LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
September 14/09

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Bible Reading of the day
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 3,13-19. He went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him. He appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) that they might be with him and he might send them forth to preach and to have authority to drive out demons: (he appointed the twelve:) Simon, whom he named Peter; James, son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James, whom he named Boanerges, that is, sons of thunder; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus; Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Iranians target international journalist according to letter/By: W. Thomas Smith Jr. September 13/09 
Analysis: Al-Maliki's quarrel with Syria over Baghdad bombings ...Los Angeles Times September 13/09 
Remembering 9/11, Eight Years Later.By Cinnamon Stillwell/September 13/09 
Lebanon in paralysis/By: Salman Ansari Javid/Times Tehran/September 13/09 

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for September 13/09
Netanyahu Blames Lebanese Government over Rocket Fire-Naharnet
Geagea: Majority Unanimously Agreed to Re-Appoint Hariri to Form New Cabinet-Naharnet
Aoun Clings On to Bassil, Accuses Majority of Launching 'Pre-Emptive War' on his Son-in-Law-Naharnet 
Sfeir: Christian Faith Doesn't Claim to be Political Power-Naharnet
Fadlallah Issues Fatwa Banning Normalization of Ties with Israel-Naharnet
Hizbullah-Linked Ezzedine Charged with Phony Embezzlement-Naharnet
Russia Voices Worry on Lebanon-Israel Tension-Naharnet
McCain: Hizbullah Badly Wants to Retain Control over Telecommunications in Lebanon-Naharnet
Israeli PM blames Lebanese govt over rocket fire/AFP
'Lebanese Madoff' faces charges-Ynetnews
Hariri resigns, puts pressure on Hizbollah/The National

Lebanon in paralysis
By Salman Ansari Javid -Naharnet
Tehran Times 13/09/09
More than three months after the June parliamentary election, Lebanon’s U.S.-backed prime minister-designate Saad Hariri handed over his resignation to President Michel Suleiman on Thursday. Since the March 14 coalition won the election on June 7, Hariri was unable to form a government and get his proposed cabinet approved.
Suleiman, a Christian, must consult the legislature as early as next week to designate a new prime minister. There is speculation that the U.S.-backed outgoing premier Fuad Saniora would be selected.
In another scenario, Hariri may resubmit his own candidacy. But since the defections in his March 14 coalition his parliamentary majority is in jeopardy.
Some analysts suggest that Qatar could mediate between the two coalitions, just as it did in May of 2008.
Hariri and allies have blamed the Hezbollah led opposition and its allies, including Syria, for holding up formation of a government.
On Monday, when Hariri proposed his ministers to President Suleiman, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was quick to accuse him of lining-up a one sided cabinet.
Lebanon’s complex sectarian system requires the formation of a government in which all main groups are represented and is seen as a precondition for stability. In practice this rules out the current majority from forming a government on its own. The opposition blamed Hariri for alienating himself of his own allies, including Druze Leader Walid Jumblatt, who defected from his camp last month and Phalange Party Leader Amin Gemayel, who recently spoke against him. Another factor withholding the formation of the cabinet is the position of the Christian opposition leader of Free Patriotic Movement, Michel Aoun, who is demanding his son-in-law, Giban Bassil, retain his post as minister of telecommunications in the next cabinet. Aoun’s FPM holds 27 of the 128-seat parliament. Hariri’s proposed cabinet also did not have the support of his parliamentary majority ally Gemayel who said that he will ask the premier-designate to reconsider the Phalange party’s share in the next cabinet. According to media report Phalange party was assigned only the Tourism Ministry. Hariri’s resignation leaves Lebanon without the prospect of a new government soon. The first step towards stability is choosing a prime minister-designate. The second and even more important factor is forming a cabinet that represents Lebanon’s diverse population. The outgoing government can only make short-term decisions, on a day to day basis. So until a government is formed Lebanon stays practically in a paralysis

Sfeir: Christian Faith Doesn't Claim to be Political Power
NaharrnetMaronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir said Sunday that "Christian faith does not claim to be a political power, but rather recognizes the legitimate authority."
During his Sunday sermon, Sfeir hoped for better days ahead. Beirut, 13 Sep 09, 11:01

UNIFIL Reportedly Had Advance Warning of Katyusha Attack on Israel
Naharrnet/U.N. peacekeeping forces were informed about the rocket firing on northern Israel 10 days ahead of the attack, the daily An-Nahar reported Sunday.
It said UNIFIL headquarters in the border town of Naqoura received the warning from several sources. They were even told about the type of rockets that would be fired, AN-Nahar said. It said UNIFIL relayed the information to the Lebanese army two days before the attack. Israel filed a complaint to the United Nations holding the Lebanese government responsible and said Beirut wasn't doing enough to prevent the presence of armed groups and weapons. Beirut, 13 Sep 09, 09:30

Geagea: Majority Unanimously Agreed to Re-Appoint Hariri to Form New Cabinet
Naharrnet/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said Sunday that the majority March 14 coalition has unanimously agreed to re-assign Saad Hariri to form a new government.
In an interview with the Voice of Free Lebanon, Geagea did not say when or where the decision was taken. Saad Hariri announced on Thursday that he was stepping down as Premier-designate after the Opposition rejected the Cabinet lineup he proposed earlier this week. Geagea accused a "certain political party" of not wanting to form a government in Lebanon.
"Hariri was serious about the 15-10-5 Cabinet lineup. He worked until the last minute to find a solution to the government formation," the LF leader said. Beirut, 13 Sep 09, 10:27

Aoun Clings On to Bassil, Accuses Majority of Launching 'Pre-Emptive War' on his Son-in-Law
Naharrnet/Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun announced he would not give up on caretaker Telecoms Minister Jebran Bassil and accused the majority March 14 coalition of launching a "pre-emptive war" on his son-in-law. "I continue to hold on the telecommunications ministry and to Jebran Bassil's reappointment to the (same) post," Aoun said in an interview with al-Jazeera television network. Aoun believed that the "campaign against Bassil began before we even got down to names and distribution of portfolios." "After looking for a reason (behind the campaign) we were surprised to find out that they had launched a pre-emptive war" against Bassil, he claimed. Aoun also accused March 14 of trying to "torpedo reformist efforts" by his Free Patriotic Movement. The FPM leader said that the reason why the majority was clinging on to the telecoms ministry was "because they are no longer able to provide embassies with security data, as they used to do before Basil was appointed to the ministry." Saad Hariri announced on Thursday that he was stepping down as Premier-designate after the Opposition rejected the Cabinet lineup he proposed earlier this week. March 14 sources saw Aoun's remarks as a "sign of fear" from the Special Tribunal for Lebanon "because the U.N. investigation committee had been provided with all the data related to the assassination of (ex-Premier) Rafik Hariri." "This issue has caused embarrassment to internal and regional parties, prompting Aoun to express himself in their own way," one March 14 official told the daily An-Nahar in remarks published Sunday. Beirut, 13 Sep 09, 08:40

Netanyahu Blames Lebanese Government over Rocket Fire
Naharrnet/Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said Israel held the Lebanese government responsible for rocket fire from its territory, following the latest attacks from southern Lebanon into the Jewish state. "We consider that the Lebanese government as the one responsible for this," Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting, in reference to Friday's attacks. "We see the Lebanese government as the one responsible for all (ceasefire) violations and all aggressions coming from its territory against us," he said.
Israel has lodged a complaint with the U.N. over Friday's attacks, which saw several rockets fired into the north of the Jewish state from southern Lebanon, prompting retaliatory fire from Israel. No casualties were reported on either side. An official with the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said extremists tied to Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon may have been behind the latest attacks from the Hizbullah-controlled south of the country. Outgoing Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Saniora said on Friday that "this incident aims to provoke tension and drag Lebanon into a crisis situation," calling it "an attack on Lebanon and its sovereignty." Hizbullah and Israel fought a 34-day war in July-August 2006, which killed more than 1,200 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians and more than 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers. The war ended with U.N. resolution 1701, which among others demanded the disarming of all militant groups in Lebanon including Hizbullah, and an end to arms smuggling across its borders.(AFP) Beirut, 13 Sep 09, 12:27

Jumblat: Iranian Weapons Can Protect us Against Israel
Naharrnet/Druze leader Walid Jumblat said Lebanon can turn to Iran to obtain the weapons it needs to defend itself against Israel. In an interview with Iran-based Press TV in Beirut late Saturday, Jumblat warned about a possible Israeli attack against Lebanon. "They (Israelis) are not hiding that, they are saying we will attack or we will one day come to Lebanon again," he said. Jumblat said the United States declined to provide Lebanon with necessary armament, fearing that the weapons could be used against its ally, Israel. "Until now all the weapons delivered to the Lebanese army were American weapons or weapons from the Arab world," Jumblat said. "We need anti-tank weapons and anti-aircraft weapons," he thought. "I think we can find such weapons in Iran or in Russia or in China." "Americans are not really willing to provide us with such weapons. They will tell you these weapons will be used against Israelis. OK, but my enemy is Israel," Jumblat believed. He called for "dialogue" between Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran, arguing that unity among Arabs and Iranians could help prevent a likely Israeli aggression against either side. "It appears that several points of conflict are rooted in misinformation or disengagement between the Iranians and the Arabs," Jumblat said. "Engaging in dialogue is a must," he stressed. Jumblat rejected the media hype in the Western world which tries to portray Iran as the enemy of the Arab states. He quoted Arab League chief Amr Moussa as saying that Arabs and Iranians have to initiate dialogue in order face future threats from a possible Israeli offensive on Lebanon and on Iran. Beirut, 13 Sep 09, 14:53

Fadlallah Issues Fatwa Banning Normalization of Ties with Israel
Lebanon's top Shiite cleric Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah on Sunday issued a fatwa, or religious ruling, banning the normalization of ties with Israel. "Normalization with the Zionist enemy in any form is prohibited by Sharia (Islamic law)," Fadlallah said in statement. "We confirm that the fatwa against normalization applies to every Muslim," he stressed.
The United States has called on Arab states to begin normalizing ties with Israel and on the Jewish state to halt settlement construction in the occupied West Bank in efforts to facilitate resumption of Israel-Palestinian talks broken off in December. Several Arab governments have indicated that they would consider steps towards normalization but only if Israel agrees to a complete halt to settlement construction. Egypt and Jordan are the only Arab countries to have signed peace treaties with the Israel. Beirut, 13 Sep 09, 13:03

Hizbullah-Linked Ezzedine Charged with Phony Embezzlement
Naharrnet
Lebanon has formally charged prominent Shiite businessman Salah Ezzedine with fraudulent embezzlement, a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
Ezzedine, who has close links with Hizbullah, is suspected of depriving investors of hundreds of millions of dollars. He turned himself in to authorities last month after declaring bankruptcy and has since been held in custody. Ezzedine is suspected of creating a phony embezzlement scheme that promised investors returns of up to 40 percent a year. His case has drawn comparisons in Lebanon with that of Bernard Madoff. Acting financial prosecutor Fawzi Adham charged Ezzedine and a partner, Youssef Faour, with fraudulent embezzlement, issuing bad checks and violating the Lebanese monetary and loan laws. Five others have also been charged with involvement in the case, but are on the run, a court official said.
Ezzedine and Faour have been referred to an investigating magistrate for further investigation before a date is set for their trial. Ezzedine, a wealthy tycoon from the village of Maaroub near the southern port city of Tyre, is a prominent financier, particularly among Shiite circles in Lebanon. He is the owner of Dar al-Hadi Publishing House, which has published religious Shiite books, including books by Hizbullah officials. The allegations have tarnished a reputation Ezzedine had as a devout man involved in charity work. He headed an institution that organized pilgrimage trips to Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. Recent media reports in Lebanon have said that Hizbullah has had business dealings with Ezzedine, somewhat shaking the Shiite group's image as an austere resistance movement. Hizbullah, however, has denied any involvement in Ezzedine's business dealings. Many Muslims consider interest paid by banks as un-Islamic and therefore prefer to invest their money in businesses such as the ones run by Ezzeddine.(AP photo shows a man checking books at Dar al-Hadi.) Beirut, 13 Sep 09, 09:21

Analysis: Al-Maliki's quarrel with Syria over Baghdad bombings backfires on Iraqi premier
HAMZA HENDAWI
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-ml-iraq-syria-analysis,0,3860265.story
Associated Press Writer
Los Angeles Times
September 12, 2009.
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's prime minister is feeling a backlash over a bitter fight he picked with Syria, which he accuses of harboring Saddam Hussein loyalists suspected in deadly bombings in Baghdad. Critics say he just wants to divert attention from his own government's security failures.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite, is trying to shore up his position ahead of January parliamentary elections after the increase in violence in recent months deeply hurt his security credentials and after the Shiite coalition that once backed him split.
But the spat with Syria has only isolated him among Iraqi politicians. It also could set back U.S. efforts to improve Iraq's relations with its Arab neighbors and normalize its own ties with Syria after years of tension. Significantly, the United States, which has 130,000 troops in Iraq, has remained largely silent about al-Maliki's accusations. That, say analysts, could suggest that it too does not fully support the charges or his handling of the dispute. Another explanation for U.S. wariness is that it does not want to appear to be meddling in Iraqi affairs after al-Maliki was angered when the Obama administration sent officials to Syria last month to discuss security on the Iraq border without inviting the Iraqis.
Al-Maliki has blamed two Syria-based senior members of Saddam's now-outlawed Baath Party, along with al-Qaida, for planning massive bombings on Aug. 19 in Baghdad that killed more than 100 people. Syria says the Iraqi government has failed to provide proof, rejecting its requests for their extradition.
A U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, Brig. Gen. Stephen Lanza, said the attacks bore the hallmarks of al-Qaida, but declined to be drawn into whether Syrian-based Baathists were also involved. "It's important to note that Iraq's Ministry of Interior continues to investigate the bombings. It would be purely speculation on my part to comment now on the investigation's findings," he said.
Michael W. Hanna, an expert with the Century Foundation in New York, argued that the Syria-Iraq tiff created a "less than ideal" situation for the United States. "If there was a serious belief that these bombings were in fact masterminded in Damascus, I think you would have seen a more overt U.S. role," said Hanna. He also held out the possibility, however, that Washington's reluctance to speak publicly on the Syria-Iraq dispute may have been out of a desire to avoid the appearance of meddling in Iraqi affairs. Many Baath loyalists fled to Syria after the 2003 fall of Saddam, including several who are widely thought to be financing or planning attacks in Iraq. The U.S. and Iraq have long accused Damascus of not doing enough to prevent them and al-Qaida militants from crossing the border to carry out attacks in Iraq. Ties had markedly improved between Baghdad and Damascus over the past year.
But with al-Maliki's accusations, they quickly fell apart again. The two countries, which had until Saddam's ouster been ruled by rival factions of Baath, withdrew their ambassadors and Iraq stepped up security on its porous border with Syria. An Arab and Turkish attempt to mediate at a Cairo meeting on Wednesday failed, with the Syrian and Iraqi foreign ministers angrily hurling accusations back and forth.
The bombings — which targeted the buildings of the finance and foreign ministries — took place a day after al-Maliki returned from a visit to Damascus during which he gave the Syrians a list of Iraqis wanted in connection with violence. His visit followed the separate U.S.-Syrian meeting to discuss security at the Syria-Iraq border. An al-Qaida in Iraq front group claimed responsibility for the attacks, while a Syria-based faction of the Iraqi Baath party denounced the bombings Al-Maliki may have calculated that turning up the heat on Syria — usually a safe political bet, especially among his Shiite constituents — would boost his weakening chances of retaining his position in the parliamentary election.
His status as prime minister once seemed a sure thing, after an alliance he led scored major victories in provincial elections last January. But his allies in the Shiite coalition that dominates parliament recently dumped him and his Dawa party, deeply hurting his chances of keeping a majority behind him after the upcoming vote.
Last month's attacks discredited his claims that Iraqi forces were capable of handling security after U.S. forces pulled out of Iraqi cities in June. Increasing violence has undermined his carefully manufactured image as the leader who oversaw the insurgency's defeat.
Now his rivals may be taking his spat with Syria as a further opportunity to erode his standing.
Shiite Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi issued a statement this past week pointedly saying that blaming others for failures while taking credit for successes was not the ideal way to deal with Iraq's problems.
Iraq's president, Jalal Talabani, and his two deputies — Abdul-Mahdi and Tariq al-Hashemi — took the unusual step of publicly scolding the prime minister over the dispute with Syria, counseling calm and complaining that he was not consulting them on issues of national interest.
Still, al-Maliki has persisted. He called on the U.N. Security Council to create an international tribunal to investigate the attacks, a move likely meant to touch a raw nerve in Damascus. President Bashar Assad's regime has for years feared being implicated by a U.N.-appointed court investigating the 2005 assassination of a former Lebanese prime minister.
Iraqi analyst Hadi Cahlou said al-Maliki has to divert attention from the security failures, and Syria was the perfect target. "Al-Maliki was smart to export his problems," said Cahlou. "I think he will push this all the way because he needs Syrian concessions in order to defuse the anger of Iraqis."
But veteran Arab affairs commentator Hoda al-Husseini saw al-Maliki's tactic as a risky gamble. Blaming Syria wins Damascus the sympathy of Sunni heavyweights Egypt and Saudi Arabia, two close U.S. allies that have always distrusted al-Maliki.
"The problem al-Maliki has is that he doesn't have proof of Syrian involvement in the bombings," she wrote in the newspaper Asharq al-Awsat. "Al-Maliki is all alone in this standoff."
___
Hendawi is the AP's Middle East Correspondent. He has covered Iraq since 2003.


'Lebanese Madoff' faces charges
Man believed to have invested hundreds of millions of dollars charged with embezzlement
Reuters Published: 09.12.09,
Israel News /Lebanese businessman Salah Ezz el-Din, thought to have invested hundreds of millions of dollars for Shiite investors in Lebanon, including Hezbollah officials, was charged on Saturday with embezzlement, a prosecutor said. Prosecutor judge Fawzi Adham said six other people were charged, five in absentia, in the case, the total losses from which are being assessed by financial experts. The charges included issuing cheques without sufficient funds and breaching financial laws. Ezz el-Din's depositors included members of the Lebanese Shiite political and military movement Hezbollah, listed as a terrorist organization by the United States. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said this week "a very, very limited" number of party officials had deposited money with Ezz el-Din. Funds deposited by the party did not exceed $4 million, he added. Ezz el-Din was arrested last month after going bankrupt. His business interests included a publishing house and a tour company that arranged for pilgrims to go on the annual haj pilgrimage.


3 Hezbollah leaders lose big to 'Lebanese Madoff'
Wafik Safa, who refused to reveal status of Regev and Goldwasser, is one of biggest losers in scheme
Roee Nahmias Published: 09.04.09,
Israel News
Three senior Hezbollah operatives are among those who invested and lost funds with Lebanese businessman Salah Ezzadine, who has been nicknamed the 'Lebanese Madoff' after being accused of losing over a billion dollars of his clients' money.
Original Report
'Lebanese Madoff' detained / Associated Press
Famous Shiite financier suspected of executing Ponzi scheme in which main loser was Hezbollah
One of the three is Wafik Safa, the first to disclose during Israel's prisoner swap with Hezbollah in 2008 that IDF reservists Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, kidnapped by the organization two years earlier, were dead. During the prisoner swap Wafik Safa became known in Israel for refusing to reveal the status of the two captured soldiers until the very last minute, just before their bodies were brought out in coffins. Al-Arabiya reported that the other two men were the leader of Hezbollah's parliament bloc, Mohammad Raad, and a member of the bloc, Amin Sherri. The report did not say whether they had lost their own private funds or those of the organization. Sources affiliated with Hezbollah have estimated Ezzadine's losses at around a billion dollars, and a Kuwaiti daily reported Thursday that the organization had lost around $683 million. Hezbollah, said to be still recovering from the 2006 Second Lebanon War with Israel, is now considered to be in financial dire straits. Earlier this week the Lebanese a-Safir reported that Ezzadine, a prominent Lebanese businessman, is accused of leading a giant Ponzi scheme and that he was arrested by Hezbollah in Beirut while attempting to flee the country.

Hariri resigns, puts pressure on Hizbollah
The National
September 12. 2009
http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090913/OPINION/709129936/1033
Described as a strategic retreat, Saad Hariri’s decision to step down as prime minister-designate is more likely an attempt to draw a new line in the sand. After his slate of ministers for a national unity government was roundly rejected by Hizbollah last week, Mr Hariri’s resignation is meant to convey that he has already made his best offer. He may be renominated with a stronger hand or another Sunni politician may be put forward. Regardless, three months after elections offered Lebanon a chance to move forward, it will take more than shuffling the pieces on the board to move past the present stalemate.
The most visible stumbling block in recent cabinet squabbles had been the post of telecoms minister, a role which could involve overseeing the privatisation of an industry worth billions. The incumbent is Jibran Bassil, the son-in-law of the opposition Christian leader Michel Aoun, who has been dogged by the stains of his country’s sordid personal politics. He actually lost his constituency in the last election, and has been smeared over allegations related to an Israeli internet spying scandal.
That sideshow and arguments over other appointees have obscured the bigger picture. In the better spirit of Lebanon’s tradition of sectarian compromise, there is a basic framework for a unity cabinet, allotting 15 seats to Mr Hariri’s March 14 coalition, 10 seats to the Hizbollah-led opposition and the last five to the president Michel Suleiman. The opposition would have enough ministers to effectively veto decisions – the “blocking third” it has been fighting for – but only if it could win the support of the president.
In theory Mr Hariri could force the issue. Even after being abandoned by the Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, the March 14 coalition still retains the parliamentary majority to appoint a cabinet of its choosing along constitutional sectarian lines. Mr Hariri’s insistence on a unity government since elections showed his determination to keep that option off the table. His decision to step down could strengthen the camp within his coalition who has argued for a more hardline stance.
The constant amid the back room deals and shifting alliances is Hizbollah’s belief in itself as the most potent force inside the country. Lionised in the 2006 war with Israel, the organisation demonstrated its power during the sectarian street battles and protests that besieged the former government in 2008. As long as Hizbollah maintains that position, it will always be able to hold out for a bigger share of the political pie – at least for a role bigger than the 10 cabinet posts currently on offer.
Both sides should be wary of pushing too far. The backdrop of missile and artillery exchanges on Lebanon’s southern border is a reminder about how precarious the country’s peace actually is, and how vulnerable it can be to outside forces.
Following his cabinet proposal with his resignation, Mr Hariri has shown Hizbollah to be the spoiler, and may consult international allies with the hope of applying more pressure. Without movement between the United States and Saudi Arabia on the one side and Syria and Iran on the other, there is little that any manoeuvre in Beirut will accomplish. Perhaps Mr Hariri felt the stand-off brooked no other option other than to resign. He is clearly appealing to forces that are out of his hands to break the impasse.

Iranians target international journalist according to letter
By: W. Thomas Smith Jr.
http://www.analyst-network.com/article.php?art_id=3133
10 Sep 2009
A letter received this week by the Beirut-based newspaper Almoharrer Alarabi – a copy of which we have obtained – details a death warrant issued by two Iranian generals to a junior Iranian military “information” officer directing the junior officer to “eliminate” Hamid Ghoriafi, the London-based senior correspondent for the Kuwaiti newspaper, Alseyassah (Al-Siyassa). Ghoriafi also writes for Almoharrer Alarabi.
The junior officer – who purportedly has strong ties to both Hizballah and the Syrian regime of Bashar Assad – holds Iranian and European citizenship papers.
We are presently withholding the names and other information of those involved, and we have learned that the letter has been made available to Lebanese security forces.
According to an English translation of the letter, the warrant was issued because, “Ghoriafi has a good relationship with Israeli intelligence through Lebanon’s MP Marwan Hamadéh [a Lebanese Druze]. Hamadéh supplies Ghoriafi with information regarding the International tribunal, so Ghoriafi can sell it to Alseyassah.”
If true, this would not be the first time the Iranian-Syrian-Hizballah axis has threatened, attempted to kill, or killed journalists in Lebanon. In the wake of the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri in 2005, journalists Samir Kassir and Gebran Tueni were killed by car bombs. And TV anchorwoman May Chidiac was severly wounded in a similar terrorist attack.
According to one source close to Ghoriafi, “he was targeted in 1984 by a Syrian Intelligence unit operating in Cyprus” in a marginally reported assassination attempt in which his driver was killed. And of course, an assassination attempt – believed to be the work of Syria – was made against Alseyassah’s editor-in-chief Ahmad al-Jarallah on Dec. 11, 2003.
“The next day, three more letter-bombs, all sent from Lebanon, were intercepted by the Kuwaiti authorities,” according to the United Nations’ Reporters Without Borders Annual Report in 2004. “Their targets were journalists Nasser al-Utaybi (of Alseyassah) and Abdallah Muhammad al-Shaykh (Al-Qabas) and Kuwaiti Writers Association secretary-general Abdallah al-Khalaf (Al-Watan).”
Any attempt made against the life of Ghoriafi – a British citizen living in London, whom we quoted on Aug. 28 – would immediately result in “names being named” according to a Lebanese source. Another, an American counterterrorism analyst, says, “The letter has already been circulated and obtained by Lebanese justice officials, so any such attack will force action by the international criminal tribunal against the Iranians and Hizballah.”
Details forthcoming.
— Visit W. Thomas Smith Jr. at uswriter.com.

Remembering 9/11, Eight Years Later
by Cinnamon Stillwell
Family Security Matters
September 11, 2009
http://www.meforum.org/2463/remembering-9-11-eight-years-later
Eight years after the Islamic terrorist attacks of 9/11, it appears that America has largely drifted back into complacency. Certainly, many Americans still understand that the threat of repeated attacks remains real, but the sense of urgency has faded with time.
Meanwhile, the country's current leadership and its supporters are inhabiting the willful blindness of a pre-9/11 mindset, if not acting as apologists for and, in some cases, active supporters of America's enemies. Misconceptions that began with the Bush administration continue unabated. There is an inability to grasp that, to quote Robert Spencer, the "stealth jihad," being visited by Islamists upon our educational, cultural, and governmental institutions is the greatest threat to Western civilization. The self-censorship of political correctness, the moral vacuity of multiculturalism, the surrender of creeping dhimmitude, and the corruption of Arab dollars and influence continue to ensure that we are not actively engaged in the ideological battlefield.
As someone who was galvanized into a political awakening and eventual transformation by 9/11, it has been disheartening to see the country slide back into somnolence. Indeed, I have wondered at times whether we have entered a post-post-9/11 age. I believe the memory still lingers in our collective consciousness, but it has retreated to the farther reaches.
When one looks at history, this depressing pattern emerges time and time again. One has to wonder if human beings generally don't learn from history, but rather, are doomed to make the same mistakes over and over again. Jolted out of slumber every so often by horrific events, we then sink back into oblivion once the threat no longer seems urgent. A few will always stand on the sidelines trying to bring attention to the looming threat of the day, but by and large, we only listen when forced. Nonetheless, the fight must go on, for the alternative is far too frightening. That's something for all of us to remember on 9/11/09.
**Cinnamon Stillwell is the West Coast Representative for Campus Watch, a project of the Middle East Forum. She can be reached at stillwell@meforum.org.