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Bible Quotation For Today/But when you give a banquet, all those who cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous
Luke 14/12-15: "He said also to the one who had invited him, ‘When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbours, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.’One of the dinner guests, on hearing this, said to him, ‘Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!’"

Bible Quotation For Today/No one who denies the Son has the Father; everyone who confesses the Son has the Father also
First Letter of John 02/21-29: "I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and you know that no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; everyone who confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you will abide in the Son and in the Father.
And this is what he has promised us, eternal life. I write these things to you concerning those who would deceive you. As for you, the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and so you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, abide in him. And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he is revealed we may have confidence and not be put to shame before him at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who does right has been born of him."

LCCC Latest analysis, editorials from miscellaneous sources published on August 19-20/15
Hezbollah sleeping cells in Kuwait are a wake-up call/Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor/Al Arabiya/August 19/15
Can Michel Aoun Be Defeated in Lebanon/Joseph A. Kechichian/Gulf News/August 19/15
Lebanon wracked by political dysfunction/Carine Torbey/BBC Arabic/August 19/15
Saudi Arabia: The World’s Greatest Hypocrite/Raymond Ibrahim/FrontPage Magazine/August 19/15
What Are Palestinians Doing With U.S. Money/Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/August 19/15
International readiness for war in Libya/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/August 19/15
Britain’s parochial politics are unfit for Mideast challenges/Chris Doyle/Al Arabiya/August 19/15
Senior Egyptian Clerics: Stiffen Penalties For Sexual Harassment/MEMRI/August 19/15
Why Khamenei's Official Approval of the Nuclear Deal Matters/Mehdi Khalaji/Washington Institute/August 19/15

LCCC Bulletin titles for the Lebanese Related News published on August 19-20/15
Aoun is entraped in Evil's Temptation/Elias Bejjani
Geagea Says Aoun Not Hizbullah's 'Real Candidate'
Saqr Refers Asir, Detainees to Army Intelligence for Further Investigation
Salam: Decision on Cabinet Session Hinges on Progress of Consultations
Salam Denies Decision to Dump Waste at Beirut Port as Employees Suspend Strike
Armed Robbery at Credit Libanais Bank in Khaldeh
Nasrallah Snaps Back at Rivals: Hizbullah Continues to Back Aoun Candidacy
9 Palestinians Drown as Boat Sinks after Leaving Lebanon
Declaration of Winning Waste Management Bids Postponed as Activists Scuffle with Police
U.N. Envoy not Enthusiastic about Return of Lebanon's Syrians to Safe Zones
Berri Denies Lack of Enthusiasm on Legislative Session as Officers' Promotion Gathers Steam
Hezbollah sleeping cells in Kuwait are a wake-up call/Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor/Al Arabiya/August 19/15
Can Michel Aoun Be Defeated in Lebanon/By Joseph A. Kechichian/Gulf News
Lebanon wracked by political dysfunction/Carine Torbey BBC/19 August 2015

LCCC Bulletin Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 19-20/15
A second Democrat, Sen. Robert Menendez, opposes Iran deal
Six Russian MiG-31 interceptor aircraft land in Damascus to rescue Assad regime
ISIS loses thousands in last year, progress hindered
Eight Turkish Soldiers Killed in PKK Bombing in Southeast
Turkey fails to form coalition, so what comes next?
U.S. denounces Egypt's new anti-terror law
ISIS leader’s tribe denies pledge of allegiance
Typhoid outbreak hits Palestinian refugees in Syria
Iran propaganda clip shows what a Muslim invasion of Israel would look like
Russian source confirms S-300 missiles to be delivered to Iran this year
ISIS militants behead, 82-year-old archaeologist, Khaled Asaad in Palmyra
Erdogan gambles on war with Kurds, Syria

Aoun is entraped in Evil's Temptation
Elias Bejjani/19 August/15/Can any one close to the crazy and deluded Aoun remind him that no one can take with him any earthly riches once God takes back His holy gift from him, which life itself? May be this Trojan might repent, although we strongly believe that he is beyond this stage and there is no way he could repent. He is totally lost. What a disastrous creature

Geagea Says Aoun Not Hizbullah's 'Real Candidate'
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Wednesday noted that Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun is not Hizbullah's “real” presidential candidate, despite the party's declared stance.
“Hizbullah's real candidate is not General Aoun and it is leaving its actual nominee undeclared until the time of settlement comes,” said Geagea in an interview with Future television. “Iran and Hizbullah are the strategic players obstructing the presidential election, despite the presence of other blocs that reject a president with political weight,” he said. The LF leader stressed that nothing can be improved in the country in the absence of a new president. “We did the impossible to exit the presidential crisis and I hope a positive development will occur in the next two months and we will continue our endeavors,” he added. Asked about a possible impact for the Iranian nuclear deal on the domestic Lebanese situations, Geagea pointed out that “the disputes will not be resolved in the wake of the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.”“They might be further complicated seeing as Iran cannot bear two major settlements in this period,” he said. In response to another question, Geagea said that he will carry on with his presidential nomination. However, he clarified that he is willing to discuss with Aoun “any presidential solution” that does not involve the election of any of them. Lebanon has been without a president since May last year when the term of Michel Suleiman ended with MPs unable to find a successor. Sharp differences between the March 8 and 14 alliances left Baabda Palace vacant over their inability to agree on a consensual candidate. Turning to the recent confrontation between Aoun and al-Mustaqbal movement, Geagea said the FPM chief's escalation against the movement is “temporary.”“General Aoun has clarified that he did not personally accuse al-Mustaqbal of practicing Daesh-like policies,” he added, referring to banners that were carried by protesters during a recent FPM demonstration. As for Prime Minister Tammam Salam's cabinet, Geagea noted that he had proposed the formation of a technocrat cabinet. “I have not changed my stance on shunning a government similar to the current one,” he said, criticizing the cabinet over its lack of productivity and failure to address the several crises.

Saqr Refers Asir, Detainees to Army Intelligence for Further Investigation
Naharnet/August 19/15/State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr referred on Wednesday detained Salafist cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir to the Army Intelligence Directorate to expand investigations with him, various media reported. A number of detainees linked to his case were also referred to the directorate. Earlier, General Security forces had carried out wide raids in the southern city of Sidon and nearby areas in connection to the cleric's confessions, reported the National News Agency.
It searched the house of Palestinian Fouad G. in the old city of Sidon. He is a supporter of al-Asir and has kept a low profile for some time, added NNA. Security forces later arrested Sidon municipal policeman Sami al-Habsh following the cleric's confessions. Head of the Sidon municipal police department later denied the claim, reported Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5). The raids also covered the region of Sharhabeel, northeast of Sidon. Al-Asir was arrested on Saturday at Rafik Hariri International Airport as he attempted to flee the country to Nigeria via Egypt. The vocal anti-Hizbullah cleric is wanted, among other charges, for his involvement in clashes between his supporters and the army in Sidon's Abra region in 2013. A number of his supporters have been arrested since his detention.

Salam: Decision on Cabinet Session Hinges on Progress of Consultations
Naharnet/August 19/15/Prime Minister Tammam Salam reiterated on Wednesday that he was giving consultations on the cabinet crisis more time before calling for a session.He said he is “still looking for a solution.” That's why he “procrastinated on inviting the government for a session this week.”But Salam warned in remarks to al-Mustaqbal newspaper that the procrastination is not a permanent decision and could expire next week. “We are paving way for solutions and efforts (exerted by officials). We will see how things progress on a weekly basis,” he said. The premier stressed that Speaker Nabih Berri is backing the efforts he is exerting to end the paralysis, which erupted when the Free Patriotic Movement insisted on discussing the government's working mechanism before any other issue. During a session last week, cabinet ministers failed to take any decision. Instead they traded blame on the crisis. “Berri's support is clear. He is striving to consolidate the country and reactivate legislative and government work,” said Salam. He also lauded the efforts exerted by Progressive Socialist Party chief MP Walid Jumblat to resolve the cabinet crisis. He said Jumblat's last meeting with al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri in Paris aimed at removing the obstacles facing the government.

Salam Denies Decision to Dump Waste at Beirut Port as Employees Suspend Strike
Naharnet/August 19/15/Prime Minister Tammam Salam informed Health Minister Wael Abou Faour on Wednesday that there was no decision to dump the capital's waste at Beirut Port. The state-run National News Agency said Abou Faour telephoned Salam to brief him about the dangers of dumping waste at the port, mainly because of the presence of grain silos there. But the premier stressed to the health minister that neither him nor Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq had taken a decision to dump garbage in the area out of their keenness on the people's safety and health, said NNA. The telephone conversation and the assurances they received from Salam prompted the employees of the silos and the port staff to suspend a two-day strike that they had launched on Wednesday. Head of the Union of Beirut Port Employees Beshara al-Asmar warned, however, that the suspension did not mean the employees would not hold another strike if digging operations in block AB and waste dumping resumed. Economy Minister Alain Hakim met with members of the union after the suspension of the strike. Hakim said he is confident that Salam will implement his pledges. “We will have a catastrophe and we will confront it” if any move was made to dump garbage at the port, he said. "We should announce a state of emergency on the waste crisis," he added. Abou Faour warned on Monday that Lebanon is on the brink of a major health disaster unless an immediate solution is found for its mounting trash problem. Garbage has been collecting on the streets in Beirut and Mount Lebanon for the past month amid government paralysis and inability to agree on a solution after the Naameh landfill, south of the capital, was closed down. Some residents have resorted to burning the trash on the streets, sending toxic fumes over the city's skyline and into people's homes. Others are dumping waste randomly in forests and valleys. The minister said Lebanon's air, water and food were threatened with contamination and called for an emergency committee to come up with immediate recommendations.

Armed Robbery at Credit Libanais Bank in Khaldeh
Naharnet/August 19/15/Two gunman robbed on Wednesday the Credit Libanais Bank branch in Khaldeh taking LL100 million and fleeing to an unknown destination. One of the gunmen held a military weapon while the other one held a knife threatening the bank employees to succumb to their demands, the state-run National News Agency reported. They ran to an unidentified location using a medium sized motorcycle. The Voice of Lebanon Radio (93.3) said that the assailants did not cover their faces and have threatened the bank employees. Investigations were kicked off in search for the suspects.

Nasrallah Snaps Back at Rivals: Hizbullah Continues to Back Aoun Candidacy
Naharnet/August 19/15/Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah reiterated that his ally Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun remains a strong candidate for the presidency. “We will continue to back his candidacy,” Nasrallah, whose remarks were released by the party's press office Wednesday, said at the launching of a new university. “There is no change in our stance” regarding Aoun, he said. During a speech last Friday, Nasrallah described Aoun as a “mandatory pathway” for the presidential elections. Such a statement prompted his rivals to claim that Hizbullah is no longer keen on Aoun’s candidacy. But the Hizbullah secretary-general reiterated in his speech at the launching of the university on Tuesday that the words “mandatory pathway” do not mean Aoun is no longer a candidate.
“They just want to explain things” as they like, he said about his rivals in the March 14 alliance. Lebanon has been without a president since May last year when the term of Michel Suleiman ended with MPs unable to find a successor. Sharp differences between the March 8 and 14 alliances left Baabda Palace vacant over their inability to agree on a consensual candidate.

9 Palestinians Drown as Boat Sinks after Leaving Lebanon
Naharnet/August 19/15/Nine people, including women and children, were killed when a boat smuggling Palestinians from Lebanon's northern port of Tripoli sank in Turkey's territorial waters, one of the survivors said on Wednesday. The state-run National News Agency said the survivor told his relatives that the boat was carrying 40 Palestinians from Syrian camps, mainly Yarmuk in Damascus, who had taken refuge in Palestinian shantytowns in northern Lebanon. The boat left the Port of Tripoli on Monday and when it reached Turkey's territorial waters it sank due to overloading, the survivor said, according to NNA. “The Turkish coast guard helped survivors and took them to hospitals,” he added. But Tripoli Port denied the vessel started its journey from the facility and it was not clear if the final destination of the migrants was Turkey. There has been over the last two weeks a dramatic spike in the numbers of migrants -- mainly from Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Africa -- seeking to leave Turkey by sea for Greece in the hope of finding new lives in the European Union. The U.N. refugee agency has said in the last week alone, 20,843 migrants arrived in Greece, which has seen around 160,000 migrants land on its shores since January. Some 250,000 migrants have already crossed the Mediterranean this year to Italy and Greece, and the International Organization for Migration said Tuesday it expected that number to pass 300,000 by the end of the year. The ones who make it to shore are the lucky ones, with 2,440 people having died trying so far this year, according to the UNHCR.

Declaration of Winning Waste Management Bids Postponed as Activists Scuffle with Police
Naharnet/August 19/15/A committee tasked with evaluating waste management tenders on Wednesday postponed declaring the winning bids pending further assessment, as anti-trash protesters scuffled with security forces outside the Council for Development and Reconstruction where the meeting was held. “It is necessary to have more than one evaluation for every region,” said Environment Minister Mohammed al-Mashnouq after the meeting. “The declaration of the winning bids has been postponed to Tuesday for further evaluations,” he said. Meanwhile, security forces fired water cannons to disperse dozens of protesters from the You Stink campaign after some of them tried to remove the barricades and barbed wire outside the CDR and the Grand Serail. Protesters shouted slogans against the authorities over the failure to address the garbage crisis as some of them hurled eggs towards the Grand Serail. Five protesters were arrested during the clashes of whom one was eventually released. Clashes renewed in the evening as security forces used batons to disperse the demonstrators. The You Stink anti-trash campaign said on its Facebook page that the activist Bilal Allaw was critically wounded after he was beaten by security forces. He was rushed to the American University of Beirut Medical Center. It also said four activists were still detained, identifying them as Lucien Bourjeily, Hassan Shamas, Imad Bazzi and Waref Suleiman.
The protesters vowed that they will not end their sit-in at the Riad al-Solh Square before the release of all detainees. Mashnouq had earlier asserted that bids to solve the waste crisis would be opened and declared on Wednesday, assuring that the state will help in finding dumping ground. “We have a sufficient number of bids that were presented to help solve the waste crisis and they will be opened and announced today with transparency,” he told An Nahar daily. “The state will help in finding disposal grounds,” he assured. “Today we will move from the stage of preparation to the stage of implementation starting with sweeping, landfilling and management,” said Mashnouq, adding “the bids that will be announced today have been studied thoroughly by international consultancy firms and have been evaluated technically, financially and legally.” Mashnouq stressed that the tenders included all Lebanese regions. On the role of the cabinet following the bid openings, Mashnouq said: “The ministerial committee will submit a report to the government and inform it on the results. The Council for Development and Reconstruction will later sign the contracts with the winning firms.”Early in August, three private firms offered bids to manage Beirut’s waste without stating a clear disposing ground. In July and following the closure of the Naameh landfill, which receives the waste of Beirut and Mount Lebanon, a waste management crisis erupted and continues until today. Several regions have refused to take and bury any of the capital’s waste as a substitute for Naameh.
Municipalities have therefore been dumping garbage randomly in forests, on bank rivers, and valleys.

U.N. Envoy not Enthusiastic about Return of Lebanon's Syrians to Safe Zones
Naharnet/August 19/15/U.N. humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien has dampened expectations by Lebanese officials to allow a large number of Syrian refugees to return home and settle in safe zones. “It is useless to discuss about safe zones in Syria unless there is a clear intention to guarantee the security of those willing to return to these areas,” O'Brien told An Nahar daily in an interview published on Wednesday. He spoke to the newspaper before he left Beirut where he held talks with Prime Minister Tammam Salam and Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbas. The envoy said he “agreed” with Salam and Derbas that “there is no need to delude (the people) about safe zones” in Syria. Earlier this month, Derbas said that Lebanon should benefit from a decision by al-Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front in Syria to withdraw from areas along the border with Turkey. Turkey and the U.S. have agreed on the outlines of a plan to create an Islamic State-free zone along the border. Al-Nusra Front said its decision was being taken to avoid cooperating with the U.S.-Turkish plan to create the zone. Derbas said that Lebanon should negotiate with Turkey and the U.S. so that hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees return to these areas.
Lebanon is hosting around 1.5 million Syrian refugees. In the interview, O'Brien denied that he discussed with the Lebanese officials the possible naturalization of Syrian refugees. “We haven't made such discussions and I believe that these fears are not valid,” he said. Last month, Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil accused the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees of sparking a rise in the number of displaced Syrians in Lebanon. He said some of its practices could lead to the naturalization of newborn Syrians.

Berri Denies Lack of Enthusiasm on Legislative Session as Officers' Promotion Gathers Steam
Naharnet/August 19/15/Speaker Nabih Berri has denied that he was no longer eager to call for an extraordinary legislative session amid reports that the parliament would convene to approve the promotion of army officers.
“This is not true. I haven't made any such statement in the past days,” Berri, whose remarks were published in local dailies on Wednesday, said about the extraordinary session. When told by his visitors that it was time for him to make an initiative to resolve the paralysis of the cabinet and the parliament, Berri said: “I have tried to do so many times.” “I have told the people to calm down and I say the same thing again,” he added. The speaker, who heads the Amal Movement, said: “The Lebanese residing (in Lebanon) are bringing harm to their country unlike expatriates who are devoting themselves to back their country and strengthen it.” Berri's lack of enthusiasm on an initiative prompted Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq to urge him to play the role of the “maestro” in a dialogue that brings the rival parties together. He warned in remarks to al-Liwaa newspaper that the country's different sectors would collapse successively if no solution was taken. Al-Mashnouq is making an initiative for the promotion of 12 army officers from brigadier-general to the rank of major-general, which leaves Commando Regiment chief Brig. Gen. Chamel Roukoz in the military for another year. Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun will likely approve the initiative as an exit for the current crisis, sources told An Nahar daily. Roukoz is the son-in-law of Aoun, who wants him to become military commander. According to An Nahar, the FPM is discussing with the Lebanese Forces ways to attend the legislative session and approve the draft-law on the promotion of the officers.

Hezbollah sleeping cells in Kuwait are a wake-up call
Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor/Al Arabiya/August 19/15
Kuwait’s discovery of a massive secret weapons cache, including rocket launchers, machine guns and grenades, in the hands of one of Hezbollah’s sleeping cells allegedly plotting to overthrow the government should be viewed as a harbinger of Tehran’s future malicious intentions. An immediate response, beyond mere verbal condemnation, is needed from GCC States. Apparently such cells have been in existence for 16 years awaiting the moment to strike. The Arab Times reveals that all 25 Kuwaiti, Lebanese and Iranian suspects were trained in Lebanon and reports that a foreign intelligence service had warned the Ministry of Interior almost a year ago of an upcoming terror plot “against Kuwait by a sleeper cell belonging to Hezbollah.”Together, Gulf states make-up one interlocking body formed on the basis of geography, common history and ties of blood. When one of its extremities is injured the others are more vulnerable. Therefore, all GCC member states must take the toughest measures possible to protect their borders and to use every available tool to root out those who would harm us.
Many expressed their surprise at Kuwait’s lack of decisive action to thwart these kinds of threats, and I could not agree more, given Iran’s destructive meddling in Bahrain, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon and elsewhere. Iran is the mastermind behind many regional troubles, but Hezbollah is the implementer. Kuwait needs to get tough but its democratic system of governance and constitution may be restraining the authorities. Kuwaitis tend to treat their constitution with reverence but it is not a holy book. If its civil liberties provisions endanger the country, it should be changed to give the government a free hand to deal with individuals or parties having dubious links to foreign governments and organisations. Muna al-Fuzai, a Kuwaiti journalist, hit the nail on the head when she wrote, it is imperative to “put an end to the intervention of pro-Iranian parties in Gulf states, whether in Kuwait or other states and those who support them...”
Indeed, if democratic freedom means opening up ones house to enemies, however they are disguised, then who needs it! Let us not be fooled by the illusion of western-style democracy. In my view, Kuwait’s parliament is holding the country back from political stability, economic growth and from adopting stringent security policies. The democratic process permits infiltration by parties covertly serving an Iranian agenda. Kuwait was one of the first countries to declare Hezbollah a terrorist organization, yet the organization still manages to remain active on Kuwaiti soil. Years ago, some Kuwaiti lawmakers displayed their loyalty to Hezbollah during visits to Lebanon, appalling when one recalls Hezbollah’s multiple attacks on targets and assassination attempts in Kuwait during the 1980s. Kuwait should purge parliament of treasonous representatives too cosy with Iran.
Kuwait was one of the first countries to declare Hezbollah a terrorist organization, yet the organization still manages to remain active on Kuwaiti soil. No citizen should be allowed to jeopardize Kuwait’s national security and anyone who does so, should face the death penalty. Kuwait’s experiment with democracy needs fine-tuning. In the meantime, I would ask GCC member states, in particular Saudi Arabia and the UAE, to respectfully urge Kuwait to call for a State of Emergency in the first instance. Moreover, every Gulf State must be on alert for Iranian plots.
Iran’s thirst for hegemony
Most of this region’s troubles are rooted in Iran’s thirst for hegemony. That is known! So, the Obama administration’s portrayal of Iran as a benign entity insults our intelligence.
We are not safer just because Iran’s nuclear ambitions are curbed for 10 years - on the contrary, the ayatollahs will soon be flush with $80 billion to fuel Tehran’s troublemaking regional proxies and affiliates. Here is the evidence straight from the horse’s mouth.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran will always support the current resistance front and of course, with the nuclear agreement, it will have more power to side with its friends in the region, said Ali Akbar Velayati, a high Iranian official who is also the Secretary General of the World Assembly of Islamic Awakening. Iran and its Iranian satellite Hezbollah have a single goal, ideological and physical domination of the Arab World, its prime target being oil-rich GCC States. Why do Gulf countries maintain diplomatic relations with a country that has boasted its control of Arab capitals and used proxies to attempt to overthrow our leaderships?
The call by Qatar’s Foreign Minister Khalid al-Attiyah for a dialogue between the GCC and Iran, was backed by Oman but rightly met with deep reservations from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain. Iran is not seeking reconciliation but rather supremacy and Gulf States should not engage with its game that amounts to a PR exercise for western consumption.The GCC should cut all diplomatic and economic ties with Tehran and Beirut starting with the withdrawal of ambassadors from both Iran and Lebanon, which has recently benefited from billions in aid from the countries Hezbollah is attacking. Its ingratitude is astounding! Kuwait dodged the bullet this time. Together, our leaderships must do all in their power to ensure there won’t be a next.

Can Michel Aoun Be Defeated in Lebanon?
He is highly respected but is no longer a viable contender for Lebanon’s presidency. Even for Hezbollah
By Joseph A. Kechichian, Senior writer/Gulf News
Published: 16:34 August 19, 2015
The contrast between two recent demonstrations in Lebanon was striking. A few hundred Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) supporters gathered last week at Martyrs’ Square in downtown Beirut heeding a call from General Michel Aoun and to mobilise against the government of Prime Minister Tammam Salam. Then on Friday, Hezbollah organised a grand rally at Wadi Hujayr in South Lebanon, a valley made famous during the 2006 war when its militiamen destroyed numerous Israeli Merkava tanks at the very spot. Although the festive occasion marked the ninth anniversary of what Hezbollah calls “Divine Victory” against Israel, the group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah barely touched on the “enemy”. Instead he focused on Aoun and how nothing or no one could defeat his erstwhile ally. Is that the case?
In his bombastic pronouncement, the Hezbollah chief renewed his call on the Future Movement to enter into a dialogue with Aoun allegedly to find solutions to the divisive issues threatening to cripple the government’s work, ranging the gamut from security appointments to the Cabinet’s decision-making system that apparently is no longer acceptable. “Today ... I want to reaffirm that … we do not accept that any of our allies are excluded or broken, especially those who stood beside us in the July [2006] war and tied their necks, their fates and their blood to ours,” Nasrallah said in a clear reference to the FPM. He added that his backing of Aoun was not a mere political ploy, but involved a “moral and humanitarian” dimension, as he demanded respect for the FPM. “You can’t break Aoun and you can’t isolate him,” Nasrallah warned Salam and his government, even if no such plans existed.
Then came the icing on the cake. “We are committed to this position,” hammered Nasrallah, as he emphasised that Aoun was a compulsory passage, arguing that state institutions could not possibly function if the FPM was excluded. That clarification revealed that Nasrallah perceived Aoun as a compulsory passage, which led one to wonder whether a mere channel translated into solid backing for the presidency.
Equally shocking was Nasrallah’s call to preserve the very idea of coexistence in a single, and presumably united, state. “When we are all present in state institutions, we can be reassured that no one is seeking to eliminate anyone,” he added, describing the Lebanese state as “the guarantee and the solution” for all citizens. This amazing request rejected partition and federalism, two ideas that were on everyone’s minds and lips, especially FPM backers. Of course, the Hezbollah cleric clarified what kind of state he had in mind — one that encouraged real partnership instead of the entity that hindered equality — although he failed to grasp the notion that the civil war produced an amended constitution that awaited full implementation.
Be that as it may, what was interesting was whether this part of the speech was hastily added after Nasrallah spoke with the Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif — who, incidentally praised Salam and the Lebanese government and, most importantly, did not visit Imad Mughniyeh’s grave as such a stop has become more or less routine for every Iranian visitor to Beirut during the past few years. Equally important and highly symbolic was the meeting between Zarif and Defence Minister Samir Muqbel that was yet another sign of support from Tehran for Beirut. No wonder the Lebanese army is now perceived as a source of salvation, especially after repeated catastrophes in Syria.
Wisely, Zarif distanced Iran from internal Lebanese affairs and stated that local actors ought to assume responsibilities to elect a head-of-state, and while Nasrallah insisted that “those who think that Iran might pressure its allies in the presidential issue are delusional,” his call on Christian leaders to reevaluate their stances was pure denial, since it is Hezbollah and the FPM that are blocking the election of a president.
To be sure, Nasrallah held on to his alliance with the FPM and hinted that the party might join future street protests if Aoun’s demands for partnership in the government were not met, though it royally chose to pass the opportunity to do just that last week. Consequently, it was likely that Nasrallah perceived his new challenges on two separate levels.
First, to engage in a gradual political isolation of the FPM leader since the Hezbollah chief barely promised an opportunistic solidarity with his Christian ally, despite his elegant “General Aoun is a must for the presidency” claim. Recent declarations by Amal leader Nabih Berri clarified where a critical component of the opposition stood, when the Speaker rejected Aoun, which spoke volumes. This was followed by an extremely difficult meeting between the Minister of Finance, Ali Hassan Khalil, a Berri counsellor, and Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, one of Aoun’s sons-in-law, which failed to mend ties between Berri and Aoun. The gathering apparently degenerated into a shouting match and added fresh disputes to the rapidly growing list, this time over the payment of salaries for civil servants that could not be honoured in September unless the executive branch paralysis was lifted.
The second preference aimed not to isolate the FPM but use it to provoke a confrontation with the Future Movement, that is to say between Christians and Sunnis, something that former prime minister Sa’ad Hariri warned about repeatedly. Hariri affirmed that there was no plan to eliminate Aoun as a political force but the fact was rather clear: he simply was not electable. Virulently anti-Future Movement posters, carried by former ministers no less, at the most recent FPM demonstration, betrayed what Hezbollah planned for the future. Was it not illogical to call for dialogue between the FPM and Future Movement when the latter were portrayed as extremists bent on destroying the state?
As Iranian agents in Lebanon, Hezbollah advanced Tehran’s dual objectives in the Levant: preserve stability if possible and keep-up the pressure for relevance on the regional map. Yet, by pushing for a Sunni-Christian confrontation, Hezbollah may well believe that it is preventing a Sunni-Shiite clash, which it could not possibly win given rapidly changing developments on the ground throughout the area. Under the circumstances, Tehran may have persuaded itself that Hezbollah could become a mediating force, though that was an impossibility too, since party spokespersons excelled in unprecedented sectarian discourses that divided rather than united.
At this point, it is clear that Aoun is actually defeated and, ironically, at the hands of his own allies who simply request that their candidate is no longer “disrespected”. That’s easy. Aoun is highly respected but is no longer a viable contender. Even for Hezbollah.
**Dr Joseph A. Kechichian is the author of Iffat Al Thunayan: An Arabian Queen, London: Sussex Academic Press, 2015.

Lebanon wracked by political dysfunction
Carine Torbey BBC Arabic, Beirut/ 19 August 2015
There have been many protests against power cuts
"LebanOFF, LebanON" was a catchy and successful media campaign launched by the Ministry of Energy in 2010 to hail a new age for electricity provision in the country.
And it struck a chord - after decades of power shortages, Lebanon was to be plugged in again.
But the slogan didn't live up to its promises and instead of more lights on, Lebanon has recently plunged even deeper into darkness.
And that's just one of the many problems plaguing the country and shutting the system down, making "LebanOFF" more than just an amusing slogan.
The most recent service disruption has to do with rubbish collection.
For over a month now, Lebanon has been drowning in rubbish
The main landfill site that used to take rubbish from the capital has closed after exceeding its capacity, and no alternative was sought or found to avoid the disaster. It prompted a civil society group to adopt the motto "You Stink", addressed to politicians.
In ruins
But none of these problem is new or surprising. They are the manifestation of a system in crisis.
Since the end of the 15-year civil war in 1990, little attention has been given to investment in infrastructure. The country was in ruins and so were basic services.
Other than in central Beirut, which was handed over to a private estate company, very few projects were implemented to improve the quality of services nationwide.
While consecutive governments didn't appear to care about long-term planning and projects, people relied on private and unofficial service providers.
Beirut in 1980: Lebanon's civil war left the country in ruins
A parallel system emerged and the state never stepped in to live up to its responsibilities and address basic problems in a sustainable way.
And it isn't only about incompetence on the level of the day-to-day running of the country. The chronic problems have deeper roots.
27 attempts and counting...
A few basic facts are enough to show the level of dysfunction within the country. Lebanon has been without a president for more than 450 days.
The 27th parliamentary session to elect a president in August was as ill-fated as the previous 26.
Lebanon is caught in deep political divisions mirroring the regional fault lines. The MPs who are deeply allied to one player or another in the region, have been unable to decide on a president, a mainly ceremonial role, reserved for a Christian in a sectarian power-sharing system.
As the presidential elections stall, so does the parliament's work. The MPs have extended their own terms twice, dismissing calls for elections and legitimate representation.
They have been unable to agree on whether to continue legislating before voting for a president.
The result is paralysis in parliament for over a year.
Lebanon's political system
Political office in Lebanon is divided by a power-sharing agreement to ensure that the three major religious blocks - Shia, Sunni and Christian - are represented
The National Pact of 1943 established this division, declaring that the president must be Christian, the prime minister Sunni Muslim and the speaker of parliament a Shia Muslim
The president is chosen by a two-thirds majority of parliament, or 85 of the legislature's 128 members
Several attempts in parliament have failed to agree on a consensus president, some of them because of a boycott by MPs
Vicious circle
What remains is a lame government. Session after session, the cabinet meets to discuss whether its decisions should be adopted by consensus or simple majority in the absence of a president who has the right to preside over the cabinet sessions.
The circle of institutional paralysis is thus complete.
Michel Suleiman stepped down as president in May 2014 and has not been replaced
"This constitutional situation is practically the worst since the independence of Lebanon," says Mario Abou Zeid, a scholar from the Carnegie Center.
The paralysis has cost Lebanon, a heavily indebted country, a lot, including international aid and grants worth $1bn (£635m).
Recently the crisis has been spreading to other key positions in the country.
The mandate of the current commander-in-chief, another Christian position, was due to expire in September. After months of government squabbling over the appointment of a new commander, divisions couldn't be bridged.
The minister of defence decided unilaterally to extend the term of the current commander. In practice, it's a delay of the crisis, a one-year break before the same problem re-emerges.
As a senior journalist put it: "The extension is a sign of general failure. No-one won. It's the government that lost the most."
What he meant was that to resort to extending terms rather than appointing new leaders is one of the signs of the inability of the political class to overcome its differences and go on with managing state affairs even at a bare minimum.
'People are fed up with us'
Nevertheless, the extension infuriated a main political group, the Christian Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), who called for protests against the minister's decision.
FPM supporters took to the streets protesting against "violations of the constitution", comparing politicians to the extremist group Islamic State, also known as Isis
Another protester holds a placard saying "Lebanon as we see it" (R) and "Lebanon how they wish it to be"
The response of a minister from a rival party was dismissive.
"Neither our rivals nor ourselves are able at the moment to mobilise our bases. People are just fed up with all of us. They worry about the garbage on the streets, their salaries and other daily issues. They also know deep down that the main decisions are made outside the cabinet and even outside the country." Resignation or evasion of responsibility? Whatever the case, many people seem to have developed a sort of apathy towards the rampant corruption and the incompetence of the political elite.
Since the beginning of the conflict in Syria, the outside world looked at neighbouring Lebanon as a country at risk of catching fire from the war next door. Despite being hit hard by several security breaches thought to be linked to the situation in Syria, and a direct confrontation with Syrian opposition groups in a border town last August, Lebanon remains relatively stable. It's the political situation inside the country that seems at the moment to be the most alarming.

A second Democrat, Sen. Robert Menendez, opposes Iran deal
Associated PresséLos Angeles Times/By Lisa Mascaro contact the reporter
New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez, a key Democrat who has been highly skeptical of the landmark nuclear deal reached last month between Iran and six world powers led by the United States, announced Tuesday that he would vote to oppose the agreement.
Menendez's opposition was not a surprise given his criticism of the deal. It comes amid a fierce lobbying fight before next month's expected vote in Congress. So far, President Obama appears to have enough support to uphold the deal, which would curb Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for the easing of oil and economic sanctions. Even though Republicans control Congress and almost uniformly oppose the agreement, they are unlikely to sway enough Democrats to form the two-thirds supermajority needed for a veto override. Menendez took aim not only at perceived shortcomings of the deal, but also at Obama's characterization of opponents as military hawks like those who backed the Iraq war launched in 2003. The agreement announced in July came after almost two years of negotiations between the six world powers — Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States — and Iran. “The agreement that has been reached failed to achieve the one thing it set out to achieve: It failed to stop Iran from becoming a nuclear weapons state at a time of its choosing,” Menendez said, speaking at Seton Hall University’s School of Diplomacy and International Relations. “This deal is based on ‘hope,’” said Menendez, a Cuban American who has often been at odds with the administration on foreign policy. “A hope that things may be different in Iran in 10 to 15 years. Maybe Iran will desist from its nuclear ambitions. Maybe they'll stop exporting and supporting terrorism.... Or maybe they won't.”These 12 senators could hold the fate of Obama's Iran deal in their hands
Menendez noted that unlike the administration's chief backers of the deal, Secretary of State John F. Kerry and Vice President Joe Biden, he voted against the war in Iraq, which was an unpopular position at the time. Menendez, a former chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, is the second Democratic senator to publicly oppose the deal. Sen. Charles E. Schumer of New York announced his opposition this month. Republicans need to win the votes of four more Democrats to pass a resolution of disapproval in the Senate, assuming all Republicans oppose the deal. Though that would be a symbolic blow, Obama still would be able to veto the resolution.. Neither Menendez nor Schumer, who is poised to become the party's next Senate leader, appear to be attempting to sway their colleagues to oppose the deal. Many lawmakers are skeptical that Iran will wind down its nuclear ambitions, despite promised access to international inspections. Menendez stepped down as the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee this year after being indicted on federal corruption charges. He denies any wrongdoing. The New Jersey senator has suggested that the administration could achieve a better deal through continued negotiations. The Obama administration says that the proposed agreement is one of the strongest of its kind and that if Congress rejects it, the only alternative to block Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon will be military action. Congress faces a Sept. 17 deadline to act, and debate is expected to begin after Labor Day, when lawmakers return to Washington from recess.

Six Russian MiG-31 interceptor aircraft land in Damascus to rescue Assad regime
DEBKAfile Special Report August 18, 2015/Six Russian MiG-31 Foxhound interceptor aircraft from Moscow landed Tuesday, Aug. 18, at the Mezze Airbase situated in Damascus international airport, debkafile’s military and intelligence sources disclose. They were followed shortly after by giant An-124 Condor transports, which delivered 1,000 Kornet-9M133 third-generation anti-tank guided missiles. The Russian airlift of advanced weapons for Bashar Assad’s army will last for several days. It betokens Moscow’s intention to keep up its support for the Syrian ruler and counter – by military means if necessary - any secret Iranian diplomatic machinations for terminating the Syria war and with it the Assad regime – such as have been reported in the past week in Western and Arab capitals, especially in the Gulf. Our sources report that the decision to send the Syrian ruler advanced aircraft and missiles could only have come from the top, i.e. President Vladimir Putin. It took direct aim at the latest moves made by the US, Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia for ending the Syrian war. Every formula they came up with entailed Assad’s exit, either in stages or at once. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made it crystal clear to visiting Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubair on Aug. 11 that Moscow would not stand still for any changes in Assad’s position in Damascus. The Migs and Antonovs which landed in Damascus Tuesday were meant not only as a buttress for the Syrian ruler’s regime but as a rescue operation. The message for Washington and Ankara was that Moscow would oppose any US and Turkish plans to establish a no-fly zone over Syria, or intervene directly in the Syrian conflict. The Russians sent exactly six MiG interceptors to match the six F-16 fighters the US deployed at the Turkish Incerlik air base on Aug. 9. So if President Barack Obama decides to deploy more American planes at the Turkish base, he may expect Putin to reciprocate with the same number for Damascus.

ISIS loses thousands in last year, progress hindered
By Staff Writer | Al Arabiya News/Wednesday, 19 August 2015/More than 7,000 ISIS fighters and leaders have been killed in the last year as the militant group centralizes its efforts in Iraq, UK daily The Guardian has reported citing Australian defense chief Vice admiral David Johnston. Speaking at a press briefing in Canberra on Wednesday, Johnston told members of the media that progress was being made as ISIS attempted to hold ground rather than push further, the report added. Johnston told the media: “What we are seeing is that instead of moving forward or going on the offensive, they are often forced to be defensive and to try and slow down and delay Iraqi forces.” Meanwhile ISIS operations have been seriously hindered following the ‘removal’ of an ISIS leader by Australian fighter jets in Anbar province, the report added.

Eight Turkish Soldiers Killed in PKK Bombing in Southeast
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 19/15/Eight Turkish soldiers were killed on Wednesday in the deadliest attack by Kurdish militants since the government began an anti-terror offensive last month, as the country battles its most serious security and political crises in years. An honor guard on duty outside the fabled Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul was also attacked by suspected Marxist militants, with the country on edge after a wave of attacks in the last month. Turkey is meanwhile still without a permanent government after inconclusive June 7 elections and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the country was now "swiftly" heading to snap polls. The political and security instability has unnerved investors, with the embattled Turkish lira again plunging to new lows against the dollar on another bruising day. The eight soldiers were killed by remote-controlled explosive device laid by militants on a road in the Silvan district of the province of Siirt, the army said. The army blamed the "Separatist Terror Organization", its customary phrase for the PKK which it never refers to by name. Seven soldiers were also wounded in the attack and military helicopters and ambulances were dispatched to the area, the official Anatolia news agency said, adding that the clashes between the militants and soldiers were continuing. Turkey in late July launched a dual anti-terror offensive against Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria and the PKK following a suicide bombing in the town of Suruc blamed on IS that killed 33.
But the campaign has overwhelmingly focused on the Kurdish militants, who have ripped up a 2013 ceasefire to launch daily attacks against the Turkish security forces. Including the latest fatalities, around 50 members of the security forces have been killed in attacks blamed on the PKK over the past month, although Wednesday's strike was by far the deadliest single incident. The military in the last days has refrained from air strikes on PKK bases in northern Iraq that were a hallmark of the campaign so far but launched large-scale operations on PKK strongholds in southeast Turkey. The flare up in violence comes with Turkey in an unprecedented political impasse after June 7 elections where Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) lost its overall majority for the first time since coming to power in 2002. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's coalition talks with the opposition failed, leaving the country facing a snap repeat election for the first time in its history. Erdogan, who critics accuse of seeking snap polls all along in the hope of the AKP winning more votes, for the first time openly acknowledged that early elections were on the way. "We are once again swiftly heading towards an election," Erdogan said in a televised speech in Ankara, adding that the only solution in the current political impasse was turning to the "will of the nation". He vowed that the government would press on with its anti-terror campaign and said people had to choose whether to be on the side of the state or a "terror organization". "You will make the choice. If we are going to die, we will die once but die like a man," he said. Two militants earlier Wednesday launched an attack with guns and explosives on the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul, one of Turkey's main tourist attractions which also houses offices of Davutoglu, the Istanbul authorities said. The two attackers -- carrying two hand grenades, an automatic rifle, a gun and other ammunition -- were caught by police, the statement said, adding that there were no fatalities.
One policeman was reported to have been lightly wounded. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but Anatolia said that the suspects were members of the radical left wing Revolutionary People's Liberation Front (DHKP-C). The DHKP-C claimed a similar attack on the Dolmabahce Palace on January 1 where two grenades were hurled at the guards which failed to explode. The attacks and the political uncertainty added to pressure on the Turkish lira, which has lost 10.44 percent in value against the U.S. dollar in just a month and 26 percent since the start of the year. The lira hit a new low in value of 2.94 against the dollar, a loss of 1.69 percent in value and edging ever closer to the crucial 3.0 lira ceiling.

Turkey fails to form coalition, so what comes next?
By Menekse Tokyay | Special to Al Arabiya News, Istanbul/Wednesday, 19 August 2015/It was announced on Aug. 13 that weeks-long coalition talks between the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) - which lost its parliamentary majority in June elections - and the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) ended in failure. This means Turkey now faces early elections due in autumn. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said snap elections seem to be “the only option” left. If no new coalition partner is found by the end of next week, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to use his right to call for early elections. In the latest meeting with Davutoglu, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) rejected forming a government with the AKP.
Security implications
The increasing political uncertainty coincides with a mounting cross-border insurgencies from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). “Early elections will have serious consequences for Turkey’s security situation in the short run for three reasons,” said Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, director of the Ankara office of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. First, a new ceasefire with the PKK would be perceived by some voters as a sign of weakness, so it would be difficult to achieve during an election campaign. “Second, the AKP is expected to increase its nationalistic rhetoric in order to regain the votes lost to the MHP during the last election, which won’t help decrease political tension,” Unluhisarcikli said. Third, while the PKK did not react to frequent attacks against offices and rallies of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) during the last election, it would be naive to expect it to remain silent this time, presenting any third party with an opportunity to exacerbate political tensions. “The formation of a coalition government could’ve prevented these negative developments to a large extent,” Unluhisarcikli said.
Domestic, foreign policy
Ersin Kalaycioglu, professor of political science from Sabanci University in Istanbul, said seven out of the 18 general elections Turkey has had since 1946, when the country began to democratize, were early elections. However, Kalaycioglu said the current political circumstances are different, as the presence of a popularly elected partisan president does not support the prospect of a coalition government. “The current situation has contributed to the primacy of domestic politics that has become deeply tied to the political career concerns of a few political elites in the country. Foreign policy decisions are being made in view of these concerns,” Kalaycioglu told Al Arabiya News. “The government wanted to pressure the PKK in Iraq and Syria to relinquish its grip on territory to the south of the Turkish border with Syria. Thus the AKP caretaker government has moved to accept the offer of the Obama administration to help its campaign against ISIS to also fight against PKK strongholds in Syria.”Kalaycioglu said the current caretaker government was promoting the creation of a safe haven from ISIS and the PKK south of the Turkish-Syrian border, which will operate under the vigil of Ankara. However, he said only a newly and legitimately elected National Assembly and its government could create a new foreign policy for Turkey toward the Middle East.“Turkey is drifting in a state of uncertainty and increasing tension in domestic politics. The AKP opted to gamble with an unprecedented repeat election to convince voters that unless they vote the AKP to power, they won’t form a coalition government,” Kalaycioglu said. “Until then, Turkey will be in a state of political uncertainty and arbitrary rule, which won’t create new domestic policies or foreign policy.”

U.S. denounces Egypt's new anti-terror law
AFP, Washington/Wednesday, 19 August 2015/The United States denounced Egypt’s newly expanded counterterrorism law Tuesday, expressing concern about its potential impact on human rights in the country, a military ally of the United States. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi signed a law Sunday that would expand the government’s surveillance powers and, according to critics, muzzle dissent and target critics. Human rights activists have accused Sisi of leading an increasingly repressive regime. “We are concerned that some measures in Egypt’s new anti-terrorism law could have a significant detrimental impact on human rights and fundamental freedoms,” State Department spokesman John Kirby said. But Kirby reaffirmed that Washington stands with Egypt in its fight against terror. He also echoed comments made by Secretary of State John Kerry at a strategic dialogue in Cairo earlier this month, where Kerry called for finding an equilibrium between counterterrorism and preserving human rights. “Defeating terrorism requires a long-term, comprehensive strategy that builds trust between the authorities and the public, including by enabling those who disagree with the government’s policies to express those views peacefully and through participation in the political process,” Kirby added. The new law comes after a string of attacks on military and police by the Sinai Province, the local affiliate of the group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). After a tumultuous few months, Washington and Cairo appear to have patched things up with the resumption of U.S. military assistance in March, to the tune of $1.3 billion per year -- largely to fight terrorism.

ISIS leader’s tribe denies pledge of allegiance
By Huda al-Saleh | AlArabiya.net/Wednesday, 19 August 2015/Al-Bu Badri, a major tribe in Iraq’s Samarra province, has condemned the acts of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, a member of the tribe and leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The tribe also denied allegations by ISIS-affiliated websites that it had pledged allegiance to him and the organization. A tribe elder told Al-Arabiya News on condition of anonymity that ISIS was not linked to the tribe, and that Baghdadi was loyal to the organization, not to the tribe. The tribe is “innocent of him and his actions,” the elder said. Security analyst Wafiq al-Samarrai said the tribe, which is known historically for being descendants of the Prophet Mohammad, consists of around 10,000 members who are mainly located in Samarra.This article is available in Arabic.

Typhoid outbreak hits Palestinian refugees in Syria
AP, United Nations/Wednesday, 19 August 2015/The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said Tuesday that there is a typhoid outbreak among civilians from a besieged Palestinian refugee camp on the outskirts of the Syrian capital, with at least six confirmed cases.
Christopher Gunness, spokesman for the agency known as UNRWA, said its staff gained access to Yalda, an area east of the Yarmouk camp hosting displaced Palestinian refugees and Syrian civilians, for the first time since June 8 and established a mobile health point.
UNRWA said in a situation report that its medical personnel provided 211 consultations over the course of Tuesday in Yalda, including confirming six cases of typhoid. But the refugee agency also noted “credible reports” of a typhoid outbreak in the region with other cases in Yarmouk, Yalda and two other areas, Babila and Beit Sahem. UNRWA said it was authorized to provide limited health assistance as well as water, sanitation and hygiene supplies to the community. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, typhoid is a life-threatening illness caused by the bacteria Salmonella typhi which is spread by eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water. It can usually be treated with antibiotics, but can be fatal in some cases without treatment. UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krahenbuhl said in June that before the Syrian war began in 2011 there were 160,000 Palestinians in the Yarmouk camp, many of whom held jobs. Before the Islamic State extremist group entered the camp in early April there were 18,000 refugees, but he said several thousand have fled since then and the U.N. has not had access. “UNRWA’s priority remains the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians within Yarmouk itself,” Gunness said. “Never has the imperative for sustained humanitarian access been greater.”

Iran propaganda clip shows what a Muslim invasion of Israel would look like
By JPOST.COM STAFF/08/19/2015 /What would an Islamist invasion of Israel look like? A new video disseminated by an Iranian extremist organization depicts masses of jihadist operatives from organizations including Hamas and Hezbollah just as they are about to march on Jerusalem. The chilling propaganda clip calls on Muslims to unite for the "inevitable" destruction of Israel, which is to be "erased from the annals of history." The video shows soldiers and operatives from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, the Iranian-backed Shia Badr Organization, Hezbollah, and the Hamas movement's Kassam Brigades. "The youth will definitely see that day when it comes," the graphic reads. Earlier this month, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei released a new book titled Palestine, which outlines his case for why Israel must be wiped out and how. "The solution is a one-state formula," he writes. He said this "practical and logical mechanism" would have Israel under Muslim rule with some Jews being allowed to stay as a "protected minority" but only after proving "genuine roots." He advocates strict apartheid against Jews saying that they would not be allowed to vote in a future Muslim state while Arabs would have full rights. He claims that his plan would promote "the hegemony of Iran" while removing "the West's hegemony" from the Middle East.

Russian source confirms S-300 missiles to be delivered to Iran this year
By JPOST.COM STAFF/08/19/2015 /A Russian diplomatic source on Wednesday corroborated an Iranian report earlier in the week which claimed that Moscow will supply four batteries of S-300 surface-to-air missiles. According to the RIA Novosti news agency, a source in Russia's Foreign Ministry said that the deal would go ahead "this year for sure." "What was in the contract, that's how many will be," the source said. The report comes one day after Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan said that Iran and Russia will sign a deal that will see Moscow send Tehran the S-300 air-defense missile system by next week. Russian President Vladimir Putin had been ready to deliver the S-300 to Iran already in 2010, but had previously agreed to ban the sale under pressure from the US. Israel has also pushed Moscow not to send the S-300 to Iran. The deal has now been updated and will be finalized soon, the Iranian Students' News Agency quoted Dehghan as saying. Dehghan said that as part of the new deal, Iran would be receiving an upgraded version of the S-300 system. "We will go to Russia next week to sign the deal and there is no barrier hindering the agreement,” ISNA quoted him as saying. He added that the weapons system would be delivered to Iran shortly after the signing of the agreement. The deal comes after Russia announced that it was lifting its five-year ban on the sale of the S-300 to Iran in April, prior to the July signing of the comprehensive nuclear deal between world powers and Tehran. Putin said at the time that lifting the ban could encourage Iran to finalize the nuclear deal. He reassured Israel that the S-300 does not endanger the Jewish state. The S-300 is "“one of the most advanced air defense systems in the world," Brig.-Gen. (res.) Asaf Agmon, a former senior Israel Air Force officer told The Jerusalem Post in April. The S-300 would make a potential strike against Iran's nuclear facilities much more difficult. "This system will be a challenge for an air force to overcome. Its arrival is a significant change in our region,” Agmon said. “Once the S-300 is stationed in Iran, the chances of it getting to Syria and Lebanon rise,” he warned. **Yaakov Lappin and Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this report.

ISIS militants behead, 82-year-old archaeologist, Khaled Asaad in Palmyra
REUTERS/08/19/2015 /Islamic State (IS) militants beheaded an antiquities scholar in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra and hung his body on a column in a main square of the historic site, Syria's antiquities chief said on Tuesday (August 19). IS, whose insurgents control swathes of Syria and Iraq, captured Palmyra in central Syria from government forces in May, but are not known to have damaged its monumental Roman-era ruins despite their reputation for destroying artefacts they view as idolatrous under their puritanical interpretation of Islam. Syrian state antiquities chief Maamoun Abdulkarim said the family of Khaled Asaad had informed him that the 82-year-old scholar who worked for over 50 years as head of antiquities in Palmyra was executed by Islamic State on Tuesday. Asaad had been detained and interrogated for over a month by the ultra-radical Sunni Muslim militants, he told Reuters. Abdulkarim said Asaad was known for several scholarly works published in international archaeological journals on Palmyra, which in antiquity flourished as an important trading hub along the Silk Road. He also worked over the past few decades with U.S., French, German and Swiss archeological missions on excavations and research in Palmyra's famed 2,000 year-old ruins, a UNESCO World Heritage Site including Roman tombs and the Temple of Bel. Before the city's capture by Islamic State, Syrian officials said they moved hundreds of ancient statues to safe locations out of concern they would be destroyed by the militants. In June, Islamic State did blow up two ancient shrines in Palmyra that were not part of its Roman-era structures but which the militants regarded as pagan and sacrilegious.

Erdogan gambles on war with Kurds, Syria
ARIEL BEN SOLOMON/08/19/2015 01:42
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s shrewd gamble not to allow Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to form a government by the constitutional deadline on Sunday supports the notion that the recent offensive against Kurds and attacks in Syria are part of his election strategy. Ankara’s escalating military campaign against Kurds in Syria and southeastern Turkey serves to delegitimize the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) before what is likely to be a call for snap elections to replay the June 7 election.
Erdogan is seeking to gain a majority after his AK Party won only 41 percent in the recent election. If it does so, it can change the constitution to form a presidential system that solidifies his hold on power. By smashing the outlawed Kurdistan People’s Party (PKK) in Turkey and the People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Syria, Erdogan is essentially mobilizing against Turkey’s domestic Kurds, which according to the CIA Factbook make up 18% of the population. “Erdogan is being completely cynical. He cultivated the Kurds when he thought he could get their votes in support of himself or his projects,” Michael Rubin, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and a former Pentagon official, told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday. “But for years, the Kurds have been grumbling that Erdogan makes grandiose promises ahead of elections and then forgets about his commitments in the aftermath,” he said. “Now, with the rise of the HDP and its passing the threshold, he has not only turned his back on the Kurds, but believes that by targeting them he can spark a crisis that works in his electoral favor. “Right now Erdogan has one goal and one goal only: New elections in which the Kurds don’t pass the 10% threshold. Going on war footing in Syria and picking a fight with the Kurds achieves that, as he tries to stigmatize them as the enemy,” added Rubin. Efraim Inbar, director of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan University, told the Post, “The snap elections could bring about greater support for AKP by arousing nationalist feelings among the Turks and regaining the majority in Parliament.
“One of the reasons Erdogan’s party cannot form a ruling coalition is the fact that the Kurdish HDP party crossed the 10% threshold in the June elections. The current offensive against the Kurds is intended to erode the support for this party that was supported also by Turks,” he said. Of course, there is also the ideological factor, in that the Islamist AK Party identifies with Islamist rebel groups fighting against the Syrian regime. An article by Sam Heller and Aaron Stein published on Tuesday in the War On The Rocks website, a foreign policy and national security site, said that Turkey’s favored rebel group, with which it has cultivated close ties, is Ahrar al-Sham. “Aside from Islamic State, Ahrar is now the single strongest rebel force in Syria,” they wrote. “Turkey’s role in supporting Ahrar illustrates how Turkey has compromised its ambitious policy goals in Syria and raises questions about Ankara’s reported planned intervention in Aleppo to carve out a ‘safe zone’ along its border with Syria.” Kamal Sido, a Syrian Kurd who works at the Middle East desk of the German human rights NGO Society for Threatened Peoples, complained to the Post this week that the US administration continues to support Turkey’s military offensive against the PKK. “The current policy of Erdogan is not directed toward security, stability, peace and reconciliation in Turkey, but focused on the war and escalation,” he said. The Turkish president is waging a war not only against the PKK, but also against the Kurds in Turkey, Syria, and Iraq, he said, adding that the Kurdish fighters in Iraq and Syria are battling against Islamic State, which poses a dangerous threat to minorities.

Saudi Arabia: The World’s Greatest Hypocrite
Raymond Ibrahim/August 18, 2015/FrontPage Magazine
Saudi Arabia recently preached to the international community about the need to confront “intolerance, extremism and human rights violations.”
If this sounds surreal, consider the following excerpts from a July 26 report in the Saudi Gazette (emphasis added):
Saudi Arabia has reiterated its call on the international community to criminalize any act vilifying religious beliefs and symbols of faith as well as all kinds of discrimination based on religion.
Saudi Arabia wants Western cartoonists, comedians, and others—people who represent only their individual selves—to stop mocking the religious beliefs and symbols of Islam, even as the Arabian kingdom’s own institutionalized policy is to vilify and discriminate against the religious beliefs and symbols of all other faiths.
Not a single non-Muslim worship building is allowed there; the highest Islamic authority decreed that it is “necessary to destroy all the churches of the region.” Whenever Christians are suspected of meeting in a house for worship—or as one Saudi official once complained, “plotting to celebrate Christmas”—they are arrested and punished.
Any cross or other non-Muslim symbol found is confiscated and destroyed. Anyone caught trying to smuggle Bibles or any other “publications that have prejudice to any other religious belief other than Islam” can be executed.
In 2011, a Colombian soccer-player “was arrested by the Saudi moral police after customers in a Riyadh shopping mall expressed outrage over the sports player’s religious tattoos, which included the face of Jesus of Nazareth on his arm.” In 2010 a Romanian player kissed the tattoo of a cross he had on his arm after scoring a goal, causing public outrage.
And yet, Saudi Arabia has the unmitigated gall to ask the West—where Islam is freely practiced, where mosques and Korans proliferate, and where Muslims are granted full equality—to cease “discrimination based on religion.”
Continues the Saudi Gazette:
Addressing an international symposium on media coverage of religious symbols based on international law, which started in this French city on Saturday, a senior Saudi official said the Kingdom emphasized years ago that the international community must act urgently to confront ethnic, religious and cultural intolerance, which has become widespread in all communities and peoples of the world.
Meanwhile, back in the real world, few countries exhibit as much “ethnic, religious and cultural intolerance” as does the Arabian kingdom. Along with the aforementioned discrimination and intolerance against all other religions, Saudi Arabia is notoriously clannish and racist.
Ten percent of the population is denied equal rights because of their race; black men are barred from holding many government positions; black women are often put on trial for “witchcraft”; castrated African slaves are sold on Facebook in the birthplace of Islam, and its princes are known to beat their black slaves to death. Human Rights Watch has described conditions for foreign workers in Saudi Arabia as resembling slavery.
Worse of all is if you’re black and Christian. After 35 Christian Ethiopians were arrested and abused in prison for almost a year, simply for holding a private house prayer, one of them said after being released: “They [Saudis] are full of hatred towards non-Muslims.”
This is unsurprising considering that the Saudi education system makes it a point to indoctrinate Muslim children with hatred, teaching that “the Apes are the people of the Sabbath, the Jews; and the Swine are the infidels of the communion of Jesus, the Christians.”
According to Saudi novelist Hani Naqshabandi, “Our religious institutions do not give us room to exercise free thought…. They [Saudi institutions] said that the Christian is an infidel, a denizen of hell, an enemy to Allah and Islam. So we said, ‘Allah’s curse on them.’”
Again, bear in mind that all this is official Saudi policy—not the “free expressions” of individuals, which the Saudis are condemning as creating “ethnic, religious and cultural intolerance” around the world.
The Saudi Gazette goes on to quote one Abdulmajeed Al-Omari, “a senior Saudi official.” Speaking at the recent international symposium in France which hosted representatives from 16 European nations, he said that Western “freedom of expression without limits or restrictions” are “abuses [that] bred intolerance, extremism and human rights violations…”
Again, it bears reemphasizing that in the West individuals are free to express themselves. And it’s just that—expression, not action (as in murder, terrorism, rape, enslavement, church bombings, or the slaughter of “apostates”).
As for Western governments, thanks to political correctness, not only do they discourage freedom of expression but honest, objective talk concerning Islam is suppressed (hence every Western leader maintains that ISIS “has nothing to do with Islam,” AKA, “the religion of peace”).
Meanwhile, it is precisely Islamic teachings that breed “intolerance, extremism and human rights violations,” and not just in Saudi Arabia but all throughout the Muslim world. And it is precisely these teachings that prompt Western peoples to criticize Islam, including through cartoons.
None of this is enough to embarrass the Saudis from their farce:
Al-Omari said the Saudi participation in the symposium falls in line with its efforts to support the principles of justice, humanity, promotion of values and the principles of tolerance in the world as well as to emphasize the importance of respecting religions and religious symbols.
Actually, because of Saudi Arabia’s absolute lack of “justice, humanity, promotion of values and the principles of tolerance,” even the U.S. State Department lists the home of Islam and Muhammad as one of eight “Countries of Particular Concern.”
Thus in ultra-hypocritical manner, Saudi Arabia asks the international community to stop exercising freedom of expression—even as it openly and unapologetically persecutes non-Muslims, discriminates against non-Saudis, and violates the most basic human rights on a daily basis.
It still remains to determine which is more surreal, more unbelievable: that Saudi Arabia, which tops the charts of state-enforced religious intolerance and ethnic discrimination, is calling on the West “to confront ethnic, religious and cultural intolerance,” or that the West deigns to participate in such disgracefully hypocritical forums.

What Are Palestinians Doing With U.S. Money?
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/August 19, 2015
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/6353/palestinians-us-aid
Palestinian Authority (PA) Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah did not tell the visiting U.S. Congressmen that the $4.5 billion the Americans invested in promoting Palestinian democracy went down the drain or ended up in secret Swiss bank accounts. Nor did he tell the Congressman that the Palestinians do not have a functioning parliament or a free media under the PA in the West Bank or under Hamas in the Gaza Strip. And, of course, Hamdallah never told the Congressman that for Palestinians, presidential and parliamentary elections remain a remote dream.
The refusal of the international community back then to hold Arafat accountable was the main reason a majority of Palestinians were driven into the open arms of Hamas. Palestinians saw no improvement in their living conditions, mainly as a result of the PA's corruption. That is why they turned to Hamas, which promised them change, reform and an end to financial corruption.
The Americans and Europeans are therefore responsible for Hamas's rise to power.
One does not have to be an expert on Palestinian affairs to see that the billions of dollars have neither created democracy for the Palestinians nor boosted the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The "investment" in Palestinian democracy and peace with Israel has been a complete failure because of the refusal of the U.S. Administration to hold the Palestinian Authority fully accountable.
Unless Western donors demand that the PA use their money to bring democracy to its people and prepare them for peace, the prospects of reviving any peace process will remain zero.
During the past 20 years, the U.S. has invested $4.5 billion in promoting democracy among the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and boosting the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
This is what Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah revealed during a meeting in Ramallah this week with Congressman Kevin McCarthy, Majority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Hamdallah said that the money was also invested in projects in various Palestinian sectors.
The $4.5 billion that Hamdallah talked about does not include the billions of dollars poured on the Palestinian Authority (PA) since its creation in 1994. Palestinian economic analysts estimate that the PA has received a total of $25 billion in financial aid from the U.S. and other countries during the past two decades.
One does not have to be an expert on Palestinian affairs to see that the billions of dollars have neither created democracy for the Palestinians nor boosted the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Twenty years later, the Palestinians still have a long way to go before they ever see real democracy in the West Bank or Gaza Strip.
To begin with, the Palestinian Authority, which was born out of the 1993 Oslo Accords between Israel and the PLO, was never a democratic regime. On the contrary; what the Palestinians got from the start was a mini-dictatorship run by Yasser Arafat and his PLO and Fatah cronies. It was a corrupt regime, was directly funded and armed by the U.S., Europe and several other countries.
President Barack Obama, accompanied by Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, reviews the PA honor guard in Ramallah, March 21, 2013. (Image source: AFP video screenshot)
Those who were funding Arafat's autocratic regime back then never cared about either democracy or transparency. They were pouring billions of dollars on the PA without holding its leaders accountable.
The result was that the Palestinians got a regime that not only deprived them of most of the international aid, but that also cracked down on political opponents and freedom of speech. The Palestinian Authority was actually a one-man show called Yasser Arafat; he and his cronies were the main benefactors of American and European taxpayers' money.
At the time, the assumption in the U.S., Europe and other countries was that a corrupt and repressive Arafat would one day make far-reaching concessions for the sake of peace with Israel.
Because he was on the payroll of the Americans and Europeans, the thinking went, Arafat would never be able to say no to any offer -- such as the generous proposal he received from then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak at the botched Camp David summit in the summer of 2000. But when Arafat was finally put to test at Camp David, which was sponsored by President Bill Clinton, he walked out of the summit, accusing the U.S. of trying to force him to make concessions that no Palestinian would ever accept.
The billions of dollars that Arafat received between 1994 and 2000 from the Americans and the international community failed to convince him to accept the most generous offer ever made to the Palestinians by an Israeli prime minister. Even worse, the first seven years of the peace process resulted in the second intifada, which erupted in September 2000 -- a few months after the collapse of the Camp David summit.
The refusal of the international community back then to hold Arafat accountable was the main reason a majority of Palestinians were driven into the open arms of Hamas. Palestinians lost faith not only in the peace process, but also in the Palestinian Authority and its leaders. Palestinians saw no improvement in their living conditions, mainly as a result of the PA's corruption.
That is why they turned to Hamas, which promised them change, reform and an end to financial corruption. The Americans and Europeans are therefore responsible for Hamas's rise to power.
Until 2007, the Palestinians had only one corrupt and undemocratic regime, called the Palestinian Authority. Since then, the Palestinians have earned another regime that is even more ruthless and repressive: Hamas.
So if $4.5 billion brought the Palestinians two corrupt and undemocratic regimes, what would have happened had the U.S. and Europe invested a few more billion dollars in promoting Palestinian democracy? The Palestinians would most likely have seen the emergence of a few more dictatorships in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Of course, the Palestinian Authority prime minister did not tell the visiting U.S. Congressmen that the $4.5 billion the Americans invested in promoting Palestinian democracy went down the drain or ended up in secret Swiss bank accounts. Nor did he tell the Congressman that the Palestinians do not have a functioning parliament or a free media under the PA in the West Bank or under Hamas in the Gaza Strip. And, of course, Hamdallah never told the Congressman that for Palestinians, presidential and parliamentary elections remain a remote dream.
But, like most Westerners who visit Ramallah, Congressman McCarthy obviously did not ask harsh questions, especially regarding the Palestinians' responsibilities toward democracy and the peace process. The Congressman was undoubtedly glad to hear that the U.S. has invested $4.5 billion in Palestinian democracy and boosting the peace process. But did he and others ever ask whether and how the Palestinian Authority used those funds to advance these two goals?
One does not need to ask Palestinian Authority officials about the way they spent the American aid money because the reality on the ground is too obvious. The PA took the billions of dollars and continues to operate as a corrupt and undemocratic regime. Democracy is the last thing the Palestinians expect to see from the PA or Hamas.
And what has the Palestinian Authority done with the billions of dollars to advance the cause of peace with Israel? Has the PA leadership used this money to promote peace and coexistence with Israel? The answer, of course, is no. Instead of using American financial aid to further this cause, the PA has done -- and continues to do -- the exact opposite. In addition to inciting its people against Israel on a daily basis, the Palestinian Authority leadership has been using these funds to wage a massive campaign in the international community with the purpose of isolating and delegitimizing Israel and turning it into a pariah state.
The "investment" in Palestinian democracy and peace with Israel has been a complete failure because of the refusal of the U.S. Administration to hold the Palestinian Authority fully accountable.
Unless Western donors bang on the table and demand that the Palestinian Authority use their money to bring democracy to its people and prepare them for peace, the prospects of reviving any peace process in the Middle East will remain zero.

International readiness for war in Libya
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/August 19/15
Inaction against extremist groups makes confronting them more difficult and costly later. This is Libya’s situation today, as ever since fighting began, there were many indications of the spread of extremist groups affiliated with al-Qaeda.
Ansar al-Sharia threatened to slay Burma’s ambassador in mid-2012, but no one addressed these threats. A month later, it attacked the U.S. consulate, killing the ambassador and three others. The reaction was a limited U.S. commando operation raiding an al-Qaeda affiliate’s house in Tripoli and arresting him. Four months passed before Washington put Ansar al-Sharia on the terror list. Meanwhile, the Europeans did not act. Extremist groups’ activities increased, and they kidnapped the Libyan prime minister in 2013. Then at the beginning of last year, another group kidnapped employees at the Egyptian embassy. Despite all this, the desire to confront terrorists was lacking, perhaps in the hope that they would just vanish! Worse, the Europeans did not support the only power that dared declare its willingness to end chaos: the Libyan army, through General Khalifa Haftar. Perhaps this was a chance to develop and manage a Libyan military power that assumes the task of uniting the county, eliminating militias and imposing a political solution, which was already available but unprotected. Since such a plan was not supported, the crisis grew and the cancer of extremist groups spread.
Finally, speaking on behalf of the Europeans, Italy’s foreign minister said in a few weeks they would have to militarily intervene if the Libyans did not agree a political solution. The minister brought up the possibility of expanding the international alliance against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) to include Libya. Why did they not do so earlier when the task was easier?
Military interventions
Chaos in the Middle East requires international rules of engagement. There are countries on which it may be difficult for the international community to impose itself, no matter how weak they are and unless the relevant governments request this intervention, such as Yemen in the past or recently Iraq. No one favors going back to the time of foreign interventions, but this may be the only solution. A few years ago, when Ali Abdullah Saleh was still president of Yemen, the Americans gave his government two choices: fight Al-Qaeda or they would intervene to do so. Yemen approved the presence of U.S. drones. Iraq rejected intervention until ISIS took over Mosul then Ramadi. As for Syria, since there is no central government, intervention happened regardless of the regime’s objections. The problem is that military intervention to fight terrorist groups has always come late.
Libya is vital to European security and interests, and is a close neighbor to Europe. The European Union (EU) could have had a clear stance that in the absence of a strong system, it was willing to intervene in neighboring conflict zones that affect its security.
No one favors going back to the time of foreign interventions, but this may be the only solution amid dangerous circumstances when systems collapse or weaken, and after approval by the U.N. Security Council. Libya is on its way to becoming another Somalia, as the Italian foreign minister put it. However, the Europeans have not taken the initiative for a military arrangement like the Americans did in Syria. Worse, some European countries wanted an amended political model based on quotas by imposing Islamic groups instead of fully resorting to elections and despite these groups’ poor electoral performance. The Europeans think this will improve the security and political situations. This submission to extremists and their financial funders is what prolonged chaos and caused the spread of ISIS.

Britain’s parochial politics are unfit for Mideast challenges
Chris Doyle/Al Arabiya/August 19/15
Given the nature and scale of the challenges facing the world, the financial crisis, global warming, the future of the EU, Russia and the crises in the Middle East, the need for courageous bold leadership and dynamic politics gets ever more desperate. Sadly the last twelve months in British politics have highlighted this glaring absence, the dearth of talent and ideas, a trend dangerously repeated across the globe. Twelve months ago, the United Kingdom came desperately close to losing Scotland largely thanks to a negative and ill-thought out pro-union campaign that eventually has led to the crushing victory of the Scottish Nationalists at the general elections in May this year. These elections were similarly lackluster, highly negative and devoid of any compelling vision for the country let alone debate about events beyond its shores. The anti-Westminster sentiment has just grown and grown. May’s general elections did little to push back the tide.
The leadership elections for the Labour party, the main opposition, have so far been more akin to the sort of backbiting at a town council meeting not the election for the leadership of one of Britain’s largest parties. Those in the Middle East may be best advised not to wait for Western states to help sort out their problems. The Labour leadership election is a four horse race with no thoroughbreds. Many Labour party supporters appear dejected and disappointed clinging to the hope that any elected leader may be replaced before the 2020 election. The policy debate is lame to non-existent. The modern politicians seems brilliant at saying as little as possible of real substance with the aim of offending the least number of people possible. Meaningless soundbites follow yet more bland proclamations.
So should this trouble those in the Middle East? Well yes. Uncertainty about Britain’s role in the world is not helpful. At its best Britain has driven EU foreign policy and tempered the extremes in Washington with thoughtful, informed policy decisions. At its worst…well sadly one is spoilt for choice.
Britain has been involved in wars in Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan so far this century. As a U.N. Security Council member it was party to the Iran deal. It was one of the largest donors assisting the Syrians. It has a Prime Minister, David Cameron whose primary foreign policy focus at present is the defeat of ISIS and Islamic extremism. His efforts on this front are to put it generously, mixed. And yet on all these issues not to mention the other crises besetting the Middle East, both at the General and Labour leadership elections no politicians have truly proposed any radical or even semi-thought out proposals for tackling these crises. For the most part candidates are wary of exposing their own ignorance of the region and foreign affairs in general. None of the four has articulated a serious strategy to take on ISIS for example.
Understanding Jeremy Corbyn
The exception is that of the hard left wing candidate, Jeremy Corbyn who has electrified up the race. Despite barely getting enough Labour Members of Parliament to back him to become a candidate, he is now according to the polls the clear favorite to win – the result to be announced on September 12. He appears to have attracted support because he is an atypical modern politician who speaks with clarity and conviction. His policies hark back to the 1980s – he is anti-austerity Syriza-style, pro-nationalization, wants to exit NATO, get rid of Britain’s nuclear deterrent and is a diehard opponent of wars and arms sales. He opposed what he sees as the illegal Iraq war of 2003 and thinks former Prime Minister, Tony Blair, may have to answer charges of war crimes.
The Corbyn surge has happened to the sounds of severe cranium scratching in the Labour party's establishment whilst Conservative politicians are spending their summer holidays in total rapture a Corbyn-led Labour will leave them in power for one if not two more elections.
Understanding Corbyn’s success is instructive. His consistent anti-war stance and pro-Palestinian positions have served him well. The British public is tired of wars and remains largely appalled by Israeli actions. Many agree with him that the UK would be safer if it stopped following U.S. foreign policy. The Labour party won a large segment of the Muslim vote in May, perhaps an extra eight seats according to one study, not least because it had backed recognition for Palestine and had opposed Israel’s land invasion of Gaza. Other candidates are nervous of speaking out. Liz Kendall, the Blairite candidate, even regretted Labour voted for the recognition of Palestine.
Whilst there has been no serious debate on these issues, Corbyn’s campaign has had to fend off serious charges of associating with racists and anti-Semites, something he rejects. His suitability has boiled down to his comments about his “friends” from Hamas and Hizbollah, and what associations he had with someone who is now an open holocaust denier and anti-Semite.But I have known Jeremy Corbyn for many years and although I disagree with him on many issues, I am sure he is not in the least bit anti-Semitic. Nevertheless greater care should have been taken over whom he met and some of the expressions used. Corbyn never expected to be in the limelight and was not surrounded with the usual coteries of political chaperones to protect him from upcoming landmines.
Sadly there are some in the Palestinian movement who are truly anti-Semitic. In fact historically, anti-Semites have done massive damage to the Palestinian cause (as well as Arthur Balfour, who first promised Palestine to the Zionist movement and the anti-Jewish Christian right in the US as well). There is insufficient criticism of the actions, policies and statements of both Hamas and Hezbollah. For example, too few have condemned Hezbollah’s actions in Syria and out and out support for the Assad regime.
Yet there is a woeful and dangerous double standard and some have argued, there is a whiff of McCarthyism to this. Corbyn rightly has to answer questions on his views and links. But in all these elections, rarely has such an intrusive examination given to those with links to disreputable organizations and people, not least Islamophobes, those who failed to condemn the bombing of Gaza, the illegal settlement in the West Bank or those who have denigrated and dehumanized refugees and asylum seekers. Hate speech and bigotry is on the rise but it is not only anti-Semitism.
The lessons from Britain’s elections are that politics is failing. Not just in Britain but also across the EU and the United States, our political systems are not fit for purpose. They no longer attract the best strategists and brightest minds. (Donald Trump anyone?). The media is designed to advance petty, trivial, negative campaigning that chews over the minutiae of personal lives including what are their favorite biscuits, with little focus on political vision and strategy. Nowhere is this more painfully felt in international relations. Parochial politics simply cannot work for a globalized world. Those in the Middle East may be best advised not to wait for Western states to help sort out their problems.

Senior Egyptian Clerics: Stiffen Penalties For Sexual Harassment
MEMRI/August 19, 2015 Special Dispatch No.6136
On August 2, 2015, the Egyptian daily Al-Ahram published an in-depth article by Hosni Kamal titled "Sexual Harassment – A Crime against Women and Society." The article presented comments by senior clerics on this topic, who stressed that sexual harassment constituted a severe religious and moral transgression that reflects a crisis of morality afflicting Egyptian youths. Some of them attributed the spread of the phenomenon in Egypt to the harsh economic and employment situation, lax education, and the growing number of unwed men and women in society. Alongside demands to stiffen penalties for sexual harassment, even to the point of levelling the death penalty, the clerics called on educational, religious, and cultural institutions to work together to eliminate the phenomenon.
The following are excerpts from the article and some of the illustration photos that accompanied it:[1]
"Sexual Harassment Has Become Ubiquitous In Parties, Events, Protests, And Gatherings"
Hosni Kamal starts by mentioning that sexual harassment has spread throughout Egypt despite being forbidden in Islam: "The divine mandate to lower the gaze appears in several Koranic verses, including [24:30]: 'Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and protect [the chastity of] their private parts. That is purer for them. Verily, Allah is aware of what they do'... [But] many youths ignore these noble Islamic values – that are intended to elevate Muslim society and [its] exalted goals and to distance people from any negative trait or despicable action – to the point that sexual harassment has become ubiquitous in parties, events, protests and gatherings in all provinces.
"Clerics demand to stiffen the penalty [for sexual harassment] and unite the efforts of all religious, educational, cultural, and media institutions to spread a set of moral values and proper standards."
Shirt: "An Eye for an Eye"
Sign: "Protect me from humiliation by a harasser"
Looking At Pictures Of Naked Women Could Lead To Sin; Parents Today Pursue Money Instead Of Education
According to the article, Dr. Ahmed ‘Omar Hashem, a member of the Council of Senior Scholars, called to examine the reasons for the spread of the phenomenon and to stiffen the penalties for harassment, saying: “People might stumble [and commit] sexual harassment even without realizing it. Some men look at pictures of naked [women], even casually, or spread such pictures on the web. Looking at pictures of women arouses [sexual] desire and appetite, and could lead to sin. The Prophet forbade this... We must impose a deterring punishment upon anyone who photographs such [pictures], since [in doing so], he cared more about taking the picture than about stopping the criminal from carrying out the act, and is akin to someone who saw a robber and let him commit his crime while he stood by watching.
"This phenomenon is forbidden by all monotheistic religions, and rulers should examine the reasons for its recent disturbing spread, which points to a collapse of morals among this young age group. The spread of this phenomenon stems from a weakening of religious inhibitions among the youth and a loosening of faith and values [among them] recently. It also stems from the deteriorating economic situation, the lack of job opportunities, and the frustration that young people are feeling. This, alongside a collapse of the values of the family, which no longer looks after its sons, teaches them religious prohibitions or raises them properly, since the father and mother forgo proper education in their pursuit of money. Sexual harassment [sows] destruction and ruin in the land, since it arouses anxiety in society… We must stiffen the penalties for those convicted of sexual harassment, especially since the recent increase in this crime indicates how dangerous it is."
Sexual Harassment Is A Crime Against Religion And Morality
Dr. Ja'far 'Abd Al-Salam, secretary-general of the League of Islamic Universities, was likewise quoted as saying that sexual harassment is a crime against morality and religion which stems from poverty and ignorance, as well as the increase in the proportion of unmarried individuals in society: "Sexual harassment, or any form of sexual violence, stems from the rise in unemployment, poverty and ignorance, and from political upheavals and lawlessness during protests or revolutions. Furthermore, a failure to marry may also be a factor in harassment, especially considering the rise in [the number of] unwed men and women among the younger generation. There is no doubt that harassment has increased substantially these days in comparison to the past, and that societies should devote great efforts to preventing this crime. This can only be done by uncovering the fundamental reasons for the appearance of this phenomenon… for a person who knows his God can never commit such a crime, which is essentially a crime against religion, morality and sane behavior. There is no doubt that all societies should work together in an effort to prevent the moral bankruptcy embodied by sexual harassment."
Sexual Harassers Assume Impunity, Must Be Dealt With Harshly
Dr. Mukhtar Marzouq 'Abd Al-Rahim, dean of the faculty of Religious Fundamentals at Al-Azhar University in Asyut, was quoted as saying that sexual harassment is an extremely severe crime that should incur deterring punishment: "Sexual harassment is one of the worst things that society should speak out against, since, as we know, this act was condemned in Arab society even before the advent of the Prophet [Muhammad], and continued to be condemned after the advent of Islam. Arabs take a very harsh view of [sexual] harassment... and if this was true in the pre-Islamic and early Islamic era, then it is [certainly] our duty today to follow the Islamic tradition and educate our children according to it... since as we know, the Koran states [24:31-32]: ''Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and protect [the chastity of] their private parts… And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and protect [the chastity of] their private parts, and not to show off their adornment except only that which is apparent.' This verse commands to lower one's gaze and preserve one's chastity, so it is [certainly] forbidden to go farther and [commit the graver transgression of] harassment by speech or touch. Furthermore, before a young man harasses a woman he should realize that she is like his sister, daughter or wife. As the Prophet Muhammad said to a person who wished to commit adultery: Would you want this to happen to your mother? The person responded: No. [Muhammad said:] Do you want this to happen to your female cousin? And so on and so forth, until the Prophet said: 'In that case, then people do not desire this.' This is a famous hadith and we say to any sexual harasser: 'Beware of Allah, because he will punish you through your family without you knowing.'
Sign: "The people demand that harassers' hands be cut off"
"As for the penalty decreed in Islam for harassers of women, there is no specific punishment outlined [in Islamic sources], but it is included in the category of reproach, which is very wide. Therefore, the judge, or the members of the people's assembly or parliament [who debate the matter], should set a deterring penalty for harassers of women... If the harasser knew he would face a trial and a heavy penalty for harassing any girl or woman, [he would avoid doing so], but currently it is clear to him that he can harass and do what he does with impunity."
Ahmed Hussein, deputy dean of the faculty of Islamic Da'wa at Al-Azhar, called to level the death penalty at sexual harassers: "Sexual harassment is a crime according to all standards; a disgraceful crime that is alien to the lofty [character] of the noble Egyptian people. These are no doubt acts carried out by solitary criminals to distort Egypt's image, to the point that a statistical [survey] ranks us #2 in sexual harassment... The Egyptian people should not settle for less than the maximum penalty – namely the death penalty – for anyone who commits this horrible act. Allah said of the adulterers [in Koran 24:2]: 'Do not be taken by pity for them... And let a group of the believers witness their punishment.' This, in order to deter anyone who thinks of carrying out a despicable act of this sort.
"The shari'a levels the death penalty at anyone who harms the honor of a married woman, and anyone who harms the honor of an unmarried woman is sentenced to lashings, torture and imprisonment. However, [even] if the crime committed is among those crimes for which the Koran does not set out a specific penalty [such as sexual harassment], the Islamic shari'a does not exempt its perpetrators from punishment, but rather applies the Islamic penalty called 'reproach,' which means that the judge or ruler has the authority to level a punishment, and he can set the harshest penalty if he believes that [public] interest requires it...
"This phenomenon harms Egypt's image and requires intervention and severe penalties in order to uproot it. We must not feel sorry for its perpetrators, since when a father is harsh with his children in order to teach them, he is not being cruel but rather strict. I call on everyone to act together to deal with this phenomenon... until we feel safe and secure."
Endnotes:
[1] Al-Ahram (Egypt), August 2, 2015.

Why Khamenei's Official Approval of the Nuclear Deal Matters
Mehdi KhalajiéWashington Institute/August 19, 2015
If the Supreme Leader is able to continue his strategy of purposeful ambiguity by manipulating the media and parliament, the current deal could fall apart just as easily as past nuclear agreements.
In a televised speech delivered August 17, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei commented on the P5+1 nuclear agreement in skeptical terms, noting that the decision about whether to approve the deal is still unclear in both Washington and Tehran. As he has done since July, the Supreme Leader also pointedly avoided approving the agreement, after a week of vigorous debate in Iran about his views on the document.
WHAT KHAMENEI REALLY THINKS ABOUT THE DEAL
In the August 15 edition of Kayhan newspaper, influential figure Hossein Shariatmadari wrote an editorial titled "The Sole Option." In it, he argued that anyone who reviewed Khamenei's statements would be forced to conclude that the Supreme Leader is "fully aware of the deal's inadequacies and its disastrous ramifications." He continued:
"It can certainly be said that [Khamenei] is not happy with the existing draft of the deal at all. Otherwise why did he repeatedly emphasize that 'We would not give up the revolution's principles whether the drafted text gets approved or not,' given the fact that he had in-depth knowledge of the Vienna deal? So this is the unnegotiable duty of the officials who review the Vienna deal's text: to not approve any 'article,' 'chapter,' or 'content' that is at odds with the principles and foundations of Islam, revolution, and the existence of the regime, so that they will not have a guilty conscience today before the people and tomorrow before the almighty God."
Shariatmadari claimed that "all officials and experts -- with no exception -- confess that parts of the Vienna deal and [UN Security Council] Resolution 2231 not only are incompatible with the principles and foundations of the revolution and regime, but also threaten them, and if they are implemented they might be disastrous." According to him, some officials might argue that the deal should be endorsed despite this "confession" because they believe "the 'reservation' right would be a solution." To explain this point, he went into a technical discussion of how the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties gives countries the right to formally express reservations about an agreement they are approving. Yet he argued that this provision would not apply to the nuclear deal because reservations can only be made in multilateral conventions, while the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is a bilateral convention between Iran and one other party, the P5+1. Whether or not he is correct, he used this argument to conclude that "there are only two ways of dealing with the Vienna agreement: full endorsement or full rejection. There is no other conceivable way." In his view, the answer is "to say no to the whole JCPOA and fully reject it. Is there any other option?"
Shariatmadari is not just another hardliner. For almost two decades, he has been seen as Khamenei's mouthpiece, the one who reveals the Supreme Leader's true impressions when Khamenei himself does not wish to publicly speak his mind for political or other reasons. In many cases where hardliners have difficulty figuring out Khamenei's opinion on an issue, they carefully read Shariatmadari's statements -- especially his editorials in Kayhan, which is run by Khamenei. Shariatmadari has therefore become the Supreme Leader's unofficial spokesman, and his words serve as a practical guide for hardliners in various institutions, including the Majlis.
To be sure, some hardliners have contested this view. In an August 16 article on the Tasnim website, official Hamid Reza Moghaddamfar criticized Shariatmadari's remarks and his reputation as Khamenei's mouthpiece: "How come a revolutionary brother such as you insists on suggesting to his readers that '[Khamenei] thinks like me, analyzes like me, and understands like me'?...At most you should express your own views and not speak on behalf of the Supreme Leader." Given the source of the quote -- Tasnim is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and Moghaddamfar is the military organization's cultural deputy -- there are at least some IRGC elements who support the nuclear deal, and President Hassan Rouhani will probably count on them in resisting hardliner pressure.
Yet despite Moghaddamfar's criticism, neither Khamenei nor his associates denied Shariatmadari's August 15 claims. Moreover, Khamenei's speech two days later greatly enhanced the perception that Shariatmadari's writings are not simply the editor's personal views. Similar to past remarks, the speech emphasized the Supreme Leader's lack of enthusiasm about a deal whose endorsement or rejection "is clear neither here nor in America":
"America does not have the same credentials in this region that it used to have. They want to restore it. This is their intention in our country too. They had such a delusion that in the course of nuclear negotiations...they intended to find a tool to penetrate into the country. We blocked their way...We would allow neither [their] economic influence on Iran, nor their political influence, nor their political presence, nor their cultural influence. By all means -- and, thank God, our means are strong today -- we would confront them and would not allow it."
He went on: "Our policies in the region are on the opposite side of America's policies...We defend the resistance in the region, we defend the Palestinian resistance...We support anyone who fights against Israel, demolishes the Zionist regime, and advocates resistance...We support anyone who confronts the Zionist regime with every kind of support we are capable of." He also repeated that Iran would provide any kind of assistance it can to the "oppressed people" of Bahrain and Yemen. Finally, he reiterated what he means by "enemy": "In our political literature we have the term "domination order," meaning the world is divided between dominant [powers] and dominated [entities]...Those who lead the dominant [powers] are the enemy. If we want to make a case for [who this enemy is], it would be the United States of America regime, [which] is the manifestation of the domination order par excellence."
CONCLUSION
Iran's legal procedure for approving the nuclear deal remains unclear. The Supreme Leader refuses to explicitly state not only his own judgment on the deal, but also which institution should make the formal decision of approval or rejection. This deliberate ambiguity is allowing hardliners to pressure Rouhani into sending the deal as a bill to the Majlis. While 201 of the 290 member of parliament signed a letter demanding that the government submit the agreement to the Majlis for approval, statements made by Guardian Council secretary Ahmad Jannati on August 15 show that even that body -- whose interpretation of law would be the final arbiter between the Majlis and Rouhani's government -- is waiting to receive instruction from Khamenei.
As noted in previous PolicyWatches (see "Iran's Security Concerns and Legal Controversies Over the Nuclear Deal"), President Rouhani would prefer that the Supreme National Security Council vote on it. This desire stems from more than just his fear that the Majlis might reject the deal; he also knows that a National Security Council decision would become legally effective only after the Supreme Leader's official approval, meaning Khamenei would have to take an explicit stand on the deal. In contrast, Khamenei would not need to take a stand on a Majlis bill; he frequently dictates the parliament's decisions from behind the scenes without his role being publicly acknowledged. If the Supreme Leader is able to keep his position ambiguous in the long term, he would leave room for criticizing and even walking away from the deal -- which is exactly what happened to the 2003 and 2004 nuclear deals. Rouhani is acutely conscious of that experience because he was the chief nuclear negotiator at the time.
To help avoid this scenario, the P5+1 could point out bluntly to Rouhani that the JCPOA may not be sustainable without an explicit endorsement from Khamenei, citing the 2003-2004 experience. Rouhani himself provided a narrative of that experience in his book National Security and Nuclear Diplomacy, which he published four years ago to protect himself against mounting criticism from Khamenei and the hardliners regarding the negotiations he had led in his capacity as head of the Supreme National Security Council. P5+1 officials could also note the contrast between their own active embrace of the JCPOA and Khamenei's silence. In Washington's case, it would certainly be easier for President Obama to persuade Congress to approve the deal if Khamenei did so himself.
**Mehdi Khalaji is the Libitzky Family Fellow at The Washington Institute.

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