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Bible Quotation For Today/Who acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God; but whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God
Luke 12/06-10: "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight. But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. ‘And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God; but whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven."

Bible Quotation For Today/My child, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, or lose heart when you are punished by him;for the Lord disciplines those whom he loves, and chastises every child whom he accepts
Letter to the Hebrews 12/01-09: "Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as children ‘My child, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, or lose heart when you are punished by him;
for the Lord disciplines those whom he loves, and chastises every child whom he accepts. ’Endure trials for the sake of discipline. God is treating you as children; for what child is there whom a parent does not discipline? If you do not have that discipline in which all children share, then you are illegitimate and not his children. Moreover, we had human parents to discipline us, and we respected them. Should we not be even more willing to be subject to the Father of spirits and live?.

LCCC Latest analysis, editorials from miscellaneous sources published on July 09-10/15
Inside ISIS' battle strategy, use of Special Forces/Associated Press/Ynetnews /July 09/15
Grapevine: Rallying against Iran /By GREER FAY CASHMAN/Jpost/July 09/15
The Writings of Saudi Blogger Raif Badawi/Stephen Schwartz/July 09/15
When Israel gave Bashar Assad a lifeline/Michael Young/The Daily Star/July 09/15
Michel Aoun Calls On Lebanese Christians To Protest Against Its Leaders' Marginalization:/E.B. Picali and H. Varulkar/MEMRI/July 09/15
Turkey's Syrian Kurdish Problem/Jonathan Spyer/The Jerusalem Post/July 09/15
Western Scandals in the Middle East/Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/July 09/15
When Muslims Betray Non-Muslim Friends and Neighbors/Raymond Ibrahim/FrontPage Magazine/July 09/15
Revolutionary, Anti-West Indoctrination Of Children, Municipality Of Mashhad, Iran/MEMRI/July 09/15

LCCC Bulletin itles for the Lebanese Related News published on July 09-10/15
FPM protesters, Army face off near Grand Serail
Aoun after Cabinet meet: 'We got what we wanted'
Cabinet passes decree after shouting match
Salam Vows to Combat Paralysis: Cabinet Session Will Go ahead in Spite of Aoun's Objections
Cabinet Parties Agree to Continue Thorny Mechanism Debate after Eid as FPM Protesters Scuffle with Army
Loyalty to Resistance Voices Solidarity with FPM, Slams Mustaqbal's 'Unilateral Policies'
Bou Saab: Hizbullah Will Completely Advocate FPM Positions at Cabinet
Report: Gemayel Proposes Initiative to Salam on 'Achieving Partnership' at Cabinet
Army Arrests Two Syrians for Possession of Arms
5 arrested for smuggling Syrians across Lebanon border
Lebanese doctor who falsely diagnosed cancer showed compassion: ex-patient
FPM protest receives Hezbollah backing
One Hezbollah fighter, 13 rebels die in Zabadani clash

FPM protesters, Army face off near Grand Serail
Rima S. Aboulmona| The Daily Star/July 09, 2015/BEIRUT: Seven soldiers and 17 protesters were wounded during a scuffle between the Lebanese Army and Free Patriotic Movement supporters near the Grand Serail in Downtown Beirut Thursday, the military and activists said. The violence began when supporters of MP Michel Aoun charged through an Army barrier and marched toward the Grand Serail where the Cabinet was meeting. But they only advanced about 50 meters until being stopped by a second line of soldiers.
The Army had tried in vain to hold back the protesters who took to the streets about an hour after Prime Minister Tammam Salam angrily shouted at FPM Minister Gebran Bassil in Cabinet over a month-long political dispute related to security appointments.
Baton-wielding soldiers hit demonstrators as they forced their way through the barrier, causing some to fall to the ground. Some protesters hit back with their flag sticks.The Army said seven soldiers were wounded during the confrontation, and FPM activists said 17 were hurt among their ranks. The Lebanese Army said in a statement that the military “will not be drawn into any confrontation with any [political] team.” “Our goal is to protect the constitutional institutions and public and private property, [ensure] the safety of citizens as well as secure the freedom of expression of all the Lebanese people in accordance with the laws and regulations,” the Army said.
At least one FPM activist was arrested on Banks Street, according to television reports. He was identified as Tony Orban. FPM lawmakers on the scene had encouraged the protesters to enter the Grand Serail. “Why shouldn’t they [protesters] move forward?” MP Ibrahim Kanaan said. Security forces had taken tight measures in anticipation of the protests. The Lebanese Army blocked access to the Grand Serail and riot police stood guard at the main entrance of the government building. Television footage showed the protesters stuck outside a security perimeter in Downtown Beirut for about 30 minutes before they tried to bypass it by taking a different route. But dozens of soldiers then rushed to block off their new route. Some of the protesters tried to force their way through, sparking an initial brief scuffle. Television footage showed one man's hand covered in blood. Antoun Souaid, the president of the FPM Youth Sector, urged the protesters to back down and not to challenge the Army. He later told reporters that the FPM was fully supportive of the Army and regretted the violence, noting one of the protesters was receiving treatment at a hospital.
The protesters later divided into two groups: one at Riad al-Solh Square, and another at the nearby Banks Street. The protesters at Banks Street then began chanting: "God, Lebanon, Aoun, and that's it!" After several minutes of chanting, the protesters charged toward soldiers and broke through their security perimeter. Kanaan denounced as "unacceptable" the violent response of security forces who prevented the protesters from marching to the Grand Serail. "A man was injured," he said, challenging a reporter who appeared to suggest the protesters were responsible for the scuffle. He accused the government of trying to suppress their right to protest. "We are not used to taking permission from anyone, especially when it comes to national issues," he said. Protesters cleared Dowtown Beirut after the end of the Cabinet session, with a number of them telling reporters they were heading to Rabieh, where Aoun held a news conference an hour later. In his speech, Aoun criticized the Army for "assaulting" the protesters and expressed doubt that seven soldiers were wounded.
In response, the Army published a brief statement on Twitter saying its troops only responded with violence after they were attacked by the protesters. The demonstrators, who had been gathered outside the FPM headquarters in Sin al-Fil since 10 a.m. when the Cabinet sesssion got underway, decided to protest outside the Grand Serail after a shouting match erupted between Salam and Bassil. "We will break the hands of anyone who tries to break ours," one Aoun partisan said from the gathering site. "Our dignity was trampled upon," another shouted. Television footage showed Salam pounding his hand on the table in anger at Bassil during the Cabinet meeting. The FPM-run news site Tayyar.org said in a news alert that "Daeshi (ISIS-like) Salam has insulted Christians." Aoun has been enraged after the government last week ignored the FPM's demand to prioritize the issue of key security and military appointments.

Aoun after Cabinet meet: 'We got what we wanted'
Nizar Hassan/The Daily Star/ July 09, 2015
BEIRUT: Free Patriotic Movement chief Michel Aoun declared that his party came out victorious from Thursday's Cabinet session, saying the body would no longer pass any bill without his ministers’ approval. “We achieved what we wanted from the Cabinet session today,” Aoun said in a news conference after the end of a turbulent Cabinet session that was accompanied by violent scuffles between his party’s supporters and the Army outside the Grand Serail. "No decision will be made [in the Cabinet] without our approval."
He said the decree passed by Cabinet concerning contracts with hospitals was approved by his ministers. Commenting on the protest, which the military said left seven Army soldiers and a number of FPM activists wounded, Aoun saluted his supporters saying they were “assaulted” by security forces. “I want to ask the [Army]... Why these statements? To justify your assaults on people?” he said. “Nobody attacked you, you attacked protesters," he continued, expressing doubt that seven soldiers were wounded. Aoun, who is a former Army commander, said the statements released by the Army should be restricted to “historical” matters.
“Have you forgotten what I taught you about [releasing statements]?” Aoun, a former Army general, asked. “They should be historical without any small mistake or a comma in the wrong place... this is what I educated you on.”The Army later responded on its Twitter page, saying its troops did not use violence until they were attacked by protesters. "The Army's leadership stresses that it did not use force with some protesters until they targeted troops, used force against them and tried to overcome the fences," the military said. "The leadership reiterates its full commitment to protecting the freedom of peaceful expression for all the Lebanese, without allowing any assaults on constitutional institutions or public and private properties." Aoun said his supporters had not planned on holding a popular protest outside the Grand Serail, but “the event imposed it,” referring to the dispute between Prime Minister Tammam Salam and the FPM's Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil. Asked whether he was planning for more street action, Aoun showed satisfaction with the outcome of the Cabinet, but left all options on the table.“I wake up every day laughing at them [rival politicians], because they haven’t recognized the famous international title that I have been given: Mr. Unpredictable.”
“All of you are either underestimating our intelligence, or you are actually ignorant,” he said. “Neither America, Russia nor the whole world can move me by a hair. I would be martyred for my positions.”He reiterated stances he had taken two days earlier, saying that his party would not allow for the election of a president until a new electoral law is adopted and new parliamentary elections are held on its basis. “The only way in which a president could be elected by this Parliament is through a political compromise that respects the real sizes of representation.” In this vein, Aoun sent an indirect message to Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai, who has since last year been calling on lawmakers to head to Parliament and elect a president. “I don’t want to hear anyone, whatever his value, prestige or position, saying that we are disrupting the presidency,” he said. “Those who are saying ‘go to the Parliament' are actually encouraging the violation of the Constitution.”Bassil held a brief news conference shortly after Aoun's, announcing that he and Education Minister Elias Bou Saab, who is the FPM's other minister, reached a “political agreement” on four items. Among those were a promise that no decisions would be made without FPM’s approval, taking a two-week break to discuss the matter of disputes before another Cabinet session, and fully dedicating the session after Eid al-Fitr to discussing it. He said he would hold another news conference around noon on Friday to explain in detail the result of the session.

Cabinet passes decree after shouting match
Hashem Osseiran/The Daily Star/July 09, 2015
BEIRUT: A deeply divided Cabinet opened Thursday with a heated argument between Prime Minister Tammam Salam and Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil who were filmed shouting at each other before reporters were scurried out of the room. Photographers were kicked out of the session because of the argument that erupted over differing interpretations of the Constitution.But tensions eventually eased and the meeting ended about four and a half hours later, culminating in an agreement to postpone discussions to a session scheduled for July 23.Ministers also managed to suppress tensions and pass one agenda item relating to supplying funds to Lebanese public hospitals. Hezbollah's Industry Minister Hussein Hajj Hasan said after the meeting that issues “were resolved.”
Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbas said that the constitutional infrastructure of the country cannot accomodate the Free Patriotic Movement's demands. After the session, Bassil and Education Minister Elias Bou Saab, the FPM’s two ministers in government, joined a mass protest outside the Grand Serail sparked by the spat between Salam and Bassil. “Today we got what we wanted,” Bassil said from the protest site. “We have a long battle... and we will not accept anything less than our rights.”The foreign minister added that the battle “is not tied to an agenda item, a Cabinet session, a time or a place.”“The battle just started and it won’t end now.”Bou Saab said: "The meeting started tensely but after over three hours of discussions we agreed on a solution that will see ministers taking two weeks to carry out talks before the next session."Speaking from the FPM protest site, the education minister said that Thursday’s agreement ensured that not a single agenda item will be imposed on ministers. The next session, according to Bou Saab, will discuss presidential prerogatives. As for the agenda item that was passed on the basis of consensus, Bou Saab said that an agreement was reached because the bill was backed by the FPM. The official statement released after the session said that ministers discussed the president’s prerogatives in light of the presidential vacuum and how these prerogatives should be exercised by the Cabinet in the absence of a head of state. The “exhaustive talks” among ministers were followed by Salam announcing his keenness on resolving political issues. As such, Salam vowed to discuss the issue of presidential prerogatives and the authority of ministers in a session scheduled for later this month. Ministers then discussed the first item on the agenda, and allocated funds to public and private hospitals at the cost of the Health Ministry.
During the session, Salam expressed dismay at the words that were exchanged with Bassil before the session and urged mutual respect between members of Cabinet and an abidance by protocol. The premier said that Lebanon’s democratic system allows for political disputes but not clashes that serve to disrupt the country. He added that the Cabinet is not tasked with solving contentious political issues but rather facilitating vital domestic affairs that pertain to people’s livelihoods. In reference to FPM protests, Salam said that the critical situation in the country does not allow for popular mobilization and attempts to put the country in the face of danger. The argument in Cabinet began when Bassil accused the prime minister of “violating the Constitution and encroaching on the prerogatives of the president.
The premier responded by saying: “I did not give you the right to speak.”“This form of disturbance is unacceptable, when I speak you remain silent.”A Daily Star photographer who was in the meeting said Salam was discussing an issue with Health Minister Wael Abu Faour before the argument began. As soon as photographers entered the hall, Bassil clicked on his microphone and voiced concerns that are usually reserved for a closed session. Salam denounced Bassil’s comments and urged him to abide by protocol by saving his remarks until after photographers exited the premises. “You are provoking us in front of the media,” Salam told Bassil. The argument quickly escalated into a shouting match between the two. The usually unflappable premier then blasted at Bassil, as ministers allied with the March 14 camp broke into applause. The Grand Serail banned any live coverage of Thursday's meeting following the dispute. Journalists were also escorted outside and were prevented from reporting ministers' statements. Bassil entered Thursday’s session carrying the Lebanese Constitution, saying “today I am protesting with the Constitution.” Telecoms Minister Boutros Harb fired back at Bassil by saying that the latter should “read the Constitution before demonstrating for it.”

Salam Vows to Combat Paralysis: Cabinet Session Will Go ahead in Spite of Aoun's Objections
Naharnet 09/15/Prime Minister Tammam Salam rejected on Thursday the accusations directed against him by Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun regarding the presidency, saying that those who are “incapable of electing a president should not make arbitrary accusations,” reported As Safir newspaper on Thursday. He told the daily: “Today's cabinet session will be held as scheduled.” “The cabinet's main role is to manage the country, not a political crisis. It is therefore not a suitable place to resolve disputes,” he added.
“It certainly is not an appropriate place to dismantle the country's system,” he continued. “I cannot accept that the cabinet's role be crippled when it comes to tackling issues of state and the people,” Salam declared. “I believe that political problems should be resolved by local factions outside of cabinet. The dialogue between the Mustaqbal Movement and Hizbullah and the dialogue between the Free Patriotic Movement and Lebanese Forces are examples of what can be achieved to that end,” he explained. “If some political forces cannot achieve their goals, then that does not mean that they should take out their frustrations on the cabinet,” stressed the premier. He defended his approach of “seeking consensus while avoiding paralysis,” adding: “It is unacceptable for some sides to cripple it.”“The government would therefore become the hostage of one or two of its components,” he noted. “I will combat attempts to obstruct cabinet. My conscience is clear,” he stated. Asked about Aoun's accusations that he has “usurped the role of the president,” Salam responded: “My actions and positions indicate the contrary.” “I am barely preserving my privileges as prime minister,” he added. “They should not make arbitrary accusations if they are incapable of electing a president. Those who want to launch a revolution, change the political system, or destroy the country should assume responsibility for their actions,” he stressed. On Aoun's accusations that the cabinet is “marginalizing the role of Christians and violating their rights,” Salam said that none of the Christian parties such as the Kataeb and Lebanese Forces and independent Christian figures of the March 14 coalition had made similar claims. “The Christian camp, whose representation is being usurped, has demonstrated a lot of understanding and trust in me,” he emphasized. The premier asserted that he has maintained his position as a neutral figure since being elected to his post. On whether he is worried about the street protests, he commented: “Peaceful and civilized street action is legitimate in principle, but the situation Lebanon and the region are passing through make us wary of such an option.” “If Aoun wants to use protests against other forces, then that is up to him, but if he wants to use them against the cabinet, then that is a form of deceit because he is part of the government,” Salam noted. Supporters of the FPM kicked off on Wednesday roaming convoys in preparation for demonstrations scheduled for Thursday in protest against what Aoun said was the violation of the rights of Christians. “Our protests are peaceful and are part of preparing for the movements demanding the restoration of the rights of Christians,” said Hisham Kanj of the FPM's Metn department. Aoun has called on his supporters to prepare for rallies to regain the “Christians' rights.” He is waiting for the outcome of Thursday's cabinet session to give the green light for street mobility. His supporters began preparing to stage anti-government rallies after the cabinet failed to discuss the appointment of high-ranking security and military officials.

Cabinet Parties Agree to Continue Thorny Mechanism Debate after Eid as FPM Protesters Scuffle with Army
Naharnet 09/15/Cabinet convened on Thursday morning to tackle its mechanism as supporters of the Free Patriotic Movement took to the streets to demand “the restoration of Christian rights.”The cabinet session was held to tackle the government's mechanism of taking decisions in light of the presidential vacuum. Prior to the meeting, a heated exchange took place between Prime Minister Tammam Salam and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, prompting officials at the Grand Serail to request the media to leave the premises. Bassil had arrived at the Serail with a copy of the constitution, saying that he was “demonstrating for it.”Commenting on his actions, Telecommunications Minister Butros Harb said: “He should read the constitution before demonstrating for it.” Bassil started the session by attempting to discuss the jurisdiction of the president, reported LBCI television. A quarrel later erupted between Ministers Wael Abou Faour and Akram Shehayeb with Bassil. The television station spoke of a number of heated exchanges that took place in cabinet before they died down and the ministers were able to discuss the cabinet agenda. It managed to approve one ordinary agenda article. After the article was passed, “the premier proposed discussing the issue of the cabinet's mechanism in the session that will be held after Eid al-Fitr,” promising that it will be "the first item on the agenda," Information Minister Ramzi Jreij told reporters after the session. “I have endorsed the principle of consensus in the cabinet's work to avoid paralysis and I will keep holding onto this approach,” Salam said during the session, according to Jreij. “The mission of our coalition government is running the country's affairs, not resolving the controversial political issues,” the PM added. He also stressed keenness on his jurisdiction, calling on all parties to respect “posts and dignities” and underlining his “commitment to the Constitution.”The FPM supporters had gathered near the Grand Serail in Beirut and scuffled with the army as they attempted to head to the government building. The army and security forces had bolstered their presence in the area in anticipation of any security development, blocking all roads leading to the Grand Serail. The supporters had earlier vowed to stage “peaceful and civilized protests,” pledging that they will not block any roads. One person was wounded in the scuffles, accusing the army of beating him.
The military later issued a statement declaring that “it will not be lured into any confrontation,” stressing that it is “tasked with protecting state institutions and the people.”It announced that seven of its members were wounded in the protests. Bassil and Education Minister Elias Bou Saab, both of the FPM, headed to the protesters soon after the end of the cabinet session. The demonstrators soon began clearing the area at the end of the session. “Today, we achieved what we want, but this is the beginning and not the end of the battle, which is not confined to a certain article, location or time,” Bassil told the protesters. For his part Bou Saab said the session that will be held after Eid will be dedicated to “discussing and defining the powers of the president.”“We are partners in the country and we refuse to be marginalized,” he added. Asked about the scuffles with the army, Bou Saab stressed that the FPM “will protect the army and its rights” and that “no one can put us in a confrontation with it.”Earlier this week, FPM chief MP Michel Aoun had called on his supporters to prepare for rallies to regain what he described as the “Christians' rights.”His supporters began preparing to stage anti-government rallies after the cabinet failed to discuss the appointment of high-ranking security and military officials. The protests kicked off on Wednesday evening through roaming convoys in several regions.

Loyalty to Resistance Voices Solidarity with FPM, Slams Mustaqbal's 'Unilateral Policies'
Naharnet 09/15/Hizbullah's Loyalty to Resistance parliamentary bloc voiced “solidarity” Thursday with the Free Patriotic Movement in the wake of street protests by the FPM over the government's decision-taking mechanism. In a statement issued after its weekly meeting, the bloc said it discussed “the growing political crisis in the country and means to overcome it in a manner that reactivates the work of the cabinet and the parliament and creates an opportunity to fill the presidential void.” It accused the rival al-Mustaqbal movement and “its lackeys” of endorsing “policies of unilateralism, arrogance and marginalization of the partners in the country throughout the past years.” The alleged policies have “undermined the state, paralyzed its constitutional institutions and pushed the aggrieved to raise the voice to demand the rights that were usurped through the bad implementation of the Taef Accord,” Loyalty to Resistance added. “The campaign that some parties are waging against the methods of action that the FPM is being pushed to will not succeed in diverting the attention of the Lebanese from the unilateral and exclusionary policies that prompted the FPM to launch its protests against the entire decaying situation,” the bloc stressed. “Based on our commitment to the Constitution, and its inseparable preamble, we renew our solidarity with the FPM regarding the country's interest in real partnership, and we call on everyone to a brave reevaluation that would allow an agreement on rectifying the course and reviving the institutions,” Loyalty to Resistance went on to say. It called on the government to “abide by the mechanism of consensus in taking cabinet decisions to guarantee the needed balance amid these extraordinary situations.”The bloc also warned that "paralyzing the parliament's legislative and supervisory roles has harmed the interests of the country and the citizens, reflected negatively on the regularity of the cabinet's work, and complicated the presidential vacuum crisis.”Earlier on Thursday, FPM chief MP Michel Aoun announced after a stormy cabinet session and violent street protests that his movement managed to achieve its objectives from what he had dubbed as a “fateful day,” stressing that “there will be no new president” before the political forces agree on a new electoral law. During the heated session, the cabinet's parties agreed to continue the thorny debate over the cabinet's decision-taking mechanism after Eid al-Fitr. Aoun had called on his supporters to prepare for rallies to restore what he described as “the rights of the Christians.” Preparations for the demos began after the cabinet failed to discuss the appointment of high-ranking security and military officials.The FPM chief has been lobbying for the appointment of Commando Regiment commander Chamel Roukoz, his son-in-law, as army chief.

Bou Saab: Hizbullah Will Completely Advocate FPM Positions at Cabinet
Naharnet 09/15/Education Minister Elias Bou Saab stressed that the Free Patriotic Movement ministers will tackle the government's mechanism in wake of the presidential vacuum during its session on Thursday morning, reported al-Mustaqbal daily. He told the daily: “Hizbullah will voice its absolute support to the demands of the FPM during the session.”A meeting was held on Wednesday afternoon at the Foreign Ministry between FM Jebran Bassil and delegates from its allies in Hizbullah, the Marada Movement, and Tashnag Party in preparation for the session. “We were in total agreement with Hizbullah during the talks,” revealed Bou Saab to al-Mustaqbal. Prime Minister Tammam Salam will be asked to explain “the violation of the consensual mechanism we had agreed upon at cabinet in the absence of a president,” said the minister. “The cabinet cannot re-launch its practices without reaching an agreement on this issue,” he stated. Supporters of the FPM kicked off on Wednesday roaming convoys in preparation for demonstrations scheduled for Thursday in protest against what Movement leader MP Michel Aoun said was the violation of the rights of Christians. “Our protests are peaceful and are part of preparing for the movements demanding the restoration of the rights of Christians,” said Hisham Kanj of the FPM's Metn department. Aoun has called on his supporters to prepare for rallies to regain the “Christians' rights.” He is waiting for the outcome of Thursday's cabinet session to give the green light for street mobility. His supporters began preparing to stage anti-government rallies after the cabinet failed to discuss the appointment of high-ranking security and military officials.

Report: Gemayel Proposes Initiative to Salam on 'Achieving Partnership' at Cabinet
Naharnet 09/15/Head of the Kataeb Party MP Sami Gemayel proposed to Prime Minister Tammam Salam an initiative on “participation and partnership” at cabinet, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Thursday. Sources told the daily that the MP proposed to Salam taking decisions at cabinet “on the basis of equality among its members without exception or discrimination.”“Decisions should also be taken on the basis of consensus without the abuse of power to cripple cabinet,” they added. “Should it appear that some sides are seeking to obstruct government's role, then the position of the majority could be adopted to take decisions,” they continued. “Such measures would be taken only after each article of a cabinet agenda is tackled,” they stressed. Gemayel's initiative also demanded that the appointments of security and military officials be made on time and without delay. The sources revealed that Gemayel and Salam were in “complete agreement” over the proposal.

Army Arrests Two Syrians for Possession of Arms
Naharnet 09/15/The Lebanese army arrested two Syrian nationals at dawn after confiscating some amounts of weapons and ammunition that they kept in hiding, the National News Agency stated on Thursday. The army raided a warehouse in Tripoli's al-Qobbeh which belongs to Syrian nationals of the al-Raayan family. They found some quantities of arms and ammo that the assailants hid inside the walls of the warehouse. The detainees have been referred to the concerned authorities for investigation. The army had in recent months intensified its efforts to maintain stability in Lebanon by making a number of arrests against a number of suspects connected to various security incidents that had taken place in the country. Later during the day, the Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) said that the army raided several Syrian encampments in Akkar's Aidamoun town and arrested tens of them for not possessing identity cards.

5 arrested for smuggling Syrians across Lebanon border
The Daily Star/Jul. 09, 2015/BERUT: The Lebanese Army arrested five citizens for smuggling six Syrian men across the border between Lebanon and Syria. A military statement late Wednesday night said the Army seized a pistol and hashish from the Syrians who were being smuggled across the Masnaa border crossing. It said among the smuggled Syrians, one was wanted in a shooting incident. All 11 men have been referred to the relevant authorities after their arrest Wednesday, the statement added.

Lebanese doctor who falsely diagnosed cancer showed compassion: ex-patient
The Daily Star/ Jul. 09, 2015/Three people testified in defense of a Lebanese-born doctor during his sentencing hearing Thursday over intentionally misdiagnosing patients and prescribing unnecessary cancer treatments to collect money.

FPM protest receives Hezbollah backing
The Daily Star/July 09, 2015/Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc Thursday voiced it support to the Free Patriotic Movement protest that erupted after a face off between an FPM minister and Prime Minister Tammam Salam in Cabinet.

One Hezbollah fighter, 13 rebels die in Zabadani clash
The Daily Star/ Jul. 09, 2015/BEIRUT: Hezbollah and Syrian army forces Wednesday advanced further into a northwestern region of a Syrian border town which has been the scene of fierce fighting over the past week, a source told The Daily Star. The source, who is close to Hezbollah, said at least 13 Syrian rebels and one Hezbollah fighter were killed in Wednesday’s clashes in the resort town of Zabadani, located just 8 kilometers from Lebanon’s eastern border. The clashes come one day after Al-Manar TV reported that residential areas had fallen to Hezbollah and the Syrian army in Zabadani’s northwestern neighborhood of Zahra. The report also said Hezbollah and the Syrian army took control of several positions that militants had previously used to launch attacks. Two Hezbollah fighters were killed in Tuesday’s fighting, according to The Daily Star’s source. Wednesday’s death brings the party’s overall death toll in the battle for Zabadani to seven. Hezbollah and the Syrian army’s offensive in Zabadani is largely considered an attempt by the two allies to bolster their control of land routes between Lebanon and Syria and cut rebel supply lines. Zabadani also bears strategic significance for Hezbollah since it once served as a logistical hub for supplying the party with Iranian weapons. It also served as a base for Hezbollah fighters and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. The capture of the town would add to Hezbollah’s recent major field victories, which saw the party take large swaths of the Qalamoun hills since its offensive, backed by the Syrian army, began in the region last May. The decision to launch the offensive in Zabadani came after negotiations with rebels failed to secure the militants’ withdrawal from the area, which is located 50 kilometers northwest of Damascus and 12 kilometers northeast of Lebanon’s Masnaa border crossing.

Former Saudi FM Prince Saud al-Faisal Dies
Naharnet 09/15/Saudi Arabia's Prince Saud al-Faisal, who was the world's longest-serving foreign minister, has died, family members and a foreign ministry spokesman said late Thursday. Prince Saud, who was born in 1940, was one of the highest profile members of Saudi's ruling elite and steered the diplomacy of the world's leading oil exporter for four decades before stepping down in April for health reasons. The prince oversaw Saudi Arabia's emergence as a major diplomatic player, facing successive regional crises and maintaining a focus on relations with the West. Nawaf al-Faisal, a relative, announced the death on Facebook, while a foreign ministry spokesman also confirmed the death on Twitter and expressed condolences. "I wish I could deny the rumor of the news of your death," the spokesman Osama Nugali tweeted. Prince Saud's nephew Saud Mohammed al-Abdullah al-Faisal also acknowledged the death of the veteran diplomat. "May God accept him in paradise," he wrote on Twitter. Agence France Presse

Syria army battles ISIS outside Palmyra: activists
Agence France Presse/ July. 09, 2015/BEIRUT: Syrian army troops backed by war planes advanced to within several kilometers of Palmyra Thursday, battling ISIS fighters outside the famed ancient city, activists said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said government troops were now some five kilometers (three miles) west of the city and engaged in fierce clashes with forces from the extremist group. "Regime forces could enter the city at any moment, they are not far away and the area between them and the city is desert," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said. The Britain-based monitor said the fighting was accompanied by intensive regime airstrikes on the city of Palmyra, which is famed for its ancient ruins, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The group said civilians in Palmyra were fleeing the aerial bombardment, which has intensified in recent days. There was no immediate toll in the fighting or the airstrikes, which have generally targeted the residential part of Palmyra, not its ancient sector. In Damascus, a security source confirmed the army had advanced to within several kilometers of Palmyra. "Yesterday, the army was able to make significant progress in advancing towards the city," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Fighting is continuing between the army and Daesh," he added, using the Arabic acronym for ISIS. Official news agency SANA said air raids hit ISIS positions in Palmyra as well as on the outskirts of the Shaar gas field and other areas in Homs province. ISIS forces overran Palmyra on May 21, after sweeping towards the city from their strongholds in eastern Deir al-Zor and northern Raqqa. Their capture of Palmyra raised international concerns they might destroy the city's ancient ruins, as they have in other places in Syria and Iraq. Though ISIS fighters have reportedly destroyed at least one statue, no damage to the ruins has been reported. However, the group carried out at least one mass execution of government soldiers in Palmyra's famed ancient amphitheater, later publishing footage of the killings online.

U.N. Announces Humanitarian Truce in Yemen as of Friday
Naharnet 09/15/A humanitarian truce will go into force in Yemen on Friday to allow urgently needed aid to reach civilians in the war-torn country facing the threat of famine, the United Nations said. The pause in fighting will go into effect at 23:59 local time (2059 GMT) on Friday until the end of Ramadan on July 17. The announcement came eight days after the United Nations declared Yemen a level-3 humanitarian emergency, the highest on its scale, with nearly half of the country's regions facing a food crisis. "It is imperative and urgent that humanitarian aid can reach all vulnerable people of Yemen unimpeded and through an unconditional humanitarian pause," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Thursday. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has received assurances from the Shiite Huthi rebels and other parties that "the pause will be fully respected and that there will be no violations from any combatants under their control," he added. More than 21.1 million people -- over 80 percent of Yemen's population -- are in need of aid, with 13 million facing food shortages. Access to water has become difficult for 9.4 million people, according to the UN. Ban had repeatedly called for a humanitarian ceasefire to allow badly needed aid to be delivered to civilians suffering from the air war and the rebel offensives. Yemen slid deeper into turmoil when a Saudi-led coalition launched air strikes in late March to stop an advance by the Iran-backed Huthi rebels who drove the president into exile. Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies are demanding that the Huthis pull back from territory seized in their offensive and that President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi be restored to power. Agence France Presse

Obama: Chances of Iran deal less than 50-50
Ynetnews /Associated Press, Ynet /Published: 07.09.15/ Israel News
The president spoke to a meeting of Senate Democrats in an attempt to reassure them that he would not accept a bad Iran deal, if a deal even happens. According to a report in POLITICO on Wednesday; President Barack Obama pegged the chances of a nuclear agreement with Iran at “less than 50-50,” even as he worked to reassure Senate Democrats that he won’t accept a bad deal. “He said the chances he thought were less than 50-50 at this point and that he wouldn’t agree to something he thought was weak or unenforceable,” Sen. Dick Durbin said in an interview with POLITICO on Wednesday. “But if he comes up with an agreement and it meets his standards he wanted us to take an honest look at it and not prejudge.”Obama told Senate Democrats that he will not agree to a bad nuclear deal with Iran, and asked them to withhold judgment until the deal is completed. Obama got no resistance to that message over wine and appetizers in the White House State Dining Room on Tuesday evening, participants said the next day. A testy debate over trade last month divided Obama from many in his party. Tuesday's meeting was an opportunity for Obama and Democrats to reset their relationship in preparation for the legislative session ahead.A top focus was Iran, according to several lawmakers. Prospects are uncertain for the Obama administration to complete a deal, but if the accord isn't sent to Congress by Thursday, its month-long review period would be doubled to 60 days. Obama has expended significant political capital on finalizing an agreement to keep Iran from going nuclear, prompting Republicans to accuse him of making too many concessions and even some Democrats to express deep ambivalence. Tuesday night, he asked Democrats to support him if he does reach a deal that's good enough for him to sign onto. "He wanted to make it perfectly clear that he is in no rush to an agreement and that he will walk away from the table if there is no good deal to be reached and that there isn't a deal yet, and so all of these reports about what is in a deal are premature," said Sen. Chris Murphy.

Kerry Says Won't be 'Rushed' into Iran Deal, Urges 'Tough Decisions'
Naharnet 09/15/U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday that major world powers would not be "rushed" into a nuclear deal with Iran, adding he was prepared to walk away if "tough decisions" are not made soon. Speaking on the eve of a deadline to present a deal to the U.S. Congress, Kerry told reporters that because "the stakes are very, very high, we will not rush and we will not be rushed.""We're here because we believe we're making real progress toward a comprehensive deal. But as I have said many times, and as I discussed with President (Barack) Obama last night, we are not going to sit at the negotiating table forever," Kerry said. "If the tough decisions don't get made, we are absolutely prepared to call an end to this process." French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, announcing he would stay in the Austrian capital Thursday night to continue the talks, said meanwhile that problems remain. "Things are however going in the right directions. Under the circumstances I have decided to stay tonight and tomorrow," Fabius told reporters. "I hope that we are going to manage the final meters (yards), but there is still work to do. In a marathon the final 100 meters are the hardest," Fabius said. The mooted deal between Iran and the P5+1 group -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States -- is aimed at ending a 13-year standoff by curbing Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. If the US Congress does not receive the text by early Friday morning Vienna time -- midnight in Washington -- it will likely delay its implementation by doubling the review period to 60 days. But an Iranian official insisted to AFP: "For us, no date is sacred if it means sacrificing a good accord." And Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Twitter shortly after Kerry's statement: "We're working hard, but not rushed, to get the job done."Later he shouted to reporters from the balcony of the Coburg hotel where the talks were being held: "We will stay as long as necessary." Two deadlines have already been missed during this round of negotiations alone which have now stretched into their 13th day.
Diplomats from various delegations ruled out a deal by the end of Thursday, but when asked whether an accord would be possible Friday or Saturday, one Iranian official told AFP: "God only knows."With the talks stuck, Fabius rejoined Kerry as well as his German and British counterparts early Thursday, alongside Chinese and Russian officials, to plot a strategy forward. Kerry also met briefly with Zarif.
- Spanner in the works -
All sides say huge progress has been made in the past days of negotiations -- the final stage of marathon talks first launched in September 2013. Most of the final text is already written, along with most of five technical annexes. Some of the thorniest issues such as a time frame for lifting sanctions, a U.N. probe into allegations that Iran in the past sought to develop nuclear weapons, also appear close to resolution. But Iran's demand that a U.N. arms embargo be lifted has thrown a spanner in the works. Western nations have balked at the idea, with Tehran still accused of fomenting violence in the Middle East. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who was Thursday in the Russian city of Ufa at a summit with emerging economies, threw Moscow's weight behind Tehran on the issue. "We are in favor of lifting the embargo as soon as possible and will support a decision made by Iran's negotiators," Lavrov told reporters. The U.N. Security Council arms embargo had been imposed to force Iran to negotiate, a goal that had "long been reached," he stressed.
Resuming arms deliveries would help Iran combat terrorism and radicals from the Islamic State group, he added. There were no "insurmountable problems" left to tackle at the talks, unless somebody tried to deliberately stall the negotiations, Lavrov insisted. Kerry late Wednesday held a long video conference with Obama to review progress so far, after the American leader reportedly told senators earlier that the chances of an accord were "less than 50-50." Agence France Presse

Jerusalem 'unimpressed' by difficulties in Iran talks, believes accord just a matter of time
By HERB KEINON/07/09/2015/J.Post/Despite the ups and downs and missed deadlines in the Iranian nuclear talks in Vienna, Jerusalem believes the the world powers will soon sign an agreement with the Islamic Republic paving Iran's way to a bomb, senior officials in the Prime Minister's Office said on Thursday.Following reports that US President Barack Obama told a group of senators Tuesday night that the chances of reaching a deal were “less than 50 percent,” a senior official in the PMO said that Jerusalem was “unimpressed” by reports that the odds of reaching a deal were low. “The nearly complete collapse of the P5+1 's positions in the interim agreement, in the Lausanne framework and in the current talks almost guarantees that the sides will reach a deal and the world will face a nuclear armed terrorist state,” the official said.Not only that, the official added, but this “terrorist state” will “receive a cash bonanza of hundreds of billions of dollars to fund its aggression and terror.”Among the red lines that have already been crossed, the official said, were the demands that Iran allow inspections everywhere, and at anytime, as well as that the lifting of sanctions will be based on Iran fulfilling its commitments under the accord. One final point of contention that has emerged is Teheran's demand that a UN embargo on conventional weapons be lifted. Since the world powers have already made so many concessions to Iran, one Israeli official said, even if they get Tehran to back down of this point it will be meaningless, because so many other red lines have already been crossed.

Kerry threatens to walk after third extension comes and goes
By MICHAEL WILNER/J.Post/07/09/2015 /VIENNA -- US Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States is "absolutely prepared to call an end" to negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program if Tehran does not soon make a series of "tough" political choices.
But the US is not walking yet, after blowing through its third extension of those talks in just two weeks. Kerry said that neither he, nor US President Barack Obama, nor his allies in the P5+1— comprised of Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany— are willing to rush to complete an historic deal that will face a "test for decades."

WATCH: Iran's nuclear negotiators punked in Vienna
By JPOST.COM STAFF/07/09/2015
An American human rights activist has taken to Vienna, where nuclear negotiations with Iran are approaching their end, to "punk" negotiators from the Islamic Republic. David Keyes, who specializes in a satirical approach to confronting regimes around the world on humanitarian issues, on Wednesday released his latest footage in which he confronted Iranian diplomats about Tehran's dismal human rights record. "I just returned from Vienna where I negotiated a historic human rights deal with the Iranian regime. They agreed to reduce the rate of hangings to one every two and a half hours," Keyes chides in a YouTube video entitled 'Punking Iran's Nuclear Negotiators in Vienna.'Keyes, who aims to bring human rights to the mainstream, sheds light on such issues as Iran's malicious treatment of homosexuals, Internet censorship and the oppression of groups the regime persecutes as political prisoners such as student leaders, bloggers and human rights activists.The brazen activist is seen in his third such clip to date flagging down various Iranian negotiator, and asking questions draped in mockery and condemnation such as: "Who's your favorite political prisoner, if you could only pick one?""Humor is a powerful tool against dictators and it's something that people will share and talk about," he told The Jerusalem Post via e-mail on Thursday. "I think it's wrong that senior diplomats of regimes which hang gays, torture bloggers and jail student leaders can travel around with impunity." He added that this risks he faces in his unabashed approach are "nothing compared the risks activists face daily in dictatorships like Syria, Iran and North Korea," and he seeks to continues pursuing dictators around the globe. While he has so-far concentrated on criticizing Middle Eastern regimes, future plans include frying leaders in China, Russia and North Korea. He is also open to suggestions by civilians who wish to see their government's "punked."

When Israel gave Bashar Assad a lifeline
Michael Young/The Daily Star/July 09, 2015
Recently, an interesting news item relating to Syria seemed to remain under the public radar. In his book “Ally: My Journey Across the American-Israeli Divide,” the Israeli former ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, wrote of how the Russian plan in 2013 to remove Syria’s chemical arsenal, and in that way avoid an impending American attack against the country, originated with an Israeli minister, Yuval Steinitz. While the story was picked up by major American newspapers, it gained little traction. According to Oren, Steinitz first pitched the idea to the Russians, who, in turn, proposed it to the Americans. This gave the Obama administration a way out of military action against the Assad regime after it had fired chemical weapons in the eastern Ghouta, killing many civilians. The reason Steinitz did so is not difficult to understand. The Israelis saw a golden opportunity to get rid of what worried them most in Syria, namely the regime’s chemical weapons. They were far less concerned with seeing Assad and his acolytes punished for having deployed such weapons against civilians. Once the deal was agreed, Oren writes, “the phrase ‘Assad must go’ vanished from [Barack] Obama’s vocabulary.”Oren is critical of Obama’s handling of the episode, above all the president’s decision to seek Congressional approval for retaliation against Syria. To the Israelis, he writes, “there seemed no downside to an American military intervention aimed at deterring chemical weapons’ use and weakening a dictator allied with Iran and Hezbollah.” But a question Oren doesn’t quite answer is whether Steinitz, in his proposal, reflected another long-standing Israeli attitude toward the Assad regime, namely that, as the enemy Israel knew, it was preferable to the unknown.
Steinitz’s version is rather different. He told the New York Times in June, “We said to ourselves, ‘What use will it be if 50 or 100 Tomahawks will land on half-empty bases in Syria?’ And if it will be a one-time strike, it won’t deter use of chemical weapons.” His scheme was a win-win situation for all, he insisted. Perhaps, but the mood seemed very different in Damascus and Beirut in September 2013. While the Obama administration seemed to do everything possible to play down the magnitude of the retaliation (Secretary of State John Kerry famously said it would be “unbelievably small”), many Syrian officials were not convinced. There was panic in the Syrian capital that American strikes might decisively turn the tide of battle against the regime. This sense of anxiety was heightened by a subtle shift in Obama’s rhetoric on Syria at the time. While he had initially spoken of a “limited” operation, he later changed direction and stated on Sept. 3 that aside from degrading Assad’s chemical weapons capabilities “we have a broader strategy that will allow us to upgrade the capabilities of the opposition [and] allow Syria ultimately to free itself from the kinds of terrible civil wars and death and activity that we’ve been seeing on the ground.”
None of the accounts make it clear precisely when Steinitz made his proposal to the Russians. In his New York Times interview he said it came soon after he had issued a statement that Israel had proof that the Assad regime was behind the attack, in other words around Aug. 22. A Russian diplomat asked to see him, and said he would pass on the minister’s idea to Moscow the same day. It is possible that the Israeli preoccupation was solely with chemical weapons, not Assad’s survival, but if that is the case, it would also have dictated Israel’s attitude toward the Syrian president. If Assad were decisively weakened by an American assault, allowing the opposition to enter Damascus, then what happened to the weapons would have been unpredictable.
As Oren writes, “by removing [the chemical weapons] Assad became key to the solution.” Indeed, but it also means that if Israel’s priority was a clear outcome on the chemical weapons, a prerequisite was to ensure that Assad remained in power.
That logic has continued to prevail, particularly in Washington. Whereas in 2013 the worry was chemical weapons, today it has shifted to the threat posed by ISIS and other jihadi groups. The Americans have remained incapable of defining a clear position on Syria. On Monday, Obama, in pledging to help moderate rebels, noted: “The only way that the [Syrian] civil war will end ... is an inclusive political transition to a new government without Bashar Assad, a government that serves all Syrians.”
Yet nothing has really changed since the CIA director, John Brennan, told the Council on Foreign Relations last March that the “last thing we want to do is to allow [ISIS and other jihadist groups] to march into Damascus.” Brennan had added then, “That’s why it’s important to bolster those forces within the Syrian opposition that are not extremists.” However, at the catatonic rate the U.S. is training such forces, the chances that “moderates” will soon change the tide in Syria is negligible.
Whether we are talking about the United States or Israel, Assad has imposed on both a very successful “either-or” equation – “It’s either Assad or chaos.” That has given the Syrian president and Iran tremendous leverage over Washington and Tel Aviv. This will only increase when, as is likely, the Americans and Iranians reach a nuclear deal. Once that happens, Iranian funds to assist Assad will be freed up and the Obama administration may more firmly recognize an Iranian “sphere of influence” in Syria. That will not sit well with Israel, but the complexities of the situation will most probably expand Assad’s margin of political survival. Obama should bear in mind what he said about Assad. Syria’s war will not end while he remains in power. But the U.S. president has seemed unwilling to pursue his own logic in Syria. Bashar Assad has lasted thanks to such incoherence.
**Michael Young is opinion editor of THE DAILY STAR. He tweets @BeirutCalling.

Inside ISIS' battle strategy, use of Special Forces
Associated Press/Ynetnews /Published: 07.08.15,/ Israel News
The terror group is undergoing an evolutionary process, employing creative tactics and strategies, and creating new Special Forces units to bring the battle to the heart of their enemies.
They are the Islamic State group's elite shock troops. Fanatical and disciplined, they infiltrate cities of Iraq and Syria, unleash mayhem and fight to the death, wearing explosives belts to blow themselves up among their opponents if they face defeat.
ISIS calls them "Inghemasiyoun," Arabic for "those who immerse themselves," a sort of special forces unit parallel to its regular forces that is credited with many of the group's stunning battlefield successes. A recent online video from the group showed a unit preparing to launch an eventually successful attack on the central Syrian town of al-Sukhna. "Victory or martyrdom," the fighters, wearing blue bandanas, scream in a circle around their commander, pledging their allegiance to God and vowing never to retreat.
"They cause chaos and then their main ground offensive begins," said Redur Khalil, spokesman for the US-backed Kurdish People's Protection Units, which have led a string of military successes against ISIS in Syria.
Though best known for its horrific brutalities, the Islamic State group has proved to be a highly organized and flexible fighting force, according to senior Iraqi military and intelligence officials and Syrian Kurdish commanders on the front lines.
Its tactics are often creative, whether it's using a sandstorm as cover for an assault or a lone sniper tying himself to the top of a palm tree to pick off troops below. Its forces switch between conventional and guerrilla warfare, using the latter to wear down their opponents before massed fighters backed by armored vehicles, Humvees and sometimes even artillery move to take over territory. The fighters incorporate suicide bombings as a battlefield tactic to break through lines and demoralize enemies, and they hone them to make them more effective. Recently, they beefed up armor of the vehicles used in those attacks to prevent gunfire from killing the driver or detonating explosives.
Those strategies are being carried into new fronts as well, appearing in Egypt in last week's dramatic attack by an ISIS-linked militant group against the military in the Sinai Peninsula. Andreas Krieg, a professor at King's College London who embedded with Iraqi Kurdish fighters, said ISIS local commanders receive overall orders on strategy but are given freedom to operate as they see fit to achieve them. That's a sharp contrast to the rigid hierarchies of the Iraqi and Syrian militaries, where officers often fear acting without direct approval.
ISIS fighters are highly disciplined - swift execution is the punishment for deserting battle or falling asleep on guard duty, Iraqi officers said. The group also is flush with weaponry looted from Iraqi forces. ISIS stands out in its ability to conduct multiple battles simultaneously, Iraqi army Lt. Gen. Abdul-Wahab al-Saadi said.
"In the Iraqi army, we can only run one big battle at a time," said al-Saadi, who was wounded twice in the past year as he led forces that retook the key cities of Beiji and Tikrit. Even the group's atrocities are in part a tactic to terrorize its enemies. It beheads captured soldiers, releasing videos of the killings online. Stepping up the shock value, recent videos showed caged captives being lowered into a pool to drown and the heads blown off other captives with explosive wire around their necks. The number of ISIS fighters in Iraq and Syria is estimated between 30,000 to 60,000, according to the Iraqi officers. Former army officers of ousted Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein have helped the group organize its fighters. Veteran jihadis with combat experience in Afghanistan, Chechnya or Somalia have brought valuable experience.
Foreigners who join ISIS often end up as suicide bombers. "People go to the Islamic State looking to die, and the Islamic State is happy to help them," said Patrick Skinner, a former CIA officer now with The Soufan Group, a private geopolitical risk assessment company.
The group's tactics carried it to a sweep of northern and western Iraq a year ago, capturing Mosul, Iraq's second-biggest city. Shortly thereafter, ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a "caliphate" spanning its territory in Iraq and Syria. In May, it captured Ramadi, capital of Iraq's vast western Anbar province. In Syria, it seized the central city of Palmyra.
The elite shock troops were crucial in capturing Ramadi. First came a wave of more than a dozen suicide bombings that hammered the military's positions, then the fighters moved in during a sandstorm. Iraqi troops crumbled and fled as a larger ISIS force marched in.
Since US-led airstrikes in Iraq and Syria have hampered the group's movements, ISIS has lost ground. Iraqi troops and Shiite militiamen retook some cities, like Saddam's hometown of Tikrit. In Syria, Kurdish fighters backed by heavy US airstrikes recaptured the border town of Kobani after weeks of devastating battles. More recently, ISIS lost Tal Abyad, another Syrian border town.
Despite that loss, ISIS shock troops attacked Kobani again last month. Around 70 fighters battled a much larger Kurdish force for two days. They were all slain, but not before killing more than 230 civilians, including roughly 100 children, and more than 30 Kurdish fighters. Around the same time, they also attacked Tal Abyad, where they battled for days until they were killed, and the northeast Syrian city of Hassakeh, where they continue to hold out.
"They weren't planning to leave alive," Kurdish commander Ghalia Nehme said of the ISIS fighters in Kobani. "It seems they were longing for heaven."

Grapevine: Rallying against Iran
By GREER FAY CASHMAN/Jpost
07/09/2015
In recent weeks, anti-Iran rallies have been taking place across America, but one that organizers anticipate will be the largest of all will be held in New York City’s Times Square in the early evening of July 22. Concern over how a nuclear Iran would place America and the world under constant threat has prompted a star-studded cast of speakers, including Jerusalem Post Senior Contributing Editor Caroline Glick, to bridge political, religious, ethnic and cultural divides.
The rally, under the heading of Stop Iran Now, is timed to coincide with the congressional debate on how to deal with the Iran issue.
More than 50 organizations have partnered to make this rally one of the most meaningful and united that America has ever known.
Although organizers have so far failed to persuade presidential candidates to participate, speakers will include Harvard Law Prof. Alan Dershowitz; former Manhattan district attorney Robert Morgenthau; former CIA director James Woolsey; former congressman Allen West; former House Intelligence Committee chairman Peter Hoekstra; Steve Emerson, the founder of the Investigative Project on Terrorism; Frank Gaffney, the founder of the Center for Security Policy; James A. Lyons, the former commander in chief of the US Pacific Fleet and senior US military representative to the United Nations; former governor of New York George Pataki; and The French Connection lead actor Tony Lo Bianco.
Even though there seems to be serious doubt that an agreement with the Iranians will be reached, the purpose of the rally is to ensure that the original demands on Iran will prevail. These include unfettered inspections of all known and to-be-uncovered nuclear research sites at any time, unannounced, as well as a surrender of uranium-enriched material and elimination of virtually all centrifuges.
The rally will also call for reinstatement of all sanctions against Iran, and support for the provision demanded by Congress members Lee Zeldin (R-New York) and Grace Meng (D-New York) to supply Israel with full-size bunker-destroying ordnances as a deterrent against the Islamic regime.
■ IT IS left to the wives of heads of state to take on duties such as visiting kindergartens, hospitals and facilities for people with special needs. Thus it comes as no surprise that Nechama Rivlin will be the guest of honor this coming Sunday at the screening at Beit Halochem rehabilitation center in Tel Aviv of a film about a trip to India by IDF veterans who were wounded in Operation Protective Edge and other battles. Many first-anniversary commemoration ceremonies and get-togethers are being held this month to mark the first anniversary of a war in which far too many young lives were lost on both sides.
The film is an example of Israel’s ability to overcome. It shows the way in which soldiers who suffered life-changing injuries quickly learned to adapt to life without an eye, or a leg, or an arm and to make the most of every day. Tal lost an eye in Operation Protective Edge. Ran lost a leg in Operation Cast Lead. Ehud, who fought in the Second Lebanon War and was critically injured, still suffers from shell shock. Altogether, 20 disabled veterans decided to look on the bright side and to take a trip to India to compensate for the trips they didn’t take after completing their mandatory army service.
They went rafting in the Ganges, climbed the Himalayas, and more or less adopted the “Yes We Can” campaign slogan of US President Barack Obama from the first time he ran for office. The documentary film of that trip to India shows courage and humor in the face of adversity.
■ OVER THE last few months, new recruits to the Israel Defense Forces have included scores of lone soldiers from abroad, many of whom are the offspring of Israeli parents and have grown up with some form of Israeli identity, to which they want to give meaningful expression.
Among them is Uzi Hamdagi, 27, who arrived last month to fulfill a promise that he made to his dying father who died of cancer eight years ago.
When Hamdagi’s parents divorced, his father returned from California to Israel, while the young Uzi remained with his mother in Los Angeles. Despite the distance, and the fact that his father remarried and had a new family, father and son remained in contact with each other, and Uzi’s father frequently urged him to come to Israel and enlist in the IDF.
Much as he wanted to do that when he was younger, Uzi was restricted by the fact that his mother had ALS and he couldn’t leave her to fend for herself. When Uzi was in his late teens, his father was diagnosed with cancer. This was not told to Uzi until the cancer had spread to an advanced stage. When he was 19, Uzi received a phone call from his uncle in Israel asking him to come quickly because his father was dying. He reached the hospital in time and promised his father that he would come on aliya and that he would serve in the IDF. His father died only a few hours later.
Uzi returned to California to take care of his mother, and she, too, died some six months later.
He had been a public diplomacy activist on campus at UCLA, and he continued to defend Israel’s image while making plans to move to Israel.
It took somewhat longer than he had anticipated, but he did not give up on the dream and the promise that he had made to his father.
With the help of Nefesh B’Nefesh, the Immigration and Absorption Ministry, the Jewish Agency and the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund, he was finally able to realize the dream, and one of the first things he did after landing in Israel was to report to the IDF recruitment office and ask to be assigned to a combat unit. Confronting danger is not a novelty for him. In response to his public diplomacy, he has been a target for anti-Semitic incidents, his life has been threatened, and he has been physically and verbally abused.
All this has only strengthened his resolve to serve in the IDF.
■ MORE THAN 20 young leaders and supporters of Friends of the Israel Defense Forces from all walks of life, representing communities from the NY-NJ-CT tri-state area and across the US, joined the FIDF Young Leadership Mission which wound up its Israel visit this week.
The mission, which was in Israel to show its appreciation for the soldiers of the IDF, was briefed by military officers and toured strategic IDF bases to get a behind-thescenes look into the army. Mission members were accompanied by FIDF national young leadership director Dan Haskell and mission co-chairmen and young leadership- New York board members Arielle Cole and Matthew Gelles.
The FIDF leaders also met with soldiers of the Gaza Division, whose task it is to protect the South. In addition the leaders toured the Ashdod Naval Base and vessels.
■ STUDENTS FROM the Drom Hasharon High School who are enrolled in the Young Ambassadors program, which aims to train young people to become better future leaders and advocates for the State of Israel, were hosted last week by Croatian Ambassador Pjer Simunovic prior to their visit to his country, where they met this week with their Croatian counterparts, government ministers and members of parliament. Yitzhak Eldan, the head of the program, who is a former chief of protocol of the Foreign Ministry, told Simunovic that a film was being made of the students’ meetings and activities in Croatia, which will be screened for both students and parents in September. He invited the ambassador to come to see it.
Simunovic was delighted to accept, because the film will enable him to see how the students responded to his country. Some of the students admitted that they had known little or nothing about Croatia until they were told that this was their destination. Some would have preferred to go to a larger and seemingly more glamorous country, but said that after seeing images of Croatia on the Internet, they were quite excited to be going there and were sure that it would be a memorable visit. Eldan said that he had a similar experience with one of Croatia’s neighboring countries.
Students had objected to going there, but after their arrival they had a lot of fun and came away with excellent impressions.
■ JEWS ARE biblically commanded to increase and multiply, which explains why haredi families tend to be so large and why the first baby is usually born or at least conceived within the first year of marriage.
The symbolism of all this was not lost on United Hatzalah ambucycle medic Tal Cohen. Jerusalem Post Health and Science Editor Judy Siegel-Itzkovich reports that newly married Cohen had just concluded his honeymoon when he and colleague Ronen Avrahimi received an urgent call late Monday that a woman had gone into labor at home for her first baby and that it was in distress. They hurried through traffic to find the woman struggling. They were joined by UH medic Menachem Amsili, who arrived soon after and delivered within three minutes a healthy baby girl. “This was a wonderful welcome-back present – to help bring new life into the world,” said Cohen.
■ THE PROTEST vigil mounted a week ago around the corner from the Prime Minister’s Residence by leading figures from Judea and Samaria – Avi Roeh, head of the Binyamin Regional Council; Rabbi Eli Sadan, head of the Bnei David hesder yeshiva; and Yohai Damari, the head of the Mount Hebron Regional Council – is unlikely to be as effective as the demonstrations in 1982 outside the residence when Menachem Begin was prime minister, or in 1985 when Shimon Peres was prime minister.
Begin and Peres could not help but see the demonstrators when they looked out of their windows, or in their comings and goings.
But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu need not see the protesters at all. His motorcade can simply drive down Smolenskin Street, turn right toward Jabotinsky Street, and drive up to the corner of Ha’ari Street, turn right and continue to his office. Not since the assassination of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin have demonstrators been permitted to stand opposite the front entrance to the residence in Smolenskin Street or diagonally across the road in Balfour Road.
Demonstrations are held on the other side of Terra Sancta, where the prime minister may occasionally hear voices or music, but he will be spared from seeing the demonstrators and their placards unless he wants to. The vigil is in protest against government policy relating to acts of terrorism, as was the protest demonstration by mainly West Bank activists on July 1, which was rather pointless considering that Netanyahu was on his way to Herzliya Pituah to join in the American Independence Day festivities. The vigil is continuing but doesn’t seem to be attracting too much attention from passersby.
■ THE MEETING in Toronto this week between U2’s Bono and former president Shimon Peres received a lot of coverage around the globe, primarily because Bono urged Peres to continue working for peace. The two men are not strangers to each other. Bono was part of the glittering international lineup of celebrities who attended Peres’s 90th birthday love-fest in Jerusalem two years ago, at which time he described Peres as “a gift to Israel and the world.” What is truly remarkable about Peres is not only the number of admirers who beat a path to his door whether in Israel or wherever he happens to be abroad, but that he remains so active and young in spirit, walks without a cane, spends long hours on his feet and continues to travel around the globe. Only two weeks before flying to Canada, Peres was in Moscow for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin, and immediately on returning to Israel plunged into activities in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. It’s true that he’s not the only physically and mentally active nonagenarian.
Another admirable example is Arutz Sheva journalist Walter Bingham, who at age 91 is still running around chasing stories and, like Peres, has no use for a cane. The main difference is that Peres has a battery of staff who are running with him while Bingham is a lone wolf. Bingham has been able to interview some remarkable people on his weekly magazine radio show, but he has not yet succeeded in interviewing Peres.
Considering how much history each has witnessed and made, Bingham is sure that they would have a lot to talk about, but so far his requests to Peres have gone unanswered.
■ IN PREVIOUS years, many haredi women and their children have been left alone on Rosh Hashana while their husbands and fathers went off to Uman. But now women are also going, not only in all-female groups but also together with their husbands. Notwithstanding the unrest in Ukraine, a women’s group led by the dynamic Rabbanit Yemima Mizrahi is planning to be in Uman from August 16-20 to visit the grave of Rabbi Nachman, and will be followed by a mixed, husband-and-wife group led by television personalities Eden Harel ad Oded Menashe on August 20-23. The two groups will visit the graves of great hassidic rabbis, many of which still exist in Ukraine. The most famous is that of Rabbi Nahman of Breslov, which is somewhat surprising considering that his great-grandfather the Baal Shem Tov, the father of Hassidism, is also buried in Ukraine, in the Jewish cemetery of Medzhibozh.
Harel and her husband are relatively newly observant. She is a former MTV VJ, who once contemplated becoming a Buddhist nun.
She got a taste of religion from her first husband, from whom she has a son, but only after her second marriage did she become stronger in her religious resolve, and nowadays she lectures to mass rallies of religious Jewish women.
■ WHILE JEWISH women’s organizations have laudable achievements to their credit, women are still few and far between in general Jewish community leadership.
Rome’s Jewish community, the oldest in Europe, took a forward step last month in electing Ruth Dureghello as the first-ever woman leader of the council of the Jewish community of Rome, though women have sat on the council and have held leadership positions elsewhere in Italy. In fact, Dureghello, a 48-year-old lawyer and mother of two, was one of three women who headed lists for the council. There were four lists altogether. In the past, one of the presidents of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities was a woman – Tullia Zevi, who wielded considerable influence. The International Council of Jewish Women used to have a slogan: “Where there’s a woman, there’s a way.”

The Writings of Saudi Blogger Raif Badawi
Stephen Schwartz /Executive Director, Center for Islamic Pluralism
Posted: 07/08/2015 /Huff Post/ Religion
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stephen-schwartz/the-writings-of-saudi-blo_b_7733176.html
Huff Post/ Religion
(This commentary was written with Irfan Al-Alawi, International Director of the Center for Islamic Pluralism.)
In 2012, Raif Badawi, a blogger in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) who is now 31, was arrested in his native land and charged with offenses ranging from parental disobedience to cyber-crime and apostasy from Islam. Badawi had written in Arab media and established a website, "Free Saudi Liberals." When he was jailed, the site was closed by the Saudi regime. His detention then was not the first action by the KSA against Badawi. As noted by Human Rights Watch, he was held for one day in 2008 after launching the "Free Saudi Liberals" site, and, in 2009, was banned from travelling abroad, with a freeze of his financial assets.After a trial in 2013, Badawi was sentenced to seven years in prison and 600 lashes. But the outcome of an appeal, in 2014, was worse: his punishment was increased to 10 years in jail and 1,000 strokes of a whip, with a fine of 1 million Saudi riyals (about $267,000).
Apostasy from Islam is a capital crime in the KSA, and BBC News reported in 2013 that the apostasy allegation against Badawi had been rejected by a higher court. Evidence for the claim was ridiculously flimsy, including such assertions as that he pressed a "Like" button on a Facebook page for Arab Christians. All restrictions on freedom of religious belief are abominable, but they are particularly despicable when they are trumped up as a pretext to suppress independent debate - as happened to Raif Badawi. On January 9, 2015, a first session of 50 blows was imposed on Badawi at a mosque in Jidda, the KSA's commercial capital and seaport. The infliction of 1,000 lashes was to be extended over 20 weeks, with 50 applied weekly. Since the beginning round of his caning, continuation of Badawi's beating has been suspended repeatedly, originally on medical grounds. The deeper reason for the continued postponement is, nevertheless, unclear. International protests have been extensive and may have played a role. But Badawi was dragged to be lashed this year when the health of the late Saudi King Abdullah was failing and his successor, Saudi King Salman, had yet to assume power.
Elements in the Saudi-Wahhabi clerical apparatus may have acted recklessly to make an example of Badawi, but were then halted in carrying out their scheme. On June 7, 2015, the Saudi Supreme Court upheld the judgment against Badawi, but, again, no further whipping has taken place. While it is difficult to predict the outcome of Badawi's case, some of his writings will soon be available to English-speaking readers. A slender volume titled 1000 Lashes: Because I Say What I Think is scheduled for release in July in Canada, in August in the U.S., and in October in the U.K., with the support of Amnesty International. The collection has already appeared in French as 1000 coups de fouet: parce que j'ai osé parler librement. The personality of Badawi and his message appear in its pages to be very different from what many Westerners might expect. Some of the articles therein were posted on the pan-Arab news portal Al-Jazeerah, which is considered aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood (two dated April and May 2012, with two more undated) and six were published in the Saudi newspaper Al-Bilad (The Nation).
Raif Badawi is not, as expressed in his own words, a critic or enemy of Islam, although he favors a secular state. Indeed, it may be argued that he seeks to save Islam from the Saudi-Wahhabi clerics and other fanatics. In one text from 2011 that provoked the apparent rage of the Wahhabis, titled "Astronomy According to Sharia," Badawi criticized Wahhabi doctrinaires who condemn as incorrect and in violation of Qur'an the Renaissance understanding of the solar system (which recognizes that the planets circle the sun). But this is an old debate that was settled presumably in 1985 when Prince Sultan, son of the now-ruling King Salman, traveled in a U.S. space shuttle and observed the relations of the heavenly bodies.
In another, unfortunately prescient article, titled "Dreams of a Caliphate," from 2012, Badawi linked Saudi Islamists who preached a revived caliphate - like that of the so-called "Islamic State" - with the habit of Muslim caliphs from the eighth to the tenth centuries C.E. in killing their opponents for alleged apostasy, as a cover for politicized Islam. This also is hardly a new criticism in Islamic historical thought. In the same article, Badawi, surprisingly, rejected statements that another incarcerated blogger, Hamza Kashgari, a Uyghur originating in Central Asia, but whose family moved to the KSA, is a liberal. Kashgari was held from 2011 to 2013 for a series of tweets addressed to Prophet Muhammad. According to Badawi, Kashgari is closer to the Muslim Brotherhood and has never expressed liberal views.
Badawi is a non-conformist whose opinions cannot be classified. In a 2010 text on the anniversary of the atrocities of September 11, 2011, he denounced the project for construction of a mosque at the site of the World Trade Center in New York, which he described as "a flagrant provocation against the collective memory of Americans in particular and humanity in general." On the topic of Israel and the Palestinians, in another article dating from 2010, he decried the Israeli occupation of Arab lands but also said he would fight against Hamas. He wrote, "I am not for the occupation of an Arab country by Israel, but, at the same time, I do not want to replace Israel with an Islamic nation installed on its ruins, and of which the only aim would be to promote a culture of death and ignorance." Sadly, however, Badawi's short book concludes with praise for the ill-fated "Arab Spring" revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Yemen, and Libya.
Violations of religious and intellectual liberty are hardly rare in the world, as seen by radical Islamist violence, from the global assault on Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses beginning in 1989 to the homicidal raid on the French satirical journal Charlie Hebdo in January of this year. Cultural vandalism by religious extremists has been displayed to the world in the KSA and in the territories controlled by the spurious "Islamic State" in the Middle East and "Ansar Dine" in North Africa. Such acts against personal conscience are not limited to Muslim lands. An Indian court suit forced the withdrawal of a scholarly work on that country's history, The Hindus, by Wendy Doniger, from the Penguin India publisher's list in 2014. The military regime in Burma, a/k/a Myanmar, allows anti-Muslim agitation that has driven thousands of Rohingya Muslims to flee the country by sea, in ramshackle boats. Russia, reviving its nationalist ideology, refuses to recognize the legal status of the Roman Catholic church.
But the KSA stands alone in banning public observances by any other religion than Islam and harassing metaphysical Sufis and Shia Muslims. Muslims around the world are currently observing the holy fasting month of Ramadan, during which it is customary for Islamic rulers to proclaim an amnesty for prisoners. This year's Ramadan ends on Eid Al-Fitr, 16-17th July by the Western calendar. Saudi King Salman would improve the image of the KSA if he orders the release of Raif Badawi as an act of Ramadan mercy.
More: Saudi Arabia Raïf Badawi Blogger "1 000 Lashes " Free Saudi Liberals Saudi King Abdullah Saudi King Salman Wahhabism Clerics Press Freedom India Russia Myanmar Rohingya Muslims Salman Rushdie Charlie Hebdo Ramadan Amnesty Arab Spring
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Michel Aoun Calls On Lebanese Christians To Protest Against Its Leaders' Marginalization: Wily Lebanese Politicians Are Taking Over Christians' Rights
By: E.B. Picali and H. Varulkar*
Introduction
In recent weeks, tensions in the intra-Lebanese political arena have escalated to the point of a possible confrontation between Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun and the Al-Mustaqbal stream; this confrontation is expected to involve the pro-Aoun Christian community. The confrontation is the result of Aoun's calls to protest against what he calls the damage done to the rights of the Christian community by the Sunni representatives of the Al-Mustaqbal stream. Aoun even raised the possibility of regime change in Lebanon if his demands were rejected. This current crisis revolves around several issues, including the appointment of a president, the appointment of a commander-in-chief for the army, the passage of a new election law, and more. The debate on the appointment of a commander-in-chief for the army prompted Aoun to take steps that brought government work to a standstill. In response, Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam convened the cabinet and made decisions via majority, instead of the customary unanimous consensus as customary, thus exacerbating the conflict. This report will review the background to the crisis, Aoun's demands and threats, and the positions of his allies in the March 8 Forces camp. Aoun Works To Thwart Government Activity Because Of The Refusal To Appoint Him President And His Son-In-Law Army Commander-In-Chief The current crisis centers around disagreements on two issues between Michel Aoun and the March 14 Forces led by the Al-Mustaqbal stream: the appointment of a new Lebanese president, who under Lebanon's constitution must be a Christian, and the appointment of a new army commander-in-chief, who, according to custom, is also a Christian.
For over a year, Lebanon has been without a functioning president, after the country's two large camps – the March 14 Forces, led by the Al-Mustaqbal stream, and the March 8 Forces, led by Hizbullah – were unable to agree on a candidate. Aoun devoted lengthy efforts in dialogue with the March 14 Forces, specifically the Al-Mustaqbal stream and the Lebanese Forces Party led by Samir Geagea, in order to obtain their agreement to appoint him president, but was unsuccessful.
The second disagreement focuses on whether to extend the term of current Lebanese army commander-in-chief Jean Kahwaji, or to appoint a new commander-in-chief. The government had leaned towards extending Kahwaji's term, which is set to end in September 2015, but Aoun is opposed in principle to extensions of the terms of public officials, and instead is demanding the appointment of his son-in-law, Chamel Roukoz, who currently commands the Lebanese Commando Regiment.[1]
Apparently, once Aoun realized that his efforts to get Roukoz appointed would also fail, he decided to launch a direct struggle within the government. About a month ago, Aoun announced that he would allow no resolutions to pass in the government as long as the matter of appointing a commander-in-chief, as well as other military and security functionaries, remained open. In effect, Aoun exploited the procedure established shortly after the May 2014 expiration of the term of Lebanese president Michel Suleiman, when Prime Minister Salam agreed that all resolutions would be passed unanimously because in the absence of a president, the government assumed presidential duties. Aoun, who said that his ministers would not vote on any resolution that the government sought to pass, has essentially paralyzed government activity.
Following a three-week period in which the government did not convene because of Aoun's actions, Prime Minister Salam decided to reject Aoun's demands. Last week, he convened a government meeting whose agenda did not include a discussion of security appointments, including commander-in-chief. Salam did allow Aoun's government representatives to express their opinion on the appointments at the meeting, but immediately afterwards he brought up a resolution regarding the funding of marine transport for agricultural produce. The resolution passed by majority vote, despite the opposition of Aoun's ministers as well as Hizbullah's ministers (five of the 24 members) – not unanimously, as has been customary in the past year because of the absence of a president.
Aoun To Christians: Fight To The End, Even At The Cost Of A Christian-Muslim Conflagration And Division Of The Country
Prime Minister Salam's decision to pass government resolutions with a regular majority instead of unanimously infuriated Aoun, galvanizing him to call on Lebanon's Christian community to take to the streets, without giving details about what form the protest would take.
Aoun claimed that Salam and the Sunni Al-Mustaqbal stream to which Salam belongs are appropriating the authority of the president, currently in the hands of the government ministers, for themselves. He called this a grave attack on the rights of Lebanon's Christians, since according to the sectarian patronage system set by the Taif Agreement, the president should be a Maronite Christian.
On July 3, 2015, Aoun called on Christian community to protest the marginalization of Christian rights in Lebanon. He said: "What happened in the government [i.e. the passing of resolutions with a regular majority] and what could happen [in its session next week] requires us to act forcefully. Our honor is greater than the crisis. We should take to the streets and call on the Lebanese, specifically the Christians, to take to the streets with us." He continued: "Today, there is an attempted takeover of Lebanon's Christian roles... Christians are facing an existential threat, because the wily Lebanese politicians have taken over all Christian rights and roles... Our sin as Christians is that we live in peace with everyone while the Muslims can't [even] live in peace with each other."[2]
Several days later, Aoun escalated his threats, saying that he was willing to "fight this to the end" even if "the state splits." He added: "I am a son of the homeland, not a son of [this] regime. The country is the homeland and the institutions, but the regime merely administers the institutions according to agreements made within the people that are embodied by the constitution and laws. What is happening today is a direct assault on the country, a violation of the constitution, and a disregard for the laws. That is why I am not a son of the [current] regime."[3]
On July 7, Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, who is another of Aoun's sons-in-law, reiterated Aoun's statements to the Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar, and warned that action would not be limited to shutting down roads and protesting, but would include a demand to examine how well state institutions are adhering to the constitution. He said that this was neither a threat nor a choice, but that "we [Christians] are forced to do this because it concerns our existence and honor."
Bassil added: "We are willing to dismantle the regime because it neglects us," and that transferring the authority of the president to the prime minister "is a matter of life and death for us." According to him, "there are mistaken estimates regarding the importance of the role of Lebanon's Christians, which could lead the country to a larger conflagration that would not be only Sunni-Shi'ite in nature, but also Christian-Muslim."[4]
As noted, Aoun did not mention the nature of the protest action. Various reports indicate that he planned a mass protest of 4,000- 5,000 people outside the government headquarters during its July 9 meeting, as well as protests in other parts of the country.[5] Another report, citing sources in parliament, claims that activists could besiege the Beirut port and airport.[6]
Beginning July 8, Aoun began sending messages via social media and mobile phones telling his supporters where to convene, with the goal of conducting peaceful protests outside the government headquarters during its upcoming meeting.[7]
Facebook post by Aoun calling on activists to convene and head to Beirut: "The [Free Patriotic Movement] youth will meet tomorrow [July 8] at 6 PM on Mirna Al-Chalouhi [highway] and lead a procession of vehicles into the capital of Beirut" (Source: Annahar.com, July 8, 2015)
Aoun Facebook post: "All supporters are asked to head to the government headquarters" (Source: Facebook.com/FPMyouth, July 9, 2015)
Hizbullah, Other Aoun Allies In March 8 Forces Camp Express Qualified Support
Most of Aoun's political allies in the March 8 Forces camp did not hasten to align themselves with him. Lebanese parliament speaker and Amal Movement head Nabih Berri supported in principle Aoun's demands to grant Christians their rights in principle – though this may have been mere lip-service – but opposed his attempts to paralyze the government. According to Berri, this could paralyze the entire country, especially in light of the fact that there is no president, and that parliament does not convene due to its being boycotted by several parties, including Aoun's own.
Aoun's Christian allies, Suleiman Frangieh, leader of the Marada Movement, and the Al-Tashnag Party, also oppose his acting against the government and his calls to the Christian community.
On the other hand, Hizbullah announced its support for Aoun's position, but did not explicitly state whether this support would include actual protests. Additionally, Hizbullah is trying to persuade Salam to avoid passing government resolutions with a regular majority instead of unanimously. The movement sent one of its ministers, Muhammad Fanish, to ask Salam to wait until after the signing of a nuclear agreement with Iran, because this would produce a breakthrough in regional matters, including the Lebanese presidency, parliament, and government.[8]
A report in the daily Al-Akhbar noted, citing various sources in the Al-Mustaqbal stream, that Saudi Arabia was responsible for Salam's decision to clash with Aoun to the very end.
Thus far, Aoun's political opponents have merely expressed criticism of his call for protests, and is not issuing counter threats – except for one instance. Former MP Fares Soueid, coordinator of the March 14 Forces General Secretariat, warned that any road blocked in Jbeil, where he lives, would be opened.[9]
* E.B. Picali is a Research Fellow at MEMRI; H. Varulkar is Director of Research at MEMRI.
Endnotes:
[1] It should be mentioned that despite Aoun's objection in principle to extending the terms of public and military officials, claiming that such a move is undemocratic, his own party continued to serve in parliament after parliament had extended its own term twice. It should also be noted that Lebanon's political elements do not question Roukoz's qualifications, and it seems that their opposition stems from his familial ties to Aoun, who is seeking to become president.
[2] Al-Akhbar (Lebanon), July 4, 2015.
[3] Al-Mustaqbal (Lebanon), July 8, 2015.
[4] Al-Mustaqbal (Lebanon), July 7, 2015.
[5] Al-Mustaqbal (Lebanon), July 7-8, 2015.
[6] Al-Akhbar (Lebanon), July 4, 2015.
[7] Facebook.com/FPMyouth
[8] Al-Akhbar; Al-Mustaqbal (Lebanon), July 8, 2015.
[9] Al-Mustaqbal (Lebanon), July 8, 2015.

Turkey's Syrian Kurdish Problem
by Jonathan Spyer/The Jerusalem Post
Syrian Kurdish militia fighters rejoice after recapturing the northern Syrian town of Tel Abyad from Islamic State last month.
Syrian Kurdish forces this week succeeded in turning back a murderous and determined attempt by the forces of Islamic State to claw back control of areas of northern Syria recently liberated by the Kurds. The cost was high, nevertheless.
Recent Kurdish successes, meanwhile, have raised the specter of a Turkish armed intervention in northern Syria to crush the growing Kurdish autonomous zones along the border.
So where do things stand in the bloody war between the Kurds and the Sunni jihadists over Syria's north? And is there a realistic possibility that Erdogan might intervene?
First of all, it should be noted that the Islamic State offensives this week carried all the hallmarks of barbaric brutality with which this organization has become associated. This needs emphasizing because the slaughter of 223 civilians in Kobani last week failed to gain the global media attention it deserved. It was overshadowed by the attack in Tunisia against Western tourists, and the bombing of the Shi'ite mosque in Kuwait. The Islamic State's failed offensive caps a decline in its fortunes in northern Syria since January.
But more broadly, the Islamic State offensive was a further indication of the relative decline in the fortunes of the Islamic State in northern Syria since the beginning of this year. The failure to destroy the Kurdish Kobani enclave, acknowledged in January, was the first stage in the slow rollback of Islamic State in Syria's north. Since then, the Kurds, supported by US air power, have pushed the jihadists further back in the direction of the east and south.
This culminated last week in the taking of the strategically important border town of Tel Abyad and the linking of two of the three Kurdish cantons along the Syrian-Turkish border – Kobani and Jazeera. The Kurds then pushed eastward to Ain Issa, bringing them to 50 km   from the capital of Islamic State in Raqqa. It was at this point that Islamic State launched its counterattacks against Kobani, then against Tel Abyad, and also against the regime army in Hasaka. These attacks have all now been repulsed, which means the situation, in spite of the Kurdish losses, remains substantively unchanged.
The Kurdish interest is in securing Kurdish majority areas, not launching a general war to destroy Islamic State. The Islamic State retreat spells reversal but not yet disaster for the jihadists. It is unlikely that the Kurdish YPG and its rebel allies will wish to push further south and east. The Kurdish interest is in securing the cantons and areas of Kurdish majority , not in launching a general war for the destruction of Islamic State. Unsubstantiated claims of Kurdish expulsion of Arab and Turkmen populations following the conquest of Tel Abyad show the complications inevitably encountered by the Kurdish YPG when operating outside of areas of Kurdish majority population. But it is precisely the YPG's determination to secure Kurdish majority areas that has the Turks worried. With the Jazeera and Kobani cantons now united, the Kurds control a long contiguous stretch of the Syria-Turkey border. The Turks fear that the Kurds could seek to unite the canton of Kobani/Jazeera with the third autonomous zone, further west, around the city of Afrin.
This prospect is what has led to the jitters in the senior reaches of Turkey's leadership.   President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a series of statements in recent days saying that Turkey would never allow the formation of another state in northern Syria. This is an allusion to the possibility of a Kurdish state. The presence of the Islamic State clearly exercises the Turkish leader less.
Official Turkish media have begun to discuss the creation of a buffer zone in Syria. Since then, official Turkish media have begun to discuss the creation of a 112 km by 48 km buffer zone west of the Kobani enclave, taking in the town of Jarabulus and its environs. Evidently, the Turks are keen to establish Jarabulus, west of the Euphrates, as a redline beyond which the Kurds dare not advance without risking Turkish retribution.
The Kurds responded swiftly to the Turkish threat. Murat Karayilan, a senior official and former leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), made clear that should the Turkish Army enter Rojava (Syrian Kurdistan), this would trigger Kurdish military action north of the border in Turkey itself. Interestingly, if such a buffer zone were to be established by Turkey, this would in effect constitute an intervention in Syria by Turkey directed not only against the Kurds, but also de facto in defense of Islamic State. It is the Sunni jihadists who control the area immediately west of the Kobani enclave. Such an intervention would be in direct contradiction to US and Western policy in northern Syria. It would also be contrary to the will of the leading parties of the opposition; and if it resulted in the deaths of Turkish soldiers, it would likely be unpopular domestically, at a time when Erdogan's AKP has just suffered an electoral setback. Turkish intervention would be in direct contradiction to US and Western policy in northern Syria.
The Turkish military is also known to be unenthusiastic about the idea.   Syria as a whole and northwest Syria in particular are a confusing mass of rival political and military groups. The potential for a Turkish force to become sucked into bloody local conflicts with no clear objective and no clear exit strategy would be immense.
A Kurdish push to unite Kobani with Afrin and move decisively west of the Euphrates is probably also unlikely for the moment, precisely because of the risk of Turkish intervention and also of clashes with other strong rebel formations in the area.
For all these reasons, a unilateral Turkish intervention in northern Syria is probably not imminent. Rather, Turkey most likely wishes to serve notice to the West of the seriousness of its concerns regarding Kurdish advances.
Still, the events in northern Syria demonstrate just how strange regional diplomacy and strategy have become. The United States appears to have found an effective and courageous ground partner in northern Syria (the Kurdish YPG). That partner, however, is a franchise of an organization (the PKK) that is on the EU and US list of terrorist organizations – for now, at least.
This partnership is proving effective at driving back the Islamic State. But Turkey, a NATO ally in good standing, maintains deeply ambiguous relations with Islamic State, while openly backing an equally murderous franchise of al-Qaida further west (Jabhat al-Nusra).
The Islamist agenda of the current Turkish government is notable at a region-wide level – for example, in its domiciling and support for Hamas cells engaged in violence against Israelis, and in its support for deposed Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi. This pattern of preferences is reflected in its stances in northern Syria. As of now, the battle in northern Syria between two very different quasi-state entities – the Kurdish cantons and the Islamic State – looks set to continue. The Kurds currently have the advantage. The recent, furious response of the jihadists in Tel Abyad and Kobani reflects this. But the war appears far from a conclusion. Jonathan Spyer, a fellow at the Middle East Forum, is director of the Rubin Center for Research in International Affairs and the author of The Transforming Fire: The Rise of the Israel-Islamist Conflict (Continuum, 2011).

Western Scandals in the Middle East
Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute.
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/6126/western-scandals-middle-east
The result of this UN report -- and all the previous reports -- only perpetuates the Palestinian problem. All the UN agencies condemn Israel, but no one ever helps the Palestinians. It is scandal of global proportions that the UN in general and UNRWA in particular -- as well as the EU -- ignore the hundreds of thousands of killed and maimed and the millions of refugees desperately in need of aid in the neighboring Arab countries. It hurts us because it gives Hamas moral legitimacy at the expense of the Palestinian Authority.
Hamas wanted to use the national consensus government as a conduit to transfer funds from Qatar to the Gaza Strip, because the president of Egypt had closed the tunnels Hamas needed to smuggle arms and money into the Gaza Strip.
The sad truth is that Hamas started the last war against Israel. The real question is, Why was all this necessary? Why did Hamas not use the billions it had received over the years to build what should have become the Singapore, or the Riviera, of the Middle East?
It is no wonder the Israelis feel that if they withdraw from the West Bank, they -- and Jordan -- will have to contend not only with another Hamas-run state on their eastern border, but with ISIS on their border as well.
Hamas, ignoring its damaged buildings in Gaza, clearly has sufficient funds (supplied by Qatar and Turkey) to rebuild its attack tunnels and replenish its rocket arsenal -- while it exports its terrorism to us on the West Bank, with the goal of toppling the Palestinian Authority. It remains unclear why Americans remain silent in the face of Qatar's continuing activity as a global terrorism-sponsoring state.
The Islamic world is currently marking the month of Ramadan with day-long fasts; during this time every Muslim must give a reckoning to Allah on the personal level, the familial level, the local level and the level of the nation of Islam. Like the Israelis, Palestinians are now taking stock of the year that has passed since the 50-day war between Hamas and Israel -- what the Israelis call "Operation Protective Edge," and Hamas calls "Operation Solid." The report of the commission that investigated the conflict, written by pro-Palestinian Prof. William Schabas and signed by Ms. Mary Davis, did not surprise anyone in Palestine.
Even before the report was published, we knew what it would say: every investigatory committee dealing with the Palestinian cause always sides against Israel, but never changes anything or influence the situation on the ground. As a Palestinian, I was glad the report made both Hamas and Israel equally responsible for the aggression, but to what avail? The result of this -- and all the previous reports -- only perpetuates the Palestinian problem. All the UN agencies condemn Israel, but no one ever helps the Palestinians. UNRWA has its own reasons for not resolving the issue of the Palestinian refugees (it is nearly impossible to close down a jobs program) and it provides Hamas terrorists with convenient installations from which to attack Israel with rockets.
It is scandal of global proportions that the UN in general and UNRWA in particular -- as well as the EU -- ignore the hundreds of thousands of killed and maimed and the millions of refugees desperately in need of aid in neighboring Arab countries. Apparently Qatar has bought their leaders, as it bought the World Cup from the heads of FIFA. The UN's Schabas-Davis Report is biased in favor of the Palestinians, which at first glance would seem to serve our interests, but in reality it hurts us, because it gives Hamas moral legitimacy at the expense of the Palestinian Authority (PA). Thus Hamas's popularity accelerates, so the various Palestinian factions will never be able to overcome their differences, resolve our internal issues and establish a state.
The sad truth is that Hamas started the last war against Israel. It began close to the time when Hamas and the Palestinian Authority had decided to establish a national consensus government. PA leader Mahmoud Abbas was willing to establish a government with Ismail Haniyeh's illegal de facto administration in the Gaza Strip, and conveniently to forget that in 2006, Hamas had thrown Fatah leaders and commanders from the roofs of the highest buildings in the Gaza Strip, expelled some and shot others.
Abbas's motives for establishing a national consensus government were honest. He wanted to be the only legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and to mend the deadly internal schism that had created two Palestinian states, one in the Gaza Strip and one in the West Bank. His motives were positive, but Hamas's were negative. Hamas wanted to use the national consensus government as a conduit to transfer funds from Qatar to the Gaza Strip, because the president of Egypt had closed the tunnels Hamas needed to smuggle arms and money into the Gaza Strip. Thus, as soon as the national consensus government was established, the Gazans demanded that the PA transfer funds from Qatar to pay for the weapons and tunnels used to attack Israel, and to pay the blood money of its terrorist operatives and the bloated "administration" of its cronies. Abbas agreed, but conditioned the transfer on using Palestinian Authority representatives as middlemen who would man checkpoints on the Gaza Strip's borders with Israel and Egypt. He assumed that in this way, the PA would be able gradually to return to control the Gaza Strip. Unfortunately, Hamas rejected the proposal, and to this day Hamas refuses to allow any senior Palestinian Authority official to enter the Gaza Strip.
Part of the national consensus government agreement was that elections would be held within six months of its forming, but Hamas abducted three Jewish youths and murdered them to effect the release of Palestinians from Israeli jails, to gain more popularity and to take control of the elections in the West Bank.
Hamas also planned a putsch in the West Bank to kill Abbas in case its electoral plan failed, but its terror cells and their weapons were exposed by the Israelis in collaboration with the PA security forces, and the plot failed.
In response to Israel's actions after the three youths were murdered, Hamas initiated a barrage of rocket fire targeting Israeli towns and cities, and infiltrated squads of its terrorists into Israel through the tunnels under the Israel-Gaza border, and by sea, exploiting Gazan civilians as human shields. The Israeli response to Hamas's attack was harsh and determined: more than 2,500 Gazans were killed, about half of them terrorist operatives, and the destruction wreaked upon the Gaza Strip and its infrastructure was unprecedented.
The money promised by the Arab states for Gaza's reconstruction never arrived, and the real question is: Why was all this necessary? And why did Hamas not use the billions it received over the years to build what should have become the Singapore, or the Riviera, of the Middle East?It is therefore no wonder the Israelis feel that if they withdraw from the West Bank, they -- and Jordan -- will have to contend not only with another Hamas-run state on their eastern border, but with ISIS on their border as well. It is no secret that Hamas and ISIS in the Sinai Peninsula are presently menacing both Israel and Egypt.
Despite being in the middle of Ramadan, introspection or not, Hamas has evidently learned nothing from the past year. Hamas has stopped attacking Israel with rockets -- not only because it fears Israel's response, but because Israel allows food and cement to enter the Gaza Strip. Hamas and Israel are apparently are holding discussions for a long-term hudna [temporary cessation of hostilities]. However, discussions or not, Hamas, while ignoring its damaged buildings, clearly has sufficient funds to rebuild its attack tunnels and replenish its rocket arsenal -- while it exports its terrorism to us on the West Bank. It operates terrorist cells to attack Israeli civilians and to embroil the Palestinian Authority in another intifada, with the goal of toppling it. And Hamas does it all under the sanctimonious aegis of investigatory commissions that arrive from the clueless West, and end up justifying its actions. Israeli security forces recently detained 80 Hamas terrorists in Nablus, in the West Bank. Shortly thereafter, the Palestinian preventive security forces detained 104 Hamas operatives and dismantled a giant Hamas network that had been planning to overthrow the Palestinian Authority, all funded by Qatar (again) and Turkey.
To this day, it is unclear why the Americans remain silent in the face of Qatar's continuing activity as a global terrorism-sponsoring state. Is it because an American military base is stationed there, or is there is some other reason?
During the war last summer, which took place during Ramadan as well, Hamas fired rockets at Jerusalem, home to the Al-Aqsa mosque and the holy sites of the other monotheistic religions. As a Muslim, I hang my head in shame when Palestinians claim "Al-Aqsa mosque is in danger" under the Israelis, when it is we who endanger it. This year Ramadan is again rent by mutual Palestinian accusations, with senior Palestinian Authority security official Adnan Damiri claiming, logically, that Hamas wants to destroy the PA and collaborate with ISIS. Hamas spokesmen Musheir al-Masri and Izzat al-Rishq claim, on the other hand, that the Palestinian Authority collaborates with Israel and, during Ramadan, is "stabbing Hamas in the back." Hamas spokesman Musheir al-Masri (left) says that Palestinian Authority collaborates with Israel and is "stabbing Hamas in the back." Senior Palestinian Authority security official Adnan Damiri (right) says that Hamas wants to destroy the PA and collaborate with ISIS.
Hamas's hypocrisy has gone beyond the confines not only of good taste, but of logic. While Hamas is currently in the process of discussing a hudna with Israel, Israel allows cement and other humanitarian merchandise to enter the Gaza Strip, and Hamas uses them to rebuild terrorist tunnels. While Hamas's leaders are afraid to take direct action against Israel, they are trying to use Hamas and ISIS terrorists to destroy the West Bank, and then they have the nerve to accuse the Palestinian Authority of collaborating with the enemy.
Adnan Damiri was right: if we look around, it is clear that the only safe places in the Middle East are Israel and the occupied territories in the West Bank. We cannot allow ISIS to visit mass destruction on the Palestinians and destroy what we still have left in the West Bank.
Given the current situation, it is obvious why the Israelis are afraid to abandon their control over the border with Jordan, and why they trust only themselves. If they abandon the border with Jordan, millions of Palestinians, along with ISIS and Hamas operatives and other terrorists, will flood the West Bank and destroy both us and the Israelis.
Anyone who believes in international guarantees need only look at the massacres in the Arab states: these slaughters are carried out openly without anyone lifting a finger to stop them. The UN forces in the Golan Heights also do nothing to stop the massacre of Syrians, just as the UN forces in south Lebanon did nothing to prevent Hezbollah from rearming. In fact, about a week ago, Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyadh al-Maliki courageously referred to the collaboration of Hamas and ISIS in the Sinai Peninsula as part of the Muslim Brotherhood's war against the regime of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Do we really want to endanger the Jordanian Kingdom in the same way?
When we take stock this Ramadan, another surreal situation made its presence known. While Mahmoud Abbas and his followers are afraid to enter the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian member of the Israeli Knesset, Basel Ghattas, joined an international flotilla trying to break Israel's maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip. The blockade was put in place to keep weapons from entering the Gaza Strip by sea. The stupidity of Basel Ghattas, who swore allegiance to the Israeli Knesset, strengthens Hamas -- which would destroy the Palestinian Authority before it would destroy the Jews and the State of Israel. What was Ghattas thinking? Does he want to strengthen Hamas, which will mean the collapse of the PA in the West Bank and harm to Jordan -- all while Hamas and ISIS threaten the security of Egypt?
Meanwhile, the recent declaration of Saudi Arabia's Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal regarding open Saudi-Israel cooperation is a good beginning for a new alliance -- and there is no better time than Ramadan to do it.
Bassam Tawil is based in the Middle East.

When Muslims Betray Non-Muslim Friends and Neighbors
Raymond Ibrahim on July 8, 2015/FrontPage Magazine
Let believers not take for friends and allies infidels rather than believers: and whoever does this shall have no relationship left with Allah—unless you but guard yourselves against them, taking precautions – Koran 3:28
Days ago, after the Islamic State [IS] entered the Syrian city of Hassakè, prompting a mass exodus of Christians, a familiar, though often overlooked scene, took place: many otherwise “normal” Muslims joined ranks with IS, instantly turning on their longtime Christian neighbors. This is the third category of Muslims that lurks between “moderates” and “radicals”: “sleepers,” Muslims who appear “moderate” but who are merely waiting for circumstances to turn to Islam’s advantage before they join the jihad; Muslims who are waiting for the rewards of jihad to become greater than the risks. There is no lack of examples of these types of Muslims. The following are testimonials from non-Muslims, mostly Christian refuges from those regions of Iraq and Syria now under Islamic State (or other jihadi) control. Consider what they say about their longtime Sunni neighbors who appeared “moderate”—or at least nonviolent—but who, once the jihad came to town, exposed their true colors:
Georgios, a man from the ancient Christian town of Ma‘loula—one of the few areas in the world where the language of Christ was still spoken—told of how Muslim neighbors he knew all his life turned on the Christians after al-Nusra, another jihadi outfit, invaded in 2013:
We knew our Muslim neighbours all our lives. Yes, we knew the Diab family were quite radical, but we thought they would never betray us. We ate with them. We are one people.
A few of the Diab family had left months ago and we guessed they were with the Nusra [al-Qaeda front]. But their wives and children were still here. We looked after them. Then, two days before the Nusra attacked, the families suddenly left the town. We didn’t know why. And then our neighbours led our enemies in among us.
The Christian man explained with disbelief how he saw a young member of the Diab family whom he knew from youth holding a sword and leading foreign jihadis to Christian homes. Continues Georgios:
We had excellent relations. It never occurred to us that Muslim neighbours would betray us. We all said “please let this town live in peace — we don’t have to kill each other.” But now there is bad blood. They brought in the Nusra to throw out the Christians and get rid of us forever. Some of the Muslims who lived with us are good people but I will never trust 90 per cent of them again.
A teenage Christian girl from Homs, Syria—which once had a Christian population of approximately 80,000, but which is now reportedly zero—relates her story:
We left because they were trying to kill us. . . . They wanted to kill us because we were Christians. They were calling us Kaffirs [infidels], even little children saying these things. Those who were our neighbors turned against us. At the end, when we ran away, we went through balconies. We did not even dare go out on the street in front of our house. I’ve kept in touch with the few Christian friends left back home, but I cannot speak to my Muslim friends any more. I feel very sorry about that. (Crucified Again, p. 207)
When asked who exactly threatened and drove Christians out of Mosul, which fell to the Islamic State a year ago, another anonymous Christian refugee responded:
We left Mosul because ISIS came to the city. The [Sunni Muslim] people of Mosul embraced ISIS and drove the Christians out of the city. When ISIS entered Mosul, the people hailed them and drove out the Christians….
The people who embraced ISIS, the people who lived there with us… Yes, my neighbors. Our neighbors and other people threatened us. They said: “Leave before ISIS get you.” What does that mean? Where would we go?… Christians have no support in Iraq. Whoever claims to be protecting the Christians is a liar. A liar!
Nor is such Muslim treachery limited to Christians. Other “infidels,” Yazidis for example, have experienced the same betrayal. Discussing IS invasion of his village, a 68-year-old Yazidi man who managed to flee the bloody offensive—which included the slaughter of many Yazidi men and enslavement of women and children—said:
The (non-Iraqi) jihadists were Afghans, Bosnians, Arabs and even Americans and British fighters…. But the worst killings came from the people living among us, our (Sunni) Muslim neighbours…. The Metwet, Khawata and Kejala tribes—they were all our neighbours. But they joined the IS, took heavy weapons from them, and informed on who was Yazidi and who was not. Our neighbours made the IS takeover possible.
Likewise, watch this 60 Minute interview with a Yazidi woman. When asked why people she knew her whole life would suddenly join IS and savagely turn on her people, she replied:
I can’t tell you exactly, but it has to be religion. It has to be religion. They constantly asked us to convert, but we refused. Before this, they never mentioned it. Prior, we thought of each other as family. But I say, it has to be religion.
Lest it seem that this phenomenon of Sunni betrayal is limited to Islamic jihad in Mesopotamia, know that it has occurred historically and currently in other nations. The following anecdote from the Ottoman Empire is over 100 years old:
Then one night, my husband came home and told me that the padisha [sultan] had sent word that we were to kill all the Christians in our village, and that we would have to kill our neighbours. I was very angry, and told him that I did not care who gave such orders, they were wrong. These neighbours had always been kind to us, and if he dared to kill them Allah would pay us out. I tried all I could to stop him, but he killed them — killed them with his own hand. (Sir Edwin Pears, Turkey and Its People, London: Methuen and Co., 1911, p. 39)
And in Nigeria—a nation that shares little with Syria, Iraq, or Turkey, other than Islam—a jihadi attack on Christians that left five churches destroyed and several Christians killed was enabled by “local Muslims”:
The Muslims in this town were going round town pointing out church buildings and shops owned by Christians to members of Boko Haram, and they in turn bombed these churches and shops.
Such similar patterns of traitorous behavior—patterns that cross continents and centuries, patterns that regularly appear whenever Muslims live alongside non-Muslims—are easily understood by turning to Koran 3:28:
Let believers [Muslims] not take infidels [non-Muslims] for friends and allies instead of believers. Whoever does this shall have no relationship left with God—unless you but guard yourselves against them, taking precautions. But Allah cautions you [to fear] Himself. For the final goal is to Allah.
Here is how Islam’s most authoritative ulema and exegetes explain Koran 3:28:
Muhammad ibn Jarir at-Tabari (d. 923), author of a standard and authoritative commentary of the Koran, writes:
If you [Muslims] are under their [non-Muslims’] authority, fearing for yourselves, behave loyally to them with your tongue while harboring inner animosity for them … [know that] Allah has forbidden believers from being friendly or on intimate terms with the infidels rather than other believers—except when infidels are above them [in authority]. Should that be the case, let them act friendly towards them while preserving their religion.
Ibn Kathir (d. 1373), another prime authority on the Koran, writes:
The Most High said, “[U]nless you but guard yourselves against them, taking precautions”—that is, whoever at any time or place fears their evil may protect himself through outward show—not sincere conviction. As al-Bukhari records through Abu al-Darda the words [of the Prophet], “Truly, we grin to the faces of some peoples, while our hearts curse them.”
In other words, Muslims are not to befriend non-Muslims, unless circumstances are such that it is in the Muslims’ interests to do so. For example, if Muslims are a minority (as in America), or if their leaders brutally crack down on jihadi activities (as in Bashar Assad’s pre-Islamic State Syria): then they may preach and even feign peace, tolerance and coexistence with their non-Muslim neighbors.
However, if and when circumstances to make Islam supreme appear, Muslims are expected to join the jihad—“for the final goal is to Allah.”[1]
[1]For more on Islamic sanctioned forms of deception, read about taqiyya, tawriya, and taysir. For more on how Muslims are never to befriend non-Muslims—except when in their interest—see Ayman al-Zawahiri’s “Loyalty and Enmity,” The Al Qaeda Reader, pgs., 63-115.

Revolutionary, Anti-West Indoctrination Of Children By Municipality Of Mashhad, Iran
MEMRI/July 8, 2015 Special Dispatch No.6098
Between June 27 and July 6, 2015, the municipality of Mashhad, in northeastern Iran, conducted a special initiative for indoctrinating children with anti-West messages. The initiative, "The City Of Resistance Games," which was promoted by the regime, was held at the 10th International Koran and Family Expo.[1] It included booths operated by clerics offering activities for children and teens on topics such as the resistance, knowing Iran's enemies (especially the U.S. and Britain), Iran's nuclear aspirations, dealing with the sanctions, support for Yemen and Palestine, Iran's war against the Islamic State (ISIS), and more.
During the activities, the young participants dressed in combat gear, crossed mock minefields and obstacle courses, and carried out other activities. They were asked to express their disgust with the American and British governments, and threw figures of President Obama into a pool of water to protest American crimes. It was explained to the children that the sanctions against Iran were a plot to vanquish it and deprive it of nuclear technology.
In addition to the activities for children and teens at the City of Resistance Games, Mashhad also held workshops for parents, under the direction of cleric Saeed Akhoundi. He said on July 8, 2015 that some 4,000 children and teens had visited the booths, and called for making the expo permanent.[2]
Mashhad City Official: The Expo Aims To Introduce Children, Teens To The Enemy And The Resistance
Mashhad culture and recreation deputy director Jafar Raeesian told the IRNA news agency on July 3, 2015: "The City of [Resistance] Games has two branches, one for children and one for teens, that present topics such as international issues, the Islamic world, knowing the enemy, and the resistance. Along with fun activities, we held special advisory meetings for the parents of the children and teens who participated in the City of Resistance Games activity. There is also comprehensive cultural activity."[3]
Children Learn To Hate U.S., British Governments
On July 6, 2015, Ghasednews.com posted an article about the initiative, that stated: "At this City of Games, children become acquainted with the terminology of the resistance and of knowing the enemy, through games, discourse, songs, stories, and atmosphere. The boys enter the Molavi Hall of the City of Resistance Games and learn up-close about the events of the Iran-Iraq War [1980-88] and the enemy's plots against Iran. They enter in groups of 25 or 30, and at the start of the route, they express their disgust with the American and British governments and honor the martyrs of the Iran-Iraq War. Then the cleric begins the program by reading Koranic verses and educating the children and teens about Iran's status.
Cleric teaching children about the enemies of Iran, next to photos of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Source: IRNA, Iran, July 4, 2015)
"Next is the games hall, where, together with sports activity, the children learn about various events that took place in Iran since the victory of the Islamic Revolution."
Expo Activities: Wearing Combat Gear, Crossing "Minefields"
"The children enter a tunnel [chanting] the slogan 'Ya Mahdi,'[4] don combat gear, and enter a minefield; as they cross it, there are various explosions. Then they cross a moving bridge [while chanting] 'Ya Zahra,'[5] and they enter the game hall.
"Further down the course, the cleric discusses the situation in Yemen and the ISIS attacks on Muslim countries, and tells the [children] about the sanctions on Iran and of the achievements that Iran has made because of them.
"The cleric notes that sanctions have been imposed on the Muslims since the days of the Prophet of Islam [Muhammad]... that they are an attempt by the enemies to bring the Muslims to their knees, and that this is why we must use this opportunity to [elevate] the country to its true status. As part of the games, participants are taught about several enemy plots, and the cleric tells them about several incidents, including Iran's efforts to obtain nuclear technology.
"The teens are taught about various topics, including knowing the enemy, understanding Islam's exalted status, and the enemies' fear of the Muslims. They leave the City of Resistance Games with good memories..."
Throwing Figures Of Obama Into A Pool Of Water
"There is also a special program for the girls. They enter the City of [Resistance] Games accompanied by the cleric, and, according to ancient Muslim practice, he makes them pass under a Koran in order to protect them.
"The children then enter a green, flowery area that reminds them of the singing birds and running waters of the gardens of Paradise. They answer several questions about the Koran, and they enjoy the park in one of the gardens of Paradise as a reward. The City of Resistance Games fills with the sounds of children's laughter and joy.
"After a short time, the cleric invites the children to enter a tunnel... At the other end, the cleric welcomes them; each tells of the difficulties they encountered [in the tunnel]. This is when the cleric reminds these heavenly angels: 'If you had brief difficult moments in the tunnel, [know] that there are now poor children in Yemen, Palestine, and other places who spend many hours of their lives trying to take cover from the attacks of the global arrogance [i.e. the West, led by the U.S.], in long, grim tunnels.'
"Then the children throw a figure of Obama into a pool of water, to protest the savage acts of the global arrogance, and trample a model of Obama that forms a bridge for rescuing all the children of the world from oppression and bloodshed.
"The children then enter a room [where they receive] bread and a blessing [from the cleric] so that they can thank the divine graces as much as possible. They are taught about the difficult stages of preparing bread and the importance of honoring the divine graces in Islam.
"Next, the children enter an art room, where they draw and paint pictures about knowing the enemy. They go through a path of spiderwebs, so that they will understand the difficult paths they must cross in the struggle against enemies. From there, they enter a safe haven – a ball pit – and celebrate [victory] over hardship.
"At the end, the cleric presents the children with several exalted Koranic phrases, in a puppet show, and ushers them out of the City of Resistance Games, with a prayer for the liberation of all the oppressed of the world and in the hope that no child will taste the bitterness of war and bloodshed and that all children can live in security and tranquility."[6]
At expo: Uniformed children holding weapons; children crossing "minefield" (Source: Ghasednews.com, July 6, 2015)
Endnotes:
[1] IRNA (Iran) July 3, 2015.
[2] Shhahrebehesht.ir, July 8, 2015.
[3] IRNA (Iran), July 3, 2015.
[4] The Shi'ite messiah.
[5] Shi'ite chant about Fatima, the daughter of Muhammad and the wife of the Imam 'Ali.
[6] Ghasednews.com, July 6, 2015.

News Bulletin Achieves Since 2006 Click Here to go to the LCCC Daily English/Arabic News Buletins Archieves Since 2006

News Bulletin Achieves Since 2006
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