LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

October 25/16

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site

http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.october25.16.htm

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Bible Quotations For Today

Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 13/01-09/:'That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the lake. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: ‘Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!’"

Do not be deceived! Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers none of these will inherit the kingdom of God
First Letter to the Corinthians 06/01-11/:"When any of you has a grievance against another, do you dare to take it to court before the unrighteous, instead of taking it before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels to say nothing of ordinary matters? If you have ordinary cases, then, do you appoint as judges those who have no standing in the church? I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to decide between one believer and another, but a believer goes to court against a believer and before unbelievers at that? In fact, to have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud and believers at that. Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers none of these will inherit the kingdom of God. And this is what some of you used to be. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God."

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on October 24-25/16

LF warns of assassination risk ahead of Lebanon presidential vote/Now Lebanon/October 24/16
Pakistan Christian Pastor And Family Beaten And Evicted From Their Home/Ruth Gledhill/Christian Today/24 October 2016/
Telecommunications Minister Boutros Harb calls on Aoun critics to elect Frangieh/The Daily Star/October 24/16
Turkey Targets Christians/Robert Jones/Gatestone Institute/October 24/16
No Justice in the Netherlands/Judith Bergman/Gatestone Institute/October 24/16
Liberal Submission: Protect Islam, Defame Christianity/Giulio Meotti//Gatestone Institute/October 24/16
Reading into Morocco’s successes/Eyad Abu Shakra/Al Arabiya/October 24/16
Mosul and Aleppo, a war of two cities/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/October 24/16
Delivering on the promises of Saudi Vision 2030/Samar Fatany/Al Arabiya/October 24/16

Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on on October 24-25/16

Geagea: Aoun is Pragmatic, His Election as President 'Unpleasant' for Hizbullah
Saniora: Mustaqbal MPs Rejecting Aoun's Nomination Dropping to Five
Report: Hariri Wasn't Summoned to Saudi Arabia, Gulf Delegates in Beirut to 'Bless' Aoun's Nomination
Hajj Hassan Holds Economic Talks in Damascus with Syrian PM
Saudi Stresses 'Determination to Confront Hizbullah Terrorist Activities'
Moussawi: AMAL Can't be Replaced in Political Equation
Berri Urges World to Help Lebanon Cope with Syrian Refugee Crisis
Israel Has 'No Intention' to Start New War against Lebanon
Nasrallah Meets Aoun Who Expresses Gratitude for 'Facilitation' in Presidential File
Aoun, Rahi dwell on presidential polls
Kanaan confirms FPM never doubted Nasrallah's position
FPM Leadership 'Pleased' with Nasrallah's Speech
UNIFIL marks 71st anniversary, Beary calls for 1701 resolution implementation
Lassen congratulates UN staff in Lebanon
LF warns of assassination risk ahead of Lebanon presidential vote

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on on October 24-25/16
Pakistan Christian Pastor And Family Beaten And Evicted From Their Home
France calls for end to Aleppo ‘massacre’
Wave of Strikes as IS Puts Up Tough Defense of Mosul
On Syria Border, Mosul Refugees Trapped under IS Fire
Iraq Denies Turkey Taking Part in Mosul Operation
Peshmerga say ISIS offensive blocked in Sinjar, west of Mosul
Nearly 100 Civilians Dead in Turkey-Backed Syria Op
US urges ‘isolation’ of ISIS-held Raqqa
ISIS Kirkuk push ends, Yazidis block attack
Bombardment on Syria’s Idlib kills 16 civilians
ISIS ‘executes’ five Iraqis in western town: army
Iraqi lawmaker, rights group urge inquiry into mosque attack
Iran sides with Iraq in dispute with Turkey
UAE jails Sudanese for plot to kill expats, promoting ISIS
Kuwait has ‘a lot to do’ to choke off ISIS funding
Iran’s top Quran reciter to face court over child rapes
Saudi Arabia’s founding king’s advice to Syrians
Plane crashes after takeoff in Malta, killing all five on board
Saudi Arabia’s founding king’s advice to Syrians
Three days of mourning declared after Qatar’s former Emir dies
US general: Shoddy leaders contribute to rising Afghan military death rate
The delegation of Iran's Resistance attended the International Conference held in Prague
Ahmad Shaheed Submits his latest Report on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran to the UN
Migrants Start Evacuating Calais 'Jungle' ahead of Demolition
Hamas Militant Killed in Gaza Tunnel Collapse
Lieberman: If Hamas forces war on us, it will be their last

Links From Jihad Watch Site for on October 24-25/16
Rapidly re-Islamizing Turkey escalating persecution of Christians
Obama administration paves way for Iran to rebuild its air force with US-made aircraft
Obama team kept list of Muslims for top jobs, excluded non-Muslims
Kuwait: Security officers order gays arrested, heads shaved
Leading Saudi cleric blames Syrian jihadi rebel losses on ‘blasphemous’ swearing
Trudeau on anniversary of Ottawa jihad attack: “Diversity makes our country strong”
George Washington University: “I want a Muslim refugee for president and I want a queer for vice president”
New York Times: Paul Theroux asks Obama to pardon American Taliban John Walker Lindh
German “expert on Salafism” says: Give Muslims their own city to prevent “radicalization”
E.U. authorities brace for return of Islamic State jihadis after Mosul assault
Muslim cleric: Jews “live on blood…and the sight of body parts”
UK government puts up 15-foot screens so arriving Muslim migrant “children” can’t be seen
Hugh Fitzgerald: Hillary, George Washington, and Islam
UK: Migrant’s foster mother finds he isn’t 12-year-old “refugee” but 21-year-old jihadi
Iraq bans booze: “No law that contradicts Islam may be established”
UK training jihadis at maximum security prison to be baristas

Links From Christian Today Site for on October 24-25/16
Pakistan Christian Pastor And Family Beaten And Evicted From Their Home
Will Christians And Muslims Be Able To Live Side By Side In Iraq After ISIS?
Behead The Unbelievers': The Threats Faced By Christian Refugees In Germany
Bishop Angaelos: Never Forget Your Responsibility To Preach The Good News
Pope Francis Weeps For Suffering Of Innocents
Ashers Has Lost And So Has Democracy
Shoppers Unburden Themselves At Christian 'Confess-A-Thon'
Steve Chalke To Preside Over Renaming Ceremony For Transgender Christian
Christian Ashers Bakery Lose 'Gay Cake' Appeal
France Moves To Demolish Calais Jungle, Aid Agencies Fear For Children
Guilty Pleas After Teenage Boy Beaten To Death For Wanting To Quit Church

Latest Lebanese Related News published on on October 24-25/16

Geagea: Aoun is Pragmatic, His Election as President 'Unpleasant' for Hizbullah
Naharnet /October 24/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/10/24/samir-geagea-lf-leader-warns-of-assassination-risk-ahead-of-lebanon-presidential-voteaoun-is-pragmatic-his-election-as-president-unpleasant-for-hizbullah/
Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea stressed on Monday that the arrival of MP Michel Aoun to the post of presidency is “not favorable” for Hizbullah, as he stressed that the General (Aoun) is pragmatic in politics and does not adopt the strategy of Hizbullah.
Replying to a question on whether his support for Aoun means that he has become a partner of Hizbullah, Geagea said in an interview to the Cairo-based CBC TV: “General Aoun is pragmatic. Before 2005 he was against the Syrian tutelage and against Hizbullah. He has played a major role in the issuance of the US law on the accountability of Syria and has went personally to the Congress where he testified against the tutelage authority at the time.
“Since 1990 until 2005 he used to say that Hizbullah is in Lebanon under a Syrian-Iranian support. After he returned from exile in 2005, he did not find himself a place among the March 14 alliance and has thus behaved pragmatically and allied with Hizbullah. But he does not believe in Wilayat al-Faqih nor does he adopt the strategy of the party.”Geagea made clear that when “Nasrallah verbally attacked Saudi Arabia and Bahrain in a speech, Bassil (Free Patriotic Movement leader) replied and said that the rhetoric of Nasrallah does not express their opinion. This is the best proof that Aoun's arrival at the post does not mean that Hizbullah did.”The LF chief went on to slam allegations that a deal was struck between him and Aoun, he said: “The jurisdictions of the president are limited if compared to those of the president in Egypt. The general policy is usually approved in the government and it requires two-thirds of the votes. All political powers will be represented in the next government. We are in dire need of having a president.”Geagea reiterated: “Hizbullah does not want anyone at the top state post because it originally does not want a Republic, but it cannot obstruct alone as it needs another power represented in General Aoun. Based on this fact, we faced two choices, either go with Hizbullah and break the Republic (keep the presidential deadlock), or pull Aoun out from there (nominate Aoun ourselves and pull him to our side.) In that framework, the LF chief pointed out: “Because Aoun is a pragmatic person, when he becomes president his main concern will be to make the presidency succeed, which irritates Hizbullah. God willing, Saad Hariri (Mustaqbal Movement chief) will be the next premier, and the LF will be part of the government equation. Geagea concluded by saying that “the arrival of Aoun to the presidency is not pleasant for Hizbullah, and in the end it will be forced to try to appear to accept it, but this will weaken the party in the long run.”

Saniora: Mustaqbal MPs Rejecting Aoun's Nomination Dropping to Five
Naharnet /October 24/16/Head of al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc MP Fouad Saniora said that the number of bloc MPs rejecting the nomination of founder of the Free Patriotic Movement MP Michel Aoun for the post of president is dropping, al-Akhbar daily reported on Monday. “We were counting on a larger number of opposition in the Mustaqbal bloc, but the number has dropped to five deputies,” unnamed sources quoted Saniora as saying. “The number of Mustaqbal deputies who reject the nomination of Aoun for the presidential post is limited to not more than five MPs,” Mustaqbal parliamentary sources told the daily. “Reports alleging that the number of MPs rejecting the election of Aoun is increasing are unfounded. The opposition is still limited to four or five deputies who have openly declared their position” to head of al-Mustaqbal Movement Saad Hariri added the sources. “The rest of the deputies are going to vote in favor of Aoun,” they said. Saniora, Mustaqbal MPs Ahmed Fatfat, Ammar Houri and Mohammed Qabbani announced Thursday that they would not vote for Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun in any presidential election session, shortly after Aoun was formally endorsed by ex-PM Saad Hariri. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum. Hariri had launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Hizbullah's ally MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid have argued that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.

Report: Hariri Wasn't Summoned to Saudi Arabia, Gulf Delegates in Beirut to 'Bless' Aoun's Nomination
Naharnet /October 24/16/Al-Mustaqbal Movement chief Saad Hariri was not summoned to Saudi Arabia against the backdrop of nominating MP Michel Aoun for the presidency, but has headed to the Saudi capital to attend to the financial and administrative crises at his companies, al-Mustaqbal daily reported on Monday. Sources close to the ex-PM told the daily that Saudi Arabia did not summon Hariri to inform him of “reservations as for his nomination of founder of the Free Patriotic Movement.”“A Saudi envoy will visit Beirut very soon to give blessings to the initiative made by Hariri” remarked the sources on condition of anonymity. “The Saudi position with regard to the nomination of Aoun is not negative. Hariri would not have made a declaration of support if it was not under a Saudi cover,” they added. The daily added that after a long talk and assurance that the settlement was Lebanese par excellence, the sources pointed out that there is a “Saudi-Iranian-Russian-American agreement to elect Aoun.”“Delegates from Gulf states and Western countries might visit Lebanon in the next few days to support the Hariri-Aoun settlement,” they added. Aoun was tipped to become president after Hariri formally endorsed his nomination on Thursday. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum. Hariri had launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Hizbullah's ally and Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid have argued that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.

Hajj Hassan Holds Economic Talks in Damascus with Syrian PM
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 24/16/Industry Minister Hussein al-Hajj Hassan of Hizbullah held talks Monday in Damascus with Syrian Prime Minister Imad Khamis. Talks tackled “the ties between the two countries and means to improve them in the economic fields, especially industry and commerce,” Syria's official news agency SANA said. The Syrian premier explained “the phases of the terrorist war that Syria is being subjected to and the systematic destruction that has targeted the economic sectors, especially industrial zones, factories and lines of production,” SANA said.
“He clarified that the Syrian government is working, according to a new strategy, on rehabilitating the productive agricultural, commercial and industrial sectors,” the agency added. Hajj Hassan for his part stressed that “Syria and Lebanon share the same fate in resisting the schemes that are being planned for the region to serve Israel and its objectives,” underlining “the importance of exerting efforts to improve the economic ties between the two countries, especially in the industry sector.” Hizbullah's intervention in the Syrian conflict alongside regime forces has helped Damascus achieve several military victories and allowed the party to clear most of the Lebanese-Syrian border region from rebels and jihadists. Since 2013, the Lebanese, Iran-backed party has sent thousands of combatants -- between 5,000 and 6,000, according to the expert on Hizbullah Waddah Sharara -- to help the regime fight both rebels and jihadists. They send 2,000 fighters at a time in rotation, Sharara says. Experts say Hizbullah has lost 1,000 to 2,000 fighters in the conflict, including senior commanders.

Saudi Stresses 'Determination to Confront Hizbullah Terrorist Activities'
Naharnet /October 24/16/Saudi Arabia stressed Monday its determination to confront what it called “the terrorist activities of Lebanon's Hizbullah,” four days after it imposed sanctions on alleged Hizbullah members and financial backers. “The council of ministers underlined the kingdom's resolve and determination to continue to confront the terrorist activities of Lebanon's Hizbullah,” said a statement carried by the kingdom's SPA news agency after a cabinet meeting. “We will continue to work with our partners around the world to unveil its terrorist and criminal activities, and the kingdom's latest designation of two individuals and one entity over their ties to terrorist activities was based on the law that combats the crimes and financing of terrorism as well as money laundering,” it added. The U.S. Treasury Department said Thursday that it targeted four individuals and one company, effectively freezing their U.S. assets and blocking any transactions with them, while also announcing related action by Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia designated Muhammad al-Mukhtar Kallas, Hasan Jamal-al-Din and Global Cleaners under a local counterterrorism law, freezing their assets and prohibiting any commercial licenses for the men in the kingdom. Kallas and Jamal-al-Din are purported accountants for Hizbullah financier Adham Husayn Tabaja, according to the U.S. Treasury Department.

Moussawi: AMAL Can't be Replaced in Political Equation
Naharnet /October 24/16/Hizbullah's outspoken MP Nawwaf al-Moussawi stressed Monday that “no political force” can replace the AMAL Movement in the “national political equation.”“Based on our alliance, we hold onto the important, consensual and constructive national role that Speaker Nabih Berri has always played and we are holding onto this role in order to protect national accord, reconcile viewpoints and find solutions to crises,” the member of the Loyalty to Resistance bloc added. “We hold onto him as a main, sole and permanent candidate for the parliament speaker post,” Moussawi emphasized. Berri's “role is not only limited to the leadership of the parliament and it should continue to be part of the efforts to build the constitutional and national institutions,” the MP added. The speaker has recently announced that he would join the ranks of the opposition should Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun be elected president, stressing that his bloc will not vote for the FPM founder.Aoun was tipped to become president after al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri formally endorsed his nomination on Thursday. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014. Hariri had launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Hizbullah's ally and Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah.The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid have argued that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.

Berri Urges World to Help Lebanon Cope with Syrian Refugee Crisis
Naharnet /October 24/16/Speaker Nabih Berri on Monday called on the international community to help Lebanon cope with the Syrian refugee crisis. Representing the Lebanese and Arab parliaments at the 135 session of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Geneva, Berri called for “a fair solution for the Palestinian cause,” urging parliaments to contribute to “facing terror and drying up its funding; creating political solutions to the Syrian crisis and the region's problems; and helping Lebanon confront the refugee crisis.”“I call on you to support Lebanon at all forums so that it can confront the crises resulting from the presence of refugees whose numbers are equivalent to half its population,” Berri added.Lebanon has struggled to deal with an influx of refugees that now represents around half of its four-million-strong population, and last year began making it harder for Syrian refugees to stay. More than 300,000 people have been killed in Syria and more than half of the country's population displaced since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.

Israel Has 'No Intention' to Start New War against Lebanon
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 24/16/Firebrand Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman announced Monday that Israel has “no intention” of starting a new war against Lebanon. "As minister of defense, I would like to clarify that we have no intention of starting a new war against our neighbors in the Gaza Strip or the West Bank, Lebanon or Syria," Lieberman told the Jerusalem-based Palestinian newspaper al-Quds. Lieberman is part of what is seen as the most right-wing government in Israeli history. A devastating 2006 war between Israel and Hizbullah killed about 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and about 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers. Israeli airstrikes heavily damaged Lebanon's infrastructure, while Hizbullah fired several thousand rockets into Israel.Israeli officials say Hizbullah's improved missile arsenal is now capable of striking virtually anywhere in Israel.

Nasrallah Meets Aoun Who Expresses Gratitude for 'Facilitation' in Presidential File
Naharnet /October 24/16/Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah received Sunday presidential hopeful founder of the Free Patriotic Movement MP Michel Aoun, who thanked him for the “facilitation” offered by the party as for the presidential file, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Monday. The meeting was held in the presence of head of the FPM Minister of Foreign Affairs Jebran Bassil, Nasrallah's adviser Hajj Hussein Khalil and Hizbullah's top security official Wafiq Safa. The talks focused on the latest political developments in Lebanon and the region, especially the developments in the presidential file. “We are here today to extend our gratitude to Sayyed Nasrallah for helping us solve the deadlock that hampered the election of a president,” said Aoun after the meeting. Aoun had voiced hopes that things “become complete. We have always found the help and tolerance we needed in the national issues,” said Aoun according to the daily. On Sunday, Nasrallah had renewed in a speech his support for Aoun's nomination for the top state post, he said: “Our commitment to General Michel Aoun's nomination is final. The Loyalty to the Resistance bloc will attend the session and all the members will vote for General Aoun.” “Some parties are saying that they are offering sacrifices and I would also like to announce that we are offering a very big sacrifice when we say that we are not opposed to the appointment of ex-PM Saad Hariri as premier,” Hizbullah's chief had said. Berri, who has openly declared that he opposes the election of Aoun, has pledged that his bloc will take part in the October 31 electoral session and that he will not try to strip the meeting of its quorum. Berri's aides have accused Aoun and Hariri of striking a “bilateral” agreement that would marginalize Shiites in power, allegations that Aoun and his movement have denied. Aoun was tipped to become president after Hariri formally endorsed his nomination on Thursday. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum. Hariri had launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Hizbullah's ally and Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid have argued that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.

Aoun, Rahi dwell on presidential polls
Mon 24 Oct 2016/NNA - Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Mar Beshara Boutros Rahi, met in Bkerki on Monday, with Head of Change and Reform parliamentary bloc, MP Michel Aoun, with whom he discussed latest developments regarding the presidential polls.
"General Aoun updated the Patriarch on the headway of the latest developments as to the presidential dossier, prior to the House session on October 31," a statement issued following the meeting indicated. "The Patriarch uttered relief after political and parliamentary blocs announced their stances concerning presidential nominations," it added.

Kanaan confirms FPM never doubted Nasrallah's position
Mon 24 Oct 2016/NNA - Secretary of the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc, MP Ibrahim Kanaan, confirmed on Monday that the Free Patriotic Movement never doubted the position of Hezbollah leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. "Sayyed Nasrallah's recent stance warded off ambiguities, doubts, and political analyses that emerged recently, and basically clarified the misapprehension of some who linked Hezbollah's position to some March 8 components," the lawmaker told al-Manar channel.
"Nasrallah's truthfulness also appeared in the facilitations he had undertaken, which were recently depicted as a political sacrifice, since Hezbollah and Future Movement are rivals," he explained. He concluded that such assistance was conclusive regarding the presidential polls.

FPM Leadership 'Pleased' with Nasrallah's Speech
Naharnet /October 24/16/Prominent sources in the Free Patriotic Movement expressed “delight” with the speech delivered by Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Sunday where he reiterated support for the election of the FPM's founder MP Michel Aoun for the post of president, al-Akhbar daily reported on Monday. “Nasrallah's talk is a big slap in the face for all those who doubted his support for Aoun, and anyone who tried to trigger a dispute between us and Hizbullah,” the FPM sources told the daily. “The Lebanese have to understand, including our own supporters, that we all have to stop doubting each other. In this country there are people who still commit to their vows. Integrity and honesty are what made us reach where we are today,” added the sources. Nasrallah said on Sunday: “Our commitment to General Michel Aoun's nomination is final. The Loyalty to Resistance bloc will attend the session and all the members will vote for General Aoun.”As for the efforts exerted by Hizbullah with regard to talks with Speaker Nabih Berri (who said that he will vote against Aoun), the FPM sources praised Nasrallah when he assured that “no one is trying to strike bilateral or sectarian agreements.” They stressed that the FPM supports Nasrallah's calls to address the concerns of some in that regard. Nasrallah emphasized in his speech “no one in Lebanon is thinking of establishing a bilateral form of power-sharing on a political, sectarian or two-party level.” He was referring to the AMAL's concerns regarding the FPM-Mustaqbal agreements that preceded Hariri's endorsement of Aoun. Berri's aides have accused Aoun and Hariri of striking a “bilateral” agreement that would marginalize Shiites in power, allegations that Aoun and his movement have denied. Aoun was tipped to become president after Hariri formally endorsed his nomination on Thursday. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum. Hariri had launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Hizbullah's ally and Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid have argued that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.

UNIFIL marks 71st anniversary, Beary calls for 1701 resolution implementation
Mon 24 Oct 2016/NNA - UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander, Major-General Michael Beary, said on Monday that UNIFIL was still working on the implementation of Resolution 1701 of the UN Security Council to create a zone of peace in southern Lebanon. "We all have to play a role in the implementation of this resolution," Major-General Beary stressed. Beary's fresh words came during a ceremony held in UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura under his patronage to mark the 71st anniversary of the UN, in the presence of military and municipal figures. "UNIFIL has proven to be among the most effective of UN missions, to help countries move from a period of conflict to peace," he said.

Lassen congratulates UN staff in Lebanon
Mon 24 Oct 2016/NNA - On the United Nations Day, Ambassador Christina Lassen, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Lebanon, made the following remarks: "Today we mark the 71st anniversary of the entry into force of the UN Charter. I would like to take this occasion to thank and congratulate all UN colleagues working in the agencies and programmes in Lebanon under the leadership of UN Special Coordinator Sigrid Kaag and Deputy Special Coordinator Philippe Lazzarini. Our thoughts are also today with the men and women serving in UNIFIL under Force Commander Michael Beary, including in particular those coming from EU Member States. The UN and the EU are key partners in Lebanon in many areas: human rights and democracy, including access to justice, right to liberty and security, and elections; women's rights, children's rights, refugee crisis or humanitarian assistance. Together with the UN, the EU works to support Lebanon and the Lebanese people."

LF warns of assassination risk ahead of Lebanon presidential vote
Now Lebanon/October 24/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/10/24/samir-geagea-lf-leader-warns-of-assassination-risk-ahead-of-lebanon-presidential-voteaoun-is-pragmatic-his-election-as-president-unpleasant-for-hizbullah/
Samir Geagea told Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun and Future Movement chief Saad Hariri to take precautions in the coming days.
BEIRUT – With just days to go to the Lebanese presidential vote scheduled at the end of the month, the Lebanese Forces has warned that there is a possibility of an assassination aimed at derailing the election. “There are those who are accustomed to striking democracy with violence,” LF media official Melhem Riachi said in a Sunday night interview on MTV. He futher warned that an assassination is “possible”, claiming that a “large number of people would be badly affected” by the parliamentary vote scheduled on October 31 that appears set to end Lebanon’s 30-month presidential void with the election of Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun. Riachi did not specify what group he believes would aim to prevent the vote, saying only that LF leader Samir Geagea called on Aoun and Future Movement chief Saad Hariri to “take precautions this week.”On Sunday, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah reiterated his support for Aoun’s candidacy and announced in a televised speech that his party’s MPs would go to the parliament to vote for him as president. Nasrallah acknowledged that Hariri made a “political sacrifice” with his public backing of Aoun last week, a move seen as key for facilitating Aoun’s presidential bid, which already received the support of Geagea, a long-time Christian rival. The Hezbollah leader added that he would accept Hariri becoming prime minister following Aoun’s election, saying that his party was making its own political sacrifice. Nasrallah’s Shiite ally, the Amal Movement, has vociferously opposed Aoun’s election, however the party is prepared to join the upcoming parliamentary vote on the president, with the FPM’s leader appearing to have enough votes to bring him into the office he has sought for years.
**NOW's English news desk editor Albin Szakola (@AlbinSzakola) wrote this report. Amin Nasr translated Arabic-language material.

With President Aoun, Iran replaces Syria in Lebanon
Alex Rowell/Now Lebanon/October 24/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/10/24/alex-rowellnow-lebanon-with-president-aoun-iran-replaces-syria-in-lebanon/
Aoun’s election marks a milestone in Damascus’ waning influence in Beirut, which has now been replaced by Tehran’s
The 1990s were a simpler time for Lebanese presidential elections. The headache of the past two-and-a-half years of vacuum, with its byzantine shuffling and reshuffling of alliances; deal-making and deal-breaking; ‘understandings’ and misunderstandings; and utter obscurity and uncertainty would never have been possible in the ‘90s. When a vacancy arose at the head of the republic back then, it was filled in an instant with a single phone call from one source: Damascus. If the Lebanese constitution presented obstacles to Brother Syria’s edicts – which it usually did; as in the extension of President Elias Hrawi’s term in 1995 and the nomination of army commander Emile Lahoud in 1998 despite a prohibition against military candidates – then the constitution was corrected. All very simple. As the late Ghazi Kanaan, Syria’s top official in Lebanon, was fond of telling the Lebanese: you focus on business, and leave politics to us.
By the time of the appointment (one could hardly call it an election) of Lahoud’s successor in 2008, this Pax Syriana had been somewhat disheveled by the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon three years previously, though few had any illusions that Syria’s influence in Beirut was seriously depleted. It’s true Michel Sleiman’s presidency was the result of a multilateral, rather than unilateral, decision reached by negotiations in Doha incorporating the views of several Gulf and other Arab capitals, but Damascus was still understood to be the indispensable primus inter pares; the axle without which the wheels would fall off.
How very different it’s all been this time with Michel Aoun, whose imminent election was made a foregone conclusion in yesterday’s speech by Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, who confirmed his parliamentary bloc would attend the upcoming electoral session on the 31st and vote for the Free Patriotic Movement leader (which was the last necessary step following Future Movement head Saad Hariri’s surprise endorsement of Aoun on Thursday). This time, the word ‘Damascus’ was virtually unmentioned throughout the entire process. No groveling visits were made by politicians to the Syrian capital to tend upon Assad’s desires. No newspapers spoke of any decisive Syrian vetoes or demands that determined Aoun’s fate. To the contrary, in fact, if a report in (the generally pro-Damascus) Assafir is correct, all of Syria’s closest allies in Lebanon – the Baath Party, the Syrian Social Nationalist Party, Marada, Talal Arslan, Ahmad Karami and others – are actually backing the losing candidate, Sleiman Frangieh. That would make Aoun’s election the first since Bashir Gemayel’s in 1982 to pass against the opposition of Damascus’ proxies.
It represents, in other words, a milestone in the decline of Syrian influence over Lebanon. This might be something to celebrate, were the nails not being hammered into the coffin by the hands of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. A soft coup by Tehran at Syria’s expense in Lebanon has actually been a long time coming. As early as December 2008, NOW contributor Michael Young was writing, “Syria is incapable of fully imposing its writ on [Hezbollah] in the same way it could before 2005. Iran is now a major player on the scene, and there are many ways for the Iranians and Hezbollah to show that Syrian power in Lebanon is not what it used to be.”
Once you start looking for them, you notice further signs of this all around you. Consider, for instance, the way the Lebanese judiciary has recently been able (a cynic would say has been permitted) to file incredibly damaging indictments and arrest warrants against Syrian regime officials, up to and including National Security Bureau Director Ali Mamlouk, in connection with the Michel Samaha and Tripoli mosque bombing plots. It wasn’t very long ago at all that this would have been unthinkable. Yet contrast it with the judiciary’s catatonic response to the fatal shooting of student demonstrator Hashem Salman outside Beirut’s Iranian embassy in 2013 – which a Reuters correspondent at the scene reported was carried out by Hezbollah members – and it’s plain to see where the red lines fall today. (It’s striking to think there was once a time when the Syrian army could invade Shiite neighborhoods in Beirut and slaughter Hezbollah fighters in their barracks. Now it’s Hezbollah who invades Syria, operating under Iranian command with ill-disguised contempt for the Syrian army’s mettle.)
Of course, none of this is to be construed as President Aoun posing any kind of threat to Assad, nor as the latter being necessarily upset with the former’s election. Aoun has been a vocal defender of the Syrian regime, which in 2012 he called the most democratic in the region, since paying a state visit to Damascus in 2008. More importantly, Iran gaining the upper hand over Syria need not imply the two differ in their essential vision for Lebanon, which remains in the grip of the ‘Resistance Axis’ either way. The Ghazi Kanaan formula may now be as dead as its author, but the Lebanese remain as deprived of their own politics as ever.

Zasypkin: For Lebanese presidential election to be domestic affair
Mon 24 Oct 2016/NNA - Russian Ambassador, Alexander Zasypkin, welcomed the political move exerted in Lebanon in favor of electing a president for the country, stressing the necessity for such a decision to be concerned solely with the Lebanese interior. Ambassador Zasypkin's stance came Monday in the context of an interview on Russia Now media website. Zasykin explained that it was inevitable for local negotiations to continue among political factions to reach a full visionary enabling a good success for the election procedure. "This is an essential matter amidst the current situation in the region." Zasypkin said that his country would seek to improve the military relation with Lebanon in accordance with the existing circumstances.

NNA Director, Indonesian Ambassador tackle cooperation prospects
Mon 24 Oct 2016/NNA - National News Agency (NNA) Director, Laure Sleiman, met on Monday at her Ministry office with Indonesian Ambassador to Lebanon, Ahmad Khazen Khamidi, with the pair reportedly discussing media cooperation between NNA and Indonesian News Agency (Antara). Speaking afterwards, Ambassador Khamidi said that his meeting with NNA Director comes as part of bolstering cooperation between both countries' agencies, to strengthen bilateral ties between Indonesia and Lebanon. "Lebanon and Indonesia enjoy cordial relations based on mutual respect, and therefore cooperation in all fields should be strengthened," the Indonesian envoy remarked, expressing regret that the Lebanese news are not sufficiently reaching Indonesia and vice versa, except those news related to bombings and terrorist acts. In turn, Sleiman welcomed the Indonesian Ambassador at the National News Agency, pointing out that "talks dwelt on media issues and the prospects of news exchange with the Indonesian Antara News Agency." Sleiman said that she agreed with Khamidi on preparing a draft agreement under the supervision of Information Minister, Ramzi Jreij, and Ministry Director General, Hassan Falha, to be later inked in Indonesia  Winding up the meeting, Sleiman received a memorial shield from the Indonesian Ambassador.

Rifi welcomes families of kidnapped soldiers
Mon 24 Oct 2016/NNA - Minister of Justice, Ashraf Rifi, welcomed on Monday the families of the Lebanese soldiers kidnapped by Daesh. "This affair is a national crisis," Rifi said, confirming that he is still following up on it. The Minister also noted that Lebanon's relations with a number of states could be effective in terms of the servicemen's release. "This is a complicated matter, because they are dealing with an anonymous side (...) everybody worked hard on this case, but we are part of a certain problem and not responsible for it," he said.

Samy Gemayel, Hamadeh tackle presidential due date
Mon 24 Oct 2016/NNA - Lebanese Kataeb Party chief, MP Sami Gemayel, received at the Central House in Saifi MP Marwan Hamadeh, whereby they discussed the presidential election's issue. The meeting took place in the presence of MPs Nadim Gemayel, Elie Marouni and Fadi al-Habr.
 

Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on on October 24-25/16

Pakistan Christian Pastor And Family Beaten And Evicted From Their Home

Ruth Gledhill/Christian Today/24 October 2016/
A Christian pastor and his family have been forcibly evicted from their home in Pakistan.
Michael Robert, pastor of the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Farooqabad, a city in Punjab, is the victim of a dispute over the house, which he bought about two years ago.
The property appears at the same time to have been transferred to a third party, according to Morning Star News, an organisation that helps persecuted Christians around the world.
Pastor Robert's family filed a suit for fraud and the judged issued a restraining order barring anyone from forcibly evicting them until ownership was settled.
However, this appears to have been disregarded when more than 50 armed Muslim men stormed the house and attacked the family, a lawyer for advocacy group The Voice Society told Morning Star News.
Aneeqa Maria said: "The attack left Pastor Robert, his father Robert Masih and his wife seriously injured. The assailants arrived in the dark of night and started firing in the air with their weapons to terrorise the locals. They then forced open Pastor Robert's gate and attacked the family, thrashing them violently as they threw household items out in the open."She said the Christian family was threatened with "grave consequences" if they did not vacate. A concerned local resident called police who intervened to stop the attack.
Maria accused Islamists of trying to fan religious tensions in the area in the area.
She said that during a meeting at the police station on Friday afternoon, a member of a hard-line group warned that they would take out protest rallies and would make every bid to stop the Christian family from re-entering their home because it was "a Muslim's property".
She said she fears Pastor Robert and his family could be vulnerable to further violence. "Our first priority is to retake possession of the pastor's house," she said.

France calls for end to Aleppo ‘massacre’
AFP, Nizip, Turkey Monday, 24 October 2016/France’s foreign minister urged the international community to “do everything” to end the “massacre” in the Syrian city of Aleppo on Sunday after fighting resumed following a 72-hour truce declared by Damascus ally Russia. Speaking in the southeastern province of Gaziantep, Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said: “We’re 150 km – perhaps no further – from Aleppo. And right now bombing, artillery continue to destroy this city and massacre the population.”For Syrian refugees to have the chance to return to their country, “we must do everything to stop this massacre” and resume negotiations to reach a political agreement. “We cannot come to a negotiation under the bombs... The total war solution is not a solution,” Ayrault added as the city was again hit by air strikes and heavy clashes overnight, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Ayrault said the urgency must be to stop the bombing and provide access to humanitarian aid for the first time since July 7. Outgoing UN chief Ban Ki-moon has said food rations will run out by the end of the month in Aleppo, where 500 people have been killed since the regime last month launched an operation to recapture eastern Aleppo. During a visit later to a refugee camp in Nizip, southeastern Turkey, the minister reiterated a demand for a UN Security Council resolution condemning the use of chemical weapons in Syria and “sanctions” against the perpetrators. “We hope that this resolution is not hampered by the use of the veto. If that were the case, it would be a form of complicity with what is happening ... in Syria,” he said, indirectly addressing Russia. Ayrault had called for a UN resolution on Saturday after UN experts said in a report that the Syrian army had attacked a village with chemical weapons last year. Moscow is one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's strongest backers, providing military support to the regime. The French minister will meet with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in the capital Ankara on Monday to discuss both Syria and the battle against ISIS, French officials told AFP.

Wave of Strikes as IS Puts Up Tough Defense of Mosul
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 24/16/Iraqi forces advancing on Mosul faced stiff resistance from the Islamic State group on Monday despite the U.S.-led coalition unleashing an unprecedented wave of air strikes to support the week-old offensive. Federal forces and Kurdish peshmerga fighters were moving forward in several areas, AFP correspondents on various fronts said, but the jihadists were hitting back with shelling, sniper fire, suicide car bombs and booby traps.IS has also attempted to draw attention away from losses around Mosul with attacks on Iraqi forces elsewhere in the country, the latest coming on Sunday near the Jordanian border. Following a weekend visit to Iraq by US Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter, American officials said the coalition was providing the most air support yet to the operation. "One week into Mosul operation, all objectives met thus far, and more coalition air strikes than any other 7-day period of war against ISIL (IS)," Brett McGurk, the top U.S. envoy to the 60-nation coalition, wrote on social media. "There were 32 strikes with 1,776 munitions delivered against Daesh (IS) targets for the week of October 17-October 23," the spokesman for the coalition, Colonel John Dorrian, told AFP.He said those strikes had destroyed 136 IS fighting positions, 18 tunnels and 26 car bombs.
The offensive, launched on October 17, aims to retake towns and villages surrounding Mosul before elite troops will breach the city and engage die-hard jihadists in street-to-street fighting.
'Good defences'
On the eastern side of Mosul, federal troops were battling IS on Monday in Qaraqosh, which used to be the largest Christian town in the country. Army forces entered the town for the third day running but armoured convoys deployed around it were met with shelling from inside, an AFP correspondent reported. Federal forces also scored gains on the southern front, where they have been making quick progress, taking one village after another as they work their way up the Tigris Valley. On the northern front, Kurdish peshmerga forces were closing in on the IS-held town of Bashiqa. Turkey, which has a base in the area, said Sunday it had provided artillery support following a request from the peshmerga. The presence of Turkish troops on Iraqi soil is deeply unpopular in Baghdad and the Joint Operations Command on Monday vehemently denied any Turkish participation. But AFP reporters near Bashiqa said artillery fire coming from the Turkish base had been visible on several occasions since the start of operations a week ago. While an increasingly pragmatic IS has tended in recent months to relinquish some of its positions to avoid taking too many casualties, U.S. officials said the group was mounting a spirited defence of Mosul. If IS loses Mosul in Iraq, only Raqa in Syria will remain as the last major city under the jihadists' control in either country. "They have made a very good job of preparing their defences around the city," one U.S. military official told reporters during Carter's visit. The official said IS' strategy appeared to be to trade "non-necessary space" around Mosul for casualties among federal and Kurdish ranks. The coalition estimates the number of IS fighters defending Mosul -- the city where IS supremo Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed a "caliphate" two years ago -- at 4,000 to 7,000.
Calm returns to Kirkuk
The coalition's top commander, General Stephen Townsend, said Sunday he expected not all the jihadists in Mosul would "fight to the death". "By targeting the mid-tier leaders, which our special operations forces and air force have done remarkably well, we have caused a lot of confusion" in IS ranks, he said. "I think it's going to pay off in the coming weeks."Seeking to distract attention, the jihadists have attempted to hit back with attacks elsewhere in Iraq, including in the remote western town of Rutba on Sunday. They briefly seized the mayor's office, captured and executed at least five people -- civilians and policemen -- and still controlled two neighbourhoods on Monday, army commanders said. Two days earlier, IS sleeper cells in Kirkuk joined up with gunmen infiltrating the northern Iraqi city to launch a brazen raid that saw the jihadists attack several government buildings. The attack sparked clashes that lasted three days as security forces imposed a curfew to hunt down attackers holed up in several buildings across the city. The provincial governor, Najmeddin Karim, told AFP Monday that the attack was over and life was returning to normal. He said more than 74 IS militants were killed during the three-day unrest, which left at least 46 other people dead, most of them members of the security forces.

On Syria Border, Mosul Refugees Trapped under IS Fire
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 24/16/They have escaped the Islamic State group stronghold of Mosul but hundreds of Iraqis seeking refuge in neighbouring war-torn Syria are now trapped on the border under jihadist fire. As hungry and thirsty children wander in tears between makeshift tents, a motorbike suddenly roars towards the encampment in the Rajm al-Salibeh border area, just inside Syrian territory. Syrian Kurdish fighters manning the border open fire, fearing an IS scout, or even a suicide bomb attacker. The vehicle disappears from view but then reemerges and is again met by fire from the Kurdish forces a second time before it retreats. The incident heightens the tension and fear at the border, where Iraqis fleeing IS-held Mosul ahead of an army operation to recapture the city are seeking refuge in their war-torn neighbor. "A mortar shell fell and an Iraqi family was injured. Day and night there are clashes. We're living in danger here," said one Iraqi in his thirties, who refused to give his name. He said he feared reprisals against relatives still in Mosul, and spoke with his checkered keffiyeh over his face to hide it from the camera. Around him in the desert, hundreds of Iraqis waited in the heat. Despite the war that is ravaging Syria and has displaced millions of its residents, the Iraqis are desperate to reach the U.N.-run al-Hol refugee camp in Syria's Hasakeh province. The wait is long: this group has been stuck on a stretch of Syrian border for 10 days, with IS-held Iraqi territory just behind them.
Trapped on the frontline
Kurdish and Arab fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces man earth berms on the border, and regularly skirmish with IS fighters coming from Iraq. The jihadists sometimes send scouts to see where people have gathered and then launch mortar shells at fleeing civilians. "We're on the front here, there is constant fire," said another Iraqi refugee, his face also covered, this time with a black scarf. "My son is sick from the heat. Why won't they help us and let us enter al-Hol?" he asked, also refusing to give his name for fear of reprisals. Local officials say the delays are necessary to prevent IS fighters from entering the country and the camp. "There are security procedures to follow. We're afraid that Daesh (IS) elements might try to infiltrate disguised as civilians," camp official Roder Younes told AFP earlier in the week. Al-Hol lies some 200 kilometers from Mosul, territory that those fleeing must navigate mostly on foot, dodging IS mines and sniper fire intended to keep civilians from escaping. The waiting families lie on blankets under makeshift fabric tents that shade them from the blazing sun. Men and women haul heavy bags stuffed with their remaining belongings, as barefoot and in some cases visibly malnourished children nibble biscuits that temporarily distract them from crying.
Hungry, thirsty
"The heat and the hunger are killing us," said Nawal, dressed in black. "At night it is so cold we dig a hole to bury our hands in and warm them up," she added, sitting with her three children in a group of other women. At al-Hol, the camp is being expanded to accommodate the refugees already arriving and the many more who are expected to come as the operation to recapture Mosul advances. Some 6,000 people have been at the camp for around the last two years, and it is being expanded to receive 30,000 people. On Friday, the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said 912 Iraqis had arrived at the camp in recent days. But for those trapped on the border, the process is not moving fast enough. "We're been here a week, we're thirsty and a container of drinking water is 1,500 Syrian pounds ($3), we can't afford that," complained Ibrahim al-Khalaf, sitting in a makeshift tent with his wife and six children."We fled oppression, and we hope we won't be oppressed here too."

Iraq Denies Turkey Taking Part in Mosul Operation
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 24/16/Iraq's joint operations command on Monday denied Turkey was participating in military operations to retake the northern city of Mosul from the Islamic State group. "The spokesman of the Joint Operations Command denies Turkish participation of any kind in operations for the liberation of Nineveh," a statement said, referring to the Iraqi province of which Mosul is the capital. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told reporters on Sunday that Turkish troops stationed outside Mosul had provided support "with artillery, tanks and howitzers" following a request by Kurdish peshmerga forces. Thousands of peshmerga forces are currently involved in a massive push in the Bashiqa area northeast of Mosul, where Turkey has a military base. The forces of the autonomous Kurdish region, whose leader has close ties with Turkey, have complained recently that the US-led coalition's air support as insufficient. Turkey had repeatedly stated it wanted a part in the massive operation to retake Mosul, the Islamic State group's last major stronghold in Iraq. Turkish presence in northern Iraq is not new but reinforcement sent to the Bashiqa base last year sparked the ire of parts of Iraq public opinion and of dominant Shiite parties. AFP reporters on the front line near Bashiqa saw artillery fire emanating from the Turkish base and targeting IS positions on several occasions since the offensive started a week ago. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is under domestic pressure not to be seen as tolerating the presence on his soil of troops from a country many in Iraq see as having abetted the rise of the jihadist group. US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter visited Baghdad on Saturday and Arbil, the Kurdish capital, on Sunday. He had suggested before his visit to Iraq that Turkey should be given a role in the Mosul offensive, Iraq's biggest military operation in years. But speaking after a meeting with Carter, Abadi swiftly rejected the idea. "I know that the Turks want to participate... We tell them 'thank you, this is something the Iraqis will handle and the Iraqis will liberate Mosul'," he said.

Peshmerga say ISIS offensive blocked in Sinjar, west of Mosul
Reuters Monday, 24 October 2016/US-backed Kurdish fighters blocked an offensive launched by ISIS on Monday in Sinjar, a Yazidi territory west of Mosul, a provincial official in the region said. The attack was an apparent bid to distract Iraqi forces attacking Mosul, ISIS’s last major city stronghold in Iraq. ISIS confirmed in an online statement having carried out a suicide attack on a peshmerga position at the western entrance of Sinjar. “It was the most violent attack on Sinjar since a year ago,” Yazidi provincial chief Mahma Xelil told Reuters. ISIS committed some of its worst atrocities in Sinjar when it swept through the Yazidi region two years ago, killing men, kidnapping children and enslaving women. Kurdish fighters took back the region a year ago.

Nearly 100 Civilians Dead in Turkey-Backed Syria Op
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 24/16/Nearly 100 civilians have been killed in a two-month offensive by Turkey and allied rebels in northern Syria, a monitoring group said on Monday. No comment could be immediately obtained from Turkish officials, but in the past Ankara has disputed accusations of civilian deaths in its campaign. The "Euphrates Shield" operation was launched in northern Syria on August 24 to fight both the Islamic State jihadist group and a Kurdish militia that Ankara considers a "terrorist" group. Since then, Turkish air strikes and shelling as part of the assault have killed 96 civilians, including 22 children, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The Britain-based monitor said rebels involved in the assault were leading the fight on the ground with Turkey lending heavy firepower -- mostly air strikes and artillery fired from Turkish soil. "Ninety-two of the civilians, mostly Kurds, were killed in areas controlled by the Islamic State group," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. He said the remaining four were killed in areas held by the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-Arab alliance of fighters dominated by the People's Protection Units (YPG). Turkey views the YPG and the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) as linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, which has been staging an insurgency in Turkey since 1984. The PKK is proscribed as a terrorist organization by the United States and European Union. The Observatory in late August reported at least 40 civilians had been killed in Turkish shelling and air strikes, while Turkey's state-run Anadolu reported the deaths of 25 Kurdish "terrorists."Ankara's operation overran the IS stronghold of Jarabulus along the Turkish border on its first day, and went on to seize the symbolic town of Dabiq in mid-October. The Turkish-backed fighters have already seized more than 1,000 square kilometers since the operation began, according to Anadolu. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he wants to push further south to create a 5,000-square-kilometer (1,900 square-mile) safe zone in Syria. IS, which seized control of large parts of Syria and Iraq in mid-2014 and declared an Islamic "caliphate", has been dealt a series of military defeats this year and is now facing an assault on its key Iraqi stronghold Mosul.

US urges ‘isolation’ of ISIS-held Raqqa
AFP Monday, 24 October 2016/US defense chief Ashton Carter has said that an operation to isolate the ISIS in Syria’s Raqa should begin in conjunction with the assault on the extremists’ Iraqi bastion Mosul. “We want to see an isolation operation begin around Raqqa as soon as possible,” Carter said during a visit to Iraq’s autonomous region of Kurdistan to review an ongoing offensive to retake Mosul from ISIS. “We are working with our partners there (in Syria) to do that,” the US secretary of defence said, adding: “There will be some simultaneity to these two operations.” Iraqi forces launched a huge operation last week to retake Mosul, the last major city in Iraq under ISIS control. The loss of Mosul would leave Raqqa - the de facto capital of the extremists - the only major city still under ISIS control.

ISIS Kirkuk push ends, Yazidis block attack
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Monday, 24 October 2016/A provincial governor said Iraqi security forces on Monday ended an ISIS attack in Kirkuk city, killing at least 74 militants in three days of clashes while Yazidis said they blocked an offensive by the militants in their territory in Sinjar west of Mosul. “The attack is over and life has returned to normal,” Najmeddin Karim, the governor of Kirkuk province, told AFP. He added: “The security forces have killed more than 74 Daesh (IS) terrorists and detained several others, including their leader.”Karim said the initial confessions of the ringleader confirmed reports that around 100 fighters attacked Kirkuk early Friday, some of them sleeper cells that joined up with militants infiltrating the city. Some attackers are also believed to have fled the city on Saturday, later clashing with security forces in rural areas east of Kirkuk. The spectacular attack led to three days of clashes that left at least 46 people dead, mostly members of the security forces, and the Kurdish-controlled city under curfew. The brazen raid on Kirkuk, which lies in an oil-rich area around 240 kilometers (150 miles) north of Baghdad, appeared to be an attempt by IS to divert attention from Mosul.Tens of thousands of Iraqi forces are pressing a week-old offensive on Iraq’s second city, which is also the jihadists’ last major stronghold in the country.
Yazidis block offensive in Sinjar
US-backed Kurdish fighters blocked an offensive launched by ISIS on Monday in Sinjar, a Yazidi territory west of Mosul, a provincial official in the region said. The attack was an apparent bid to distract Iraqi forces attacking Mosul, ISIS’s last major city stronghold in Iraq.ISIS confirmed in an online statement having carried out a suicide attack on a peshmerga position at the western entrance of Sinjar. “It was the most violent attack on Sinjar since a year ago,” Yazidi provincial chief Mahma Xelil told Reuters. ISIS committed some of its worst atrocities in Sinjar when it swept through the Yazidi region two years ago, killing men, kidnapping children and enslaving women. Kurdish fighters took back the region a year ago. Xelil said at least 15 militants were killed in the two-hour battle and a number of vehicles they used in the attack were destroyed, while the peshmerga suffered two wounded. ISIS said two peshmerga vehicles were destroyed and all those on board were killed. Iraqi and Kurdish forces launched an offensive on Mosul a week ago, with air and ground backing from the US-led military coalition. It was from Mosul’s Grand Mosque in 2014 that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a caliphate over parts of Syria and Iraq. The region of Nineveh around Mosul is a mosaic of ethnic and religious groups - Arabs, Turkmen, Kurds, Yazidis, Christians, Sunnis, Shiites - with Sunni Arabs the overwhelming majority. The Yazidis are a religious sect whose beliefs combine elements of several ancient Middle Eastern religions and who speak one of the Kurdish languages. They are considered infidels by the hardline Sunni Islamist militants.
Ongoing fighting in Anbar’s Rutba
ISIS has also “executed” five Iraqis, including members of the security forces, during ongoing fighting in the western town of Rutba, army officers said Monday. Militants launched an attack on Rutba, a remote but strategic town near the Jordanian border in Anbar province, early on Sunday. They briefly seized the mayor’s office before being pinned back by the security forces but were still deployed in some other neighborhoods of the town, the officers said. “Daesh (ISIS) controls Mithaq and Intisar neighborhoods in central Rutba,” an army colonel told AFP.
‘Most US-led strikes yet’
Meanwhile, the US-led coalition battling ISIS has unleashed an unprecedented wave of air strikes in support of Iraq’s operation to retake Mosul, American officials said Monday. A week after Iraqi forces launched the offensive to push ISIS from their last major bastion in the country, the US envoy to the anti-ISIS coalition said on Monday that the air war had reached its highest level yet. “All objectives met thus far and more coalition air strikes than any other 7-day period of war against ISIL,” Brett McGurk said on Twitter, using another acronym for ISIS. “There were 32 strikes with 1,776 munitions delivered against Daesh (ISIS) targets for the week of October 17-October 23,” the spokesman for the coalition, Colonel John Dorrian, told AFP. Dorrian stressed that each strike may include multiple targets over a period of hours. “These engagements destroyed 136 Daesh fighting positions, destroyed 18 tunnels that the enemy has been using to hide and infiltrate areas, and destroyed 26 vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices, among other targets,” he said. US Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter was in Iraq on Saturday and Sunday to review the military operation, the largest in the country since US forces withdrew in 2011.
The United States leads a 60-nation coalition -- which also includes Britain and France -- that has provided support in the form of thousands of air strikes, training for Iraqi forces and advisers on the ground.According to Pentagon figures, the coalition has carried out more than 15,800 strikes since the operation was launched in August 2014, including some 10,200 in Iraq and about 5,600 in Syria. (With Reuters, AFP)

Bombardment on Syria’s Idlib kills 16 civilians
AFP, Idlib/Moscow Monday, 24 October 2016/Sixteen civilians, including three children, were killed on Monday in heavy bombardment across rebel-held Idlib province in northwest Syria, a monitoring group said. In Khan Sheikhun, a town in the province’s south, air strikes killed seven people, including two women and a child, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The Britain-based Observatory said the raids were carried out by either Syrian or Russian aircraft. Another seven people, including four women and two children, were killed in raids on Kafr Takharim, further north in the province. Those raids hit three residential buildings, a local government building, and a stadium, shortly after midnight, AFP’s correspondent in the town said. In the morning, rescue workers were still trying to pull bodies out of the rubble. “My sister’s house was standing right here. She and her daughter are dead, along with another family,” Abu Mohammad told AFP. “There was no military base here. All the military positions are outside the town,” the devastated man said. Another man and a woman were killed in rocket fire in the nearby town of Kafr Awid. Idlib province is controlled by the Army of Conquest, an alliance of rebel groups and militants including the Fateh al-Sham Front, which changed its name from Al-Nusra Front after breaking off ties with Al-Qaeda. According to the Observatory, heavy bombardment has battered the northwest province in recent days. Since Thursday, bombardment has killed 44 civilians, including 11 women, nine children, and one rescue worker. Syria’s conflict broke out in March 2011 with anti-government protests, but it has since evolved into all-out war pitting rebels, government forces, Kurds and militants against each other.
Russia on Aleppo
Russia, blaming failures by the US-led coalition and meagre hopes for diplomacy, on Monday ruled out early moves to renew its ceasefire in Aleppo after a brief truce ended at the weekend. “The question of renewing the humanitarian pause is not relevant now,” deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov told Interfax news agency, in Moscow’s first official comment on why it did not extend the ceasefire further. Heavy fighting resumed in the devastated Syrian city on Saturday after Russia, a government ally, ended its three-day cessation of hostilities. In order to renew the pause, “our opponents must ensure appropriate behaviour by the anti-government groups that in particular sabotaged the medical evacuation that was intended during the humanitarian pause,” Ryabkov said. He chastised the US-led coalition, saying that it was criticizing Damascus and Moscow instead of “really exerting influence on the opposition, the rebels.”
"Over the last three days, what was needed did not happen," he said. Ryabkov also said that he did not see the “conditions” for ministerial-level negotiations on Syria before the US elections on Nov. 8, after a Lausanne meeting on October 15 that ended with no breakthrough. “It’s almost no time until the US elections. To be honest, I don’t see the conditions for a ministerial meeting,” he said, insisting that Damascus and Moscow were fulfilling international agreements. The Kremlin had hailed the humanitarian ceasefire as a “manifestation of goodwill” as it faced mounting criticism over its bombing of rebel-held eastern Aleppo in support of a brutal regime offensive on the city. But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday questioned the viability of humanitarian pauses under current conditions in comments to journalists. So far the US-led coalition has not managed to separate moderate rebels from hardline “terrorist” groups, he said, and attacks continued “all these days” on checkpoints for exiting the city and the main routes for supplies of humanitarian aid. “All this is far from helpful, either for the pauses or the process of supplying humanitarian aid,” Peskov said. The Kremlin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier expressed concern at the small numbers of civilians and fighters leaving the city, with only a handful reported to have crossed through a single passage. Lavrov on Friday accused fighters from the Fateh al-Sham Front and influential Islamist Ahrar al-Sham group of obstructing the departure of civilians and combatants prepared to leave, saying they used “threats, blackmail and brute force.”

ISIS ‘executes’ five Iraqis in western town: army
AFP, Baghdad Monday, 24 October 2016/ISIS “executed” five Iraqis, including members of the security forces, during ongoing fighting in the western town of Rutba, army officers said Monday. Militants launched an attack on Rutba, a remote but strategic town near the Jordanian border in Anbar province, early on Sunday. They briefly seized the mayor’s office before being pinned back by the security forces but were still deployed in some other neighborhoods of the town, the officers said. “Daesh (ISIS) controls Mithaq and Intisar neighborhoods in central Rutba,” an army colonel told AFP. “They captured people -- civilians and policemen -- and executed them,” he said. “At least five people were executed” on Sunday, the colonel said. Lieutenant General Ismail al-Mahalawi, head of the Operations Command for the western Anbar province, confirmed the executions but said Iraqi forces were regaining the upper hand. “Military units from the (army) 8th division and a brigade from Anbar Operations Command moved to Rutba, redeploying there to clear the positions Daesh control in the city,” he said. The attack on Rutba was seen as a fresh attempt by ISIS to draw attention and Iraqi military resources away from Mosul, which is their last major stronghold in the country. Tens of thousands of Iraqi forces launched an offensive on Mosul a week ago. ISIS is vastly outnumbered and the outcome of the battle appears to be in little doubt. The militants are offering stiff resistance however and launching attacks elsewhere in the country to mobilize Iraqi forces on several fronts. On Friday, dozens of jihadist fighters launched a spectacular attack on the Kurdish-controlled city of Kirkuk that killed at least 46 people, most of them members of the security forces. The Joint Operations Command overseeing the fight against ISIS in Iraq said that jihadists launched their attack on Rutba at dawn on Sunday. After forcing the attackers out of the mayor’s office, Iraqi forces destroyed 12 ISIS vehicles, killing their occupants, the JOC said in a statement. Iraqi forces have in recent months retaken a lot of ground from ISIS in Anbar, a vast Sunni province which has long been considered an insurgent bastion and has borders with Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. ISIS fighters only control areas near the Syria border but are still able to move in desert areas and harass government forces in the province’s town and cities.

Iraqi lawmaker, rights group urge inquiry into mosque attack
Reuters, Baghdad Monday, 24 October 2016/An Iraqi lawmaker has called on her government to investigate a suspected air strike at a Shiite mosque during fighting in nearby Kirkuk last week, saying US-led forces could have been involved - a suggestion dismissed by the coalition. Human Rights Watch echoed the call from Shiite Muslim MP Hanan al-Fatlawi for an enquiry, saying on Monday only Iraqi and US-led coalition forces were known to carry out air attacks in the region. Iraq’s army said it was investigating. The multiplication of forces involved in the conflicts in Iraq and neighboring Syria has raised fears of accidental strikes and confrontations on an increasingly complex battlefield. Fatlawi said the attack killed 15 women on Friday in Daquq, a town near the northern oil city Kirkuk which ISIS militants were attacking at the time. HRW said 13 women and children were killed and at least 45 wounded. A Reuters correspondent said there were aircraft, mostly helicopters, flying over the Kirkuk area on the day as mostly Kurdish militant forces fought off ISIS assault. “I can definitely tell you that the coalition did not conduct this airstrike in Daquq,” a spokesman for the US-led coalition in Baghdad said. There was also no evidence, he added, to link the Daquq incident to air strikes that the coalition was carrying out further north, supporting an Iraqi government and Peshmerga assault on ISIS stronghold of Mosul. The Shiite lawmaker Fatlawi said she did not believe forces from Iraq’s government - which is led by Shiite groups - would have attacked the mosque and said neighbor Turkey might also be involved. “We want the government to clarify the identity of the airplanes, if they are Turkish or belong to the international coalition,” she said in a statement on Saturday. There was no immediate comment from authorities in Ankara. Turkey has launched airstrikes on what it says are Kurdish military positions over the border in Iraq, but not as far into the country as Kirkuk.Turkey has deployed troops north of Mosul to train Sunni fighters for the battle to capture the city. Iraq’s government has demanded those Turkish troops withdraw.

Iran sides with Iraq in dispute with Turkey
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Monday, 24 October 2016/Iran said on Monday Turkey should get permission from Iraq’s government to participate in the operation to take back Mosul from ISIS - a statement with which Tehran waded into a dispute over the presence of Turkish troops in northern Iraq. “It is not acceptable at all if a country, under the pretext of combating terrorism or any other crimes, tries to violate the sovereignty” of another country, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said on Monday. Some 500 Turkish troops stationed at a base near Mosul are training Iraqi Sunni and Kurdish forces that are taking part in the offensive, which began a week ago. The Shiite-led government in Baghdad says the Turks are there without permission and has ordered them out. Turkey has refused, insisting it play a role in the offensive to retake Mosul, a Sunni-majority city. Shiite-majority Iran is a close ally of the Baghdad government.
Iraq denies Turkish participation
Meanwhile, Iraq’s joint operations command on Monday denied Turkey was participating in military operations to retake the northern city of Mosul from ISIS. “The spokesman of the Joint Operations Command denies Turkish participation of any kind in operations for the liberation of Nineveh,” a statement said, referring to the Iraqi province of which Mosul is the capital. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told reporters on Sunday that Turkish troops stationed outside Mosul had provided support “with artillery, tanks and howitzers” following a request by Kurdish peshmerga forces. Thousands of peshmerga forces are currently involved in a massive push in the Bashiqa area northeast of Mosul, where Turkey has a military base. The forces of the autonomous Kurdish region, whose leader has close ties with Turkey, have complained recently that the US-led coalition’s air support as insufficient. Turkey had repeatedly stated it wanted a part in the massive operation to retake Mosul, ISIS’s last major stronghold in Iraq.
Turkey strikes ISIS, Kurdish militias
In Syria, meanwhile, Turkey’s military struck dozens of ISIS and Kurdish YPG militia targets over the last 24 hours, depriving both groups of the ability to move around, the army said on Monday, as its operation there entered
a third month.
Backed by Turkish tanks, special forces and air strikes, rebels fighting under the banner of the Free Syrian Army crossed into northern Syria on Aug. 24 and took control of the border town of Jarablus from ISIS largely unopposed. In the latest moves in the operation, dubbed “Euphrates Shield”, strikes by “fire support vehicles” hit 27 ISIS targets and 19 belonging to the YPG, leaving both groups “without maneuvering capacity”, the written statement said. Erdogan said on Saturday the Turkish-backed forces would press on to the ISIS-held town of al-Bab, emphasizing Ankara’s drive to sweep its militants and Syrian Kurdish fighters from territory near its border. The Syrian military said the presence of Turkish troops on Syrian soil was unacceptable and a “dangerous escalation and flagrant breach of Syria’s sovereignty.”Erdogan also said Turkey would do what was necessary with its coalition partners in Syria’s Raqqa, but would not work with the Syrian Kurdish fighters. The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), designated a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies, has fought a three-decade insurgency that has killed more than 40,000 people, mostly Kurds, in Turkey’s largely Kurdish southeast.(With AFP, AFP)

UAE jails Sudanese for plot to kill expats, promoting ISIS
AFP, Abu Dhabi Monday, 24 October 2016/An Emirati court on Monday jailed a Sudanese man for 10 years for planning a bomb attack aimed at killing foreigners in the Gulf country, local media reported. The Federal Supreme Court also convicted the defendant on charges of supporting ISIS on social media, The National daily reported. “Prosecutors said he was inspired by the terrorist group’s ideology,” the Abu Dhabi newspaper added on its website. The official WAM news agency confirmed that an “Arab national was convicted of planning a terrorist act and creating online accounts to promote Daesh (ISIS)” and was jailed for 10 years. Another daily, Gulf News, reported that the same court on Monday sentenced a Pakistani man to 10 years in prison for “financing the terrorist organizations Daesh and Al-Qaeda.” The United Arab Emirates is a member of the US-led coalition that has been bombing ISIS militants in Iraq and Syria since September 2014. Authorities in the Gulf state have enacted anti-terror legislation, including the death penalty and harsher jail terms for crimes linked to religious hatred and extremist groups.

Kuwait has ‘a lot to do’ to choke off ISIS funding
AFP, Kuwait City Monday, 24 October 2016/Kuwait still needs to do more to combat the financing of militants, a top Kuwaiti official said Monday at a meeting aimed at choking off funding for ISIS. “We still have a lot to do, though we are satisfied with what we have done so far,” Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled al-Jarallah told reporters on the sideline of a meeting of the Counter-ISIL Finance Group (CIFG) in Kuwait City. “We are ready to cooperate with our brothers and friends,” he said, responding to US criticism of Kuwait and Qatar over their steps to cut the financing of militants.
Formed early last year, CIFG is led by the United States, Italy and Saudi Arabia and is made up of over 35 countries and four international bodies. Jarallah said Kuwait “has come a long way in introducing legislation that controls the collection of (charity) donations,” a suspected channel of funding extremists. The CIFG takes a global approach to undermining the flow of funds to the jihadist group, according to Adam Szubin, US Treasury's acting Under Secretary on Countering the Financing of Terrorism. Szubin said last week that the meeting in Kuwait City aims “to share information and continue developing and coordinating countermeasures against ISIL’s (ISIS) financial activity worldwide.”He said the Treasury was working closely with Kuwait and Qatar in particular to strengthen the technical side of the fight against terrorism finance, but “there is room for improvement.”Szubin said the effort to choke off funding was showing some success. ISIS fighters had been abandoning the fight “as their pay and benefits have been cut and delayed, in what ISIL members in Mosul are calling a ‘recession’,” he said, referring to Iraq’s battle to recapture the city from militants.

Iran’s top Quran reciter to face court over child rapes
By Staff writer Al Arabiya News English Monday, 24 October 2016/The spokesman for Iran’s judiciary , GholamHussein Mohsseni Aaiiji said that the case against Said Tossi , the prominent Quran reciter accused of raping 19 children of his students , was passed to an expert judge to decide and rule . During a press conference, Aiiji emphasized that the court charged Tossi with “ advocating corruptions” , after 4 victims filed complaints against him . While Iran's judiciary aide confirmed that the trial will not be made public, sources close to the reformists say that the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution is planning to assassinate Tossi , to preserve the leadership reputation and put an end to the scandal. In a statement issued two days ago , Tossi denied all the charges against him , which resulted in a massive circulation of court documents such as the audio testimonies of the victims, and children talking about how he raped them when he was overseeing their participation in international Quaranic competitions . Reformist sources say that Tossi threatened to leak the names of 100 of Iran’s high profile officials also implicated in raping and molesting children , if he was prosecuted. Said Tossi who is 46 year old , is the representative of Iran at the International Quranic competitions and winner of the first prize both locally and internationally. He is extremely closed to the supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and currently accused of raping 19 of his students over the past years, when they were 12 and 14.

Saudi Arabia’s founding king’s advice to Syrians
Staff writer, AlArabiya.net Monday, 24 October 2016/During the late part of his reign, Saudi Arabia’s founding King urged the Syrians to unify and maintain solidarity after colonialism, in remarks that were remembered by Saudi writer Mshari Al Thaydi published in an article in Asharq al-Awsat newspaper. The late Saudi King Abdulaziz al-Saud’s advice was first published in the first issue of Dhahran News newspaper dated December 26, 1954 – one year after he passed away in November of 1953. During its coverage of the late King’s visit to Egypt, the newspaper reported that his advice for solidarity came during his meeting with a delegation of Syrian journalists. The late King was quoted as saying: “I heard that the Syrians talk a lot, but they never agree, a statement I have out passed due to my conviction that Damascus is the core of Arab movement.”He addressed the Syrians directly, saying: “When I urge for action and unity, it is for the sake of your country. I have no aspiration to rule Syria, I want it a fully independent and sovereign state, hence my advice for you is to work together. I (bestow myself) for the Arabs in general and for Syria particularly.”In five years of the Syrian civil war, 400,000 have been killed and another 70,000 have perished due to a lack of basics such as clean water and healthcare. *This article first appeared on AlArabiya.net.

Saudi King Salman held talks with Sudan’s president in Riyadh
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Monday, 24 October 2016/Saudi King Salman held talks on Monday with Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir at his palace in Riyadh, the state-owned Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. The two “reviewed brotherly relations, prospects of bilateral cooperation in all fields, and latest developments in the region,” SPA said. The session was attended by high-level Saudi officials including minister of state and the minister of national guard.

Plane crashes after takeoff in Malta, killing all five on board
The Associated Press Monday, 24 October 2016/A light aircraft crashed after taking off from Malta's main airport early on Monday, killing all five people on board, officials there said, in the island nation's worst peacetime air accident. Airport sources initially said the plane was believed to be carrying officials from European Union border agency Frontex. But the organization later said none of its staff was involved. A military source at Malta International Airport said all five victims were French, though the French foreign ministry said it could not yet confirm that. Television footage showed flames rising from wreckage near the runway, sending thick black smoke into the sky. Staff said investigations had begun and the aerodrome was closed until further notice. Several flights have been diverted to Sicily, many delayed and some cancelled.

Saudi Arabia’s founding king’s advice to Syrians
Staff writer, AlArabiya.net Monday, 24 October 2016/During the late part of his reign, Saudi Arabia’s founding King urged the Syrians to unify and maintain solidarity after colonialism, in remarks that were remembered by Saudi writer Mshari Al Thaydi published in an article in Asharq al-Awsat newspaper. The late Saudi King Abdulaziz al-Saud’s advice was first published in the first issue of Dhahran News newspaper dated December 26, 1954 – one year after he passed away in November of 1953. During its coverage of the late King’s visit to Egypt, the newspaper reported that his advice for solidarity came during his meeting with a delegation of Syrian journalists. The late King was quoted as saying: “I heard that the Syrians talk a lot, but they never agree, a statement I have out passed due to my conviction that Damascus is the core of Arab movement.”He addressed the Syrians directly, saying: “When I urge for action and unity, it is for the sake of your country. I have no aspiration to rule Syria, I want it a fully independent and sovereign state, hence my advice for you is to work together. I (bestow myself) for the Arabs in general and for Syria particularly.”In five years of the Syrian civil war, 400,000 have been killed and another 70,000 have perished due to a lack of basics such as clean water and healthcare. *This article first appeared on AlArabiya.net.

Three days of mourning declared after Qatar’s former Emir dies
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Monday, 24 October 2016/Three days of mourning has been announced in Qatar following the death of the former Emir Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al-Thani at the age of 83. The late emir ruled Qatar from 1972 until 1995 when his son Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, the father of Qatar’s current emir Sheikh Tamim, took over. Sheikh Hamad handed power in 2013 to his son, the current Emir Sheikh Tamim. Qatar is small, with 2.5 million people, but is the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, a global investment powerhouse and heavy hitter in Middle East diplomacy and international media.

US general: Shoddy leaders contribute to rising Afghan military death rate
AFP, Kabul Monday, 24 October 2016/Basic leadership failures in many Afghan police and military units are helping drive casualty rates to ever-higher levels, the top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan warned Sunday. Afghan forces are nearing the end of their second year providing security across their war-torn country, after NATO moved into an advisory and training role. The toll on the Afghan forces has been devastating: An estimated 5,000 were killed in 2015, primarily in fights with a resurgent Taliban, and another 15,000 were injured. This year promises to be worse still. “We are very concerned about the casualty rate ... This year has been the same, or slightly higher, depending on the unit and region,” US Army General John Nicholson told reporters. “One of the principal factors for the high casualties has been the leadership, the failures of leadership at certain levels. Primarily this has been in the police and to a lesser extent the army.” Speaking from the NATO headquarters in Kabul, the four-star general said street-level soldiers were performing as best they could, but were frequently left vulnerable by the shoddy performance of higher-ups and sometimes didn't even have the basic supplies they need to fight. “These young police officers who are out dying on the checkpoints don’t always have enough food, or water, or ammunition and their leader may not be with them,” Nicholson told reporters.

The delegation of Iran's Resistance attended the International Conference held in Prague
Monday, 24 October 2016/NCRI - The annual Forum 2000 Conference was held in Prague with the presence of political and religious leaders, prominent social figures and human rights defenders from different countries as well as the delegation of Iran's Resistance.The International Forum 2000 Conference began from 17th of October and continued till the 19th in the historic Žofín Palace of Prague. The conference entitled "Who are the future leaders? ; The courage for taking responsibility". Many figures participated in this conference such as the Tibet's spiritual leader, Dalai Lama, the former ministers of Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia; the famous chess champion Garry Kasparov and the chairman of the human rights Foundation against dictatorships. The Council of Resistance of Iran consists of Parviz Khazai and Hossein Abedini who are the representatives of NCRI in Nordic countries and England respectively. By participating in various sessions of the conference, the NCRI representatives raised the stances of Iran's Resistance on different issues and they emphasized the importance of the litigation movement that demands a trial for the perpetrators of the Massacre of 1988 as well as the violators of the human rights.
During the conference, the delegation of NCRI met with a number of leaders and figures and they talked about the situation of human rights in Iran as well as the litigation movement. At a conference entitled "the Globalization and Current Challenges", the Tibet's spiritual leader, Dalai Lama also participated. In this conference, Parviz Khazai in a speech said:"the religious fundamentalism has not begun from Syria or elsewhere. It started from Iran when Khomeini established an Islamic regime. We have to support Mrs. Maryam Rajavi who is a Muslim woman that has stood against fundamentalism. We are trying to disclose the real face of the Mullahs' regime that exploits the Islam wrongfully and unjustly."In a seminar which was devoted to the discussion of despotic regimes, the former Minister of Justice in Canada, Irwin Cotler referred to the massacre of 1988 and stated:"the massacre of 1988 was carried out by those who are currently in power in Iran including the Minister of Justice, Mostafa Pourmohammadi. That's why we're calling for an investigation into the massacre of 1988.On the 1st of September in Canada, we unanimously commemorate the political prisoners and those who have been executed in Iran at that time and that's why we also have a week entitled as:" auditing the Iran's regime" in order to focus on the internal repressions in Iran."In this meeting, Hossein Abedini also stressed on the need to facilitate the litigation movement for bringing the perpetrators of the Massacre of 1988 to trial.

Ahmad Shaheed Submits his latest Report on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran to the UN
Monday, 24 October 2016/NCRI - Ahmad Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, has submitted his latest report to the UN General Assembly’s 3rd committee. In terms of time period, the report covers January 1st 2016 to mid August 2016. Mr. Shaheed says that during this period he has sent 23 letters on human rights to the Islamic Republic officials. In his 45-minute speech in the 3rd committee of the UN General Assembly, Ahmad Shaheed raised the most important human rights issues in Iran, including increased executions, keeping hundreds of prisoners of conscience, difficulties and obstacles to the freedom of speech, pressures on the press and journalists, violating the rights of religious and ethnic minorities, especially followers of the Baha’i Faith. The UN reporter has criticized the performance of Iranian regime’s organizations in issues like providing people with the freedom of speech and thought, the right to freedom of association and assembly, as well as the rights of women and children, dual citizens, and political and social activists and workers. Regarding the freedom of speech, Dr. Shaheed criticizes the current restrictions in Iran and writes: “from January 2016 to date, 15 journalists and bloggers have been arrested and five million websites have been blocked in Iran, which are the main obstacles to the freedom of speech.” On the number of executions, it has been stressed in Ahmad Shaheed’s report that from January 1, 2016, to the 3rd week of July the same year, between 241 to 253 executions have been carried out in Iran which is significantly less compared to the same period in 2015. Ahmad Shaheed announced that the number of executions in 2015 has been between 966 to 1054. In his speech, Mr. Shaheed criticized the easy issuance of death sentences, even for crimes which are not classified as serious crimes, such as murder. The UN Reporter on Iran’s human rights situation, however, writes that the number of executions in recent months has had an increasing rate and that the executions have been mostly drug-related. Ahmad Shaheed welcomed in his speech the release of a number of political prisoners and leave (temporary release) of some others and demanded that for completing his reports be allowed to visit Iran. During the assembly, the representative of Canada criticized Iran for not allowing the UN reporter to travel to Iran. It should be pointed out that Ahmad Shaheed’s mission will come to an end at the end of the present review of Iran’s human rights records, and according to reports, the Pakistani ‘Asemeh Jahangir’, a longtime human rights activist, will be the new UN Rapparteur on human rights in Iran.

Migrants Start Evacuating Calais 'Jungle' ahead of Demolition
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 24/16/Migrants carrying suitcases and bundles of possessions began leaving the Calais "Jungle" on Monday ahead of the demolition of the camp that has served as a launchpad for attempts to sneak into Britain. A group of Sudanese and Eritrean migrants, mostly men, queued in the early morning darkness outside a hangar where the camp's 6,000-8,000 occupants will be sorted into groups and put on buses for shelters across France.A first coachload carrying 50 Sudanese left at about 8:45 am (0645 GMT), heading for the Burgundy region of east central France. The clearance operation is expected to last three days after which the sprawling shantytown -- one of the biggest in Europe -- will be razed. "I feel very happy, I've had enough of the Jungle," said 25-year-old Abbas from Sudan, who was bundled up in a woolly hat and coat against the cold. "There are a lot of people who don't want to leave. There might be problems later. That's why I came out first," he added. The settlement situated on wasteland next to Calais port, where migrants have established camps for over a decade, has become a symbol of Europe's failure to resolve the worst migration crisis in its post-war history. Aid agencies have warned that some migrants could try resist being relocated and more than 1,200 police officers are being deployed to prevent any unrest. Police fired tear gas to disperse migrants at various points around the camp on Sunday night. Riots erupted when French authorities razed the southern half of the settlement in March. Bashir, 25, also from Sudan, began queueing at 4:00 am (0200 GMT), four hours before the hangar serving as a bus station opened. "Anywhere in France would be better than the Jungle", he said with a smile.

- Giving up on Britain -The closure of the camp is aimed at relieving tensions in the Calais area, where clashes between police and migrants trying to climb onto trucks heading to Britain are an almost nightly occurrence. Hours before the evacuation began some migrants were still clinging to hopes of a new life across the Channel. "They'll have to force us to leave. We want to go to Britain," said Karhazi, a young Afghan, among many of the migrants with contacts in Britain. A Syrian man named Sam who spent 13 months in the Jungle told AFP he had fled the camp at the weekend to another site about 12 kilometres (seven miles) away where he said "dozens" of migrants were hiding out to avoid being moved. French authorities have said those who agree to be moved can apply for asylum in France. "We have yet to convince some people to accept accommodation and give up their dream of Britain. That's the hardest part," Didier Leschi, head of the French immigration office OFII, told AFP.
- Children fast-tracked -Flyers distributed by French officials on Sunday instructed the migrants in Arabic, Tigrinya, Pashto and other languages to gather from 8:00 am. They will be separated into four groups for families, single men, unaccompanied minors and other people considered vulnerable before boarding one of 60 buses which will take them to nearly 300 shelters nationwide. British officials have been racing to process child refugees seeking to be transferred to Britain before they become scattered throughout France. By Saturday, the number of minors given a one-way ticket to Britain under a fast-track process for children launched a week ago stood at 194, according to France Terre d'Asile, a charity helping in the process. Most have relatives across the Channel but 53 girls without family in Britain also left France at the weekend. A spokesman for Britain’s interior ministry confirmed it had begun taking in children "without close family links" in the country. Adult migrants with relatives in Britain have complained about being left out in the cold. Some have vowed to keep trying to stow away on a truck or to jump onto a train entering the Channel Tunnel. Dozens of migrants have died in such attempts.
The dire security and humanitarian situation in the Jungle has been a bone of contention between France and Britain for years. The centre-right front-runner in next year's French presidential election, Alain Juppe, has called for Britain’s border with France, which was extended to Calais under a 2003 accord, to be moved back to British soil.

Hamas Militant Killed in Gaza Tunnel Collapse
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 24/16/A Hamas militant was killed on Monday when a tunnel collapsed in the Gaza Strip, the group's military wing said in a statement. The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades named the man as Amir Jaber Abu Taimeh and said the accident occurred in the town of Khan Yunes. It gave no further details. Over the past few months at least 16 militants have died in tunnel accidents in the strip. Another al-Qassam Brigades member was killed in a collapse near al-Maghazi in the central Gaza Strip on Saturday. Israel accuses Gaza militants of building tunnels for use in attacks against the Jewish state, and destroyed several during the devastating 2014 war with Hamas. The Islamist movement, which controls the coastal enclave, and other militant groups such as Islamic Jihad have a network of tunnels in the Israeli-blockaded territory, both for smuggling and militant purposes. Egypt, which shares a border with Gaza, has also destroyed tunnels Palestinians use to smuggle commercial goods, cash, people and allegedly weapons.

Lieberman: If Hamas forces war on us, it will be their last
Elior Levy/Ynetnews/October 24/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/10/24/elior-levyynetnewslieberman-if-hamas-forces-war-on-us-it-will-be-their-last/
In the rare interview with Al-Quds newspaper, the Israeli defense minister outlined his thoughts on Palestinian statehood, a final peace agreement and Mahmoud Abbas; ‘if they make the decision to stop digging tunnels, smuggling arms and firing rockets at us, we will be the first investors in the rehabilitation of the Gaza Strip.’Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman told a Palestinian newspaper in an interview published Monday that while Israel has no desire to return to Gaza or conquer it, “if they force a new war on us—it will be Hamas’ last because we will completely destroy them.”The interview with Al-Quds—the most popular Palestinian daily West Bank and east Jerusalem—sparked outrage on Palestinian social media. Lieberman outlined an alternative reality for Gaza citizens in which the Gaza-Israel border can be a source of development and prosperity, which can create thousands of new jobs. “There are extremely radical elements in the Gaza Strip who have the destruction of Israel at the top of their priorities,” Lieberman noted. “But I want to be clear: if they make the decision to stop digging tunnels, smuggling arms and firing rockets at us, we will be the first investors in the rehabilitation of the Gaza Strip. We will be the first to invest in a maritime trading port, an airport and an industrial zone. Gaza could one day be the new Hong Kong or Singapore. Hamas invests more than NIS 100 million in military infrastructure instead of in health and education.”Regarding the issue of Palestinian statehood, Lieberman said, “I recognize the two-state solution and I support it, but I think the problem lies with the Palestinian leadership and not Israel. I feel the right principle is not land for peace. I prefer and exchange of territory and population. I do not understand why we need Umm al-Fahm. (Its residents) recognize themselves as Palestinian and do not recognize Israel as a Jewish state. I am referring to (leader of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement) Sheikh Raed Salah and others that see themselves as Palestinian—so please, be part of the Palestinian state.”

Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on on October 24-25/16

Telecommunications Minister Boutros Harb calls on Aoun critics to elect Frangieh
The Daily Star/October 24/16 |
BEIRUT: Telecommunications Minister Boutros Harb Monday urged lawmakers opposed to MP Michel Aoun’s candidacy for president to vote for his rival MP Sleiman Frangieh, instead of casting blank ballots.
Harb told a morning radio talk show he was making an effort to coordinate stances between MPs who oppose Aoun's election.
"I support the election of Frangieh," the minister told Voice of Lebanon station (100.5).
Harb denied having a "personal feud" with any candidate, saying: "The problem is there's someone who violated the Constitutions and paralyzed the country. ... It's shameful to adopt [the nomination] and election of that particular person," referring to Aoun.
"We will not be part of this. Our stance is clear in which we will express our opinion in the ballot box and confirm to people that the head of state isn't appointed but rather elected," Harb added. Aoun, who is the founder of the Free Patriotic Movement, is a key ally of Hezbollah and a member of their March 8 coalition. Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri endorsed his rival Aoun last week following a month of intensive consultations with top Lebanese leaders and as well as regional and global powers, hoping the decision would protect Lebanon and put an end to the 2-1/2-year vacuum in the country’s top Christian post. Hariri’s decision boosts Aoun’s chances of being elected president at the Parliament session scheduled for Oct. 31 against Frangieh, who is the head of the Marada Movement. Hariri had previously supported Frangieh's presidential bid earlier this year.

Turkey Targets Christians
Robert Jones/Gatestone Institute/October 24/16

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9130/turkey-targets-christians
In the last four years, more than 100 Christian pastors and other religious officials have been deported from Turkey, and banned from reentering.
"When Jesus reached 30 years of age, Allah gave him the duty of being a prophet. He then began inviting people to believe in Allah." — Turkish textbook on Christianity.
"[R]eligious minority students are faced with the option of taking the class or sitting alone somewhere else on the school premises during the classes, thus separating them from their peers and singling out their religious differences." — U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, Turkey Textbook Report.
It is high time that the activists of the global "human rights community" condemned or at least publicly discussed this "culture of hate" in the Muslim communities -- and particularly the Christianophobia.
American pastors in Turkey are being arrested hand over fist.
American Pastor Andrew Brunson, of the Resurrection Protestant Church, was arrested in Izmir (Smyrna)on October 7 alongside his wife, Norine Lyn Brunson, for "threatening the national security of Turkey." Brunson is expected to be deported in 15 days. The couple is still being held in detention.
Turkish authorities also seized the residence permit of Ryan D. Keating, an American student pursuing a PhD in the philosophy of religion at Ankara University. Keating is a Christian who heads the Ankara Refugee Ministry for the Kurtulus Church. While he was leaving Turkey for work purposes, he was told at the airport that his residence permit in Turkey had been cancelled in September for "national security", meaning that he will not be able to reenter the country. His wife and children are still in Ankara.
Yet another American Protestant pastor, Patrick Jansen, was not allowed to reenter Gaziantep, where he served. And still another American Protestant was ordered to leave Turkey upon landing at the airport.
They are not the first. In the last four years, more than 100 Christian pastors and other religious officials have been deported from Turkey -- the visas of some of them were not renewed or were completely cancelled. They have been banned from reentering.
Pastor Brunson had also been exposed to an armed attack in front of the church in 2011, by a Turkish Muslim from the city of Manisa who shouted: "Al-Qaeda will bring you to account", called members of the congregation "traitors" and threatened them with "bombing the church in Manisa."
In the meantime, the Protestant Life Bridge Church, in the southern city of Antakya (Antioch), has been closed and sealed upon a complaint of the National Education Directorate and the order of the governor's office for "giving education illegally." The church, officials of which are also American citizens, was giving Bible lessons to its members.
The congregation has started looking for a new place to hold their Sunday services, the Turkish Christian news channel SAT-7 TURK reported on October 8.
The Protestant community in Turkey has been exposed to discrimination and persecution for a long time.
According to a global report by the organization Open Doors,
"Persecution of Christians is more than just physical violence. It is a complex, multifaceted phenomenon that involves many aspects such as various forms of cultural marginalization, government discrimination, hindrances on conversion, interferences on participation in public affairs and restrictions on church life."
According to the 2015 Human Rights Violations Report by the Association of Protestant Churches, Protestants in Turkey are continually exposed to hate crimes, and physical and verbal assaults.
For example, on September 10, 2015, a man went to the Ankara Batıkent Bereket Church, shouted profanities and insults, and struck the church leader. Security forces arrived and took the man to the local police station, where he was released with no action taken.
The man threatened the church leader again, demanding he shut down the church. When the police were notified again, no one came. And when the pastor closed the church and went to the precinct to explain, again no official action was taken.
The Protestant community in Turkey is not recognized as a legal entity, and hence, has no legal right to organize in officially-recognized churches.
The Association of Protestant Churches reported:
The Protestant community has generally tried to solve this issue to setting up associations or becoming a representative of an already existing association. As of 2015, members of the Protestant community have 1 foundation, 35 church associations and 18 representative offices connected to these associations. This association forming process continues. Associations are not accepted as a "church" or a "place of worship." The problem of a religious congregation becoming a legal entity has not been completely solved. The present legal path does not allow for a congregation to obtain a legal personality as a "congregation." ... Thus, small congregations continue to be helpless...
The Protestant Community does not have the right to share its religion freely or to train religious leaders.
Another source of discrimination against Christians in Turkey is the obligatory declaration of faith: "The section for religious affiliation on the identity cards forces people to declare their faith and increases the risk of facing discrimination in every arena of life," according to the Association of Protestant Churches.
There are also problems in education and the compulsory "Religious Culture and Moral Knowledge" class, textbooks of which are dominated by the tenets of Islam and Islamic practices.
Currently, all school children in primary and secondary schools in Turkey must attend the class.
According to the 2015 report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, on the compulsory religious education in Turkey in textbooks, "The characterizations of both Jewish and Christian beliefs, sacred texts, and prophets are done through Islamic beliefs rather than through what Jews and Christians believe themselves."
Teaching the Bible is considered "illegal" by the Turkish authorities, so what are Turkish children are taught about Christianity at school? A brief section in a Turkish textbook describes Christianity as follows:
"When Jesus reached 30 years of age, Allah gave him the duty of being a prophet. He then began inviting people to believe in Allah. At the start, only 12 people believed in his call. They are called the 'disciples.' The holy book of Christianity is Incil [the Gospels]. The four Incils written by and known with the names of their writers as Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are the most famous... Christians accept prophethood of other prophets besides Prophet Muhammad... Christians believe all human beings are born sinners, thus all children are washed with holy water to cleanse from their sins. This is called baptism."
As the report of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom stresses, according to Christian theology, this description is completely false:
The view of Jesus as a prophet is not what Christians believe, but what Muslims believe. Similarly, the holy book of Christians is not only Incil, but the Kutsal Kitap or Kitabı Mukaddes, the Holy Bible, with the Old and New Testaments as the two main parts. Students are not told where the four Gospels, which are part of the New Testament, fit into the Christian Bible. The expression "the most famous" is also confusing, as they are the only ones in the canon of the New Testament; it most likely alludes to the idea that there were Gospels which prophesied Prophet Muhammad but were changed or destroyed by Christians. Similarly, it is not clear what the text means in describing Christians as believing in other prophets besides Muhammad. Also, there is no unanimity in Christianity on the baptism of children, or its meaning regarding salvation from sins.
"In principle, students can be exempted by a simple written request by their guardians to the school authorities, however, in practice this is not always adhered to," added the report.
Religious minorities have reported that some schools refuse exemptions on the premise that there is no other class students can take, and they offer no similar alternative electives specific to the traditions of such children. Instead, religious minority students are faced with the option of taking the class or sitting alone somewhere else on the school premises during the classes, thus separating them from their peers and singling out their religious differences.
For school-age children, such experiences can be traumatic. Thus, many parents of religious minority children continue to let their children take compulsory religious education rather than putting them through such an ordeal at a young age.
The sources of Christian persecution in Turkey are "Islamic extremism and religious nationalism," reported Open Doors. "Islam has become a key feature of Turkish nationalism. Pressure on believers from Muslim backgrounds is especially acute due to the Islamic social environment."
According to the Istanbul Protestant Church Foundation, which primarily consists of Turkish converts to Christianity:
"Christians still face many difficulties as they attempt to be accepted in their own society even though Turkey boasts as being the most pluralistic culture in the Middle East.
"The land of Asia Minor is the historical setting of the first expressions of the Christian faith, widely recorded throughout the New Testament. Today, this land continues to host some of the most ancient churches. However, the Christian presence has shrunk dramatically in the last century due to many adverse circumstances. Today, only less than 0.2% of Turkey's population is Christian. But even this tiny, dwindling minority is still routinely exposed to discrimination on many levels. The historical and current situation of Christians in Turkey and the wider region makes one wonder: Is there no end to Christian-hatred in the Muslim world?
Is there also no end to the Jew-hatred, Alevi-hatred, Yazidi-hatred, atheist-hatred and basically hatred of all non-Muslim groups? Is there no end to the bloodshed between the Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims? It seems that Islamic jihad and Islamic supremacism has created a deeply anti-humanitarian culture in the Muslim world, which has caused the extermination or repression of millions of people.
It also seems that it is high time that the activists of the global "human rights community" condemned or at least publicly discussed this "culture of hate" in Muslim communities -- and particularly the Christianophobia. But apparently because the victims are Christian, these "human rights activists" could not care less.
Whether the U.S. administration will speak out for the American Christians whose rights and religious liberty have been violated in Turkey remains to be seen.
**Robert Jones, an expert on Turkey, is currently based in the UK.
© 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.

No Justice in the Netherlands
Judith Bergman/Gatestone Institute/October 24/16
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9171/geert-wilders-justice
It is deeply troubling that the court already before the criminal trial has even begun, so obviously compromises its own impartiality and objectivity. Are other European courts also quietly submitting to jihadist values of curtailing free speech and "inconvenient" political views?
If you are a politician and concerned about the future welfare of your country, you should be able to discuss the pertinent issues of the day, including problems with immigrants and other population groups.
Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights states that: "Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers..."
In its case law, the Court has stated that Article 10 "...protects not only the information or ideas that are regarded as inoffensive but also those that offend, shock or disturb; such are the demands of that pluralism, tolerance and broad-mindedness without which there is no democratic society. Opinions expressed in strong or exaggerated language are also protected".
Wilders did not incite to violence or prosecution (or humiliation), nor did he jeopardize national security or public safety.
Clearly, in the Netherlands, justice is no longer blind and the courts no longer independent and impartial state institutions.
A court in The Hague decided on October 14 that the charges of hate speech against Dutch politician Geert Wilders, for statements he made in March 2014 at a political rally, are admissible in a court of law. It thereby rejected the Wilders' appeal to throw out the charges as inadmissible in a court of law on the grounds that these are political issues and that a trial would in fact amount to a political process. The criminal trial against Wilders will begin on Monday, October 31.
While campaigning in The Hague in March 2014, Wilders argued the need for fewer Moroccans in the Netherlands. At an election meeting in The Hague, he asked those present a number of questions, one of which was "Do you want more or fewer Moroccans?" After the crowd responded "fewer" Wilders said, "We're going to organize that."Geert Wilders during his March 2014 speech, where he asked "Do you want more or fewer Moroccans?" (Image source: nos.nl video screenshot)
Because of the "fewer Moroccans" statements, repeated again in an interview a few days later, Wilders will be prosecuted on two counts: First for "deliberately insulting a group of people because of their race." Second, for "inciting hatred or discrimination against these people."Wilders' defense attorney, Geert Jan Knoops, has argued that the trial amounts to a political trial against Wilders and his party, the PVV: "Sensitive issues must be judged by public opinion or through the ballot box,", Knoops said "The Prosecutor is indirectly asking for a ruling over the functioning of the PVV and its political program. The court must not interfere with this."
As a politician, Wilders can say more than an ordinary citizen, Knoops said, arguing that Wilders used his statements to point out shortcomings in the Dutch state. "It is his duty to name shortcomings. He takes that responsibility and proposes solutions." Knoops argued that the prosecutor is limiting Wilders' freedom of speech by prosecuting him for his statements.
The court's response was that although politicians are entitled to freedom of expression, they should "avoid public statements that feed intolerance" and that the trial would determine where the border lies between politicians' freedom of expression and their obligation, as the court sees it, to avoid public statements that feed intolerance.
Other politicians, notably all from the Labour Party, have uttered the following about Moroccans without being prosecuted:
"We also have sh*t Moroccans over here." -- Rob Oudkerk, a Dutch Labour Party (PvDA) politician.
"We must humiliate Moroccans." -- Hans Spekman, PvDA politician.
"Moroccans have the ethnic monopoly on trouble-making." -- Diederik Samsom, PvDA politician.
The court discarded Wilders' defense attorney's argument that the failure to prosecute any of these politicians renders the trial against Wilders discriminatory. The court said that because of the different time, place and context of the statements of other politicians, they cannot be equated with the statements of Mr. Wilders and for that reason, the court considers that there has been no infringement of the principle of equality.
The statements of those other politicians, however, were, objectively speaking, far worse in their use of language ("sh*t Moroccans") and what could be considered direct incitement ("We must humiliate Moroccans"). What other time, place and context could possibly make the above statements more acceptable than asking whether voters would like more or fewer Moroccans? And what circumstances render it legitimate to call someone "sh*t" because of their ethnic origin?
It is deeply troubling that the court already in its preliminary ruling, and before the criminal trial itself has even begun, so obviously compromises its own impartiality and objectivity. To the outside world, this court no longer appears impartial. Are other European courts also quietly submitting to jihadist values of curtailing free speech and "inconvenient" political views?
The Netherlands is a party to the European Convention of Human Rights. This means that Dutch courts are obligated to interpret domestic legislation in a way compatible with the ECHR and the case law of the European Court on Human Rights. Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights states:
1. Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers...
2. The exercise of these freedoms, since it carries with it duties and responsibilities, may be subject to such formalities, conditions, restrictions or penalties as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society, in the interests of national security, territorial integrity or public safety, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, for the protection of the reputation or rights of others, for preventing the disclosure of information received in confidence, or for maintaining the authority and impartiality of the judiciary.
In its case law, the European Court of Human Rights has stated[1] that Article 10
"...protects not only the information or ideas that are regarded as inoffensive but also those that offend, shock or disturb; such are the demands of that pluralism, tolerance and broad-mindedness without which there is no democratic society. Opinions expressed in strong or exaggerated language are also protected".
Even more important in the context of the trial against Wilders is the fact that according to the European Court of Human Rights' case law,
"...the extent of protection depends on the context and the aim of the criticism. In matters of public controversy or public interest, during political debate, in electoral campaigns... strong words and harsh criticism may be expected and will be tolerated to a greater degree by the Court". [emphasis added]
Let us review what Wilders said and the context in which he said it: "Do you want more or fewer Moroccans?" After the crowd responded "fewer" Wilders said, "We're going to organize that." He repeated that statement in a subsequent interview, where he said, "The fewer Moroccans, the better."
The context in which he said it was an election campaign in March 2014 against the backdrop of considerable problems with Moroccans in the Netherlands. According to Dutch journalist Timon Dias:
Statistics show that 65% of all Moroccan youths have been arrested by police, and that one third of that group have been arrested more than five times.
Wilders emphasizes the inordinate costs associated with the disproportionately high number of Dutch Moroccans registered as social welfare beneficiaries and who are implicated in welfare fraud.
Now, if you are a politician and concerned about the future welfare of your country, you should, logically, be able to discuss the pertinent issues of the day, including existing problems with immigrants and other population groups. This discussion will only make sense in a democratic society if it takes place in public, and certainly with voters at a political rally during an election campaign. Asking whether voters want fewer Moroccans in their city or country may seem crude to some and offensive to others. However, in the light of the case law of the European Human Rights Court, which specifically protects political speech with a very wide margin, especially that of political actors and political campaigns, it is very difficult to see, if not impossible, how the question Wilders posed could legitimately be covered by article 10 (2).
According to article 10 (2), freedom of speech can be limited when
"necessary in a democratic society, in the interests of national security, territorial integrity or public safety, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, for the protection of the reputation or rights of others, for preventing the disclosure of information received in confidence, or for maintaining the authority and impartiality of the judiciary."
Wilders did not incite to violence or prosecution (or humiliation), nor did he jeopardize national security or public safety or any of the other concerns noted above.
It is more difficult to see how the statement, "We must humiliate Moroccans" by Labour politician Hans Spekman, who was not prosecuted, could be legitimized, as it constitutes direct incitement to some form of humiliating action towards Moroccans. Then again, Hans Spekman is not Geert Wilders.
Clearly, in the Netherlands, justice is no longer blind and the courts no are longer independent and impartial state institutions. This should deeply concern all Dutch citizens.
Judith Bergman is a writer, columnist, lawyer and political analyst.
[1] Monica Macovei: A guide to the implementation of Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, p 16, (Human rights handbooks, No. 2, 2004).
© 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.

Liberal Submission: Protect Islam, Defame Christianity
Giulio Meotti//Gatestone Institute/October 24/16
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9131/protect-islam-defame-christianity
If an imam violently protests something, the liberal elite always supports the false charge of "Islamophobia." If a peaceful protest is led by a Catholic bishop, the same elite always rejects it under the name of "freedom of expression."
The "Caliph" of the Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, ridiculed by Charlie Hebdo, triggered self-censorship because of "hate speech," while the work of Chris Ofili "The Holy Virgin Mary," in which the mother of Jesus is covered with feces and images of genitalia, was defended by the New York Times as "free speech." Does this now mean that some religions are more equal than others?
On Halloween night, only the "Sexy Nun" is available, while "Caliph" Baghdadi can rape his Yazidi and Christian sex slaves with impunity.
The world's biggest shopping portal, Amazon, sells many Halloween costumes. One of the novelties in 2016 has been the "Sexy Burka", the typical obscurantist cloak that the Taliban and the Islamic State impose on women. But the sexy burqa, which on Amazon UK was priced at £18.99, did not last long.
The commercial colossus of Jeff Bezos removed the item from the website, after Amazon had been swamped with accusations of "racism", "Islamophobia," of marketing an Islamic garment with the white face of a model and using "a religious garment for commercial purposes". "You are disgusting, my culture is not your costume", wrote many users of the Islamic faith. Others used a less adorable tone: "Whoever you are, you should fear Allah. This is not a joke."
A spokesman for Amazon promptly responded: "All Marketplace sellers must follow our selling guidelines and those who don't will be subject to action including potential removal of their account. The product in question is no longer available".
So that Halloween parody of the global symbol of female oppression has been censored. It is because Islamic veils contradict Western values of freedom, equality and human dignity so totally that this relativistic progressive mentality defends these Islamic veils, as it does the burkini, with loyalty.
But here also lies a double standard. What about the "Sexy Nun" Halloween costume that mocks the Catholic Church? Despite the protests of many Catholics customers, the "Sexy Nun" is still on sale at Amazon. Is it not a form of "Christianophobia"? Also, a nun is a religious figure, while a burqa is mere cloth.
Spot the offensive costume -- or the hypocrisy. Online retailer Amazon removed the "Sexy Burka" costume (left) after accusations of "Islamophobia." But despite the protests of many Catholics customers, the "Sexy Nun" (right) is still on sale at Amazon.
Take The Guardian, the most famous British liberal-left newspaper. When the Pussy Riot performers put on their supposedly offensive 3-minute show in Moscow's Christ the Saviour Cathedral, for which two of the three performers served jail time rather than repudiate the text (the third apologized to avoid jail), the paper defended them as "pure protest poetry." When the political group PEGIDA called to protest against Islamization in Germany, the same media blasted it as "a vampire we must slay." The same double standard also emerged during the battle to build a mosque near Ground Zero, when the liberal media sided with the Muslim community.
In January 2006, Norway's most famous cartoonist, Finn Graff, announced that he was censoring himself over Mohammed. Graff never had a problem in making fun of Christians, whom he depicted as wearing brown shirts and swastikas. Graff had also penned a number of controversial drawings against Israel, one of which showed the Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin as the commander of a Nazi concentration camp.
The same happened with German-American filmmaker Roland Emmerich, director of many disaster movies. He abandoned a plan to obliterate Islam's holiest site on the big screen for fear of attracting a fatwa (religious opinion) calling for his death. For his movie, "2012", Emmerich wanted to demolish the Kaaba, the iconic cube-shaped structure in the Grand Mosque in Mecca. "You can actually let Christian symbols fall apart, but if you would do this with [an] Arab symbol, you would have ... a fatwa", Emmerich said. At least he was honest.
After the massacre of most of the staff at the French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo, all major Western liberal newspapers, television networks and photo agencies, starting with the "Big Three" (MSNBC, CNN and AP), competed in justifying their shameful decision to censor the cover of Charlie Hebdo, in which the Islamic Prophet Mohammed says "all is forgiven." CNN said it might offend "the sensitivities of a Muslim audience." One year later, when Charlie Hebdo published a new cover depicting a Judeo-Christian "killer God" rather than the Islamic Prophet, CNN showed it.
In 2015, the BBC described the Charlie Hebdo's cover but did not show it, a choice that the British network did not repeat a year later when Charlie Hebdo released the new anti-Christian cover. The same double standard came from the British conservative paper the Daily Telegraph, which cut the cover with the caricature of Mohammed but published one with an Abrahamic God.
The Associated Press in 2015 censored the Islamic cartoons of Charlie Hebdo as well. The reason? "Deliberately provocative." In 2016, the agency had no trouble in showing the new cover depicting not Mohammed but the Judeo-Christian God.
This double standard of the liberal elite had also emerged at the New York Times, which out of "respect" towards the Muslim faith censored the Mohammed caricatures of Charlie Hebdo -- only to decide, in total disrespect, that the Gray Lady could and should publish the work "Eggs Benedict" by Nikki Johnson, exhibited at the Milwaukee Art Museum, in which condoms of various colors form the face of Pope Benedict XVI.
The "Caliph" of the Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, ridiculed by Charlie Hebdo, triggered self-censorship because of "hate speech," while the work of Chris Ofili "The Holy Virgin Mary," in which the mother of Jesus is covered with feces and images of genitalia, was defended by the New York Times as "free speech." Does this now mean that some religions are more equal than others?
If an imam violently protests something, the liberal elite always supports the false charge of "Islamophobia." If a peaceful protest is led by a Catholic bishop, the same elite always rejects it under the name of "freedom of expression."
Forget the "Sexy Burqa." On Halloween night, only the "Sexy Nun" is available, while "Caliph" Baghdadi can rape his Yazidi and Christian sex slaves with impunity.
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.

Reading into Morocco’s successes
Eyad Abu Shakra/Al Arabiya/October 24/16
An advice given to me by a dear late friend keeps coming to mind when I discuss politics. He said: “Beware, Eyad, of a politician who knows only politics and likes nothing but politics!”
He was absolutely right; and after getting to chance to meet with politicians all over the world, I realized that the worst were those who do not enjoy reading, are not attracted to culture, never developed an artistic taste or hobby, whether for music, drawing, painting, sculpture, or literature.
This is not the case with Morocco, where I found, over the years, the highest percentage of intellectually, culturally and artistically gifted but totally unpretentious politicians and diplomats in the Arab world. This quality is for all to see in Morocco’s political life which the other day crossed another important milestone when the second general elections in the country since “The Arab Spring” were held. The “Spring” that has shaken, changed and uncovered a lot of our political ills.
Here, too, Morocco has been an exception. The massive upheavals witnessed in some Middle Eastern and North African countries, showing the ugly face of dictatorship, the malignancy of terrible sectarianism and the disingenuity of glittering slogans, led to civil and tribal wars nurtured by regional greed and international conspiracies that are destroying Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Libya.
Morocco, however, thanks to its politicians’ awareness and realism, has continued to enjoy two advantages that have allowed it an easy and safe passage through “The Arab Spring” despite the social and economic difficulties in a young nation that is not blessed with rich resources.
The first is political legitimacy. There is no question in Morocco about the legitimacy of Amir Al-Mu’mineen (The Commander of the Believers), neither from the Left nor from the Right. Both the ideological and trade unionist Left have adapted to and interacted with this legitimacy because they preferred national unity and social stability over venturing into the unknown. As for the Right, both its liberal and religious wings have had no reason to challenge either the country’s market economy or its ruler’s religious legitimacy.
The second is the “exhaust valve”, i.e. the mechanism that is provided by the cultures of co-existence and diversity in a country that has rejected exclusion, marginalization, denial, factional privileges, which directly contrast with the anathema that has been destroying the entities of the Mashreq before our eyes.
Morocco’s political successes have not been limited to the national or domestic scene, but could be witnessed wherever expatriate Moroccan communities live
Questioning oneself
I thought long and deep before choosing to write about the Moroccan general elections and its meanings today. I hesitated. Then I asked myself the following questions:
1. Would it be right to ignore the affliction of Aleppo, the world’s second oldest metropolis, the city long praised by Al-Mutanabbi (the great 7th century Arab poet), now being slaughtered by the bloodiest mass murderers of the 21st century?
2. Would it be appropriate to disregard the imminent grave danger threatening Mosul, the ‘mother of two springs’, the birth place of Ibrahim and Ishaq Al-Mosuli (the great musicians of the 8th and 9th centuries), the jewel of Iraq’s cities and the capital and cultural cradle of Assyria?
3. Can I possibly forget Lebanon; ‘God’s paradise on Earth’, the ‘homeland’ of my father and forefathers, and the playground of my youth that is burdened by tyrannical occupation and threatened by a bleak future?
4. Is it possible to turn the page of Yemen, once felicitous but currently grief-stricken, which is encountering the Persians as conquerors rather than saviours in the absence of Saif bin Dhi Yazan (the great pre-Islamic Yemeni hero)?
All of these afflictions are, unfortunately, true. But because they are, the contrasting picture becomes more deserving of discussion and analysis. The Moroccan experiment, specifically in accommodating diversity and the opposite view, provides a lesson in “The Culture of Life”, while the Mashreq entities look as if they are in a race for death, whether gratuitous, in the shape of martyrdom, or in attempts to obliterate others.
In Morocco, as reflected by the polls, there is no monopoly of patriotism and no outbidding from any side. Furthermore, although it is almost impossible to have a spotless election – as proven by the flawed Florida poll in the US presidential elections of 2000 – it has been obvious that the top priority for all Moroccan parties is the firm belief that the choices and programs put forward to the voters are there to be negotiated by their parliamentary representatives, and implemented in the widest consensus possible.
Clearly, the Islamist Party of Justice and Development, led by the current Prime Minister Abdul-Ilah Ibn Kiran, was the major winner, gaining 125 seats out of a total of 395, against the 102 seats gained by the liberal “Party of Authenticity and Modernity”.
With the rest of the parliamentary seats shared by several other parties including the “historical trio” of the Istiqlal (Independence) Party, the Popular Movement and the Socialist Union of Popular Forces, the overall result shows two facts. The first is that moderate Islamists continue to enjoy sizeable support; and the second is that intellectual and cultural diversity continue to enrich Moroccans’ politics inside and outside their home country.
Islam and nationalism
It is worth noting here that ‘political Islam’ has neither been new nor alien to the Moroccan political scene before and after the country’s independence. It was always one of the salient identities of the national struggle led by great patriots like Allal Al-Fassi and Dr Abdul-Karim Al-Khatib. The “marriage” of Islam and nationalism has been the solid base for Morocco’s unity that has transcended regional, ethnic and linguistic divides.
By the same token, the other political trends of all colors and creeds thrived in Morocco’s rich and glorious diversity. The history and geography of the country has confirmed the principle of ‘unity in diversity’ throughout the ages. Indeed, Morocco has been the “bridge” of Islam, Arabism, and “Amazighism” linking Africa – including its Middle Eastern depth – with Europe.
It is also the full cultural partner in the great Andalusian heritage and its preserving reservoir, as well as being the melting pot of French, Spanish and Portuguese cultural influences with the Moorish (Arab/Amazigh) core expressed in almost every field.
Furthermore, in Morocco the cultural lifestyles of the rural areas, desert oases and major cities have fused and metamorphosed in an amazing way. Indeed, this exceptional country has had several capitals including four royal capitals (Fez, Meknes, Rabat and Marrakesh) which enjoyed glorious periods under different dynasties, and a vibrant economic capital (Casablanca), and a metropolis that was once an international city (Tangier). Home to the world’s oldest university (Al-Qarawiyyin University and the grand mosque in Fez), Morocco has been a hotbed of industrial and trade unionists movements that bore impressive cultural and political fruits.
Last but not least, Morocco’s political successes have not been limited to the national or domestic scene, but could be witnessed wherever expatriate Moroccan communities live. Three Moroccan women are currently members of the French cabinet, another is the speaker of the Dutch parliament; and a compatriot of hers is the mayor of Rotterdam, the Netherlands and Europe’s largest port.
**This article was first published in Asharq al-Awsat on Oct. 13, 2016.

Mosul and Aleppo, a war of two cities
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/October 24/16
As attention shifts toward the battle in the Iraqi city of Mosul, where the results of the war against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) are almost predetermined, the Syrian city of Aleppo prepares for its fate after the Russians and the Iranians rejected international calls for a cease fire and the call to evacuate besieged people, whether civilians or armed men. A few hundred members of the Free Syrian Army are stationed in Aleppo’s neighborhoods, along with fighters from other armed factions in addition to fighters from the al-Nusra Front, the terrorist organization which is fighting everyone. These are confronted by forces which for months now have resorted to the mass destruction of neighborhoods in an attempt to empty them out of their residents by either killing them or expelling them in order to prepare for the final battle and seize the most important city in Syria’s war.
Do these two battles of Mosul and Aleppo mark the end of the Iraqi war against ISIS and the Syrian civil war? I rule that out.
The two countries’ problem lies in the nature of the Syrian regime and the practices of the Iraqi regime. As a result of resuming marginalization and elimination, the cities of Mosul and Aleppo may be “cleansed” of armed men either through expulsion or murder, and we will later hear that these men are now present in other cities and provinces. The emergence of armed groups is not difficult considering the presence of two governing regimes which are incapable of changing and reforming.
The battles of Mosul and Aleppo are just two other wars in a long struggle that will not stabilize without a fair political project
This is a civil war which reflects the general situation and it’s not a war with foreign groups that can be easily gotten rid of. Arab Sunnis represent 20 percent of Iraq’s citizens while Sunnis altogether represent 40 percent of Iraq’s population. How can one get rid of 10 million citizens, or marginalize them?
In Syria, Sunnis represent 80 percent of the population, which is more than 20 million people. Even if five or 10 million are displaced, the rest are still a sweeping majority. Iraq’s parliamentarian system is more oriented toward sectarian governance and in the phase after the liberation of Mosul, it will end up diminishing Iraq’s territory and make it less stable. Meanwhile, after purging Aleppo of most of its residents, and not just of armed men, the fighting will move to another city and the battles will continue because there is no political solution.
Political solution
The lack of a political solution is due to the Iranians’ insistence on holding on to the man responsible for all this bloodshed. They also hold on to Hezbollah as an indirect ruler in Syria’s neighbor Lebanon where the party has caused instability for the past 20 years. The difference is that Syria is a big country and, geographically speaking, it’s central. Its events influence its neighbors, like Turkey, Iraq and Lebanon, on the racial, sectarian and partisan levels. Let them prepare for celebrations in Iraq and Syria to rejoice over “liberating” Mosul and Aleppo. We are aware they will be short celebrations as the battles, alliances and the prosecutions of angry nationalists and global terrorists who benefit from fertile soil will resume and the tensions in the region will continue to exist. Around Mosul, there is currently a huge siege that consists of multinational forces, generals who are excited to make television appearances, politicians who are competing to claim that the almost certain victory is thanks to them and international media outlets which know the results of the battle in advance and which, like the rest of the politicians, do not care about knowing what will happen later.
The battles of Mosul and Aleppo are just two other wars in a long struggle that will not stabilize without a fair political project.
**This article was first published Asharq al-Awsat on Oct. 24, 2016.

Delivering on the promises of Saudi Vision 2030
Samar Fatany/Al Arabiya/October 24/16
The Saudi Vision 2030 transformation plan can succeed, if it is implemented within a structured, less aggressive and well-balanced process. Enforcing so many changes all at once without proper assessment of the ramifications of each change could lead to dire consequences, some of which could be very difficult to remedy. Moreover, the ambiguities in the plan may be bad for business and could scare away local and international investors. There are many who are disappointed with the latest announcements of new tax regulations, salary cuts and the lack of opportunities. There are thousands who will not be able to pay their mortgages and car instalments. The delays in state payments to construction firms have created severe financial difficulties for some companies. Some businesses are closing down and young entrepreneurs are gradually seeking opportunities abroad. There are already a million Saudis working in the Gulf. If the brain drain continues, it will reflect badly on our economy. Unemployment, low wages, inflation and taxation have created a situation that could have dire consequences. Although the transformation plan includes many promises for a modern society, it is difficult to predict how much the average citizen can endure and for how long.
When we drastically change the economic landscape, we are taking risks. How can we be sure that these changes will not make us more inefficient? We could end up creating a bigger gap between the haves and have-nots. We could be instrumental in creating an elitist society and causing extreme poverty. The middle class is the backbone of every society. Is it wise to threaten its solid foundation and compromise its support in nation building? Can the middle class survive the negative consequences of the change?
Saudi Vision 2030 is well-crafted and transparent, but we need to work on the implementation process to make it more achievable. When we reduce the salaries of employees and impose taxes, can we be certain that this will not backfire and make the deprived employees, demotivated and unwilling to work for less? The official goal is to make the average employee more productive; however, how much will he be willing to contribute after he loses one third of his income? If he was making SR 9,000 a month and was unproductive, how can we expect him to be more productive by reducing it to SR 6,000? When employees lose a big chunk of their income, can we guarantee that their frustrations will not lead to civil discontent? These uncertainties are scaring investors who happen to be the key players in the transformation plan.
Trust and support
To maintain public trust and support for transformation plans, the government should provide quick wins and short-term incentives. The initial enthusiasm for Vision 2030 is beginning to fade with the new directives that some find disappointing and unconvincing. Decision makers need to come up with a better strategy to gain the trust of the nation and boost public morale before taxing the public with further hardships. The level of frustration among young people remains high due to inadequate opportunities for social mobility and their limited participation in social, economic and political life. There is also an urgency to promote a viable civil society and to build strong civic institutions. There is no denying that the government has shown great determination to overcome the oil crisis and eliminate the barriers that exist in the labor market. Policy makers are struggling to implement innovative solutions to diversify the economy. Saudi Vision 2030 promises to create more efficient and much needed services to ensure the safety and prosperity of the citizen.
Dr. Arwa Y. Al-Aama, Vice Mayor for Information Technology Affairs at Jeddah Municipality, noted that information and communications technology (ICT) innovations will play a key role in achieving Vision 2030. During the 36th GITEX Technology event held in Riyadh on Oct 20, Dr. Al-Aama stressed the role of ICT innovation in driving the digital transformation in Saudi Arabia, helping the Kingdom achieve its Vision 2030 targets and building a sustainable knowledge-based economy in the post-oil era. Government departments and Saudi companies are already increasingly adapting themselves to be part of the Vision 2030 program. The Ministry of Justice has plans to link its various courts including criminal and personal status courts with the ministries of Commerce and Investment; Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources; and Labor and Social Development in order to ensure speedy justice. It has already established electronic linkage with government agencies and departments to reduce judicial procedures and speed up the litigation process. These are positive developments and people’s expectations are very high. However, the plan still lacks essential guarantees to produce good results. The public would be eager to contribute if they are assured of their rights and a life of dignity. The series of interviews with government officials explaining the transformation plan is a step in the right direction. Officials must keep an open and transparent dialogue with the public. However, it is important for the government to be aware of the people’s grievances and concerns. We all want to see the fruits of the transformation plan and everyone is determined to make it work. Saudi Vision 2030 is well-crafted and transparent, but we need to work on the implementation process to make it more achievable.
**This article was first published in the Saudi Gazette on Oct. 22, 2016.