LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
October 30/16
Compiled
& Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
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Bible Quotations For Today
When the Son of Man
comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne
of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate
people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and
he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 25/31-46/:"‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, "Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me."Then the righteous will answer him, "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?"And the king will answer them, "Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me." Then he will say to those at his left hand, "You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me." Then they also will answer, "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?" Then he will answer them, "Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me."And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’"
Let love be genuine;
hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual
affection; outdo one another in showing honour
Letter to the Romans 12/09-21/:"Let love be genuine;
hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual
affection; outdo one another in showing honour. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent
in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient
in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints;
extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do
not curse them. Rejoice
with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one
another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be
wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for
what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on
you, live peaceably with all.
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God;
for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’No, ‘if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they
are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap
burning coals on their heads.’Do not be overcome by
evil, but overcome evil with good." Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin
analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on October 29-30/16
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources published on October 28-29/16
Michel Aoun’s ruthless ambition set to be
rewarded/Josh Wood/The National/October 30/16
Hezbollah ally set to become president of LebanonZiena
Karam/ Associated Press /Reuters/October 30/16
The Scramble for Lebanon's Presidency/Aoun, Hariri,
and the Politics of Oligarchy/ Paul Salem/Foreign Affairs/October 29/16
Hezbollah, Michel Aoun and Lebanon’s presidential
drama/Khairallah Khairallah/The
Arab Weekly/October 30/16
Lebanon set to have a new president but fears remain/Dalal
Saoud/The Arab Weekly/October 30/16
In war against terror, 1983 Beirut bombing was a murderous milestone/Ed
Blanche/The Arab Weekly/October 30/16
Is new imam answered prayer or impending doom for Hagia
Sophia/Pinar Tremblay/Al Monitor/October 29/16
Why Reformists have no choice but to back Rouhani/Saeid
Jafari/Monitor/October 29/16
25 years after the Madrid Conference: A shattered dream/Nassif
Hitti/The Arab Weekly/October 30/16
Education is the only hope for the Middle East/Claude Salhani/The
Arab Weekly/October 30/16
Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News
published on on October 29-30/16
Frangieh from Ayn Teeneh: Vote for me with blank ballot paper
Nasrallah to Baalbek, Hermel
dignitaries: Let us abide by Sadr’s 1970 charter of
honour
Hariri meets with Frangie: I understand his stance
and we are with him for better and for worse
Erslan meets with Saudi Envoy in Khaldeh
Mikati and Karami voice
support for Sleiman Frangieh
Presidential Polls Top Talks between Salam, Hariri and Franjieh
Rahi Welcomes Hariri as 'Man of Courage,' and Hariri
Says a New Leaf Will Begin Monday
Rahi stresses importance of individual contribution
in building the state
Hariri gets blessings of Dar Fatwa on presidential issue
Rifi meets with Sabhan: We
both agree on the need for a flourishing rise in the country while preserving
its Arab identity
Lebanese Democratic Party: We decided to vote for General Aoun
Qaouq: Saudi Sanctions against Hizbullah
have Failed to Weaken the Party
US Ambassador returns to Beirut
Jumblatt after meeting with Democratic Gathering
Deputies: Majority of our Gathering Members will vote for Aoun
SSNP: We support General Aoun for Presidency and our
Bloc shall vote in his favor
Michel Aoun’s ruthless ambition set to be rewarded
Hezbollah ally set to become president of Lebanon
The Scramble for Lebanon's Presidency/Aoun, Hariri,
and the Politics of Oligarchy
Hezbollah, Michel Aoun and Lebanon’s presidential
drama
Lebanon set to have a new president but fears remain
In war against terror, 1983 Beirut bombing was a murderous milestone
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin
For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on on
October 29-30/16
Spokesman: Iraq’s PMU to enter Syria to aid Assad after Mosul
US: Syrian regime using starvation as ‘weapon of war’
Syrian airstrikes on Aleppo amid intense clashes
Kurdish PM wants to discuss independence after Mosul
Abadi: Battle to liberate Mosul continues
UAE condemns Iran for aiding Yemen militias following Makkah
attack
Iraqi flag raised at ISIS southern hub Shoura
ISIS suicide bomber targeting Iraq Shiites kills four
Turkey parliament to consider death penalty for coup plotters: Erdogan
Erdogan: Turkey aims to reinforce troops on Iraq
border
Al Arabiya documentary reveals Houthi
lobby network in UN
Hadi rejects UN plan, says it ‘rewards Houthis’
Coalition spokesman: Houthis launched ballistic
missiles from a mosque
Suicide bombing targeting Yemen’s central bank foiled
Egyptian FM warns Muslim bloc after its mocking of Sisi
Roadside blast in Egypt’s North Sinai kills senior military officer
Egypt’s PM in Red Sea after floods kill 18
Palestinian attacker shot by Israeli troops
Israel apologizes for Deputy Minister’s comments on Italy quake
Saudi UN envoy: Re-electing Riyadh to HR Council reflects ‘trust’
Two suicide bombers kill at least eight in northeast Nigeria’s Maiduguri
EU and Canada to sign trade pact after Belgians strike key deal
Latest
Lebanese Related News published on on October
29-30/16
Frangieh from Ayn Teeneh: Vote for me with blank ballot paper
Sat 29 Oct 2016/NNA - House Speaker Nabih Berri convened on Saturday at Ayn Teeneh with MP Sleiman Frangieh, who told the press after the meeting that he does not intend to withdraw his candidacy but wants to make a statement by urging his supporters to cast a white ballot paper. The meeting was also attended by Minister Ali Hassan Khalil and MP Asaad Hardan. Frangieh said the visit was to thank Berri for his support and the support of his Bloc for his candidacy. "Our calculations led us to transform each vote for Sleiman Frangieh to a protest vote; hence, our battle is to register blank votes," said Frangieh as he asserted that he and his bloc would attend the electoral session and cast white votes. He denied that anyone requested him to do so. His actions stemmed from the fact that the elections have become a matter of consensus rather than a battle. When asked about rumours that those who would not vote for Aoun would be deprived of a seat in Cabinet, Frangieh brushed the matter off and exclaimed, "may God keep them happy."
Nasrallah to Baalbek, Hermel
dignitaries: Let us abide by Sadr’s 1970 charter of
honour
Sat 29 Oct 2016/NNA - The Secretary General of Hezbollah,
Hassan Nasrallah, delivered a speech on Saturday,
broadcast on a large screen to the dignitaries of
Hariri meets with Frangie: I understand his stance and we are with him for better and for worse
Sat 29 Oct 2016/NNA - Former Prime Minister, Saad Hariri, met this afternoon with the Head of al-Marada Movement, MP Suleiman Frangie,
at "Le Grey" Hotel in Beirut Central District. The meeting was
attended by Minister of Culture Rony Araiji, former Minister Youssef Saade, Tony Sleiman Frangie, Hariri's Advisor Ghattas
Khoury, his Chief of Staff Nader Hariri and members
of Marada's political bureau. After the meeting that
lasted more than one hour, former Premier Hariri said: "I came to see my
friend Sleiman Frangie,
whose friendship I am proud of. I hope that we will always be together in
friendship and politics. I wanted also to tell him that I understand his
position, and I know that all he wants is
Question: Did he blame you for what you did?
Hariri: Not at all, we are friends.
For his part, MP Frangie said: "We have nothing against Premier Hariri".
Erslan meets with Saudi Envoy in Khaldeh
Sat 29 Oct 2016/NNA - Head of the Lebanese Democratic Party,
MP Talal Erslan, met on
Saturday with Saudi State Minister for Arab Gulf Affairs, Thamer
Al Sabhan, accompanied by Saudi Charge d'Affaires Walid Bekhari. The meeting was a chance to dwell on current
political developments in
Mikati and Karami voice support
for Sleiman Frangieh
Sat 29 Oct 2016/NNA - Former PM Najib Mikati held a meeting on Saturday with MP Ahmad Karami followed by a statement endorsing the candidacy of Sleiman Frangieh. "We will attend the electoral session and cast blank votes in adherence with the wishes of our candidate and friend Sleiman Frangieh," read the statement. In a chat with the press, Mikati explained that his position from presidential candidate MP Michel Aoun stemmed from past experiences with the latter, which were characterized by adversarial approaches."This intensified our fears of the upcoming phase which is teeming with dangers and challenges…but we hope that the latest stances announced by Aoun towards all Lebanese strata were born out of conviction, and not just momentary stops along the road of presidential elections."Mikati noted that if Aoun were to be elected, he would behave with him on the basis democracy and national convictions.
Presidential Polls Top
Talks between Salam, Hariri and Franjieh
Prime Minister Tammam Salam
received in separate meetings at the Grand Serail on
Saturday Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh and Mustaqbal Movement
chief Saad Hariri. Hariri briefed Salam on the
preparations for the electoral session scheduled for Monday to elect a
president. Franjieh and Hariri did not make a
statement after their meetings with Salam. On Friday, Salam received
presidential hopeful head of the Change and Reform bloc head MP Michel Aoun, who met with leader of the Progressive Socialist
party Walid Jumblat in
Clemenceau before he met the premier. Salam has not made any statement so far
since Hariri's endorsement of Aoun for the top state
post. Hariri formally endorsed Aoun's nomination last
week.
Rahi Welcomes Hariri as 'Man of Courage,' and Hariri Says
a New Leaf Will Begin Monday
Naharnet/October
29/16/Al-Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri urged
everyone to cooperate for the well interest of
Rahi stresses importance of individual contribution in
building the state
Sat 29 Oct 2016/"This should motivate us all to contribute
in the building of the state.
Hariri gets blessings
of Dar Fatwa on presidential issue
Sat 29 Oct 2016/NNA - Former PM Saad
Hariri met on Saturday with Mufti Abdulateef Deryan in Dar al Fatwa and relayed to him recent political
developments, particularly his endorsement of Michel Aoun
as a presidential candidate. Following a private session with the Mufti, Hariri
told the press that he was always keen on receiving the blessings of Dar al
Fatwa on all matters, especially the end of the presidential stalemate, which
should conclude on Monday with the election of Aoun. The
Mufti, in turn, lauded Hariri’s continuous efforts from the onset of the crisis
to end the deadlock for the sake of the greater interest of
Rifi meets with Sabhan: We both
agree on the need for a flourishing rise in the country while preserving its
Arab identity
Sat 29 Oct 2016 /NNA - Outgoing Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi met Saturday evening
with Saudi State Minister for Arab Gulf Affairs, Thamer
Al Sabhan, accompanied by Saudi Charge d'Affaires, Abdallah Al Bukhari. Following the encounter, Rifi
said "the visit comes to reaffirm the
Rahi contacts Berri: For more
concerted efforts towards a national start
Sat 29 Oct 2016/NNA - Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Bchara Boutros al-Rahi, contacted, on Saturday, House Speaker Nabih Berri, with whom he deliberated over the latest developments pertaining to the presidential elections, calling for "more concerted efforts at this stage towards a new launching at the national level."According to Bkriki's Press Office, the Patriarch expressed to Speaker Berri "his support to the Parliament's work regarding the election of a new President upcoming Monday and putting an end to the current state of vacuum, which has been long awaited for by the Lebanese throughout the past two and a half years."
Lebanese Democratic
Party: We decided to vote for General Aoun
Sat 29 Oct 2016/NNA - Following its extraordinary meeting on Saturday, devoted to discussing the presidential election issue, the Lebanese Democratic Party declared its decision to vote in favor of General Michel Aoun upcoming Monday. In an issued statement after the meeting, Party Head MP Talal Erslan announced the decision to support General Aoun's presidential candidacy, wishing the new President "all success in his great endeavors, and hoping that the new mandate would open a fresh page for uniting the Lebanese around the project of the State, paving the way for an economic rise, coupled with social justice and strengthened civil peace and political reform."
Qaouq: Saudi Sanctions against Hizbullah
have Failed to Weaken the Party
Naharnet/October 29/16/Senior Hizbullah official Sheikh Nabil Qaouq stressed on Saturday that the Saudi sanctions against
Hizbullah have failed to weaken the party, the
state-run National News Agency reported on Saturday. “The political
developments and field achievements confirm the failure of the Saudi sanctions
against Hizbullah, especially since Saudi Arabia
wanted to weaken Hizbullah in Lebanon which has only
grown stronger at the political, popular and military levels inside Lebanon and
regionally,” said Qaouq. “By renewing sanctions and
terrorism ranking against Hizbullah in
US Ambassador returns
to Beirut
Sat 29 Oct 2016/NNA - United States Ambassador to
Jumblatt after meeting with Democratic Gathering Deputies:
Majority of our Gathering Members will vote for Aoun
Sat 29 Oct 2016/NNA - "Democratic Gathering" Head, MP Walid Jumblatt, declared, on Saturday, his adoption of General Michel Aoun's nomination for presidency, adding that "the majority of his Gathering members will vote for Aoun on Monday."Following his meeting with the Gathering's deputies at his residence in Clemenceau, Jumblatt said: "At this moment of my life history, I go back forty years throughout which I have lived stages of tough presidential elections...and the day after tomorrow, I shall somewhat conclude forty years of my life by casting my vote for General Michel Aoun.""What happened in the past, I shall explain one day, for it is of local, regional and international dimensions," he added. "We met together in the Gathering and deliberated over local and regional conditions...As stated yesterday, the majority of the Democratic Gathering will vote in favor of General Michel Aoun as President of the Republic next Monday," Jumblatt promised.
SSNP: We support
General Aoun for Presidency and our Bloc shall vote
in his favor
Sat 29 Oct 2016/NNA - Syrian Social Nationalist Party declared, on Saturday, its support for General Michel Aoun's presidential candidacy, indicating that its Parliamentary Bloc shall vote for him on Monday. "Based on our respect and appreciation for General Michel Aoun and the depth of the ties that bind us, as well as our belief in his will to build a strong and fair civil state for all the Lebanese, we declare our support to his presidential candidacy, and our Bloc shall vote in his favor during the presidential election session," said Party Head, former Minister Ali Qansou, in an issued statement. He added: "The SSNP has always stressed on the need to speed-up the election of a President of the Republic to ensure State institutions' order, especially in wake of the critical consequences resulting from the presidential vacuum."
"Our Party has long called for a broader understanding between various political forces over the future President, and had pinned so much hope on the dialogue table in providing a forum for such understanding," Qansou underscored.
Michel Aoun’s ruthless ambition set to be rewarded
Josh Wood/The National/October 30/16
BEIRUT // For nearly 30 years of war and peace, General Michel Aoun has done and said anything he can to rule Lebanon. He has sided with genocidal foreign dictators, laid waste to his Christian constituency’s heartland in fratricidal battles and forged alliances with former enemies.
On Monday, the 81-year-old former army chief is likely to
see his ambitions realised as
Gen Aoun’s eventual ascent to
power must have seemed all but impossible back in 1991 as the defeated warlord
escaped
In March 1989, Gen Aoun declared a
"war of liberation" and promised to drive
As
In October 1990, Syrian forces – with a
nod of approval from the
In exile in
Gen Aoun returned 11 days later, hungry for power.
While he was away, things had changed in
Hezbollah ally set to
become president of
Ziena Karam/ Associated Press /Reuters/October 30/16
BEIRUT (AP) — Barring any surprises, a former Lebanese
general and a strong ally of the militant Hezbollah group is poised to be
elected Lebanon's president next week, formally ending a two-year vacuum in the
country's top post and a political crisis that has paralyzed the troubled
Mideast nation. Michel Aoun, an 81-year-old veteran
Christian leader, will likely be chosen by Parliament on Monday as part of a
deal that's expected to give not just a boost for Hezbollah but also to the
Shiite group's ally, Syrian President Bashar Assad. The
strong-willed Maronite Catholic general notoriously
led a "war of liberation" against the Syrian army in
"Aoun's election is a clear
victory for the pro-Iranian axis in the Levant and another climb down for
In the end, it took an about-face by former Prime Minister
The Scramble for
By Paul Salem/Foreign Affairs/October 29/16
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/lebanon/2016-10-29/scramble-lebanons-presidency
After lying vacant for two and a half years,
The presidential office has lain vacant since May of 2014, when President Michel Suleiman’s six-year term expired. Initially, the rival March 14 and March 8 coalitions each put forward their own candidates, but neither of them garnered enough support. Nor could the two coalitions agree on a third-party candidate. Government business continued during this period, albeit at a low level of efficiency, under the national coalition government headed by Prime Minister Tammam Salam.
Many political leaders and parties exhibited little urgency
in filling the presidential vacancy, but Hariri has felt more need to do so. In
the recent local elections, his party lost in the northern Sunni city of
Hariri’s current pick, Aoun, has also divided the March 8 coalition. Frangieh is a natural rival, and Berri has had long-standing differences and political clashes with Aoun and his nephew Gebran Bassil, the current foreign minister. The March 8 coalition is facing a situation not unlike that of the U.S. Republican Party and its nominee Donald Trump: having created the conditions for his rise, it is now worried about whether he has the temperament to be president. Similarly, the March 8 coalition is worried because Aoun is notoriously mercurial. He has been allied with Hezbollah since 2005, but when he was last in power as interim prime minister from 1988 to 1990, he waged a campaign against armed nonstate actors, including Hezbollah, and declared war on Bashar’s father, Hafez al-Assad. Aoun also might be seen by Berri and others as potentially difficult to deal with as president because he will be the first one since the early 1970s to have a fairly large Christian-community power base. The previous five presidents had small or no significant political following, and hence ended up as fairly weak leaders.
Both Hariri’s past and present picks include leaders allied
with Hezbollah, Assad, and
Unsurprisingly, both pro-Hezbollah candidates have been very poorly received among Hariri’s Sunni base. It has split his majority-Sunni Future Movement party and the anti-Assad March 14 coalition. If he succeeds in heading the next government, the influential position of prime minister will help him to rebuild some of the power base that he has lost since 2011.
Regionally, Aoun’s election would
be a victory for Iranian influence in the Levant and a blow for
Aoun’s election to the presidency will be followed by constitutionally mandated presidential consultations with parliament to designate a prime minister, most likely Hariri. Hariri would then go about forming a new government. There is nothing necessarily quick about this process; the last negotiations to form a government lasted ten months. The various oligarchs all want a piece of the pie, and the negotiations would have to include difficult discussions on a new parliamentary election law, horse trading on offshore gas deals, and many other contentious matters.
On the one hand, Aoun’s election
to the presidency is a welcome example of a peaceful and constitutional
transfer of power in a region where that is a rarity, and where just next door
in Syria, the question of presidential succession has left hundreds of
thousands dead and millions displaced. On the other hand, Aoun’s
elevation to the presidency by the country’s oligarchy will largely perpetuate
the dysfunctional political system and is unlikely to bring the kind of change
and improvement in governance that much of the country’s youth and non-aligned
citizenry yearn for.
Hezbollah, Michel Aoun and
Khairallah Khairallah/The Arab Weekly/October 30/16
Does Hezbollah want president for republic or does it want to change republic in pursuit of its old dream?
Will Hezbollah really accept its own candidate, Michel Aoun, as president of
Aoun is not qualified to be
president of
Then again, what other choice is there when it is a question of saving the republic, or whatever is left of it, even if the person chosen has the mind of putschist and is not afraid of pursuing the worst-case scenario?
It is scandalous that Aoun has relied on Hezbollah votes to form a majority coalition in parliament. It is even more scandalous that Aoun insists on designating his son-in-law, Gebran Bassil, as minister knowing fully well that the latter would not have been able to secure one parliamentary seat in the district where he was running because Hezbollah does not carry enough weight in that same district.
Hariri had no choice but to accept the gamble, especially
when Samir Geagea,
executive chairman of the Lebanese Forces party, had publicly endorsed Aoun. In
The largest Christian bloc is that of the independent voters, those who do not belong to any political formation. Some of these Christians back Aoun and others are fiercely opposed to him. The second bloc is that of Aoun’s supporters. These tend to be lower class, uncultured and definitely blinded by their Christian fanaticism. The other voting Christian blocs are the Lebanese Phalanges Party, the Lebanese Forces Party and the Marada Movement Party.
Hariri has stated that he considers the presidential
elections top priority for the country. They must take place even if it meant
endorsing Aoun. He also revealed that, after
consulting with Suleiman Frangieh, he had a firm
agreement with Aoun on three main points. The first
concerns Aoun’s commitment not to change the regime,
meaning sticking with the Taif agreement. The second
is a commitment to bring to life former president Rafik
Hariri’s development and construction project. The last point is a promise to
keep away from the events in
It is not clear whether Aoun
realised the dangers of embroiling
The problem with Aoun is that he
has never understood the concept of the “city”. Returning
We have to admit, though, that Aoun
has been true to his 2006 commitments to Hezbollah, which provided him with the
necessary backing in exchange for a Christian cover for Hezbollah’s sectarian
weapon in
It is also legitimate to wonder whether Hezbollah and, by
extension,
Dalal Saoud/The Arab Weekly/October 30/16
Many hurdles are yet to be surmounted, starting with sealing Aoun-Hariri package deal with Hariri becoming prime minister.
Success of process remains in hands of Hezbollah
What was not conceivable just days
ago is almost a reality. Sunni leader Saad Hariri
shifted his stance and endorsed Aoun for the
presidency and Hezbollah Secretary- General Sayyed
Hassan Nasrallah reciprocated Hariri’s “sacrifice”
and allowed that Hariri could again become prime minister. With opposition to Aoun’s presidency decreasing, the implicit blessing from
the two main regional powers —
Having Aoun, 83, at the presidential palace is not the end of the game. Many hurdles are yet to be surmounted, starting with sealing the Aoun-Hariri package deal with Hariri becoming prime minister, facilitating the formation of a new cabinet without delay and formulating the new government policy statement, a sticking point with Hezbollah’s traditional insistence on recognising its “armed resistance” and right to keep its powerful arsenal.
How to translate the pledge to adopt a neutral stance
regarding
That was somehow true, given the fact that regional and international powers have more urgent issues to deal with and the Lebanese presidential arrangement was not a threat to the security cover provided to the tiny country to maintain its delicate stability.
The international powers would have intervened if the
Lebanese lost security control, their economy in danger or the Lebanese pound
was about to collapse, said
That applies to
Aoun, known for his unpredictable behaviour, bad temper and controversial personality, will be under close watch to see whether he will be able to distance himself from a 10-year close alliance with Hezbollah and act in the country’s national interest — though such a national interest is still an issue of dispute among the Lebanese.
Many Lebanese have expressed doubts about Aoun but others say they have confidence that he would bring the Lebanese together and create a comprehensive understanding, especially between Hezbollah and its Sunni rival, the Future Movement.
“Electing a president does not mean that we have agreed on
everything. There are still many big and not easy problems to solve,” said Fadi Karam, an MP from the
Lebanese Forces, a strong Hariri ally. “What we did is to take this
(presidential) file out of
The success of the process remains in the hands of
Hezbollah, the country’s most powerful armed group and political player, which
imposed itself as a regional force, and how far it
would go to stabilise the country, appease the fears of its frustrated Sunni
partners and stop its staunch campaign against
In war against terror,
1983
Ed Blanche/The Arab Weekly/October 30/16
Slaughter of that Sunday morning established Hezbollah as major force in international terrorism.
October 1983 file photo showing scene around US Marine base
near
Then he rammed the truck into the lobby of the four-storey building known as the Battalion Landing Team headquarters (BLT) and detonated the bomb.
The bed of the truck was lined with concrete, intended to direct the blast upwards into the structure, which was literally lifted off the ground before collapsing in on itself and the sleeping Americans inside.
The explosion, the largest non-nuclear blast on record at
the time, flattened the concrete and steel-reinforced building and killed 241
A near-simultaneous suicide attack using a pick-up truck on the French military barracks in Ramlet al-Baida, 3km to the north, levelled the nine-storey building and killed 58 Foreign Legionnaires.
The US and French troops were part of a Multinational Force (MNF) deployed in Beirut in 1982 at the Lebanese government’s request in an attempt to stabilise the country, then in the eighth year of its 1975- 2000 civil war and invaded by Israel.
The two suicide attacks against the MNF, launched in apparent retaliation for growing US support for the Christian-dominated Lebanese government, signalled a murderous milestone in international terrorism.
The operation, universally blamed on the Iranian-backed Hezbollah, then in its infancy and pioneering the deadly new tactic of suicide bombing by vehicle, was unprecedented because of the magnitude of the destruction it caused.
The Marine barracks bombing was the deadliest terror attack
on Americans before the 9/11 carnage. It inspired Osama bin Laden, then
fighting the Soviet Army in
That began with twin bombings of the
October 23rd, 1983, marked the end of decades of
self-imposed restraint by Palestinian and other terrorist groups in the
Middle East and
The slaughter of that Sunday morning established Hezbollah as a major force in international terrorism through mass-casualty bombings, particularly against the Americans.
According to Colonel Timothy J. Geraghty,
commander of the 24th Marine Amphibious Unit based at
And they did. The slaughter of 299 prime fighting men for the loss of two suicide bombers was too high a cost for Western governments to accept.
The psychological effects of the twin bombings, and
especially the religious zealotry behind them, were
overwhelming to Western minds. Here was a new and ruthless enemy beyond
anything they had encountered in the
“The world we live in and what we knew of the future
security environment was forever changed,” General James Amos, commandant of
the US Marine Corps, said at a memorial ceremony in
In February 1984, in a major US policy shift, president Ronald Reagan and the Americans’ MNF allies — France, Britain and Italy — unceremoniously and ignominiously abandoned Lebanon — after Reagan had repeatedly pledged not to do so — and left the country to its fate and six more years of civil war bloodletting.
Here was a template for a chain of disastrous US interventions in the greater Middle East, among them Somalia in 1993-95, Iraq in 2003- 11 and a 15-year-old conflict in Afghanistan, the United States’ longest war in which Americans are still dying.
The Western withdrawal from
By bringing about the MNF’s
humiliating retreat,
Extreme Islamic fundamentalism was unleashed, introducing a religious dynamic to a phenomenon that had essentially been driven by nationalism, injustice and poverty.
But the lessons of October 1983 were not learnt until 18
years later when bin Laden’s jihadists took terrorism to even bloodier heights
by taking the war to
“Over time,” observed Matthew Levitt of the Washington
Institute for Near East Policy, “Hezbollah and
In December 1983, a congressional inquiry into the BLT bombing concluded that “very serious errors in judgment” by officers on the ground, up through the chain of command had left the US Marines vulnerable.
Much of the blame fell on Geraghty. In his 2009 book, Peacekeepers At War, he insisted that he was the victim of military ineptitude and political interference.
A congressional commission that investigated the attack on
the Marines declared that Geraghty “bore the
principal responsibility” for the Marine Corps’ worst single-day fatalities
since the invasion of
He was relieved of his command and later left the Marines, joining the Central Intelligence Agency’s counterterrorism division.
Geraghty and those who support him maintain he was made the scapegoat for others’ mistakes. He was not without sympathisers on the commission.
US Representative, Larry Hopkins, R-Kentucky, was harshly critical of the Pentagon brass and the utter absurdity of the MNF mission to restore stability in a complex, religion-driven Middle Eastern civil war.
“The people of the Middle East have been fighting since the
days of Abraham,”
There’s a resonance there with US President Barack Obama’s
reluctance to drag the
In the end, Reagan took responsibility for the
He said he was dangerously exposed in “an abominable
position” at
Once
Indeed, Geraghty argued that the Syrians and Iranians, with their Lebanese proxies, deliberately set out “to provoke us into unleashing our massive firepower against the Druze and Muslim militias”, thus dragging the Americans into the war.
Ironically, the invading Israelis wanted the same thing but with the Americans on their side.
Geraghty blamed the American entanglement in the fighting to a large extent on gung-ho US special presidential adviser Robert McFarlane, who six years later would be one of the shadowy figures at the centre of the Iran-Contra affair scandal that involved clandestine White House dealings with Tehran and almost brought down Reagan’s presidency.
The author portrayed McFarlane, who others said was heavily
influenced by the Israelis and their desire to get the
In his book, Geraghty recounted that in one of many heated exchanges, he yelled at McFarlane: “This will cost us our neutrality. Don’t you realise we’ll get slaughtered down here? We’re sitting ducks.”
With the benefit of hindsight, Geraghty argued that the US failure to retaliate for the BLT attack, the suicide bombing that demolished the US embassy on Beirut’s corniche six months earlier and the frenzy of hostage-taking throughout the 1980s, emboldened the terrorists and their sponsors to believe they could go on attacking US and Western interests with impunity — leading, ultimately, to the suicide attacks of 9/11.
Latest LCCC
Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on on October 29-30/16
Spokesman:
Al Arabiya News Channel,
Ahmed al-Assadi, a spokesman for
the Iraq-sanctioned paramilitary known as Popular Mobilization Units (PMU),
said on Saturday that they will fight alongside Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s forces in
US: Syrian regime using
starvation as ‘weapon of war’
AFP, Washington Saturday, 29 October 2016/The United States
accused the Syrian regime Friday of using “starvation as a weapon of war” -- a
war crime under the Geneva Conventions -- stepping up the rhetoric against Bashar al-Assad and his Russian backers. Rejecting the
Kremlin claims that attacks on
“We are taking steps, whether it’s ramping up public
pressure or other forms of pressure,” a second senior Obama administration
official told AFP. “We are still looking at the whole arsenal of tools to make
them feel the weight of international criticism, not saying that in and of
itself is going to work.” “But we have some indication
that they don’t want to be viewed -- the Russians in particular -- as being
guilty of war crimes.”“We’ve also spoken about forms
of international accountability when it comes to Russian and regime actions.”The Kremlin said Friday that Putin did not think
it was time to resume air strikes on
“Despite
Syrian airstrikes on
Associated Press,
Kurdish PM wants to
discuss independence after
AFP, Berlin Friday, 28 October 2016/Iraq’s Kurdish
autonomous region plans to renew its push for independence once the city of
Mosul is retaken from ISIS, its prime minister said Friday. “The time has long
been ripe for it, but we are currently concentrating on the fight against
ISIS,” Kurdish prime minister Nechirvan
Barzani told
Abadi:
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English
Saturday, 29 October 2016/Iraqi Prime Minister Haider
al-Abadi said on Saturday that the battle to liberate
Mosul continues shortly after the Iraqi Federal Police raised the country’s
flag in the southern besieged village of Shoura, Al Arabiya News Channel reported. "Today and yesterday we
liberated many villages and we will continue the fight until all of province is
free [of
Operations halt
Prior to Saturdays advancements in
Shiite militias launch operation near
State-sanctioned Shiite militias launched an assault on ISIS
west of the Iraqi city of
UAE condemns
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English
Friday, 28 October 2016/The United Arab Emirates foreign minister has condemned
Iran for aiding and supporting Houthi militias in
Yemen following an attempted attack on Makkah. UAE’s Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed
tweeted his condemnation on Friday saying that “
Iraqi flag raised at
ISIS southern hub Shoura
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English
Saturday, 29 October 2016/Iraqi Federal Police has raised on Saturday the
country’s flag at an ISIS southern hub in southern
Shiite militias launch operation near
State-sanctioned Shiite militias launched an assault on ISIS
west of the Iraqi city of
Jaafar al-Husseini,
a spokesman for the Hezbollah Brigades, said they launched an offensive
Saturday along with other large militias toward the town of
ISIS suicide bomber
targeting
AFP,
Turkey parliament to
consider death penalty for coup plotters: Erdogan
AFP,
Erdogan:
Reuters, Ankara Sunday, 30 October 2016/Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey was aiming
to reinforce its troops deployments in its Iraqi border town of Silopi and that it would have a “different response” for
Shiite militia groups if they cause terror in the Iraqi city of Tal Afar.
Iranian-backed Iraqi Shiite paramilitary groups have said they have started an
offensive against ISIS positions west of
Al Arabiya
documentary reveals Houthi lobby network in UN
Staff writer, Al Arabiya News Channel Sunday, 30 October 2016/Al Arabiya News Channel aired on Saturday a documentary showing how the Iran-backed Houthi militia group has a lobbyist network inside the United Nations. Some of the NGOs and individuals, who were not Yemeni or Yemen-based, are also seen as pro-Iran. Here names of some of the preeminent players:
- Ambassador Abdul Illah Hajar, a member of the Houthi
delegation, who participated in
- Ahmed al-Shami, Executive Director of Arabia Human Right Watch Association (ARWA).
- Mohammed al-Wazir, ARWA’s founder and director of its legal affairs.
- Yousra al-Harazy,
who lives in
On April 28, ARWA submitted a complaint to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on behalf of 34 Yemeni NGOs, accusing the Arab Coalition of committing war crimes and genocide. ARWA claimed compensation worth billions of dollars.
- The Houthis lobby also comprises
the SABA organization in
- NGOs from other countries
The list include NGOs in other countries such as the Iraqi Development Organization, the Sunni Scholars Association in southern Iraq headed by Sheikh Khaled al-Mullah, in addition to the Lebanon-based al-Khiam Rehabilitation Center (KRC) for Victims of Torture, which was founded in June 1999, and granted advisory membership of the United Nations Economic and Social Council in 2010.
Despite KRC’s presentation of itself as an NGO, its Secretary General Mohamed Safa stated back in 2008 that the center was indeed a partner in the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah’s victory in the south of the country.
In February 2016, KRC announced embracing the case of
opposition Sheikh Ali Salman, leader of al-Wefaq National Islamic Society in
Houthi maneuver
The documentary shows how the Houthis
were blamed by Kate Gilmore, the Deputy Commissioner for Human Rights of the
United Nations, on Sept. 27 for the siege imposed on the city of
The Houthis were also able to
garner support from similar pressure groups in Europe and the
Hadi rejects UN plan, says it ‘rewards Houthis’
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English,
Saturday, 29 October 2016/Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi on Saturday rejected
a peace proposal submitted by UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed aimed at ending the war in his impoverished
country, official sources told Al Arabiya News
Channel. Hadi received Ould
Cheikh Ahmed and refused to take the UN proposal
handed to him by the envoy during a meeting held in
Coalition spokesman: Houthis launched ballistic missiles from a mosque
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Saturday, 29 October 2016/The Iran-backed Houthi militias and their allies launched their ballistic missile towards the Saudi city of Makkah - which was intercepted late Thursday - from a mosque in the Yemeni city of Saada, spokesman for the Arab Coalition said in an interview published on Saturday. Brigadier General Ahmed Asiri, who is also an advisor at the Saudi Minister of Defense’s office, told the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat, that the Royal Saudi Forces targeted the location where the missiles were launched towards Makkah, which harbors Islam’s holiest site, and they found it was a mosque. “These people know no religion and have no morals. They are using mosques, schools, and hospitals for their criminal acts,” he said. Asiri reiterated that the coalition will continue to support the internationally recognized Yemeni President Abed Rabu Mansour Hadi’s forces both politically and militarily.
Suicide bombing
targeting Yemen’s central bank foiled
AFP,
Egyptian FM warns
Muslim bloc after its mocking of Sisi
The Associated Press,
He was mocking el-Sisi who claimed in a conference this week that for a decade his fridge had nothing but water, in a message to Egyptians to bear harsh economic conditions.
Roadside blast in
Reuters,
Major attack
That attack came just one week after ISIS ambushed a military
checkpoint killing 12 Egyptian soldiers in the town of
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English
Saturday, 29 October 2016/Egypt’s Prime Minister Sherif
Ismail visited the Red Sea governorate on Saturday to check damages caused by
deadly rain floods that killed at least 18 people and 47 injured. The floods
were caused by heavy rains in several towns in Upper Egypt and along the
Palestinian attacker
shot by Israeli troops
AFP,
AFP,
Furious
Saudi UN envoy:
Re-electing
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English
Saturday, 29 October 2016/Saudi Ambassador to the UN Abdullah bin Yahya Al-Moallami said on Friday
that re-electing the kingdom as a member of the Human Rights Council will allow
his country to complete its mission in defending human rights in the Arab and
Islamic worlds, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. The ambassador
Abdullah bin Yahya Al-Moallami
also said re-electing Saudi reflects the international community’s “trust” in
the kingdom’s “leading role” in the UN Human Rights Council. He added: “The
Kingdom will continue this role during the three upcoming years.” The four Arab
countries:
Two suicide bombers
kill at least eight in northeast Nigeria’s Maiduguri
Reuters,
EU and
Reuters,
Latest LCCC
Bulletin analysis& editorials from miscellaneous sources published on on October 29-30/16
Is new imam answered
prayer or impending doom for Hagia Sophia?
Pinar Tremblay/Al Monitor/October 29/16
Onder Soy, the new imam of the Hunkar Kasri, part of the Hagia Sophia complex, recently led the first Friday prayers there in 80 years, sparking enormous joy and excitement among many Muslims. It also spawned concern among people who worry about potential loss of tourism revenue and frustration among those who fear this could be the first step toward completely converting the site into a mosque.
While many Turks applaud the appointment of an imam inside the Hagia Sophia, others worry President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is claiming the national and historical treasure to build his case for an imperial presidency.
The situation is complicated.
First, the
Since 1991, the Hunkar Kasri has been open to prayer but had no official imam. It is a small area where observant Muslims can perform their midday and afternoon prayers. Now, with its own permanent imam, it is able to serve the public full time. Hence, believers can attend prayers five times a day, and also the special Friday prayers.
However, several believers who were interviewed on television Oct. 21 after the first Friday prayers at the complex said this access was not enough. One commented, “We are calling upon the president: Please open the Hagia Sophia as a mosque again so we can pray freely.” Below are a few examples from hundreds of jubilant comments on social media.
Political commentator Savci Sayan, who is known for his adoration of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, tweeted, “I am dreaming of the president leading the Friday prayer at Hagia Sophia. And I am praying for this dream to come true. #LetUsPray.”
Another citizen tweeted, "Now there is an imam for the Hunkar Kasri of Hagia Sophia. The next order of business should be to open Hagia Sophia for believers."
The hashtag #AyasofyaAcilsinDunyaCildirsin
("Open Hagia Sophia and let the world be green
with envy") also started trending as several tweets claimed that
Several people who support Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) encouraged the idea as well, suggesting, “We do not want to enter Hagia Sophia by paying [for a ticket], but by having performed an ablution."
Turkish media outlets showed a great deal of interest in the new imam. He became a celebrity overnight as details about him spread, including his interest in kickboxing and karate and his love of music. Islamist news outlets did not hesitate to lead their newscasts with a photo of the imam wearing boxing gloves. Dini Haberler's caption read, “Against the Christian Crusaders, we now have a boxing imam.”
Al-Monitor reported in June that Islamist groups in
However, there were a few lonely critical voices that dared to comment against the permanent imam's appointment.
One Twitter user wrote, “So Hagia
Sophia now has an imam assigned by the Religious Affairs Directorate. It is
only inside our homes where you have not yet nominated an imam.” Some people
want to know, now that the
As
So given the depressing figures, why would Erdogan risk further financial loss? A seasoned political
science professor from a prominent Turkish university who spoke to Al-Monitor
on condition of anonymity noted “Erdogan’s recent
rhetoric on
As he prepares for another possible election or referendum, said the professor, "We see that Erdogan is after an imperial presidency. And what better place to finalize this than a prayer session at the Hagia Sophia and converting it back to a mosque? This will be just like how the sultans' inaugurations were done — and all Turkish soap opera audiences know that."
The jubilation over possibly making the Hagia
Sophia back into a mosque is not only a religious but also a nationalistic
matter for Turks. That is precisely why, when Greek Defense
Minister Panos Kammenos canceled his planned visit to
Twitter users posted pictures of the building with captions
such as “Now the sound of call to prayer at the Hagia
Sophia rises. This decision made the European devils mad.” Others expressed
their joy that the call to the prayer reached all the way to
In the Greek media, though, the reporting is a bit
different. First, Kammenos’ purpose in traveling to
One retired Greek diplomat told Al-Monitor on condition of
anonymity, “The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and office of the
presidency say Hagia Sophia will remain a museum,
whereas the unofficial pro-AKP voices are running the other direction. We fear
with regard to Hagia Sophia, the government is
fanning the flames only to say they had to obey the public’s wishes at the
end.” Like other countries bordering
The last time Erdogan spoke about
the Hagia Sophia becoming a mosque was before the
presidential elections in June 2014. As another renovated mosque was opening in
None of the commentators have argued that Erdogan’s desire has been fulfilled to turn the Hagia Sophia into a mosque today. But can Erdogan achieve his presidency without leading prayers there?
Why Reformists have no choice but to back Rouhani
Saeid Jafari/Monitor/October 29/16
Despite the discontent among his key Reformist backers, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani seems set for another term — if only because of a lack of options. Reformist politician and member of parliament Mohammad Reza Aref, who quit the 2013 presidential race at the last minute to allow for a Reformist consensus around Rouhani, is one of the people who does not have a favorable view of the president. Aref, the head of the Reformist-moderate “List of Hope” for the Feb. 26 parliamentary elections, has continuously refrained from voicing his outright support for Rouhani in the upcoming presidential vote.
In an Aug. 13 interview with the Young Journalists Club, Aref — who served as first vice president during former Reformist President Mohammad Khatami’s second term (2001-2005) — was asked to comment on whether Rouhani is the Reformists only potential candidate in the May 2017 vote. He responded, “Whatever comment I make in this regard will be viewed as personal since the final decision on the Reformists’ presence at the polls has not been made yet. The cohesion of the Reformist camp is paramount to us. Therefore, we will discuss this after the [Reformists’] type of presence [in the next presidential election] has been decided on.”Aref’s comments may stem from his personal discontent with Rouhani for not appointing him as his first vice president after being elected president, and later for not supporting his bid to become parliament speaker. Although Rouhani never made a direct or official statement about Aref’s decision to run for speaker, the president’s advisers and deputies supported Aref’s main rival, incumbent Principlist Ali Larijani.
One informed source close to former President Khatami who asked to remain anonymous shared with Al-Monitor an interesting anecdote about the government’s role in the vote for the speakership. He told Al-Monitor, “Before the inauguration of the new parliament, [Oil Minister] Bijan Zangeneh and [Minister of Roads and Urban Development] Abbas Akhoundi visited Khatami to discuss Aref’s candidacy and request that he convince Aref to not compete in the race so that Larijani could remain in the post of speaker. This request by Zanganeh and Akhoundi — who had both served as ministers in Khatami’s administration — greatly angered Khatami who responded, 'If in 2013 we convinced Aref to quit the race, it was because Hassan Rouhani was on the other side and we could form a coalition around him. But what reason would we have for requesting this of Aref today? To withdraw in favor of Ali Larijani, who has no ties to the Reformists? What will the people who counted on us and voted for our List of Hope say?'”
The source added that Zangeneh and Akhoundi then tried to convince Khatami that Aref would not get enough votes and that it would be best if he ran for deputy speaker instead. Khatami, however, opposed their request and apparently said, “We do not expect the government to support Aref, but expect it to at least refrain from entering the scene and allow us to do our own work.” The meeting is said to have ended with Zangeneh and Akhoundi promising to convince Rouhani to do so.
This did not happen given that Rouhani’s
first Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri
two days later, on May 7, expressed his full support for Larijani
at a gathering that was held to acquaint new parliamentarians with
Larijani’s decisive victory in the
battle for the speakership is said to have once again disheartened Aref — so much so that until today he has abstained from
voicing support for Rouhani’s re-election. One
lawmaker from
It could be that the Reformists have realized that they have no other candidate than Rouhani and their lack of support could thus be aimed at pressuring the president into giving them a larger role in the next government.
In an interview with the Iranian Labor
News Agency July 22, Mohammad Reza Khatami, the
deputy speaker of
Saeed Laylaz, the deputy head of council of the Executives of Construction Party, shares Hajjarian and Khatami’s views. In an interview with Al-Monitor, Laylaz said, “If Ahmadinejad had come [forward as a candidate], there would be more unity and consensus among the Reformists. However, when next year’s election comes, you will still witness the Reformists forming a consensus around Rouhani without any difficulty.”
He added, “I don’t understand the great concern regarding Mr. Aref’s potential actions. He has always respected the Reformists’ collective and strategic decisions and never taken a step autonomously or against the public good of the Reformists. Therefore, I am certain that he, too, as one of the greats in the Reformist movement, will act wisely as he has done before and support Rouhani.”As such, given the current situation, Hajjarian’s analysis seems to be the most logical: The Reformists have no other option than Rouhani and they have no other choice either.
25 years after the
Nassif Hitti/The Arab Weekly/October 30/16
It is important for Palestinian leadership to be up to challenge and be over and above its members’ differences.
It has been a quarter of a century since the Madrid Peace
Conference. In the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict, it was the first and
only serious attempt at reaching a comprehensive peace on four tracks —
Palestinian, Jordanian, Syrian and Lebanese —
Comprehensive peace meant engaging in multilateral negotiations regarding refugees, water, arms control, regional security, the environment as well as economic cooperation and development. Negotiations were supposed to address key common issues in terms of their implications and concerns for the Arabs in exchange for attractive issues of normalisation for the Israelis. The principle of trade-offs was there, carrying different incentives for the Arabs and Israelis.
The end of the Cold War allowed for US-Soviet cooperation
and partnership while the 1991 war to liberate
All these factors combined into a driving force behind the
Madrid ended up with a Jordanian-Israeli peace accord,
which was the easiest track among the four compared to the core one — being the
Palestinian — and the strategic two-in-one, being the Syrian and the Lebanese —
with the latter hanging on the former. It led also to the
In other words, the fall of the comprehensive approach and its being replaced by the gradual transitional step-by-step approach on the Palestinian issue.
A shift occurred since then from a strategy of conflict resolution to one of conflict management on the core Palestinian issue. The Arab Peace Initiative that was developed later was not translated into a policy-oriented strategy because the Arabs did not commit the necessary diplomatic resources to it.
The current Palestinian disunity and absence of serious
working consensus within the Palestinian body politic, the Arab fragmentation
and the emergence of key pressing priorities on the agendas of the key
international and regional actors in a conflict-torn
Yet, identity-based conflicts such as national liberation ones — which is the case of the Palestinian issue — never die because of a certain unfavourable balance of power. The danger of marginalisation could turn a conflict from a political one (national liberation) into a religious one with a strong revival of religious radicalism, especially when the occupied territories are defined and defended as being the promised land.
Indeed, religious radicalism begets religious radicalism.
The Palestinian conflict area could become an attractive hotbed for jihadism. The danger also lies in
The parameters and process for a serious comprehensive
settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict are well established. Negotiations
could be resumed under the strategy of reversed engineering, defining a final
set of goals based on the reached agreements and pertinent UN resolutions.
This means allowing the establishment of a viable Palestinian state along the
1967 lines with
Such a commitment to the final goals facilitates making hard concessions. This needs five elements:
— a standing international conference that meets every time it is necessary to follow and accompany the negotiations. From it emanates a committee to follow on the goals of the conference;
— a well-defined time frame for negotiations;
— the definition of the terms of reference of the negotiations for no serious negotiations take place in a vacuum;
— the assuming by the third party (the follow-up committee on the part of the conference) of the role of the referee, facilitator, bridge builder and responsibility for the respect of the terms of reference;
— to provide at the end of the process all the necessary guarantees for implementation of the agreement.
Time works against peace amid current Israeli policies.
It is also important for the Palestinian leadership to be up to the challenge and be over and above its members’ ideological organisational and political differences and to develop a policy-oriented strategy towards the achievement of the Palestinian state.
The hope is that the lessons of a quarter of a century of missed opportunities could be learnt in the interest of peace, which is in the interest of all, allowing for the opening of a new page in the history of the Middle East.
Education is the only
hope for the Middle East
Claude Salhani/The Arab Weekly/October 30/16
If one is to look at region’s history as guide for what its future may be, prognosis is rather bleak.
Fierce fighting between a US-backed coalition, which
includes support from
With winter weeks away, there are good reasons to fear for
the well-being of these displaced people. They will most certainly spend at
least the coming winter under UN tents.Judging by the
scale and the ferocity of the fighting in
ISIS combatants deployed hundreds of booby traps in cities and towns from which they retreated.The powers involved in the coalitions fighting ISIS — the US-led group, the one led by Moscow as well as Arab countries involved — should begin to reflect on the future of these two cities, their adjoining regions, their battered populations and where they are likely to go from here.
There are two battles to be fought. The first is to remove
the threat posed by
If one is to look at the region’s history as a guide for what its future may be, the prognosis is rather bleak. Before these battles end is the time to take action and reflect upon how the future will shape the battered populations of this region. Hundreds of thousands of people should not be left to idle away months and years in refugee tents. Doing so only provides potential recruits to perpetuate the never-ending cycle of violence.
The Arab countries that have invested much in financing the
wars in
One place to start the rebuilding is to lead the inhabitants
of
What would it take to bring reconciliation to the