LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِAugust 29/2010

Bible Of the Day
Isaiah 7:9/"If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all."
Today's Inspiring Thought: Firm in Faith
With Isaiah's exquisite mastery of the Hebrew language, he formed a skillful play on words here similar to: "With faith that is not sure, your life shall be insecure." Literally, Isaiah was telling King Ahaz, if you don't believe firmly in God, you and your kingdom will not be securely established. The prophet's message was "with unbelief comes instability." Not trusting in God will destabilize our lives. Our salvation and security come from God alone. What are you trusting in today? Your job? Your  paycheck? Your health? Your reputation? Your intelligence? Your relationships? Your retirement fund? Or, are you firmly and exclusively established in your faith in God? (about.com)

Free Opinions, Releases, letters, Interviews & Special Reports
What’s next for Fatah al-Islam?/Mona Alami and Matt Nash/August 28/10
Fareed Zakaria Paints Hezbollah as More ‘Tolerant’ Than GZM Protesters/By: Ron Radosh/
August 28/10
Hezbollah under friendly fire/By: Hanin Ghaddar/August 28/10

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for August 28/10
Jumblat Meets with Suleiman at Head of MP Delegation, Calls for Setting up Neighborhood Security Committees/Naharnet
Williams discusses Bourj Abi Haidar clashes with Hariri /Now Lebanon
Suleiman Tours Shouf Accompanied by Jumblat
/Naharnet
Williams: UNIFIL and Resolution 1701 Cannot be a Success without the Army/Naharnet
Geagea Questions Talk of 4 Suspects When Hundreds of Armed Individuals Took to the Streets/Naharnet
France's Position on STL is Firm: International Justice in Lebanon is Fraught with Dangers, But it is Necessary/Naharnet
US lawmaker urges France not to arm Lebanon army/AFP
Hezbollah may profit if U.S.military aid to Lebanon cut/UPI
'IDF can destroy Lebanon army within 4 hours'/Ynetnews
France wants EU seat at Mideast peace talks/Ynetbews
Report: France willing to arm Lebanon with 100 missiles/Ynetnews
US, Israel lobby against missile sales to Syria, Lebanon/JTA
Syria, Lebanon in joint venture to build north river dam - reports/Daily Star
Berri: Let's Consider Borj Abi Haidar Incident a Brotherly Clash/Naharnet
Authorities Arrest Suspects in Borj Abi Haidar Gunbattles, Report/Naharnet
3 Wounded, including Groom, in Wedding Fire in Adma/Naharnet
Beirut Public Figures Press Demand for Weapons-Free City
/Naharnet
Kanaan: Blame Government for Budget Delay
/Naharnet
Qabalan Calls on All Parties to 'Stay away from Crime'
/Naharnet
Social Security Compulsory, No Longer Optional
/Naharnet
Houri: The Weapons that Burnt a Mosque in Beirut Should Not be that of the Resistance/Naharnet
Sukarieh Questioned Call to Remove Arms: Do They Want to Us to Raise White Flag of Surrender in Streets of Beirut/Naharnet

Hezbollah under friendly fire
Hanin Ghaddar, August 28, 2010
NOW Lebanon /
A Lebanese gunman takes position along Bourj Abi Haidar Street in Beirut during clashes between Hezbollah and al-Ahbash. (AFP photo/STR)
As Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was talking about the strength of the Resistance during a televised speech Tuesday night, the streets of the Bourj Abi Haidar neighborhood in Beirut exploded into armed violence between Al-Ahbash and Hezbollah fighters.
It is ironic that while Hezbollah militants were fighting in the streets, Nasrallah said that Hezbollah fears foreign intelligence services would use the electricity protests to trigger clashes to drag the country into “a situation it cannot handle.” He called on the Lebanese people to remain calm and not be dragged into fights, and yet that’s exactly what his party members failed to do in Bourj Abi Haidar.
But this time, the fighting was not the usual March 8 vs. March 14. Hezbollah, alone, was fighting Al-Ahbash, a pro-Syrian Sunni faction that describes itself as a charitable organization promoting Islamic culture. That the fighting erupted among people from the same “family” raised a number of questions and concerns.
Al-Ahbash, which enjoyed a level of political power during the period of Syria’s hegemony in Lebanon, was greatly weakened after the Syrian army withdrew in 2005. Furthermore, it lost its Sunni support base when two of its officials, Mahmoud Abdel Aal and his brother Ahmad, were suspected of being involved in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. But it seems the events of May 7, 2008 opened the door for the group to rework the Sunni street to its advantage by filling the gap left by Hariri’s Future Movement. And now, with Syria in the ascendency in Lebanon, Al-Ahbash is feeling punchy.
Although no one really knows for sure what sparked this week’s clashes, it is becoming more and more obvious they boiled down to a fight between pro-Iranian and pro-Syrian factions, highlighting the recent cooling in the relations between Damascus and Hezbollah following the recent Syrian-Saudi-Lebanese summit in Beirut.
Thus, the clashes must be seen as a message from Syria to Hezbollah that Damascus is back and that the Party of God no longer single-handedly controls the political scene in Lebanon. It is also worth mentioning that this happened immediately after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared that he would visit Lebanon on September 11 and 12.
Using a Sunni militia to deliver the message is interesting, as Syria might also be sending another message to the Saudis and Prime Minister Saad Hariri that it can protect the Lebanese Sunnis. As for the international community, Syria was clearly telling it that it can hurt Hezbollah, and that it should be given back Lebanon as a reward.
If that is what happened, then the implications are indeed dangerous. The Lebanese in general and the Sunnis in particular are being given two options: Hezbollah’s control or the return of Syrian hegemony. This means that the Lebanese have to pay for the Syrian-Iranian alliance and for when this alliance weakens.
In any case, Hezbollah got the message. The day after the clashes, Al-Ahbash officials went to Damascus to meet senior Syrian general and former head of Syrian intelligence in Lebanon Rustum Ghazali, a clear indication that Syria sponsors and controls Al-Ahbash. Of course, this does not mean that Syria and Iran are no longer allies. When Imad Mugniyah was assassinated in Damascus, Hezbollah had to bite its tongue and accuse Israel of the killing, even though many laid the blame on the Syrian regime, claiming Mugniyah had been killed to sever the tie linking Hezbollah to the Hariri assassination.
However, the danger lies among the Sunnis, who, whether they are pro- or anti-Syrian, sympathized with Al-Ahbash because it was able to confront and bloody up Hezbollah. The pro-Syrian faction played on the urge for revenge because it knows that the memory of 2008 is still painful and that the feelings of sectarian hatred did not disappear with the Doha conference. The tension is still palpable and can be further exploited.
The chances of more clashes are high, especially with Hezbollah’s campaign against the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) in the months before indictments are expected to be handed down to its members for their alleged role in the Hariri assassination. There are also fears that the sectarian violence in Iraq might move to Lebanon, as the Iranians and Syrians are in disagreement regarding the formation of the government there.
However, this time, unlike in May 2008, Hezbollah found itself alone in facing the Sunni street. The Amal Movement was nowhere to be seen, a fact that Parliament Speaker and Amal Movement head Nabih Berri was at pains to point out.
This highlights another significant fact: Hezbollah’s arms, which were allegedly not used during the May events, were most definitely put to use in the Bourj Abi Haidar clashes, and this is a clear violation of both the Doha Accord and the statement resulting from the Saudi-Syrian-Lebanese summit.
Instead of recognizing the consequences and making serious changes to its political rhetoric, Hezbollah insisted on describing the clashes as an “individual incident” with no political connotations, a clear indication that the party will not change its tone or its campaign against the tribunal. In fact, the Bourj Abi Haidar clashes demonstrated that the Lebanese scene is ready to explode at any moment and that the recent calmness fostered by the Beirut summit this summer is very vulnerable and can collapse in the smallest of neighborhoods.
The streets are now full of rage. The death and destruction will only lead to more anger and the need for revenge. The problem of Hezbollah’s illegitimate arms still remains, but now we know once and for all that the Resistance’s arms can be used on the street against other Lebanese, whether to defend its arsenal, as was the case in May 2008, or to confront another militia over who controls Beirut’s streets.
If the problem of arms is not resolved soon, the clashes will increase, and the rule of the militia will prevail.
**Hanin Ghaddar is managing editor of NOW Lebanon


Williams discusses Bourj Abi Haidar clashes with Hariri
August 28, 2010
In a meeting with Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Saturday afternoon, UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams expressed concern over Tuesday’s bloody clashes in the Bourj Abi Haidar neighborhood of Beirut and commended the government’s response, according to a statement from the PM’s office. On Wednesday the cabinet agreed to form a commission to deal with arms proliferation, following the Tuesday clashes between supporters of the Association of Islamic Charitable Projects- also known as Al-Ahbash- and Hezbollah that killed three people.After the meeting, Williams said that the two also discussed the situation in the South and along the Blue Line, adding that he expects the UN Security Council to renew UNIFIL’s mandate on Monday. -NOW Lebanon


Jumblat Meets with Suleiman at Head of MP

NaharnetDelegation, Calls for Setting up Neighborhood Security Committees
Naharnet/Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat refused on Saturday discussion of any army shortcoming regarding the Borj Abi Haidar clashes and called for the establishment of neighborhood security committees. Jumblat made his statements after meeting with President Michel Suleiman at the head of a delegation of Mount Lebanon MPs that included MPs Talal Arslan and Dori Chamoun. A protocol on the right of return of displaced Breeh residents was signed in the presence of Suleiman, Jumblat, and Minister of the Displaced Akram Chehayeb.The minister stated that signing the protocol is a step towards reconciliation. For his part, Arslan stressed the "coexistence and the unity of the Mountain residents," saying that the unity enjoyed among them should be an example to Lebanon and the Lebanese. Beirut, 28 Aug 10, 14:44

Geagea Questions Talk of 4 Suspects When Hundreds of Armed Individuals Took to the Streets

Naharnet/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea wondered on Saturday why such a debate is being made over four suspects arrested in the Borj Abi Haidar clashes when "hundreds of known armed individuals took to the streets, three people were killed, several were injured, and great material losses were incurred."
He questioned the purpose of the armed group of that size's presence in the heart of Beirut, adding: "We didn't hear of the confiscation of any weapon even though hundreds of individuals were on the scene.""It could have been an individual incident, but how do we explain how, in less than an hour, organized armed groups deployed on the streets in full combat mode," Geagea added. Beirut, 28 Aug 10, 13:36

France's Position on STL is Firm: International Justice in Lebanon is Fraught with Dangers, But it is Necessary

Naharnet/French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner stressed on Friday the importance of international justice over any political interests. He said: "The battle for international justice is fraught with dangers as is the case in Lebanon, Sudan, and the Congo, but searching for the truth is necessary in order to reach permanent peace." Spokesman for the French Foreign Ministry, Bernard Valero, meanwhile told the daily Al-Mustaqbal Saturday that France wants the Special Tribunal for Lebanon to uncover the complete truth in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. "France completely supports the STL and its autonomy … We have never changed our position on this matter," he added. Beirut, 28 Aug 10, 09:04

Houri: The Weapons that Burnt a Mosque in Beirut Should Not be that of the Resistance

Naharnet/Mustaqbal bloc MP Ammar Houri stated Saturday that the talk on removing all arms from Beirut also includes those of "armed thugs." He told ANB: "A Beirut devoid of weapons represents the whole nation as the weapons that burnt a mosque in Beirut should not be the arms of a Resistance." "The weapons that fired 90 rockets in a safe zone and killed innocents cannot belong to a Resistance," he said. Furthermore, Houri stressed that the Israeli enemy has benefited the most from the Borj Abi Haidar clashes. Beirut, 28 Aug 10, 13:51

Williams: UNIFIL and Resolution 1701 Cannot be a Success without the Army

Naharnet/U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams noted that Lebanese institutions would be able to withstand any difficulties caused by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
He told As Safir Saturday that the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon's term in the country will be extended on Monday. Furthermore, he stressed that the Lebanese army plays a central role in the South, which was possible through the implementation of resolution 1701. Coordination between UNIFIL and the army is necessary, as without it, these troops would not be able to work in southern Lebanon, Williams added. Beirut, 28 Aug 10, 10:08

Fatftat: STL Will Not Be Affected by International Pressure as Demonstrated in Release of Four Generals

Naharnet/Mustaqbal bloc MP Ahmed Fatfat stated that the political campaigns against the Special Tribunal for Lebanon "are a waste of time" because there can be no backing down from the tribunal. He told the daily Asharq al-Awsat Saturday: "The tribunal is no longer a family matter or an issue linked to one political party, but it is a right for all the Lebanese people."
"No matter how much the pressure increases, there can be no backing down from the STL," he added. "If it appears that the indictment is politicized, then we will be the first to try the suspects, and if the indictment is supported by enough strong evidence, then we will support it to the end," the MP stressed. "The STL will not be affected by any pressure, even that from the international community, as demonstrated in the release of the four generals," said Fatfat. Beirut, 28 Aug 10, 11:18


Sukarieh Questioned Call to Remove Arms: Do They Want to Us to Raise White Flag of Surrender in Streets of Beirut?

Naharnet/Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Walid Sukarieh questioned Saturday the demand that Beirut be stripped of weapons. He justified the presence of Hizbullah arms in the city by saying: "War with Israel is not restricted to the South, but it encompasses the whole of Lebanon, so what would stop Israel from making a landing in Beirut or the Bekaa or any other region?" He asked in an interview with the daily Asharq al-Awsat: "Is it acceptable that some areas be like Monaco aimed at tourism, while others are aimed at waging war? Do they want us to raise the white flag of surrender in the capital?"The MP said that official should reconsider their demand because what is needed is organizing the arms and not their removal.
Beirut, 28 Aug 10, 10:56

What’s next for Fatah al-Islam?
Mona Alami and Matt Nash,
August 27, 2010
Now Lebanon
Fatah al-Islam, the group of militants who fought an arduous summer-long battle with the Lebanese army in 2007, has always evoked more questions than answers, and the queries keep coming. Earlier this month, Lebanese security forces killed the group’s leader, Abdul Rahman Awad, prompting the obvious question: Who will step in to head the organization if, of course, there is even an organization left to lead.
Shaker al-Absi founded the group in Lebanon in 2006, shortly after his early release from a Syrian prison. Absi received a get-out-of-jail-free card from the Syrians to go wage war on American troops in Iraq, according to statements arrested group members made while being interrogated by security forces regularly accused of torturing detainees.
Simon Haddad, a professor at the American University of Beirut, reviewed the written records of Fatah al-Islam members’ interrogations and interviewed Judge Ghassan Oueidat, who heard several cases against them. Haddad published a paper earlier this year about the group based on his research and shared that paper with NOW Lebanon.
Instead of heading off to Baghdad, Absi wound up near Beirut, eventually settling in North Lebanon’s Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp, the locale of the 2007 war. When two bombs tore through busses in Ain Alaq in February 2007, Lebanese authorities laid the blame on Fatah al-Islam, then less than a year old. Just under a month later, acclaimed journalist Seymour Hersh published an article claiming that, in coordination with the Bush administration, Saudi Arabia was funneling money to Saad Hariri to fund Sunni extremists like the Salafi-Jihadi Fatah al-Islam, which Hersh specifically mentioned as a recipient of this money.
The report was denied in Beirut, where March 14 politicians countered that Saudi wasn’t funding Fatah al-Islam, but rather that the Syrians specifically let Absi out of jail to come wreak havoc in Lebanon as a pretext to re-occupy the country their troops had left less than two years prior following a nearly 30-year presence.
Haddad wrote in his paper that there is no evidence to prove the Syrian puppet theory, and told NOW Lebanon, when asked about the Saudi money theory – which was not addressed in the paper – that authorities curiously did not ask arrested militants how they were funded.
After the Nahr al-Bared fighting, the Lebanese army said they had killed Absi, and after viewing his body, his wife agreed. DNA tests, however, proved otherwise, and by mid-September 2007 it was clear that Absi had got away. A year later, claims that Absi was again in Syrian prison and about to be turned over to Lebanese authorities were being made in the press. At the time, Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar, text messaged by NOW Lebanon for comment, said he knew nothing about the issue, and Absi never arrived.
By then, Absi’s replacement, Abdul Rahman Awad, was leading a weakened Fatah al-Islam. The group moved to Ain al-Hilweh, Lebanon’s most notorious and dangerous Palestinian refugee camp after Nahr al-Bared. And while Awad was the group’s recognized leader, as early as December 2008, he wasn’t in the camp.
His group, meanwhile, was not doing all that much. Lebanese authorities were arresting the odd member here and there, and Awad and a close associate, Abed al-Ghani Jawhar, were apparently busy causing more chaos. The two allegedly planted two bombs in Tripoli during 2008 and joined a terrorist cell the authorities broke up in 2009.
Today, officials in Ain al-Hilweh say the group is still around. “Fatah al-Islam members have been living on the outskirts of the camp, in the Tawarek area,” said Mohammad Issa, head of the Palestinian Armed Struggle in Ain al-Hilweh, who is also known by his nom de guerre, “al-Lino.” The Tawarek area, at the edge of the camp near the Taamir quarter of Saida, is known as the bastion of radical Islamist groups such as Jund al-Sham and Osbat al-Ansar. About 20 or so members of Fatah al-Islam seem to have regrouped in the southern enclave in 2007 after fleeing Nahr al-Bared at the end of the conflict with the Lebanese army. Issa said that today the Tawarek area is home to many notorious Fatah al-Islam figures such as Mohammad Chaabi and Jawhar, Awad’s former number two and a Lebanese national. “Jawhar seems to have gone into hiding after the killing of Awad,” Issa said.
Other fighters from Fatah al-Islam remain safely tucked away in the run-down Tawarek neighborhood, such as Mohamad Doukhi, Oussam Chehabi and Naim Abbas. News that Doukhi is still in residence in the southern enclave may come to many as a surprise: He was detained by the Lebanese Armed Forces in 2008, and NOW Lebanon could not ascertain why he was released. Issa said his organization handed over 32 Fatah al-Islam militants to the army since 2007, and that “other Fatah al-Islam members have left Lebanon and tried their luck in Belgium or Bulgaria.” That said, in recent years, former members of Jund al-Sham have joined the ranks of Fatah al-Islam, and the group now has over 100 men, several sources in Ain al-Hilweh who wished to remain anonymous told NOW Lebanon.
Still leaderless since Awad’s death, Fatah al-Islam members are likely to start escaping Lebanon to fight in Iraq, Issa said. Other sources interviewed by NOW Lebanon believe nonetheless that the appointment of a new leader will take place in a few days. Regardless of who takes the lead of the radical group, their core views will remain the same, said Hajj Maher Oueid, head of the Ansar Allah organization, an Islamic faction close to Hezbollah. “They haven’t been able to evolve, contrary to the Osbat al-Ansar movement, which has come to terms with accepting the Lebanese political reality and power structure. Fatah al-Islam still opposes the idea of a Lebanese state,” he said. Indeed, the group apparently wanted to establish an Islamic caliphate in North Lebanon. Haddad, the researcher, agreed with Issa that the group is more or less done, though one political source familiar with the group who is not authorized to speak with the press told NOW Lebanon that “their numbers are still significant. In spite of the fact that they may be only armed with small arms and light weapons, they can still be a nuisance.”
However, political factions inside the camp believe that Fatah al-Islam members can be kept in check by the coalition of Palestinian forces. “Ain al-Hilweh residents are heavily armed and organized in various military factions; they can certainly thwart any possible uprising of Fatah al- Islam,” Oueid said.


Suleiman tours the Shouf region

August 27, 2010/President Michel Suleiman who is currently residing at the Beiteddine palace in the Shouf region of Mount Lebanon toured the Shouf region today and specially the Cedar Mountain areas of Barouk and Maaser el-Shouf and met the local residents. He was accompanied by PSP leader MP Walid Jumblatt. The two leaders visited Maaser el-Shouf and Shouf Cedar nature reserves. Prior to his tour he discussed arming the military with Defense Minister Elias Murr and Police Chief Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi during 2 separate meetings

Suleiman Tours Shouf Accompanied by Jumblat

Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman on Friday discussed arming the military with Defense Minister Elias Murr and Police Chief Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi. The separate meetings with Murr and Rifi were held at the summer Palace of President in Beiteddine in the Shouf Mountains. Following the meetings, Suleiman toured the Shouf Mountains accompanied by Druze leader Walid Jumblat. The two leaders visited Maaser el-Shouf and Shouf Cedar nature reserves. Suleiman will dine with Jumblat at the Druze leader's palace in nearby Moukhtara.
Beirut, 27 Aug 10, 20:05

US lawmaker urges France not to arm Lebanon army

(AFP) – WASHINGTON — A US lawmaker on Friday warned France not to sell anti-tank missiles to Lebanon, saying they could end up being used against Israel amid pro-Iranian influence in the Lebanese government. US Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued the warning after the Arabic-language newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported the planed sale. "The influence of Hezbollah militants and their Iranian and Syrian backers in the Lebanese government is rising," Ros-Lehtinen said in a statement. "Therefore, to sell weapons to Lebanon at this time would be very irresponsible, and could jeopardize security and stability in the region," she said.
"France should do the responsible thing and cancel this sale unless and until the Lebanese government takes the steps necessary to root out extremists from its own ranks and disarm Hezbollah," she said. Asharq Al-Awsat, quoting a top French official, said French Defense Minister Herve Morin had sent a letter to his Lebanese counterpart Elias Murr in May informing him that Paris was "ready" to deliver 100 HOT missiles to Beirut. The paper said Lebanon wants to arm its French-designed Gazelle army helicopters with the HOT (High Subsonic Optical Remote-Guided Fired from Tube) missile, a long-range, anti-tank missile system designed by Euromissile. The French official quoted by the newspaper on its website acknowledged that Israel "protested" the French decision to provide Lebanon with arms and that Washington raised "question marks" over the missile deal. However, he also "categorically denied" that Paris had "given in to pressure" and that this was why the sale had not been completed. The French official instead said "confusion" within the Lebanese government was responsible for the deal's delay or failure. On August 10, US Congressman Howard Berman, the Democratic chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, announced he had placed on hold 100 million dollars in aid to Lebanon's military. Berman said he could not be sure the Lebanese armed forces were not working with Hezbollah, which Washington lists as a "terrorist" organization and whose militiamen fought a devastating month-long war against Israel in 2006. Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved.

France wants EU seat at Mideast peace talks

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner says European Union should have seat at next week's start of US-backed peace talks between Israel, Palestinians, writes letter to EU foreign policy chief expressing concern
Associated Press Published: 08.27.10, 23:14 / Israel News /France wants the European Union to have a seat at the table during next week's start of US-backed peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in Washington. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner says it would be "too bad" if the EU were locked out - noting the bloc's political involvement in the region and its role as a top contributor of financial aid to the Palestinians. Kouchner said in a speech Friday to French ambassadors that he has written a letter to EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton expressing his concern. The talks were shelved two years ago, but the US administration is hoping for a breakthrough during the new rounds of negotiations set to begin September 2. Earlier Friday, it was also reported that the Israeli Foreign Ministry would have representatives at the talks: Head of the ministry's Mideast department, Yaakov Hadas, and a member of its legal department Daniel Taub. "This is a small professional team, that will work seriously, and cooperate with maximum discretion," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday. On Thursday, Netanyahu convened his advisors for a preparation discussion ahead of the restart of direct talks with.
Thursday evening's meeting was attended by the prime minister's special delegate to the negotiations, Attorney Yitzhak Molcho, National Security Advisor Uzi Arad, Chief of Staff Natan Eshel, Director of Policy Planning Ron Dremer, and National Information Directorate head Nir Hefetz. Netanyahu informed his advisors that Attorney Molcho would be his chief negotiator. He offered the Americans to lead the peace process himself in the format of "direct talks between leaders every two weeks." According to the prime minister's suggestion, he would meet with Abbas every fortnight, and together they would try to reach quiet understandings on fundamental issues. The parties' teams would discuss the details later on.
**Attila Somfalvi contributed to this report

'IDF can destroy Lebanon army within 4 hours'

Ynetnews/Lebanese paper says US envoy's advisor threatened Lebanese army chief with Israeli contingency plan following deadly border skirmish Roee Nahmias Published: 08.27.10, 14:42 / Israel News An senior advisor to US special envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell has threatened Lebanese army commander, Jean Kahwajim that should his army initiate additional fire exchanges with Israel, the IDF would annihilate his military within four hours, Lebanese newspaper al-Liwa Official French source tells al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper that Israel's protest had no effect on Paris; helicopter missiles deal yet to be signed due to Lebanese misgivings  According to the report, Frederick Hof spoke to Kahwaji on August 9, following the deadly border skirmish between Israel and Lebanon and informed him of the IDF contingency plan. The report further quotes Mitchell's aide as telling the Lebanese commander that Israel had decided to carry out a plan "which would completely destroy the Lebanese army's bases, centers and offices within four hours." Lieutenant-Colonel (res.) Dov Harari was killed in the border skirmish earlier this month and another officer was seriously injured. Firing began when IDF forces entered a border enclave in order to uproot a tree. Lebanon later blamed Israel for violating UN Resolution 1701. Hof advised the Lebanese army chief to show restraint in any future border conflict with Israel. US sources said a UNIFIL report which ruled that the tree was on Israel's side of the border sheds new light on the possible danger caused by the proximity between the Lebanese army and Hezbollah.

Hamas installs commanders trained in Iran, Syria

Friday, August 27, 2010
http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2010/me_hamas0829_08_27.asp
TEL AVIV — The Hamas military has installed new commanders with advanced military training and has redefined combat duties in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli military sources said Hamas has replaced nearly a dozen senior officers, particularly brigade and battalion commanders. They said the new officers have been trained in Iran or Syria and were fluent in military strategy and tactics. The sources said the Hamas military has sought to restructure its senior command in wake of the 2009 war with the Jewish state. They said the Hamas military leadership, particularly chief of staff Ahmed Jabari, has replaced commanders and revised operational methods.
"Hamas has concluded that it didn't fight in an organized way the last time," a military source who follows the Islamic regime said. "This is one of their main lessons."
Hamas has also revised combat tactics and reinforced discipline. The sources said each commander was granted a defined area of operations and could not transfer troops to other sectors without authorization from the General Staff. "In the last war, Hamas fighters ran wherever they wanted to and nobody knew what the other was doing," the source said. "This is the way militias operate, not armies." Hamas, however, has determined that its asymmetrical strategy of urban warfare must be bolstered. The sources said Hamas was accelerating construction of its tunnel network, mining streets and homes to stop an Israeli infantry advance. At the same time, Hamas was said to have determined that the use of improvised explosive devices and tunnels was not exploited during the 2009 war. The sources said Hamas was being trained by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hizbullah to fight from underground lairs.

Muslim Cleric Calls for Jihad, Coptic Christians Attacked in Egypt

http://www.aina.org/news/20100814184359.htm
Posted GMT 8-14-2010 23:43:59
(AINA) -- On August 13 Sheikh Tobah, Imam of the village of Shimi 170 KM south of Giza, called during Muslim Friday prayers for Jihad against Christians living there. As a result the Christian Copts living in the village were assaulted over two consecutive days. Eleven Copts were hospitalized and many Coptic youths were arrested.
The assaults begain a couple of hours after the Sheikhs incitement. An argument between Copt Maher Amin, who was washing his taxi, and Mohamed Ali Almstaui, a Muslim extremist from the village, escalated into violence as Mohamad assaulted Maher. The altercation was stopped by bystanders. However, after the evening break of Ramadan fast, Ahmad, the brother of the perpetrator Mohamad, who is reported to belong to an extremist organization, together with twenty other men, went to Maher's family home, breaking down the door and assaulting him and his family with batons, including his old mother and his paralyzed sister, injuring them and breaking their furniture.
Security forces came and took away the Christian victims and kept them at the station in spite of their wounds, to pressuree them into accepting "reconciliation" with their attackers. None of the Muslims were arrested.
Saad Gamal, Egyptian MP for Elsaff, phoned from Gaza, where he is on a visit, and gave orders to the police to force reconciliation on the Coptic parties.
"I was against reconciliation, because I know that the culprits know that they can assault Copts, and in the end it will boil down to Copts giving up all their rights with the reconciliation sessions," said Reverend Ezra Nageh of St. George's Church in Elsaff.
"I was told by the security authorities that for the sake of the Holy month of Ramadan, everyone ought to make peace."
The next day, after the compulsory reconciliation between the Amin family and Almstaui family, a large number of Muslims were gathered by the Almstauis and attacked again the houses of the Copts, beaten the inhabitants, and went to the fields and assaulted the Copts there also.
"Why should they not do that, when they are told that the MP will defend them," said Rev. Ezra, adding the police have yet to issue a report about the incidents, because they were afraid of the MP. "So to whom should we go for help? MP Saad Gamal hates Christians, and President Mubarak pretends that he is not present or unaware of our plight."
Ghali Tawfik, one of the Coptic victims, said "We are forced into reconciliation and in less than 24 hours, we are assaulted again."
In an aired audio interview with activist Wagih Yacoub, Maher Amin said "they have humiliated us. We were beaten and we could not do anything about it. We are weak and helpless and have to accept reconciliation. They will next come to our homes and rape our women, and we will not be able to do anything about it."
Karam Bebawy, another Coptic victim, said the arrival of strangers to the village two weeks ago "with long beards and wearing short dresses like the Islamists" have a hand in poisoning the atmosphere in their village and inciting the Muslims against the Copts. He said that his Muslim neighbors have turned against him without reason since then.
Police today released the assaulted Copts who were detained on Friday and arrested three new Coptic youths in their twenties on charges of having some old cases against them. They were transferred to State Security. However, Rev. Ezra said that State Security is using the same old trick, which is detaining innocent Copts and fabricating crimes against them, to twist the arm of the church into accepting a forced reconciliation.
The village mayor, Sheikh Saad contacted Rev. Ezra on August 14, regarding a second reconciliation, but he flatly refused.
"They attack us today and force reconciliation on us. Are they waiting for us to be killed tomorrow and then they would think about the rule of law?" asked Reverend Ezra.
By Mary Abdelmassih
© 2010, Assyrian International News Agency. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use.

Report: France willing to arm Lebanon with 100 missiles

Official French source tells al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper that Israel's protest had no effect on Paris; helicopter missiles deal yet to be signed due to Lebanese misgivings
Roee Nahmias Published: 08.27.10, 11:09 / Israel News France has expressed willingness to provide the Lebanese army with helicopter missiles as part of a deal which has yet to be signed, the London-based Arabic-language al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper reported Thursday, quoting an official French source.
Islamic Republic continues to boast about military developments, says it has successfully tested upgraded version of home-built surface-to-surface Fateh 110 missile. Iranian defense minister says willing to supply Lebanese army with weapons According to the report, French Defense Minister Herve Morin sent a letter to his Lebanese counterpart Elias Murr informing him that Paris is "willing to equip the Lebanese Army with 100 HOT missiles to be installed on French-made Gazelle helicopters which the Lebanese Armed Forces owns."
The French source said Israel had protested the decision and that the US expressed reservations about the matter. Nevertheless, the source noted that Paris has not been pressured by any country. He explained that the reason the deal has not been signed yet is Lebanese misgivings on all matters pertaining to security. Earlier this week, Lebanese President Michel Suleiman asked Iran for help in arming the Lebanese military. According to Suleiman, financial difficulties prevent Lebanon from purchasing certain weapons. "Iran is a friendly country. There are additional countries who we regard as friends which have yet to offer us assistance," he said

Fareed Zakaria Paints Hezbollah as More ‘Tolerant’ Than GZM Protesters

August 26, 2010 -
by Ron Radosh
Fareed Zakaria spoke last Sunday on CNN — on his weekly program Fareed Zakaria GPS — with his usual haughty display of what he considers to be the great wisdom he regularly presents to his audience. The would-be secretary of State told his viewers this:
And now for the “Last Look.” With all the talk about places of worship and where they do and don’t belong, I wanted you to see this. This is the Magen Abraham synagogue. It’s not in Miami. It’s not in Tel Aviv. It’s in Beirut. That’s right, Beirut, Lebanon.
The synagogue is just now emerging from a painstaking restoration project. When the repairs began over a year ago, the temple was literally a shell of its former self. So why did this nation, often teetering on the brink of religious hostilities and hostilities with Israel, restore a Jewish house of worship? To show that Lebanon is an open and tolerant country.
And indeed, the project is said to have found support in many parts of the community, not just from the few remaining Jews there, but also Christians and Muslims and Hezbollah. Yes, Hezbollah — the one that the United States has designated a foreign terrorist organization.
Hezbollah’s view on the renovation goes like this. “We respect divine religions, including the Jewish religion. The problem is with Israel’s occupation of Arab lands … not with the Jews.” Food for thought. Thanks to all of you for being part of my program this week. I will see you next week. Stay tuned for “Reliable Sources.”
If you insist on seeing his delivery, you can watch it here.
This reminds me of nothing less than the famous phony documentary the Nazis made about Theresienstadt as they were creating this showplace concentration camp to try to fool the world, to show everyone how good they were to those Jews they were actually sending to the death camps.
As the Jewish site linked above explains:
Hitler, the world was to be told, had built a city for the Jews, to protect them from the vagaries and stresses of the war. A film was made to show this mythic, idyllic city to which his henchmen were taking the Jews from the Czech Lands and eight other countries. Notable musicians, writers, artists, and leaders were sent there for “safer” keeping than was to be afforded elsewhere in Hitler’s quest to stave off any uprisings or objections around the so-called civilized world. This ruse worked for a very long time, to the great detriment of the nearly two hundred thousand men, women and children who passed through its gates as a way station to the east and probable death.
Now, in our own time — as the organization CAMERA accurately reveals — Zakaria’s claim that “Hezbollah respects the Jews and is merely opposed to Israel’s occupation of Arab lands” dramatically misinformed viewers about the radical and anti-Semitic nature of the Lebanese terror group.
Hezbollah has repeatedly made clear not only its opposition to Israel’s very existence, but also its contempt for Jews.
As Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s chief, said on Al Quds International Day last year:
[Al Quds Day] is the day of all Palestine from sea to river. It is the day of the Palestinian and Arab detainees remaining in the occupation prisons. It is the day of the Palestinian refugees displaced whether inside Palestine or abroad. Al Quds day is the day of patient, resistance, besieged Gaza. Al Quds day is the day of Palestinian resistance of all factions and movements. It is the day of the Lebanese, Arab and Islamic resistance. It is the day of every resistant, withstander, survivor, and fighter in the face of the Zionist scheme in our region. Al Quds day is the day of the Ummah, a reminder to the Ummah of its historical and religious responsibilities in parallel. It is a day, he makes quite clear, for vowing to destroy Israel. Judaism, he tells his audience, clearly stands for the end of Israel’s existence, which is only a creation of the Zionist conspiracy. Citing the Quran, he says:
As for the criminal and murderous limb of Abraham’s progeny, who killed the prophets, spread corruption in the land, and committed atrocities and sins… these were not given any promises to start with for promises to be withdrawn. They were not given promises from the onset. It is found in the Old Testament and in history books, that after Moses brought the Israelites across to the blessed land of Palestine, they began to worship the calf and idols, disobeyed God, hurt and conspired against his prophet and his brother Aaron. Consequently, God ordered them out to wander through the desert for 40 years, away from the reaches of their land.
So, no promises were made to them.
His beliefs could not be more clear. Is Mr. Zakaria familiar with this passage in his speech?:
First: Historic Palestine, from the sea to the river belongs to the people of Palestine and to the whole nation.
Second: It is impermissible for anyone and no one has the right, whoever he may be, whether Palestinian, Arab, Muslim or Christian, no matter who it is, regardless of the claims of representation anyone makes, whether representation claims of historic legitimacy, revolutionary, popular, legal or constitutional, no one in this world is entitled to give up a grain of soil from the land of Palestine, nor a drop of water from the waters in Palestine, nor a single character from the name of Palestine.
Third: the “Israeli” entity currently existing on the land of Palestine is a usurper and occupation entity, aggressive, cancerous, illegitimate and illegal presence.
Fourth: It is impermissible for anyone, whoever they may be, to recognize this entity, grant it legitimacy or recognize an existence for it.
Fifth: Collaboration and normalization with “Israel” are forbidden sins. All scholars, Islamic reference authorities are in consensus about this, and anyone that says otherwise, let him step forward and present his case.
These principles and constants are unalterable by time, circumstances, conditions, strengths or weaknesses at all.
At another time, CAMERA reminds us, Nasrallah was quoted in Lebanon’s Daily Star saying that if the Jews “all gather in Israel, it will save us the trouble of going after them worldwide.”
Writing in The New Yorker some years ago, Jeffrey Goldberg called Hezbollah “the most successful terrorist organization in modern history.” And he went on to write that a Lebanese Shiite scholar named Amal Saad-Ghorayeb has advanced what in Lebanon is a controversial argument: that Hezbollah is not merely anti-Israel but deeply, theologically anti-Jewish.
Her new book, Hezbollah: Politics & Religion, dissects the anti-Jewish roots of Hezbollah ideology. Hezbollah, she argues, “believes that Jews, by the nature of Judaism, possess fatal character flaws.” The organization, she adds, holds “a real antipathy to Jews as Jews.”
I assume this means that the supposedly informed Zakaria is not familiar with the reporting and analysis of Jeffrey Goldberg. Of course, we know that this is not the case.
Somehow, he has obviously chosen to disregard what he probably does know, in order to score cheap shots and make Hezbollah seem more tolerant than the United States. They allow a synagogue to be restored; most Americans oppose and are trying to stop a mosque from being built near Ground Zero. For Zakaria, the Hezbollah controlled Lebanon is more tolerant than the democratic United States.
This “insight” of his is supposed to be “food for thought.”
So please. Flood the CNN network brass with protests, demand they correct his crude hosanna to a group our own government condemns as terrorist, and ask that others be invited on to correct the horrendously false impression he gave to viewers. You can reach CNN by linking to its complaint site.
And finally, as the current incarnation of the almost defunct Newsweek seeks to rebuild itself after being bought by billionaire Sidney Harman, we got the bad news that Zakaria has already jumped ship and moved immediately to the still surviving Time, which last week did its best to paint Americans as crude Islamophobic zombies.
Now, its subscribers will have to read his words along with the already anti-Israel and anti-neocon screeds of Joe Klein. Perhaps in another year, with such an august group of pundits, Time too will need to find another Sidney Harman to save them.

Syria, Lebanon in joint venture to build north river dam - reports

By The Daily Star
Saturday, August 28, 2010
BEIRUT: A joint dam construction project between Syria and Lebanon along the Nahr al-Kabir river may be in the pipeline, a string of news reports have suggested this week.
“There is currently a joint venture with Lebanon to set up a dam on the river,” Syrian Irrigation Minister Said al-Bunni was quoted by Syrian Aks Alser news website as saying Wednesday. “[The project] will have a capacity of 80-million cubic meters, 60 percent of which will be designated for Syria.”
According to international conventions, Syria lies on a greater share of the water reserves and is therefore entitled to a larger share of the proceeds from the dam.
Bunni is now expected to hold talks with Energy Minister Jibran Bassil regarding the project, the Central News Agency (CNA) reported Friday.
Citing an anonymous energy-sector source, the CNA said preparations for the meeting were under way. Fadi Comair, director general of water resources and electricity, was preparing an integrated agenda for the meeting, CNA reported.
Rising temperatures and a lack of precipitation since 2006, caused by global warming, are having an adverse affect on regional water resources, Aks Alser quoted Bunni as saying.
“It doesn’t constitute a crisis so far, but this doesn’t mean we are immune from a water crisis,” he said. This will impact on a range of ministries, including agriculture and the environment, and a “collective action plan must” therefore be put to work. – The Daily Star