LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِFebeuary 14/2011

Bible Of The Day
Luke 10/38-42: " It happened as they went on their way, he entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. 10:39 She had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. 10:40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she came up to him, and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister left me to serve alone? Ask her therefore to help me.” 10:41 Jesus answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 10:42 but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
When will Obama start talking to Hamas/By Zvi Bar'el/February 13/11
The collapse of the theory “they can speak, and we can ignore/By Tariq Alhomayed/February 13/11
Will an unknown officer be Egypt's next ruler? Military beefs up Sinai force/DEBKAfile/February 13/11
A new era has dawned in the Middle East/Haaretz Editorial/February 13/11

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for February 13/11
Benny Gantz becomes IDF's 20th chief of staff/Haaretz
Mubarak's departure thwarted Israeli strike on Iran/Haaretz
Hamadeh: Lebanese people to witness major stance on February 14/Now Lebanon
Miqati Focuses his Contacts towards March 14: 24-Minister Cabinet Will be Formed before February 20 /Naharnet
Hizbullah Informed Miqati its Refusal to Make References to STL in Ministerial Statement /Naharnet
Mikati must enact his centrist positions, says Chatah/Now Lebanon
Qaouq Refuses to Allow U.S. to Use STL as Weapon: Resistance Has Garnered Parliamentary Majority /Naharnet
Pivotal Speeches during Feb. 14 Memorial: Hariri-Miqati Reconciliation Won't Alter Mustaqbal Stand towards Cabinet /Naharnet
Nasrallah to Deliver Speech on Wednesday, Sami Shehab to Make Surprise Appearance /Naharnet
Berri's Son-in-Law Denies Involvement in Money Laundering /Naharnet
Harb: March 14 Won't Join Government Where It Has No Influence over Decisions /Naharnet
Hariri Expresses Solidarity with the People of Egypt /Naharnet
Arslan Praises Egyptian Revolt against Arab Zionism: I Repeat My Nomination of Jumblat to Interior Ministry /Naharnet
Major Pieces Stolen from Egypt Museum /Naharnet
MP Jamal al-Jarrah: Mikati must commit to Dar al-Fatwa statement/Now Lebanon
MP Ziad al-Qadiri :Mikati adopts Hezbollah’s point of view/Now Lebanon
Arslan nominates Jumblatt for Interior Ministry/Now Lebanon
US hijacking Egypt revolt for Israel, says Iran speaker/Now Lebanon
Egypt military faces resistance in restoring order/AP

Anti-terrorism Act Links U.S. Assistance to Hizbullah Power in Lebanon Government
Naharnet/U.S. lawmakers are reportedly pushing for the adoption of the Hizbullah Anti-Terrorism Act of 2011 which guarantees that organizations like Hizbullah do not benefit from the money of American taxpayers. During hearings on Egypt and Lebanon this week, House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Howard Berman announced that he would be introducing the new legislation entitled the "Hizbullah anti-terrorism act of 2011." The legislation would bar U.S. assistance to Lebanon unless President Barack Obama certified to Congress that no funds would go to the Shiite group or Hizbullah agencies/entities under the party's control, and that the Lebanese government is actively working to dismantle Hizbullah's military capability. Republican Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is one of the major supporters of the bill, As Safir daily said Saturday. With time, more lawmakers could join the list, it added. Beirut, 12 Feb 11, 11:40

Pivotal Speeches during Feb. 14 Memorial: Hariri-Miqati Reconciliation Won't Alter Mustaqbal Stand towards Cabinet
Naharnet/The March 14 forces are set to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri during a ceremony on Monday during which pivotal speeches on various levels will be made, reported the daily An Nahar Sunday. As Safir stated on Sunday that the commemoration will be an occasion for the March 14 camp to "set its work strategy for the next phase in Lebanon" based on whether it will participate in Cabinet or not. Mustaqbal sources told the paper that the ceremony will focus on "attacking Prime Minister-designate in light of the recent Dar al-Fatwa meeting."They added that the reconciliation between Miqati and Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri will not affect the Mustaqbal movement's position towards the PM-designate and his new government. Furthermore, they revealed that the speeches set to be delivered by Hariri, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, and Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel "will surprise everyone". Beirut, 13 Feb 11, 09:59

Hizbullah Informed Miqati its Refusal to Make References to STL in Ministerial Statement
Naharnet/Sources concerned with the formation of the new Cabinet revealed that Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati was informed by Hizbullah that the party will reject any reference to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in the new government's ministerial statement, reported the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat Sunday. It said that the premier-designate was informed of this decision during a meeting with Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah that was held away from the media spotlight about a week ago. The meeting also tackled other issues related to the formation of the Cabinet, including the party's demand that some of its Sunni allies be represented in the government, a matter that Miqati has reservations over because he is seeking to avoid a dispute with Sunni politicians. The sources said that Miqati is currently awaiting a reply from Hizbullah over a suggestion that the ministerial statement include a demand to achieve justice and uncover the sides behind the assassination of former Prime Minster Rafik Hariri. "Nasrallah adamantly refused to include any phrase related to the STL, while Miqati's position stems from his adherence to the decisions reached during the 2006 national dialogue," they added. His position also stems from the need to avoid western nations taking a negative stand towards the new government seeing as the ambassadors of these countries have repeatedly highlighted the importance of Lebanon respecting international resolutions and commitments. Beirut, 13 Feb 11, 11:59

Qaouq Refuses to Allow U.S. to Use STL as Weapon: Resistance Has Garnered Parliamentary Majority
Naharnet/Hizbullah official Nabil Qaouq stated on Sunday that the equation in Lebanon today has changed from what it was in the past seeing as the Resistance now enjoys a parliamentary and popular majority, adding that it refuses the United States' employment of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon as a weapon against the party. He said during a ceremony commemorating the assassination of Hizbullah military commander Imad Mughniyeh: "The new government in Lebanon should help remove the country from the American minefield.""Hizbullah is the side that is contributing the most in facilitating the formation of the Cabinet because it is working on saving the nation from the strife project and the American and Israeli conspiracy," he said. "The party does not oppose the participation of any side in government, but it opposes American conspiracy plans and its attempts to threaten Lebanon's stability and national unity," he continued. Addressing Israel, Qaouq said: "It is now weaker than it was before … We should always be prepared to confront all possibilities that Israel may resort to in order to compensate for its loss in the region." "We know it will resort to an indirect confrontation with the Resistance because it won't be capable of confronting it militarily," he stressed.Commenting on the recent developments in Egypt, he noted: "Egypt's pharaoh has been toppled by the people … This should help restore its leading position in the area and end its defeatist position to the U.S."
Beirut, 13 Feb 11, 13:46

Miqati Focuses his Contacts towards March 14: 24-Minister Cabinet Will be Formed before February 20
Naharnet/Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati stressed that he is maintaining his consultations in order to end disputes regarding the formation of a new government, adding that he will not commit to a certain deadline or a specific number of ministers in the new Cabinet. He told the daily An Nahar in remarks published on Sunday: "At the end of the day, the main concern is establishing a government that ensures the people's trust and we will announce it once it is ready." "It's no secret that contacts are now focusing on the March 14 camp and there is so far no final word on the matter," he continued. Sources close to the premier-designate told As Safir Sunday that the government is likely to start taking shape next week, adding that should a 30-minister national unity government fail to be established, then a 24- or 20-minister one is likely to be formed instead. The resumption of talks on the distribution of portfolios will take place as soon as Miqati receives a reply from Caretaker Labor Minister Butros Harb on the last proposal he offered the Christians in the March 14 coalition, they said. The formation of the government will enter a decisive phase once he receives the answer and the new Cabinet will likely be established before February 20. On Friday, Miqati had reportedly made the March 14 alliance a "tempting" offer to join the new government during a meeting with Harb. As Safir added that a number of contacts had taken place away from the media spotlight between various political powers that had failed to achieve a breakthrough in the march 14 Christians' participation in Cabinet. Beirut, 13 Feb 11, 09:37

Nasrallah to Deliver Speech on Wednesday, Sami Shehab to Make Surprise Appearance
Naharnet/Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is scheduled to deliver a speech on Wednesday during the party's commemoration of its martyrs. The speech is set to focus on local and Arab developments, most notably the recent events in Egypt. Informed sources revealed to the Syrian al-Watan newspaper that Hizbullah member, Mohammed Youssef Mansour, also known as Sami Shehab, is scheduled to make a "surprise" appearance at the commemoration. Shehab is the head of a Hizbullah cell that was discovered in Egypt in 2008.
He managed to escape prison in Egypt during the country's recent anti-regime protests. Beirut, 13 Feb 11, 10:23

Major Pieces Stolen from Egypt Museum
Naharnet/Several major pieces have been stolen from the Egyptian museum, including a statue of King Tutankhamun, Egypt's minister of state for antiquities Zahi Hawass said on Sunday.
The objects missing from the famed museum included "a gilded wood statue of the 18th Dynasty king Tutankhamun being carried by a goddess" and parts of "a gilded wood statue of Tutankhamun harpooning," Hawass said in a statement. Looters broke into the museum in Cairo's Tahrir Square on January 28 when massive protests against then-president Hosni Mubarak drove his despised police from the streets in a series of running battles. Also missing are a limestone statue of Akhenaten holding an offering table, a statue of Queen Nefertiti making offerings, a sandstone head of a princess from Amarna -- a vast archaeological site in the southern province of Minya. A stone statuette of a scribe from Amarna, and eleven wooden shabti statuettes of Yuya, a powerful Egyptian courtier from the 18th Dynasty which ruled Egypt 3,000 years ago, were also missing Hawass said. A heart scarab -- an amulet placed on the chest of the mummy to ensure the heart was not removed -- belonging to Yuya was also missing, he added. Founded in 1858 by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette, the museum contains more than 100,000 Egyptian artifacts, including the world renowned -- and reputedly cursed -- treasures from King Tutankhamun's tomb. The best known artifact is the teenage monarch's gold funerary mask, which stares out from a case on the first floor of the museum. Hawass said an investigation has been launched to find those behind the theft. "The police and army plan to follow up with the criminals already in custody," he added. The museum was protected by army tanks and for a while by a cordon of citizen volunteers during nearly three weeks of anti-government rallies that ousted president Hosni Mubarak and left at least 300 dead.(AFP) Beirut, 13 Feb 11, 12:47

Berri's Son-in-Law Denies Involvement in Money Laundering
Naharnet/Ayman Zakaria Joumaa, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri's son-in-law, on Saturday denied involvement in Lebanese-Canadian Bank money laundering.
"I have nothing to do with Ayman Saeed Joumaa whose name was mentioned in the U.S. Treasury as being involved in money laundering," a statement by Ayman Zakaria Joumaa said.
The U.S. has accused the Beirut-based Lebanese Canadian Bank of laundering money for alleged cocaine trafficker Ayman Joumaa, and linked Hizbullah to the bank's illegal activities.
The U.S. Treasury said it would move to prohibit U.S. financial institutions from working with the bank, which it said was tied to Joumaa's international syndicate that laundered "hundreds of millions of dollars monthly" in cash from the drugs trade. "Drug kingpin Ayman Joumaa and his Lebanon-based drug trafficking and money laundering network, along with several other individuals, have used LCB to launder narcotics proceeds -- as much as $200 million per month-- as part of this international money laundering network," the Treasury said in a statement.
It said the bank laundered money via the global trade in consumer goods as well as U.S. used-car dealerships.
"At least one of the individuals involved in this global drug trafficking and money laundering network has worked directly with LCB managers to conduct his transactions," it said.
The statement said Washington had information that Hizbullah, which the U.S. has branded a "terrorist" group, "derived financial support" from Joumaa's network -- which spans Latin America, West Africa, Europe and the Middle East. It linked Hizbullah to the bank inside Lebanon as well as in Iran and in Africa. An LCB subsidiary in Gambia, Prime Bank, "is partially owned by a Lebanese individual known to be a supporter of Hizbullah," the Treasury said. Later Thursday, the Lebanese Canadian Bank said in a statement it "denies knowledge of any involvement in any manner whatsoever in illicit transactions or wrong doing" and "regrets the information reported by international and domestic news agencies" about the bank's links.
The statement said the bank "is committed to fully cooperate and coordinate with the relevant regulatory authorities in an effort to demonstrate the integrity and transparency of its operations." The Treasury moves came as Hizbullah-backed prime-minister-designate Najib Miqati attempts to form a new government in the deeply divided country.
The U.S. has warned that Hizbullah's moving into a bigger role in the Lebanese government could harm ties between the two long-time allies.
LCB, which reported assets of 6.1 million dollars for 2010, operates 35 branches in Lebanon and, despite its name, only has a representative office in Canada, in Montreal.
It was the second move in two weeks by Washington against Joumaa's alleged drug syndicate. On January 26 Treasury slapped sanctions against Joumaa, at least nine other people, and 19 entities, forbidding U.S. citizens and businesses from trading with the group, and freezing its U.S. assets. The group is said to have sold multi-ton shipments of cocaine from South America, laundering the proceeds in Europe and the Middle East via foreign-exchange businesses. Beirut, 12 Feb 11, 22:28

Hamadeh: Lebanese people to witness major stance on February 14
February 13, 2011 /In an exclusive interview with NOW Lebanon on Sunday, Democratic Gathering bloc MP Marwan Hamadeh said, “On February 14, the Lebanese people will witness a [major] stance that will end the ‘grey’ phase [that is being] imposed on [us].”The 6th anniversary of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s assassination will energize the spirit of the March 14 coalition, Hamadeh added.-NOW Lebanon

MP Ziad al-Qadiri :Mikati adopts Hezbollah’s point of view
February 13, 2011 /“Negotiations with Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati show that he adopts all of the opinions of Hezbollah and its allies,” Lebanon First bloc MP Ziad al-Qadiri told OTV on Sunday. Mikati was appointed to the premiership on January 25 with the backing of the Hezbollah-led March 8 coalition. His appointment followed the January 12 collapse of Saad Hariri’s unity government due to a long-running controversy over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s (STL) investigation of the 2005 assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri.
The PM-designate has called on all Lebanese parties to join his upcoming cabinet, but March 14 parties have said that they will not take part in a cabinet headed by a March 8 nominee and have also asked that Mikati first clarify his stance on non-state weapons and the STL.-NOW Lebanon

MP Jamal al-Jarrah: Mikati must commit to Dar al-Fatwa statement
February 13, 2011 /Lebanon First bloc MP Jamal al-Jarrah told Future News television on Sunday that Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati must commit to the Dar al-Fatwa statement because he participated in Thursday’s meeting and adopted its statement. Jarrah accused the March 8 coalition of wanting a one-sided cabinet in order to make decisions on its own and to terminate the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL). “Arms in Lebanon are not for resisting. They aim to attack political life in Lebanon. It is not acceptable for weapons to be illegitimate and attack the destiny of the Lebanese [people].” Sunni political and religious leaders attended an “Islamic meeting” at Dar al-Fatwa on Thursday, issuing a statement afterward that warned against “giving up on Lebanon’s commitment to the STL.” Mikati attended the meeting and reportedly accepted the statement. Mikati was appointed to the premiership on January 25 with the backing of the Hezbollah-led March 8 coalition. His appointment followed the January 12 collapse of Saad Hariri’s unity government due to a long-running controversy over the STL’s investigation of former PM Rafik Hariri’s 2005 murder. The PM-designate has called on all Lebanese parties to join his upcoming cabinet, but March 14 parties have said that they will not take part in a cabinet headed by a March 8 nominee and have also asked that Mikati first clarify his stance on non-state weapons and the UN-backed probe.
-NOW Lebanon

Mikati must enact his centrist positions, says Chatah
February 13, 2011 /Outgoing Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s advisor Mohammad Chatah told LBC television on Sunday that Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati went along with Thursday’s Dar al-Fatwa statement, and added that the principles outlined in the statement must be reflected in the next Ministerial Statement. “[Mikati’s] centrist position must be shown in the [formation of the] cabinet by engaging both [political] parties in the cabinet equally,” Chatah said. “If Mikati fails to act as a centrist, he will become a premier for the March 8 coalition. Does he want [others to say] that he is Hezbollah’s premier, as some [already] do?”Chatah also said that statements labeling the Dar al-Fatwa meeting as incitement are not realistic.Sunni political and religious leaders attended an “Islamic meeting” at Dar al-Fatwa on Thursday, issuing a statement afterward that warned against “giving up on Lebanon’s commitment to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL).” Mikati was appointed to the premiership on January 25 with the backing of the Hezbollah-led March 8 coalition. His appointment followed the January 12 collapse of Saad Hariri’s unity government due to a long-running controversy over the STL’s investigation of the 2005 assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri.
The PM-designate has called on all Lebanese parties to join his upcoming cabinet, but March 14 parties have said that they will not take part in a cabinet headed by a March 8 nominee and have also asked that Mikati first clarify his stance on non-state weapons and the UN-backed probe.-NOW Lebanon

Arslan nominates Jumblatt for Interior Ministry
February 13, 2011 /Lebanese Democratic Party leader MP Talal Arslan on Sunday nominated Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt to be the new Interior Minister in the interest of ending the monopolistic principles which, he said, violate the constitution and the national charter. Arslan also said that delegating positions based on sects is dangerous because it gives way to the logic of mafias and leads to the rejection of laws. “The Taif Accord, which [they use] to justify taking over [authoritative] positions, did not differentiate between sovereign ministries and non-sovereign ones. Such discrimination is unconstitutional,” Arslan said during a press conference. “We will not remain silent against this racist inhumane discrimination. We will not be silent against hypocritical [justifications under the banner] of sectarian balance…”Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati was appointed to the premiership on January 25 with the backing of the Hezbollah-led March 8 coalition. His appointment followed the January 12 collapse of Saad Hariri’s unity government due to a long-running controversy over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s (STL) investigation of former PM Rafik Hariri’s 2005 murder. The PM-designate has called on all Lebanese parties to join his upcoming cabinet, but March 14 parties have said that they will not take part in a cabinet headed by a March 8 nominee and have also asked that Mikati first clarify his stance on non-state weapons and the STL.
-NOW Lebanon

Ban angers well-treated migrants
Matt Nash, February 13, 2011
Filipina migrant workers demonstrate in front of their embassy in Beirut against a ban on workers coming to Lebanon. (AFP Photo/Anwar Amro)
Sang Nunag, a Filipina working in the home of a Lebanese family, is angry. However, unlike many of her fellow nationals, the source of her ire is the Philippine government and embassy, not her employer.
Nunag, who told NOW Lebanon she’s been working here for 31 years, cannot travel home to visit her family because if she did, her government would not allow her to return to her job. In 2007, the Philippines issued a ban on its nationals working in Lebanon because the country lacks legislation ensuring their rights and more recently stopped offering exemptions that allowed workers here before the ban to travel home and return.
“The ban should only be for newcomers… They should give us exemptions,” she said, speaking with NOW Lebanon in a crowded courtyard behind a church in Hamra on a recent Sunday.
“Yeah, it’s unfair,” a Filipina woman sitting next to her added, leaning over to join the conversation.
Domestic workers in Lebanon, who tend to be women from other countries, often suffer abuse and mistreatment with scant access to legal recourse, according to Human Rights Watch. Nunag, however, said she’s happy here, and isn’t abused like so many others.
She said she earns far more here than she could ever hope to earn in the Philippines, a country where the minimum wage varies by region and profession. In and around the capital, Manila, most non-agricultural workers have a minimum wage of $9.22 per day. The standard is lower elsewhere, ranging between $4.66 and $7.69, according to the Ministry of Labor’s [http://www.nwpc.dole.gov.ph/pages/statistics/stat_current_regional.html] website.
The ban on working in Lebanon is a response to abuse of workers as well as security considerations, Ambassador of the Philippines to Lebanon Gilberto Asuque told NOW Lebanon. Asuque said his government has a law that says migrant workers cannot be employed in countries that do not protect them.
The destination country either must have a law protecting migrant workers, have signed international conventions relating to the protection of migrant workers, have a memorandum of understanding on workers’ rights with the Philippines, or be taking “positive, concrete measures to protect the rights of migrant workers,” according to a copy of some of the law’s provisions provided to NOW Lebanon.
If a country fails to meet at least one of these conditions, the government can enforce a ban, Asuque said, which the Philippines did on June 18, 2007. Ausuqe said that based on data from Lebanese immigration officials, the Philippines estimates between 40,000 and 45,000 of its nationals reside here.
He said the embassy often receives reports of abuse and that migrant workers being abused who manage to run away from their employers often come to the embassy, which has a dormitory that can hold up to 150 people.
Going back eight months from January 31, he said the embassy helped 449 abused migrants return, paying the airfare for 405. Lebanon needs to act for the ban to be lifted.
“What we are concerned with is a definitive, legislative, protective measure either by law of Lebanon or by a memorandum of understanding on labor cooperation,” he said, adding that negotiations have been ongoing to hammer out an MoU since 2009.
“As to when it will be concluded, we don’t know. It’s a negotiation that’s ongoing,” he said.
On Thursday, caretaker Labor Minister Boutros Harb announced that he’d finalized a draft law aimed at protecting domestic migrant workers, which, if passed, would likely lead to the Philippines lifting its ban.
Asuque told NOW he called Harb to thank him and will be monitoring the law’s progress in parliament. “We need to wait for the approval of the law. Our law says there needs to be a law… We hope parliament will pass this legislation.”
In the meantime, people like Nunag are getting frustrated. She and other migrant workers from the Philippines protested outside of the embassy in Achrafieh in late December, but she said they did not respond.
Marie Cadevida, who is also from the Philippines but did not join the protest, told NOW Lebanon that she’s considered going home and trying to sneak back, but deemed it “too risky.” She said she knows that some people will try fooling Philippine officials by first travelling to a different country and then coming to Lebanon.
This practice is not only employed by Filipino workers who enjoy their jobs here and want to visit home, but is also a tactic used by new workers looking to dodge the ban, Nadim Houry, a researcher with Human Rights Watch, told NOW Lebanon.
“This, by the way, is not unique to the Philippines,” he said. “It also applies to workers coming from Ethiopia…which has a ban as well, and Nepal as well and Madagascar… There’s a lack of transparency [in this ban dodging]. These are often human traffickers who are profiting from this, and [the migrants] face very difficult circumstances in the meantime.”
Houry said he has also heard of cases where human traffickers are tricking migrants from the Philippines and other countries, promising them work in a different country and sending them to Lebanon.
Asuque, the ambassador, said the government is aware of this problem and is working to combat it. On the concerns of women like Nunag and Cadevida, he said the government used to give “vacation passes” to migrants to return home and then come back.
“But because of the law, they’re reviewing that policy, so we’ve stopped it temporarily,” he said. “In the meantime, everybody waits.”

When will Obama start talking to Hamas
By Zvi Bar'el /Haaretz
Published 01:27 131
Under other circumstances, that is, were our prime minister known for his foresight and for his planning and analytical capabilities, one might even suspect him of being behind the "provocation" in Cairo, which, of course, serves the "Zionist interest."
How pleasant to see the United States digging itself a deeper hole every day with its declarations and suggestions to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak: Yes to resigning now; no to resigning now; lift the state of emergency; dissolve parliament, perhaps; talk to the Muslim Brotherhood; don't talk to them. And what about the ping-pong between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama? Is anything more entertaining than watching the U.S. president, who just a few weeks earlier admitted the failure of the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, attempting to create another democratic state in the region?
Netanyahu may be permitted to enjoy this spectacle for a moment, but only for a moment, because these are revolutionary times. Times that not only turn aspects of Egypt's system of government on their head but also create a new political vocabulary, one that Israel would do well to study.
For example, how is it that the Muslim Brotherhood - forerunner of Hamas, suspected of encouraging terror and of seeking to establish a sharia state - became a legitimate representative of the Egyptian public, to the extent that Omar Suleiman, who for years led the crackdown against the organization, is now willing to sit down with its representatives and to meet some of their demands.
Has anyone heard a peep out of Washington about it being verboten to sit down with the Muslim Brotherhood? Just the opposite; Clinton took heart from the Brotherhood being part of the dialogue in Egypt, and even took credit for initiating it. That is a significant switch: The Muslim Brotherhood has already been given legitimacy by both Cairo and Washington.
At first glance, the fact that Washington is speaking with fundamentalist groups should not raise too many eyebrows. After all, the Americans talk to the Taliban in Afghanistan, maintain in close contact with Shi'ite fundamentalist organizations in Iraq and in the 1980s collaborated with Bin Laden and his associates against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.
The next question is when will Washington open a dialogue with Hamas and perhaps with Hezbollah? Both are defined as terror organizations, but after failing to obtain peace agreements between Israel and the Palestinians, and between Israel and Syria, will do whatever is necessary to at least take control of managing the conflicts in order to prevent a decline into violent confrontation.
In Palestine and Lebanon, as in Afghanistan, organizations dictate state policy; as in Afghanistan, if the United States wants to maintain a proper relationship with Syria - and it does - it must recognize Lebanon's new government, which is dependent on Hezbollah's partnership. It also will be unable to provide a convincing argument for being willing to accept an Egyptian democracy that includes the Muslim Brotherhood while opposing the participation of the democratically elected Hamas in the Palestinian leadership of a state that has already been recognized by quite a few countries. It is often said that in the Middle East, anything is possible; judging by America's behavior toward Egypt, one can say the same thing about U.S. policy.
Netanyahu can continue to rely on luck and to hope for another revolution in the Middle East to divert attention away from Israel. Indeed, Israel will presumably cease to interest the Obama administration, since new clients are coming forward in the region. In order to reassure them, Washington will have to review its relationship toward them and work to deepen ties, mainly in order to maintain its status in the region. Being too close to Israel, Obama has learned, is no guarantee of this status.

A new era has dawned in the Middle East
Published 01:27 13./Haaretz Editorial
After 18 days of mass demonstrations in Egypt's cities, President Hosni Mubarak has stepped down and his 30 years of rule have come to an end. Control has been handed over to the army, which promises that it will respect the protesters' demands and prepare the country for elections.
Egypt's popular revolution and the revolution that preceded it in Tunisia herald a new era in Middle East history. It's an era in which the people demand to be heard and be allowed to help shape their fate, instead of being subjects of dictatorial regimes that impose their authority through emergency legislation and powerful security services. A political revolt like this, in which unarmed citizens overthrow a ruler they hate, had never taken place in a an Arab country. It took the experts, leaders and intelligence services by surprise.
The demonstrators' victory celebrations that received the embrace of U.S. President Barack Obama find the largest Arab country in a state of uncertainty. It's too early to assess the nature of the regime that will be set up in Egypt, who will head it, and how power centers - first and foremost the army and the Muslim Brotherhood - will fit in. Likewise, it's too early to assess whether the revolution will spread elsewhere in the region or whether the rulers in those countries will survive.
Until the final moments of his rule, Mubarak championed "security and stability," and Israel saw his regime as a vital strategic pillar. His adherence to the peace treaty gave Israel prosperity, a quiet border, energy supplies, and the basis for joining the region as a welcome neighbor. Now Israel has to get used to Egypt's new rulers.
The dramatic change over the border naturally gives rise to fears, but Israel must not interfere in its southern neighbor's affairs. Egypt has no conflict with Israel and must not be presented as an enemy. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must demonstrate restraint and self-control. His warnings that Egypt could turn into a new Iran, and the talk about increasing the defense budget, merely create destructive tension and put Israel on the side of the ousted regime. The revolution in Egypt did not stem from the ties with Israel, and Netanyahu would do well to keep quiet and give this neighboring country a chance to establish a democracy.

Will an unknown officer be Egypt's next ruler? Military beefs up Sinai force
DEBKAfile Special Report February 13, 2011, While the High Army Council will need time to fix dates for presidential and parliamentary elections and the transition to civilian government, it acted within 24 hours from taking over from Hosni Mubarak to bring lawless outbreaks in Sinai under control by pumping extra strength into the peninsula on Saturday, Feb. 12.
That night Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak phoned the council head, Defense Minister Mohamed Tantawi, to thank him for transferring 900 men of two battalions of the 18th Division.
It was the second time in the eighteen days of the uprising that Israel consented to injecting military units into the peninsula whose demilitarization was enshrined in the 1979 peace treaty between the two countries. The Hamas-al Qaeda outbreaks had grown into a threat to the Egyptian presence in the strategic peninsula and to Israel's border security, as DEBKA reported on Feb. 8. Click here for story.
The defense minister also echoed Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who earlier welcomed the military council's pledge to honor "all regional and international obligations and treaties." After a sigh of relief in Jerusalem, the prime minister said: "The longstanding peace treaty between Israel and Egypt has greatly contributed to both countries and is "the cornerstone for peace and stability in the entire Middle East."
The 76-year old Egyptian field marshal's manner in the conversation with Barak was curt and to the point rather than affable.
In North Sinai, while the army was busy lifting Mubarak out of the president palace in Cairo, armed men of the Palestinian Hamas and Bedouin militias attacked Egyptian security forces, losing 10 gunmen in the ensuing clash. A request to curb the rampage also reached the Army Council from Washington. Members of the Multinational Force policing Sinai under the peace treaty, mostly Americans and Canadians, have been locked in their camps for nearly three weeks under virtual Hamas and Bedouin siege. (See debkafile Jan. 31)
The generals also went into action to restore law and order in Egypt's big cities and clean up the mess left by 18 days of round-the-clock demonstrations.
Saturday night, Tantawi held his first conversation with Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq and Interior Minister Habib El-Adli, the Mubarak-appointed ministers who have been left in place for the interim. They discussed reassigning the Interior Ministry's security and police forces to regular beats. They disappeared from city streets after mobs of protesters chased them away on Jan. 21. Now, local military commanders have informed the High Army Council that it was not the army's job to maintain law and order and they must start pulling their men out of the cities and back to barracks to keep them from scattering.
debkafile's Cairo sources report that the division commanders did not ask for permission; they gave the high council's 25 generals due warning that the soldiers were to be phased out of the cities and it was necessary to get the police in to replace them.
This tenor of exchange placed a question mark over the measure of control the high military command exercises in the towns. There are signs that the division and brigade commanders in the field may be calling the shots in many instances. Some intelligence quarters in Washington are led to believe that the transition period may well throw up a charismatic field commander for taking over the presidential palace rather than a known civilian face.
None of the generals in the top command is either charismatic or particularly popular, certainly not the ageing Tantawi or Chief of Staff Gen. Sami Al-Anan.
The whereabouts of the deposed president are another unknown. According to one report making the rounds in Cairo Mubarak and family are not in Sharm el-Sheikh as claimed, but were flown by the army helicopter that carried him out of the capital Friday, Feb. 11, to one of the army facilities on the Red Sea coast of southern Egypt - possibly Ghardaqa - or a local luxury hotel. It was not clear whether Mubarak is the army's prisoner or the troops were hiding him for his own protection.

Egypt military faces resistance in restoring order
13/02/2011/CAIRO, (AP) – Egypt's military moved Sunday to restore order in Cairo after weeks of mass demonstrations, but troops faced some resistance as they tried to dismantle the protest camp at the heart of the movement that toppled President Hosni Mubarak. Soldiers and military police took down the makeshift tents of protesters who had camped out in Tahrir, or Liberation, Square, but scuffles broke out with some young men who refused to leave. Many local residents also shouted at the protesters that it was time to go. The tension reflected the fragility of the situation as protesters press for a voice in guiding their country's move to democracy two days after Mubarak surrendered power to the military. Egypt's new military rulers promised Saturday to abide by the peace treaty with Israel and eventually hand power to an elected government, but many protesters worried long-sought reforms would be stalled if they give up. The crowd on Tahrir Square was down from a peak of a quarter-million at the height of the demonstrations to a few thousand on Sunday. Most of those remaining have been pushed to sidewalks and the streets were open to traffic for the first time in more than two weeks. A coalition of youth and opposition groups that was the driving force of the movement pulled its supporters from the streets, calling instead for weekly mass demonstrations every Friday to keep pressure on.

"It's time we show that we trust the army," said Nasser Abdel-Hamid, who is with the coalition.
The coalition is highly influential in the square, but its members do not claim to be leaders and often say they can't defy the will of the "revolution." Many in the square vowed to stay put until all their demands were met. Military police wearing red berets lined up to cordon off one group, prompting skirmishes.
Ramy Mohammed, who has been camped on the square since the protests began on Jan. 25, said some troops beat the protesters with sticks as they tried to clear the square.
"We were chanting peacefully," the 28-year-old said. "They wanted to remove the tents but we still need guarantees. The army's latest statement was vague and didn't tell us exactly what they are going to do."Protester Ashraf Ahmed said the military can tear down his tent but he's not going to leave "because so much still needs to be done. They haven't implemented anything yet.""I came here because I wanted freedom. Freedom is not complete," he said.
The angry mood was in sharp contrast from the day before, when thousands began cleaning up the sprawling plaza with broom brigades sweeping up rubble and garbage.
With Mubarak gone, Egypt's future will likely be shaped by three powers: the military, the protesters, and the sprawling autocratic infrastructure of Mubarak's regime that remains in place, dominating the bureaucracy, the police, state media and parts of the economy. Right now, the protesters' intentions are the clearest of the bunch.
The coalition behind the protests issued their first cohesive list of demands for handling the transition to democracy. Their focus was on ensuring they — not just the military or members of Mubarak's regime — have a seat at the table in deliberations shaping the future.
Among their demands: lifting of emergency law; creation of a presidential council, made up of a military representative and two "trusted personalities"; the dissolving of the ruling party-dominated parliament; and the forming of a broad-based unity government and a committee to either amend or rewrite completely the constitution.
The Armed Forces Supreme Council is now the official ruler after Mubarak handed it power on Friday. It consists of the commanders of each military branch, the chief of staff and Defense Minister Hussein Tantawy. It has not explicitly canceled the constitution drawn up by Mubarak's regime, but the constitution seems to have effectively been put in a cupboard for the time being until it is decided what to do with it. The military seized power after pleas from protesters, and it has repeatedly promised to ensure democratic change, making it highly popular with the movement.  But on the face of it, the elderly generals are no reformers, and their move to push out Mubarak may have been more to ensure the survival of a ruling system the military has been intertwined with since a 1952 army coup. The deeply secretive military has substantial economic interests, running industries and businesses that it will likely seek to preserve.
The council of generals has said nothing so far about how the transition will be carried out or addressed the protesters' demands.

US hijacking Egypt revolt for Israel, says Iran speaker
February 13, 2011 /The United States is trying to hijack the Egyptian revolution and "nip it in the bud" to meet Israeli agendas, Ali Larijani, speaker of Iran's parliament, said Sunday.
Larijani, who has repeatedly lashed out at Washington since the fall on Friday of US ally Hosni Mubarak, said the ouster of the Egyptian president was the "first phase of the spring of the victory of the Egyptian revolution," state news agency IRNA reported. "But before and after this victory, we have witnessed American conspiracies by which [Americans] want to somehow seize the victory of the Egyptians," he said. "The Americans trampled the national dignity of Egypt, which is a great and educated country, by its cooperation with the Zionist regime," Larijani said in parliament. "They now cheekily say that future democratic conditions in Egypt should respect the shameful Camp David treaty,” he said, referring to the treaty negotiated in 1978 at Camp David between Egypt and Israel and signed the following year. "What kind of democracy is this which is shaped within an illegal military council by American orders?"
A junta of senior military commanders which took charge of Egypt following the fall of Mubarak said it would respect the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.
-NOW Lebanon

The collapse of the theory “they can speak, and we can ignore”
13/02/2011
By Tariq Alhomayed/ Asharq Al-Awsat
The regime of the former Egyptian President practiced a theory of media freedom, along the lines of “let them speak”. In other words let the press say what it wants, for they have the freedom to criticize, whilst the state has the freedom to ignore it. Today, the Egyptian regime has paid the price for this failed methodology.
Away from the controversy surrounding the numbers, and proportion of those demonstrating in Tahrir Square, and whether or not they represented all Egyptians, it is clear that media criticism, and its coverage of corruption, flaws and deficiencies in Egyptian institutions, which have failed to produce tangible solutions, has led to a popular uprising which affected the entire spectrum of Egyptian people. They saw the shortcomings in front of them, without any signs of reform, despite all that had been published [to the contrary] in the media. The regime believed that a policy of negligence, whilst “letting the [people] speak”, would appease matters and prevent an uprising. This was not the case, and the evidence of this failed theory lies not in the volume of demonstrators, but in their determination to be resolute.
The theory of freedom to publish anything, offset by the state’s right to ignore what is published, has proved unsuccessful. The youth revolution, and its wide ranging popular support, is testament to that. Of course, it was also not possible for the Egyptian regime, or other ruling systems in the Arab world, to pursue a policy of enforced silence and oppression these days, in light of modern means of communication, and a level of media openness which cannot be controlled as it has been in the past. The only solution was for Arab governments to shake off the dust of negligence, fight against their shortcomings and corruption, and deal with their problems seriously. If Arab governments had spent the same time and effort on reform as they had spent on denying or justifying certain practices, then the Arab situation would be in a much better state. If governments had responded to press criticism, and even utilized it as a watchdog, then the situation would be greatly improved, and our states would have avoided many problems. The Egypt lesson is a large one, and if one considers the mistakes made by the regime, and there were many, the most notable conclusion is that the freedom to neglect has serious consequences. It leads to social congestion, consolidates despair amongst citizens, and leaves the country vulnerable towards considerable losses.
Egypt is a significant country, in terms of its location, size and population, and likewise in terms of its thought. However, we have seen how the regime failed to understand its country’s youth, and how they think. President Mubarak was too late in acknowledging Egypt’s youth, for it was not until his third public address [during the crisis], when he finally directed his words towards the young people in Tahrir Square. Major Omar Suleiman pledged, before the President stepped down, to preserve the achievements of the youth revolution. Even western newspapers were not calling it a ‘revolution’ at that time, yet Suleiman acknowledged it as such. This shows that the regime realized it had not understood over half of its people [Egypt’s youth population], because it did not take them seriously, and had dealt with them by ignoring their demands. Yet how could the regime now claim to take them seriously, as long as people like Dr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali were saying, in the newspaper “al-Masri al-Yaum”, that a foreign organization was behind the protests, perhaps communist, Wahhabi, Shiite or Zionist? Imagine, is there anything more absurd than this, especially when these words came from a diplomat and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, who was even Secretary General of the United Nations?Therefore, we can say that the theory “they have the right to say what they want, and we have the right to ignore it” has collapsed, and this has brought with it a heavy price. Will we benefit from the lesson?

Benny Gantz becomes IDF's 20th chief of staff
Haaretz/Army will hold its official farewell ceremony for Gabi Ashkenazi in Tel Aviv later Sunday; transition will become official on Monday.
By Barak Ravid Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet on Sunday unanimously approved the appointment of Maj. Gen. Benny Gantz as the Israel Defense Forces' 20th chief of staff. "Maj. Gen. Benny Gantz is an outstanding officer and an experience commander," Netanyahu told ministers following the vote. "His experience is vast both in terms of operation and organization. He is endowed with all of the qualities needed to be a wonderful commander for the Israel Defense Forces." Maj. Gen. Gantz. Will be heading a General Staff recovering from being put through the wringer.
On Sunday evening, the army will hold its official farewell ceremony for its 19th chief of staff, Gabi Ashkenazi.
President Shimon Peres, cabinet ministers and senior IDF officials will all take part in the ceremony. It is not yet clear whether Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who has been embroiled for months in conflicts with Ashkenazi, plans to attend.
Gantz's appointment was authorized last Thursday by the Turkel Committee for senior public appointments. No significant opposition to the appointment is anticipated at this morning's cabinet meeting, particularly considering that the Turkel panel did not find any ethical issues that might cast a pall on Gantz's service.
The official transition ceremony between Ashkenazi and Gantz will be held Monday morning at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem. The farewell ceremony for Ashkenazi will be held at Tel Aviv University. According to an earlier plan, Barak was scheduled to deliver a speech at the ceremony, but continuing tensions between him and Ashkenazi have raised doubts that he will participate.
Ten days ago, in television interviews, Barak referred to "ethical, normative and professional problems" plaguing Ashkenazi's performance as chief of staff but refused to elaborate. In light of these remarks, it seems doubtful that Barak will be able to take leave of Ashkenazi on a positive note. Still, protocol requires that a ceremony marking the departure of a chief of staff be conducted according to standard procedures, which include the participation of the defense minister.
Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff and a friend of Ashkenazi's, will arrive in Israel to bid farewell to the outgoing chief of staff. This will be Mullen's fifth visit to Israel since he assumed his post. He is also scheduled to meet with Peres, Netanyahu, Barak and Gantz.
Casting a dark cloud over Ashkenazi's departure is the publication this weekend of a new book, written by journalists Dan Margalit and Ronen Bergman, about the so-called Harpaz affair, in which a document was forged in order to influence the appointment of the IDF chief of staff and to hurt Maj. Gen. Yoav Galant's chances of being selected.
The new book castigates Ashkenazi for his apparent involvement in the affair and analyzes his relationship with Boaz Harpaz, who forged the document, as well as the procedures connected to Galant's appointment as chief of staff before it was nullified.
The IDF spokesperson refused to comment on the book or to respond to questions posed by its authors, calling it "libelous and biased, aimed at hurting the chief of staff on the eve of his departure from the IDF."
Allegations made in the book are likely to reverberate in the media in the coming days, coinciding with the changing of the guard in the military.

Mubarak's departure thwarted Israeli strike on Iran
By Aluf Benn/Haaretz
Tags: Israel news Egypt Iran Most Israelis were either born or immigrated to this country during the period in which Hosni Mubarak ruled Egypt. This is the reality they know. And this is the significance of the stability that Mubarak provided them with.
In all the upheavals that took place in the Middle East over the past three decades, the Egyptian regime appeared to be a powerful rock. The leaders of Israel knew that their left flank was secure as they went out to war, built settlements and negotiated peace on the other fronts. The friction in relations between Jerusalem and Cairo, however frustrating it was at times, did not undermine the foundations of the strategic alliance created by the Israeli-Egyptian peace agreement.
The resignation of Mubarak following 18 days of protests in Egypt ushers in a new era of uncertainty for the entire region, and for Israel in particular. The long reign of the Egyptian leader was not unusual for the Middle East. Hafez Assad led Syria for 30 years, like Mubarak in Egypt; King Hussein and Yasser Arafat ruled for 40 years. But when they stepped off the stage, their legacy was secure. Hussein and Assad passed the reins on to their sons, and Arafat was replaced by his veteran deputy, Mahmoud Abbas. This is why the changing of the guard in Jordan, Syria and the Palestinian Authority were perceived by Israel as natural, arousing no particular concern. After all, the familiar is not all that frightening.
But this is not the situation in Egypt today. Mubarak was thrown out, before he could prepare one of his close aides or his son to take over as president. The army commanders who took over are trying to calm the Egyptian public and the international community with promises that they have no intentions of setting up a new junta in Cairo, but rather, plan to pass to transfer authority to a civilian government through free elections. But no one, including the generals in the Supreme Council of the Armed forces, knows how and when the regime transition will play out. History teaches us that after revolutions, it takes a number of years of domestic infighting before the new regime stabilizes.
This uncertainty troubles Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. His reactions during the first days of the revolution exposed deep anxieties that the peace agreement with Egypt might collapse. He tried to delay Mubarak's end as long as possible, but to no avail, and on Saturday he praised the Egyptian military's announcement that all international agreements would be respected, including the peace treaty with Israel.
Netanyahu is afraid of the possibility that Egypt may become an Islamic republic, hostile to Israel - a sort of new Iran but much closer physically. He hopes this doesn't happen and that Egypt will follow Turkey's footsteps, preserving formal ties with Israel, embassies, air connections and trade, even as it expresses strong criticism of its treatment the Palestinians.
The best case scenario, in his view, even if it is less likely, is that Egypt will become like Turkey before the era of Erdogan: a pro-American country, controlled by the military.
Netanyahu shared with Mubarak his concerns about the growing strength of Iran. Egypt played a key role in the Sunni, the "moderate," axis, which lined up alongside Israel and the United States against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his allies in Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip.
The toppling of the regime in Cairo does not alter this strategic logic. The revolutionaries at Tahrir Square were motivated by Egyptian national pride and not by their adoration of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Whoever succeeds Mubarak will want to follow this line, even bolster Egyptian nationalism, and not transform Egypt into an Iranian satellite. This does not mean that Mubarak's successor will encourage Israel to strike the Iranian nuclear installations.
On the contrary: they will listen to Arab public opinion, which opposes a preemptive war against Iran. Israel will find it difficult to take action far to the east when it can not rely on the tacit agreement to its actions on its western border. Without Mubarak there is no Israeli attack on Iran. His replacement will be concerned about the rage of the masses, if they see him as a collaborator in such operation.
Whoever is opposed to a strike, or fear its consequences - even though they appear to be in favor, like Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak - now have the ultimate excuse. We wanted to strike Iran, they will write in their memoirs but we could not because of the revolution in Egypt. Like Ehud Olmert says that he nearly made peace, they will say that they nearly made war. In his departure Mubarak prevented a preemptive Israeli war. This appears to have been his last contribution to regional stability.