units fled
when the Israeli army withdrew from
In addition to this display of military might, it was unclear what the
political message of the parade was, or could be.
To be sure, November 11 marked Hezbollah’s “Martyr Day”, although this
was the very first time when such a display occurred to commemorate the
anniversary. That is what prompted many to wonder whether Hezbollah, which
backed President Michel Aoun and reluctantly accepted
Prime Minister Sa‘ad Hariri as the next head of the
government, intended to telegraph specific views to Lebanese elites at the
beginning of the new presidential tenure.
President Aoun stressed in his oath of office
his intention to “restore the State’s role, presence and prestige”, all of
which were challenged by this parade as Hezbollah was reluctant to submit its
will to that of
Aoun was anxious to persuade Saudi Arabia to
reallocate the $3 billion grant to the LAF — which was suspended after Foreign
Minister Jibran Bassil
criticised Riyadh in the aftermath of Iranian attacks on Saudi diplomatic posts
in Tehran and Mashhad — while the Italian Ambassador to Lebanon Massimo Marotti announced that his country would provide the LAF
with equipment and ammunition worth €3.5 million.
Can coalition of reformers snag Lebanese
parliament seats?
Author Scott Preston/Al Monitor/November 16/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/11/16/48750/
BEIRUT — Michel Aoun’s election as president on
Oct. 31 ended the longest presidential vacancy in
An array of civil and Reformist groups are calling for a coalition to
challenge the country’s traditional and dominant political parties in the 2017
parliamentary elections.
A series of popular movements emerged out of the 2015 garbage
protests, channeling protesters’ demands and
presenting voters with political alternatives. Although Lebanese civil society
groups have thus far fallen short of their objectives of winning elections and
deciding government policy, they have inspired a new wave of Reformist parties
that could for the first time realistically contest the current political elite
at the parliamentary level.
Sami Atallah, executive director of the
“‘Beirut Madinati did it, we can do it,’”
he said, explaining the new groups' hopes and referring to a new party that ran
in the municipal elections last year. “But it’s hard,
it’s not going to be a picnic. There are many groups, but I don’t know what the
success rate is going to be.”
The fate of
Nonetheless, the social momentum generated by You Stink’s campaign
encouraged the formation of Beirut Madinati, a
grassroots party that Atallah said represents the
first time Lebanese civil society has seriously contested the traditional
parties in elections. The party also faced opposition from Charbel
Nahas’ Citizens Within a
State list, which ran on a similar secular and reformist platform. Although
Beirut Madinati surpassed expectations, attracting
40% of the vote in
Tarek Ammar,
who ran as Beirut Madinati’s vice mayor, told Al-Monitor
that the group considered participating in the 2017 elections, but decided
against the idea on Oct. 29. “As Beirut Madinati, for
the time being, we decided not to go into parliament because of the many
responsibilities we have, because of the structure we have,” he explained.
“However, it doesn’t mean that Beirut Madinati’s
members are not active or working on the parliamentary election.”
In light of the challenges You Stink and Beirut Madinati
faced in the past year, some civil society groups are now looking to form
coalitions to bolster their competitiveness in the 2017 balloting. Among them
is Sabaa, a new organization that made waves with a
$60,000 marketing campaign before announcing its formation at a press
conference Oct. 19.
Sabaa spokesperson Assad Douiahy told Al-Monitor that one of the group’s primary
objectives is to establish a model of participatory democracy that others can
follow. The concept, he said, centers around ensuring democratic governance
within the party — for example, choosing party leaders through an election
process and engaging constituents in identifying community issues and drafting
policy solutions. To that end, Douiahy said Sabaa will soon reveal a mobile polling app that will
enable users to communicate directly with Sabaa
members. Utilizing this participatory approach, Douiahy
hopes his group can form partnerships with other parties and draft strategies
in pursuit of their goals, such as adoption of an electoral law based on
proportional representation.
Douiahy noted that Sabaa
might not run in the summer elections, depending on its readiness, but he
encourages others to join forces. “They [parties] need to unite, whether under
a fair electoral law or not. They need to unite. I mean, not like what happened
with Beirut Madinati and [Charbel]
Nahas. It was a very bad experience.”
Nadine Moussa, president of the Citizens'
Movement, told Al-Monitor that her party is interested in coalition forming
even if her party's candidates don’t make it onto the ballot. “It is not about
candidates or persons; it is about the right criteria for the selection of the
candidates,” she said. “We are not going to run just to have a seat.”
She added, “People are sick and tired of such opportunistic
politicians. They want ... real public services. They want people who really
represent them, who have really suffered their suffering.”
The United Lebanese League is another anti-establishment party
hoping to reduce corruption, increase transparency and pursue liberal
priorities such as civil rights. Party founder Rabih Chafi said his group is also looking to build a coalition
with organizations that share similar platforms.
“There are a lot of potential candidates that are ready,” Chafi told Al-Monitor. “A lot of people who are independent
of a political group want to run on their own, and the intention is to
basically bring these people together to form a coalition in order to make a
national proclaimed, national movement.”
Despite the reformist parties having similar goals, it remains
unclear whether they will be able to agree on common strategies and tactics if
united under a coalition. According to Geha, if such
a coalition emerges as a realistic challenge to the traditional parties, they
should expect steep resistance from the current power holders.
“You can imagine, at the national level, what the two coalitions
[March 14 and March 8] will do if there is a serious opponent,” Geha said. “‘Okay, I have people, and I have money and
mobilization; it’s serious, we can actually win.’ I think they might postpone
the elections. I think they might co-opt it. I think they might rig the
result.”
Scott Preston is a journalist based in
Latest LCCC Bulletin For
Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 16-17/16
Canada welcomes the adoption of the UN General Assembly resolution on the
situation of human rights in Iran
November 15, 2016 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada
The Honourable Stéphane Dion, Minister of
Foreign Affairs, today welcomed the adoption, by the Third Committee of the
United Nations General Assembly, of the Resolution on the Situation of Human
Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran; 85 member states voted in favour of the
resolution.
Presented by
The human rights situation in
Through the adoption of this resolution, the international community
calls on Iran to take concrete actions, both in law and in practice, to fully
respect its human rights obligations.
Quotes
“The adoption of this resolution by 85 member states shows that
- Stéphane Dion, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Associated links
Report of the Secretary-General on the situation of human rights in the
Islamic Republic of Iran
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the
situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran
Contacts
Chantal Gagnon
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
343-203-1851
chantal.gagnon@international.gc.ca
Media Relations Office
Global Affairs Canada
343-203-7700
media@international.gc.ca
Follow us on Twitter: @CanadaFP
Follow Minister Dion on Twitter: @MinCanadaFA
Like us on Facebook: Canada’s foreign policy -
Global Affairs Canada
US House OKs bills to renew Iran
sanctions
The Associated Press, Washington/Tehran Wednesday, 16 November 2016
The House on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved bipartisan bills to crack down on
supporters of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s
government and renew a decades-old Iran sanctions law. Swift passage
underscored broad support on Capitol Hill for punishing financial backers of
the Syrian government and maintaining economic pressure on
Rouhani:
Syrian, Russian jets pound rebel areas
Agencies Wednesday, 16 November 2016/Air strikes pounded neighbourhoods around
a children's hospital and a blood bank in rebel-held eastern
The Kremlin said on Wednesday that a moratorium on Russian air strikes against
targets in
UN condemns Syrian attacks in
Meanwhile, a UN committee has approved a resolution strongly condemning the
recent escalation of attacks in
The draft resolution demands that Syrian authorities “immediately put an end to
all indiscriminate attacks, including those involving the use of terror
tactics, air strikes, barrel and vacuum bombs, incendiary weapons, chemical
weapons and heavy artillery.”It “deplores and
condemns in the strongest terms” widespread human rights violations by the
Syrian government. The draft calls for a cease-fire by all parties, saying this
“is essential to achieve a political solution.”
Food production in
Food production has dropped to an all-time low in
Many farmers have had to abandon their land, unable to afford the soaring cost
of seeds, fertilizers and tractor fuel, the Food and Agriculture Organization
and the World Food Programme said. Wheat output - vital for making flat loaves
of bread, a staple of the Syrian diet - dropped from an average 3.4 million
metric tonnes harvested before the war began in 2011 to 1.5 million this year,
they said in a joint statement. The area planted for cereals in the 2015-16
cropping season is the "smallest ever", they added, citing field
visits and surveys that also showed record low production of barley. "Food
production in
Food shortages are particularly worrying in east
Before the war,
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/November 16/16/Syrian government and Russian
warplanes pounded rebel-held parts of northern
Food aid runs out in Aleppo
The Observatory also reported 21 people were killed in
Batabo, a village on the border between
Assad open to Trump alliance
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/November
16/16/Iraqi paramilitary forces announced Wednesday that they had entered the
Tal Afar airport west of
'Our Depots are Empty': Food Aid Runs Out
in Syria's Aleppo
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/November
16/16/In two districts of the besieged eastern side of Syria's battleground
city of Aleppo, local volunteers distributed meager
bags containing the last food aid left in their depots. "Our depots are
empty, we have nothing else to distribute," said Ammar
Qadah, director of Al-Sham Humanitarian Foundation, a
Syrian charity in the rebel-held side of the battered city.No
aid has entered eastern Aleppo since mid-July when government forces surrounded
the rebel-held east, sealing off more than 250,000 residents from the outside
world. "Today we finished distributing food aid to the roughly 2,000
families that we support," said Qadah, speaking
Tuesday at a warehouse in the Maadi neighborhood. "This month, we've only been able to
distribute rations a quarter of the usual size because of the dwindling supplies,"
he told AFP. Outside the warehouse, volunteers oversaw a truck full of boxes of
food. Ordinarily, each family would receive two large boxes with enough aid to
last for a month. But this time, each received only a single bag, containing two
bottles of oil, two kilos (4.5 pounds) of rice, two kilos of lentils, two kilos
of sugar and a box of mortadella. A family of five
will struggle to stretch those supplies longer than a week.
Final aid distributions
In the Marjeh neighborhood,
residents at a distribution point waited their turn for a bag, as children sat
on the pavement nearby. Last week, the United Nations said the last of the food
aid it had delivered to east
'Catastrophic consequences'
Even as the last food aid was being distributed,
Foreign Medics Treat Wounded Children in
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/November
16/16/Foreign medics are helping Iraqi special forces
personnel treat a growing number of children wounded by intense urban warfare
inside the jihadist-held city of
Israel Gives Initial Backing to Bill to
Legalize Settler Homes
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/November 16/16/The Israeli parliament gave initial
approval Wednesday to a bill to legalize thousands of
'Land grab'
Netanyahu's government is seen as the most right-wing in Israeli history, and
key members of his coalition advocate annexing most of the West Bank while openly
opposing the idea of a Palestinian state. Opposition leader Isaac Herzog, who
heads the Labor party, said the bill contravened
Israeli and international law while justifying "theft." Israeli
rights group Yesh Din, which represents Palestinian
landowners in Amona, said parliament had "made
another step towards legalizing widespread land grab in the West Bank and
annexing the occupied territory to
Israeli Bid to Turn Down Mosque Prayer
Calls Blocked
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/November
16/16/A government-backed Israeli bill to limit the volume of calls to prayer
at mosques has been blocked by an unlikely source -- the country's
ultra-Orthodox Jews. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had backed the
controversial bill, which government watchdogs had called a threat to religious
freedom. It had been due to get its first reading in parliament this week until
Health Minister Yaakov Litzman, a member of the
ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party, stepped in.Litzman
appealed the bill Tuesday night, saying it could affect similarly loud Jewish
prayers, Israeli media reported. The bill, proposed by members of the far-right
Jewish Home party, was adopted by a ministerial committee on Sunday and was due
to go through three readings in parliament before becoming law. The bill will
now be put on hold until a ministerial committee holds a second vote.The bill was drafted in response to noise from
mosques, but would in theory apply to all religious institutions -- including
synagogues. "For thousands of years, the Jewish tradition has used various
tools, including shofars (a ram's horn) and
trumpets" for Jewish holidays, the minister said in his appeal letter,
cited by the media. "Since the technology developed, loudspeakers have
been used to announce the onset of the Sabbath, at the permitted volume level,
and in compliance with every law," he added, referring to the weekly
Jewish day of rest.He added that the proposed law
constitutes an interference with religious practice and the status quo between
religious authorities and the state. In protest against the bill, Arab-Israeli
lawmaker Talab Abu Arar
chanted the Muslim call to prayer in parliament earlier this week, provoking
furious protests from some Jewish members. According to media reports, Arab MPs
opposed to the bill pressured Litzman to use his
power as a minister to block it, arguing a common right to religious practice
for Jews and Muslims. Around 17.5 percent of Israelis are Arab, the vast
majority of them Muslim, but they complain of discrimination and are
underrepresented in high-level jobs. Israeli Arabs are the descendants of
Palestinians who remained on their lands during the war that led to the
creation of
12 Haftar
Soldiers Killed in
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/November
16/16/Twelve soldiers of armed forces led by Marshal Khalifa
Haftar have been killed in two days of fighting with
jihadists in
Egypt Policeman Sentenced to Life for
Killing Vendor
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/November
16/16/A Cairo court sentenced a policeman to life in prison on Wednesday for
shooting dead a vendor in a dispute over the price of a cup of tea, judicial
officials said. The incident in a
Russia Withdraws Signature from ICC Founding Statute
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/November 16/16/Russia said Wednesday it is formally
withdrawing its signature from the founding statute of the International
Criminal Court, saying the tribunal has failed to live up to the hopes of the
international community.
Egypt FM Meets Lebanon Leaders, Hands Aoun, Hariri Letters from al-Sisi
Naharnet/November 16/16/Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry held talks
Wednesday with President Michel Aoun and other senior
Lebanese leaders. “I handed President Aoun a letter
from (Egyptian) President (Abdel Fattah) al-Sisi and
it contains a message of support, solidarity and keenness on
Iranian Regime's Former Chief of Staff of
the Armed Forces: Missile Launch Impossible Without Khamenei's
Approval
Wednesday, 16 November 2016/NCRI - In an interview with the terrorist Quds Force’s Tasnim news agency,
the former Iranian regime’s Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces said that “no
missile is launched in the country unless approved by the Commander-in-Chief of
the Armed Forces.”In parts of his interview published
on November 12, Hassan Firouzabadi said that “the
launch of ‘Emaad’ missile was approved by his
holiness ‘Agha’ (Khamenei,
the Iranian regime’s supreme leader)… when a missile reaches its
testing phase, it needs the approval of ‘Agha’ (Khamenei) in order to be tested. Missile launch needs Agha’s approval. Even launching missiles during the
military exercises need to be approved by the leader of the revolution (Khamenei).”He said that “missile launch without Khamenei’s approval is impossible. But before that, the
technical and policy-making commissions make all the necessary arrangements,
checking to see whether the missile has technically been properly built,
whether it works and also whether that’s politically a good time to test the missile.”Firouzabadi added: “these issues are discussed and
voted in those commissions and the final decision will be presented to the
leader by the General Staff and if ‘Agha’ approves,
the launch will be carried out, otherwise, it won’t. Even the timing of the
launch is determined by him. Missile launch is by no means easy. Unlike a
Kalashnikov bullet which may hit a pigeon or a chimney if it goes wrong, the
missile could destroy part of a city if gone wrong.”
Maryam Rajavi meets Gérard Deprez MEP
NCRI Iran News/Wednesday, 16 November 2016/Maryam Rajavi
meets Gérard Deprez,
President of the Friends of a Free Iran (FOFI) at the European Parliament
Dr Gérard Deprez, MEP,
President of the Friends of a Free Iran (FOFI) inter parliamentary group at the
European Parliament met and held talks with Maryam Rajavi on November 11, 2016, at her residence in Auvers-sur-Oise. Mr. Deprez was
accompanied by his parliamentary and press assistants in
Islamic Republic of Iran: Sharia court sentences Christians to 80 lashes for drinking
communion wine
Robert Spencer/Jihad Watch/November 16, 2016
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/11/16/islamic-republic-of-iran-sharia-court-sentences-christians-to-80-lashes-for-drinking-communion-wine/
“It is not illegal for Christians to drink alcohol in Iran but under Islamic
law, Muslims are forbidden from drinking and it is illegal for Muslims to
convert. The trio’s conversion from Islam to Christianity is not recognised by
Iranian authorities who subscribe to Sharia law.”
The death penalty for apostasy is part of Islamic law. It’s based on the
Qur’an: “They wish you would disbelieve as they disbelieved so you would be
alike. So do not take from among them allies until they emigrate for the cause
of Allah. But if they turn away, then seize them and kill them wherever you
find them and take not from among them any ally or helper.” (Qur’an 4:89)
A hadith depicts Muhammad saying: “Whoever changed
his Islamic religion, then kill him” (Bukhari
9.84.57). The death penalty for apostasy is part of Islamic law according to
all the schools of Islamic jurisprudence.
This is still the position of all the schools of Islamic jurisprudence, both
Sunni and Shi’ite. Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the most renowned and prominent Muslim cleric in
the world, has stated: “The Muslim jurists are unanimous that apostates must be
punished, yet they differ as to determining the kind of punishment to be
inflicted upon them. The majority of them, including the four main schools of
jurisprudence (Hanafi, Maliki,
Shafi’i, and Hanbali) as
well as the other four schools of jurisprudence (the four Shiite schools of Az-Zaidiyyah, Al-Ithna-‘ashriyyah,
Al-Ja’fariyyah, and Az-Zaheriyyah)
agree that apostates must be executed.”
Qaradawi also once famously said: “If they had gotten
rid of the apostasy punishment, Islam wouldn’t exist today.”
But the Iranian authorities are just lashing these converts, not executing
them. At last, moderate Islam!
“Christians sentenced to 80 lashes by Sharia court for drinking communion wine,”
Katie Mansfield, Express, November 16, 2016
A SHARIA court has sentenced three Christians to 80 lashes each after finding
them guilty of blasphemy for drinking holy communion wine. Yaser Mosibzadeh, Saheb Fadayee and Mohammed Reza Omidi
will be flogged in public after being arrested at a house church gathering in
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis
& editorials from miscellaneous sources published on November 16-17/16
Former European lawmaker
Struan Stevenson.The world cannot allow Iran's 1988
massacre to go unpunished
NCRI/Wednesday, 16 November 2016
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/11/16/former-european-lawmaker-struan-stevenson-the-world-cannot-allow-irans-1988-massacre-to-go-unpunished/
The United Nations General Assembly will debate a report on human rights in
Iran later this month, writes former European lawmaker Struan Stevenson. The UN
special rapporteur on the human rights situation in
"Although the human rights report on Iran will lay bare the horrific
record of arbitrary arrest, torture and execution routinely meted out by the
theocratic regime, many UN member states are demanding a full, independent
inquiry into the summary execution of more than 30,000 political prisoners in
Iran during the summer of 1988 in an atrocity that must rank as one of the most
horrific crimes against humanity of the late 20th century. The vast majority
victims were activists of the opposition People’s Mojahedin
of Iran PMOI (MEK). The mass executions, in jails across
"A 'death committee' approved all of the sentences. Mostafa
Pour-Mohammadi, leader of that 'committee', is
President Rouhani’s justice minister. Other members
of the 'committee' hold prominent positions in the Iranian regime. When Khomenei was questioned about those who had already served
their sentences and been released from prison, or those who had been sentenced
to terms of imprisonment, he ordered that they should all be put to death. He
decreed that there should be no mercy for anyone, including teenagers. He said
even pregnant women should not be spared or have the chance to give birth to
their babies."
"Kangaroo courts were set up in
"The truth about this horrific genocide was revealed on August 9 this year
when the son of grand ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri, former deputy supreme leader of the Islamic
Republic and nominated successor to Ayatollah Khomeini, published a previously
unknown audio-tape in which Montazeri acknowledged
that the massacre had taken place and had been ordered at the highest levels. Montazeri can be heard telling a meeting of the 'committee'
that it is responsible for a crime against humanity. He says: 'The greatest
crime committed during the reign of the Islamic Republic, for which history
will condemn us, has been committed by you. Your names will in the future be
etched in the annals of history as criminals.' Because of his forthright
protests, the Grand Ayatollah was dismissed as the heir to the Supreme Leader
by Khomeini and placed under house arrest until his death in 2009. Meanwhile Montazeri’s son has been charged with bringing the Islamic
Republic into disrepute and could face the death penalty."
Mr. Stevenson continued: "The world cannot allow this grisly crime to go
unpunished when we know that the murderers are not only still alive but also in
positions of power. The justice minister has admitted his guilt, boasting
publicly that he was 'proud to carry out God’s will in ordering the executions'
and even calling for remaining supporters of the PMOI to be executed. President
Rouhani,
was deputy commander-in-chief of the regime’s armed forces at the time. He was
aware of the extermination of political prisoners and should also be held to
account."
"If the UN is to retain any shred of legitimacy it must launch a full and
independent investigation into this appalling crime and insist on the arrest
and trial for crimes against humanity of Khamenei, Rouhani and the other murderers whose bloodstained hands
the West continues to shake," the article added.
**Struan
Stevenson, a former Conservative Member of the European Parliament (MEP)
representing Scotland, is president of the European Iraqi Freedom Association
(EIFA)
UN adopts 63rd resolution condemning
human rights violations in Iran
Wednesday, 16 November 2016
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/11/16/un-adopts-63rd-resolution-condemning-human-rights-violations-in-iran/
Maryam Rajavi: The
international community seriously needs to take action to end executions, probe
1988 massacre
NCRI - The United Nations General Assembly's Third Committee adopted a
resolution Tuesday, November 15, 2016, on the violations of human rights in
Iran with 85 favorable votes.
The resolution expresses "serious concern at the alarmingly high
frequency of the imposition and carrying-out of the death penalty by the
(Iranian regime)… including executions undertaken for crimes that do not
qualify as the most serious crimes, on the basis of forced confessions or
against minors and persons who at the time of their offence were under the age
of 18…"
It also called on the Iranian regime "to abolish, in law and in
practice, public executions," and demanded the regime "to ensure, in
law and in practice, that no one is subjected to torture or other cruel,
inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, which may include sexual
violence, and punishments that are grossly disproportionate to the nature of
the offence…"
The UN resolution urged Tehran "to cease enforced
disappearances" and "address the poor conditions of prisons, to
eliminate the denial of access to adequate medical treatment and the consequent
risk of death faced by prisoners."
It further urged the regime "to end widespread and serious
restrictions, in law and in practice, on the right to freedom of expression,
opinion, association and peaceful assembly, both online and offline, including
by ending the harassment, intimidation and persecution of political opponents,
human rights defenders, women’s and minority rights activists…"
The Third Committee resolution called on the regime "to release
persons arbitrarily detained for the legitimate exercise of these rights, to
consider rescinding unduly harsh sentences, including the death penalty and
long-term internal exile, for exercising such fundamental freedoms" and
"to eliminate, in law and in practice, all forms of discrimination and
other human rights violations against women and girls," as well as against
"persons belonging to ethnic, linguistic or other minorities."
The Iranian Resistance's President-elect Maryam
Rajavi welcomed the UNGA Third Committee's adoption
of the resolution on human rights in
This is the 63rd UN resolution censuring human rights abuses in
*The Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran/November
15, 2016
Trump:
Dr. Azeem Ibrahim/Al Arabiya/November
16/16
It should not be controversial to observe that the EU
is in a bit of a mess. It has been one slow-motion disaster ever since the 2008
financial crisis. That was initially because one of the pillars of European
unity is the Euro currency, yet the European Union does not have the effective
political integration to make a currency union work. Though Europe’s economies,
for example, are more similar between themselves than the richest and the
poorest states of the
Trump’s NATO rhetoric
The unlikely hero of this story, however, may end up being Donald Trump. Trump
is the first elected leader of the
Israeli government trumps up the new US
president
Yossi Mekelberg/Al Arabiya/November 16/16
Not many leaders around the world received the shocking news of Donald Trump’s
victory in the US presidential election with jubilation. Netanyahu’s Israeli
government was one of the rare exceptions. Does Netanyahu see something in this
most flawed of future
True to form Trump changes his views on the Israeli-Palestinian issue from
declaring his “neutrality”, to expressing his unwavering support for
Two major sources of disagreement between the Netanyahu government and the
Obama administration were the expansion of the Israeli settlements in the
Peace and settlement
If Trump’s close advisor Jason Greenblatt suggestion
is correct that the newly elected president believes that settlement activity
should not be condemned and that it is not an obstacle to peace, no surprise
then that the Right in
This was music to Netanyahu’s ears who was leading a campaign against the
agreement with
A Sunni
Mshari Al Thaydi/Al Arabiya/November 16/16
A Lebanese friend, who happens to be a university professor and a distinguished
researcher, told me about this conversation he had with a Lebanese Shiite
intellectual. He was a sympathizer but not a member of Hezbollah. The
discussion hovered around the injustice Sunnis have encountered in
The Shiite friend responded by saying: “We are the ones suffering as a result
of injustice.” He said that they belong to the weak category and are being
subjected to revenge for being Imam Hussain’s
killers. We are loyal to those who grieve over injustice and persecution in
annual ritual during Ashura. Every land is
‘Monopolizing injustice’
He concluded this interesting conversation by telling his nice Shiite friend:
“Oh dear brother, for God’s sake, just give us the right to lament over
injustice, just this once! Don’t monopolize injustice”. Grieving, lamenting and
instilling angry emotions and appealing to the desire to avenge for Imam Hussain have, throughout history, been an emotional path
and a means for politically mobilizing the public under the guise of avenging
the blood that was shed on the soil of Iraq. All this is done in the name of
Imam Hussain. The killing of Hussain
happened around 1,400 years ago and the incident was condemned by all Muslims.
I remember how during my teenage years I felt very sad reading about the murder
of Hussain in the book The Beginning and The End by Ibn Kathir, the Sunni Shafi’i historian. Some may say why bother with all this as
the Shiites will remain Shiites while the Sunnis will remain Sunnis and no one
will change his mind after all these centuries since the entire incident has
turned into a matter of social identity. This is true. However, the aim here is
not religious or scientific debate but to indicate an interesting note which is
that ordinary Sunnis today are the ones being subjected to oppression of “
**This article was first published in Asharq al-Awsat on Nov. 16, 2016.
In our new Cold War, deterrence should
come before detente
David Ignatius/Washington Post/November 15/16
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/in-our-new-cold-war-deterrence-should-come-before-detente/2016/11/15/051f4a84-ab79-11e6-8b45-f8e493f06fcd_story.html?utm_term=.de4d8905af66
The White House sent a secret “hotline”-style message to Russia on Oct.
31 to warn against any further cyber-meddling in the
The previously undisclosed message was part of the high-stakes game
of cyber-brinkmanship that has been going on this year between
The message was sent on a special channel created in 2013 as part
of the
According to several other high-level sources, President Obama also
personally contacted Russian President Vladimir Putin last month to caution him
about the disruptive cyberattacks. The senior administration
official wouldn’t comment on these reports.
The private warnings followed a public statement Oct. 7 by Director
of National Intelligence James Clapper and Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson charging that “
The senior administration official said
“We did not see an escalation of Russian cyber-activity aimed at
either trying to disrupt the election process or trying to influence the
process, in the month leading up to the election,” said one senior official. A
second senior official cautioned, however, that it was too early to say
“whether the Russians were deterred” from additional activity.
The White House feared a last-minute Russian cyber-onslaught right
up to Nov. 8, but it apparently never came. “We saw no evidence of any
systematic attempt to disrupt the election on Election Day,” the first official
said.
These disclosures about secret U.S.-Russia contacts are the latest
chapter in the story of heightened confrontation between the two countries — a
process that Putin and Trump say they are seeking to reverse. Putin phoned
Trump on Monday to discuss ways to improve current “unsatisfactory” relations
after Trump takes office and seek a “partner-like dialogue,” according to a
Kremlin statement.
The Obama administration has grappled with how to establish norms
of deterrence in cyberspace that check destabilizing actions by an aggressive,
risk-taking
The Obama administration is ready to explore these issues further
with
Those words ring hollow now, in light of alleged Russian activities
this year.
Opinions newsletter
Thought-provoking opinions and commentary, in your inbox daily.
Sign up
Russia experts in the Obama administration caution their successors: “It
will be very difficult for the next administration . . . to know
what Russia’s intentions are and whether you can have confidence that they will
live up to their commitments,” said the second official.
Republican Sen. John McCain (
A new Cold War has begun in cyberspace. Trump seems to want
detente. But first he should think carefully about how to establish clear norms
of deterrence in this new domain.
by Robert Jones/Gatestone Institute/November 16/16
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9326/turkey-syriac-monastery
"The Turkish state attacks this sacred site to abuse Assyrians and
indirectly convey this message: 'You will either live as I want you to live or
you will leave these lands." — Tuma Celik, the
"Latin Catholic churches still have neither a legal personality nor
foundation status, making it impossible for them to register property or seek
restitution." — European Commission 2016
Muslim extremists often try to blame the violent or repressive acts against
non-Muslims on "Muslim grievances." They claim that because of the
"pain" or alleged "injustices," they are exposed to, they
kill or attack other people.
Why do many Muslim extremists often demand more privileges in the West -- such
as Islamic sharia law courts -- but never give
indigenous non-Muslims equal rights in their own countries?
If their violence is only for "self-defense,"
why are they attacking, enslaving and persecuting the communities that are on
the verge of extinction?
And why is the Turkish government attempting to build mosques across five
continents while it relentlessly persecutes Christians who have been there for
centuries -- long before Turks even arrived in the region from the
The European Commission has recently issued its 2016
One of the issues that the report has brought to light is the problem that
Assyrians (or Syriacs) in Turkey face as a religious
minority, such as property rights for the oldest surviving Syriac
Orthodox monastery in the world: Mor Gabriel (the
monastery of St. Gabriel), located in Mardin
province, in southeastern Turkey.
One would expect
"The lawsuits against the monastery were filed in 2008," said Tuma Celik, the
One lawsuit demands that the monastery tear down the wall built around it to
protect it 30 years ago; the lawsuit is claiming that the wall was built
without permission. It is also demanding the imprisonment of those responsible
for its construction.
Other lawsuits filed by the Under-Secretariat of Turkey's Treasury, and the
Ministry of Forestry, claim that some of the land on which the monastery was
built belong to the Turkish state and demand its return. Another lawsuit filed
by the residents of the neighboring villages claims
that the monastery is inside the borders of their villages.
"When we take into account all of these demands we see that the Turkish
state is trying to harass Assyrians," Celik
said.
"The lands that are the subject of the lawsuits have no economic value.
But Assyrians often visit there because the monastery is sacred to them. The
Turkish state attacks this sacred site to abuse Assyrians and indirectly convey
this message: 'You will either live as I want you to live or you will leave
these lands.' The state does so because Assyrians have been taking steps to
return to their ancestral lands in
Celik added that 30 parcels of land were seized from
the monastery based on court rulings.
"In 2013, President Erdogan, who was prime
minister at the time, promised in televised comments that he would return the
lands that were unjustly seized from the monastery. Ever since, 12 parcels of
land have been given back to the monastery but 18 are still in the hands of
those who have seized them."
David Vergili, a member of the European Syriac Union (ESU), said that the monastery won the local
lawsuits, but the Turkish Supreme Court overturned the rulings: "Then, the
monastery went to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR)." The trial at
the ECHR is still ongoing.
"For Syriacs, the trial is political,"
added Vergili. "The fact that the monastery has
enormous importance for Syriacs and that it still
educates students has always kept the Turkish state on alert."
The EC report echoed the problems addressed by Celik
and Vergili.
"Court cases on property restitution continued, including on ownership of
the land on which the Syriac Orthodox Mor Gabriel monastery is built. Syriacs and Yazidis still faced
difficulties to register property," stated the report, which stressed that
other religious minorities are also exposed to similar discrimination.
"Latin Catholic churches still have neither a legal personality nor
foundation status, making it impossible for them to register property or seek
restitution. Problems were reported for Greek nationals in inheriting and
registering property... The second church in
The current population of
The Assyrian people, or Syriacs, are an indigenous
Christian people in the region and one of the world's oldest civilizations.
Some of the Assyrians are known as Chaldeans and others as Arameans.
Today, their native lands are within
Assyrians speak Aramaic, whose massive historic and religious importance the
author Ross Perlin explains as follows:
Nearly three millennia of continuous records exist for Aramaic; only Chinese,
Hebrew, and Greek have an equally long written legacy. For many religions,
Aramaic has had sacred or near-sacred status. It is the presumed mother tongue
of Jesus, who is reported in the Gospel of Matthew to have said on the cross:
"Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" ("My
God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?") It came to be used in the Jewish
Talmud, in the Eastern Christian churches (where it is known as Syriac), and as the ritual and everyday language of the Mandaeans, an ethno-religious minority in
It is not only the Islamic State (ISIS) that is exterminating the Assyrians.
The persecutions -- including the 1915 Ottoman genocide of Assyrians -- as well
as subsequent and widespread discrimination against Assyrians, have led the
community's size to dwindle. The remaining Assyrians in the country are
estimated to number around 25,000 today. And even this tiny minority and its
remaining religious sites are still subjected to bigotry, threats and
discrimination.
When the issue of Islamic violence or terrorism is discussed, Muslim extremists
often try to blame the violent or repressive acts Muslims carry out against
non-Muslims on "Muslim grievances." They claim that because of the
"pain" or alleged "injustices" they are exposed to, they
kill or attack other people -- apparently how they choose to exhibit their
emotions or frustrations.
But if these claims are genuine, why are they and their governments targeting
and persecuting religious minorities such as Assyrians, Yazidis,
Alevis, Baha'is, Mandaeans,
Shabaks, and Zoroastrians, among others, who are
forced to live almost like hostages in majority-Islamic countries that are
actually their ancestral lands?
Why do many Muslim extremists often demand more privileges in the West -- such
as Islamic sharia law courts -- but never give
indigenous non-Muslims equal rights in their own countries?
If their violence is only for "self-defense,"
why are they attacking, enslaving and persecuting the communities that are on
the verge of extinction?
And why is the Turkish government attempting to build mosques across five
continents while it relentlessly persecutes Christians who have been there for
centuries -- long before Turks even arrived in the region from the
**Robert Jones, an expert on
© 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.
Senior Saudi Journalist Turki Al-Dakhil:
Trump Will Be Good For Gulf States
MEMRI/November 16/16/ While many writers in the Saudi
and Gulf media reacted to the election of Donald Trump for U.S. president with
mixed emotions, expressing hopes for cooperation with him but also concern
because of his hostile statements regarding Muslims,[1] Turki
Al-Dakhil, the general manager of Al-Arabiya's news channel, took a much less ambivalent
position, stressing the possible benefit of Trump's election for Saudi Arabia
and the Gulf states. In a November 13, 2016 article titled "On
Trump-Phobia," he wrote that Trump's statements against African Americans,
Latinos and Muslims had been mere propaganda aimed at achieving electoral
gains, and that now that the elections were over, Trump would rule according to
law. He also stressed that Trump's foreign policy advisor, Walid
Phares, had confirmed Trump's desire to strengthen
The following is the article as it appeared on Al-Arabiya's
English-language website:[2]
"Arab lamentation and some people's grief over Donald Trump's
victory in the US presidential election is all due to the statements which
Trump made during his election campaign. The president-elect had made
statements against African Americans, Latinos, Mexicans and Muslims. However,
now that he's been elected, he will be everyone's president and he will govern
according to law.
"It's necessary to differentiate between Trump during the election
campaign and Trump after being elected president.
"The road to the White House has a lot of turns which obligate one
to adapt to successfully achieve goals.
"When it comes to election campaigns, there are certain formulas;
escalation against black people gains the support of white fanatics while
accusations against Muslims attract Evangelical voters. The issue is not
related to an electoral agenda but was rather a pattern of propaganda against
Hillary Clinton who was guaranteed the votes of the minorities. It's all about
calculations and each statement achieved a certain electoral gain. However,
after victory is achieved, all this ends as they turn over a new leaf. This
seems obvious from the speech which Trump delivered after he won and from the
statements which he's made since then.
"Trump's foreign policy advisor Walid Phares confirmed Trump's desire to strengthen historical
ties with
"Excessive optimism or pessimism is not welcome in political
realism.
"Barack Obama's presidential terms brought our region nothing but
hesitance toward the Iranian axis, while flirting with it and rewarding it, and
strictness toward the Gulf axis, while evading agreements. So let him go as no
one will weep about his White House departure!"
Endnotes:
[1] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No.6674, Arab World Reacts To Trump's
Presidential Win With Cautious Optimism, Hope For Future Cooperation, November
11, 2016.
Arab World Reacts To Trump's Presidential Win With Cautious Optimism,
Hope For Future Cooperation
[2] English.alarabiya.net, November 13, 2016.
Palestinians: The Message Remains No and No
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone
Institute/November 16/16
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9334/palestinians-rejectionism
The position of the two Palestinian leaders, Arafat and Abbas,
is deeply rooted in the Palestinian tradition and culture, in which any
compromise with Israel is considered an act of high treason. Abbas knows that concessions on his part would result in
being spat upon by his people -- or killed.
Hence the PA president has in recent years avoided even the pretense
of negotiations with
The French would do well to abandon their plan for convening an international
conference on peace in the
Declaring a Palestinian state in the Security Council only makes them look as
if their actual goal is to destroy
Many in Europe, particularly France, seem be aching to do just that -- as a
"present" to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to show how
submissive they can be; to encourage more "business" with Muslim
states, and, they might hope, to deter more terrorist attacks. Actually, if the
members of the UN Security Council declare a Palestinian state unilaterally,
they are encouraging more terrorist attacks: the terrorists will see that
attacks "work" and embark on more of them to help the jihadi takeover of
Last week, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud
Abbas tipped his hand concerning his ultimatum on any
revival of the peace process with
"I'm 81 years old and I'm not going to end my life drooping, making
concessions or selling out."
Thus declared a defiant Abbas at a
rally in Ramallah, marking the 12th anniversary of the death of his
predecessor, Yasser Arafat.
Abbas in this way relayed to the hundreds of
Palestinians who gathered in Ramallah to commemorate Arafat: "I have no
intention of going down in history as a leader who compromised with
Like Arafat, Abbas would rather die intransigent than
achieve a peaceful settlement with
Yet the position of the two Palestinian leaders is deeply rooted in the
Palestinian tradition and culture, in which any concession to or compromise
with
Upon returning to Ramallah in the summer of 2000, after following the botched
"He who relinquishes one grain of soil of the
At Camp David, Arafat and his negotiators demanded full sovereignty over the
entire West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, including its holy sites and
the Jewish Quarter in the
Barak, for his part, is said to have offered the Palestinians a state that
would be established on 91% of the West Bank, large parts of
The
Fast-forward 16 years: Abbas stands near Arafat's
grave in Ramallah and spouts similar sentiments. Vowing to continue in Arafat's
path and honor his legacy, Abbas
said that these days he was being "inspired" by his predecessor's
"determination" and "resolve."
Abbas is at least up-front in his intentions. No one,
he says unashamedly -- not the Israelis nor the Americans nor the Europeans --
ought to harbor any illusions. "Peace" with
the Palestinians, says Abbas, means
Arafat continues to enjoy massive popularity among Palestinians because he died
without "selling out" to
Had Arafat accepted Barak's offer at that summit, he would have been condemned
as a "pawn" in the hands of the Israelis and Americans, a failed
leader who betrayed his people.
Abbas's self-fashioning himself in the guise of
Arafat is not new. For many years, he has been following in the footsteps of
Arafat and honoring his legacy. Moreover, Abbas is well aware that, like Arafat, he is not authorized
by his people to make any concessions to
Like his predecessor Yasser Arafat (left), Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (right) would
rather die intransigent than achieve a peaceful settlement with
Even if Abbas were a legitimate president, no
concessions to
Thus, Abbas is in no hurry to return to the
negotiating table with
Hence the PA president has in recent years avoided even the pretense
of negotiations with
Abbas and the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah want
the international community to hand them what
In fact, this has been Abbas's sole strategy in
recent years: a diplomatic war in the international arena that is aimed at
isolating and delegitimizing
Of course, this strategy has its risks. Yet, if it fails, Abbas
will at least depart the scene without being branded with the scarlet letter of
"traitor." His successor, he hopes, will stand next to his grave and
pledge to follow in his footsteps, as he himself has done for Arafat. And this
is not an idle hope. Thanks to decades of indoctrination and anti-Israel rhetoric,
for which both Arafat and Abbas are also responsible,
Palestinians have been radicalized to the point where it is impossible to
identify a single leader who would negotiate in good faith with
Under the current circumstances, any attempt by the Obama Administration -- in
its remaining months in power -- to support a United Nations vote in favor of a Palestinian state will be seen as a reward to
those Palestinians who are opposed to a resumption of peace negotiations with
Many in Europe, particularly France, seem be aching to do just that -- as a
"present" to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to show
how submissive the French can be; to encourage more "business" with
Arab and Muslim states, and, they might hope, to deter more terrorist attacks.
Actually, if the members of the UN Security Council declare a Palestinian state
unilaterally, they are encouraging more terrorist attacks: the terrorists will
see that attacks "work" and embark on more of them to help the jihadi takeover of
The Obama Administration (and the next US Administration) need
to make it clear to Abbas and the Palestinians that
the only way to achieve a state is through direct negotiations with
Similarly, the French would do well to abandon their plan for convening an
international conference on peace in the
An entire Palestinian generation has been raised on the poisonous idea that
even the consideration of compromise with
**Khaled Abu Toameh, an
award-winning journalist, is based in
Follow Khaled Abu Toameh on
Twitter
© 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.
Everyone Loves
Robert Satloff/Mosaic/November 14, 2016
Yes,
In the lead article of Mosaic online magazine, "Everybody Loves
Israel," the Hudson Institute's Arthur Herman celebrates
Arthur Herman is right:
Little of this is known -- and less is appreciated -- in the
Still, at the risk of raining on a parade of what is, without doubt, good
news for the Jewish state, I believe a warning about "irrational
exuberance" is in order. This is not to disparage the remarkable
achievements
Rather, it is to caution Israel and its friends against a series of what
I believe are false hopes about the ultimate strategic significance of these
welcome shifts -- namely, false hopes that Israel's current burst of global
popularity will necessarily remain the "new normal" of international
politics; that the world will forever agree to relegate the Palestinian issue
to the diplomatic back burner; and, perhaps the falsest of all, that one or a
collective of Israel's new friends could replace the often irksome, sometimes
cranky alliance with the United States.
Not that Herman himself makes these assumptions; indeed, he offers a
series of caveats both at the outset and in the conclusion of his essay.
Others, however, are less cautious in their determination to find long-term
strategic significance in
So let me spell out my warnings.
First, given the speed of seismic strategic shifts in both the Middle
East and broader global politics in recent years, it is foolhardy for any
government -- especially Israel's -- to bank on the idea that "the way
things are" are the way things are going to be. In its immediate neighborhood,
The long-term stability of any of these three realities is not a foregone
conclusion. Egypt's volcanic domestic change has probably not seen its last
tremor; the Gulf's under-the-table bromance with
Israel will last only so long as Gulf leaders see it as a useful component of
regional competition with revolutionary Iran, the common enemy of Sunnis and
Zionists alike; and no one can seriously bank on any strategic continuity with
a megalomaniacal leader like Turkey's Erdogan at the
helm of a regional power.
Specifically, when either change comes to
In this same connection, it bears stressing that
Next, an important component of
But we have seen this movie before. Remember 1987? That was the year when
a previous episode of intra-Muslim sectarian conflict -- the Iran-Iraq war --
dominated Arab politics, and Saddam Hussein commanded the stage at an Arab
summit in
This is not to imply that the current moment is as fleeting as the
seeming respite of 1987. Nor do I wish to minimize the impact that decades of
experience with Palestinian dysfunction and the failures of peace diplomacy have
had on the global attention span. Rather, I recount this story to reaffirm a
truism about the resonance of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict: namely, that,
at its core, this is an inter-communal and not an inter-state issue. That's
good news on the conventional military level, in the sense that no state is
likely ever to fight
Admittedly, this doesn't always happen; a case in point is the survival
of
What, then, about
But giddiness over
The relevant historical analogue here is
This leads finally to a discussion of the
To be sure, Israel remains a wildly popular ally for many Americans, and
neither of these phenomena currently threatens the status of what is, in many
respects, the most remarkable alliance between a great power and a small
regional power in modern history. But alliances need tending; they don't thrive
without care and attention. Should
The good news for
Robert Satloff is executive director of The
Washington Institute and author of several books on the
What's the Most Immediate National
Security Issue Facing Trump?
Mark Martin/CBN News/November 16/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/11/16/mark-martincbn-news-whats-the-most-immediate-national-security-issue-facing-trump/
http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/politics/2016/november/whats-the-most-immediate-national-security-issue-facing-trump
President-elect Donald Trump is building his administration and many are
watching closely to see who he'll put on his national security team. Professor
Ryan Mauro, the national security analyst for the Clarion Project, weighed in
on some of the potential choices. The Clarion Project is a non-profit
organization with the goal of shining the light on the dangers of Islamist
extremism.
"I like a lot of the names that are being thrown out there such as
Jim Woolsey, John Bolton, Rudy Giuliani, Jeff Sessions," Mauro told CBN
News.
Woolsey served as the CIA director under President Bill Clinton.
Bolton served as the
Mauro believes the most immediate issue facing Trump is dealing with al
Qaeda and ISIS.
"The issue I really need to hear some articulation on is (how)
"If Trump wants to scrap that deal the second that he takes
that oath of office, he can do it," Mauro said. "It's an agreement
between two countries, leaders, and one of the leaders -- ours -- is no longer
in power at that point."
"But what I would recommend is that the United States implement
tough sanctions on Iran for terrorism and human rights and start backing
Iranian opposition groups," he continued. "The Iranian regime has
said they would respond by pulling out of the deal if they did it."
"I would much prefer to force
Another national security issue before the Trump administration involves
the Muslim Brotherhood. Walid Phares,
a foreign policy advisor for Trump, has said the president-elect will work to
pass legislation designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group.
"Walid Phares is
another name that gives me a lot of confidence; there are few people that I
would like to see in an administration more than Walid
Phares," Mauro told CBN News.
"There is a bill in Congress to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as
a terrorist organization," he continued. "The Trump administration
makes it more likely than ever that that will happen. The reason that is
important to designate the Brotherhood as a terrorist group is because it is
the parent group of Hamas."
"Hamas is just the Palestinian wing of the Brotherhood, so Hamas is
banned in the
*CBN neither supports nor opposes any candidate for public office.