LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِAugust
20/2010
Bible Of
the Day
The Good News According to
Luke /14/12-14 He also said to the one who had invited him, “When you make a
dinner or a supper, don’t call your friends, nor your brothers, nor your
kinsmen, nor rich neighbors, or perhaps they might also return the favor, and
pay you back. 14:13 But when you make a feast, ask the poor, the maimed, the
lame, or the blind; 14:14 and you will be blessed, because they don’t have the
resources to repay you. For you will be repaid in the resurrection of the
righteous.”
Proverbs 10:19
When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his
lips is prudent.
Today's Inspiring Thought: Keep Your Mouth Shut
An easy way to keep yourself from getting into trouble is to simply be quiet.
Especially if you are offended, upset, or angry—let your words be few and you'll
be less apt to say something you'll regret later. Not only will it keep you out
of trouble, silence may lend to your success in life.
According to the Christian Register, Albert Einstein considered this to be the
best formula for success: "If a is success in life, I should say the formula is
a equals x plus y plus z, x being work and y being play
Free Opinions, Releases,
letters, Interviews & Special Reports
Will Israel bomb Bushehr?/By: Ana
Maria Luca/August 19/10
US ends Iraq war, leaves two civil
conflicts on the boil/DEBKAfile Exclusive Analysis/August
19/10
The moderate Muslim threat/By:
Shaul Rosenfeld/August
19/10
Latest News
Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for August 19/10
Polls: Majority in US against
mosque/J.Post
National dialogue members agree to
continue study of defense strategy/Now Lebanon
Arabs terrorists preparing for war
with Israel/Israeli
news
UNIFIL commander: Israel, Lebanon
don't want escalation/Israeli News
Suleiman Tells Dialogue
Equipping Army Essential for Defense Strategy, Next Round on Oct. 19/Naharnet
Najjar Promises to Provide
Answers on False Witnesses/Naharnet
Bellemare 'Carefully
Examining' Hizbullah's Info on Alleged Israeli Involvement in Hariri Murder/Naharnet
Ayalon: Granting
Palestinians Work Rights 1st Step Towards their Naturalization/Naharnet
Report: Hizbullah Using
Nilesat and Arabsat to Spread Hate Against Israel/Naharnet
Asarta: Process of Visibly
Marking Blue Line Reduces Tension/Naharnet
Hariri: I See Some Things
Moving in Right Direction, Such as Data Submitted to Public Prosecution/Naharnet
Levey Wraps Up Visit to
Beirut after 'Explaining' Iran Sanctions to Lebanese Officials/Naharnet
Williams Hails
Parliament's Ratification of Ban on Cluster Munitions/Naharnet
Qassem: Those Betting on
Syria-Hizbullah Dispute are Delusional/Naharnet
March 14: Tribunal
Exclusive Authority that Issues Verdicts in Hariri Murder Case/Naharnet
Qomati: Our Demand is the
Elimination of the STL and its Effects and Replacing it/Naharnet
Jumblat Says he Has No Link to
False Witnesses, Hails Cabinet Decision/Naharnet
Fatfat: Qomati's Statements are
Retraction from the Ministerial Statement/Naharnet
Polls:
Majority in US against mosque
By JPOST.COM STAFF AND ASSOCIATED PRESS
08/19/2010 12:03
According to a new Time magazine poll published Thursday, 61 percent of
Americans are opposed to the construction of an Islamic community center and
mosque near Ground Zero in lower Manhattan. Only 26% of respondents came out in
support of the building project, with more than 70% agreeing that proceeding
with the plan would be an insult to the memories of 9/11 victims and their
families. Interestingly, 24% of those polled also believed that US President
Barack Obama is a Muslim, while only 47% acknowledge that he is a Christian
Obama came out in support of the developer's constitutional right to build a
mosque on the site. It appears that the local residents of the proposed mosque
near Ground Zero aren't happy with the decision to build there as well. A Sienna
College poll cited by the Associated Press on Thursday found that 63% of
registered New York voters were opposed to the Cordoba House project, with only
27% supporting it. Sixty-four percent of New York registered voters agreed that
the site developers have a constitutional right to build a mosque on the site,
with half of those, nevertheless, still opposed to the building project.
Twenty-eight percent of those surveyed rejected altogether the notion that the
developers have a constitutionally protected right to build an Islamic community
center near on the proposed site. The poll's results are consistent with a
CNN/Opinion Research poll last week that found that 70% Americans were opposed
to the planned project, while 29% support it.
Arabs terrorists preparing for war with Israel
Hezbollah reportedly builds tunnel system 'more impressive than Paris
underground' to counter IDF strikes; Yemenite Qaeda leader tells followers to
prepare for Israel-Iran war, urges pilots to replicate 9/11 attacks in Israel
Roee Nahmias and Ynet Published: 08.19.10, 14:11 / Israel News /Hezbollah built
an elaborate network of tunnels that will allow its members to fight a future
war against Israel without being exposed to Air Force bombardments and IDF
surveillance, a Kuwaiti newspaper says. According to a report published by the
al-Rai newspaper, the tunnel network "is more impressive than the Paris
underground," and is meant to prevent the IDF from gravely hurting Hezbollah by
aerial or ground attacks. The report also claimed Hezbollah created an
underground system of weapon caches, and that additional warehouses were
dispersed in different locations above ground, so they are not damaged by IDF
attacks, as was the case during the Second Lebanon War. Al-Qaeda wants 9/11 in
Israel Meanwhile, al-Qaeda is preparing its fighters in the Arabian peninsula
for the possibility of an Iran-Israel warn, urging Arab pilots to crash into
targets in Israel. A terror leader in Yemen urged Jihad supporters to exploit a
future war between the Jewish State and the Ayatollah regime in order to advance
al-Qaeda's causes, the Daily Beast website reported. The deputy chief of
al-Qaeda's arm in Yemen, Saeed al-Shehri, told supporters via an audio message
that a war is expected to break out after Israel will strike Tehran's nuclear
facilities, prompting a chain reaction that would lead to an all-out regional
war. Sheri then calls on Arab Air Force pilots who endorse the cause of Jihad to
fly their planes into Israeli targets, replicating the September 11 attacks. He
also urged followers with access to top Arab leaders to assassinate them,
similarly to the killing of "tyrant Anwar Sadat," the Egyptian president
murdered by Islamic radicals
UNIFIL commander: Israel, Lebanon don't want escalation
Head of UN force deployed in south Lebanon says all parties working closely to
maintain calm in area, discussing ways to speed up process of visibly marking
Blue Line
AFP Published: 08.19.10, 10:57 / Israel News Israel and Lebanon are both opposed
to a military escalation along their shared border, the head the UN force
deployed in south Lebanon said on Thursday, two weeks after deadly frontier
skirmishes. UNIFIL commander Alberto Asarta Cuevas had "received assurances from
the parties that they want to continue working closely with UNIFIL to maintain
calm in the area," the United Nations said in a statement after a meeting on
Wednesday between Asarta and senior Israeli and Lebanese officers.
"No-one is interested in an escalation. All parties must strive to maintain the
cessation of hostilities," the major-general was quoted as saying.On August 3,
three Lebanese nationals, two soldiers and a journalist, and an Israeli soldier
were killed in a shootout sparked when Israeli Defense Force troops tried to cut
down a tree on the border, prompting Lebanese soldiers to open fire. It was the
most serious confrontation in four years and saw both sides threatening
retaliation if the shooting recurred.
UNIFIL confirmed afterwards that the IDF troops were on their own side of the
border when the skirmish erupted and that the disputed trees were on Israeli
territory.
At Wednesday's meeting the three parties discussed "ways to speed up the process
of visibly marking the Blue Line on the ground," the UN said, referring to the
UN-drawn border established in 2000 when Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon.
"The process (of visibly marking the border) is an important endeavor which
would reduce tension and the possibility of inadvertent violations," Asarta
said."The parties have expressed to me their strong interest in speeding up this
process." he added.
UNIFIL, which was set up in 1978 to monitor the border between Israel and
southern Lebanon, was considerably beefed up after the 2006 war between
Hezbollah and Israel.
Will Israel bomb Bushehr?
Ana Maria Luca, August 19, 2010
Now Lebanon
In 1981, when Saddam Hussein was getting ready to open a French-built nuclear
reactor near Baghdad, the Israeli government decided to stop it. The Israeli
military intelligence suspected the Osirak power plant was a cover-up for
plutonium production, which would have served an alleged nuclear-weapons
program. The Israeli Air Force destroyed the reactor in June 1981, as the
Israeli government thought it was its last chance to strike before the Iraqis
loaded it with fuel.
Reportedly, the same scenario was repeated in 2007, in Syria’s Deir el Zor
region, where Israel struck what it suspected was an undeclared nuclear reactor.
But will it repeat again in Bushehr, where Iran is set to open a Russian-built
nuclear reactor this weekend, or will Israel let Tehran get away with what no
other Middle Eastern country has gotten away with before? According to analysts
and diplomats, it seems Iran won this battle.
Israel is not likely to strike without holding consultations with Washington
first, and it cannot risk damage to its relationship with Russia by striking the
country’s project, in which it has invested billions of dollars, and endangering
its workers in Iran, analysts say.
Russia signed a contract with Iran to construct the Bushehr reactor in 1995, but
has faced several delays in finishing it. Rosatom, the Moscow-based company that
built the facility, announced that the long-overdue fuel installation will take
place on Saturday, August 21.
The announcement raised eyebrows in both the US and Israel. A former State
Department official said that Israel has only days to strike the plant,
something America’s former UN ambassador, John Bolton, agreed with in an
interview with Fox Business Network on Monday. Bolton said that if Israel does
strike Bushehr, it will have to do so before August 21, when the Rosatom workers
start to load the nuclear fuel. Striking the plant after it begins functioning,
he noted, could create a nuclear disaster that would affect the entire Middle
East.
However, Bolton pointed out that Israel won’t strike the nuclear plant in the
next two days, as it has "the rest of Iran's nuclear program, the Iranian
enrichment facility [in Natanz] and so on to worry about too.” “The main concern
is the nuclear program, not the Buchehr reactor,” concurred Andrew Tabler, a
fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “Of course, it is one
of the concerns, but there will have to be some sort of consultations with the
US on such a drastic move,” he told NOW Lebanon. “I think it’s a little soon to
talk about a strike.”
“I don't think Israel has the luxury to attack in the next few days,” Bolton
said on Fox. “Wait a few months and attack again."
Iran’s government insists that the plant was built to create energy, and that it
is its right, and stressed that it would retaliate if the facility were
attacked. Iranian Press TV reported that army official Ali Shadmani threatened
to close the Straits of Hormuz if the US or Israel attacked.
As for the Russians, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned US politicians not to
rush into statements and fuel fresh tensions in the Middle East, pointing out
that the Bushehr plant is part of Tehran’s complying with the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty. But despite predictions there won’t be a strike on
Bushehr, there have been unofficial reports that two Israeli drones crashed into
the reactor on August 1, apparently killing five employees. Neither Iran nor
Israel has confirmed the incident. The Iranian army is on alert and has been
watching the airspace around the facility. On Tuesday, an Iranian Air Force F-4
plane crashed about six kilometers north of Bushehr, allegedly shot down by
Russian missiles mistaking it for an Israeli drone. While the Iranian army is
watching the sky in case of an Israeli strike, the Russians are determined to
inaugurate the nuclear facility on schedule. Rosatom announced that its
president, Sergey Kyrienko, will attend the ceremony together with Iranian
government officials. Iran’s president did not yet announce his presence.
Levey Wraps Up Visit to Beirut after 'Explaining' Iran Sanctions to Lebanese
Officials
A senior U.S. Treasury official on Wednesday concluded two days of talks in
Lebanon with financial leaders and bankers on U.S. and U.N. sanctions slapped on
Iran, the U.S. embassy said. Stuart Levey, the undersecretary of Treasury for
terrorism and financial intelligence, met officials including Finance Minister
Raya al-Hassan, central bank governor Riad Salameh as well as several bankers.
"This visit was to explain how our sanctions process work," a source at the U.S.
embassy said. The source did not give further details on the talks. The official
National News Agency said Levey left for Bahrain at the end of his Beirut visit,
which followed a similar trip to the United Arab Emirates Sunday and Monday. The
U.N. Security Council hit Tehran with a fourth set of military and financial
sanctions on June 9 in a bid to rein in Tehran's suspect nuclear program. The
United States and European Union followed up with tougher punitive measures
targeting Iran's banking and energy sectors, which contain provisions to
penalize Tehran's trading partners. Lebanon, a non-permanent member of the
Security Council, had abstained from the June 9 vote.(AFP) Beirut, 19 Aug 10,
07:44
Bellemare 'Carefully Examining' Hizbullah's Info
on Alleged Israeli Involvement in Hariri Murder
Naharnet/Special Tribunal for Lebanon spokeswoman Fatima el-Issawi said that
Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare is "carefully examining" the data allegedly
implicating Israel in the murder of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri. Issawi told An
Nahar daily in remarks published Thursday that Bellemare would assess the
accuracy of the information provided to him by Hizbullah.
Earlier this week, Hizbullah official Wafiq Safa gave Prosecutor General Said
Mirza the material unveiled by Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Israel's alleged role
in the murder.
The data was later transferred to Bellemare's Beirut office. Nasrallah has
displayed during a news conference what he said was Israeli surveillance footage
of routes used by Hariri, saying this pointed to Israel carrying out the bombing
which killed the former prime minister and 22 others at the Beirut seafront.
Meanwhile, An Nahar said that Saudi Arabia has paid its remaining share of the
second year funding for the tribunal. Beirut, 19 Aug 10, 09:34
Baroud: Bellemare's Request to Look into Hizbullah's Evidence Shows he Will
Consider All Possibilities
Naharnet/Interior Minister Ziad Baroud noted Thursday that Special Tribunal for
Lebanon Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare's request to study Hizbullah's evidence in
the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri is a positive
development.
He said that it is an indication that Bellemare will consider all possibilities
in the crime. "Fair justice based on evidence will lead to stability, and not
instability," added the minister.
Addressing speculation over a governmental change, Baroud said that the success
of a government can be measured through its productivity. Beirut, 19 Aug 10,
15:32
Report: Hizbullah Using Nilesat and Arabsat to Spread Hate Against Israel
Naharnet/A new Israeli report says Hizbullah and Hamas are using Nilesat and
Arabsat satellite companies to spread incitement and hate propaganda against
Israel.
"In the past the United States and European countries imposed restrictions on
broadcasting Hizbullah and Hamas' incitement and propaganda programs, and even
outlawed their media. However, both organizations found ways to circumvent the
restrictions," a report issued by the Israeli Intelligence and Terrorism
Information Center said. "Commercial companies still provide Hizbullah and Hamas
with communications services and in effect help them spread their hate messages
throughout the world, even beyond the reception ranges of Nilesat and Arabsat,"
it said. Most of the companies are European (based in France and Spain), one is
Russian and one is Indonesian, according to the report. Beirut, 19 Aug 10, 10:17
Asarta: Process of Visibly Marking Blue Line Reduces Tension
Naharnet/UNIFIL Commander Maj.-Gen. Alberto Asarta Cuevas said after meeting
with senior Lebanese and Israeli army representatives that the process of
visibly marking the U.N.-drawn Blue Line would reduce tension. The meeting,
which was held at the UNIFIL base at the Ras al-Naqoura crossing on Wednesday
night, was aimed at discussing ways to speed up the process of visibly marking
the Blue Line. "The process of visibly marking the Blue Line on the ground is an
important endeavor which would reduce tension and the possibility of inadvertent
violations," Asarta said. "The parties have expressed to me their strong
interest in speeding up this process." The Force Commander said the meeting was
constructive. "I believe that the deliberations will have a positive impact on
the speed and accuracy of the technical work UNIFIL is doing with the parties on
the ground to visibly mark the Blue Line," he said. Responding to a question
about the situation on the ground, the Force Commander said that he received
assurances from the parties that they want to continue working closely with
UNIFIL to maintain calm in the area. "No one is interested in an escalation. All
parties must strive to maintain the cessation of hostilities," Asarta said.
Beirut, 19 Aug 10, 08:34
National dialogue members agree to continue study of defense strategy
August 19, 2010 /Now Lebanon/
Following their Thursday meeting at President Michel Sleiman’s Beiteddine Palace
summer residence, national dialogue participants issued a statement agreeing to
continue the study of the national defense strategy and to draw lessons from
Aadaiseh border clashes and the need to arm the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). Two
Lebanese soldiers, a journalist and a senior Israeli officer died in the August
3 skirmish between the LAF and Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the worst since the
2006 July War. US Congress members blocked Washington’s funding for the LAF,
sparking moves by Sleiman, Defense Minister Elias al-Murr and others to raise
funds for the Lebanese army.Sleiman praised the LAF as well as the Resistance’s
decision to put itself at the Lebanese army’s disposal, the statement added.
National unity in defense of Lebanon is the basis for an integrated national
defense strategy as called for by the 2009 Ministerial Statement, Sleiman said,
voicing the necessity of a plan to arm the LAF with needed weapons. The
participants also agreed on the importance of national unity, internal
stability, and “commitment to decisions previously agreed upon by dialogue
participants, especially related to illegitimate Palestinian weapons outside the
camps, and the continuation of calm media and political paths.”The 2006 National
Dialogue called for the disarmament of all the Palestinian factions outside the
refugee camps and the regulation of their weapons within the camps. According to
the statement, the participants also affirmed support for a “national campaign
aiming to ensure the [Palestinian refugees’] right of return and rejection of
naturalization.”Murr and Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun were
absent from the session for health reasons, the statement said. The next
national dialogue session is scheduled to be held October 19 in Baabda.-NOW
Lebanon
Suleiman Tells Dialogue Equipping Army Essential for Defense Strategy, Next
Round on Oct. 19
Naharnet/resident Michel Suleiman reiterated the need to have consensus over the
necessity to equip the Lebanese army during the national dialogue session at
Beiteddine palace on Thursday. At the start of the session, Suleiman referred to
the deadly clashes between Lebanese and Israeli troops in the town of Adeisseh.
The president lauded the courage of the army and called for consensus on
equipping it "because a (strong) military is essential for the defense
strategy." Suleiman also stressed the importance of the Saudi-Syrian-Lebanese
summit held at Baabda palace, which established a security umbrella over
Lebanon. The session which kicked off at 11:00 am was preceded by a meeting
between Suleiman and Speaker Nabih Berri. Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel
Aoun didn't attend the session. No reasons were given for his absence. OTV only
said that Aoun telephoned Suleiman and discussed with him latest developments on
Thursday morning. Defense Minister Elias Murr also wasn't present for health
reasons. The next round of national dialogue was set for October 19 after around
three hours of discussions.In a statement after the meeting, the national
dialogue participants stressed the importance of consolidating political and
security stability and commitment to decisions reached during previous sessions,
including those linked to Palestinian arms outside refugee camps and holding
onto media and political calm. Ahead of the meeting, Premier Saad Hariri told
reporters the calm atmosphere that prevailed during Wednesday's cabinet session
would reflect on the all-party talks. Druze leader Walid Jumblat, who was among
the first leaders to arrive at the palace, hailed the decision to hold the
dialogue in Beiteddine but complained about the scorching heat. As for Phalange
leader Amin Gemayel, he said he would open up the subject of Palestinian rights
during the session, expressing fears over attempts to naturalize Palestinian
refugees in Lebanon. Meanwhile, As Safir daily said an Iftar banquet that
Suleiman intended to throw in honor of the Lebanese politicians attending the
national dialogue session was cancelled. Instead the president will hold an
Iftar at Baabda palace on August 26. Beirut, 19 Aug 10, 08:56
Aoun explains to Sleiman why he did not attend national dialogue
August 19, 2010 /Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun called President
Michel Sleiman on Thursday morning to inform him that he would be absent from
the national dialogue session due to health reasons, MTV reported. However, it
did not elaborate further. -NOW Lebanon
Najjar Promises to Provide Answers on False Witnesses
Naharnet/Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar has promised to work professionally to
provide the government with all the answers on false witnesses in ex-Premier
Rafik Hariri's assassination case.He told As Safir newspaper in remarks
published Thursday that he would seek to study "whether it is possible to take
steps or measures while remaining committed to judicial and legal foundations."
His comment to the daily came after the cabinet tasked him with following up on
the issue of false witnesses. The cabinet's decision on Wednesday came as a
compromise after Hizbullah ministers demanded the formation of a Lebanese
committee to probe false witnesses. "I cannot escape my responsibilities as
justice minister," Najjar told As Safir, stressing that he intends to make a
serious achievement on the issue. The concerns raised by Minister Hussein
al-Hajj Hassan in his statement to cabinet were "righteous," Najjar admitted,
saying "I am not embarrassed in saying so because I am objective in my job."
Beirut, 19 Aug 10, 08:23
Jumblat Says he Has No Link to False Witnesses, Hails
Cabinet Decision
Naharnet/Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat hailed the cabinet's
decision to deal with false witnesses in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's murder and
stressed he had no link to the issue.The decision of the cabinet to task Justice
Minister Ibrahim Najjar with studying their case was "wise," the Druze leader
told al-Akhbar newspaper in an interview published Thursday.
"False witnesses have become part of the political bickering," he said.
According to Jumblat, the international tribunal is politically linked to U.N.
Security Council resolution 1559. "Some believe that it (the court) is one of
the ways to implement the resolution." Part of the campaign to implement 1559,
which among other things calls for the disarming of all militias, began by
hitting at the credibility of Hizbullah and igniting strife in the country, the
PSP leader said. Beirut, 19 Aug 10, 11:31
Fatfat: Qomati's Statements are
Retraction from the Ministerial Statement
Naharnet/MP Ahmed Fatfat criticized on Thursday Hizbullah politburo member
Mahmoud Qomati's demand to eliminate the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, saying
that the proposal ends the possibility of achieving justice and reaching the
truth. The MP wondered if Qomati's statements are his own or are a reflection of
the party's position, as they are a retraction from the ministerial statement.
Beirut, 19 Aug 10, 15:46
Hundreds Mourn Abdul Rahman Awadh
Naharnet/Hundreds of mourners gathered in the southern refugee camp of Ein el-Hilweh
on Thursday for the funeral of Abdul Rahman Awadh, the head of Fatah al-Islam
killed by the army at the weekend. The open-casket funeral of Awadh, dubbed the
"prince" of Fatah al-Islam and formerly one of Lebanon's most wanted Islamists,
was only attended by family members.
"He believed in a cause that was different from ours and he was martyred for
that cause," Awadh's brother Hussein, a member of Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas' Fatah movement, told Agence France Presse. "But he did not commit a
crime." Many of the mourners chanted "Paradise, open your doors, the martyr is
coming to visit" and "There is no Allah but Allah" as the funeral procession
made its way to the camp cemetery. Lebanese troops on Saturday killed Awadh and
his aide, "Abu Bakr" Mubarak, in a shootout in the eastern town of Chtaura in
the Bekaa Valley. Awadh, who had been hiding in Ein el-Hilweh for more than a
year, opened fire at troops along with his comrade and the soldiers responded,
killing the pair. Abu Bakr's funeral was expected later Thursday.(AFP-Naharnet)
Ayalon:
Granting Palestinians Work Rights 1st Step Towards their Naturalization
Naharnet/Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon described the Lebanese
parliament's decision to grant work rights to Palestinians as a first step
toward their naturalization in Lebanon. Ayalon also stressed the need for
Palestinian refugees to receive the nationality of the country where they are
residing. On Wednesday, Ayalon was quoted as warning against a Lebanese attempt
to wipe out the U.N.-drawn Blue Line. His warning came after talks with U.N.
Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams. According to his office,
Williams is carrying out "routine" talks with Israeli officials to follow up
implementation of Security Council resolution 1701. Beirut, 19 Aug 10, 11:15
SITE: Fatah al-Islam Confirms 2 Militants Killed on Way to
Iraq
Naharnet/Fatah al-Islam said its leader and a top commander were heading to Iraq
to join insurgents there when Lebanese troops killed them over the weekend, the
SITE monitoring service said. The group confirmed the killing of the emir
(leader) of Fatah al-Islam, Abdul Rahman Awadh, and Abu Bakr Mubarak, a SITE
translation of a statement posted on jihadist forums said. "They were martyred
at the hands of the intelligence services of the Lebanese state, while they were
on their way to the state of glory, the Islamic State of Iraq," the statement
said.
The militants' statement noted that Awadh had sent his son to Iraq two months
ago to carry out a suicide bombing, SITE said. Hundreds of foreign fighters have
gone to Iraq in the past to join insurgents there but their flow is believed to
have decreased recently, in part because border smuggling is more difficult and
al-Qaida is thought to lack funds for new recruits. In 2007, Fatah al-Islam
seized the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon. In an
army siege that raged for more than three months, the camp was leveled and 400
people killed, including 168 soldiers. Lebanese judicial authorities accuse
Awadh of having incited militants to carry out attacks two years ago in the port
city of Tripoli, near the camp, that killed 21 people, including 13 soldiers. A
judicial source said Abu Bakr was Awadh's key deputy who provided military
training to members of Fatah al-Islam, a shadowy group said to be inspired by
al-Qaida.(AFP-AP-Naharnet) Beirut, 19 Aug 10, 07:35
Hariri: I See Some Things Moving in Right Direction, Such as Data Submitted to
Public Prosecution
Naharnet/Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Wednesday stressed "commitment to the
course of the U.N. investigation, and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon as the
relevant authority for achieving justice." "There are developments that are
being described as rapid, and which call for defining positions, and I have
taken it upon myself to tackle issues in a calm approach," Hariri said in a
speech at an iftar banquet organized by the administrative body of the
Federation of Beirut Families Associations at the Phoenicia Hotel.
"Despite the uproar that is accompanying these developments and making them
means of incitation, I see some things moving in the right direction, such as
the data submitted (by Hizbullah) to the public prosecution," the premier added.
Hariri called for making dialogue "the means of exchanging views between
leaders, resolving differences and promoting all that contribute to national
stability." "What you hear from me is the truth. I speak on my behalf and no one
can talk on behalf of Saad Hariri. I have a parliamentary bloc and a (political)
movement, but some media outlets talk on my behalf or on behalf of sources close
to me. "Don't believe any of this because nothing is true about it. We want the
truth and nothing but the truth," Hariri addressed the audience. Beirut, 18 Aug
10, 22:53
UNIFIL commander: Israel, Lebanon don't want escalation
Head of UN force deployed in south Lebanon says all parties working closely to
maintain calm in area, discussing ways to speed up process of visibly marking
Blue Line
AFP Published: 08.19.10, 10:57 / Israel News
Israel and Lebanon are both opposed to a military escalation along their shared
border, the head the UN force deployed in south Lebanon said on Thursday, two
weeks after deadly frontier skirmishes. UNIFIL commander Alberto Asarta Cuevas
had "received assurances from the parties that they want to continue working
closely with UNIFIL to maintain calm in the area," the United Nations said in a
statement after a meeting on Wednesday between Asarta and senior Israeli and
Lebanese officers.
"No-one is interested in an escalation. All parties must strive to maintain the
cessation of hostilities," the major-general was quoted as saying.
On August 3, three Lebanese nationals, two soldiers and a journalist, and an
Israeli soldier were killed in a shootout sparked when Israeli Defense Force
troops tried to cut down a tree on the border, prompting Lebanese soldiers to
open fire. It was the most serious confrontation in four years and saw both
sides threatening retaliation if the shooting recurred.
UNIFIL confirmed afterwards that the IDF troops were on their own side of the
border when the skirmish erupted and that the disputed trees were on Israeli
territory.
At Wednesday's meeting the three parties discussed "ways to speed up the process
of visibly marking the Blue Line on the ground," the UN said, referring to the
UN-drawn border established in 2000 when Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon.
"The process (of visibly marking the border) is an important endeavor which
would reduce tension and the possibility of inadvertent violations," Asarta
said. "The parties have expressed to me their strong interest in speeding up
this process." he added.
UNIFIL, which was set up in 1978 to monitor the border between Israel and
southern Lebanon, was considerably beefed up after the 2006 war between
Hezbollah and Israel.
The moderate Muslim threat
By: Shaul Rosenfeld
Published: 08.18.10, 18:32 / Israel Opinion
Muslims should build mosques “everywhere,” Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar
declared Tuesday as he addressed the plans to build a mosque near ground zero in
New York. Most of his Muslim brethren, moderates and radicals alike, likely
endorsed this sentiment. After all, when one of the pillars of Islam is its very
dissemination, one should not wonder that even the “moderates” view ground zero
as a suitable site for a mosque.
The fact that almost all global terror in recent years is carried out in the
name of Islamic ideas being recited day and night at the finest mosques (both in
the East and West,) and that almost 3,000 people were killed in New York in the
name of these notions nine years ago should have elicited at least a hint of
understanding for the feelings of the victims’ families on the part of Islamic
moderates.
New York Governor David Patterson recently announced that Muslims refused his
offer to find an alternate site for the new Islamic center. He may have
forgotten for a moment that more than anything, the center and its name (The
Cordoba House) are a symbol. Seemingly, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, Sharif el-Gamal
and their partners could have scored quite a few points in America’s public
opinion (which in all polls shows firm objection to the center’s establishment)
had they accepted Patterson’s proposal.
After all, these distinguished gentleman fully realize that the various shades
of Islam, even without the center, do not enjoy an especially positive image in
US public opinion, and that a gesture conceding only the site of the mosque,
rather than the principle of building it, was virtually a win-win situation for
them. Moreover, their willingness to change the location would have ended almost
at once the ongoing media and public debate on the actions of 19 of their
Islamic brethren nine years ago and the thousands of their victims.
If, as Rauf and Gamal argue, the center’s main purpose is to encourage tolerance
and promote interfaith dialogue, while showing maximal sensitivity to the
feelings of others, would it not be natural to show a little more than zero
tolerance and consideration for other people’s feelings, instead of dismissing
out of hand many families of September 11 victims who ask that the mosque be
built somewhere else?
The trap of Islamic rhetoric
An important part of the answer to the above questions has to do with the
long-term goals designated by many of Islam’s spiritual and ideological leaders,
both in the past and at present, both in the West and East. These objectives
prompt many Muslim immigrants in the West (unlike any other immigrant group on
earth) to strictly refrain from integrating into their new home and adopt local
customs, even when this does not require them to make any religious concession.
In Britain, France, and the US, the separatist and anti-Western voices coming
out of the mosques have no parallel among any other immigrant group. Even the
economic, educational, and social opportunities and temptations, which are
immeasurably greater than what is available at their home countries, only prompt
a minority of Muslim immigrants to veer off the path outlined by Imams and
integrate into the citizenry of their new country.
Moreover, this separatism is not undertaken for noble aims of course, but
rather, mostly in order to gain a cultural, social, religious, and political
foothold in their new address. This has always been Islam’s way. We would do
well to examine the refusal of mosque planners to compromise on its location,
even at the price of boosting the grievances against them among Americans,
through this prism.
Yet in order to ensure that their work bears fruit, the senior Imams within the
“moderate” Muslim camp excel at uttering words that are pleasantly received in
the West. These imams can always put their trust in a variety of enlightened
Western intellectuals, as well as some useful idiots, which this time around
include New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and city council members, with the
trusted support of Barack Obama (before he embarked on his zigzags.)
And so, we again see a noble, wonderful partnership between “moderate Muslims”
committed to doublespeak and Western intellectuals who remain loyal to double
standards; meanwhile, naïve souls all around are deeply moved by any “moderate”
Islamic statement.
In his recently published book Flight of the Intellectuals, Paul Berman warns
that the danger posed to the West by “moderate Muslims” is even greater than
that posed by their radical brethren, mostly because too many people are happy
to fall into the trap laid by moderate Islamic rhetoric, even when the
conciliatory tone disappears the moment the target audiences changes to Muslims.
And so, for example, the Cordoba House is marketed to Westerners as a stronghold
of tolerance, moderation, and interfaith dialogue. Yet in Islamic tradition,
Cordoba is first and foremost a Christian Spanish city conquered by Muslims in
711, with many of its residents butchered or turned into slaves; a mosque built
on the ruins of a church; and memories of the Almohads, the spiritual fathers of
contemporary Islamic zealots.
The Almohads razed the town in the 12th Century and killed those who refused to
convert to Islam, forcing Jews and Christians to either convert or go into
exile. However, Feisal Abdul Rauf reserves this chapter in Cordoba’s history for
his Muslims brethren only.
**Dr. Shaul Rosenfeld is a philosophy lecturer
Joint Statement by
Lebanese-American Organizations on the US Assistance to the Lebanese Armed
Forces
August 16, 2010
Strengthening the Lebanese security forces to implement all UN Security Council resolutions relevant to Lebanon and to fulfill their duty to defend Lebanon’s sovereignty, democracy, and all Lebanese citizens, serves US national security interests. Since 2006, the U.S. has appropriated $782.35 million in security assistance to Lebanon. The US has much at stake in the success of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF).
Lebanese American organizations greatly value US assistance provided to the LAF to build a strong, national institution. We believe that well trained and well equipped Lebanese security forces remain indispensable instruments for the country’s stability and prosperity.
For the above reasons, we strongly urge Members of Congress to reconsider the hold on US security assistance to Lebanon, despite the tragic exchange of fire on the Lebanon's Israel border.
We do not believe that this exchange of fire was “staged” by the LAF. Israel’s tree trimming operation occurred over Israel’s technical fence in an area of the border where
the “blue line” is not marked. We urge the United Nations to expedite remarking the “blue line” so that all parties know where the “blue line” is with certitude. Both Lebanon and
Israel should reaffirm their commitments in 2000 to the United Nations Secretary General to respect the “blue line.” Lebanese, Israeli, and UNIFIL representatives meet in the
tripartite committee to discuss border and military issues and this is the appropriate forum to devise a protocol to prevent an incident of this nature from recurring. In his August 5
briefing, Philip J. Crowley, Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, asserted that “we have no indication that U.S. equipment played any role in this incident earlier this week.”
The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) is a work in progress. However, progress has been indisputably made since 2006 and much of this is attributable to US security
assistance. In 2006, the LAF deployed south of the Litani River for the first time since 1968. It is the presence of the LAF in the south that allowed an enhanced UNIFIL to deploy
according to UN Security Council Resolution 1701. The August 3 incident notwithstanding, the Lebanon's Israel border is the quietest that it has been in decades. This LAF- UNIFIL
partnership south of the Litani River should not be shaken by the withholding of US security assistance. Additionally, the role of the LAF in combating al Qaeda inspired
groups, such as Fatah al‐Islam, is commendable and in the US interest.
We remind members of Congress that the administration has repeatedly voiced its support for LAF assistance and highlighted that no US equipment has ever been lost to third parties, including Hezbollah. Hezbollah would prefer that US security assistance to Lebanon totally cease, which should be instructive.
We support the relevant provisions of the Taif Accord, and UN Security Council resolutions 1559, 1680, and 1701 requiring “the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon, so that . . . there will be no weapons or authority in Lebanon other than that of the Lebanese state.” At the same time, we expect the Lebanese security forces to be answerable only to the Lebanese government and not subject to influence from Hezbollah or any other nonstate actor.
END
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