LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِSeptember
06/2010
Bible Of the Day
John:15/1-15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the farmer. 15:2 Every branch
in me that doesn’t bear fruit, he takes away. Every branch that bears fruit, he
prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 15:3 You are already pruned clean because
of the word which I have spoken to you. 15:4 Remain in me, and I in you. As the
branch can’t bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can
you, unless you remain in me. 15:5 I am the vine. You are the branches. He who
remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from me you
can do nothing. 15:6 If a man doesn’t remain in me, he is thrown out as a
branch, and is withered; and they gather them, throw them into the fire, and
they are burned. 15:7 If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you will
ask whatever you desire, and it will be done for you.
15:8 “In this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; and so you will
be my disciples. 15:9 Even as the Father has loved me, I also have loved you.
Remain in my love. 15:10 If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my
love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and remain in his love.
15:11 I have spoken these things to you, that my joy may remain in you, and that
your joy may be made full". 15:12 “This is my commandment, that you love one
another, even as I have loved you. 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that
someone lay down his life for his friends. 15:14 You are my friends, if you do
whatever I command you. 15:15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant
doesn’t know what his lord does. But I have called you friends, for everything
that I heard from my Father, I have made known to you. 15:16 You didn’t choose
me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and
that your fruit should remain; that whatever you will ask of the Father in my
name, he may give it to you
Today's Inspiring Thought: Jesus Chose You
If you ever start to think you don't matter much to God, consider this: Jesus
chose you! He hand-picked and appointed you for a mission—to produce enduring
fruit. In God's eyes, you are highly significant. Not only are you the Lord's
servant, you are his personally chosen friend and partner in ministry. For this
reason, whatever you ask of the Father in Jesus' name, he will give it to you.
Because the Lord chose you to cooperate with him in fulfilling the Father's will
on earth. (About.com)
Free
Opinions, Releases, letters, Interviews & Special Reports
Yedioth Ahronoth: A Thank You to
Hamas/By Abdul Rahman Al-Rashid/September 05/10
US warns Assad of Israeli
counter-strike for terror campaign/DEBKAfile/September 05/10
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for
September 05/10
2 Palestinians Killed, 3 Wounded
in Israeli Air Strikes on Gaza/Naharnet
Gaza Militants Fire Rocket into
Israel/Naharnet
Palestinians to Iran: Mind
your own business/JPOST
Defense officials back US bid to send
envoy to Syria/J.post
Israel's military says
explosions in southern Lebanon occurred at Hezbollah/The Canadian Press
Israeli
Minister Braverman: Progress in
talks can threaten Iran/Ynetnews
'Mideast peace process poses a
strategic threat to Iran/Haaretz
Sami Gemayel: All militia should
be disbanded starting with Hezbollah/Ya Libnan
Israeli
Warplanes Stage Mock Air Raids over South Lebanon/Naharnet
UNIFIL: International
Investigators Inspect Shehabiyeh Incident Site/Naharnet
Berri Seeks to Bring
Hariri-Nasrallah Views Closer after Counter Accusations/Naharnet
UNIFIL Awaits Shehabiyeh
Probe Results as Source Says Blasts Resulted from Hizbullah Training/Naharnet
Hariri Murder Reenactment
to Take Place in France Sept. 28/Naharnet
Nasrallah Thanks Hariri for
Committing to Calm Rhetoric/Naharnet
Murr in Spain to Talk Military
Cooperation, Assistance/Naharnet
Hariri Committed to Calm Rhetoric,
Calls for National Unity/Naharnet
UNIFIL: International Investigators
Inspect Shehabiyeh Incident Site/Naharnet
Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya MP Imad
al-Hout: Solution to clashes must give authority to security forces/Now Lebanon
Hariri and Nasrallah to meet soon,
source says/Now Lebanon
Hizbullah
Prevented Journalists from Photographing Site of Explosion in South Lebanon
The Lebanese daily Al-Mustaqbal reports that Hizbullah prevented journalists
from taking pictures of the blast site in the village of Shehabiya (south of the
Litani, near the city of Tyre), where a cache of munitions exploded on September
3. According to the daily, Hizbullah even seized some of the journalists'
cameras. Some reports claimed that UNIFIL personnel had also been prevented from
approaching the site immediately after the explosion, while other reports
contradicted this.
Hizbullah denied that any of its operatives had been killed in the blast. A
UNIFIL source assessed that the explosion had occurred as a result of Hizbullah
training activities at the site.
**Source: www.nowlebanon.com, Al-Mustaqbal (Lebanon); Al-Sharq Al-Awsat
(London), September 4, 2010
US warns Assad of Israeli
counter-strike for terror campaign
http://www.debka.com/article/9013/
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report September 5, 2010,/Naharnet
The Obama administration has sent Syrian president Bashar Assad a stern warning
that he will be held personally accountable and face consequences if Israel and
the Palestinian Authority are subjected to a terror campaign - whether by
Hizballah or the Palestinian extremist groups based in Damascus, debkafile
reports from Washington. The warning went out Thursday, Sept. 2, as Israelis and
Palestinians sat down to talk in Washington in the shadow of threats from
extremists sheltering under Syria's wing and after two attacks on the West Bank.
The caution was put in Assad's hands in Damascus by Fredric Hof, adviser to US
envoy George Mitchell as Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and PA
Chairman Mahmoud Abbas met for the first time under the aegis of Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton and support of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and
Jordan's King Abdullah. debkafile's sources do not know exactly what was said at
the interview but Saturday, Sept. 4, they confirmed the severity of the US
message to the Syrian ruler. Our military sources report that last week, Syria
and Hizballah took joint steps against a possible Israeli strike against the
sophisticated rockets which Hizballah is storing for safekeeping at Syrian bases
close to the border and holding ready for immediate use. Hizballah militiamen
have been visiting those bases to learn how to use the advanced hardware. Assad
is deepening his military partnership with Hizballah and advancing joint
preparations for war under Iranian sponsorship. Last Sunday, Aug. 29, he urged
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri to stand solidly behind Hizballah when they
met in Damascus. The Syrian ruler stressed to Hariri "…the importance of
supporting the resistance [a euphemism for terrorism used by radical Arab
elements] as the only way to preserve Lebanon's strength and security against
regional threats." Our sources report that the hands of Assad and the
Iran-backed Hizballah are detected in fomenting terror in another part of the
Middle East - Iraq, especially in Baghdad.
Palestinians to Iran: Mind your own
business
By JPOST.COM STAFF
09/05/2010 06:18
PA spokesman retorts that Iran "represses their people," after Iranian FM says
those negotiating with Israel are "betraying their nations."
The Palestinian Authority has taken a stand against Iran, after the Islamic
Republic criticized the PA for relanuching direct talks with Israel, according
to official PA news agency Wafa.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, reportedly
said that Ahmadinejad "does not represent the Iranian people, forged elections,
suppresses the Iranian people and stole the authority. [He] is not entitled to
talk about Palestine, or the president of Palestine."
"President Abu Mazen [Abbas] is the elected president of free and fair elections
in which more than two thousand international observers [participated]," Abu
Rudeineh said. "We have fought for Palestine and Jerusalem, and the Palestinian
leadership has provided thousands of martyrs and tens of thousands wounded and
prisoners."
"We did not repress our people, as did Iran led by Ahmadinejad," Abu Rudeineh
added.
"We are defending our national rights and our national interest, and the
President and the Palestinian leadership and the PLO are the sole legitimate
representative of the Palestinian people, who knows how to defend their rights
and will not allow anyone to undermine the national president or the legitimacy
of the Palestine Liberation Organization," he said.
The criticism came from Libya, where Abbas is meeting with Libyan leader Muammar
Qaddafi.
Earlier this week, Egypt canceled a visit by Iran's foreign minister to protest
comments in which he accused Arab leaders of betrayal for attending the new
round of Mideast peace talks in Washington. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr
Mottaki had been scheduled to visit Cairo Monday for a meeting of Nonaligned
Movement members.
Mottaki said Arab leaders who attended the relaunch of Israeli-Palestinian peace
talks in Washington this week were "betraying their nations."
"Some leaders ... who follow America's orders must understand that they are
betraying their nations," Iran's Fars news agency quoted him as saying on
Tuesday.
AP contributed to this report
Yedioth Ahronoth: A Thank You to Hamas
04/09/2010
By Abdul Rahman Al-Rashid
AlShareq Alawsat
Hamas has demonstrated rare courage in carrying out and adopting the killing of
four Israelis on the same hour in which the Palestinian President and his
negotiating team were traveling to Washington. As is its habit it makes the
Palestinian individual pay the price while the Israelis are the ones who benefit
from its operations.
The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said in a recent editorial that "the
Hebron operation does not change much of the essence of the summit, but it helps
Netanyahu's security demands and naturally enhances his ability to bargain on
the issue of the settlements freeze. He can explain to the Americans that when
it is the settlers who are the victims of the terrorism, then the Israeli public
will not accept continuation of the construction freeze. In other words, the
(Hamas) operation places a tactical and media weapon in the hand of the Prime
Minister. It is not the Palestinians alone who go to Washington as parties that
have been wronged but the Israelis as well". So the truth is that Hamas has
always been a partner to Israeli desires and a good servant to the Iranian
demands but has not done anything whatsoever for the Palestinian individual.
Hamas spoiled the famous 1999 and 2000 negotiations then returned later to say
that it was ready to accept the political settlement offered to President
Arafat. But it was too late because Bill Clinton had already left the White
House.
In the name of responding to Hamas, the Israelis destroyed all that President
Arafat built after his historic return from Tunisia. They destroyed the Gaza
Airport, the harbor, and the governmental centers on the West Bank, and they
killed many members of his security forces. Each time Hamas wished to sabotage
the negotiating process, it would send some suicidal teenager to blow up a
civilian bus and provide the Israeli extremists with more pretexts for more
killing and plunder, blows against the PA and sabotage of its institutions.
Hamas did nothing to harm the Israelis. It did not hit the centers of their
military or economic strength. The greatest successes of Hamas were when it
succeeded in drawing the Israelis to enter the PA territories and lay siege to
President Yasser Arafat in his office until he died of frustration. Hamas and
Islamic Jihad were behind the building of the Wall which represents the most
dangerous process for changing the facts on the ground. Israel benefited from
the operations directed against it to build that wall which stole a third of the
Palestinian lands and severed family bonds, wasted many farms and laid siege to
thousands of Palestinian families who were left to live in unparalleled misery.
Most unfortunately, the facts say that Hamas is Israel's partner, not the
opposite. This is what it did yesterday when it killed four Israelis on the eve
of the Palestinian team's departure for the negotiations. It wants to sabotage
the scheme of the American President who asked to be given an opportunity of
just one year and pledged to establish the Palestinian State.
Hamas is not against the negotiations because Hamas itself sought negotiations
with the Israelis at the outset of this year and extended to them concessions
that were exactly the same as those pledged by the PA in Ramallah. But the
Americans refused to have Hamas participate and this made it turn to sabotaging
the fresh negotiations, not out of hatred for Israel but only because it is
against PA participation. This is also because with its operations, Hamas
satisfies its ally Iran that threatens to sabotage the negotiations. Iran itself
is not against the negotiations but wants the Palestinians to pay, as usual, the
price of their reconciliation with the Americans so that it could acquire
regional influence and be permitted to have nuclear weapons when it allows the
Palestinians to negotiate. The decision today is for the Palestinians on whether
they wish to negotiate or not. They are also the ones who have to decide later
whether the proposed reconciliation is suitable or not. The first and final word
is for the Palestinians, not for the Arabs or the Iranians.
Nasrallah Thanks Hariri for Committing to Calm Rhetoric
Naharnet/Political aide to Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hussein
Khalil, has contacted Prime Minister Saad Hariri to thank him on behalf of
Nasrallah for committing to calm rhetoric, local media reported Sunday. Pan-Arab
daily al-Hayat on Sunday also reported that Hizbullah and Hariri's Mustaqbal
Movement have vowed to end political bickering.
It said head of Hizbullah's Coordination and Liaison Committee Wafiq Safa has
informed a source close to Hariri that the Shiite group has decided to refrain
from responding to political statements. Safa also reportedly said that
Hizbullah officials and MPs were given orders to end political bickering. Al-Hayat
said Mustaqbal Movement officials and MPs also received similar orders.
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah attacked in a Friday televised speech
"political exploitation" of the Aug. 24 street battles in Beirut between
Hizbullah and al-Ahbash, a pro-Syrian Sunni radical group. Al-Hayat said Hariri
has informed Druze leader Walid Jumblat in a telephone call that the prime
minister was being "targeted" by Nasrallah and statements criticizing him were
"no longer acceptable." Beirut, 05 Sep 10, 10:00
Murr in Spain to Talk Military Cooperation, Assistance
Naharnet/Defense Minister Elias Murr flew to Spain on Sunday to discuss military
cooperation and assistance to the Lebanese Army, state-run National News Agency
reported.
He traveled at the official invitation of his Spanish counterpart. NNA said
talks would also tackle U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701
Hariri Committed to Calm Rhetoric, Calls for National Unity
Naharnet/Prime Minister Saad Hariri said he was committed to calm rhetoric and
quiet dialogue and called for national unity.
His comments came during an iftar on Saturday in honor of families from north
Lebanon.
Hariri acknowledged renewal of war of words among political leaders. "For our
part, we did not want political bickering to start and we do not wish bickering
to return to square one," he told diners in Qoreitem. "What happened yesterday
has happened, but from now on I will stick to calm rhetoric," Hariri pledged.
During Friday's iftar, Hariri hit back at Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan
Nasrallah, saying one cannot stand idle and watch when violations are being
committed against Beirut. "Half of Lebanon's citizens live in Beirut, and the
capital embraced the citizens during all the Israeli wars on Lebanon," Hariri
had said. "Is this how we reward the people of Beirut? No," he said, sharply. "I
said since the beginning that I want calm and kind word, but when peoples' homes
and properties become exposed to violation, is it required to stand idle and
watch without having the right to give our opinion or talk?," Hariri asked.
"This is unacceptable." "We have, therefore, committed to the good word, and we
will continue to work towards a peaceful dialogue," Hariri told families from
Tripoli, Mina and Qalamoun. "It's everybody's responsibility to help authorities
have the upper hand and avoid a return to any serious bickering," he stressed.
Beirut, 05 Sep 10,
Hariri Committed to Calm Rhetoric, Calls for National Unity
Naharnet/Prime Minister Saad Hariri said he was committed to calm rhetoric and
quiet dialogue and called for national unity.
His comments came during an iftar on Saturday in honor of families from north
Lebanon. Hariri acknowledged renewal of war of words among political
leaders."For our part, we did not want political bickering to start and we do
not wish bickering to return to square one," he told diners in Qoreitem. "What
happened yesterday has happened, but from now on I will stick to calm rhetoric,"
Hariri pledged. During Friday's iftar, Hariri hit back at Hizbullah chief Sayyed
Hassan Nasrallah, saying one cannot stand idle and watch when violations are
being committed against Beirut. "Half of Lebanon's citizens live in Beirut, and
the capital embraced the citizens during all the Israeli wars on Lebanon,"
Hariri had said. "Is this how we reward the people of Beirut? No," he said,
sharply. "I said since the beginning that I want calm and kind word, but when
peoples' homes and properties become exposed to violation, is it required to
stand idle and watch without having the right to give our opinion or talk?,"
Hariri asked. "This is unacceptable." "We have, therefore, committed to the good
word, and we will continue to work towards a peaceful dialogue," Hariri told
families from Tripoli, Mina and Qalamoun. "It's everybody's responsibility to
help authorities have the upper hand and avoid a return to any serious
bickering," he stressed. Beirut, 05 Sep 10, 09:20
Palestinians Killed, 3 Wounded in Israeli Air Strikes on Gaza
Naharnet/The body of a second Palestinian killed in Israeli air strikes on
southern Gaza was recovered on Sunday, according to Palestinian medics and
witnesses.
The two Palestinians were killed and another three were wounded in the strikes
carried out Saturday after a rocket attack from Gaza in the first exchange of
fire since the relaunch of Middle East peace talks last week. Two raids targeted
smuggling tunnels along the border with Egypt, causing a tunnel to collapse on
the two men, and a third struck a former base used by the militant Hamas
movement, which has ruled Gaza since June 2007. An Israeli military spokesman
confirmed the three raids, saying that one was aimed at "a tunnel dug in the
direction of Israeli territory" for attacks across the border. The air strikes
came after the firing of a makeshift rocket from Gaza into Israel by Palestinian
militants on Saturday, which caused no casualties or damage, according to the
Israeli military. On Thursday, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu relaunched direct peace talks in Washington
following a 20-month hiatus. Hamas has threatened to keep up its attacks on
Israel after carrying out two shooting assaults against Israeli settlers in the
occupied West Bank that killed four people ahead of the talks. It did not claim
the rocket attack, however, and has taken steps to halt such attacks by other
militant factions since the end of a devastating Israeli offensive in the
territory in December 2008 and January 2009. Hamas and Abbas's secular Fatah
movement have been fiercely divided since the Gaza takeover and the Islamist
movement -- which is sworn to Israel's destruction -- has vehemently opposed the
renewal of peace negotiations.(AFP) Beirut, 05 Sep 10,
Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya MP Imad al-Hout: Solution to clashes must give authority to
security forces
September 5, 2010 /Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya MP Imad al-Hout told Future News
television on Sunday that all politicians want to put the Bourj Abi Haidar
clashes behind them, adding that the solution to this incident must provide
security and military forces with authority. A deadly street battle shook the
Bourj Abi Haidar district in the Lebanese capital on August 24, pitting
supporters of Hezbollah against those of Sunni outfit Al-Ahbash- also known as
Association of Islamic Charitable Projects- two parties with warm ties to
Damascus. Following the clashes, the cabinet formed a ministerial commission
tasked with handling the increased use of arms in Lebanon. Hout also warned that
the latest regional developments might destabilize Lebanon and voiced the
importance of facing any possible repercussions in Lebanon with unity.-NOW
Lebanon
Hajj Hussein Khalil thanks Hariri on behalf of Nasrallah
September 5, 2010 /Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's
political advisor Hajj Hussein Khalil called Prime Minister Saad Hariri on
Saturday night on behalf of Nasrallah and thanked him for committing to a calm
atmosphere, New TV reported on Sunday. In a speech on Friday afternoon,
Nasrallah attacked what he said was political exploitation of the August 24
clashes in Beirut between supporters of Hezbollah and those of Sunni group Al-Ahbash,
saying that “a knife was put in [Hezbollah’s] wound and twisted.” Hariri
responded to Nasrallah’s remarks by saying, “I am not the one holding a knife. I
am the son of [former Prime Minister] Rafik Hariri and I will remain modest.” In
a Saturday Iftar speech, Hariri said that political and media rhetoric following
his remarks on Friday evening reached a level he had hoped would be avoided,
demonstrating the necessity of commitment to quiet dialogue and polite
speech.-NOW Lebanon
Hariri and Nasrallah to meet soon, source says
September 4, 2010 /Communications are underway to calm the atmosphere and pave
the way for Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed
Hassan Nasrallah to meet “before Eid al-Fitr,” NBN quoted an anonymous source as
saying on Saturday. In a speech on Friday afternoon, Nasrallah attacked what he
said was political exploitation of the August 24 clashes in Beirut between
supporters of Hezbollah and those of Sunni group Al-Ahbash, saying that “a knife
was put in [Hezbollah’s] wound and twisted.”
In an Iftar speech on Friday, Hariri responded to Nasrallah’s remarks, saying,
“I am not the one holding a knife. I am the son of [former Prime Minister] Rafik
Hariri and I will remain modest.”-NOW Lebanon
Hariri, Berri in contact following Friday’s speeches
September 4, 2010 /An anonymous source told NOW Lebanon on Saturday that Prime
Minister Saad Hariri was in contact with Speaker Nabih Berri after Hezbollah
Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah delivered his address on Friday, and
the PM’s response to Nasrallah’s remarks later in the evening. During a speech
marking the annual Jerusalem Day, Nasrallah said that “some stabbed a knife in
[Hezbollah’s] heart, and it is not the behavior of a man of state or a head of
party,” in a reference that, according to the Hezbollah chief, Hariri was
exploiting the August 24 Beirut clashes. March 14 parties, including Future bloc
MPs, called for a weapons-free Beirut following a deadly street battle that
shook the Bourj Abi Haidar district in the Lebanese capital, pitting supporters
of Hezbollah against those of Sunni outfit Al-Ahbash, also known as the
Association of Islamic Charitable Projects. Hariri responded to Nasrallah’s
remarks on Friday by saying, “I am not the one holding a knife. I am the son of
[former Prime Minister] Rafik Hariri and I will remain modest.”
-NOW Lebanon
Sakr defends Hariri
September 5, 2010
Lebanon First bloc MP Okab Sakr told Future News television on Sunday that Prime
Minister Saad Hariri’s Friday statement was not intended to criticize anyone,
adding that Hariri aimed to defend himself and that he clearly wants a calm
atmosphere. In a speech on Friday afternoon, Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed
Hassan Nasrallah attacked what he said was political exploitation of the August
24 clashes in Beirut between supporters of Hezbollah and those of Sunni group
Al-Ahbash, saying that “a knife was put in [Hezbollah’s] wound and twisted.”
Hariri responded to Nasrallah’s remarks by saying, “I am not the one holding a
knife. I am the son of [former Prime Minister] Rafik Hariri and I will remain
modest.”
Relations between Hariri and Nasrallah are not ruptured, Sakr said, adding that
Hariri’s visit to the scene where the clashes took place was not carried out to
“add fuel to the fire” but rather to reinforce the cabinet’s authority. Sakr
also told As-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper in an interview published on Sunday that
the spread of arms in Beirut does not benefit Hezbollah or Lebanon. The MP
voiced his disappointment over statements made by Hezbollah criticizing Hariri,
which he considered to be unjustified.
-NOW Lebanon