LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
January 24/09

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.

Vatican Council II/Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, «Lumen Gentium», §18-19 (©Libreria Editrice Vaticana)
"He summoned those whom he wanted "
This Sacred Council, following closely in the footsteps of the First Vatican Council, with that Council teaches and declares that Jesus Christ, the eternal Shepherd, established His holy Church, having sent forth the apostles as He Himself had been sent by the Father; and He willed that their successors, namely the bishops, should be shepherds in His Church even to the consummation of the world. And in order that the episcopate itself might be one and undivided, He placed Blessed Peter over the other apostles, and instituted in him a permanent and visible source and foundation of unity of faith and communion... The Lord Jesus, after praying to the Father, calling to Himself those whom He desired, appointed twelve to be with Him, and whom He would send to preach the Kingdom of God; and these apostles He formed after the manner of a college or a stable group, over which He placed Peter chosen from among them. He sent them first to the children of Israel and then to all nations, so that as sharers in His power they might make all peoples His disciples, and sanctify and govern them, and thus spread His Church, and by ministering to it under the guidance of the Lord, direct it all days even to the consummation of the world. And in this mission they were fully confirmed on the day of Pentecost in accordance with the Lord's promise: "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and in Samaria, and even to the very ends of the earth". And the apostles, by preaching the Gospel everywhere, and it being accepted by their hearers under the influence of the Holy Spirit, gather together the universal Church, which the Lord established on the apostles and built upon blessed Peter, their chief, Christ Jesus Himself being the supreme cornerstone. That divine mission, entrusted by Christ to the apostles, will last until the end of the world, since the Gospel they are to teach is for all time the source of all life for the Church.
Biblical references: Jn 20,21; Mk 3,13-19; Mt 10,1-42; Lk 6,13; Jn 21,15-17; Rom 1,16; Mt 28,16-20; Mk 16,15; Lk 24,45-48; Jn 20,21-23; Mt 28,20; Acts 2,1-36; Acts 1,8; Mk 16,20; Rev 21,14; Mt 16,18; Eph 2, 20; Mt 28,20.

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
U.S. faces paradigm shift in relations with Lebanon.By: Mona Yacoubian 23/01/09
Like in Lebanon, Iran plans to boost presence in post-war Gaza-World Tribune 23/01/09
This time, Israel got the public diplomacy right-Jerusalem Post 23/01/09

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for January 23/09
Lebanon's Daily Star shut down-International Herald Tribune
Lebanon army gets boost from Russian jets-The Associated Press
Lebanese de-mining worker wounded by war-left cluster bomb-Xinhua
Palestinian Rival Says It Is Attacked by Hamas-The New York Times
Obama urges Israel to open Gaza borders-The Financial Times
Israel to keep Gaza crossings closed-The Financial Times
Gaza edges back to normalcy-International Herald Tribune
Israel's multi-faceted Gaza cease-fire Ha'aretz
MTV Soon on Air, LBC's Walid Abboud Resigns-Naharnet
International Tribunal to be Launched March 1, No Specific Charges Made Yet-Naharnet
Report: Elias Murr in Damascus Within Days-Naharnet
Syria to Name Beirut Ambassador Soon-Naharnet
Writer of Bad Slogans on Amsheet School Wall Arrested-Naharnet
Jumblat After Meeting Berri: Defense Strategy Issue is Solved Through Dialogue-Naharnet
El Salvador Sends Troops to Lebanon to 'Fight Terrorists'-Naharnet
Murr: Who Insults the President Should be Brought to Justice-Naharnet
Suleiman Denies he Traveled to Doha as a Result of Pressure-Naharnet
Is Nasrallah a Christian Saint?-Naharnet
Villagers Harass UNIFIL-Naharnet
Uproar in Lebanon over rosaries bearing photo of Hezbollah chief-AFP
Obama and Clinton Announce Envoys to Middle East and South Asia-ABC News
World races to help Gaza before Iran-Jerusalem Post
EU preliminary deal would take Iranian opposition group off terror list-Naharnet
U.S. Officials: Obama to Await Iranian and Israeli Election Results, Moves to Holding a Dialogue With Syria-Naharnet

Villagers Harass UNIFIL
Naharnet/Citizens of a southern Lebanese village on Thursday surrounded U.N. peacekeepers and prevented them from carrying out their mission, local reporters said.
They said a patrol from UNIFIL's Italian battalion was trying to photograph a tiny bridge in the village of Froun, near the town of Bint Jbeil, when it was suddenly surrounded by a crowd of natives, lead by reputed Hizbullah figures in the region. The angry villagers wanted the Italian peacekeepers to surrender the tape, they added. However, a Lebanese Army patrol moved in and "settled the dispute," the reporters said. No acts of violence were reported, except for some insults by the crowd. Immediate comment from UNIFIL was not available. Beirut, 22 Jan 09, 22:07

Is Nasrallah a Christian Saint?
Naharnet/Rosaries bearing a picture of Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah have created an uproar within Lebanon's Christian community with some saying the depiction is an insult to Christianity. "The rosaries are an insult to our Christian beliefs," an official with the Christian Lebanese Forces party told AFP on Thursday. She spoke on condition of anonymity. "They are an attempt to influence public opinion within the Christian community so that people get used to seeing a photo of Nasrallah next to the Virgin Mary or saints," she added. She said the Lebanese Forces was not pointing an accusatory finger at Hizbullah but felt that the Shiite party backed by Iran and Syria needed to take action to prevent the distribution of the rosaries. Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir, head of the powerful Maronite Church in Lebanon, which counts no less than 18 communities and where power is divided along religious lines, has also jumped into the fray saying that one should not mix politics and religion.
A Hizbullah official told AFP that the party had nothing to do with the rosaries and accused the rival Western-backed Lebanese Forces of trying to create dissension among the religious communities. "Why is Nasrallah guilty if people decide to put his picture on rosaries?" said the official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity. "This issue is dangerous." Last November a photo exhibition by Lebanese filmmaker Jocelyne Saab was ordered to remove pictures deemed controversial, notably one of Nasrallah alongside Christ on a crucifix. And in 2006, riots erupted in Beirut over a Lebanese comedy program that mocked Nasrallah.(AFP)
Beirut, 22 Jan 09, 22:17

MTV Soon on Air, LBC's Walid Abboud Resigns
Naharnet/MTV will resume broadcasting after a seven-year hiatus, As Safir daily reported, saying details of the network's re-launching will be announced during a press conference next week. The station was shut down in 2002 after a press court convicted it of breaking the electoral law, which bans electioneering ads on TV airwaves. The move against MTV resulted from a government lawsuit that accused the network of airing election ads for its owner Gabriel Murr, who at the time won the Metn by-elections. As Safir said the TV station will recover some of its old staff such as Ghayath Yazbek who will be news director. Yazbek currently works at ANB.The newspaper also said that journalist and LBC anchorman Walid Abboud has submitted his resignation and will be MTV's editor-in-chief when the station resumes operations. Beirut, 23 Jan 09, 11:42

International Tribunal to be Launched March 1, No Specific Charges Made Yet
Naharnet/The Registrar of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon Robin Vincent has said no one has been charged yet in the assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri, stressing that the court would start operating on March 1. "No specific charges against any person have been made yet," Vincent told a gathering at the (Beit al Muhami) Attorney's Home in Beirut on Thursday evening via a live close circuit televised address. The meeting was attended by Interior Minister Ziad Baroud, Head of the State Consultative Council Judge Shukri Sader, former minister Elias Hanna, British Ambassador Frances Guy, Head of the Beirut Bar Association Ramzi Jreij and others. "Court logistical preparations at the Hague are still ongoing," Vincent said. He added that investigations into the Hariri crime would continue throughout 2009.
He explained that an agreement was signed with the Dutch government for the court to have its headquarters in The Hague. The tribunal will start operations on Sunday March 1, he said. "On that date, Special Commissioner Daniel Bellemare becomes an international prosecutor. He and his team would gradually move from Lebanon to the Hague," Vincent said. He added that once Bellemare is in the Hague, a special meeting would be held to establish the rules, governing procedures and proof, adding that this would be completed at the appropriate time, while respecting the specified time schedule for placing information systems.
Vincent assured his audience "the tribunal will be clear and transparent, meaning every citizen has the right to learn about the tribunal's progress."
From 2002 to 2005, Vincent served as Registrar of the Special Court for Sierra Leone. Since then, his work has included temporary service as Deputy Registrar of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and advising on the establishment of other international tribunals, including the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
Judge Sader said the tribunal's mission is to uncover all international terror cases in Lebanon and not just that of Hariri.
"This means uncovering all assassination crimes from the attempt on Marwan Hamadeh to that of Gebran Tueni," Sader said, adding that all victims are equal in the eyes of the international community. "The Tribunal also has the power to look for possible future terror attacks that could take place following the court's establishment," Sader said. He explained that the Security Council adopted the Tribunal under Article 7 of the U.N. Charter to avoid going through the Lebanese parliament "out of respect for Lebanon." U.N. Secretary-General at the time Kofi Annan and his legal assistant Nicolas Michel both failed to obtain the approval of the Lebanese parliament, he said. He pointed to one issue that will need to be cleared under article seven, that the court does not have the right to force a third party to cooperate in the case. Beirut, 23 Jan 09, 10:15

Report: Elias Murr in Damascus Within Days
Naharnet/Defense Minister Elias Murr will visit Damascus soon to discuss bilateral relations with Syrian officials, As Safir newspaper reported on Friday.
It said Murr is expected to visit the Syrian capital at the end of this month to discuss with top officials there bilateral relations in the field of military cooperation.
An Nahar newspaper, meanwhile, said Murr postponed his visit indefinitely as a result of Syrian demands. No other elaboration was made by the report ran under An Nahar's 'Secrets of the Gods' tidbit. Murr said last month that he would present the Lebanese cabinet with a working agenda for his Syrian trip.
He said he wants to get cabinet approval on all points of discussion with Syrian officials, including the issue of border security and the implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 which ended the Israel-Hizbullah war in 2006. Beirut, 23 Jan 09, 09:16

Syria to Name Beirut Ambassador Soon
Naharnet/The Syrian ambassador to Lebanon will soon arrive in Beirut to take up his post, As Safir newspaper reported on Friday.
It said Damascus would soon name the head of mission to Beirut, adding that the delay was the result of the political leadership's busy schedule because of the Israeli war in Gaza and Arab summits. Several diplomats from Damascus are already working at the embassy which is located in the Hamra business district of west Beirut. The highest-ranking diplomat is currently a first secretary. Lebanon and Syria announced the establishment of diplomatic relations on October 15 for the first time since their independence from France more than 60 years ago. Beirut, 23 Jan 09, 10:31

Writer of Bad Slogans on Amsheet School Wall Arrested
Naharnet/Security forces have arrested a high school student for writing slogans harmful to coexistence on his school's walls in Amsheet. News reports said police on Friday were interrogating Elie M., who is a student at Amsheet public high school. The slogans carried inscriptions like "No Nasr (victory) but Nasrallah," "No Christ but you, Nasrallah," and "Jbeil, Kesrouan are Muslim districts."On Thursday, students believed these slogans were harmful to coexistence in an area that has protected coexistence in the most difficult circumstances. Several officials denounced the student's actions. MP Walid Khoury said the writing of the slogans is "a dangerous conspiracy" linked to the June 7 parliamentary elections. He said such actions aim at creating strife. MP Butros Harb also said the slogans and rosaries bearing a picture of Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah were harmful to coexistence. He urged the justice minister to punish all culprits. Beirut, 23 Jan 09, 12:12

Jumblat After Meeting Berri: Defense Strategy Issue is Solved Through Dialogue
Naharnet/Druze leader Walid Jumblat said Thursday after meeting with Speaker Nabih Berri that the defense strategy issue could only be solved through dialogue.
"The defense strategy is solved through dialogue according to Lebanese, Arab and regional circumstances," Jumblat said. He said his meeting with Berri was aimed at following up practical steps a day after Jumblat met with Hizbullah MP Mohammed Raad. He also said that several officials from his Progressive Socialist Party and Berri's Amal movement held a meeting Thursday night. "It is true that each one of us has a different political stance" but Lebanon cannot be ruled without consensus, Jumblat said. "The atmosphere is positive …. We make a step forward every time we meet with" Jumblat, Berri said. Beirut, 23 Jan 09, 08:30

El Salvador Sends Troops to Lebanon to 'Fight Terrorists'
El Salvador will send another 50 soldiers to join the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, doubling its deployment here to support the "fight against terrorism," President Antonio Saca said Thursday. "El Salvador believes in this fight against terrorism," Saca told journalists in La Hachadura, on the border with Guatemala, as he announced he had authorized 50 soldiers to join 52 of their compatriots already in Lebanon. Meanwhile, the defense ministry said that 200 Salvadoran soldiers had finished their mission in Iraq and would travel to Kuwait, from where U.S. forces would transfer them home. Saca had announced his country's pullout from Iraq on December 23, more than five years after Salvadoran troops were first deployed there. The tiny Central American nation is a staunch ally of the United States, which backed the country's right-wing government in a bloody civil war that ended in 1992.(AFP) Beirut, 23 Jan 09, 07:59

Murr: Who Insults the President Should be Brought to Justice
Naharnet/MP Michel Murr on Thursday called for referring to a court of law any one who insults the president of the republic. Murr, talking to reporters at his residence after receiving the ambassadors of Britain and Greece, also said independent candidates in the constituencies of Metn, Baabda, Kesrouan and Jbeil (Byblos) "have color and taste because they enjoy popularity that scares off those criticizing them." "Voters are uprising against their past experience and would hold accountable those who had claimed to have color and taste. In the forthcoming elections voters would clearly differentiate between those who had blocked the state and independent candidates who back the state and its institutions," he said. Beirut, 22 Jan 09, 18:45

Suleiman Denies he Traveled to Doha as a Result of Pressure
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman has denied that some political parties in Lebanon pressured him to accept an invitation to attend an Arab economic summit in Qatar. "I agreed to go to Doha for the sake of national interest .... the decision to participate at the summit was already taken" and given the green light by the cabinet, Suleiman told a visiting delegation on Thursday. He denied media reports that March 8 factions visited or held contacts with him in order to put pressure on him.
Suleiman said his stance in Doha and then in Kuwait was part of the approach he has been adopting in the past seven months. Beirut, 23 Jan 09, 08:45

Canada and the United States Cooperate to Prevent Nuclear Terrorism
January 22, 2009 (6:30 p.m. EST)
No. 19
The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that Canada will contribute $10 million toward U.S. efforts to detect and secure dangerous nuclear and radiological materials in Russia and Ukraine.
“These projects, which will help prevent terrorists from acquiring dangerous nuclear and radiological materials, are fundamental to the protection of Canadian and international security,” said the Minister. “Our contribution confirms Canada’s strong partnership with the new U.S. administration to ensure North America’s security through concrete counterterrorism and nuclear non-proliferation measures.”
Canada’s contribution will fund the installation of radiation-detection equipment at key border crossings in Ukraine. The equipment will help prevent illicit trafficking of nuclear and other radiological materials. Canadian funds will also go toward recovering and securing vulnerable, highly radioactive sources powering navigational devices, such as lighthouses, in Russia. These sources could be used to construct a radiological dispersal device, or “dirty bomb.”
All these measures are being taken through the Global Partnership Program, Canada’s contribution to the G8’s Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction. Canada has pledged up to $1 billion over 10 years to the Partnership, which addresses a number of practical non-proliferation, counterterrorism and security issues related to weapons of mass destruction.
For the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration news release on the same topic, please visit:
www.nnsa.energy.gov/news/2271.htm.
For an earlier release on Canada’s contributions to nuclear security, please visit:
http://w01.international.gc.ca/minpub/Publication.aspx?isRedirect=True&publication_id=385121&Language=E&docnumber=65.
For more information on the Global Partnership Program, please consult: www.international.gc.ca/gpp-ppm/global_partnership-partenariat_mondial.aspx.

Uproar in Lebanon over rosaries bearing photo of Hezbollah chief
BEIRUT (AFP) — Rosaries bearing a picture of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah have created an uproar within Lebanon's Christian community with some saying the depiction is an insult to Christianity. "The rosaries are an insult to our Christian beliefs," an official with the Christian Lebanese Forces party told AFP on Thursday. She spoke on condition of anonymity. "They are an attempt to influence public opinion within the Christian community so that people get used to seeing a photo of Nasrallah next to the Virgin Mary or saints," she added. She said the Lebanese Forces was not pointing an accusatory finger at Hezbollah but felt that the Shiite Muslim party backed by Iran and Syria needed to take action to prevent the distribution of the rosaries. Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir, head of the powerful Maronite Church in Lebanon, which counts no less than 18 communities and where power is divided along religious lines, has also jumped into the fray saying that one should not mix politics and religion. A Hezbollah official told AFP that the party had nothing to do with the rosaries and accused the rival Western-backed Lebanese Forces of trying to create dissension among the religious communities. "Why is Nasrallah guilty if people decide to put his picture on rosaries?" said the official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity. "This issue is dangerous."Last November a photo exhibition by Lebanese filmmaker Jocelyne Saab was ordered to remove pictures deemed controversial, notably one of Nasrallah alongside Christ on a crucifix. And in 2006, riots erupted in Beirut over a Lebanese comedy program that mocked Nasrallah.

Analysis: This time, Israel got the public diplomacy right
By HIRSH GOODMAN - Jerusalem Post
Evidence suggests that Israel's public diplomacy efforts during Operation Cast Lead were planned as professionally and precisely as the IDF's military operation.
Clearly, both in terms of media relations and information security, lessons have been learned from past experience. Israel put in place what seems to be a well-oiled, focused, disciplined and well-navigated public diplomacy bureaucracy that disseminates messages and supporting materials in a timely and organized way.
It appears that those charged with Israel's information security and public diplomacy in this conflict learned and internalized the lessons of the 2006 war.
The Winograd Committee of Inquiry into the Second Lebanon War was highly critical of how information security and public diplomacy were handled, and devoted a major chapter to the subject. In 2006, leaks of the most sensitive material from highly sensitive government and security forums that were reported in almost real time gave Hizbullah, according to then-chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz, intelligence worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Uncontrolled cellphone use by troops to parents, relatives, friends and ultimately the media portrayed confusion and a lack of proper leadership, supplies and medical care for the troops in action. Undisciplined and nonregulated interchanges between officers in uniform and reporters painted a blurred picture of where the army was headed. Commentators and even those formally charged with trying to project Israel's case internally and externally were not briefed and often gave contradictory assessments on the progress of the war and its goals, leading to public bewilderment and demoralization.
In addition, in the Second Lebanon War as well as in the second intifada, there was a critical lack of coordination between the military, the Foreign Ministry, and the Prime Minister's Office, each of which was seen to be working at cross purposes.
In Operation Cast Lead, the situation seemed to be quite different. Unlike in the Second Lebanon War, where the IDF Spokesman's policy was one of openness, the current policy was one of tight control. Media access was severely limited. Entire areas around mobilization points were declared off-limits to the press. In the second week of the war very limited and controlled access was granted to "trusted" journalists who had a long history of relations with the IDF and agreed to abide by strict censorship rules. In this war, no officers spoke to the media without authorization, and those who were authorized to do so were carefully briefed. Private cellphones were confiscated.
The military's message was conveyed in person by the IDF Spokesman's Office in nightly, live, prime-time interviews. Those who did appear were clearly pre-briefed on what to say, as well as on information security requirements. And in a major, highly effective and fundamental change, the military provided those responsible for defending Israel's case with speedy intelligence to give credibility and credence to their message, specifically when it came to attacks on mosques and other sensitive targets like ambulances and schools.
Gideon Meir, now ambassador to Italy, said in a January 13 interview with Army Radio that he was "highly impressed" with the briefing materials he had received, including those provided by the IDF. Prior to his current appointment, Meir served for eight years as the Foreign Ministry's deputy director-general for public affairs, responsible for the country's public diplomacy, and was at the time a vocal critic of the army's policy of withholding information and the general lack of cooperation from other government and security agencies.
From the very start of the war, there was a unanimity of message from official sources about the goals of the operation. Scenarios developed ahead of the outbreak of hostilities were tailored to meet the need of the hour, bolstered by whatever evidence could be produced, and disseminated efficiently to spokesmen, embassies, government ministers charged with speaking to the public, and other relevant bodies.
Coordination was handled by the National Information Directorate in the Prime Minister's Office, a body set up as a result of the State Comptroller's report into Israel's public diplomacy failures, particularly regarding the Jenin refugee camp incident in 2002, when many in the world were led to believe a massacre had occurred though no such thing had happened. A lack of information sharing between the IDF, the Foreign Ministry, and the Prime Minister's Office was found to be at the core of the problem. This, it seems, the directorate has now successfully resolved.
To those planning Operation Cast Lead and its public diplomacy, it was clear that the most problematic pictures for Israel and its international relations would be those of urban areas in Gaza subject to intense military action. It was in this context that a decision was made to keep the foreign press out of Gaza.
The border was closed to them two months in advance of the operation and remained closed until the second week of the war, when a BBC cameraman and a Reuters pool reporter were allowed to enter Gaza embedded with IDF troops and under tight field security control. Though in a response to an appeal from the Foreign Press Association the Supreme Court had ordered the border opened several weeks before the operation, the IDF kept it closed, citing "security considerations," much to the ire of the foreign press.
Ethan Bronner of The New York Times complained that "unlike any war in Israel's history, in this one the government is seeking to entirely control the message and the narrative for reasons of both politics and military strategy."
The Foreign Press Association itself issued a statement saying that "the unprecedented denial of access to Gaza for the world's media amounts to a severe violation of press freedom and puts Israel in the company of a handful of regimes around the world which regularly keep journalists from doing their jobs."
Lorenzo Cremonesi, a journalist for Italy's Corriere della Sera, argued in an article in Haaretz that if Israel denied the international press access to Gaza to see the picture with their own eyes, Israel could not expect objective, balanced reportage, because they would be forced to rely on reports from victims and witnesses in the Strip. "If we aren't allowed access to the battle scene, we'll end up reporting someone else's exaggerations," he wrote.
Cremonesi, who during his career spent 20 years in Israel, reminds readers that had Israel allowed the international media into Jenin with IDF units, there would never have been reports of a massacre there, and the same logic now applies to Gaza.
Those planning Israel's media strategy for this war obviously did not agree. The protests of the foreign press were predicted in advance and thought less harmful than the consequences of uncontrolled reportage from the battlefield, possibly in part under Hamas dictate, with a very high chance of some journalists being caught in the cross fire and killed.
While the full results of Israel's public diplomacy efforts in this war will take months to assess, it seems that lessons of the past have been learned and acted on; that a structure for efficient crafting and dissemination of message exists; and that inter-agency cooperation has been deepened.
The basic conditions posed by massive force being deployed in densely populated areas would pose a challenge to any public diplomacy establishment. Those responsible seem to be doing a solid job under difficult circumstance and against very heavy odds.
***The author is Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies, Tel Aviv University.

U.S. faces paradigm shift in relations with Lebanon
Mona Yacoubian SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Friday, January 23, 2009
Following the recent violence in Gaza, the complex challenge posed by grassroots militant organizations such as Hamas in the Gaza Strip is poignantly clear. In Lebanon, the militant Shi'ite group Hezbollah, which fought another war with Israel in 2006, presents a similar conundrum for the Obama administration.
Hezbollah is certain to fare well in upcoming parliamentary elections, possibly echoing the January 2006 Palestinian elections when Hamas won a commanding majority.
Hezbollah hardly resembles a liberal-minded force for change. The inherent contradiction of an armed militia winning free and transparent elections is obvious. Hezbollah's democratic tendencies and its commitment to political reform are certainly suspect.
Moreover, Hezbollah has benefited from Lebanon's weak central government, showing little apparent interest in strengthening state institutions. Meanwhile, many Lebanese take great issue with Hezbollah's reckless decision-making, taking Lebanon into a war with Israel and two years later turning its arms on fellow Lebanese.
And, of course, Hezbollah's arsenal - maintained in violation of U.N. resolutions 1559 and 1701 - constitutes a key point of contention.
Yet, Hezbollah, with its deeply-entrenched grassroots support, is the most credible representative of Lebanon's Shi'ites, the largest community in Lebanon's volatile confessional mix.
Hezbollah's dual nature as both an armed resistance group and a popular political and social movement underscores the ambiguities. Its supporters view it as both clean - devoid of corruption - and competent, providing key social services in the absence of an effective Lebanese state. It is, in effect, the most powerful representative of Lebanon's largest community. As such, Hezbollah cannot simply be ignored, ostracized or replaced.
Hezbollah's continued ascendance - particularly since the Israeli and Syrian military withdrawals in 2000 and 2005, respectively - suggests that the tectonic plates have shifted, reflecting a new demographic and political reality. Unfortunately, Lebanon's power-sharing agreements - first in the 1943 National Pact and later with the 1989 Ta'if Accord - have not always reflected dynamic population trends. So far, attempts to recalculate Lebanon's power-sharing formula have largely been achieved through violence, most notably the 1975-1990 Civil War.
Policies bent on disenfranchising or quashing any one community - Christian, Sunni, Shi'ite, or Druze - will insure the continuation of violence and instability.
The June 2009 elections provide an opportunity to address these issues peacefully and, if accompanied by appropriate reforms, could help put Lebanon on a path of peace and stability. As such, the key question is "How to integrate Hezbollah politically and turn it away from its resistance mode toward being a fully-vested political player in the Lebanese arena, while integrating its armed faction into the national security apparatus?"
From a U.S. perspective, the answer to this question requires nothing short of a complete paradigm shift vis-a-vis policy in Lebanon.
Following the euphoria of Lebanon's 2005 Cedar Revolution, Washington fell far short in helping the Lebanese to build on that momentous achievement by focusing its efforts on defeating Hezbollah at any cost.
After months of political paralysis and violence, Lebanon came to the precipice of civil war last May, only to pull back with the Doha Accord. Looking ahead, the U.S. needs to move away from policies that promote particular factions within Lebanon's fractious political arena and instead seek to build consensus for reform and reconciliation among all Lebanese parties.
Specifically, the Obama administration should consider the following recommendations:
1. Gain a more nuanced understanding of Lebanon's political and demographic realities. Well-crafted policy originates from nuanced, rigorous analysis. U.S. policy must address Lebanon's evolving confessional makeup, including Hezbollah's role in the Shi'ite community, its intentions and long-term objectives. Under what conditions might Hezbollah evolve into a fully political actor and integrate its arms? To what extent can U.S. policy and actions encourage this shift?
2. Stay above the political fray. Washington should resist the temptation to take sides and avoid getting sucked into the morass of Lebanese politics. Such policies have never yielded positive results and often exacerbate Lebanon's volatility.
3. Focus on state institution-building and broad-based political reconciliation. U.S. policy should seek to strengthen state institutions including parliament, the judiciary and the army. The U.S. should assist government ministries in improving basic services and promote reforms that undermine corruption by establishing accountability and transparency. Washington also should facilitate reconciliation among Lebanon's rival political factions by supporting the current National Dialogue.
4. Finally, the U.S. should engage with Syria to help promote stability in Lebanon. Ultimately, Syria's longstanding interests in Lebanon must be acknowledged, although such recognition does not translate to ceding Lebanese sovereignty. Specifically, the U.S. should encourage the ongoing normalization of ties between Lebanon and Syria. Damascus recently opened its embassy in Beirut, a historic milestone. The next, more important steps will be to demarcate the borders and address the numerous treaties governing relations that were signed during Syrian hegemony over Lebanon.
• Mona Yacoubian directs the Lebanon Working Group at the U.S. Institute of Peace. The views expressed here are her own and do not reflect the views of the Institute, which does not take policy positions.

Like in Lebanon, Iran plans to boost presence in post-war Gaza
World Tribune JERUSALEM — Iran was expected to increase its influence in the Gaza Strip in wake of the Hamas-Israel war, a report said.
The report by the Jerusalem Institute for Public Affairs said Iran would seek to expand its stake in the Gaza Strip through international reconstruction programs. The report by Israeli intelligence analyst Shimon Shapira said Teheran could repeat its success in 2006, when Iranian agents directed massive rehabilitation projects in Lebanon following the Hizbullah war with Israel.
"Iran is already positioning itself for influence in post-war Gaza," the report, titled "Averting Iranian Influence in Post-War Gaza: The Rehabilitation Issue," said.
amic Revolutionary Guards Corps were killed in Israeli air strikes
On Jan. 14, Iranian deputy parliamentary speaker Ali Akbar Mohtashami, heading a 40-member delegation, arrived in Lebanon to direct Iranian support for Hamas.
"Based on the major lessons from the Second Lebanon War, it would be prudent to anticipate that Iran will seek to provide immediate assistance in order to rehabilitate Hamas in Gaza," the report said. "Just as in Lebanon, Iran will strive to channel the rehabilitation funds for Gaza to its Sunni protege, Hamas, in order to preserve Hamas' ability to reassert its rule over Gaza. Sealing the Philadelphi Route [Egypt-Gaza border] effectively will not only block the supply of Iranian rockets, but also the flow of Iranian cash into Gaza."
In 2006, the report said, Iranian agents arrived in Lebanon and began distributing up to $12,000 to each Shi'ite family whose home was destroyed in the war with Israel. Within several months, Iran, ignoring the pro-U.S. government in Beirut, paved hundreds of kilometers of roads and rehabilitated houses and public institutions damaged during the fighting.
The Iranian effort in Lebanon was directed by the Waad Co., operated by Hizbullah. The United States determined that Waad rebuilt Lebanese homes as well as the Hizbullah command and control center in Beirut.
The report urged the Israeli government to insist that the Palestinian Authority, based in the West Bank, remain the sole arbiter of reconstruction projects in the Gaza Strip. Shapira said PA personnel must be stationed in the Gaza Strip to prevent Iran infiltration.
"It is of prime importance to identify who will provide the assistance funds for Gaza rehabilitation, and who on the ground will implement the wide-ranging renewal projects," the report said. "A reliable international mechanism is urgently needed to prevent Iran from acquiring influence in post-war Gaza through any assistance programs. This is the only way to guarantee the return of the Palestinian Authority to Gaza and convert Hamas' severe military debacle into political currency in Gaza."

Israel to keep Gaza crossings closed
By Tobias Buck in Jerusalem
Published: January 23 2009
January 23 2009 02:00
Israel has refused to reopen its border crossings into the Gaza Strip soon, in what is seen as an attempt to increase pressure on Hamas.
An official said the government planned to use the issue to bargain for the release of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier held by the Islamist group since 2006.
"We don't want the issue [of the borders] to be dealt with now," the official said.
He said Israel would set tough conditions for lifting the blockade. Under its ceasefire, Hamas has given Israel until Sunday to open the borders.
The official said: "If the opening of the passages strengthens Hamas we will not do it. We will make sure that all the [humanitarian] needs of the population will be met. But we will not be able to deal with Hamas on the other side. We will not do things that give legitimacy to Hamas."
The tough line is likely to bring it into conflict with many western and Arab governments, which want to see the crossings reopened as soon as possible.
Egypt, which has played a central role in brokering a lasting ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, has insisted the issue is an integral part of any diplomatic solution to the conflict.
Lifting the Israeli closure of the Gaza Strip is above all important for the reconstruction effort. Much of the civilian infrastructure has been destroyed during the three-week Israeli offensive and, without building materials and other supplies, there is little hope of rebuilding water, sewage and power networks as well as private homes and government buildings.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009

Obama urges Israel to open Gaza borders
By Daniel Dombey in Washington and Tobias Buck in Jerusalem
January 23 2009 00:04
President Barack Obama urged Israel on Thursday to open its borders with Gaza.
The plea came in a speech that signalled the new US administration’s shift from Bush-era policy on the Middle East and the world as a whole. In a high-profile address on his second day in office, just hours after he signed an executive order to close the centre at Guantánamo Bay, Mr Obama proclaimed that the US would “actively and aggressively seek a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians” in the wake of this month’s Gaza war.
EDITOR’S CHOICE
Diplomacy pushed to centre stage - Jan-22Saudi prince urges US to be even-handed - Jan-22Comment: Saudi patience is running out - Jan-22In depth: Obama’s first 100 days - Jan-21Obama orders Guantánamo closure - Jan-22Gideon Rachman’s blog - Sep-05“The outline for a durable ceasefire is clear: Hamas must end its rocket fire: Israel will complete the withdrawal of its forces from Gaza: the US and our partners will support a credible anti-smuggling and interdiction regime, so that Hamas cannot re-arm,” the US president said.
“As part of a lasting ceasefire, Gaza’s border crossings should be open to allow the flow of aid and commerce, with an appropriate monitoring regime, with the international and Palestinian Authority participating.”
Mr Obama and Hillary Clinton, secretary of state, also announced the appointment of George Mitchell, as the US special envoy for the Arab-Israeli conflict and Richard Holbrooke, former US ambassador to the United Nations, as representative for Afghanistan-Pakistan.
The moves signalled another shift from the foreign policy of the Bush administration, which had resisted appointing a high-profile envoy for Middle East peace.
Although Condoleezza Rice, who finished her tenure as secretary of state this week, brokered a 2005 deal to allow open border crossings to Gaza, access was often shut down, with Israel citing security concerns and Hamas launching rocket attacks. The issue is set to test the authority of the new administration as it begins to grapple with the Middle East conflict.
Before Mr Obama gave his speech, an Israeli official said there would be tough conditions for any lifting of the blockade, which he linked with the release of Gilad Shalit, a soldier held captive by Hamas since 2006.
“If the opening of the passages strengthens Hamas we will not do it,” the official said.
“We will make sure that all the [humanitarian] needs of the population will be met. But we will not be able to deal with Hamas on the other side. We will not do things that give legitimacy to Hamas.”
Under its ceasefire, Hamas has given Israel until Sunday to open the borders. Much of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure has been destroyed during the three-week Israeli offensive and, without building materials and other supplies, there is little hope of rebuilding the water, sewage and power networks as well as private homes and key government buildings. But many foreign donors share Israel’s concerns that the reconstruction efforts should not be led by Hamas, or enhance the group’s legitimacy.
“Let me be clear: America is committed to Israel’s security and we will always support Israel’s right to defend itself against legitimate threats,” Mr Obama said.
But in comments referring to the Gaza conflict he added: “I was deeply concerned by the loss of Palestinian and Israeli life in recent days and by the substantial suffering and humanitarian needs in Gaza. Our hearts go out to Palestinian civilians who are in need of immediate food, clean water, and basic medical care, and who’ve faced suffocating poverty for far too long.”
He called on Arab governments to “act on” the promise of a Saudi-led 2002 Arab peace initiative by supporting the Palestinian Authority headed by President Mahmoud Abbas “taking steps towards normalising relations with Israel, and by standing up to extremism that threatens us all.”
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009

Palestinian Rival Says It Is Attacked by Hamas
By SABRINA TAVERNISE
Published: January 22, 2009
GAZA CITY — The 27-year-old in a sweatsuit limped to the table, heaved himself into a chair and began to talk about how he had been shot. Men from Hamas have begun to assault people they suspect of supporting its chief political rival, Fatah, he said, and on Sunday, he became one of the victims.
Gaza and Hamas Begin Recovery It was impossible to verify the man’s account, which he provided on the condition that he remain anonymous, out of concern for his safety. But it came during a week in which leaders of Fatah accused Hamas of harassing and harming its members in the Gaza Strip.
Yasser Abd Rabbo, an ally of the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, said at a news conference in Ramallah on Thursday that Hamas had “turned its rifles in the direction of Fatah members” after Israel stopped its military offensive on Sunday. Mr. Rabbo accused Hamas of placing Fatah supporters under house arrest and shooting some of them in the legs, an intimidation tactic that it used in the past.
A Hamas spokesman, Fawzi Barhoum, strongly denied the accusation, saying that Fatah was raising the issue to distract attention from the fact that it remained on the sidelines and did not challenge Israel during the three weeks of fighting in Gaza.
Hamas and Fatah have long been bitter rivals. Hamas, a militant Islamic organization, rejects Israel’s right to exist, while Fatah, a more secular group with backing from Western nations, has been receptive to the creation of a separate Palestinian state side by side with Israel.
Hamas, which seized control of Gaza during a brief but bloody civil war in 2007, appears to have emerged from the Israeli offensive with its authority in Gaza firm and its popularity growing in the West Bank.
But members of Fatah contend that Hamas has begun harassing Fatah supporters to reassert its authority in Gaza. The hopes of Mr. Abbas and Egypt for the creation of a unity government that would bring together the two rival groups could be undermined by reprisals.
Taher al-Nunu, a spokesman for the Hamas-led government in Gaza, said it was looking into a few reports of attacks by low-level supporters of the party, which he characterized as score-settling among local clans, actions that were not sanctioned by Hamas.
“Maybe there are some clashes between families,” he said. “We will investigate these cases. There are not a lot.”
A Palestinian human rights worker, who was granted anonymity because of the delicacy of the topic and the preliminary nature of his findings, said he had received reports of about 30 cases of abuse, including as many as five killings. He said he had not yet been able to verify each case.
Mr. Nunu vehemently denied reports that anyone had been killed. “There are no people from Fatah killed by anyone,” he said. “Let them give us just one name.”
The man in the sweatsuit said in an interview that he had been forced into a car by three men wearing masks while he was walking to his cousin’s house at dusk on Sunday. The men accused him of being happy that Israel had attacked Hamas, and they took him to the prime minister’s palace, which had been destroyed in an Israeli airstrike, he said. There they shot both of his legs just under the knee.
“It hurt like fire,” he said, pulling up the legs of his sweatpants to display thick bandages soaked with blood. He crawled to the road, he said, and someone gave him a ride to the hospital.
The motive for the shooting was not clear. The man said that he was a shoemaker and that he supported Fatah, but was not formally a member. The real target, he said, may have been his cousin, who is an activist in Fatah.
Some Fatah members said in interviews that some of those being sought had been singled out for having handed out sweets in celebration of Israel’s war on Hamas.
Nor was it clear how widespread the attacks were. Mr. Rabbo, the ally of the Palestinian president, said 200 people had been harassed and abused, but the human rights worker estimated that the number was much lower.
Many Fatah members and supporters said in interviews that Hamas might feel somewhat weakened by the Israeli offensive and was concerned that its political rivals not take advantage of the disorder created by the war.
The Palestinian human rights worker shared that view. “The internal security department is sending a very clear and strong message to Fatah to be quiet,” he said.
The shoemaker’s cousin, who actively supports Fatah, said that he had been moving from house to house after Hamas members searched his home on Sunday while he was out.
“They’re afraid that Fatah will take advantage of the chaos to come back to power,” the cousin said. “The message is: Stay at home. Be afraid. We didn’t lose power.”
A few patterns did seem to be emerging. Those who had Fatah and Hamas political affiliations within a single family tended not to be targets. And the cousin said it was not the central Hamas leadership that was looking for him, but only people from the party’s neighborhood branch, confirming, in part, what Mr. Nunu of the Gaza government said.
Several people said Hamas had given children cellphone credits to keep tabs on them. They are called “drones,” and when they pass, everyone knows to stop talking, said a man in Bureij, a town south of Gaza City, who said he had been told by local Hamas supporters to stay inside his house.
Typical of the political divisions here, people in Gaza had varying opinions about whether Hamas was carrying out reprisals against Fatah members.
“The Fatah people in Ramallah are saying this for a reason,” said Sami Nasir, a Fatah supporter who was smoking a cigarette in front of Al Khoznadar restaurant. “It’s happening. A lot of Fatah sympathizers are hiding at home these days.”
Maher al-Hawalani, an elegant man with a neatly trimmed beard, who said he was a Hamas sympathizer, disagreed. “Does the Fatah have anything to do with the war?” he asked. “No! So why would Hamas go after them?”
**Nadim Audi contributed reporting from Gaza City and Bureij.