LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
November 24/08

Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 25,31-46. When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?' And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.' Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.' Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?'He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.' And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

Saint Nicholas Cabasilas (c.1320-1363), Greek lay theologian
Life in Jesus Christ, IV, 93-97, 102 (SC 355, p.343f.)
"'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world"
«When he had accomplished purification from sins, he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high» (Heb 1,3)... Thus it was to serve us that he came into the world from his Father's side. And this exceeds all else: it wasn't only for the time he appeared on earth clad in human weakness that he manifested himself under the form of a slave and concealed his position as lord, but later, too, on the day he comes in all his power and appears in all the glory of the Father at his manifestation. It is with reference to his rule that it is said: «He will gird himself, invite his servants to recline at table, and proceed to wait on each of them in turn» (Lk 12,37). This indeed is he through whom monarchs reign and princes govern!
This is how he will exercise his true and blameless royalty...; this is how he carries with him those he has subjected to his power: more loving than a friend, more just than a prince, more tender than a father, more intimate than one's limbs, more indispensable than the heart. He does not impose himself through fear, he does not subject with a wage. He finds the strength of his might within himself alone; by himself alone he binds his subjects. Since to reign through fear or with the aim of payment is not to govern in one's own right but through hope of gain or by means of threat...
Christ must reign in the full sense of the word; any other form of authority is unworthy of him. He knew well how to achieve this by an unusual means...: in order to become truly Master he embraced the condition of a slave and made himself the servant of slaves even to the cross and to death. Thus he seized hold of the souls of slaves and gained direct possession of their wills. Knowing that this was where the secret of this royalty lies, Paul wrote: «He humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this God greatly exalted him» (Phil 2,8-9)... Through the first creation Christ is lord of nature; through the new creation he has been made lord of our will... That is why he said: «All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me» (Mt 28,18).

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports 
Obama's delusion. By: Jeffery T. Kuhner/Washington Times  23/11/09
Negotiations forever. By: By Zvi Bar'el. Haaretz 23/11/08
They are all Pro-Normalization. By Tariq Alhomayed. Asharq Al-Awsat, 23/11/08
Defense establishment paper: Golan for Syria peace, plan for Iran strike-By Barak Ravid /Haaretz 23/11/08
Iran raises profile in Latin America. By IAN JAMES –AP  23/11/08

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for November 23/08
Lebanese president begins visit to Iran on Monday-AFP
Syria "safe haven" for terrorists against Iraq: US-Reuters
Gemayel Marks 2nd Anniversary of Son Assassination-Naharnet
Hizbullah Cites Reason for Not Attending Independence Day Celebrations-Naharnet
MTC Touch to Continue Functioning, Cabinet Meeting Cancelled-Naharnet
Iran to Propose to Suleiman Providing Lebanon with Heavy Arms-Naharnet
Suleiman's Independence Day Address: Independence Requires Sacrifices-Naharnet
Handover of Ain el-Hilweh Suspects Will Take Time to Avoid Another Nahr el-Bared-Naharnet
Independence Day: Military Parade in Beirut and Secret Hizbullah Maneuvers in the South-Naharnet
Today In History November 23-WFMY News 2
Nuclear report puts heat on Syria-The National
Hezbollah "not surprised" by ban on its television in Germany-Monsters and Critics.com
Hezbollah urges Iraqi lawmakers to reject US security pact-Ha'aretz
Hezbollah TV rejects German ban as unjust-The Associated Press
Somali Pirates Releases Greek Ship-Voice of America
Obama promises Afghanistan more aid-CNN International 

Syria "safe haven" for terrorists against Iraq: U.S.
Sun Nov 23, 2008
By Khaled Yacoub Oweis
DAMASCUS (Reuters) - The United States criticized Syria at a security conference on Sunday for "giving safe haven to terrorists" attacking Iraq, weeks after a U.S. raid on Syria it said was targeting al Qaeda militants, delegates said.
U.S. Charge d'Affaires Maura Connelly, the highest ranking American diplomat in Syria, told a closed session of a security meeting on Iraq that the Damascus must stop allowing what she described as terrorist networks from using Syria as a base against Iraq, they told Reuters.
The criticism contrasts with the position of Washington's Western allies, including Britain, which praised Damascus for preventing foreign fighters from infiltrating Iraq. "The American diplomat's speech was blunt and short. The United States was the only country at the conference to criticize Syria openly," one of the delegates said.
"The rest mostly repeated what we have been hearing for years about how the region's stability is tied to Iraq and need for more cooperation," he added. Western countries, as well as Russia, Iran, Iraq and most of Iraq's other neighbors are attending the meeting in the Syrian capital, which is aimed at devising security measures to help end violence in Iraq and attacks on U.S. and Iraqi forces.
Saudi Arabia, which has major disagreements with Syria over Lebanon and Iran, has not attended the conference.
The United States pushed for the meeting in 2006 to get Arab countries to engage more on Iraq. Syria, which opposed the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, agreed to host it on regular basis as part of a new policy to diffuse tension with Baghdad.
Syrian officials had threatened to cancel the meeting after a U.S. raid on Syria from Iraqi territory on October 26 that Damascus said killed eight civilians. It decided to convene the conference after the Iraqi government condemned the strike, reversing an earlier stance.
RESPONSE
Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmad Arnous said Syria was a "victim of terrorism" and that it does not allow any attack on any individual living in its territory, the delegates said.
"Arnous chose not to respond directly to the U.S. charge, but emphasized that Iraq's stability was in the interest of Syria," a second delegate said.
The Syrian official was referring to a car bomb attack in September against a military intelligence complex in Damascus that killed at least 17 people. Syria blamed the attack on Fatah al-Islam, a militant group it said was active in Lebanon. State television showed confessions of alleged Fatah al-Islam members who said the car came from Iraq. Interior Minister Bassam Abdel Majeed, who made a brief appearance at the meeting, said that Syria had enough forces on the border with Iraq to stop what he termed as infiltration in both directions, dismissing media reports that Syrian guards had been pulled away from the border after the U.S. raid. A U.S. official said the strike had killed Abu Ghadiy, whom he identified as a smuggler of fighters to al Qaeda in Iraq. The attack further damaged ties between Damascus and Washington, which plummeted after the United States imposed sanctions on Syria in 2004, mainly for its support for the Palestinian Islamist Hamas group and the Lebanese Shi'ite movement Hezbollah. Washington recalled its ambassador to Syria the following year, when the Western-backed Lebanese former prime minister Rafik al-Hariri was assassinated in Beirut.

Hizbullah Cites Reason for Not Attending Independence Day Celebrations
Naharnet/A Hizbullah delegation will visit Baabda Palace on Sunday to congratulate President Michel Suleiman on Lebanon's Independence. Labor Minister Mohammed Fneish clarified to Future TV the reason why Hizbullah did not attend Independence Day celebrations on Saturday. Fneish said the reason why a Hizbullah delegation did not take part in Saturday's celebrations was "not intentional, but due to previous engagements." Beirut, 23 Nov 08, 11:55

Gemayel Marks 2nd Anniversary of Son Assassination
Naharnet/The Phalange Party on Sunday held celebrations to mark the second anniversary of the assassination of cabinet minister Pierre Gemayel.
"The path to unification is loyally to the nation," Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel told a rally at Forum de Beyrouth to commemorate the murder of his son. "Loyalty is achieved by detaching (ourselves) from foreign powers." Gemayel said Hizbullah arms are "rejected" in Lebanon, demanding the handover of Hizbullah weapons as well as those of Palestinian factions and extremists groups. He criticized Hizbullah's defense strategy, saying "What's the use of looking into a defense strategy that will not lead to a radical solution." Gemayel, however, said the "doors to change are open on condition they be carried out peacefully and democratically," adding: "We don't fear military confrontations." Gemayel called on the various Lebanese sides – allies and foes – to "find a settlement to our differences through constitutional means." He vowed "not to change our alliances," adding that "their moderation is temporary and tactical while ours is strategic." Beirut, 23 Nov 08, 16:32

Lebanese president begins visit to Iran on Monday
BEIRUT (AFP) — Lebanese President Michel Sleiman begins on Monday a two-day visit to Iran for political and economic talks at the invitation of Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a government official said. "The president will discuss everything: political and economic issues, bilateral relations, the situation in the Middle East, the peace process," the official, who declined to be named, told AFP on Sunday. Talks will also include efforts to forge a "national defence strategy" for Lebanon -- where Hezbollah's arsenal remains a thorny issue -- the official said. Shiite-majority Iran is a staunch supporter of the Shiite Hezbollah group, which is also backed by Syria. But Tehran has repeatedly denied Western and Israeli charges that it provides military backing to Hezbollah. Last May, Hezbollah staged a spectacular takeover of mainly Sunni parts of west Beirut, amid deadly clashes which brought the country to the brink of another civil war and left at least 68 people dead. The fighting ended after an accord was struck in Qatar between the Western-backed parliamentary majority and the Hezbollah-led opposition, which also called for the development of a national defence strategy. "The national defense strategy in an internal Lebanese issue, however, ... I believe they will discuss this issue (in Iran)," the official said. Hezbollah has rejected calls to disarm, arguing that its weapons and militia are essential to defend the country against Israel. But majority MPs have argued that the weapons undermine the state's authority. Sleiman -- the third Lebanese president to visit Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution -- will be accompanied by six ministers including Hezbollah Labour Minister Mohamed Fneish, Foreign Minister Fawzi Sallukh and Interior Minister Ziad Baroud.

MTC Touch to Continue Functioning, Cabinet Meeting Cancelled
Naharnet/A Cabinet meeting set for Sunday to discuss the cellular network issue has been cancelled in light of MTC Touch company's decision to continue functioning for another two months awaiting completion of the tender offer. A statement by the prime minister's office said the Cabinet session was scheduled for Sunday as a result of MTC Touch's negative position, pointing that "contacts have succeeded in overcoming the negative stance."Prime Minister Fouad Saniora denied having any "problems" with MTC, adding that the company did not refuse to renew the contract for two months until the tender.An extraordinary session was to be held on Sunday upon Telecommunications Minister Jebran Bassil's request to discuss the cellular network issue. Beirut, 23 Nov 08, 09:31

Iran to Propose to Suleiman Providing Lebanon with Heavy Arms
Naharnet/Press reports on Sunday said that Iran plans to propose providing Lebanon with heavy weapons during President Michel Suleiman's visit to Tehran which starts on Monday. Pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat said Tehran would propose to Suleiman providing the Lebanese army with military assistance, including heavy weapons like missiles.It quoted sources as saying that Tehran also considers carrying out investments and building enterprises in various fields. Beirut, 23 Nov 08, 11:36

Handover of Ain el-Hilweh Suspects Will Take Time to Avoid Another Nahr el-Bared
Naharnet/The handover of Fatah al-Islam suspects in Ain el-Hilweh will "take some time" to avoid a showdown in the camp similar to that of Nahr el-Bared, the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat said Sunday. It quoted Palestinian factions and Islamic forces, who are convinced that Fatah al-Islam's new leader Abdul Rahman Awad and others are still in Ain el-Hilweh, as insisting on keeping the camp in southern Lebanon away from any confrontation that could be a replica of Nahr al-Bared in the north. The sources said efforts by Palestinian officials, including Quds Mosque Imam Sheikh Maher Hammoud are ongoing away from media coverage.
They said Hammoud has issued a Fatwa, or religious ruling, calling for the handover of the wanted persons "to spare the camp (from destruction) as a result of not handing over suspects." Beirut, 23 Nov 08, 08:34

Iranian general leads Hizballah war exercise integrated with Tehran, Damascus
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report
November 23, 2008,
Iran's al Qods chief Qassem Suleimani commands Hizballah war drill in S. Lebanon
Hizballah’s military maneuver Saturday, Nov. 22, in an area south of the Litani River barred by the UN gave Iran’s Al Qods chief, Gen. Qassem Suleimani, a chance to personally check on its Lebanese proxy’s ability to draw up battle lines at speed against a potential Israeli tank incursion of the Beqaa Valley.
DEBKAfile’s military sources also disclose exclusively that the exercise provided Tehran’s first opportunity to test the functioning of the senior staff quarters in Khoramshahr near the Iranian-Iraqi border, which have taken over direct command of the Lebanese terrorist group.
Its maneuver was fully integrated with the military exercises staged across Iran over the week-end and coordinated with Syrian army headquarters in Damascus.
For the first time, all the pro-Iranian military elements on Israel’s borders have now been pulled together for a joint maneuver by a high-ranking Iranian general. As of Nov. 22, therefore, Iran, Syria and Lebanon are tightly meshed into a Tehran-led combined front against any war contingency.
This development seriously upgrades the peril Iran poses to Israel’s security and brings it right up to its back door.
On the ground, Hizballah’s field commanders practiced interchanges - and tested their communications links - with Syria’s 10th and 14th divisions deployed opposite South Lebanon and the Israeli border positions on Mount Hermon, Mount Dov and the Chebaa Farms.
Formally, the al Qods Brigades is a unit of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps, but Gen. Suleimani, whose mandate covers Iran’s extraterritorial surrogates and sponsored terrorist movement, enjoys broad autonomy and answers directly only to supreme ruler Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Engrossed in a tough election campaign, Israel’s leaders responded feebly to this development, merely commenting on Hizballah’s “brazen” violation of UN Security Council ceasefire resolution 1701 of 2006, which closed Lebanon south of the Litani to Hizballah gunmen. One defense ministry official affirmed that Hizballah had been armed with “tens of thousands of Iranian rockets,” without indicating what Israel intended to do about this menacing arsenal.
Hizballah manipulated from Tehran and Damascus is going full steam ahead with its war preparations without apparent fear of Israeli interference.

Aoun: I am Going to Damascus Because Peace is Worthy of a Visit
Naharnet/Free Patriotic Movement leader Gen. Michel Aoun has said his upcoming trip to Damascus is aimed at starting a new era, adding that peace deserves a visit.
"Previously, I engaged in battle and returned to my country. But today I am starting a new era," he told An Nahar daily in remarks published Saturday.
"Syria left Lebanon and diplomatic relations began with it," he said. "Those who want to improve have to have the courage to make this change for the sake of life."
When asked if the Lebanese who have suffered as a result of Syria's presence in Lebanon agree with his visit to Damascus, Aoun said: "Of course they do because they know that it is in the interest of the nation."
"When Gen. Charles de Gaulle visited Germany he said that peace is worthy of a visit," Aoun told An Nahar.
He said the date of his visit to Damascus was set on the day President Michel Suleiman was elected.
"At the time I told (Syrian Foreign) Minister Walid Muallem that I would go (to Damascus) in the fall. Now I am keeping my promise," Aoun told the newspaper.
Muallem has disclosed that he invited Aoun to the Syrian capital as he accidentally met him in one of Parliament's hallways during Suleiman's election.
Addressing those who are criticizing his trip, Aoun said: "Are you calling me to account because I want to bring my country back to a stable (situation)?
Aoun said that he was visiting Damascus as a "Christian from the Levant" when asked if he was going to Syria as its foe in 1990 or as the head of the largest Christian parliamentary bloc.He described Damascus as "the cradle of Christianity." Beirut, 22 Nov 08, 05:55

Germany bans Hezbollah television station Al-Manar
By DAVID RISING Associated Press Writer © 2008 The Associated Press
Nov. 21, 2008, BuzzBERLIN — Germany has banned Hezbollah's television station on grounds that it violates the country's constitution, an Interior Ministry spokesman said Friday. The U.S. banned Al-Manar in 2004, saying it incited terrorist activity. Hezbollah is not banned in Germany but is under observation by the domestic intelligence agency, which tracks extremists. The Al-Manar ban prevents German satellite television companies from offering the channel. Government spokesman Markus Beyer said Al-Manar programming was forbidden on Nov. 11 under Article 9 of Germany's constitution, which says that organizations cannot operate with the purpose of violating "international understanding." Beyer was not more specific, but Al-Manar is known to be staunchly anti-Israel and frequently broadcasts footage of Hezbollah fighters. Al-Manar's public relations chief, Ibrahim Farhat, declined to comment, saying station management would issue a statement later. Arabic-language Al-Manar is based in Beirut and broadcasts locally and by satellite. It has no physical presence in Germany. Hezbollah, which has been fighting Israel since the early 1980s, has broad support among Lebanon's Shiite population. Israel and the U.S. consider it a terrorist organization and accuse it of being behind deadly attacks in Lebanon and abroad. This summer, Hezbollah and its allies joined with supporters of Western-backed Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora to form a national unity Cabinet. The agreement gave Hezbollah and its allies have 11 out of 30 seats in the Cabinet — enabling them to have veto power over major decisions, keep their weapons and prevent the government from moving too close to the United States.
*Associated Press Writer Hussein Dakroub contributed to this report from Beirut.

Hezbollah "not surprised" by ban on its television in Germany
Middle East News
Nov 22, 2008, Beirut - The pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement said Saturday it was not surprised by Germany's decision to ban its al-Manar satellite television, the Lebanese Shiite movement's mouthpiece. 'We were not surprised because it seems Germany is following the footsteps of the US and France,' a source at the movement, who requested anonymity, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur, dpa. The channel has already been outlawed in the US and France. German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said al-Manar violated Germany's constitution, which prohibits hate speech such as denying the Holocaust. The ban will prevent al-Manar from advertising or fundraising in Germany and block the reception of the channel in German hotels. Private homes, however, will still be able to tune into the station. 'Such a ban will not affect us or our supporters - instead we feel stronger than before and our network will stay the media of the resistance against Israel,' the Hezbollah source added. Hezbollah has been branded as a terrorist organization by the US and Germany.

Today In History November 23
Associated Press
11/22/2008
Today is Sunday, Nov. 23, the 328th day of 2008. There are 38 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
On Nov. 23, 1765, Frederick County, Maryland, became the first colonial entity to repudiate the British Stamp Act.
On this date:
In 1804, the 14th president of the United States, Franklin Pierce, was born in Hillsboro, New Hampshire.
In 1889, the first jukebox made its debut in San Francisco, at the Palais Royale Saloon.
In 1903, singer Enrico Caruso made his American debut at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, appearing in "Rigoletto."
In 1936, Life, the photojournalism magazine created by Henry R. Luce, was first published.
In 1943, during World War II, US forces seized control of Tarawa and Makin atolls from the Japanese.
In 1945, most US wartime rationing of foods, including meat and butter, was set to expire by day's end.
In 1963, President Johnson proclaimed November 25th a day of national mourning following the assassination of President Kennedy.
In 1971, the People's Republic of China was seated in the U.N. Security Council.
In 1980, some 2,600 people were killed by a series of earthquakes that devastated southern Italy.
In 1996, a hijacked Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 767 crashed into the waves off Comoros Islands, killing about two-thirds of the 175 people on board.
Ten years ago: Whitewater figure Susan McDougal was acquitted in Santa Monica, Calif., of embezzling from conductor Zubin Mehta and his wife -- a case McDougal said had been trumped up to pressure her to testify against President Clinton.
Five years ago: Five US soldiers were killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. Eduard Shevardnadze resigned as president of Georgia in the face of protests.
One year ago: Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations grudgingly agreed to attend an upcoming US-sponsored Mideast peace conference, despite failing to get any guarantee of Israeli concessions. Lebanon's President Emile Lahoud left office without a successor after announcing he was handing over security powers to the army.
A Canadian cruise ship, the MS Explorer, struck submerged ice off Antarctica and began taking on water, but all 154 passengers and crew took to lifeboats and were plucked to safety by a passing cruise ship.
Associated Press
 

Obama's delusion
Jeffery T. Kuhner/Washington Times
http://washingtontimes.com/news/2008/nov/23/obamas-delusion/
Sunday, November 23, 2008
President-elect Barack Obama is discovering rhetoric does not impress terrorists.
Last week al Qaeda's deputy leader, Ayman al-Zawahri, called Mr. Obama a "house Negro." Osama bin Laden's top adviser warned in his latest video that Mr. Obama's pledge to send additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan will lead to the loss of more American blood and treasure.
Al-Zawahri vowed that al Qaeda and their Taliban allies will do to America what the Mujahideen did to the Soviet Union during the 1980s: bring a military giant to its knees through a protracted guerrilla insurgency.
Mr. Obama campaigned on the power of transformative diplomacy: His alleged virtue and willingness to negotiate with America's enemies would foster increased dialogue and mutual understanding. Al-Zawahri's comments shatter this dangerous illusion.
Al-Zawahri and his terrorist thugs are not interested in rational dialogue; they want war. Their goal is to defeat the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan, and eventually launch more suicide attacks on our homeland.
Contrary to liberal spinmeisters, Mr. Obama's electoral victory will not end the threat of Islamic fascism. World peace is not around the corner. Rather, his multilateral, appeasement policies will only embolden Islamic terrorists.
The central pillar of Mr. Obama's foreign policy is that Iraq was America's great strategic mistake: The Bush administration diverted its attention from Afghanistan in order to topple Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein. Mr. Obama has pledged to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq, repair alliances with our European and Middle East partners, focus on direct diplomacy with rogue states such as Iran, Syria and North Korea, and send 15,000 to 20,000 additional combat troops into Afghanistan. He also says he will order punishing air strikes against al Qaeda targets within Pakistan, and eventually kill bin Laden.
Mr. Obama, however, fails to grasp the essential reality of our time: The Muslim world, stretching from north Africa to south Asia, is in crisis and seethes with violent radicalism, jihadism and Islamic fundamentalism. Like most liberal Democrats, Mr. Obama is under the delusion that destroying al Qaeda or decapitating bin Laden will somehow end the threat posed by militant Islam.
Yet on Sept. 11, 2001, America was not attacked by a single terrorist group led by a sadistic mastermind; it was attacked by the forces of an ideology - Islamic fascism - that has taken root within the Middle East and is supported or encouraged by thousands of other like-minded terrorist groups, tens of millions of Muslim extremists and numerous regimes such as Saddam's Iraq, Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan, Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah's mini-state within Lebanon (to name only a few). Al Qaeda is not the only terrorist network seeking America's destruction.
We are not simply fighting al Qaeda; we are fighting the political-religious movement of Islamofascism. We are not engaged in a law enforcement action; we are engaged in a wider war - an ideological war against those who reject the modern world and seek to impose a global Muslim empire.
Mr. Obama is wrong on almost every issue regarding the war on terror. An early pullout of U.S. forces from Iraq will leave a strategic vacuum that will be filled by jihadists and Iran; morale among American troops will be crushed; America will have been defeated in the heart of the Middle East.
Deploying more forces in Afghanistan without an overall framework for victory will only escalate the fighting and provide more targets for the resurgent Taliban. Pakistan's militants will join the battle, potentially destabilizing the fragile democratic government in Islamabad.
Talking with Iran and Syria will only strengthen the two most dangerous - and aggressive - autocracies in the region. Tehran seeks to dominate the Middle East. It has transformed Syria into a client state; it arms and supports Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon; it aims to turn Iraq into a political vassal; it seeks to destroy Israel; and most ominously, it marches toward a nuclear arsenal. Iran is the most anti-American, anti-Western revolutionary Islamist state in the world - a Persian fascist dictatorship sitting on large reserves of oil, dreaming of a military showdown with Israel and America.
Negotiations and diplomacy with Tehran's fanatics would be a reckless course of action. The only policy that will work is the one Mr. Obama has consistently ruled out: regime change triggered by military containment, crippling economic sanctions and, if necessary, an intensive bombing campaign against Iran's nuclear facilities.
The al-Zawahri types will not go away or be persuaded to take up farming by Mr. Obama's calls for hope and change. Islamic fascists are serious, evil men. Words do not impress them; neither does goodwill or liberal, multicultural tolerance. They must be defeated, and the Muslim world democratized and brought into modernity - kicking and screaming if necessary.
Mr. Obama will learn this the hard way, but learn it he will.
**Jeffrey T. Kuhner is a columnist at The Washington Times.
Copyright 2008 Washington Times

 Negotiations forever
By Zvi Bar'el
Last update - 09:54 23/11/2008
It was a lovely ad that the Palestinian Authority took out in Israel's daily newspapers on Thursday - a full translation into Hebrew of the Saudi initiative that came out of the 2002 summit in Beirut, adorned by 50 flags that frame the text.
More than half of those countries are not members of the Arab League, or in other words are not undersigned on the declaration. A third are Asian and African states that already maintain peaceful relations with Israel. But all are defined Muslim countries, even if their regimes are secular, as in Turkey.
It's the first Hebrew-language call by the Palestinian Authority to the people of Israel, as if to say: "This is what the Arab and Muslim world have to offer. Do you have any answer? Has anything changed over the past six years since the initiative was declared?"
And Israel says that indeed it does have an answer. It says that it cannot accept all the clauses of the Saudi initiative and that in truth, it is difficult to accept all the demands while certain parties in the region do not agree to peace.
That's what that Knight of Peace, Shimon Peres, declared last week from under his brand-new vermilion knight's cloak. First peace, then initiative, says Peres - the same Peres who warned that the settlements cannot be evacuated without sparking a civil war.
Ehud Barak has his own formula. He says a broad coalition is necessary for promoting the crucial regional issues, including the security issues, progress in the peace process with the Syrians, the Palestinians and even the Lebanese, all in parallel. Last month he explained that he hopes to form, with the prime minister, a comprehensive Israeli plan for regional peace that would also have an economical component. Is Barak advocating peace according to Benjamin Netanyahu's model of economy instead of territory? And what is comprehensive peace anyway? Does anyone understand who will be included in this peace?
Tzipi Livni, the self-appointed guardian of the Annapolis peace conference, said last month that the Saudi initiative cannot replace direct negotiations with the Palestinians and Syria. To get an idea of her true views, one needs to look to last year when she said the Saudi initiative is unacceptable because it addresses the Palestinian refugee problem.
"The Saudi initiative was at first a positive sign," Livni said in an interview for the Palestinian newspaper Al-Ayyam in 2007. "But when radicals added onto it elements that reject the two-state principle, it turned into something that we cannot accept in its current form."
Livni's Annapolis summit, it merits noting, actually adopts the Saudi initiative.
In summation, there is no one in Israel who will pick the Saudi initiative up off the floor and put it on the table. But you have to admit that the evasive maneuvers Israeli politicians are taking with regard to the initiative are brilliant: "regional peace" or "comprehensive peace" or "direct negotiations with the Palestinians and the Syrians first." Anything to make sure that we are forever engaged in some negotiations.
Because that's the nature of the bluff. The campaign bus is so full of peace lovers that they are hanging onto the railings to hitch a ride. This applies to the freshly formed leftist bloc that put on a show last week, and to Labor, which keeps turning the peace process around as though it were a map in which someone forgot to indicate where north was, and to Kadima's crumpled center and its great love for the word "process."
Best decide to save the Israelis any more disgrace and the Palestinians any further waste of money for expensive ads. Because there will never be peace between Israel and the Palestinians until the Palestinians are prepared to do away with the refugee problem, and as long as they insist on receiving chunks of Jerusalem or demand that settlements be evacuated.
As for Syria, there will not be peace with Syria until it relinquishes the Golan Heights. That's the truth. The rest is all "negotiations." These are Israel's conditions for adopting the Saudi initiative. Until February, Israel will not have anyone to propose alternatives to the conditions stipulated in the Saudi initiative.
Presumably, the ad is meant to persuade the Israel public to elect leaders who will agree to adopt the initiative if they win in February. A lovely thought indeed, but only if Israel has a leader prepared to publicly endorse the initiative, or someone prepared to present a detailed Israeli alternative that will be defined by timetables, outlined by borders and demarcations, and well padded with a budget.
Do we have anyone like that? We don't? Good, then we can go on negotiating.

Defense establishment paper: Golan for Syria peace, plan for Iran strike
By Barak Ravid /Haaretz
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1039929.html
23/11/08
A defense establishment paper recommends making contingency plans to attack Iran, reaching an agreement with Syria that includes leaving the Golan Heights and preventing new elections in the Palestinian Authority, even if this means a confrontation with the United States.
The paper will be presented to the cabinet next month as part of the National Security Council's annual situation assessment.
The document warns that in 2009, Israel may find itself facing a nuclear Iran virtually alone, following a rapprochement between the U.S., Iran and the Arab world that would also undermine Israel's military superiority.
Additionally, it warns of a possible collapse of the PA, which would effectively kill the two-state solution.
"Iran's threat to Israel's survival" is at the top of the paper's list of threats, followed by the "strategic threat" of long-range missiles and rockets owned by various countries in the region.
"Israel faces these threats almost alone," the paper says. "It is imperative to mobilize the international community and obtain regional cooperation. The new American administration is an opportunity to do this."
The paper says Israel has a limited "window" in which to act before Iran obtains nuclear arms and regional hegemony. Israel must therefore establish a military option against Iran, in case other countries abandon the struggle. The defense establishment advises the cabinet to "work discreetly on contingency plans to deal with a nuclear Iran."
It also recommends close cooperation with the U.S. to prevent a deal between Washington and Tehran that would undermine Israel's interests.
The paper warns that after PA President Mahmoud Abbas' term ends on January 9, 2009, he might "disappear" from the political arena. That could cause the PA to disintegrate, which would increase the risk of the two-state solution being taken off the table.
Due to this possibility, coupled with the fear that Hamas might win a new election, the paper recommends "preventing elections in the PA, even at the cost of a confrontation with the U.S. and the international community."
The paper also advises continued Israeli pressure on Hamas to isolate and weaken it, along with bolstering alternatives to it. "If the truce collapses and conflict is resumed in the Gaza Strip, Israel must act to topple Hamas' rule there," it says.
Regarding Syria, the paper says "an agreement with Syria must be advanced, despite the heavy price Israel would have to pay." The defense establishment believes that removing Syria from the conflict would lead to an agreement with Lebanon as well, thus significantly weakening the radical Iran-Syria-Hezbollah-Hamas axis.
The new American administration must be harnessed to support this process, the paper adds.
Israel should support moderate factions in Lebanon in next year's scheduled parliamentary elections, but not at the expense of Israel's interests, it continues. At the same time, Israel must strengthen its deterrence against Hezbollah and take "low-profile" action against Hezbollah's arms smuggling.
The paper proposes various steps to strengthen Israel's ties with moderate Sunni Arab countries, and especially Saudi Arabia. "Israel must examine ways to expand its dialogue with Saudi Arabia on various shared interests," the document says. It must also act to neutralize potential risks in Saudi Arabia, such as its development of nuclear capability, its purchase of long-range missiles or its closing of the military gap with Israel.
Jordan, the paper says, is experiencing an acute political and economic crisis. "Jordan feels abandoned in the regional face-off and continues to see Israel and the West as strategic supports," it says. "Strengthening and stabilizing our ties with Jordan is crucial to Israel's security. Economic cooperation with Jordan must be strengthened."
With regard to the new administration in Washington, the document warns that "the U.S. is interested in setting up a regional and international alignment against Iran, and Israel is the one that might pay the price." It predicts that Iran and the U.S. will begin talks and warns that Israel must work to prevent any agreement that would be "problematic" from its point of view.
The paper recommends persuading the new administration to support the talks with Syria, to which the Bush administration objected. The U.S., for its part, is expected to demand that Israel bolster the moderates in Lebanon by making concessions in Shaba Farms and Ghajar and ending its objection to America's arming of the Lebanese Army.
Israel must also ensure that recommendations prepared by three American generals on Israeli-Palestinian security coordination, which are to be presented to the new administration, correspond with its interests, the paper says.
It also warns that the U.S. is arming moderate Arab states, especially Egypt and Saudi Arabia, "in a way that undermines the Israel Defense Forces' edge, especially in the air." Israel must act to prevent this as much as possible, it says.
The paper also discusses Israel's possible responses to a Hamas provocation in the south or a Hezbollah provocation in the north in 2009. It stresses that Israel must avoid a war of attrition or a two-front conflict, and therefore, it must first try to contain the provocation rather than be dragged into a retaliation that would escalate the situation. Afterward, however, it should send a "firm message of deterrence."
If the escalation continues, Israel must "consider embarking on a broad confrontation to hit the enemy severely and end the clash within a short time, and with as clear a result as possible," it adds.

Iran raises profile in Latin America
By IAN JAMES – 23/11/08
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iDHPmmrl_GEDISjN4XD6d_0sBD5QD94K39EO0
CALABOZO, Venezuela (AP) — The foremen bark out instructions in broken Spanish, saying "aqui" and "mas" as they direct crews to lay water pipes and smooth out cement. But on their lunch break, they switch into Farsi — the language of Iran.
Their Iranian company is building thousands of apartments for Venezuela's poor. Iran is also helping to build cars, tractors and bicycles in Venezuela and has opened new embassies in Bolivia and Nicaragua.
The deepening alliance between Iran and these left-led nations is based largely on antagonism to the United States, with both Iran's hard-line leaders and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez consistently needling the U.S. government. But Iran's drive into Latin America also has practical motivations as a way to lessen its international isolation.
The most visible impact so far has been the arrival of Iranian businesses. The public housing project alone has brought more than 400 Iranian engineers and specialists to Venezuela, where many have learned basic Spanish.
"For us, it's very different, but we adapt quickly," said Ehsan Keyvanfar, a 29-year-old engineer on his first assignment outside Iran for Kayson Company, a Tehran-based construction business. A supervisor with nearly fluent Spanish, Keyvanfar has adopted the nickname "Alejandro" to spare Venezuelans from trying to pronounce his name.
He and his wife, Sara, are accustomed to city life in Tehran and have struggled with the slow pace and isolation of Calabozo, a farming town of pickup trucks and rice silos in Venezuela's dusty southern plains. But Keyvanfar sees it as a hardship assignment that will advance his career and allow him to save money.
Keyvanfar says the reason for the relationship between Iran and Venezuela is simple: "I think the two presidents don't like the United States — that's the only thing."
Iran is courting Latin America's leftist bloc with active diplomacy, joint business projects and aid while gathering support for its much-criticized nuclear program. Nicaragua has received Iranian aid pledges for a dam and milk-processing plants, and is playing down U.S. concerns about Iran's nuclear-weapon ambitions. Iran has also promised Bolivia US$1 billion in aid and investment, including plans to build a cement plant, dairies and two public health clinics.
"We're here to offer our help to support the people," Hojjatollah Soltani, Iran's top attache in Bolivia, said in an interview at the newly opened embassy in La Paz.
Some of Iran's ambitions may be dampened by falling oil prices, but its checkbook diplomacy is likely to continue.
"Iran will take every opportunity to show that it is not isolated and in the process question Washington's influence, even in its own backyard," said Farideh Farhi, a researcher at the University of Hawaii who writes frequently about Iran's foreign policy.
Venezuela could also give Iran breathing space as it tries to weather the financial pressure of U.N. and U.S. sanctions over its nuclear program. Venezuela could end up being an outlet for Iran to move money, obtain high-tech equipment and access the world financial system.
This concern has already led Washington to impose new sanctions on an Iran-owned bank in Caracas last month, accusing it of providing financial services in support for Iran's weapons program. The bank, Banco Internacional de Desarrollo, recently opened an unobtrusive office on the eighth floor of a Caracas high-rise that looks out over the palm trees of an exclusive golf course. Its president didn't respond to repeated interview requests by The Associated Press.
Venezuela has already become Iran's gateway for travel to the region, with a flight between Tehran and Caracas every other Tuesday. Chavez says Venezuela's state airline bought an Airbus jet especially for the route, which includes a stop in Damascus, Syria. Venezuela has a large Arab community of Syrian and Lebanese immigrants, many of whom arrived decades ago.
At the airport, women in head scarves pushed luggage carts and strollers out of customs on a recent evening as they returned from trips to visit family in Syria and Iran. Several engineers from Kayson Company greeted their wives with hugs.
U.S. officials say they are worried about the possibility of terrorists and Iranian intelligence agents arriving on the flights. The U.S. State Department charged in an April terrorism report that "passengers on these flights were not subject to immigration and customs controls."
Top American diplomat Thomas Shannon, assistant secretary of state for the Western Hemisphere, has said the U.S. is concerned about "what Iran is doing elsewhere in this hemisphere and what it could do if we were to find ourselves in some kind of confrontation."
One of the biggest worries for U.S. and Israeli officials is Iran's long history of funding and aiding Islamic militant groups like Lebanon's Hezbollah. They point to accusations by Argentine authorities that Iran backed Hezbollah in carrying out the 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires which killed 29 people, and also the 1994 attack which leveled the Jewish community center there and killed 85. Iran and Hezbollah have denied involvement.
The U.S. Treasury Department announced in June that it found Hezbollah was receiving support from a Venezuelan diplomat and a Lebanese-born businessman living in Caracas. The diplomat, Ghazi Nasr al Din, is assigned to the Venezuelan Embassy in Syria, and the U.S. said he used his position to provide financial support to the Lebanese militant group and "counseled Hezbollah donors on fundraising efforts." The diplomat is also accused of arranging travel for Hezbollah members to and from Venezuela, and to attend a training course in Iran.
Venezuela has denied the accusations, saying the U.S. government is out to malign Chavez for political purposes. Chavez, who plans another visit to Tehran by year's end, ridicules the idea of Venezuela and Iran teaming up as an "axis of evil."
His own government plans to start its own nuclear energy program and insists it won't be used for weapons. Chavez once joked, riding a bike produced by an Iranian-Venezuelan joint venture, that the two countries are building the "atomic bicycle."
Iran also says its aims in Latin America are purely peaceful.
Iranian tractors are now being driven by farmers in parts of Venezuela and Bolivia, and the first cars produced by Venirauto, a joint venture, are on Venezuelan roads.
Meanwhile, concrete apartment blocks are going up on farmland in the southern plains. Kayson Company employs nearly 6,000 workers to build four public housing complexes with 10,000 apartments across the country, including the 2,700-unit subdivision in Calabozo.
The Iranians joke about the town's name, which in Spanish means "dungeon" or "jail," saying they're a three-hour drive away from the nearest shopping mall or movie theater. But they also enjoy comforts such as an Iranian club where they gather to drink tea, play chess and shoot pool.
The Iranian company has weathered sporadic conflicts with labor unions, but at the same time many of its employees have grown close to their Venezuelan co-workers. Some of them have even become godparents to children of Venezuelan employees. Venezuelan cooks in the cafeteria have learned to prepare Iranian dishes, from kebabs to abgusht — a broth served with beef and potatoes — along with pita bread and yogurt.
Some of the supervisors at the construction site say expatriate professionals are a major part of Iran's growing presence in Venezuela, and that the U.S. government's worries are misplaced.
"We're building homes, but in Europe and America they say we're making homes for Hezbollah," said Mostafa Malek, a supervisor in charge of cement. "They have a problem with our government. They say it's a terrorist government. But we aren't like that. ... There can be problems between our governments, but there are no problems between our peoples."
**Associated Press writers Dan Keane in La Paz, Bolivia; Filadelfo Aleman in Managua, Nicaragua; Sally Buzbee in Cairo, Egypt; and Ali Akbar Dareini in Tehran contributed to this report.

They are all Pro-Normalization!
22/11/2008
By Tariq Alhomayed
the Editor-in-Chief of Asharq Al-Awsat,
Those who commended the publishing of adverts in Israeli newspapers promoting the Arab Peace initiative were right to do so as it constituted an important step even if it was only a paid advert. Addressing Israeli society directly and bypassing Israel’s political class are important matters.
If people criticize the Palestinian Authority [PA] for taking such action, considering it the normalizing of ties, then it is simply because this step was successful and confusing, as it handed the reigns back to the initiative and this is what is most important.
According to the definition of normalization used by Iran and its Arab lobby including figures such as Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Fahmi Huwaidi who considered the Saudi Interfaith Dialogue normalization of ties and who defends Hamas, Iran and Syria just like the Iranian press that is calling for its leadership to take a decisive diplomatic stand against all those who attend the Interfaith Dialogue Conference − then this means that they are all for normalization!
Do you know why? What about the articles by Ismail Haniyeh’s political advisor Dr. Ahmed Yusuf published in the Israeli press and his television appearances? What about the Hamas-Israel truce? Did coordination for a truce take place out of the blue?
Do you know what else is funny? In spite of all of Iran and Hezbollah’s complaints about the Interfaith Dialogue, the Iranian delegate attended the conference in New York and also delivered a speech just like all the other delegations!
What about the Syrian presidential advisor Bouthaina Shaaban’s recent statement in which she said that indirect peace talks between Syria and Israel began in the correct manner and showed elements of success?
Therefore, the confused reactions of those who claim that the adverts were tantamount to the normalization of ties demonstrated that the Palestinian advert in the Israeli press promoting the Arab Initiative was in fact a good idea.
But what about the Israelis?
A spokesperson for the Israeli Foreign Ministry stated that these adverts represented an important step and demonstrated the democracy of Israel. She wondered, “Would we be able to publish our comments in the Arab press for example?”
This is confusing because if democracy is measured this way then that would mean that Hezbollah, which owns Al Manar television channel and the affiliated website, and gossip newspapers that are pro-Hezbollah, is more democratic than Israel since the media of this Iranian-affiliated party does not miss anything that comes out of Israel or Israeli media. Rather, it resorts to websites through which it publishes comments that it claims were made by Israelis that in fact were not, and there is evidence of this.
Most Arab media, both written and visual, especially the most prominent media institutions, publish interviews with− and articles about− Israeli officials. The importance lies in that the Israeli reactions, and the attacks on the PA for publishing these adverts, constitute a positive issue.
The problem for our region and our leaders, and the legitimate Palestinian leadership in particular, is that it lost the initiative a long time ago and even if it seeks to take one step, it will not complete it.
Today, with the momentum of the two initiatives, for Peace and for Interfaith Dialogue, presented by Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, it is now the Arabs who must take action as it is their cause. Action is one thousand times more effective than empty slogans.