LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
December 30/09
Bible Reading of the day
Malach2/9-1
2:1 “Now, you priests, this commandment is for you. 2:2 If
you will not listen, and if you will not lay it to heart, to give glory to my
name,” says Yahweh of Armies, “then will I send the curse on you, and I will
curse your blessings. Indeed, I have cursed them already, because you do not lay
it to heart. 2:3 Behold, I will rebuke your seed, and
will spread dung on your faces, even the dung of your feasts; and you will be
taken away with it. 2:4 You will know that I have sent this commandment to you,
that my covenant may be with Levi,” says Yahweh of Armies. 2:5 “My covenant was
with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him that he might be reverent
toward me; and he was reverent toward me, and stood in awe of my name. 2:6 The
law of truth was in his mouth, and unrighteousness was not found in his lips. He
walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many away from iniquity. 2:7
For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his
mouth; for he is the messenger of Yahweh of Armies. 2:8 But you have turned
aside out of the way. You have caused many to stumble in the law. You have
corrupted the covenant of Levi,” says Yahweh of Armies. 2:9 “Therefore I have
also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according to the way
you have not kept my ways, but have had respect for persons in the law
Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special
Reports
Shameless Islamist Doubles peak
Rages On Hezbollah's "New" Manifesto in Context/By: Raymond Ibrahim/December
29/09
Confronting the Reality of
Homegrown Jihadist Terror in 2009/By:
IPT News/December
29/09
Watching the Iranian calendar/The
Daily Star/December
29/09
Blood
flows freely in Nabatieh as Shiites mark Ashura/By
Mohammed Zaatari/Daily Star/December
29/09
Don’t rule out a Nouri al-Maliki
return/By: Tony Badran/Now Lebanon/December 29, 09
Syria’s Resurgence in
Lebanon/By:
Arieh O’Sullivan/the
medialine./December 29/09
Latest
News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for December 29/09
A US source to
An-Nahar: Israel to withdraw from northern Ghajar next month/Now Lebanon
Qaida Reportedly Mobilizing
Militants in Lebanon and Plotting Attacks against UNIFIL/Naharnet
Suleiman: Political Crises Can't Threaten Stability Anymore/Naharnet
Vienna
Police: Filipina Found Dead at Lebanese Ambassador's House/Naharnet
Report:
Israel Withdraws from Ghajar End of January/Naharnet
Frustration over Dragnet
Thrown Around Haret Hreik Blast Site/Naharnet
2 Lebanese Return to
Lebanon from Israel/Naharnet
Kahwaji “vows” support to Sleiman
for initiative in Lebanese-Arab rapprochement/Now Lebanon
Mouallem says 2009 year of Syrian
success on all levels/Now Lebanon
Army Opens Anti-Aircraft
Fire on Israeli Fighter Jets/Naharnet
Muallem: Visits by
Suleiman and Hariri are Basis of Solid Ties/Naharnet
Bkirki Visitors:
Nasrallah's Speech is a Threat to Christian Existence/Naharnet
National Dialogue After
Holidays/Naharnet
Rustom Ghazaleh's Assets
Unfrozen/Naharnet
Percussion Grenade Targets
Fatah Official in Miyeh Miyeh/Naharnet
Phalange Party Lashes Back
at Nasrallah, Says Let Him Implement His Own Advices/Naharnet
US official admits security failed
in air scare/Daily
Star
Iran arrests 10 leading opposition
figures after protests/Daily
Star
Foreign ties under fire after Nasrallah's Ashura address/Daily
Star
UNIFL finds large amounts of
explosives in south Lebanon/Daily Star
Israel 'mulling two-part withdrawal from Ghajar'/Daily
Star
Phalange defends move against
Cabinet policy after experts say it's not binding/Daily
Star
Audi AG plans to spend $10.5
billion on plant upgrades, research/Daily
Star
Moody's Investors upgrades Lebanese
banks' long-term FX deposit ratings/Daily
Star
Lebanese
Army detains five Palestinians
carrying weapons/Daily
Star
Israeli warplanes fly over Lebanon, draw army
fire/Reuters
Iran Summons British Envoy in Wake of Protests/New
York Times
UNIFL finds large amounts of explosives in south Lebanon
By Patrick Galey /Daily Star staff
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
BEIRUT: Peacekeeping troops have discovered large amounts of explosives in
southern Lebanon, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) revealed
on Sunday. The discovery was made by a UNIFIL patrol south of the village of Al-Khiam
just before 9 p.m on Saturday evening after observing “suspicious movement of
approximately five persons in an isolated area,” said a UNIFIL statement.
The patrol found “a significant quantity of explosives” at the location. An
investigation was quickly launched by UNIFIL in collaboration with the Lebanese
Army (LAF) to determine the exact nature of the explosives found.
“The [LAF] was notified immediately and responded to the location, whereby joint
search operations were carried out in the area,” said the statement. It added
that the explosives were handed over to an army patrol.
“We must await the findings of the investigation before we can make any final
conclusion,” the statement said.
An-Nahar reported over the weekend that the haul consisted of 12 boxes of TNT
and that the explosives located were not set up to detonate.
UNIFIL said that the haul represented a significant breach of UN Security
Council Resolution 1701 – drafted to end Israel’s July-August 2006 war on
Lebanon.
The Resolution expressly forbids any non-state group from possessing or storing
arms south of the Litani River, which still falls under the jurisdiction of
UNIFIL.
“The presence of unauthorized explosives in the area constitutes a clear
violation of [Resolution 1701] … and is a matter of serious concern,” the
statement said.
In his latest report into the implementation of Resolution 1701, UN Secretary
General Ban Ki-Moon called on Hizbullah and other non-state actors to give up
their arms, as they constituted a threat to Lebanese security.
The incident is latest in a string of weapons finds inside UNIFIL’s operational
area.
In July, an arms cache, thought to belong to Hizbullah, was discovered near the
village of Khirbet Silim, close to the UN-demarcated Blue Line marking the
boundary of Israeli military withdrawal from Lebanon.
At least four investigations have been launched this year by UNIFIL and LAF
teams probing incidents involving weapons south of the Litani River.
Bkirki
Visitors: Nasrallah's Speech is a Threat to Christian Existence
Naharnet/Bkirki visitors have considered Hizbullah Secretary-General Sayyed
Hassan Nasrallah's speech on Sunday a threat to the existence of Christians in
the country despite an understanding between the Shiite group and the Free
Patriotic Movement. Nasrallah urged Christians in Lebanon to engage in "calm
dialogue among themselves to discuss present and future options and to benefit
from the experiences of the past.""Christians should not tolerate those who want
to push them to commit suicide," Nasrallah cautioned. "This direct threat to the
Christians takes us back to the era of polarization that was overcome after the
formation of the national unity government and the establishment of
(state-to-state) ties between Lebanon and Syria," the visitors told al-Liwaa
newspaper in remarks published Tuesday. The Christian circles also said that
Nasrallah contradicted himself when he announced that he won't snap back at
campaigns targeting Hizbullah's arms and then "advised" Christians to reach
agreement among themselves on the options that meet with the choices of all
other Lebanese.
Beirut, 29 Dec 09, 10:12
Qaida Reportedly Mobilizing Militants in Lebanon and Plotting Attacks against
UNIFIL
Naharnet/Al-Qaida militants are plotting terrorist attacks against state
institutions and foreign missions in coordination with Fatah al-Islam and wanted
Palestinian fighter Abdel Rahman Awad, a well-informed security source told An
Nahar daily. The source said that Lebanese security agencies have also received
information about the infiltration of al-Qaida militants into the country from
Pakistan via Turkey, Greece and the Lebanese-Syrian border. The militants are
seeking refuge in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, the source told An Nahar.
The militants are residing in apartments in the north and Mount Lebanon pending
their infiltration into the refugee camps, according to the security source.
Al-Qaida members are also training other militants in the refugee camp of Ain
el-Hilweh to carry out attacks against U.N. peacekeepers stationed in southern
Lebanon, the source said.
He added that two weeks ago Jund al-Sham received financial assistance from a
top al-Qaida official for the purpos of activating sleeper cells in the
camp.Beirut, 29 Dec 09, 07:35
Suleiman: Political Crises Can't Threaten Stability Anymore
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman on Tuesday urged "the military and security
services, topped by the army, to stay alert and prepared to thwart Israel's
hostile plans."
Suleiman called on the security and military officials to exert "more efforts
and unity among their institutions which represent the real and true guarantee
for the security of the country and its citizens." "The occurrence of political
crises can't threaten stability or the State's path anymore," added the
president. Suleiman urged a near launching of reform inside state's institutions
and administrations in order to "correct the deficiencies," and added that
allocating official employees should be based upon competence and honesty.
Beirut, 29 Dec 09, 17:07
Vienna Police: Filipina Found Dead at Lebanese Ambassador's House
Naharnet/The body of a 30-year-old Filipina housekeeper was found on Tuesday in
the cellar of the Lebanese ambassador's residence in the Austrian capital,
police said.
The body had several stab wounds, according to police in Vienna. The woman was
found on Tuesday morning by the cook, the only person present at the residence
in Vienna's posh 18th district at the time. The ambassador, Ishaya al-Khoury,
was out of the country, police added. Lebanese authorities, which alerted the
police, were cooperating with the investigation and allowed Austrian police
officers free access to the scene. Under rules of extra-territoriality, an
ambassador's residence would not usually fall under Austrian
jurisdiction.(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 29 Dec 09, 14:49
Report: Israel Withdraws from Ghajar End of January
Naharnet/Israel will withdraw from the northern part of the border village of
Ghajar at the end of January 2010 following a deal between UNIFIL and Israel,
well-informed U.S. sources told An Nahar newspaper. The sources said that
Israeli troops will pull out from the Lebanese side of the village in accordance
with U.N. Security Council resolution 1701 based on a UNIFIL plan. Israel
occupied Ghajar during its 2006 war with Hizbullah. An Nahar said that Lebanon
has informed the U.N. about its acceptance of the plan and although Israel
hasn't officially notified UNIFIL about its consent, it told the mission's
commander Maj. Gen. Claudio Graziano and U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon
Michael Williams that it is mulling to pull out its forces from Ghajar.
According to the plan, the U.N. would deploy 12 peacekeepers in addition to a
Lebanese officer and three other Lebanese soldiers from the village in the
northern part of Ghajar on condition that the Israeli pullout does not affect
the daily lives of the village's residents. The condition stipulates that the
residents move between the northern and southern sides of the village without
any difficulties. The U.S. sources told An Nahar that Israel would provide
Ghajar residents with water and electricity, a move that Lebanon has agreed on
because its priority is an Israeli pullout from the village. Ghajar lies at the
foot of Mount Hermon and straddles the Lebanese-Syrian border. It is inhabited
by Alawites, most of whom have obtained Israeli citizenship even though they
consider themselves Syrian. The village is an extension of the Syrian Golan
Heights plateau, which Israel occupied during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and then
annexed in 1981. According to the U.N.-drawn Blue Line marking the border
between Israel and Lebanon following a May 2000 Israeli troop pullout, one-third
of the village is on Lebanese soil, while the other two thirds are part of
occupied Syrian territory. Beirut, 29 Dec 09, 08:12
Frustration over Dragnet Thrown Around Haret Hreik Blast Site
Naharnet/Security and judicial authorities have intensified their investigation
into the mysterious Saturday night explosion that targeted a Hamas office in
Beirut's southern suburbs amid criticism of the media and judicial dragnet
thrown by Hizbullah around the scene of the blast An Nahar said Tuesday that
military court judge Rahif Ramadan arrived to the scene of the explosion 20
minutes after the blast went off during which Hizbullah members had thrown an
airtight security dragnet and prevented anyone from approaching the site in
Haret Hreik.
However, Ramadan denied he was stopped by Hizbullah and said he got the approval
of the military police and opened an investigation at 12:30 am Sunday. He said,
however, it was difficult to move in the area as a result of rubble and power
cuts but was able to search the scene at 4:00 pm Sunday. According to
information made available to An Nahar, the blast site was tampered with after
SUVs were seen coming out of the area following the explosion. Reports on
reasons behind the explosion also differed with An Nahar saying that a car-bomb
was being defused when the blast went off. However, according to al-Akhbar
daily, the explosion was either the result of a bomb planted in the area to
target Hamas members or explosive materials stacked in the area. Al-Akhbar said
that a Hamas member was probably moving the explosives or the movement's members
were training on making the bombs or defusing them when the blast went off. The
newspaper said security forces arrested a suspect after hearing the testimonies
of several witnesses. However, official security sources denied such
information. A Hamas movement official in southern Lebanon told Agence France
Presse on Monday that the cause of the blast was a booby-trapped fundraising box
sent to Hamas representative in Lebanon Osama Hamdan. Security sources also told
pan-Arab daily al-Hayat that police were investigation how the box reached the
area and who sent it. Beirut, 29 Dec 09, 09:36
Muallem: Visits by Suleiman and Hariri are Basis of Solid Ties
Naharnet/Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem has hailed the formation of the
Lebanese national unity cabinet and described as important President Bashar
Assad's talks with Lebanese leaders, including President Michel Suleiman and
Prime Minister Saad Hariri. Briefing the Syrian people's Assembly on Monday,
Muallem said Suleiman's and Hariri's visits to Damascus formed the foundation of
solid Syrian-Lebanese ties that respect the interest of both peoples'. According
to Syria's state-run news agency, SANA, the minister lauded exchanged visits
between Assad and Saudi King Abdullah saying the meetings led to positive
outcomes and activation of bilateral cooperation between the two countries. SANA
also quoted Muallem as saying that Syria is committed to the Turkish mediation
in the indirect peace talks with Israel. He stressed that negotiations will not
resume before the Jewish state announces its approval to withdraw to the line of
June 4, 1967. The Syrian foreign minister also said that relations between Syria
and Iran are distinguished and serve the interests of the region, according to
SANA. Beirut, 29 Dec 09, 11:23
Army Opens Anti-Aircraft Fire on Israeli Fighter Jets
Naharnet/The Lebanese army on Tuesday opened anti-aircraft fire on four Israeli
warplanes flying over southern Lebanon, the National News Agency reported. NNA
said that the 'Phantom' fighter jets began violating Lebanese airspace at 8:40
am in the areas of Arqoub, Hasbaya and Western Bekaa. The army opened
anti-aircraft fire over Hasbaya at 9:10 am, forcing the planes, which were
flying at low altitude, to head towards Israel, NNA added. Beirut, 29 Dec 09,
10:40
2 Lebanese Return to Lebanon from Israel
LCCC/The Lebanese army was on Tuesday /questioning citizens Nadim Abu Rafeh and
Khalil Hanna Abu Hamad after crossing the border from Israel in the Ras Naqoura
area.
The National News Agency said the International Red Cross handed over the man to
the army for questioning. Rafeh, 50, who hails from Hasbaya, and 90-year-old Abu
Hamad from Marjayoun were forced because of Hezbollah in year 2000 to take
refugee in the Jewish state after the Israeli withdrawal from the south. Beirut,
29 Dec 09, 14:07
National Dialogue After Holidays
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman is working on expanding the national dialogue
which is expected to be re-launched after the New Year. Informed sources told
al-Liwaa newspaper that the dialogue would expand given the results achieved in
the June parliamentary elections. Suleiman is scheduled to travel to Paris on
Wednesday for a private visit with his family. Al-Liwaa did not rule out an
unofficial meeting between Suleiman and French President Nicolas Sarkozy during
his few day stay in the French capital. Beirut, 29 Dec 09, 10:29
Rustom Ghazaleh's Assets Unfrozen
Naharnet/Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare has decided to
unfreeze the financial assets of the former head of Syria's military
intelligence in Lebanon, Brig. Gen. Rustom Ghazaleh, al-Liwaa daily reported
Tuesday. The newspaper said that Ghazaleh's family most probably requested
Lebanon's Central Bank to unfreeze the assets. The bank in its turn referred the
request to State Prosecutor Saeed Mirza who asked Bellemare to take the
appropriate decision. After studying the request, the STL prosecutor decided to
unfreeze Ghazaleh's assets. Ghazaleh headed Syria's military intelligence in
Lebanon when former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was murdered in Feb. 2005. He
was among several top Syrian officials questioned in Vienna by U.N.
investigators over the assassination. The U.S. government has frozen the
financial assets of Ghazaleh and Syria's Interior Minister Ghazi Kenaan, who has
allegedly committed suicide. Beirut, 29 Dec 09, 09:52
Percussion Grenade Targets Fatah Official in Miyeh Miyeh
Naharnet/Unknown assailants threw a percussion grenade on the home of Col. Fathi
Zaidan, the Fatah official in Miyeh Miyeh refugee camp in Sidon, causing
material damage only.
An Nahar daily said the incident took place Sunday night. Zaidan ruled out any
link between the attack on his house and the latest appointments and differences
over them between Brig. Gens. Mounir al-Maqdah and Sultan Abul Ainein. Zaidan,
according to An Nahar, reiterated his support for any decision by Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas on appointments of top officials in Lebanon's refugee
camps. Beirut, 29 Dec 09, 08:25
Phalange Party Lashes Back at Nasrallah, Says Let Him Implement His Own Advices
Naharnet/Phalange Party on Monday lashed back at Hizbullah Secretary-General
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah over his Ashoura's speech "in which he addressed
warnings to Christians in the form of advices." "Phalange Party, which is not
affected by this intimidation, calls on Sayyed Nasrallah to apply his own
advices on himself because he needs them more," said a statement issued by
Phalange's politburo after its weekly meeting. The statement added that
Nasrallah's choices are the ones "that embroil Lebanon; diminish its
sovereignty; obstruct institutions; and prevent security services from
performing basic duties." "If Hizbullah really wants to maintain dialogue and
preserve the pacification atmosphere ... it should change its stance, policies,
and choices," added the statement. The statement said that Phalange Party is
keen on the calm atmosphere in Lebanon "not only for one year" as Sayyed
Nasrallah suggested, but permanently.
The party said that its initiative -- of appealing article six of the
ministerial Policy Statement related to Hizbullah's arms before the
Constitutional Council -- did not aim to embarrass its allies, overbid their
stances, or "disrupt the sleep of others," in reference to Sayyed Nasrallah's
latest ridiculing remarks. On the other hand, the party expressed its welcoming
of inter-Christian reconciliation efforts. Beirut, 28 Dec 09, 20:10
Geagea: Nasrallah Believes He Has 'Sharia Representative' Among Christians
Naharnet/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Monday said that Ashoura's
speech of Hizbullah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah points at his
"negligence of national dialogue table" and at his belief that "he has a Sharia
representative among the Christians." "He considers that he has a Sharia
representative who adopts Hizbullah's standpoint and defends it among the
Christians till the last breath," said Geagea in a clear reference to
Hizbullah's Christian ally, Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun.
Sheikh Mohammad Yazbek -- Head of Hizbullah's Shura Council -- is the official
representative of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Lebanon. In an
interview with the Central News Agency, Geagea addressed the Interior Ministry
with a question about the legitimacy of the Hamas bureau -- that was targeted
with a bomb on Saturday -- to exist in Haret Hreik. "Why hasn't any official
Lebanese authority issued a statement after 48 hours from the explosion?" asked
Geagea. Beirut, 28 Dec 09, 17:41
Don’t rule out a Nouri al-Maliki return
Tony Badran, December 29, 2009
Now Lebanon/Three trips by Iraqi politicians in recent days help summarize the
geopolitical context of – and the battle looming over – the Iraqi elections of
March 2010. Iraq’s neighbors, principally Iran, Saudi Arabia and Syria, are all
scrambling to affect the outcome in their own favor, their actions converging to
defeat the incumbent prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki.
The three trips involved Maliki himself; Ammar al-Hakim, the leader of the
Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq; and Ayad Allawi, a former interim prime
minister. While Maliki visited Egypt along with Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari,
Hakim and Allawi made their stops in Syria.
All three head electoral lists, and Maliki and Allawi are in the running for the
premiership. Allawi co-heads the Iraqi National Movement coalition along with
Sunni politicians Saleh al-Mutlak and Tareq al-Hashimi. The coalition
essentially brings together the main Sunni players, even though Allawi himself
is a Shia. Meanwhile, Hakim leads the National Iraqi Alliance (the successor of
the United Iraqi Alliance), which includes the main Iran-friendly Shia parties
such as the Sadrists and Hakim’s Islamic Supreme Council. However, the alliance
has been substantially weakened by the loss of Ayatollah Ali Sistani’s cover and
Maliki’s support.
Instead, Maliki has struck out on his own. After withdrawing from the United
Iraqi Alliance and fielding candidates who practically swept the municipal
elections this year, he has distanced himself from the “Shia umbrella,” which
contains several hopefuls for the post of prime minister who enjoy Iran’s
blessing. Despite repeated efforts by Iran to bring Maliki back into the fold,
he has maintained his independence, significantly jeopardizing any serious
chance for his Shia rivals to unseat him.
This has created an Iranian interest in cutting Maliki down to size. Yet the
result has hardly been greater Saudi support. From the Saudi perspective, Maliki
remains a tool for the expansion of Iranian influence – whether through direct
collusion or his inability to oppose Tehran. As such, the Saudis have fallen
back on a default sectarian rationale, backing the main Sunni politicians, which
effectively means supporting the Allawi list. The Saudi press has been explicit
in clarifying its preferences.
For his part, Maliki has stated that, despite his best efforts, relations with
Saudi Arabia have not improved. Hence the significance of his visit to Egypt in
this polarized geopolitical context. Unlike Riyadh, Cairo, which maintains an
equally strong anti-Iranian position, has restored full diplomatic ties with
Iraq, displaying a willingness to work with Maliki. Not surprisingly, Zebari
expressed his government’s hope that Egypt would “create balance” in the region
and in Iraq specifically.
In contrast, the last time Maliki went to Syria last August, he was followed
home by a series of bombings. This kicked off an ongoing crisis between Iraq and
Syria, with the Maliki government accusing Damascus of aiding and abetting
wanted Baathist figures who, the Iraqis and top US military commanders claim,
are coordinating attacks with Al-Qaeda in Iraq.
The Maliki government has recognized the political nature of the violence. Iraqi
officials have revealed to the media that the Syrians tried to impose on Maliki
“certain Baathist figures … to open the way for them to participate in political
life and the upcoming parliamentary elections.”
The way the Syrians have stated their demand is through the terminology of
“reconciliation” and “the participation of all Iraqis” in the political process
–terminology that Assad repeated after his meetings with Hakim and Allawi. The
Syrians have also thought about using Iraqi refugees in Syria as leverage in the
election. However, a move by Hashimi to amend the electoral law in favor of
increased representation for the refugees came to nothing, and will fail to
alter the basic political balance.
The Syrians may well be calculating, too, that the Allawi list serves as the
natural vehicle to advance their own interests. The list has been characterized
by some as a facade for a formal Baathist return to political life. Maliki,
allied politicians, and others have been vocal in warning of a plot to
stealthily return Baathists to power by way of the upcoming elections, in what
has been seen as a jab at the Allawi-Mutlak list.
However, those who thought that parallel Syrian-Saudi interests in Iraq would
lead to Syrian-Iranian divergences appear to have misread the situation. This is
how the Hakim stop in Syria might be interpreted. Syria in the end is a marginal
player in Iraq, especially when compared to Iran. Thus, it will balance its
political objectives there with those of the Iranians while avoiding an outright
clash with Tehran. Besides, and contrary to Saudi reasoning, Iran also has an
interest in squeezing Maliki, rendering the Saudis’ policy counterproductive.
Maliki has placed all his chips on the table, and he knows he will continue to
have Washington’s support. His visit to Egypt was designed to shore up backing
from a major Arab state and to further brandish his independent credentials.
Unfortunately for the Syrians, the Saudis and the Iranians, Maliki’s electoral
chances are nowhere near as bad as they had hoped. In fact, the incumbent
remains the favorite to return as prime minister.
**Tony Badran is a research fellow with the Center for Terrorism Research at the
Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Kahwaji “vows” support to Sleiman for initiative in
Lebanese-Arab rapprochement
December 29, 2009 /Following his meeting with President Michel Sleiman on
Tuesday, Lebanese Armed Forces Commander General Jean Kahwaji said he “vows to
make the utmost efforts to defend, develop and secure” Sleiman’s initiative to
strengthen Lebanese-Arab relations. He said he looks forward to the LAF being
provided with advanced weaponry and to improvement in the social status of
military men. Kahwaji praised Sleiman for “being able to unite the Lebanese and
succeed in forming a national-unity cabinet.”-NOW Lebanon
A US source to An-Nahar: Israel to withdraw from northern Ghajar next month
Now Lebanon/December 29, 2009 /An-Nahar newspaper quoted on Tuesday a
well-informed US source as saying that UN deliberations held with Lebanon and
Israel regarding the latter’s withdrawal from the northern part of the Ghajar
Village have enabled all parties to reach an agreement, whereby Israel would
withdraw from Ghajar by the end of January 2010.
The source also said that any delay in Israel’s withdrawal from the area would
be for technical reasons rather than for political ones. “There are some pending
issues which UNIFIL Commander Claudio Graziano and UN Special Coordinator for
Lebanon Michael Williams are still working on.”
“Tel Aviv postponed accepting UNIFIL’s plan, because Israeli governments
following the 2006 July War were unable to give a clear explanation to the
village’s residents as to what would happen to them after Israel’s pullout,” he
added. The daily added that US President Barack Obama’s administration is
following up on the Ghajar Village case with the UN, Lebanon, Israel and Syria
through US Envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell and his aide, Frederic Hof.
After Israel withdraws from the area, the plan is for UN to deploy 12 UNIFIL
troops in the village, while Lebanon would have one Lebanese officer and three
Lebanese soldiers, the source said. However, he added that any plan should be
implemented on the condition that residents in the northern and southern parts
of the Ghajar Village can move freely back and forth if they wished to do so.
An-Nahar also reported that Tel Aviv requested UNIFIL to take the appropriate
security procedures in the area surrounding the Ghajar Village to prevent
Hezbollah members from infiltrating into the area. -NOW Lebanon
No claim of Beirut attack on Hamas
Funeral held for Two members killed in Haret Hreik car bomb
By Patrick Galey/Daily Star staffظTuesday, December 29, 2009
BEIRUT: The fallout from Saturday’s mysterious bomb attack which killed two
Hamas officials in southern Beirut continued on Monday, with no group claiming
responsibility for the incident. Conflicting reports have emerged on what caused
the explosion which tore through the Beirut suburb of Haret Hreik on Saturday
evening, near to what were said by witnesses to be Hamas offices.
Hamas identified the dead men as Hassan Saeed al-Haddad, 21, and Bassil Ahmad
Jomaa, 26. The pair’s funerals were held on Monday in the Palestinian refugee
camp of Burj al-Shemali, east of Tyre.
Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official in Lebanon expressed his condolences for
the families of the victims and confirmed that the area targeted in the attack
was “used by the group with a living quarters for bodyguards.”
Addressing mourners at the men’s funeral, Hamdan refused to speculate on who may
have caused the explosion, saying that to do so “would only serve the enemy’s
interests.”
A spokesman for the Palestinian group, Ayman Taha, said that the perpetrators of
Saturday’s attack could not yet be confirmed. “The circumstances of the
explosion are unclear and it is too early to name the party” responsible, Taha
told Dubai-based Al-Arabiya television.
President Michel Sleiman, in a statement released Sunday, said that the attack
benefited “the enemies of [Lebanon] by striking a blow to the stability that the
country has been living in during the last year and a half.
“This stability was at the essence of political reconciliation and in the
flourishing economy witnessed in all regions [in Lebanon],” Sleiman continued.
He called on security forces to intensify investigations in order to apprehend
the perpetrators and transfer them swiftly for trial.
“The will of the Lebanese will not allow the reoccurrence of such acts,” Sleiman
added.
The National News Agency (NNA) reported that investigators at the scene had
determined that Saturday’s blast was caused by 15kg of TNT, which was set “in a
place usually used by Hamas Movement as a bureau.”
Reports on Saturday, based on eyewitness accounts from southern Beirut,
suggested that the explosion took place at around 9 p.m. Civilians at the scene
said the blast came from a car parked outside an office block.
Explosions in the southern suburbs are rare. Hizbullah officials have total
control of south Beirut, however, in recent times the group has allowed state
security officers into Dahiyeh in a bid to clamp down on crimes such as theft
and assault, however, law enforcement in areas of south Beirut are still
primarily handled by Hizbullah.
Information Minister Tarek Mitri on Monday accused Hizbullah of preventing
security officials doing their job in the wake of the explosion.
Speaking on the Voice of Lebanon radio, Mitri said that security could not be
partial in Lebanon. “We can’t detach one security mission from another,” he
added.
Mitri refused the notion that certain areas were off-limits to ISF patrols and
stressed state security forces alone must investigate Saturday’s incident.
The NNA reported that military tribunal Judge Rahif Ramadan has inspected the
blast scene on Sunday, bringing with him representatives of the Lebanese Armed
Forces (LAF) and relevant criminal investigation experts.
Ramadan confirmed he had visited the scene and noted that the investigation into
the blast was continuing on Monday.
As of Monday evening, neither the Interior Ministry nor the LAF had issued any
statement on the incident, fueling speculation as to who was behind the attack.
When contacted by The Daily Star, an army source said that no information was
available and an investigation was being handled by the judiciary.
Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah made no reference to the
attack in his address to mark the climax of Ashura on Saturday night, broadcast
to thousands of supporters in Dahiyeh.
Accusations as to the identity of perpetrators began to fly immediately
following the blast, with many blaming the bombing on Tel Aviv.
Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt, writing in his weekly column
for Al-Anbaa newspaper on Monday, called the attack a “sabotage act that only
confirms the [extent] of Israel’s aggressions against Lebanon, either through
recurrent violations of Lebanon’s airspace, land and sea or through security
incidents.”
Mitri, however, said it was too early to blame Israel for the killings.
“It is easy to accuse Israel, [as it] is seeking to eliminate Hamas leaders,
will not hesitate to carry out these operations and it violated the sovereignty
of Lebanon,” he said. “But at the time we can’t confirm that it was Israel
behind this action.” – with Agencies.
Foreign ties under fire after Nasrallah's Ashura address
Daily Star staff/Tuesday, December 29, 2009
BEIRUT: Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah called on Lebanon’s
Christians on Sunday to refrain from foreign allegiances. The Hizbullah chief
also urged Egypt to stop building a steel wall along the Gaza border that could
obstruct tunnels which provide a lifeline for the blockaded enclave. In response
to Nasrallah, March 14 Christians said Monday that Nasrallah’s statements
indicated his refusal to discuss a national defense strategy and called on him
to adopt his own advice, a reference to Hizbullah’s ties with Iran.
Nasrallah told a crowd of tens of thousands of Lebanese Shiite Muslims marking
the Ashura religious ceremony that Egypt should be condemned if it does not halt
the wall building.
Tensions between Egypt, a predominantly Sunni country, and Hizbullah, a Shiite
group backed by Iran, have been running high since last year when Nasrallah
accused Cairo of complicity with Israel in its siege of the Gaza strip.
“In addition to the siege there has been news about [building] a steel wall … to
terminate the thin veins which are giving some life and some hope to Gaza,” he
said.
“We call on the government in Egypt and the leadership to stop the wall and
flooding the tunnels and to end the siege, otherwise it should be condemned by
all Arabs and the Muslims,” he said.
Egypt is trying 26 men suspected of links with Hizbullah and accused of planning
attacks inside the country. Hizbullah denied they had plans for attacks inside
Egypt but admitted one of the defendants was a Hizbullah member who, with up to
10 others, was trying to supply military equipment to Hamas-run Gaza.
Egyptian officials have said steel tubes were being placed at several points
along the 14-kilometer-long border, but they did not specify their purpose.
Palestinians fear a steel barrier, deep underground, would limit or end
smuggling through hundreds of tunnels operating in defiance of a three-year-old
Israeli-led blockade.
Tunnel-builders said some 3,000 tunnels were operational before Israel launched
a three-week offensive in the Gaza Strip a year ago, but only 150 were still
functional following the conflict and subsequent Israeli air raids.
“This unjust silence over besieging a whole people should not continue,
regardless of the excuses,” Nasrallah said.
Shortly before Nasrallah’s speech, tens of thousands of Shiite Muslim Lebanese,
chanting “Death to America, death to Israel,” marched in Hizbullah’s Beirut
stronghold to commemorate the annual Ashura ritual.
Tackling political developments on the Lebanese domestic scene, Nasrallah said
Christians and Muslims had a chance to cooperate and complement each other which
ought not to be wasted.
The Sayyed added that Israel was no longer capable of acting as in the past,
while playing down the odds of any war in the upcoming year, saying Israeli
threats were part of a psychological war.
“Certain parties in the country who are no longer capable of attacking Syria and
the opposition, are only left with [the option of attacking] the Resistance and
its weapons,” Nasrallah said.
However, Nasrallah said that the Resistance would show understanding and would
not be influenced by any intimidation or provocation attempts to create
political tension in the country.
Nasrallah urged Christians to have a careful reading of the changes happening at
the international level and “not allow certain sides among them to keep pushing
them toward suicide by creating illusions of fear.”
In response to Nasrallah, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said Monday
Nasrallah’s statements indicated his refusal to acknowledge the need to discuss
a national defense strategy during national dialogue sessions. Geagea said the
manner in which Nasrallah called the Christians to dialogue suggested he was
sure of the talks’ outcome.
“Nasrallah [thinks he can convince Christian opinion] since he considers he has
a legitimate representative within the Christian community who would support
Hizbullah’s stance and defend it,” Geagea said, a reference to Free Patriotic
Movement (FPM) leader MP Michel Aoun.
Geagea stressed that the issue of Hizbullah’s weapons was “not only a Christian
problem but rather a national one.”
“Nasrallah’s bets tie the destiny of all the Lebanese people to a regional game
unrelated to Lebanon,” Geagea said.
Tackling the Arab-Israeli conflict, the LF boss said neither the Palestinian nor
the majority of Arab or Lebanese had delegated to Nasrallah the role to rectify
the Palestinian-Israeli conflict but rather Hizbullah’s struggle with Israel
followed the party’s commitment with Islamic revolution in Iran.
“As long as flaws in the Lebanese sovereignty over its territories persist, it
would not be sound to talk about political and security stability,” Geagea said.
Similarly, the Phalange Party said Nasrallah’s statement aimed to intimidate
parties politically opposed to Hizbullah’s stances. The party added that
Hizbullah’s choices drew Lebanon into regional conflicts, particularly against
Israel, and hindered the sovereignty of the Lebanese state.
“If Hizbullah truly wants dialogue it should change its rhetoric and policies …
the Phalange Party is not alone to oppose Hizbullah’s policies as the majority
of the Lebanese people support [our] stances,” the Phalange statement said.
Separately, FPM MP Nabil Nicholas said Nasrallah’s speech aimed to promote
understanding and dialogue, adding that no party could defeat the other by force
or have foreign affiliations.
“Some Christians cannot continue to consider themselves outside the country and
have affiliations to foreign powers which they believe would protect them,”
Nicholas said, adding that Nasrallah’s stance was a positive reminder to March
14 Christian parties who still adopt a tense rhetoric. – The Daily Star, with
agencies
Phalange defends move against Cabinet policy after experts say it's not binding
Minister: ‘Either remain in the government and shut up or resign’
By Elias Sakr/Daily Star staff
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
BEIRUT: The debate over Hizbullah’s weapons and article six of the ministerial
statement continued over the weekend as the Phalange Party announced that its
decision to challenge the clause before the Constitutional Council had led to a
win-win situation after constitutional authorities informed them that cabinet
statements had no legal value.
The Phalange Party said Monday the party would stand firm in its decision to
challenge article of the Cabinet policy statement, despite all campaigns which
aimed to oppress freedom of speech, contrary to actual facts.
Article six highlights Lebanon’s right to liberate its occupied territories by
means of its army, people and resistance.
The Phalange’s statement added that the stances of constitutional authorities
announcing that the ministerial statement had no legal or constitutional value
liberated the Lebanese state from acknowledging two weapons and two armies.
“This position also liberates the state from its responsibility before the
international community concerning any military action by Hizbullah, contrary to
what Israel claims, and thus the Phalange Party initiative would have achieved
its goal,” the statement said.
It added that UN Security Council Resolution 1559 remained an international
legal reference, despite the illusions of some parties that the resolution has
already been implemented.
“The party warns against attempts to renounce the resolution under domestic or
foreign pressure since it would push the international community in the future
to refrain from making any effort to defend the Lebanese case and Lebanon’s
sovereignty and independence,” the statement added.
Speaking at the inauguration of a football stadium in his hometown in Zghorta,
Franjieh said Saturday the resistance was at the core of Lebanon and would
always remain.
The event was also attended Youth and Sports Minister Ali Abdullah, who said the
Phalange Party’s challenge to article six of the ministerial statement would not
have an impact since the issue of Hizbullah’s weapons was not subject to
discussion.
“Those who seek to challenge article six should either remain in the government
and shut up or resign and be in the opposition ranks,” Abdullah said.
Meanwhile, Loyalty to Resistance bloc MP Mohammad Raad slammed parties debating
Hizbullah’s weapons, saying the Resistance’s choice had preserved the Lebanese
right of speech against Israeli hegemony.
In other news, President Michel Sleiman held talks on Saturday with Maronite
Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir at the latter’s residence in Bkirki after which he
attended the Christmas mass headed by the patriarch.
Christian political foes Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and Free Patriotic
Movement leader MP Michel Aoun also attended the mass and shook hands after the
ceremony.
Asked about Christian reconciliation, Sleiman said “every matter has its time”
while both Geagea and Aoun stressed that their frosty relations had not arisen
from any personal dispute, but was rather the result of a divergence in
political opinion.
“There is no misunderstanding with [Marada Movement leader] Sleiman Franjieh and
similarly to today’s coincidence [meeting with Aoun] a meeting could take place
under similar circumstances,” Geagea said.
Progressive Socialist Party MP Walid Jumblatt accompanied by his son Taymour
also congratulated the patriarch.
In other news, Jumblatt left Lebanon to Cyprus Monday to meet a delegation of
the Israeli-Arab group, the National Communication Council, to discuss domestic
Palestinian issues and the political battle against mandatory military service.
Blood flows freely in Nabatieh as Shiites mark Ashura
Islamic Health Committee bags huge donation for thalassemia patients
By Mohammed Zaatari/Daily Star staff
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
NABATIEH: Mohammad Hassan covered his head screaming while his father approached
him with a razor to wound him as part of a religious ritual to commemorate
Ashura. Hundreds of Shiite believers flocked to Nabatieh in the south on Sunday
to commemorate Ashura and remember the death of the Prophet Mohammad’s grandson,
Imam Hussein bin Ali bin Abi Taleb.
Imam Hussein died in the battle of Karbala in Iraq on the 10th day of the month
of Muharram in 680 AD while fighting against the army of Caliph Yazid. Hussein
had refused to pledge allegiance to the Caliph. The battle was part of the
disputes between Sunni and Shiite Muslims over the prophet’s succession.
Shiites have since remembered the occasion on Ashura – which means the 10th day
in Arabic – and many engage in beating their heads and chests and gashing their
heads as a sign of devotion to Hussein.
“We are teaching our children about the fate of the Prophet’s family, and by
cutting their heads and shedding blood we bear testimony to what happened,” said
Hassan’s father, Jaafar Hassan.
Hundreds of people who share Hassan’s belief gathered in front of the Hussein
Mosque in Nabatieh, armed with shaving razors and swords to show their devotion
and teach their children about the ritual. Nongovernmental organizations and
Lebanese Red Cross volunteers were also at the scene, to treat medical
emergencies.
“We are gentle with children and babies. The blade cut only feels like a
mosquito sting,” said 50-year-old Khodr, who has been volunteering to cut
children’s heads for many years.
Young men were especially eager to renew the ritual they have been part of since
they were children. They dressed in white and beat their heads with swords,
rocks and razors as they shouted “Haydar, Haydar,” a name given to Ali,
Hussein’s father.
“I have been hitting my head for 20 years. I had to stop when I travelled for
four years but now I am making up for it,” said Ali Nader as he cleaned dried
blood off his face.
Most senior Shiite authorities oppose the shedding of blood on Ashura and
encourage believers to instead donate their blood to people in need. The Islamic
Health Committee, supported by Hizbullah, provided ambulances for blood
donations and collected 300 blood units in four hours.
“The blood sacrificed for Hussein and his family goes to sick people and
children with thalassemia. This is what giving and sacrificing is about,” said
Jawad Farhat, a blood donor.
“These people shedding their blood in vain need to be educated,” echoed Ali
Faqih.
Although Lebanon’s most senior Shiite cleric, Ayatollah Sayyed Mohammad Hussein
Fadlallah, has banned the practice, mourners in Nabatieh insisted on showing
Imam Hussein their devotion and grief through blood.
Many other southern cities commemorated Ashura by marching, such as Bint Jbeil,
Majdal Silm, al-Aadsiyeh, al-Taybeh, al-Sawwaneh, Tawlin and Tyre. The coastal
city of Tyre witnessed the largest march in the south of Lebanon with thousands
of men and women dressed in black shouting slogans of loyalty to Hussein.
The Tyre march was led by Hizbullah official in the south Sheikh Nabil Qawouq,
who gave a speech for the occasion. He linked the battle of Karbala to the
resistance in the south and said Hizbullah faced the 2006 summer war with the
same valor Hussein faced his enemies.
Qawouq said the Resistance had succeeded in “tearing Resolution 1559 to pieces,”
along with the New Middle East project. Highlighting the Resistance’s support to
Palestine, he said: “We will fight with the Palestinian people until the flag of
Palestine is raised high above the Aqsa Mosque.”
Watching the Iranian calendar
By The Daily Star /Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Editorial
The latest clashes on the streets of Tehran are, naturally, generating intensive
international interest. Our newspapers, radios, televisions and computer screens
are updating us about the latest unrest, and focusing on the developments on the
street, which has seen intermittent demonstrations, counter-demonstrations and
crackdowns for the last six months.
After several years of international interest in the “Arab street,” we’re now
attuned to the streets of Iran, for another phase of acute tension: From now
until February 11, when the anniversary of the Iranian revolution might provide
anti-regime protestors with another public event, as with Ashura, to attempt a
show of force.
Other events on the calendar: the seventh day of mourning for the slain nephew
of presidential candidate Mirhossein Mousavi, and the 40th day of mourning for
the late Ayatollah Montazeri, whose recent death was also an occasion for a
rally by disgruntled Iranians.
Based on the latest evidence, the Iranian nuclear issue isn’t equivalent to the
1950s struggle over nationalizing oil companies under Mohammad Mosaddeq. The
democratically-elected Mosaddeq regime was on more solid footing with its people
as it confronted the West over the issue of Iran’s natural-national resources.
In contrast, the current regime relies on the confrontation with the West over
the nuclear program to generate popular support, but even fierce Iranian
nationalism can’t insulate it from popular unrest.
Scenes of police brutality in Tehran might be fairly cut and dry, but not the
country’s wider political situation. The dynamics of who’s calling the shots,
the role of the Republican Guards, and how influence is divided are all
question-marks.
In a few days, the West’s end-of-year deadline for progress on the nuclear issue
will elapse. Iran’s president says the ball is in the court of the international
powers, while its foreign minister states that a Turkish role in the diplomatic
solution is now accepted, after an earlier rejection.
This confusion from and about Iran, unfortunately, can lead to misguided acts by
the West. What is the exact impact of sanctions, and on whom?
The “green” opposition movement’s positions aren’t clear, either. Are we seeing
a battle between reformists and conservatives, or between two regime factions?
From now until February, we face an intense and difficult time of deciphering,
anticipating and pre-empting, and monitoring who performs these tasks. Iranians
and Western countries are the protagonists in this drama, but China and Russia
also have roles to play, amid a geopolitical situation in flux. And the negative
repercussions of any misguided decisions will transcend the streets of Tehran,
reaching citizens and governments outside Iran in a arc that appears to be
becoming wider, and not narrower, every day.
Confronting the Reality of Homegrown Jihadist Terror in 2009
Written by IPT News
Monday, 28 December 2009 12:28
Given the raw number of terrorist plots throughout the
year, it shouldn't come as a surprise that 2009 is ending with
an attempt to blow a commercial
airliner out of the sky.
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's failed bombing plot stands out in part because it
appears to be
designed and launched from
abroad.
In 2009, homegrown American Islamist terror became impossible to ignore. Two fatal attacks on the U.S. military - one killing an Army recruiter, the other a mass murder of soldiers; an intercepted plot considered the biggest domestic threat since 9/11 and a series of conspiracies to blow up synagogues, office buildings and other targets made 2009 the year homegrown American Islamist terror became a clear, serious threat.
An American stands accused of playing a key role in scouting targets in the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed more than 170 people. Five college students gave up promising futures to try to join the jihad against American soldiers in Afghanistan. And two young men were convicted for working with Pakistani militants in plots at home and abroad.
The November 5th Fort Hood massacre was the deadliest terrorist attack in the United States since 9/ 11. Six months earlier, Muslim convert Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad shot and killed Army recruiter William Long in Little Rock, Ark. Muhammad told police "he was mad at the U.S. Military because of what they had done to Muslims in the past," and that he would have shot more people if he had seen them outside the recruiting office.
This spike in violence and planned attacks got the White House's attention. In his speech at West Point explaining the U.S. troop surge in Afghanistan, President Obama noted: "In the past few months alone, we have apprehended extremists within our borders who were sent here from the border regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan to commit new acts of terror."
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano cited the case of Najibullah Zazi (an American resident charged with planning to detonate a weapon of mass destruction who allegedly trained with Al Qaeda): "We are seeing young Americans who are inspired by Al Qaeda and radical ideology," she said on December 3rd. Napolitano added that "We are seeing increasing links" between Al Qaeda and American citizens "for purposes of planning terrorist attacks."
How did homegrown radicalization develop?
According to Zeyno Baran, director of the Hudson Institute's Center for Eurasian Policy, these and other recent arrests of Islamist terror suspects on U.S. soil should help bring to an end a popular illusion: that the United States has been so successful at integrating Muslims into American life that it need not worry about homegrown radicalization.
"I think there was always a little bit of denial here," Baran told the Investigative Project on Terrorism. "People have been repeating the mantra that 'America is different'" from Europe.
Baran warned against exaggerating the potential benefits of "better integrating" Muslims into American culture to prevent radicalization. She noted, for example, that the British doctors who attempted to carry out a series of car bombings in London and Glasgow two years ago appeared to be "well integrated" medical professionals. But the outward signs of professional and social success masked the reality that they had become devoted jihadists.
In an interview, former FBI counterterrorism chief Steve Pomerantz expressed skepticism about the idea that better integration of Muslims would reduce the jihadist threat in the United States. "You only become integrated if you want to," he said.
Noting that many of the Muslims who immigrated to Europe in recent decades showed little interest in integrating themselves, Pomerantz said the United States needs to accept the possibility that American Muslims may follow the European model. He believes the jihadist danger in the United States is likely to worsen in the next few years.
"There is this radical Islamic ideology that has spread and metastasized" around the world, he said. U.S. policymakers would be foolish "not to act on the assumption that it could get worse."
In America today, radicalized Muslim youth "are filled with notions that they are persecuted; that there are conspiracies against their community and that they need to do something about it," said Walid Phares, director of the Future of Terrorism Project with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
"The radicalized individuals are influenced by the demonization of the U.S. government which triggers decisions in their own head. When you convince individuals that the government is after their community and you apologize for jihadists worldwide, you end up contributing to the psychological incitement for violence inside the U.S. as well."
It's easier, Baran said, to believe the recent spike in homegrown terror results from emotional problems or a lack of jobs - things that can be fixed through counseling or by creating a government program - than it is to come to grips with the harsh reality: that democratic societies must confront the challenge posed by Islamism.
Recent statements by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) acknowledging the existence of homegrown radicalism are a positive development, Baran stated. But they need to do more than just condemn acts of violence. "Muslim leaders have to say that [the United States] is not in a 'war against Islam,'" she added.
They have been doing precisely the opposite for years. Baran noted that in 2007, the New York Police Department issued a detailed report on homegrown radicalization and terrorism in the West. CAIR attacked the report, asserting that it would lead to discrimination against Muslims.
Beyond that, she added, if CAIR and others are truly serious about playing a constructive role in fighting radicalism, they should change their rhetoric and behavior in other ways. "When they constantly talk about discrimination, they agitate the community. Maybe they are naďve about that," Baran said, adding that the case of Major Nidal Malik Hasan, the Muslim military psychiatrist who carried out the Fort Hood massacre, illustrates the danger that can result from someone exposed to a steady diet of America-bashing.
"For many years, they refused to address the problem of radicalization," Baran said of national Islamist groups. By evading the issue, they behaved like "people who say they are dealing with an alcoholism problem, but...never get around to dealing with it."
Fourteen Killed in Fort Hood, Little Rock Attacks
While U.S. law enforcement scored numerous successes in thwarting terrorist plots, two jihadists carried out lethal attacks on U.S. soil this year. The attack on the Little Rock recruiting center is considered a "lone wolf" attack. But Muhammad is believed to have traveled to Yemen, a hotbed of terrorism, where he may have studied under a radical Islamist cleric before the shooting.
"Lone jihadists may really be alone as persons, but they are part of a production of jihadists with the same ideology, outlook, and engagement logic," Phares said.
The case of Major Hasan, who carried out the Ford Hood attack, illustrates Phares' point. Hasan's Nov. 5 rampage at the Texas base was one of three this year in which jihadists opposed to U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan targeted American military personnel on U.S. soil.
The attack occurred at the Soldier Readiness Center at Fort Hood, where soldiers are prepared for overseas deployment. A soldier who witnessed Hasan's rampage said he shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is great) before opening fire.
Serious questions were raised about Hasan's professional competence prior to the Fort Hood attack. A letter written by the director of the psychiatric residency program at Walter Reed Army Medical Center to a credentials committee said Hasan "demonstrates a pattern of poor judgment and a lack of professionalism" and that he was counseled for proselytizing to his patients.
Hasan remained in the military despite evidence of his radical ties, including efforts to contact al Qaeda. In addition, he delivered a presentation that seemed to justify jihad and gave a lecture that led his colleagues to conclude he thought non-believers should be condemned to hell, beheaded and set on fire.
Daniel Zwerdling of National Public Radio reported that fellow students and faculty at Walter Reed used terms like "disconnected, aloof, paranoid, belligerent, and schizoid" to describe Hasan's behavior. Hasan acted so bizarrely that officials there held a series of meetings in the spring of 2008 to discuss whether he was "psychotic."
"Put it this way," one official familiar with the conversations told Zwerdling. "Everybody felt that if you were deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, you would not want Nidal Hasan in your foxhole."
One of these officials reportedly told colleagues Hasan might leak secret military information to Islamic terrorists, while another worried he might be capable of committing a crime like this.
With all these misgivings, why wasn't Hasan removed from his duties or forced to undergo a mental health evaluation? In interviews with NPR, officials cited a number of reasons, including the fact that expulsion is a cumbersome process possibly involving expensive legal battles. Officials also worried that they might be perceived as discriminating against Hasan because of his faith.
The federal bureaucracy contains a "body of expertise" that advises the government not to identify and counter radical Islamism when it finds it, Phares said in response to a question about the role of "political correctness" in preventing a vigorous investigation of Hasan prior to the massacre. Short of catching Hasan physically preparing to commit a terrorist act, military authorities and law enforcement were unable to move against him.
Currently the United States is "without any defense when it comes to radicalization," Phares said. Terrorists go "undetected until they start preparing for the physical act or until they perform it."
Will the flurry of terror cases in 2009 force the issue?
The recent news that five Washington-area Muslim men were arrested in Pakistan - allegedly while on a mission to join the Taliban in fighting against the United States - served as a jarring reminder of the progress that jihadist recruiters have made in targeting Americans since 9/11.
Those arrests came two days after Chicago resident David Coleman Headley (already charged with planning attacks against the facilities of the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten), was charged with playing a pivotal role in the November 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks in which six Americans were among the more than 170 people killed. The government now alleges that Headley, an American citizen, conducted surveillance of sites targeted in the Mumbai attacks.
Two weeks earlier, the Justice Department announced the arrests and indictments of eight suspects in a continuing investigation of domestic support for the Somali organization al-Shabaab, which has been designated a terrorist organization by the State Department.
According to court documents in the case, the defendants provided "material support" in the form of financing and personnel to the group between September 2007 and October 2009. Approximately 20 young men left the Minneapolis area during this period and traveled to Somalia, where they are believed to have trained with al-Shabaab.
One of the men who left Minnesota in December 2007 was Shirwa Ahmed. He is believed to have become the first known American suicide bomber, when he participated in one of five coordinated suicide bombings on October 29, 2008 in northern Somalia. Approximately 20 people were killed in those attacks.
The terrorism charges filed November 23 bring to 14 the total number of Minnesota-area men charged or indicted in the case. Four of the 14 men have pled guilty and await sentencing; five other Somali men and a Muslim convert have been killed.
It is a "myth" to think that there is a correlation between the level of Muslim integration and the terrorist threat to the United States, Phares said. European societies including Sweden, Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands have had more liberal cultures and generous social benefits for immigrants than the United States. But they have had much more potent jihadist movements as well.
"What happens in Europe is simply a prelude to what is happening here," Phares said. The argument that "America is different" is actually "an argument advanced by jihadi propagandists for strategic reasons."
They want "to cover up for the gradual expansion of the jihadi ideology before it reaches a critical mass comparable to Europe's," he told the IPT.
To read more on the major terror cases of 2009, click here.
====
The
Investigative Project
on Terrorism (IPT) is a non-profit research group founded by
Steven Emerson in 1995. It is recognized as the world's most comprehensive data
center on radical Islamic terrorist groups. For more than a decade, the IPT has
investigated the operations, funding, activities and front groups of Islamic
terrorist and extremist groups in the United States and around the world. It has
become a principal source of critical evidence to a wide variety of government
offices and law enforcement agencies, as well as the U.S. Congress and numerous
public policy forums. Research carried out by the IPT team has formed the basis
for thousands of articles and television specials on the subject of radical
Islamic involvement in terrorism, and has even led to successful government
action against terrorists and financiers based in the United States.
Shameless Islamist Doubles peak Rages
On Hezbollah's "New" Manifesto in Context
by Raymond Ibrahim
Pajamas Media
December 24, 2009
http://www.meforum.org/2535/islamist-doublespeak-hezbollah-manifesto
"Al-Qaeda's Zawahiri Accuses Obama of Trying to 'Enslave' Arab World." So reads
the headline of a recent Fox News report, which goes on to quote Zawahiri saying
things such as "Obama's policy is nothing but another cycle in the Crusader and
Zionist campaign to enslave and humiliate us, and to occupy our land and steal
our wealth."
Two years earlier, Zawahiri was even more dramatic. Then he implored "blacks in
America, people of color, American Indians, Hispanics, and all the weak and
oppressed in North and South America, in Africa and Asia, and all over the
world, to know that when we wage jihad in Allah's path, we aren't waging jihad
to lift oppression from Muslims only; we are waging jihad … to lift oppression
from all mankind. … This is why I want every oppressed one on the face of the
earth to know that our victory over America and the Crusading West — with
Allah's permission — is a victory for them, because they shall be freed from the
most powerful tyrannical force in the history of mankind."
Unfortunately for al-Qaeda, its very own words — the Arabic ones directed at
fellow Muslims which Westerners rarely see or read — unequivocally contradict
its repeated attempts to portray itself as an organization out to spread Robin
Hood-style justice and equanimity vis-ŕ-vis a tyrannical U.S. For in these
Arabic treatises, al-Qaeda makes it perfectly clear that, short of submitting to
Islamic hegemony, the non-Muslim world is the enemy, ipso facto.
Yet doublespeak is definitely not the sole province of al-Qaeda; the
decades-long Arab-Israeli conflict has furnished the world with some of the most
flagrant examples of Islamist doublespeak — emanating from such players as
Arafat, the PLO, and Hamas. Hezbollah offers a recent example:
According to Reuters, the terrorist organization's newly revised manifesto
"tones down Islamist rhetoric but maintains a tough line against Israel and the
United States. The new manifesto drops reference to an Islamic republic in
Lebanon, which has a substantial Christian population, confirming changes to
Hezbollah thinking about the need to respect Lebanon's diversity."
In fact, this "new" manifesto has been hailed as a progressive step forward for
the terrorist organization: an AFP headline tells us that "Hezbollah strikes
softer tone in second manifesto: [according to] analysts," such as one Paul
Salem, head of the Beirut-based Carnegie Middle East Center, who asserts that
the "manifesto is reassuring as it shows Hezbollah's integration with Lebanese
political life."
Meanwhile, back on earth, a Jerusalem Post report reveals that this "toning
down" exists solely in the "for-infidels-only" English version of the manifesto:
"It is correct that the new manifesto does not include the previous document's
call for the establishment of an 'Islamic republic' in Lebanon. But here an
interesting discrepancy emerges. The longer, Arabic version of the manifesto is
steeped in religious rhetoric and Islamist terminology."
In fact, words and phrases that do not appear in the English version —
"resistance in the way of jihad," the "jihadi way," "mujahidin" and "martyrs,"
even oblique praise for Sharia rule — appear in the Arabic version,
demonstrating that Hezbollah does not "respect Lebanon's diversity" and is not "integrat[ing]
with Lebanese [i.e., half-Christian] political life."
As the Jerusalem Post concludes, Hezbollah "considers it in its interest to tone
down or remove the pro-Iranian and jihadi parts of its identity when presenting
itself to the outside world. But the full document in its original form suggests
that the movement has not strayed far from its original path."
(Ironic, too, that Hezbollah ignored the fact that the Arabic and English
versions would inevitably be compared and exposed. Perhaps its Shia
proclivities, including an instinctual reliance on taqiyya, that is, doctrinal
deceit, blinded it to this fact — that and perhaps its more plausible
expectations that, even if they were to find out, few Westerners would care
anyway.)
Aside from the fact that Hezbollah perfectly mirrors al-Qaeda by saying one
thing in English to infidels and another in Arabic to Muslims, so too does it
employ the grievance-against-the-West paradigm. A CNN headline concerning this
new manifesto summarizes by saying, "Hezbollah blames U.S. for all terrorism."
In fact, the manifesto's first section, entitled "Domination and Hegemony," is
dedicated to portraying the U.S. as the "root of all terror" and a "danger that
threatens the whole world," including by trying to dominate the Muslim world
"politically, culturally, economically, and through all aspects."
There is one final irony worth noting: Though duping infidels has a long
pedigree, that the current deception revolves around Muslims portraying
themselves as weak victims who need to rely on the goodwill of the despised
infidels; that the lie reduces Muslims to evoking, of all things,
"humanitarianism" — otherwise a maudlin Western abomination that directly
contravenes Islamic law — surely this must sting Muslim pride. For it is
incongruous to believe, as Islamists certainly do, that might not only makes
right, but is a sign of divine approval; that Islam must proudly spread its
hegemony, including by the sword, brooking no infidel nonsense, no talk of
"equality," "freedom," "tolerance," etc. — I say, it is incongruous to believe
all this and then turn around and play the role of poor victim, evoke lofty,
liberal standards, implore the international (that is, infidel) community for
aid, and whine about that big meanie, the U.S. and its supposed quest for
"domination and hegemony" — precisely what all Islamists most desire.
Yet so long as (naive or arrogant) Westerners continue believing their ideals
are universally shared, irrespective of all evidence otherwise — from the
antithetic dictates of Islamic law to al-Qaeda's, Fatah's, Hamas', and
Hezbollah's open advocacy for it (in Arabic at least) — the indignity of
assuming an effete and, from an Arab point of view, emasculated role is a small
and, quite possibly, temporary price to pay.
**Originally published at: http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/shameless-islamist-doublespeak-rages-on/
**Raymond Ibrahim is the associate director of the Middle East Forum and the
author of the Al Qaeda Reader, translations of religious texts and propaganda.
Analysis: Syria’s Resurgence in Lebanon
http://www.themedialine.org/news/news_detail.asp?NewsID=27556
Written by Arieh O’Sullivan
Published Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Syria’s new lease on life in Lebanon has its leaders ingratiating themselves
with Assad.
When Syrian President Bashar Assad said last week that it would be “normal” for
him to visit Lebanon, he wasn’t just fishing for an invitation.
Assad was expressing what analysts have been calling a return of Syrian
influence and presence in Lebanon. Following the December 20 visit to Damascus
by Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, there have been increasing reports of
intensive contacts between Assad’s and al-Hariri’s senior advisors.
Al-Hariri has had little inclination to meet with Assad, the man widely presumed
to have ordered the assassination of his father, former Lebanese premier Rafiq
al-Hariri in 2005. But his visit was a loathsome price Hariri was forced to pay
Assad for allowing the formation of the Lebanese Government.
“Syria is returning its influence in Lebanon,” said Prof. Eyal Zisser, the
director of the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel
Aviv University. “Assad is returning to his role as kingmaker in Beirut.”
During a visit to Turkey last week, Assad said it would be “normal” to visit
Beirut.
“To visit Lebanon at the right time is very important thing for me. However, I
wasn’t yet invited, while some steps between the two countries are necessary”,
he added, but didn’t elaborate.
The Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar, which is close to Syria, reported that there have
been daily contacts between al-Hariri’s advisor Wissam Al-Hassan and Rustum
Ghazale, regarded as Assad's right hand man.
Ghazale served as the head of Syrian intelligence in Lebanon until Syria's
withdrawal from that country in 2005, and he has been mentioned as involved in
the assassination of Rafiq Al-Hariri.
Ironically the Lebanese premier is waiting for the United Nations’ special
tribunal for Lebanon to issue their indictments for Rafiq al-Hariri’s
assassination.
According to Al-Akhbar, Ghazale and Al-Hassan were the ones who scheduled Saad
al-Hariri's visit to Syria and formulated the framework for his talks with
Assad.
At the moment, things are looking good for Assad. His regime appears stable and
does not face any meaningful domestic threat. On the international stage he is
receiving favorable signals from Washington and just recently he visited Paris.
“Syria is no longer isolated and can stand on its own two feet,” said Professor
Walid Kazziha, Chairman of the Department of Political Science at the American
University in Cairo.
Hariri had been a harsh critic of Assad’s regime and has called in the past for
Syria’s isolation.
“Hariri himself personally may have had his own objections [to visiting
Damascus],” Prof. Kazziha said referring to the assassination of Harir’s father.
“But they were not sufficient to prevent a rapprochement with Syria.”
The murder of Rafiq al-Hariri sparked the Cedar Revolution and brought an end to
the 30-year Syrian military occupation of Lebanon. With the Syrian pullout from
Lebanon in 2005, Bashar Assad lost one of the most serious assets left to him by
his father.
Zisser told The Media Line that what has changed was the sense by al-Hariri and
other Washington allies in Lebanon that they could rely less on the Obama
administration for support and would best get back into the Arab fold.
“They realized that the Americans cannot be a reliable ally,” Zisser said.
“Since Hezbollah was challenging the political system in Lebanon, what was left
was to find someone whom he can count on. And that was Assad. What other option
does he have?”
Al-Hariri is not the only one to ingratiate himself with Assad. Walid Jumblatt,
the enigmatic Druze leader in Lebanon, has suddenly become a Syriophile,
encouraging openness toward Damascus and promoting reconciliation. Jumblatt, who
for decades promoted anti-Syrian views, has reportedly said he’ll be travelling
to Damascus soon, now that al-Hariri went.
Prof. Kazziha said al-Hariri was obviously a talented businessman but had a lot
of experience yet to gain as a political leader.
“This al-Hariri is a newcomer to regional politics,” Kazziha told The Media
Line. “He needs some time before he can play the role of his father, so I don’t
expect him to exert himself.”
“Assad has a good knowledge of Lebanon,” Kazziha said. “But he is taking it step
by step. He will surely visit Lebanon but not necessarily at this point. Both
sides would like to test the new compromise formula and once they feel
comfortable then this would be the appropriate step to take.”
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