LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
November 17/15
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletins05/english.november17.15.htm
Bible Quotations For Today
If you were Abraham’s
children, you would be doing what Abraham did,but now you are trying to kill me,
John 80/38-40: "I declare what I have seen in the Father’s presence; as for you,
you should do what you have heard from the Father.’ They answered him, ‘Abraham
is our father.’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you were Abraham’s children, you would
be doing what Abraham did, but now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told
you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did.".
Because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing
up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgement will
be revealed.
Letter to the Romans 02/01-08: "You have no excuse, whoever you are, when you
judge others; for in passing judgement on another you condemn yourself, because
you, the judge, are doing the very same things. You say, ‘We know that God’s
judgement on those who do such things is in accordance with truth.’
Do you imagine, whoever you are, that when you judge those who do such things
and yet do them yourself, you will escape the judgement of God? Or do you
despise the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not
realize that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But by your hard
and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath,
when God’s righteous judgement will be revealed. For he will repay according to
each one’s deeds: to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory and honour
and immortality, he will give eternal life; while for those who are self-seeking
and who obey not the truth but wickedness, there will be wrath and fury."
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on
November 16-17/15
How safe is Beirut airport/Alex Rowell/Now Lebanon/November 16/15
pologizing to Iran/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/November 16/15
Iran torn between historic Europe visit and Syria talks/Camelia Entekhabi-Fard/Al
Arabiya/November 16/15
The Vienna plan for Syria: Fighting terrorism with politics/Raghida Dergham/Al
Arabiya/November 16/15
Shocking, senseless and cowardly Paris attacks/Grand Mufti Shawki Allam/Al
Arabiya/November 16/15
Hollande, Obama lack the troops and will for total war on ISIS. Mid East rulers
are even more reluctant/DEBKAfile/November 16/15
France's Politically Correct War on Islamic Terror/Soeren Kern/Gatestone
Institute/November 16/15
Jordan tasked with establishing terrorist blacklist for Syria
talks/Al-Monitor/November 16/15
Erdogan's License to Strangle/Burak Bekdil//Gatestone Institute/November 16/15
Why it's time for US to take firm approach to two-state solution/Uri Savir/Al-Monitor/November
16/15
How to solve Lebanese civil war disappearances/Ash Gallagher/Al-Monitor/November
16/15
Kuwaiti Liberal, Dr. Shamlan Yousef Al-'Issa On Occasion Of International
Tolerance Day: Tolerance In The Arab World – Only After Implementing Democracy/MEMRI/November
16/15
ditor Of Iraqi Daily, Adnan Hussein: The Arabs And Muslims Must Acknowledge
Their Direct Responsibility For The Terror Sweeping The World/MEMRI/November
16/15
Titles For
Latest LCCC Bulletin for Lebanese Related News published on
November 16-17/15
Hizbullah 'War Correspondent' Killed near Syria's
Aleppo
Al-Nusra Demands 'Two Syrian Towns' in Return for Freeing Arsal Captives
Ibrahim: Our Preemptive Measures Have Thwarted Several Terrorist Attacks
Kataeb Hopes Nasrallah's Settlement Call Leads to 'Lebanonizing Political
Conflict
4 Syrians Held, Arms Seized in Wata el-Msaitbeh as Detainee Referred to
Judiciary
Futures Unclear, Syrian Refugees in Lebanon Start Family Planning
Report: Cabinet Unlikely to Convene until Breakthrough Made in Trash File
Berri Calls for 'Complete' Political Agreement Starting with Election of
President
Saniora: Nasrallah's Remarks Step in Right Direction
Russia conducts strikes near Lebanon border
How safe is Beirut airport?
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And
News published on
November 16-17/15
Hollande Urges Emergency State Extension, Constitutional Changes as
Police Stage Dawn Raids
Belgium Fails to Catch Key Paris Suspect in Brussels Raid, Charges 2
Yemen, Allies in Taez Offensive as Peace Talks Uncertain
Hollande: We will eradicate terrorism
Obama rules out putting U.S. troops on the ground to fight ISIS
Seven UK terror attacks ‘stopped’ in last six months
Brussels police surround houses seeking Paris suspects
U.S. and France agree on 'concrete steps' against ISIS
EU countries plan crackdown on firearms after Paris attacks
Rotterdam’s Muslim mayor calls for ‘total destruction’ of ISIS
Spain detains suspected drug smuggler on Britain’s most-wanted list
Turkey warned France over Paris attacker, says Turkish official
U.S. Republican presidential hopefuls: no refugees
UK to boost funding for intelligence agencies and aviation security
Paris attacks: an international joint venture in violence
Links From Jihad
Watch Site for
November 16-17/15
13 governors now declaring they won’t take Syrian refugees
Jihadi from Belgium identified as mastermind of Paris jihad attacks
23 in custody, 104 under house arrest in connection with Paris jihad attacks,
rocket launcher seized
Robert Spencer: Saint Anselm College: The Most Unsafe Campus In the U.S.?
Paris jihad murderer was incited to wage jihad at mosque in Chartres
Video: Robert Spencer on Hannity: The Paris jihad attacks and Muslim refugees
Video preview: Robert Spencer on the Muslim refugee crisis
Alabama governor will refuse Syrian refugees in light of Paris jihad attacks
Islamic State threatens jihad attacks in Washington and in other European
countries
Video: David Wood on the Qur’an and the Siege of Paris
The Glazov Gang: How “Rules of Engagement” Get U.S. Soldiers Killed
New York City: Muslim cabbie attacks Jewish passenger
LA Times: Muslims in France fear reprisals after Paris jihad massacre
Belgian government lacks control over neighborhood linked to Paris jihad attacks
Laura Ingraham: Plane evacuated in DC, two Middle Eastern men led away by police
Hollande: We will eradicate
terrorism
Reuters/Monday, 16 November 2015/French President Francois Hollande vowed that
France would eradicate “terrorism” in address to an exceptional joint gathering
of parliament in Versailles, south of Paris on Monday. The leader also called
for changes to the French constitution to help in the fight against terrorism.
Hollande also announced 8,500 new jobs in police, legal system and added there
would be no job cuts in the military until 2019. These remarks were made three
days after a series of attacks claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria
(ISIS) claimed the lives of 129 people across Paris. The attacks were decided in
Syria, prepared in Belgium and perpetrated with French help, Hollande. Friday's
"acts of war... were decided and planned in Syria, prepared and organized in
Belgium (and) perpetrated on our soil with French complicity," he said. Hollande
also called for a U.N. Security Council meeting over the fight against ISIS,
saying he would meet his U.S. and Russian counterparts over the issue. “I will
meet in the coming days with U.S. President Obama and President Putin," he said.
Obama rules out putting U.S. troops on the ground to fight
ISIS
Reuters, Turkey Monday, 16 November 2015/U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday
said the United States would stick to its current strategy in the fight against
Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq, again ruling out putting U.S. troops
on the ground in a fighting capacity. "There will be an intensification of the
strategy that we put forward but the strategy they we put forward is the
strategy that ultimately is going to work," Obama told reporters at a news
conference at the close of a Group of 20 summit. “That's not what's going on
here. These are killers," he said. "It's not their sophistication or the
particular weaponry they possess but it is the ideology that they carry with
them and their willingness to die," he said. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State
John Kerry spoke with the Syrian Opposition Coalition president on the
importance of next steps in Syria following a meeting of the International Syria
Support Group in Vienna on Saturday, the State Department said. In a call on
Monday, Kerry and coalition President Khaled Koja discussed steps including a
broad and inclusive meeting of the Syrian opposition, the beginning of credible
negotiations between the Syrian opposition and the regime, and steps to put in
place a credible ceasefire, spokesman John Kirby said. Kerry emphasized the need
for the opposition to come together to participate in negotiations and provide
maximum access for humanitarian organizations, Kirby said.
Seven UK terror attacks ‘stopped’ in last six months
AFP, London Monday, 16 November 2015/British security services have foiled
around seven terror attacks since June with fighters returning from Syria posing
a growing threat, Prime Minister David Cameron said Monday. “Our security and
intelligence services have stopped something like seven attacks in the last six
months, albeit attacks planned on a smaller scale” than Friday’s attacks in
Paris, he told BBC Radio 4 from Turkey. “We have been aware of these cells
operating in Syria that are radicalizing people in our own countries,
potentially sending people back to carry out attacks,” he added. “It was the
sort of thing we were warned about.”Cameron also said there were “hopeful signs”
from Saturday’s talks in Vienna on Syria that progress was being made on how to
deal with ISIS. “You can’t deal with so-called Islamic State unless you get a
political settlement in Syria that enables you then to permanently degrade and
destroy that organization,” he said. Britain is to recruit an extra 1,900
security and intelligence staff to counter the threat of terrorist violence
following the Paris attacks, which killed at least 129 people, British media
reported on Monday. It would be “the biggest increase in British security
spending since the 7/7 bombings in London” that killed dozens in 2005. The
measures will be announced by Cameron later on Monday, according to the
Guardian. “I am determined to priorities the resources we need to combat the
terrorist threat because protecting the British people is my number one duty as
prime minister,” Cameron will say, according to the newspaper. “This is a
generational struggle that demands we provide more manpower to combat those who
would destroy us and our values.” The recruitment would increase the staff of
intelligence agencies MI5, MI6 and GCHQ by some 15 percent, according to the
Guardian and the Financial Times. In addition, extra aviation security officers
would assess airports around the world, in response to the crash of a Russian
plane in Egypt last month that the British government suspects may have been
downed by a bomb.
Brussels police surround houses seeking Paris suspects
Reuters/By Yves Herman Reuters, Brussels Monday, 16 November 2015/Dozens of
Belgian police, including armed special commandos, surrounded houses in a
residential street in the district of Molenbeek on Monday, and the public
broadcaster denied a report a man wanted in connection with the Paris attacks
was arrested. State-controlled RTBF carried a denial of a report by private
broadcaster RTL that Saleh Abdeslam, a 26-year-old Frenchman based in the
Belgian capital, had been detained. Police said the operation was related to the
Paris attacks. Reuters journalists at the scene in Molenbeek said there had been
little movement around police lines. Armored vehicles remained in position. The
poor district of Molenbeek, home to many Muslim immigrants, has been at the
centre of investigations of militant attacks in Paris over the weekend, after it
emerged that two of the attackers had lived in the area.
U.S. and France agree on 'concrete steps' against ISIS
By Reuters, Washington Monday, 16 November 2015/The defense ministers of France
and the United States agreed Sunday on “concrete steps” to intensify cooperation
against the Islamic State group, the Pentagon said. U.S. Defense Secretary
Ashton Carter and French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian discussed by
telephone the actions they are taking in response to Friday’s terrorist attacks
in Paris that killed at least 129 people. “They agreed on concrete steps the US
and French militaries should take to further intensify our close cooperation in
prosecuting a sustained campaign against ISIL,” Pentagon press secretary Peter
Cook said. “Secretary Carter reiterated the firm commitment of the United States
to support France and move together to ensure ISIL is dealt a lasting defeat,”
he said. The statement provided no details on the measures to be taken. But U.S.
officials said they would build on coordination already being handled by a
French two-star general at the US Central Command, which oversees U.S. military
operations in the Middle East. France already takes part in a US-led campaign of
air strikes against Islamic State strongholds in Syria and Iraq. The U.S. deputy
national security adviser, Ben Rhodes, said the United States and France also
will be intensifying intelligence sharing. The international response to the
attacks was the focus of a summit in Turkey Sunday that includes U.S. President
Barack Obama, who vowed that the United States would stand by France and
“redouble” efforts against IS.If France invokes Article V of the NATO treaty,
which states that an attack on one member is an attack on all, the United States
would “absolutely” support it, Rhodes said on CNN’s State of the Union.
EU countries plan crackdown on firearms after Paris attacks
Brussels, Reuters Monday, 16 November 2015/The European Union plans to tighten
rules governing the issue and use of guns, EU officials said after interior
ministers were summoned to a crisis meeting in Brussels following the deadly
attacks by armed militants in Paris. Ministers, who will meet on Friday, will
try to push through quickly rules aimed at making it more difficult to acquire
weapons and to track them better - possibly marking firearms with serial numbers
- and do more to ensure that guns de-activated for sale as collectors items
cannot be fired again. Firearms can be de-activated so that they can no longer
be used for lethal action. But loopholes and different national legislation
among EU members can be exploited allowing for weapons, though to be out of use,
to be re-activated. This is particularly pressing because of evidence that the
January attack on French magazine Charlie Hebdo was carried out with Kalashnikov
rifles that had previously been decommissioned for legal sale, EU officials say.
The European Commission, the EU executive, has been working since 2013 on new
rules for common minimum standards across the EU on deactivation of weapons, and
on a review of existing legislation on firearms to “reduce the legal uncertainty
caused by national divergences,” an EU official said. “Work on this is now being
significantly accelerated,” a Commission spokeswoman told a news briefing on
Monday. As weapons can be brought into Europe from neighboring countries,
ministers on Friday will address ways of strengthening checks at the external
borders of the passport-free Schengen area, which includes most EU nations.
Schengen’s practice of open borders is already under strain from the chaotic
flow of migrants from the Middle East.
EU countries also plan to speed up talks to reach an agreement on sharing
travelers’ data that has been long opposed by EU lawmakers on the grounds it
would infringe people’s privacy. EU negotiators will meet on Tuesday to break a
stalemate between national governments and the European Parliament on the issue,
but it is unclear whether there will be progress.
Rotterdam’s Muslim mayor calls for ‘total destruction’ of
ISIS
The Hague, AFP Monday, 16 November 2015/Rotterdam’s outspoken Muslim mayor Ahmed
Aboutaleb on Monday called for the “total destruction” of the Islamic State of
Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group in the wake of the weekend’s deadly Paris attacks.
“We must completely destroy IS. These barbaric acts cannot be left alone. It’s
clear that IS will not negotiate,” Aboutaleb told popular daily Algemeen Dagblad
in an interview referring to ISIS using a different acronym. Aboutaleb, 54,
already well-known in his adopted homeland of the Netherlands, shot to
international fame in the wake of the attacks on the French satirical magazine
Charlie Hebdo in January. He stunned a live television audience saying Muslims
who disliked western culture should “pack their bags” and “f*** off.” Although
the mayor of Europe’s largest port says he passionately defends individuals’
rights to believe in what they want, he has insisted that no-one has the right
to shatter democracy and use violence to impose their beliefs. His outspoken
stance earlier this year won him wide praise and invitations to the White House
and the United Nations General Assembly to meet global leaders grappling with
the rise of the ISIS group.Aboutaleb on Monday called on all moderate Muslims to
“make your voices heard and reject all violence.”But he insisted all people
should work together for a solution, not just Muslims. Aboutaleb, who was born
in Morocco and in 2009 became Rotterdam’s mayor said: “The worst thing we can do
now is to alienate all Muslims.”
Spain detains suspected drug smuggler on Britain’s
most-wanted list
Madrid, AFP Monday, 16 November 2015/Spanish police said Monday they have
arrested a suspected British drug trafficking boss who is listed among Britain’s
ten most wanted fugitives. Police detained Michael Roden, also known by his
nickname “Dodge,” and six other suspects earlier this month in the southwestern
province of Granada, a police spokesman said. Roden, a suspected member of an
organized crime group, is wanted by British police in connection with the
importation of 70 kilos (155 pounds) of cannabis into Britain from Spain in
2013. He was convicted in October 2010 in Britain of large-scale production of
cannabis and jailed for three years. Roden, who is originally from Redditch,
Worcestershire was released early the following year failed to meet his
probation conditions and is wanted for recall into prison.
He is on a list of Britain’s ten most wanted fugitives put together by
rimestoppers, a police-backed British charity that appeals for help in solving
crimes.Spanish police detained Roden and the six other suspects - three men and
three women - between Oct. 4 and 11 as part of a probe into an organization
suspected of smuggling marijuana into several European Union nations, mainly
Britain. “The drugs, which was of a high quality and vacuum packed, was
transported using different types of vehicles, such as campers, trucks,
high-powered cars,” police said in a statement. Police charged Roden and the six
other suspects with membership in a criminal organization, drug trafficking,
money laundering, illegal arms possession and document falsification. Police
seized 30 kilos of marijuana as part of their operations as well as several guns
and cars and over 85,000 euros ($91,500) in cash.
An estimated one million British nationals live in Spain all or part of the
year, according to the British embassy.Spain’s southern Costa del Sol - once
dubbed the “Costa del Crime” - has been known as a hideaway for British
criminals in the past, especially in the late 1970s and 80s when there were no
extradition agreements with Britain. But the situation changed in 2004 with
European arrest warrants, making it easier to bring British criminals back to
face justice.
Turkey warned France over Paris attacker, says Turkish
official
AFP, Antalya Monday, 16 November 2015/Turkey warned France almost
a year ago over a suspected Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militant who
blew himself up in the bloody Paris attacks but the French authorities did not
respond, a senior Turkish official said on Monday. Turkish police "notified
their French counterparts twice -- in December 2014 and June 2015" about Omar
Ismail Mostefai, the official told AFP, asking not to be named. "We did,
however, not hear back from France on the matter," added the official.
Identified by his finger, which was found among the rubble of the Bataclan
concert hall, the 29-year-old Mostefai was one of three attackers, all wearing
suicide vests, at the venue where 89 people were killed in the bloodiest scene
of the carnage. Born on November 21 1985, in the poor Paris suburb of
Courcouronnes, Mostefai's criminal record shows eight convictions for petty
crimes between 2004 and 2010, but no jail time. The Turkish official confirmed
that Mostefai entered Turkey from the northwestern province of Edirne that
borders EU members Greece and Bulgaria in 2013. "There is no record of him
leaving the country," said the Turkish official. The official said that French
authorities had only showed interest in Mostefai after the attacks. "It was only
after the Paris attacks that the Turkish authorities received an information
request about Omar Ismail Mostefai from France."He said that on October 10,
2014, Turkey received an information request regarding four terror suspects from
the French authorities, but not for Mostefai even though he had been identified
by Turkey as a potential terror suspect.
U.S. Republican presidential hopefuls: no refugees
By AFP, Washington Monday, 16 November 2015/U.S. Republican presidential
hopefuls said Sunday that in the wake of the Paris attacks America must not take
in Syrian refugees because they might include Islamic State militants. “It’s not
that we don’t want to, it’s that we can’t,” Florida senator Marco Rubio said on
ABC. “Because there’s no way to background check someone that’s coming from
Syria. Who do you call and do a background check on them?” Rubio asked. Using an
alternative acronym for Islamic State, he added, “You can have 1,000 people come
in, and 999 of them are just poor people fleeing oppression and violence, but
one of them is an ISIS fighter.” Another prominent Republican, Devin Nunes, who
is not running for president, also said point blank that no Syrian refugees
should be allowed into America. “There’s no possible way to screen them. It
should be stopped immediately,” said Nunes, who is head of the House
Intelligence Committee. Another presidential hopeful, Jeb Bush, said on CNN that
“we should focus our efforts as it relates to refugees for the Christians that
are being slaughtered.” Many other Republicans have made comments to this effect
since the Friday night attacks in Paris that left at least 129 dead. President
Barack Obama announced in September that the United States would take in 10,000
Syrian refugees by September 2016. The decision has the support of Democrats
like the party’s presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton, who insists the
arrivals must be screened. The White House reiterated Sunday that the vetting
process is very strict. And in fact Syrian refugees are arriving in the United
States in very small numbers. “We cannot close our doors to these people,” said
Ben Rhodes, the deputy national security adviser said.
“Bringing people into this country from that area of the world I think is a huge
mistake,” said Republican presidential hopeful Ben Carson, who is second in the
polls after billionaire real estate mogul Donald Trump. “Because why wouldn’t
they infiltrate them with people who are ideologically opposed to us?” Carson
added on Fox News Sunday. Ultra-conservative presidential hopeful Ted Cruz said
Saturday that 77 percent of the refugees arriving in Europe were young men and
he found this proportion puzzling. He did not cite the source of the number.
Rubio, Bush and fellow hopeful Senator Lindsey Graham also called on France
Sunday to invoke Article V of NATO’s founding treaty, which states that an
attack on one member of the alliance is to be construed as an attack on all
members. “I hope the French will invoke Article 5, they should. The world should
be at war with ISIL,” Graham said CNN.
UK to boost funding for intelligence agencies and aviation
security
Reuters, Turkey Monday, 16 November 2015/Britain will boost its intelligence
agency staff by 15 percent and more than double spending on aviation security to
counter the increasing threat from ISIS, Prime Minister David Cameron said on
Monday. The government said it had decided to increase resources in the wake of
the growing number of plots against Britain and recent militant attacks,
including those in Paris and Tunisia. “I am determined to prioritize the
resources we need to combat the terrorist threat because protecting the British
people is my number one duty,” Cameron said in a statement. “This is a
generational struggle that demands we provide more manpower to combat those who
would destroy us and our values.” The government said that as part of a broader
five-year defense and security review, due to be published on Nov. 23, it would
fund an extra 1,900 officers at its MI5 and MI6 spy agencies and GCHQ
intelligence agency. It also plans a “step change” in aviation security
following the crash of a Russian airliner in Egypt last month, which Britain has
said it believes was brought down by a bomb. Cameron is due to discuss aviation
security with other world leaders at the G20 summit in Turkey on Monday,
including during a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The
British leader has also ordered a rapid review of security at several airports
around the world, in particular in the Middle East and North Africa and airports
through which high numbers of British citizens travel. The assessments, due to
be conducted over the next two months, will focus on measures such as passenger
screening, physical security at the airport, hold baggage and freight screening.
Additional security measures put in place at potentially vulnerable airports
over the past year will also be reviewed, and the National Security Council will
on Tuesday discuss British aviation security policy, the government said.
Cameron said he planned to more than double government spending on aviation
security, currently around 9 million pounds ($13.70 million) a year, over the
next 5 years. This new funding will provide extra aviation security experts to
regularly assess security at airports around the world as well as advice,
training and equipment for other countries to help them increase security at
airports. It will also fund research into screening technology and to detect new
threats, the government said.
Paris attacks: an international joint venture in violence
By John Irish Reuters, Paris Monday, 16 November 2015/Early leads in the
investigation into the deadly Paris attacks point to the likelihood of a team
led by French nationals, based in Belgium, and which may have used a refugee
route from Syria via Greece to link up for their killing spree. Details are only
slowly emerging of the seven dead attackers and an eighth assailant still on the
run who perpetrated strikes on Paris bars, a concert hall and a soccer stadium
that killed 132 people and injuring 349. This undated file photo released
Friday, Nov. 13, 2015, by French Police shows 26-year old Salah Abdeslam, who is
wanted by police in connection with recent terror attacks in Paris. (AP) But
elements pieced together so far suggest a well-organised and trained
multinational commando team, backed by an equally cross-border network reaching
from the Middle East to Brussel’s rundown suburbs, via the Greek island of Leros
and the French cathedral town of Chartres - and possibly involving Germany. The
international reach of their network prompted French Interior Minister Bernard
Cazeneuve to call for an urgent European Union meeting to assess what new
security measures the bloc needs to counter such threats. “The abject attack was
prepared overseas, mobilised a team based on Belgium territory and benefited
from support in France,” he told a news conference with his Belgium counterpart.
Four of the eight attackers which Islamic State said it had sent to do the
killings are now known to have been French nationals, including Ismael Omar
Mostefai, a 29-year-old of Algerian descent from Chartres, southwest of Paris.
He is one of seven militants who died in the slaughter, blowing himself up at
the Bataclan musical hall, the bloodiest of Friday’s attacks. His profile is
typical of French jihadists -- a period of petty crime before he became quickly
radicalised and withdrew from the social circle he had previously known. French
media cited local residents as saying he had been influenced by a visiting
radical Imam from Belgium in 2010, the same year that the Paris prosecutor said
his security file for Islamist radicalisation was created. Quoting unnamed
sources, Le Monde daily reported the father-of-two had likely travelled to Syria
in the winter of 2013-2014 before returning to Chartres. The only other named
member of the network so far is also French, Belgian-born, and still on the run.
Salah Abdeslam is 26 and suspected of having rented the black VW Polo car used
during the shootings, French police said. The Paris prosecutor’s office has
identified another two of the dead attackers as French nationals. It did not
given their names, but said they were suicide bombers, aged 20 and 31, at the
Stade de France stadium and one of the bars. A judicial source said one of the
two was a brother of Abdeslam.
All roads lead to Belgium
Indeed it is in Belgium, the EU state which proportionate to its population has
contributed most foreign fighters to the civil war in Syria and which has
figured in several Islamist attacks and plots across the continent in the past
year, where investigators are making fastest progress. Belgian prosecutors said
on Sunday seven people had been detained following raids and also confirmed the
two French suicide bombers had been living in Belgium. Of those arrested, at
least one of those held from the inner Brussels neighborhood of Molenbeek was
believed to have spent the previous evening in Paris, where two cars registered
in Belgium were impounded close to scenes of some of the violence. “I ascertain
that there is nearly always a link with Molenbeek, which is a gigantic problem,”
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said.
The migrant link
While the French and Belgian links look strong, the direct connection to Syria
and the Middle East is harder to pin down. The holder of a Syrian passport found
near the body of one of the suicide bombers near the Stade de France, the
national stadium, was registered as a refugee in Greece and Serbia last month,
after travelling through the Greek island of Leros, where he was processed on
Oct. 3. Greece identified the man as 25-year old Ahmad Almohammad from the
northwestern Syrian city of Idlib. France has not publicly confirmed that the
passport-holder is a suspect, but Greek Migration Minister Yannis Mouzalas said
French authorities had told Greece they suspected Almohammad, whose passport was
found outside the Stade de France near the body of a gunman, was indeed one of
the attackers.
Such a connection, if proven, would be particularly sensitive because if a
killer did enter Europe among refugees and migrants fleeing war-torn countries,
this could change the political debate about accepting refugees. Jihadi sources
told Reuters in September they were using the migrant crisis to send some of
their fighter to Europe, although Western officials played down that prospect.
It is also possible Islamic State may have wanted to leave a Syrian passport
behind to stoke fears about migrants in Europe. “It can be that a terrorist was
infiltrated there (through the refugee route). It can be that this trail was
laid on purpose by the IS to influence the refugee debate,” German Interior
Minister Thomas De Maiziere told German television.
Others suggest the passport may be fake.
“Such fake Syrian passports are widely available in Turkey, and are often bought
by non-Syrians trying to get to EU because Syrians get preferential treatment on
the journey,” Human Rights Watch’s Peter Bouckaert, a close Syria-watcher, wrote
on his Facebook page. With investigators trying to trace back the origins of
weapons and explosives used in the attack, the list of countries used by the
cell may well increase. A man arrested in Germany’s southern state of Bavaria in
early November after guns and explosives were found in his car may be linked to
the Paris attacks, Bavaria’s state premier said on Saturday. Analysis of the
Montenegro man’s car navigation system found he drove from Montenegro via
Croatia, Slovenia and Austria to Germany, aiming to reach France. Asked about
his destination, the man said he wanted to see the Eiffel Tower, police said.
Criminologist Alain Bauer, a former security adviser to French ex-president
Nicolas Sarkozy, said the increasingly coordinated character of much European
criminal activity was not always matched by the work of police authorities. “We
have a series of European partners that have completely different policies, be
it on terrorists or organized crime,” he said.
Apologizing to Iran
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/November 16/15
I am not surprised that Iranian President Hassan Rowhani has demanded that the
United States apologize for its past behavior before opening embassies in each
others' capitals. Washington seems desperate to gain Tehran’s friendship, and is
willing to meet its demands. The only price Iran paid was accepting to freeze
its nuclear program. Washington deemed this a great achievement tantamount to
the rapprochement with China or destroying the Berlin Wall! What does Rowhani
want the United States to apologize for? During the past decades of tense
relations, most victims have been American. The history of Iranian violence is
long, starting with the detention of U.S. embassy personnel in Tehran. This was
followed by the killing of 17 Americans in an attack on the U.S. embassy in
Beirut, where 241 Americans were also killed in an attack on the U.S. Marines’
barracks.
What does Rowhani want the United States to apologize for? During the past
decades of tense relations, most victims have been American.Iran also planned
the explosions in the Saudi city of Khobar, killing 19 Americans and wounding
240. This in addition to hijacking a TWA aircraft. There have been dozens of
other Iranian operations against American people and interests in the Middle
East, Europe and South America. There have also been attempts to carry out
operations inside the United States, where authorities thwarted an assassination
plot against the Saudi ambassador. Not to mention the hundreds of American
soldiers who were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan with support from Iran. Tehran
has a lot of blood on its hands, so it owes many countries, including the United
States, an apology.
Why apologize?
Tehran may be demanding an apology for U.S. support of the shah before the
revolution. In that case, Washington must apologize to the Iranian people for
abandoning him, forcing him to leave Tehran and refusing him cancer treatment in
the United States after his exile. Then-U.S. President Jimmy Carter’s stance
contributed to an extremist religious regime taking over in Tehran. This has
caused the world chaos and war ever since. Washington is often blamed for
supporting then-Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in the war against Iran. In fact,
the United States was happy to see both regimes fight it out. It let Israel
trade American weapons with Tehran, and Gulf states supply arms to Baghdad.
Washington only guarded its oil interests in the Gulf, and protected sea routes
and Kuwaiti oil tankers from Iranian attacks and mines. Tehran may be demanding
an apology for U.S. support of the shah before the revolution. In that case,
Washington must apologize to the Iranian people for abandoning him. Despite all
this hostility and bloodshed, Washington never attempted to topple the Iranian
regime after the revolution. White House policy has been based on containment
and trying to change Tehran’s behavior. After more than 30 years, when Iran
realized the failure of its hostile policies and felt suffocated by the West’s
commercial boycott, it decided to negotiate. Washington only sought the freezing
of Iran's nuclear program for 10 years, in exchange for lifting sanctions,
unfreezing more than $100 billion of frozen assets, and ending the state of
confrontation. Despite this leniency, Tehran thinks this is not enough and wants
an American apology!
Iran torn between historic
Europe visit and Syria talks
Camelia Entekhabi-Fard/Al Arabiya/November 16/15
It was supposed to be “historic, charming” and was “highly anticipated” -
President Hassan Rowhani’s official state visit to Europe to normalize Iran’s
relations with the West after many years of turbulence and tension. Rowhani had
been scheduled to visit Italy and then France to meet with officials and
business owners. Through the visit, Iranians were eager to encourage investors
to visit Iran and also develop business opportunities with West. But the
horrific Paris attacks have, of course, erased this momentum. Happening just a
day before Rowhani was to leave Tehran for Italy, the chaotic situation in
France made the historic trip impossible. It was going to be the first time
since 1999 that an Iranian president was to visit France, a sign of warming
relations since the nuclear deal was struck. Syria talks in Vienna are an
opportune time to show that Iran is able to work with other nations politically,
not just economically, for a common cause
Since August, Iranian officials have met with delegations from at least eight
European countries and are scheduled to hold more trade meetings this month with
France, Sweden, Italy, and Germany. Most recently, a German delegation traveled
to Iran to discuss increasing bilateral trade and potential electricity, energy,
and manufacturing projects. These European visits to Iran are meant to test the
waters to gauge whether Iran has a strong enough political and economic
environment. European companies’ willingness to invest in Iran will continue to
depend on Tehran’s implementation of the nuclear deal and its ability to
demonstrate to the world that it can be relied on as a stable economic partner.
Domestic reforms and a willingness to find political solutions to regional
conflicts will also be important steps towards building credibility with the
global business community, which will be of long-term benefit to the Iranian
people.
Rowhani’s recent economic stimulus plan shows that he is trying to keep public
expectations in check. But by promoting this stimulus, the Iranian government
recognizes that the benefits of sanctions relief won't be instantaneous even if
this frustrates public expectations in the short term.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ruled out negotiations with the U.S.
on anything beyond the nuclear issue, particularly shunning discussions on the
Syria situation. But the Syria talks in Vienna are an opportune time to show
that Iran is able to work with other nations politically, not just economically,
for a common cause. Upon the cancellation of Rowhani’s trip to Europe, foreign
minister Mohammad Javad Zarif went to Vienna to join his counterparts at the
Syria talks. Clearly the importance of the Syria crisis talks has been noticed
by Iranian officials. And a peaceful Syria will now be of benefit to Iran as it
opens up to Europe and attempts lure foreign investors to the Middle East. While
the Syria talks are supposed to resume within a month and perhaps in Paris,
there is no indication Rowhani’s trip to Europe will be rescheduled in the near
future.While Syria and the crises in the region are prioritized by world powers,
the implementation of Iran’s nuclear accord still is what is mostly required
from Iran.
The Vienna plan for Syria: Fighting terrorism with politics
Raghida Dergham/Al Arabiya/November 16/15
Momentum is the theme chosen for the second Vienna meeting to address the Syrian
crisis. With the participation of the five U.N. Security Council permanent
member states, major regional powers, and with Russian-American leadership that
the two countries’ top diplomats, Sergei Lavrov and John Kerry, expect would
lead them to Oslo to receive the Nobel Peace Prize within 18 months. This
timetable was proposed by Moscow to accompany a timetable of military
achievements where ISIS and the Nusra Front, and other groups to be designated
as terrorist groups, would be crushed; and another political timetable for
reforms, constitutional amendments, and reconfiguration of the regime in Syria
culminating with presidential elections. One of the creative ideas for getting
President Bashar al-Assad to step down is convincing or forcing him not to run
in the presidential election, which would solve the Assad Knot. However, the
“knots” are not confined to the man at this juncture, and include two important
obstacles that the Vienna process will address: One, deciding who is a terrorist
and who is an oppositionist in Syria. Two, the fate of foreign forces fighting
in Syria at present, and the timetable for their withdrawal from Syrian
territories.
This includes not only Russian troops, but also Iranian troops and
Iranian-backed proxies and militias. The most important “knot” lies in the top
priorities on the ground for both Russia and the United States: Crushing ISIS,
al-Nusra Front, al-Qaeda, and their affiliates. To be sure, Moscow does not care
who it will forge an alliance with to fight these terrorist groups, while
Washington rejects an alliance with groups it designates as terrorist
organizations, such as Hezbollah and other Iran-backed militias supporting Assad
in Syria.
The problem, then, is Iranian somewhat. But given the détente between Washington
and Tehran, it is possible to resolve this problem, and both Lavrov and Kerry
would like to see it happen. However, the Iranian knot is the subject of deep
contention with the Arab leaders, which Moscow and Washington need to ensure the
success of the Vienna process and victory against terrorism in Syria. The
downing of the Russian plane over Sinai allegedly by ISIS-affiliated groups will
be present as an issue in Vienna II and subsequent rounds. Russia has placed
itself at the forefront of this war, and the downing of the plane has woken
Russia up to the danger this entails. The Russian public may decide that
President Putin has no right to decide to lead the war on terror, inviting
retaliation against Russian interests possibly even on Russian soil, and decide
to oppose his policies. Putin echoing Bush? The Russian public may decide
instead that Putin’s logic echoes the logic of former U.S. President George W.
Bush during his war on Iraq, stating: We fight them there so we do not have to
fight them here, in Russian cities. Now, However, there is no choice but to
admit that revenge against Russian policy in Syria came swiftly, and that Moscow
has decided to move ahead with the necessary political concession to consolidate
its gains on the ground in the war on terror. There is momentum in Vienna that
deserves encouragement and cautious optimism
Logically, this means that the Free Syrian Army and similar Syrian opposition
factions, which represent the boots on the ground, are an indispensable Russian
need that Moscow cannot do without. For one thing, the regime army cannot by
itself fulfill the required role. But while there are no differences – as it is
clear – over arrangements related to preserving the foundations of the regime,
Moscow could soon understand that it must resolve the “Assad Knot” sooner than
it expects in order to reach a solution.If it elects not to do so, this could
undermine its current push. Moscow will not declare or admit to any
arrangements, understandings, or creative ideas related to Assad’s fate, neither
in Vienna nor in Sochi. While there might be some “creative understandings”
taking place, it will be important for public statements to continue to suggest
there are differences to keep the agreements secret.
High-level Gulf visits to Sochi and Moscow indicate trust between the two sides
has not been destroyed, and that there are efforts to mend if not strengthen
Gulf-Russian relations at all levels. It is seems the Russian intervention in
Syria was not a good enough cause for the Gulf states to postpone or cancel
visits to Russia, most recently a visit by Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad
Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and the planned visit by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz,
before the end of the year. The strategy of the Gulf states to engage with
Russia is not random. It is the result of the relative erosion in traditional
Gulf-American relations resulting from the demarche led by the Obama
administration towards Tehran in parallel with his snubs to the Gulf allies. The
alliance between Moscow and Tehran, especially in Syria, has not hindered Gulf
leaders from engaging with Russia, despite the history of Gulf resentment over
Russian-Iranian support for the Assad regime over the past five years.
In part, the Gulf engagement with Russia could be motivated by a Gulf hope this
would cause some distance between Moscow and Tehran. Perhaps Washington even
encourages Gulf-Russian rapprochement, because it is crucial for its own
rapprochement with Russia and Iran. The Gulf countries may have also perhaps
realized that their options boil down to boycotting to protest the new
relationship between Washington, Moscow, and Tehran, or work with the new
reality and its requirements, and chose the second option. What is happening now
in Vienna practically is that an international-regional group has been formed to
discuss the Syrian issue and formulate solutions. When former U.N. Secretary
General Kofi Annan took over as U.N. envoy to Syria, he sought to find common
ground between the five permanent members of the Security Council. He was
succeeded by the U.N.-Arab Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who sought American-Russian
common ground as the essential foundation for any solution in Syria. They both
encouraged repeatedly for Iran to be included in the negotiations on Syria’s
future, but Saudi Arabia was opposed to this as it believed it would legitimize
Iran’s role Syria.
Mistura’s mission
Current Envoy Staffan de Mistura sees his mission today as facilitative rather
than one of leadership. De Mistura says his job is to ensure Russia, the United
States, Saudi Arabia, and Iran sit at the table to produce a political process,
and to then implement the points, not to impose a particular solution. This is
the momentum produced by the first Vienna meeting in his view, and upon which
the international community must build with support from the U.N. Security
Council. China, which has traditionally taken the back seat on anything related
to Syria in the Security Council, letting Russia lead and refraining from taking
any position, has suddenly decided through its U.N. Ambassador Liu Jieyi to come
to the forefront after de Mistura’s closed briefing to Security Council members.
Liu Jieyi made an unprecedented appearance to speak to the press, stressing the
need for synergizing international efforts in the fight against terrorism in
Syria, and welcoming the Vienna meeting. Jieyi stressed China will continue to
support the bilateral ministerial meeting to push for a negotiated settlement.
In the closed session, the Chinese envoy was keen to highlight China’s
four-point position: Pushing for a ceasefire to improve humanitarian conditions;
committing to a political solution through a Syrian-led process; supporting the
U.N. role as a dialogue channel and in elections; and strengthening
international cooperation to fight ISIS.
The members of the U.N. Security Council and countries like Japan are clamoring
to join the Vienna meeting. Vienna has become a substitute to the Security
Council in New York and to the Geneva process launched thanks to Kofi Annan.
There is now an impression that Vienna is a capital of action and achievement,
rather than rhetoric and empty statements. De Mistura told U.N. Security Council
members in the closed session that the Vienna process is starting from an
essential common point agreed upon, namely, fighting terrorism as an urgent
priority, while stressing that this would only be effective if accompanied by a
parallel political process with a political horizon. De Mistura said the main
function of the U.N. according to the Vienna vision is helping to draft the
constitution, assisting in elections, and developing the conditions for
ceasefire. He said that the international support group will seek to address
differences regarding the classification of who is terrorist and who counts as
opposition. During his meeting with the press, de Mistura refused to declare his
position on the criteria for identifying foreign terrorists, especially since
Iran and Hezbollah have deployed fighters in Syria. Instead, he said his mission
is to facilitate and not lead negotiations. "[We are] not the ones imposing a
certain formula. We have tried for four years and it didn't work. Now it's time
for the countries to actually pick up those challenges,” he said. Iran is
sitting at the table of challenges in Vienna alongside Saudi Arabia, Turkey,
Russia, and the United States.
These are the main powers that are working to shape Syria’s future, in the
absence of both the Syrian government and opposition. The Saudi-Iranian
relationship is a main knot, however, because it does not only affect Syria, but
also Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen. There are two opinions when it comes to Iran’s
participation in the negotiations on Syria’s future: One that says Iran will be
more responsible and more accountable. This view argues Iran will be a clear
player and will be required to prove that it is using its contacts and militias
constructively in the context of the international consensus on crushing ISIS
and on political transition in Syria. The other view holds that bringing Iran to
the table is a de facto endorsement of Russian proposals based on giving
absolute priority to crushing terrorism by any means, including by
rehabilitating pro-Iranian militias as legitimate partners in the war and
refraining from designating them as terrorist groups. The proponents of this
view want explanations about what the Islamic Republic of Iran hopes to achieve
in Syria in the future, and the extent of American-Russian bilateral acceptance
of Iranian ambitions in Syria.
At this juncture, Iran appears committed to Bashar al-Assad as part of its
realignment in the negotiations over Syria’s future. Perhaps Assad will provide
the space for the coming concessions, but the price for Tehran will depend on
the sharing of influence and securing interests in Syria. There is no sign of a
deal in Vienna over partitioning Syria, and there is a public insistence on the
unity of its territory. There is nothing to suggest Saudi-Iranian relations will
witness an explosion; otherwise, their two foreign ministers would not be
returning to the negotiating table in Vienna. The flavor of trade-offs indicates
the United States and Russia are insisting that Yemen curb its appetite in
Yemen. However, there is indication any side is willing to put pressure on
Tehran, for example by challenging the legitimacy of its military presence in
Syria which is violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions issued under
Chapter VII of the Charter. There is momentum in Vienna that deserves
encouragement and cautious optimism. However, the challenges remain great
despite progress resulting from the discussion of timetables, figures, and
names. The caution is due because the word process per se has the ability to
anesthetize using large promises, similar to what happened with the Middle East
peace process. That process too had momentum, but today is it buried under the
rubble of practical impossibility. So the hope remains in Vienna that it will be
overcome what happened in Madrid and Oslo before them with the Palestinian peace
process.
**This article was first published in al-Hayat on Nov. 13, 2015 and translated
by Karim Traboulsi.
Shocking, senseless and
cowardly Paris attacks
Grand Mufti Shawki Allam/Al Arabiya/November 16/15
I was as shocked as any sensible human being would have been when I learned
about the senseless, heinous, appalling and cowardly act that took place in
Paris this week.
This attack is shocking, and offends the conscience of every sane person,
regardless of their religious identity. I wish to stress categorically and
unequivocally our complete solidarity and unwavering support for the French
people in their plight and their determination to combat terror. The innocent
victims and their families are in our thoughts and prayers. The whole Muslim
community is in a state of mourning like the rest of the French people since an
attack of this magnitude is in reality an attack on all humanity as our Holy
Book emphasizes.
I have been absolutely clear and unequivocal in condemning all acts of terrorism
and vigilantism like this one, and I reiterate that Islam stands utterly against
extremism of all kinds
Terrorist groups flagrantly use religion as a cloak to cover up for their
cowardly acts of violence. Their ideological fallacy reveal their warped logic
and ill-informed and unauthentic sources which they turn to in order to derive
their justification for their insatiable desire for power, control and
bloodshed. These ideologies of hate and terror must be challenged and rooted
out.
But where did all this begin? In both Islam and other religions we are
witnessing a phenomenon in which self-claimed people without a sound foundation
in religious learning have attempted to set themselves up as religious
authorities, even though they lack the scholarly qualifications for making valid
interpretations of religious law and morality. It is this eccentric and
rebellious attitude towards religion that opens the way for extremist
interpretations of Islam that have no basis in reality. Not educated in Islam.
Furthermore, and this is very important, is that none of these extremists have
been educated in Islam in genuine centers of Islamic learning. They are, rather,
products of troubled environments and have subscribed to distorted and misguided
interpretations of Islam that have no basis in traditional Islamic doctrine.
Their aim is to create havoc and chaos in the world
There is, it must be said, another part to this equation. I have been absolutely
clear and unequivocal in condemning all acts of terrorism and vigilantism like
this one, and I reiterate that Islam stands utterly against extremism of all
kinds. If we wish to tackle this problem however, we must make an effort to
properly understand the many factors that provide a rationalization for
terrorism and extremism of all kinds in the modern world. Otherwise, we run the
risk of never being able to properly address and eradicate this scourge. There
is no option but to understand this if we are serious about building a better
future, one which confronts and puts an end to this grave situation that
threatens people in all parts of the globe.
None of these extremists have been educated in Islam in genuine centers of
Islamic learning. We must remember, however, that as recent events in many parts
of the world indicate, violent extremism knows no particular faith. It is rather
a perversion of the human condition, and must be dealt with as such. We are all
responsible, collectively, for fighting against such deviance. Muslims,
Europeans, Americans, Asians– we all have homework to do to eradicate this
menace, and the burden must be shared by all of us.
It is because a true spirit of cooperation is absolutely indispensable at this
critical time that I worry about the exploitation of raw emotions by fanatical
groups to place the very existence of Muslims in Europe in jeopardy. Blaming an
entire religion, and targeting a diverse and overwhelmingly peaceful religious
community because of the acts of few outcasts is not only patently unfair, but
counterproductive in achieving our shared goals of combating terror. It is
important for us at this time of great sadness to stand together and process
this horrific incident in a way that is fair and just. It is important that we
refrain from demonizing Muslims without cause – not because it is good for
Muslims, but because our future ability to eradicate the courage of terror
depends on it.
**Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam is the 19th and current Grand Mufti of Egypt
through Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah, educational institute founded to represent
Islam and a center for Islamic legal research. He received his PhD in 1996 from
the Al-Azhar University in Jurisprudence and Sharia law. Prior to his
appointment, he served as the chairman of the Department of Jurisprudence at the
School of Sharia at Al-Azhar University’s Tanta branch.
Hollande, Obama lack the
troops and will for total war on ISIS. Mid East rulers are even more reluctant
DEBKAfile Exclusive Analysis November 16/15/
When French President Francois Hollande declared war on ISIS and called the
attack in Paris an “act of war,” he gave the terrorist organization’s leader Abu
Bakr Al-Baghdadi an unexpected boost. He upgraded the Muslim caliphate to a
fully-fledged state against which France is now at war. US President Barack
Obama was more cautious, declaring at the G-20 summit in Antalya that his
country and France would fight together against terror, without specifying how.
Obama has problems of his own. The attempt to portray the Kurdish conquest of
the city of Sinjar in northern Iraq as an important achievement in the war
against ISIS dissipated quickly after Peshmerga troops were shown on TV moving
into a city that was empty and lying in ruins, after it was abandoned by Islamic
State forces. There was no battle there either.
Also, the US and Kurdish claims that they had severed the main road link between
the ISIS capitals in Iraq and Syria, Mosul and Raqqa, proved hollow as ISIS had
stopped using that route months ago after it became vulnerable to American air
strikes. If that wasn’t enough, Obama ran into an obstacle in Antalya.The
summit’s host, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who is consumed by an
overriding aversion to an independent Kurdish state rising on his country’s
border, demanded a declaration that all Kurdish forces, including the Peshmerga,
the PKK and the YPG, on which the US depends heavily for fighting the war
against ISIS, be classified as terrorists and targeted by the West just like
ISIS. Therefore, before broaching any decisions about intensifying the war on
the Islamist terrorists, Western and Muslim countries were already at odds on
targets. It therefore makes no sense for President Hollande to try and invoke
Article 5 of the NATO charter under which an act of war against one member of
the alliance is tantamount to a war on all. Furthermore, making this a NATO
operation would rule out a priori any collaboration with Russia in the campaign
against ISIS, despite their common objective. Vladimir Putin was already vexed
over the feeble Western response to the bombing of a Russian airliner killing
224 people, compared to the global outcry over the Paris outrage.
In their responses and commentaries on what to do after the Paris assault,
Western politicians and security experts seemed to agree that putting their own
boots on the ground for finally getting to grips with ISIS was not on the cards
– there would just be “more of the same,’ as one American security expert put
it.
Others advised assigning the ground battle to the Egyptian, Jordanian, Kurdish,
Iraqi, Saudi and other Gulf Arab states. Who were they kidding? None of those
Arab governments or armies is capable or willing to declare full-scale war on
the Islamic State. The Kurds alone have stepped into the breach and are
confronting the Islamists face to face, but they have sought in vain for the
weapons they need, which the US refuses to supply. Egypt, for instance, even
after an ISIS network was able to breach its security system in Sharm El-Sheikh
to plant a bomb on the Russian airliner on Oct. 31, has held back from a major
military assault on the strongholds of the Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, otherwise known
as ISIS-Sinai. Egypt’s President Fattah Al-Sisi has not uttered a word on the
Islamist threat since then.
French security and intelligence services demonstrated that they were unprepared
for war on ISIS, and are pretty much in the same boat as other Western powers.
Since the outrage in Paris, French and Belgian security forces have conducted
raid after raid to pick up Islamists, claiming to be rounding up the masterminds
and confederates of the nine bombers and shooters who attacked Paris and
murdered 132 people In fact, they are acting more to calm a jittery public than
in the expectation of achieving meaningful results in the war on terror. Till
now, neither France nor any Western government knows exactly how many people
were involved in the attack on Paris, or the numbers and locations of the
Islamic Caliphate’s worldwide terror networks.
France's Politically
Correct War on Islamic Terror
Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/November 16/15
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/6893/france-politically-correct-war-on-islamic-terror
French leaders consistently act in ways that undermine their stated goal of
eradicating Islamic terror.
Critics of the policy say "Daesh" is a politically correct linguistic device
that allows Western leaders to claim that the Islamic State is not Islamic --
and thus ignore the root cause of Islamic terror and militant jihad.
French leaders have also been consistently antagonistic toward Israel, a country
facing Islamic terror on a daily basis. France is leading international
diplomatic efforts to push for a UN resolution that would lead to the
establishment of an independent Palestinian state within a period of two years.
The move effectively whitewashes Palestinian terror.
French critics of Islam are routinely harassed with strategic lawsuits that seek
to censor, intimidate and silence them. In a recent case, Sébastien Jallamion, a
43-year-old policeman from Lyon was suspended from his job and fined 5,000 euros
after he condemned the death of Frenchman Hervé Gourdel, who was beheaded by
jihadists in Algeria.
"Those who denounce the illegal behavior of fundamentalists are more likely to
be sued than the fundamentalists who behave illegally." — Marine Le Pen, leader
of France's Front National.
French President François Hollande has vowed to avenge the November 13 jihadist
attacks in Paris that left more than 120 dead and 350 injured.
Speaking from the Élysée Palace, Hollande blamed the Islamic State for the
attacks, which he called an "act of war." He said the response from France would
be "unforgiving" and "merciless."
Despite the tough rhetoric, however, the question remains: Does Hollande
understand the true nature of the war he faces? Hollande pointedly referred to
the Islamic State as "Daesh," the acronym of the group's full Arabic name, which
in English translates as "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant," or "ISIL."
The official policy of the French government is to avoid using the term "Islamic
State" because, according to French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, it "blurs
the lines between Islam, Muslims and Islamists." Critics of the policy say "Daesh"
is a politically correct linguistic device that allows Western leaders to claim
that the Islamic State is not Islamic -- and thus ignore the root cause of
Islamic terror and militant jihad. Islamic ideology divides the world into two
spheres: the House of Islam and the House of War. The House of War (the
non-Muslim world) is subject to permanent jihad until it is made part of the
House of Islam, where Sharia is the law of the land. Jihad -- the perpetual
struggle to expand Muslim domination throughout the world with the ultimate aim
of bringing all of humanity under submission to the will of Allah -- is the
primary objective of true Islam, as unambiguously outlined in its foundational
documents.
Consequently, even if the Islamic State were to be bombed into oblivion, France
and the rest of the non-Muslim world will continue to be the target of Islamic
supremacists. The West cannot defeat Islamic terrorism by attempting to
conceptually delink it from true Islam. But still they try.
After the January 2015 jihadist attacks on the Paris offices of the magazine
Charlie Hebdo that left 12 people dead, President Hollande declared: "We must
reject facile thinking and eschew exaggeration. Those who committed these
terrorist acts, those terrorists, those fanatics, have nothing to do with the
Muslim religion." French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said: "We are in a war
against terrorism. We are not in a war against religion, against a
civilization." Again, he said: "We are at war with terrorism, jihadism and
radicalism. France is not at war against Islam and Muslims." At a June
conference with more than 100 leaders of the French Muslim community, Valls
denied there is any link between extremism and Islam. He also refused to raise
the issue of radicalization because the topic was "too sensitive." Instead, he
said: "Islam still provokes misunderstandings, prejudices and is rejected by
some citizens. Yet Islam is here to stay in France. It is the second largest
religious group in our country. "We must say all of this is not Islam: The hate
speech, anti-Semitism that hides behind anti-Zionism and hate for Israel, the
self-proclaimed imams in our neighborhoods and our prisons who are promoting
violence and terrorism."
After the January 2015 jihadist attacks in Paris, France's President François
Hollande declared: "We must reject facile thinking and eschew exaggeration.
Those who committed these terrorist acts, those terrorists, those fanatics, have
nothing to do with the Muslim religion."
France is home to around 6.5 million Muslims, or roughly 10% of the country's
total population of 66 million. Although most Muslims in France live peacefully,
many are drawn to radical Islam. A CSA poll found that 22% of Muslims in the
country consider themselves Muslim first and French second. Nearly one out of
five (17%) Muslims in France believe that Sharia law should be fully applied in
France, while 37% believe that parts of Sharia should be applied in the country.
France is also one of the largest European sources of so-called foreign fighters
in Syria: More than 1,500 French Muslims have joined the Islamic State in Iraq
and Syria, and many more are believed to be supporters of the group in France.
Since the Charlie Hebdo attacks, the French government has introduced a raft of
new counter-terrorism measures -- including sweeping surveillance powers to
eavesdrop on the public -- aimed at preventing further jihadist attacks. French
counter-terrorism operatives have foiled a number of jihadist plots, including a
plan to attack a major navy base in Toulon, and an attempt to murder a Socialist
MP in Paris. As the latest attacks in Paris (as well as the failed attack on a
high-speed train from Amsterdam to Paris in August) show, surveillance is not
foolproof. Claude Moniquet, a former French intelligence operative, warns that
European intelligence agencies are overwhelmed by the sheer number of people who
may pose a threat. He writes:
"Some 6,000 Europeans are or were involved in the fighting in Syria (they went
there, they were killed in action, they are still in IS camps, they are on their
way there or their way back.)"If you have 6,000 'active' jihadists, this
probably means that if you try to count those who were not identified, the
logistics people who help them join up, their sympathizers and the most radical
extremists who are not yet involved in violence but are on the verge of it, you
have something between 10,000 and 20,000 'dangerous' people in Europe. "To carry
out 'normal' surveillance on a suspect on a permanent basis, you need 20 to 30
agents and a dozen vehicles. And these are just the requirements for a 'quiet'
target. "If the suspect travels abroad, for instance, the figure could go up to
50 or 80 agents and necessitate co-operation between the services of various
countries. Work it out: to keep watch on all the potential suspects, you'd need
between 120,000 and 500,000 agents throughout Europe. Mission impossible!"
Meanwhile, French leaders consistently act in ways that undermine their stated
goal of eradicating Islamic terror. The French government has been one of the
leading European proponents of the nuclear deal with Iran, the world's biggest
state sponsor of terrorism. Although Iran and its proxy, Hezbollah, are
responsible for deaths of scores of French citizens, Fabius wasted no time in
rushing to Tehran in search of business opportunities for French companies. In
July, Fabius proclaimed: "We are two great independent countries, two great
civilizations. It is true that in recent years, for reasons that everyone knows,
links have loosened, but now thanks to the nuclear deal, things are going to
change." Fabius also extended an invitation for Iran's President, Hassan Rouhani,
to visit France in November. This trip -- which has been mired in controversy,
not over terrorism or nuclear proliferation, but over Iran's demand that no wine
be served during a formal dinner at the Élysée Palace -- was postponed
indefinitely after the Paris attacks. Hollande's advisors apparently concluded
that this is not the right moment for a photo-op with Rouhani, a career
terrorist.
French leaders have also been consistently antagonistic toward Israel, a country
facing Islamic terror on a daily basis. After Israel launched a military
offensive aimed at stopping Islamic terror groups in the Gaza Strip from
launching missiles into the Jewish state, France led international calls for
Israel to halt the operation. French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said:
"France calls for an immediate ceasefire... to ensure that every side starts
talking to each other to avoid an escalation that would be tragic for this part
of the world."More recently, France has been a leading European advocate of a
European Union policy that now requires Israel to label products "originating in
Israeli settlements beyond Israel's 1967 borders." The move is widely seen as
part of an international campaign to delegitimize the State of Israel. Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed the move: "The labelling of products
of the Jewish state by the European Union brings back dark memories. Europe
should be ashamed of itself. It took an immoral decision... this will not
advance peace, it will certainly not advance truth and justice. It is
wrong."France is also leading international diplomatic efforts to push for a
United Nations resolution that would lead to the establishment of an independent
Palestinian state within a period of two years. The move effectively whitewashes
Palestinian terror. Netanyahu responded: "The only way to reach an agreement is
through bilateral negotiations, and we will forcibly reject any attempts to
force upon us international dictates.
"In the international proposals that have been suggested to us -- which they are
actually trying to force upon us -- there is no real reference to Israel's
security needs or our other national interests."They are simply trying to push
us into indefensible borders while completely ignoring what will happen on the
other side of the border."
Meanwhile, after more than a year as a member of the US-led coalition against
the Islamic State, French officials waited until late September to begin
striking targets in Syria. But they refused to destroy the headquarters of the
Islamic State in Raqqa -- where the Paris attacks were reportedly planned.
Back in France, critics of Islam are routinely harassed with strategic lawsuits
that seek to censor, intimidate and silence them. In a recent case, Sébastien
Jallamion, a 43-year-old policeman from Lyon, was suspended from his job and
fined 5,000 euros after he condemned the death of Frenchman Hervé Gourdel, who
was beheaded by jihadists in Algeria in September 2014. Jallamion explained:
"According to the administrative decree that was sent to me today, I am accused
of having created an anonymous Facebook page in September 2014, showing several
'provocative' images and commentaries, 'discriminatory and injurious,' of a
'xenophobic or anti-Muslim' nature. As an example, there was that portrait of
the Calif al-Baghdadi, head of the Islamic State, with a visor on his forehead.
This publication was exhibited during my appearance before the discipline
committee with the following accusation: 'Are you not ashamed of stigmatizing an
imam in this way?' My lawyer can confirm this... It looks like a political
punishment. I cannot see any other explanation. "Our fundamental values, those
for which many of our ancestors gave their life are deteriorating, and that it
is time for us to become indignant over what our country is turning into. This
is not France, land of Enlightenment that in its day shone over all of Europe
and beyond. We must fight to preserve our values, it's a matter of survival."
Meanwhile, Marine Le Pen, the leader of France's Front National (FN) and one of
the most popular politicians in the country, went on trial in October 2015 for
comparing Muslim street prayers to the wartime occupation of France. At a
campaign rally in Lyon in 2010, she said: "I'm sorry, but for those who really
like to talk about World War II, if we're talking about an occupation, we could
talk about the [street prayers], because that is clearly an occupation of
territory. "It is an occupation of sections of the territory, of neighborhoods
in which religious law applies -- it is an occupation. There are no tanks, there
are no soldiers, but it is an occupation nevertheless, and it weighs on people."
Le Pen said she was a victim of "judicial persecution" and added: "It is a
scandal that a political leader can be sued for expressing her beliefs. Those
who denounce the illegal behavior of fundamentalists are more likely to be sued
than the fundamentalists who behave illegally."
Responding to the jihadist attacks in Paris, Le Pen said: "France and the French
are no longer safe. It is my duty to tell you. Urgent action is needed. "France
must finally identify her allies and her enemies. Her enemies are those
countries that have friendly relationships with radical Islam, and also those
countries that have an ambiguous attitude toward terrorist enterprises.
"Regardless of what the European Union says, it is essential that France regain
permanent control over its borders. "France has been rendered vulnerable; it
must rearm, because for too long it has undergone a programmed collapse of its
defensive capabilities in the face of predictable and growing threats. It must
restore its military resources, police, gendarmerie, intelligence and customs.
The State must be able to ensure again its vital mission of protecting the
French. "Finally, Islamist fundamentalism must be annihilated. France must ban
Islamist organizations, close radical mosques and expel foreigners who preach
hatred in our country as well as illegal migrants who have nothing to do here.
As for dual nationals who are participating in these Islamist movements, they
must be stripped of their French nationality and deported."In the aftermath of
the attacks, Le Pen, who has long been critical of President Hollande's
politically correct counter-terrorism policies, is certain to rise in public
opinion polls. This will increase the political pressure on the government to
take decisive action against the jihadists. Faced with similar pressure after
the Charlie Hebdo attacks in January, Hollande seemed reluctant to push too far,
apparently fearful of the consequences of confronting the Muslim community in
France. It remains to be seen whether the latest attacks in Paris, which some
are describing as France's September 11, mark a turning point.
***Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute. He
is also Senior Fellow for European Politics at the Madrid-based Grupo de
Estudios Estratégicos / Strategic Studies Group. Follow him on Facebook and on
Twitter. His first book, Global Fire, will be out in early 2016.
Jordan tasked with establishing terrorist blacklist for
Syria talks
Al-Monitor/November 16/15
Keep Ahrar al-Sham out of Syria talks
The International Syria Support Group on Nov. 14 “expressed a unanimous sense of
urgency” to end the war in Syria following terrorist attacks in Paris the day
before that killed at least 132 people.
French President Francois Hollande said the killings were an “act of war” and
promised “merciless” retaliation against the Islamic State (IS), which claimed
responsibility for the attacks.
The terrorist assault in Paris came just one day after two explosions in the
Burj el-Barajneh Shiite neighborhood of Beirut took at least 43 lives, as
reported by Ali Hashem for Al-Monitor.
IS has claimed responsibility for both acts of terrorism.
The mass murders in Paris gave new charge to international discussions about
Syria. The second meeting of the 19 parties now called the International Syria
Support Group agreed in Vienna on a target start date of Jan. 1 for negotiations
between the Syrian government and opposition members about a political
transition, including elections and a new constitution within 18 months. The
five permanent members of the UN Security Council agreed to back a cease-fire in
those parts of Syria not under the control of terrorists.
Jordan, for some reason, was tasked with taking the lead on determining which
groups, in addition to IS and Jabhat al-Nusra, will be designated as terrorists,
per Article 6 of the Vienna Communique — which reads “Da'esh [IS], and other
terrorist groups, as designated by the U.N. Security Council, and further, as
agreed by the participants, must be defeated.”
David Ignatius wrote this week in the Washington Post, “The finesse point is
deciding whether a militant Islamist group called Ahrar al-Sham, which is backed
by the Saudis and Qataris but sometimes fights alongside the extremists, should
also be on the blacklist. The United States and Britain seem willing to treat
Ahrar al-Sham as a part of the solution, rather than the problem, if it behaves
more responsibly.“
It might be time for a strategic pause if the United States is indeed advocating
for Ahrar al-Sham to be included in the Syria talks. Doing so as a concession
for Saudi Arabia and Qatar, if that is the deal, won’t cut it. Salih Muslim,
leader of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party, told Al-Monitor’s Amberin
Zaman last month that Ahrar al-Sham is “no different” than IS. The membership of
groups such as Ahrar al-Sham and Jaish al-Fatah (Army of Conquest) is fluid and
includes those, at a minimum, who are fellow travelers with IS and Jabhat al-Nusra.
The United Nations and other independent agencies have documented the increased
collaboration between Jabhat al-Nusra and armed groups backed by the United
States and its allies in military operations against the Syrian government.
Further to the point is a report from Aleppo by Edward Dark (a pseudonym) that
IS and Jabhat al-Nusra may have been coordinating to thwart Syrian military
advances last week around Aleppo, which included Syria’s retaking of the town of
Al-Hader and Kweiris air base.
“In what is an ominous harbinger of what may be yet to come as a consequence of
Russian military intervention, former sworn jihadi enemies cooperated in
severing the route. While the Islamic State (IS) attacked with suicide car bombs
and captured large stretches of the “soft target” road near Athria town, Jabhat
al-Nusra and other Islamist factions launched an attack at its entrance into
Aleppo city at Ramouseh. The Syrian army and its allied paramilitary forces had
been on the offensive to the south of the province, making convincing gains both
in IS-held and rebel-held territory backed by heavy, daily Russian airstrikes.
It was this shared existential threat that convinced the jihadi groups to put
aside their deadly differences, at least for now, and could signal a new and
worrying trend,” Dark writes.
This column has warned for nearly two years about the mainstreaming of Syrian
jihadi groups and the unsettling campaign to make them party to the Syrian
endgame. Perhaps what we are learning about the terrorist bombings in France
offers further guidance to the difficulties, and pitfalls, of using a sliding
scale for tagging radical jihadis. One of the suspects in the Paris attacks,
Ismail Omar Mostefai, had been on the watchlist by French authorities and
arrested eight times before he went to fight in the jihad in Syria in 2013 and
dropped off the radar. The manhunt in Belgium and throughout Europe seems to
indicate that at least some of those involved were suspected or associated with
radical groups. The assailants who killed 12 at the Charlie Hebdo offices in
January had a well-documented record of crime and association with extremists.
So how can the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and others, make the call on who may
or may not be a "terrorist" in Syria, given the fluidity of the current armed
groups, and the difficulties that France — which has among the best police and
security networks in the world — has had in tracking and pre-empting terrorists
on their own soil? Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which maintain close ties to Jordan,
may be making the case not only that Ahrar al-Sham and the Army of Conquest get
a pass on being tagged a terrorist group, but that they should also be at the
table for political discussions on Syria’s future. The International Syria
Support Group should not give in on this one. A pass on the terrorist stage, and
a seat at the Syria table, should not be compared to a ticket to purgatory,
where you get a kind of test to see if you might come out OK on the other end.
That is not the record to date, especially after Paris. The enemy in Syria is
cold-blooded and ruthless, and we cannot afford to be naive by applying a
sliding scale to its evil ideology.
Hebron, Jerusalem flashpoints for the intifada
Adnan Abu Amer reports this week, “Since the start of this intifada, Hebron’s
Palestinians executed 23 stabbings and run-over attacks, and 70 Palestinians
across the occupied territories — including 25 Hebron residents — have been shot
dead by Israeli soldiers. More than 1,100 people have been wounded during the
clashes with the Israeli army along 19 front lines in Hebron and on its
borders.”
Daoud Kuttab explains the linkages between Hebron and Jerusalem as the front
lines of the Palestinian uprising. He writes, “The bond between Jerusalem and
Hebron can be felt on every street of the two cities. Hebronites are an integral
part of Jerusalem, and as a result, anything that happens in the city is felt
through blood and other relationships in Hebron. Israel might have partially
succeeded in isolating Jerusalem from most West Bank cities with its policy of
barring Palestinians from those cities from entering Jerusalem. The case of the
Hebronites, however, is different, as many of them are Jerusalem residents.
Israel is therefore unable to stop their movement, making the bond between the
two cities unshakable. This bond, now cemented with bloodshed, will hold despite
the erection of walls and restrictions on movement. In fact, the
Hebron-Jerusalem alliance is now deeper than at any other time since the
occupation began.”
Abu Amer notes that Hebron is considered a Hamas stronghold. “This prompted the
PA and Israel to impose stricter security measures to forbid any chances of
Hamas’ rise in the city or its implementation of infrastructure renovation,
following Hamas’ abduction and murder of three settlers in June 2014,” he
reports.
Abu Amer continues, “Hebron is making the intifada’s headlines for another
reason also, which is related to the tribal dimension that has entered into the
popular uprising. As a result, the intifada has gained momentum that clearly
appeared in the protest, which the city’s tribes called for in order to bring
back the bodies of the Palestinians detained by the Israeli army Oct. 31. Hamas
spokesman Husam Badran told Al-Monitor, ‘The wide public participation in the
funeral procession of Hebron’s martyrs is a tangible representation of the
choice of resistance and a strong message for Israel that its oppressive
measures and collective punishments will not affect Hebron — the popular and
national hub of the resistance project.’”
On Nov. 4, Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal told a small group of journalists,
including Al-Monitor, that Hamas seeks a unified Palestinian command and that he
hoped the intifada would facilitate Fatah-Hamas reconciliation. “Hamas believes
in all of the resistance’s choices and in the importance of coordinating efforts
under a united command to increase the intifada’s efforts,” Meshaal said.
Asmaa al-Ghoul reports this week from the Gaza Strip on the Islamic Jihad’s
efforts to assert its claim to leadership of the intifada in Gaza. Ghoul reports
that the Islamic Jihad has organized nine rallies independently, without
partnering with Hamas or the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, as
is usually the case. The rallies, according to Ghoul, “go beyond any demarcation
line of Israeli forces in supporting and energizing the intifada from afar. For
instance, one rally was called Hebron Martyrs’ Friday, which is also reflective
of the group's adopted practice of individually naming marches held every
Friday.”
Islamic Jihad spokesman Daoud Shihab told Ghoul, “It is wrong to talk about
rocket firings from the Gaza Strip now. Let us allow the intifada to run its
course, within the framework of popular resistance. … But in principle, we have
not ruled out the use of arms, as we are at the heart of a resistance action.
Taking up arms will come at the right time.”
Ahmad Melhem reports from Ramallah that Palestinians have lost confidence in the
Palestine Liberation Organization. Melhem writes, "A poll carried out Nov. 6 by
the Arab World for Research and Development showed that 64% of those who
participated in the poll support canceling the Oslo Accord, while two-thirds
believe that the PA [Palestinian Authority] will not end its commitment to the
agreement, especially with regard to ending the security and economic
coordination and the dissolution of the PA itself. Palestinians have doubts
about the PLO’s ability to make important decisions to determine the
relationship with Israel, including ending the security and economic
coordination and canceling the Oslo Accord — in light of its weakness and
declining role before the PA — despite its constant threats to do so.”
Erdogan's License to Strangle
Burak Bekdil//Gatestone Institute/November 16/15
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/6887/erdogan-turkey-press-freedom
In President Erdogan's mindset, his party's landslide election victory not only
gives him a mandate to rule, but also to crush "the other."
Meanwhile, Erdogan's Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, wants to clean up Turkey's
worsening image in the West. But not by upholding universal values, protecting
civil liberties and media freedoms and respecting pluralism. He wants to do it
by hiring a Western public relations firm.
A recent study found that 80% of minorities in Turkey cannot openly express
themselves on social media; and 35% say they are subject to hate speech.
Erdogan cannot "buy" respect or "force" others to respect him. He can only
"earn" respect -- something he clearly has no intention of doing.
On November 1, nearly half the Turks (49.4%) gave President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
and his Islamist government a ballot box license to strangle the other half. He
will be only too happy to use that license aggressively.
Only five years ago, Turkey was being universally (and wrongly) portrayed as a
success story, bringing together conservative Islam and democracy. Today, Turkey
boasts one of the worst records of human rights and civil liberties -- including
abuses of media freedom -- among countries tied by some kind of bond to Western
institutions such as NATO and the European Union (EU). Erdogan hates pluralism.
He embraces simple majoritarianism -- so long as he wins the biggest share of
the vote.
The renewed vote of confidence by pro-Erdogan Turks for Erdogan and the ruling
Justice and Development Party (AKP), which he founded in 2001, could be
disastrous for millions of anti-Erdogan Turks. In Erdogan's mindset, his party's
landslide election victory not only gives him a mandate to rule, but also to
crush "the other."
Unsurprisingly, the West is worried. Only two days after the Turkish elections,
State Department Spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau spoke of concerns about media
freedoms in Turkey, and urged the country to uphold universal democratic values.
"The media outlets and individual journalists critical of the government were
subject to pressure and intimidation during the campaign, seemingly in a manner
calculated to weaken political opposition," Trudeau said. "We urge Turkish
authorities to ensure their actions uphold the universal democratic values
enshrined in Turkey's constitution."
Across the Atlantic, the EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European
Neighbourhood Policy warned the Turkish government that continued threats to
media freedom, including "intimidation" of journalists, will undercut Turkey's
-- already crawling -- bid to join the EU.
The systematic intimidation of the critical press, usually through police
operations and/or court verdicts, had reached a peak even before the elections.
On October 26, the chief public prosecutor's office in Ankara ordered one such
media group, Koza-Ipek, to be placed under the management of a panel of trustees
-- all pro-government managers. Without a court order, the government stole two
newspapers and two TV stations from the dissident Koza-Ipek group, which it
claims is linked with a terrorist organization allegedly run by the U.S.-based
Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen. Gulen was Erdogan's best political ally until
2013, when they had a falling out. The prosecutor appointed pro-government
trustees to the management of the Koza-Ipek group, to seize the enterprise.
These trustees immediately reversed the editorial policy of the media outlets
into a fiercely pro-government line. A few days later, 58 employees at the
dailies Bugün, Millet and broadcasters Bugün TV and Kanaltürk were fired.
Only two days after the November 1 election, an Istanbul court ordered the
confiscation of the latest issue of Nokta magazine, on the grounds that it
"incites crime" with its cover, which showed Erdogan's picture with the
headline: "Monday, November 2: The Beginning of Turkey's Civil War." This
confiscation occurred less than two months after it an earlier edition was
confiscated for "insulting the president." The magazine's editor-in-chief and
news editor were arrested. Reporters Without Borders, a media freedoms advocacy
group, issued a total of seven reports under the title "Timeline of Media
Censorship in Turkey" between Sept. 7 and Nov. 3. It is anybody's guess which
media group will be the next target. Under the rule of President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan (right) and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (left), Turkey has been
systematically intimidating the critical press, usually through police
operations and/or court verdicts. Meanwhile, Erdogan's ally, Prime Minister
Ahmet Davutoglu, wants to clean up Turkey's worsening image in the West. But he
does not want to do that by upholding universal values, protecting civil
liberties and media freedoms and respecting pluralism. He wants to do that by
hiring a western public relations firm.
Apparently, Davutoglu, who once called Israel a "geopolitical tumor," hired one
of the world's largest PR agencies, the U.S.-based Burson-Marsteller (with
offices in Washington DC, Berlin, London and Paris) to improve his and his
country's "overseas image." Last year, Burson-Marsteller rejected Israel as a
client, deeming the Jewish State too controversial. Yet it represented the
Muslim Brotherhood of Tunisia. According to Ronn Torossian, a U.S. public
relations specialist, "The first job of this legendary public relations agency
may be to spin his [Davutoglu's] idea that jihad should not be confused with
terrorism. Davutoglu has said there is no connection between jihad and
terrorism..." Davutoglu is trying to "buy" international respect. He cannot. One
can "earn" respect. He cannot expect the civilized parts of the world just to
ignore the fact that he is the prime minister of a country where minorities
cannot even express themselves. A recent study conducted by a minority
organization and funded by the EU found that 80% of minorities in Turkey cannot
openly express themselves on social media; and a good 35% say they are subject
to hate speech on the same platform. Erdogan too, is wrong about "respect."
After his party's election victory, he spoke of the "Western media" and
complained that "they still have not learned to respect who was elected as
president with 52% of the people's vote." Erdogan cannot "buy" respect or
"force" others to respect him. He can only "earn" respect -- something he
clearly has no intention of doing.
**Burak Bekdil, based in Ankara, is a Turkish columnist for the Hürriyet Daily
and a Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
Why it's time for US to take firm approach to two-state
solution
Uri Savir/Al-Monitor/November 16/15
The recent violence in and from the West Bank has made many American diplomats
nervous about a bigger breakdown of Middle Eastern stability. Arab media outlets
and social networks buzzing about Palestinian casualties and an Israeli affront
on Al-Aqsa are a sure recipe for regional turmoil.
Middle East policy analysts from the US State Department have told Al-Monitor
that several policy options are being weighed to restore stability and, more
importantly, to set a basis for an eventual peace process. These analysts are
unanimous in their diagnosis of the dangers facing the region. They qualify the
sporadic daily terror attacks against Israel as an outbreak of anger provoked by
the ongoing humiliation that results from military occupation of large parts of
the West Bank. The inspiration for attacks and the daily knifings come from
social network posts and pictures glorifying youth resistance. Hamas, in the
view of these analysts, is encouraging the violence and attempting to instigate
an intifada, mainly to weaken President Mahmoud Abbas' position in the West
Bank. He is branded by them — and also by some Fatah nationalists — as a traitor
for his security cooperation with Israel at this time. The fact that this
violence has taken on religious undertones with the motto of rescuing Al-Aqsa in
the name of Islam raises additional concerns in Washington — that the crisis
could grow and transform into a broader regional confrontation, with other
Islamist and fundamentalist organizations joining in.
And yet, according to these analysts, the policy measures currently being
considered are for the most part of a tactical nature, given the unwillingness
of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to enter serious two-state solution
negotiations, as well as Abbas' political weakness.
A senior diplomatic State Department source told Al-Monitor on condition of
anonymity that the administration is contemplating two possible sets of
measures. The first set includes practical ones, including mutual
confidence-building measures, such as Israeli concessions on Palestinian
economic activities in Area C, the de facto freeze of settlement expansion and
greater freedom of movement inside the West Bank, in return for the Palestinians
refraining from unilateral moves at UN institutions, including at the
International Criminal Court.
The second path of a possible US initiative could be a more declarative one, by
making public the elements of the framework agreement proposed by Kerry in
spring 2014, possibly through a presidential speech. The administration
estimates that at best, these measures may be helpful in achieving stability and
preventing an intifada, but will not suffice to renew a viable peace process.
According to the senior State Department source, the Palestinian Authority has
indicated to the United States that tactical measures and declarations fall
short of their expectations and will not strengthen Abbas' moderate camp.
A senior Palestinian security source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity
that time is running out for the Palestinian leadership's ability to curb terror
and violence: "At a time when daily violence by settlers and the army against
Palestinian youth takes place, security cooperation with Israel is viewed as
surrendering," he said, warning of a major outbreak of violence and terror —
sporadic or incited — by Hamas. When asked about any possible US policy
measures, the security official unequivocally criticized the Barack Obama
administration: "We were told to wait until after the Iran deal was approved by
Congress. Now Syria is at the focus of their regional policy. The administration
is again leaning 100% in favor of Israel, and does not comprehend the centrality
of the Palestinian cause to the Arab world."
Similarly, Jerusalem does not express much enthusiasm about the American ideas.
That was made clear by Netanyahu when he met with Obama on Nov. 9 at the White
House. Netanyahu agrees to an immediate and unconditional resumption of
Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and to minor tactical confidence-building
measures. He rejects, though, any attempts to discuss the US framework proposals
and any real and official settlement freeze. One may understand American
reluctance to diplomatically engage in a prominent way without any readiness by
the two parties to make significant compromises. Yet, given the dangers entailed
in a continuous diplomatic stalemate, the US administration would be better
advised to take more strategically-oriented policy measures that pertain to
progress on a permanent status agreement and Palestinian statehood. Abbas needs
a timeline for statehood to justify his moderate approach. Such an initiative by
the United States could be based on the timeline detailed in the Oslo agreement,
i.e., three years of negotiations to achieve permanent status. The United States
could declare 2018 the year of permanent status for a two-state solution,
establishing an independent, demilitarized Palestinian state through basic,
acceptable terms of reference, such as the US framework proposals, the 2002 Arab
Peace Initiative and Israel's security needs.Such an initiative would offer the
possibility of greater stability and set a framework for future negotiations,
including for the post-Obama era.
How to solve Lebanese
civil war disappearances
Ash Gallagher/Al-Monitor/November 16/15
BEIRUT — In the Shiite neighborhood of Zqaq el-Blat in Beirut lives Fatima
Fneish, who has agonized over the disappearance of her brother Hussein Fneish,
16, who went missing in 1976 during Lebanon’s civil war on his way to school.
Fneish, 60, invited Al-Monitor to her home to share her family’s story. As she
sipped her coffee and smoked nervously, she said, “Hussein was with [our] mother
and father. He was walking when the Phalange, who were in the area. … They
called out to him because he was tall for his age, and arrested him. My mom,
afraid my brother would get shot, said they could take him and the [family]
would find him again [later].” But the Fneish family would never see him again.
The Phalange militia, a party largely supported by Maronite Christians in
Lebanon, had set up a checkpoint near what is now the Khodor el-Karantina
neighborhood. Fneish is one of thousands who went missing during the 15-year
Lebanese civil war, which began in April 1975 and lasted until 1990. With many
different groups fighting a cultural and religious war, it has been estimated
that at least 17,000 people went missing — kidnapped or killed — during
continuous rounds of violence. For the families of those who went missing,
closure has been long overdue.
But now, the International Committee of the Red Cross is preparing to introduce
a DNA testing program to the forensic investigation into Lebanon’s missing.
After adding biological samples from family members to their prior testimonies
of the events during that period, the ICRC will partner with Lebanon’s Internal
Security Forces to match this information with skeletal remains found in mass
graves all over the country.
The ICRC expects to begin collecting DNA samples in the coming weeks. They will
take cheek swabs from family members and store them in a lab the ISF will
provide. Pierre Guyomarc’h, ICRC’s forensics adviser, told Al-Monitor, “The
emergency is to collect this data before people die. Every couple weeks we hear
of a former interviewee who has passed away” due to old age.
The organization has already interviewed at least 2,000 families and it expects
there will be more. While most families have not given up hope, many have spent
time and money chasing shadows and being taken advantage of for years. “We
proactively sought to find my brother. We even sought out some political
leaders,” said Fneish. “For years, we would hear rumors and we would go to try
and find him. People would claim they had information, but would also claim they
needed money and really they just wanted to rob us.”
Fneish emotionally described her brother as a meek red-haired boy who was kind
to children, well mannered and wanted to go into the fashion industry after high
school. “He would match his shirt and pants and was very hygienic, he had all
the good qualities. I was very affected and took Valium because I was having
mental breakdowns. It affected my mother, who always cried. My mom still expects
him to come back.”
The family sold their businesses and their assets after her brother’s
disappearance, investing everything they had into finding Hussein. “To have
someone who is missing is the hardest thing in life because you don’t know where
he is and have no grave to visit,” Fneish said.
Guyomarc’h said the biggest challenge to moving forward with the project is
getting final legal permissions from Lebanon’s parliament. “The paradox is when
you try to have a document signed and go through, it takes a lot of time,
because it’s sensitive, it’s political. People always say perpetrators from the
war are still in power and you still have issues between sects,” he said.
Al-Monitor reached out to the Interior Ministry, which is now in charge of
pushing through the legislation to make the project happen, but did not receive
a response.
Fatima Rida was the wife of Hossein Moalim, a cook who disappeared on his way to
the Bekaa Valley on March 11, 1976.
Rida, 64, told Al-Monitor that her husband went to pick up chicken for the
restaurant where he worked. But he never came home and three days later, the
truck he was driving was found empty. “Some say he was murdered, some say he was
arrested. I lost my nerves. Two years after the disappearance of my husband, my
father, who used to help me, passed away,” she said.
She then went to work at an airline, leaving her five small children at home
alone. “When I left, I would leave them in the house and give the keys to the
neighbor. I gave them money and when they were hungry, they could call the
neighbor. Yes, I left them alone, but I was afraid they would go out and get run
over by a car.”The responsibilities of caring for her family alone gave Rida a
lot of anxiety over the years, and she continues to take medication to calm
herself down. But she has also focused her attention on her grandchildren, and
that keeps her going.
Rida isn’t certain about the ICRC program. She hopes it could help identify a
body if it’s really out there, but she’s resigned to her life without her
husband. “I don’t think he’s alive. He would have come home. How can he come
back?”
The ICRC project is still waiting for ministerial approval to store samples with
the ISF, whose crime lab will later create a database to identify the missing.
The ICRC remains staunchly neutral toward Lebanese politics. However, Guyomarc’h
noted that the general response from the Foreign Ministry and Interior Ministry
has been positive, but when it comes to signing an actual law that will
officially commission the DNA investigation, the process has been slow. “They
are too afraid to reopen a wound and to give new reasons for a conflict. This
fear of going back to war is more important … than anything.”
But with the Lebanese government in conflict over the current trash crisis, it
seems little else is able to get through to the council of ministers, many of
whom do not attend legislative sessions due to a lack of agreement on agendas.
And at such a slow rate, the longing for closure of the missing's families will
be passed on to another generation.
Kuwaiti Liberal, Dr. Shamlan Yousef Al-'Issa On Occasion Of International
Tolerance Day: Tolerance In The Arab World – Only After Implementing Democracy/MEMRI/November
16/15
In an article he published on the occasion of the International Day for
Tolerance (marked on November 16), Dr. Shamlan Yousef Al-'Issa, a political
science lecturer at Kuwait University, wrote that tolerance will only prevail in
Arab societies once they embrace democracy and separate religion from state.
The following are excerpts from the article, published November 15 in the UAE
paper Al-Ittihad:
"Tomorrow, on Monday, November 16, the word will mark the International Day for
Tolerance. We Arabs must participate in [marking] this day and benefit from the
lessons that motivated the Western states to mark it, especially considering the
rift we are experiencing in some of our countries that are in the throes of
civil wars fueled by sectarian or religious factors or by tribal and regional
interests. The devastating results of these [wars] are apparent every day,
especially in Syria, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Sudan and Lebanon. All this devastation
results from the absence of national dialogue and from the rejection of
tolerance and the failure to implement democracy.
"The concept of tolerance emerged in the Age of Enlightenment in the 17th and
18th centuries, and its principles were shaped by European philosophers of that
period, including Voltaire, John Locke, [Jean-Jacques] Rousseau, John Stuart
Mill and others. The need for tolerance arose mainly because Europe was
devastated for 400 years by destructive religious wars between Catholics and
Protestants. [This] caused a religious reform movement to emerge in the 16th
century, whose activity led to the weakening of the Church after Christianity
experienced many rifts that gave rise to several [different] sects and factions.
The European kings also worked to diminish the influence of the Church because
it had become riddled with corruption and materialism.
"Considering this Western experience, the question arises what is missing in our
Arab Muslim societies that prevents the concept of tolerance from successfully
[taking root] in the Arab and Muslim countries. Before [trying to] spread the
ideas of tolerance in our Arab society, we need free ideological movements that
believe blindly in freedom of religion and in absolute respect for the opinions
of others – because the concept of tolerance has moral, religious, philosophical
and legal aspects. These [aspects] do not exist in Arab societies because
freedom of thought, freedom of expression, the acknowledgement of differing
opinions and pluralism and of the need for coexistence and cooperation – all
these can only exist in free, democratic countries, for tolerance is the
opposite of fanaticism.
"Sadly, our societies suffer from religious and sectarian movements that reject
religious and ideological pluralism, proclaim others to be infidels and fight
anyone who disagrees with them. In the West, religion focuses on concepts like
love, brotherhood and peace, whereas we have several movements of political
Islam that [only] increase hatred and the exclusion of the other just because he
differs in his beliefs or religion.
"Tolerance has political value in that it accepts difference, disagreement and
dialogue instead of [advocating] political exclusion. It is also has legal
value, in that it calls to avoid discrimination between citizens and to respect
the law that sets out equal rights and duties to which everyone must be
committed.
"Finally – is it possible for love, brotherhood, dialogue and tolerance to
prevail in our societies? We say honestly and clearly: This can be achieved
easily if the Arab homelands implement democracy and distance religion from
politics. Or, in the spirit of the French philosopher Voltaire, [let us say
that] religious tolerance in society requires confronting every kind of
fanaticism by enshrining the value of [free] thought, eschewing extremism and
respecting freedoms in every domain, especially the freedom of thought."
Editor Of Iraqi Daily, Adnan Hussein: The Arabs And Muslims
Must Acknowledge Their Direct Responsibility For The Terror Sweeping The World
MEMRI/November 16/15
Following ISIS's November 13, 2015 terror attack in Paris, the executive editor
of the Iraqi daily Al-Mada, 'Adnan Hussein, published a harsh article titled
"This Is Our Terror, We Are Responsible," in which he stated that all Muslims,
Sunnis and Shi'ite, bear direct responsibility for the terror that is sweeping
the world. He said that the curricula, the media and the mosques in the Muslim
world constitute a platform for inculcating a barbaric kind of Islam that
condones beheadings and bloodshed, whereas the voice of the other kind of Islam,
which preaches peace and compassion, is barely heard. This religious extremism,
which presents the Muslims as the best of nations and all others as infidels
bound for hell, has pitched young Muslim into "a holy world war" against the
rest of humanity, he stated. He called on Muslims to acknowledge this and to
enact comprehensive reforms to change the rhetoric in the schools, mosques and
media.
The following are excerpts from his article:[1]
"We cannot shake off our responsibility for the new and terrible terror attack
that recently struck Paris, the French capital. We, the Arabs and Muslims,
cannot renounce our direct role and our close connection to the terror attacks
that have been flooding all the countries of the world, including our own
countries, for two decades or more.
"In religion and history classes in elementary school, junior high, high school
and later [even] in the university, they insisted on teaching us that we are the
chosen [people], the best and most glorious of nations, that our religion is the
true religion and that we are the right group that will be saved [from hell],[2]
whereas others are people of falsehood, infidels who belong in hell and are
doomed to hellfire, whose killing is permissible and whose property and wives
are ours for the taking. In these classes they presented us with examples, such
as Koranic verses and Prophetichadiths that had been taken out of their
historical context, so that we got the impression that the ruling was absolute
and must be applied in every place and every time until the Day of Judgement...
"At the mosque or the husseiniyya [Shi'ite congregation hall and place of
worship], they would sharpen our sectarian inclinations by inciting against the
members of other religions and even of other [Muslim] sects, [calling them]
Khawarij,[3] rawafid[a Sunni derogatory term for Shi'ites], nawasib [a Shi'ite
derogatory term for Sunnis], deviants and apostates.
"Today our children and grandchildren receive in their schools, universities,
mosques and husseiniyyas very large and strong doses of [that] sectarian
religious [drug] that is spiritually and mentally deadly, while the sectarian
religious television and radio stations, which broadcast around the clock and
receive funds at the expense of schools and hospitals, strengthen its [effect
even further]. Our children and grandchildren are engaged in a holy world war
against all others, no matter what their religion, sect or nationality. This
environment gave rise to the extremist Islamic groups, which were fertilized by
poverty, unemployment, marginalization, the usurpation of human rights and
individual and collective freedoms, and the violation of honor, which were
sometimes carried out in the name of pan-Arabism and sometimes in the name of
religion or sect.
"We cannot escape our responsibility for terror, and no excuses will avail us.
First we must recognize [our responsibility], and apologize to ourselves and
others and correct our ways from now on. We cannot do this without thoroughly
rethinking our curricula and changing them from the root, from elementary school
to university [level]. There will be no forgiveness unless we change the way
religion is presented in the curricula, in universities, in mosques and in
husseiniyyas, and on the radio and television stations. For the religion [as
presented there] is not a religion of tolerance, peace, harmony, mutual
responsibility and compassion. The religion [presented] in our curricula,
universities, mosques and husseiniyyas, and on the radio and television
stations, is a barbaric religion characterized by beheadings and bloodshed and
which incites to steal, usurp, enslave and rape. The other, [compassionate,]
religion, which some of claim is the true religion, has no presence in our
lives. At best, its voice is feeble and heard almost by nobody, especially among
the oppressed new generation that is marginalized and whose humanity is being
compromised by poverty, rejection and injustice, and by the crazy curricula and
fatwas."
[1] Al-Mada (Iraq), November 15, 2015.
[2] According to a hadith, the Prophet said that the Muslim nation would split
into many different groups and sects, only one of which would be saved.
[3] The Khawarij broke away from the forces of Caliph 'Ali bin Abu Taleb and
formed Islam's first religious opposition group.