LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
January 25/2010
Bible Of the
Day
Matthew 6/1-4: “Be careful that you
don’t do your charitable giving before men, to be seen by them, or else you have
no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 6:2 Therefore when you do merciful
deeds, don’t sound a trumpet before yourself, as the hypocrites do in the
synagogues and in the streets, that they may get glory from men. Most certainly
I tell you, they have received their reward. 6:3 But when you do merciful deeds,
don’t let your left hand know what your right hand does, 6:4 so that your
merciful deeds may be in secret, then your Father who sees in secret will reward
you openly"
Latest News Reports From
Miscellaneous Sources for January 24/10
Qassem: We Don't Need Assurances on
Behalf of Israel, Our Weapons Give Us Confidence/Naharnet
Mitchell: 2-State Solution to Israel-Palestinian Conflict includes Lebanon/Naharnet
Gemayel for Lowering Voting Age to 18/Naharnet
Israeli Commander Denies Escalation on Lebanon Border/Naharnet
Sfeir Warns: Not Every
Sect Can Have its Own State/Naharnet
Street Named after Elie
Hobeika/Naharnet
Mitri, Arab Ministers
Criticize U.S. Congress Satellite Decision/Naharnet
Mubarak Slams
Arab-International Forum on Resistance/Naharnet
Jumblat: I Won't Impose
Anything on Democratic Gathering MPs but we are with Lowering Voting Age/Naharnet
Israeli Officials Visit
Ghajar: Israel's Sovereignty over Village will Continue/Naharnet
Gaddafi and Syria's al-Assad hold talks in
Tripoli/Monsters and Critics.com
Ayalon: Hezbollah testing antiaircraft missiles/Ynetnews
France Vows to Prevent Israeli Strike on Lebanon's Infrastructure/Asharq
Alawsat
Israel's Netanyahu seeks to calm nerves on Lebanon/Reuters
Netanyahu: Israel is not interested in war with Lebanon/Jerusalem
Post
Israeli minister warns of new war with Hezbollah/AFP
War Looms Between Israel and Hezbollah/Truthdig
Lebanese media warns of ban if US hits out at Hezbollah TV/Earthtimes
Sfeir Warns: Not Every Sect Can Have its Own State
Naharnet/Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir on Sunday warned that multi-sect
Lebanon belongs to all. "There are 18 sects in Lebanon and not every sect can
have its own state," Nasrallah cautioned, adding that Lebanon requires unity and
solidarity by all. He expressed hope that Muslim and Christian Lebanese families
will continue to love each other. Beirut, 24 Jan 10, 16:24
Hezbollah moves long-range
missiles to Lebanon’s interior, As-Sharq al-Awsat reports
January 24, 2010/Hezbollah has moved its long-range missile sites from the south
of the country to northern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, according to a report
by As-Sharq al-awsat newspaper published on Sunday. The daily quoted analysts
who said the weapon relocation is dangerous because it threatens to turn any
future aggression between Hezbollah and Israel into a conflict that would
include the entire Lebanese state. According to the paper, former head of
Israeli military intelligence General Aharon Zeevi Farkash said that Hezbollah
learned a lesson during the July 2006 war when Israeli Defense Forces destroyed
the party’s long-range missile launch sites in the first days of the conflict.
Farkash said he believes Hezbollah will set up its missile posts in North
Beirut, adding that in effect, “the Litani river is the current border
[now].”American University of Beirut professor and Hezbollah scholar Judith
Palmer Harik said the party has fortified several areas in Lebanon, and said
that if a war broke out, it would be widespread because of the presence of
UNIFIL troops and Lebanese security forces on the border. Giora Eiland, a
retired major general and former Israeli national security adviser, said that
the only way to deter Hezbollah’s capabilities is to have a military
confrontation with the Lebanese state. -NOW Lebanon
Gaddafi and Syria's al-Assad
hold talks in Tripoli
Jan 24, 2010, /Tripoli - Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi on Sunday hosted Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad in the Libyan capital of Tripoli, for talks. The two
met behind closed doors and the country's tightly controlled government press
had little to say about it, save that preparations for an Arab summit to be held
in Libya at the end of March figured in discussions.
Israeli Commander Denies
Escalation on Lebanon Border
Naharnet/A top Israeli military commander on Sunday denied that there were
rising tensions with Hizbullah along the Lebanon border a day after an Israeli
minister warned of a new war.
Reports of another imminent round of fighting represent a "virtual escalation"
with no basis in reality, Maj. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot of the northern command told
Israeli media at a conference in Tel Aviv. Israel and Hizbullah fought to a
bloody stalemate in the summer of 2006, with 1,200 Lebanese, most of them
civilians, and more than 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers, killed in the war.
"(Hizbullah) hasn't executed an attack since the Second Lebanon War," Eizenkot
said. "But Hizbullah is getting stronger and we are preparing for all options in
order to be able to act effectively." He accused Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan
Nasrallah of "inventing slogans" about Israel's readiness to strike Lebanon.
Eizenkot added, however, that "carrying out attacks against civilians in
Lebanese villages is legitimate as long as residents allow Hizbullah to mix with
them ."His remarks came the day after Yossi Peled, a minister without portfolio,
said Israel was heading toward a "new confrontation" with the group. Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to dispel tensions following Peled's remarks
by issuing a statement stressing that "Israel does not wish at all to have a
confrontation with Lebanon." The Jewish state seeks "peace with Lebanon and with
all its neighbors," the statement added. Eizenkot said that despite the calm the
Lebanese Shiite militia had doubled its arsenal of rockets since the war and
warned that the Israeli response to any attack would be "disproportionate."
Hizbullah is part of a new national unity government formed in November by Prime
Minister Saad Hariri. The group is also the only faction still armed after
Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war.(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 24 Jan 10, 16:50
Qassem: We Don't Need Assurances on Behalf of Israel, Our Weapons Give Us
Confidence
Naharnet/Hizbullah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem said Sunday in apparent
response to French President Nicolas Sarkozy that Hizbullah does not need
assurances on behalf of Israel, stressing that the group's weapons and readiness
give them confidence. Qassem was surprised "by those who give assurances to
Lebanon when they do not have the power to curtail Israel."
"We don't need to be assured by anyone on behalf of Israel. What is reassuring
is our weapons and readiness," Qassem said in remarks published by state-run
National News Agency. "If Israel wants to do something it is fully aware of the
level of response," he warned. "This is what reassures us and nothing else
matters." Qassem was apparently responding to comments made by Sarkozy during
Prime Minister Saad Hariri's trip to Paris earlier this week. "France vows to
try to prevent Israel from bombarding the basic infrastructure of Lebanon, but
not more than that," Sarkozy reportedly told Hariri and the accompanying
delegation. He stressed the need to "control the internal Lebanese situation and
prevent any provocations." In response to Hariri's concerns over a possible
Israeli attack on Lebanon, Sarkozy said: "Lebanon can depend on France's
friendship and support." Beirut, 24 Jan 10, 18:41
Mitchell: 2-State Solution to Israel-Palestinian Conflict includes Lebanon
Naharnet/U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell on Sunday shuttled between
Jerusalem and Amman in his second attempt this week to persuade Israeli and
Palestinian leaders to relaunch peace talks. Mitchell met Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem before heading to Amman to see Palestinian
president Mahmoud Abbas as part of a tour aimed at reviving talks suspended
during the Gaza war more than a year ago. "President (Barack) Obama, Secretary
of State (Hillary) Clinton and the United States are fully committed to
comprehensive peace in the Middle East..." Mitchell said after meeting Abbas in
joint remarks to reporters with chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat. "The
two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which includes the
creation of an independent and viable Palestinian state... we believe it's the
only realistic solution to the conflict."
He said that such a solution "also includes agreements between Israel and Syria,
Israel and Lebanon and full normalization of relations among all countries in
the region."
Mitchell said Washington would "pursue our efforts until that objective is
achieved."
Erakat said the Palestinians have not set preconditions for a resumption of
talks.
"We don't have any conditions to resume negotiations. It's time for Israel to
drop its conditions," he said. "If Israel thinks that by finger-pointing at us
and blaming us (the conflict) can be solved, it won't be solved. "What really
obstructs the efforts by Senator Mitchell and President Obama is Israel and its
settlements, incursions and assassinations. When we say Israel should stop
building settlements, it's not a Palestinian condition. It's an Israeli
commitment that should be respected," Erakat said. "We want a credible peace and
we will continue to do our best and cooperate with the United States, but Israel
should respect its commitments." Earlier in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said after
meeting Mitchell that the envoy had presented "new ideas" about how to relaunch
the peace process, without elaborating. "I expressed my hope that these new
ideas will lead to the renewal of the peace process if the Palestinians
themselves show similar interest," he added. The United States has been trying
for months to convince both sides to return to the negotiating table, but the
Palestinians have refused to do so unless Israel halts all settlement growth in
the West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories it occupied in 1967.
Washington initially backed that demand but has more recently pressed both sides
to return to the talks immediately and praised a limited 10-month settlement
slowdown enacted by Netanyahu in November. The Palestinians have rejected the
moratorium on building starts because it excludes mostly Arab east Jerusalem --
which they demand as their capital -- as well as public buildings and projects
already under way. After meeting Mitchell, Netanyahu attended a symbolic tree
planting ceremony at Gush Etzion, a major West Bank settlement bloc that Israel
plans to keep in any future peace deal. "Our message is clear. We are planting
trees here, we will remain here, we will build here. This place will remain part
of Israel for ever. There is a national consensus on this issue," his office
quoted him as saying.
Israel has insisted it will not give any more ground and has blamed the
Palestinians for the impasse.(AFP) Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom said on
Sunday it was "time to say clearly and unequivocally that there will be no
further concessions from Israel for the launching of negotiations." "The method
of the Palestinians is to refuse to resume negotiations to force the United
States to exert pressure on Israel," he told public radio. "The ball is in the
Palestinian court." Mitchell held a first round of talks with Netanyahu on
Thursday and met Abbas on Friday. Last week he also visitedLebanon and Syria.
Later on Sunday he flew to Cairo for a two-day visit during which he would meet
officials, Egypt's official MENA news agency reported without elaborating.
Beirut, 24 Jan 10, 21:34
Gemayel for Lowering Voting Age to 18
Naharnet/Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel on Sunday said he supports lowering
the voting age to 18, providing the decision is part of a "full basket."
"Amendment of the voting age is a core demand of the 2009 Phalange party
electoral platform," Gemayel said following a meeting of Phalange MPs and the
party's politburo.
Beirut, 24 Jan 10, 20:29
Street Named after Elie Hobeika
Naharnet/A street in the Beirut neighborhood of Hazmiyeh has been named after
the late former cabinet minister Elie Hobeika. Hazmiyeh Municipality on Sunday
inaugurated the portion of the street that bore Hobeika's name. Hobeika was
killed Jan. 24, 2002 at the age of 45 in a huge car bomb attack at his house in
Hazmiyeh. Beirut, 24 Jan 10, 19:13
Mitri, Arab Ministers Criticize U.S. Congress Satellite Decision
Naharnet/Arab information ministers on Sunday slammed a U.S. Congress bill
passed in December that imposes sanctions on satellite channels deemed hostile
to the United States.
After a six-hour meeting in Cairo, the ministers issued a communiqué that said
the bill was "considered an interference in the internal affairs of Arab states
who regulate their media affairs according to national legislation." The bill,
adopted by a massive 395-3 majority, calls for punitive measures against
television networks in the Middle East seen as fueling anti-American hatred. It
asks President Barack Obama to report in six months "on anti-American incitement
to violence in the Middle East, and for other purposes." Moroccan Information
Minister Khaled al-Nasseri said Sunday the Arab position was based on the
refusal to accept "interference," while stressing they "reject any incitement to
violence or terrorism by any Arab satellite channels." The networks listed
include al-Aqsa, the station of the Islamist Palestinian movement Hamas, which
broadcasts from the Gaza Strip, and Hizbullah's al-Manar. Al-Manar is on a list
of terrorist organizations announced in December 2004 by the United States,
where the television has lost its feed and is banned from broadcasting.
Hizbullah is considered a terrorist organization by the United States and its
key Middle East ally Israel, although the Shiite movement is a major political
party in Lebanon. "Freedoms play a big part in Lebanese life and media freedoms
are evident in its pluralism," Information Minister Tareq Mitri said. "We insist
on media freedom and reject of any restrictions on it," he added. On January 9,
Lebanese President Michel Suleiman urged the United States to reverse the
decision during talks with U.S. Senator John McCain.(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 24
Jan 10, 18:01
Mubarak Slams Arab-International Forum on Resistance
Naharnet/Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Sunday criticized the
Arab-International Forum for the Support of the Resistance that was held in
Beirut mid-January.
"We are being subjected to campaigns from Arab and regional powers which have
not once provided what Egypt has to Palestine and its people," Mubarak said in a
speech to mark Police Day. "Egypt does not accept pressure or blackmail. It also
does not allow chaos on its borders or terrorism and sabotage on its
territories," he said. "It is the right of the Egyptian state, and even its duty
and its responsibility. It is the right of every state to control and protect
its borders," Mubarak added. Beirut, 24 Jan 10, 17:29
Jumblat: I Won't Impose Anything on Democratic Gathering MPs but we are with
Lowering Voting Age
Naharnet/Democratic Gathering leader Walid Jumblat distinguished between his
parliamentary bloc and Progressive Socialist Party MPs over the issue of
lowering the age of voting and criticized attacks on Speaker Nabih Berri over
his stance on the abolishment of political sectarianism. "Historically, the
Progressive Socialist Party has been with the lowering of the voting age to 18.
This is also the position of MPs in the National Struggle Front," Jumblat told
An Nahar newspaper in remarks published Sunday.
"As for Democratic Gathering MPs, I won't impose anything on them," the Druze
leader said. Commenting on Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea's statement on
granting expatriates the right to vote, Jumblat said: "I do not object to it if
he means by it Lebanese expatriates who emigrated at the end of the 19th
century." Giving the example of Brazil, where reportedly there are 5 million
people of Lebanese descent, the PSP leader wondered on which standards such a
faction would be allowed to vote. On his message to Lebanese youth on the eve of
a parliamentary session aimed at lowering voting age from 21 to 18, Jumblat
said: "Unfortunately, those seeking to ruin and put constraints on such a
faction are many." An Nahar also asked him to comment on criticism to Berri over
his proposal to set up a national committee on the abolishment of
confessionalism from politics. "We also feel sorry for the attack on Speaker
Berri from all sides," Jumblat said. "The attack is aimed at preventing
participation in political life in a civilized manner," the Druze leader
concluded. On Sunday, Jumblat traveled to London on a private visit. Beirut, 24
Jan 10, 08:46
Israeli Officials Visit Ghajar: Israel's Sovereignty over Village will Continue
Naharnet/Israeli National Union chairman Yaavov Katz and faction Knesset member
Michael Ben Ari on Sunday visited the border village of Ghajar as guests of
Deputy Minister of the Development of the Negev and Galilee Ayoob Kara, Ynet
said on its website. It said the two visitors were briefed on the situation in
Ghajar by Israeli army officers. "Whoever touches Ghajar will then try to put
his hands on the Golan Heights," Ben Ari said. "We are here to say clearly, that
Israel's sovereignty over Ghajar will continue." He warned. "This is a test.
These are loyal citizens of the state, and the state must look after them," Ben
Ari added. Beirut, 24 Jan 10, 16:47
Hamadeh Says Better Wait than Create Tension on Voting Age, Jumblat Statement on
Feb. 14 Not Yet Confirmed
Naharnet/Democratic Gathering bloc MP said on Sunday that if lowering the voting
age to 18 would create a sharp political divide, then it would be better to
postpone amendment of the constitution during Monday's parliamentary session.
"We all signed on the proposal to lower voting age to 18," Hamadeh told Future
News about a cabinet green light last year for 18-year-olds to vote in the
elections. The MP expected an agreement in parliament to postpone the vote on
lowering voting age from 21 to 18 and stressed that there is a general tendency,
even by Speaker Nabih Berri's bloc to reach a consensus deal. aily had said that
all parliamentary blocs, except for Berri's bloc, are keen on reaching consensus
on the issue to avoid tension and division. On the municipal elections
draft law, Hamadeh said the bill is meaningless without administrative
decentralization. About reports that Democratic Gathering leader Walid Jumblat
will not participate in this year's anniversary of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's
assassination, the MP said: "The relationship that existed between Jumblat and
the slain premier confirms that Jumblat will be sitting next to Saad Hariri" on
February 14. "We don't know yet who will make speeches. Speaker Nabih Berri and
President Michel Suleiman could take part in the event," Hamadeh said. Another
Democratic Gathering member Minister Akram Shehayeb also didn't confirm whether
Jumblat will make a statement on the occasion. "This depends on what Sheikh Saad
would decide," he told al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper in remarks published Sunday.
Beirut, 24 Jan 10, 11:52
Berri's Resentment Grows over Aoun's Stances
Naharnet/Speaker Nabih Berri has reportedly contacted a common ally, Hizbullah,
to protest Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun's "change of stance" on
the issue of abolishment of confessionalism from politics. Parliamentary sources
told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat in remarks published Sunday that Berri contacted
Hizbullah on Friday night to express resentment over Aoun's objection to the
speaker's proposal on the establishment of a national committee on the
abolishment of sectarianism. Berri reportedly told Hizbullah that Aoun had shown
positive attitude on the issue during the parliamentary vote of confidence
session and FPM official MP Ibrahim Kenaan had also expressed relief in his
statement in parliament after Berri reassured MPs that formation of the
committee doesn't mean abolishment of political confessionalism. The sources
told al-Hayat that Berri wondered what pushed Aoun into "changing his stance
during statements he made earlier in the week and then rejected" lowering the
voting age from 21 to 18. Berri told the Hizbullah leadership that he would snap
back at the FPM leader, a threat that materialized on Friday when the speaker
issued a statement accusing Aoun of rejecting the holding of municipal
elections, the sources added.Meanwhile, An Nahar daily reported Sunday that
efforts to bring the two leaders closer are underway. It quoted well informed
Change and Reform bloc sources as saying that Kenaan and MP Ali Hassan Khalil
have contacted each other and the two sides launched dialogue over the
controversial issues.Al-Hayat said, however, that the meeting was cancelled. The
two men will most likely hold another round of talks, An Nahar said. The sources
stressed that the Change and Reform bloc supports lowering the vote age only as
part of a wider national plan that includes the right of expatriates to vote and
gain the Lebanese citizenship. Beirut, 24 Jan 10, 09:23
Fadlallah Meets Nasrallah, Calls for Unity to Confront Israeli Physiological
Warfare
Naharnet/Top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah called on
Sunday for unity among the Lebanese to confront a psychological war with Israel.
Fadlallah's comment came after welcoming Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan
Nasrallah, the National News Agency reported. NNA said the two men discussed the
situation in Lebanon, the upcoming stage and Israel's continuous threats to the
Arab and Islamic worlds. "Fadlallah stressed on the importance of the
consolidation of the interior to confront the enemy's threats and preparedness
on all levels to prevent this enemy from making political gains," NNA said. The
Grand Ayatollah also called for unity to ward off Israeli attempts to widen the
gap among the Lebanese through accusations to the Hizbullah leadership and the
party's arms of being the reason behind a possible large-scale war on Lebanon.
Beirut, 24 Jan 10, 13:40