LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِJanuary
04/2010
Bible Of The
Day
The Good News According to Matthew 5/21-26: "5:21 “You have heard that it was
said to the ancient ones, ‘You shall not murder;’* and ‘Whoever shall murder
shall be in danger of the judgment.’ 5:22 But I tell you, that everyone who is
angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment; and
whoever shall say to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council; and
whoever shall say, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of the fire of Gehenna. 5:23
“If therefore you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that
your brother has anything against you, 5:24 leave your gift there before the
altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and
offer your gift. 5:25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are with him
in the way; lest perhaps the prosecutor deliver you to the judge, and the judge
deliver you to the officer, and you be cast into prison. 5:26 Most certainly I
tell you, you shall by no means get out of there, until you have paid the last
penny."
Free Opinions, Releases,
letters, Interviews & Special Reports
Alexandria's Copts were victims of
homegrown Egyptian Islamic terror/DEBKAfile/
January 03/10
Analysts: Peace between Israel and
Hizbullah rests with stability, UN forces/By Patrick Galey/January
03/10
9175 Dead Worldwide, Happy New
Year!/By: Gadi Adelman/ January
03/10
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for January 03/10
Gemayel: Alexandria Church Attack
is Genocide, We in Lebanon Are Concerned/Naharnet
2011 a Crucial Year for
Lebanon: French 'Ideas' to Face Post-Indictment Phase/Naharnet
March 14: Most that We Can
do is Study Ways to Deal with Indictment/Naharnet
Rival Lebanese leaders united in
condemnation of attack on Copts/Daily Star
Hizbullah can fire 400-600 rockets
a day in next war/J.Post
Despite public denial, U.S.
officials tell Haaretz: We're angry at Barak/Haaretz
Politicians criticize draft law to
block inter-religious land sales/Daily Star
Qaouk: We're getting closer to
Saudi-Syrian solution to crisis/Daily Star
Lebanese top officials deplore
attack on Faysal Karami's residence/Daily Star
Activists cross into Gaza/Sydney
Morning Herald
Iranian
Presidential Office Chief of Staff in Beirut Tuesday to Deliver Letter to
Suleiman/Naharnet
Jumblat: Attack on Egypt's Christians Aims at Creating Organized Chaos/Naharnet
Abu Ghida Asks for Death
Penalty for Abu Jaoude/Naharnet
Dynamite Stick in
Rashidiyeh, 7 Outlaws Arrested/Naharnet
Fatfat: March 14 Rejects Politicized Indictment/Naharnet
Hobeish: Opposition for Resolving False Witnesses Before Anything Else/Naharnet
Security Source: No Fear
over Lebanon Stability/Naharnet
Syria Reportedly Sees
'Pleasant Future' For Lebanon, S-S Deal Soon/Naharnet
Rai:
Christians Shouldn't Be considered 2nd Class Citizens in the East/Naharnet
Abbas: Palestinians Support United, Stable Lebanon/Naharnet
Mashnouq: Harb's Proposal Reflects Popular Mood/Naharnet
Mustaqbal Official: Those Seeking to Abolish the Tribunal Reject a Solution/Naharnet
Central Bank Governor: No
Fear over Monetary Stability in 2011/Naharnet
Vehicle Goes on Fire in
Zouk/Naharnet
Mneimneh: No Cabinet Change before Success of Saudi-Syrian Initiative/Naharnet
'Political Message': 2
Bodyguards Injured in Grenade Attack on Faisal Karami's House/Naharnet
Nawwaf Moussawi: Bolton Created STL, 'S-S' Aims to Foil Plot/Naharnet
Bellemare to Appoint Spokesperson Soon/Naharnet
uleiman to Mubarak:
Lebanon Stands By Egypt in Confronting Terror/Naharnet
U.S. Cable: Ashkenazi Told
Americans in '09 Israel Preparing for Hizbullah, Hamas War/Naharnet
Gemayel:
Alexandria Church Attack is Genocide, We in Lebanon Are Concerned
Naharnet/Phalange party leader Amin Gemayel described as "genocide" the
Alexandria church attack, saying: "We in Lebanon are concerned about what is
happening."
"Massacres against Christians for no reason are genocide. We in Lebanon are
concerned about what is happening," Gemayel told a news conference.
He said the role of the Maronite Patriarchate is not only confined to Lebanon
and called on Lebanese leaders, both Christians and Muslims, to take "practical
steps" to help deal with attacks targeting Christians in the Middle East. "These
massacres committed by radical Islamic currents are shame in human history.
"What is happening in Egypt can not go unnoticed. First, to prevent a repeat,
and secondly, to stress the Christian presence in Lebanon and the Middle East.
Gemayel said that developing the Christian role promotes "interaction and
everyone's cooperation and sets the right paths to address all these tragedies."
He also believed that spiritual leaders in Lebanon should "converge on national
unity." Turning to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Gemayel vowed to "overcome
this ordeal whatever the outcome of the STL and the indictments." "Logic says
that trial of the false witnesses cannot take place before completion of the
investigation," he stressed. In response to a question, Gemayel said "We don't
believe Mustaqbal movement is willing to compromise on the truth."Beirut, 03 Jan
11, 13:26
2011 a Crucial Year for Lebanon: French 'Ideas' to Face Post-Indictment Phase
Naharnet/The year 2011 will be a crucial year for Lebanon with Hizbullah poised
to be indicted for allegedly assassinating former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Hizbullah, however, has said the looming indictments are of no concern to the
group. Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has said he is in fact so
relaxed that he is getting an extra hour of sleep every day. France, meanwhile,
is back to the forefront, An-Nahar newspaper reported Monday. It quoted
high-ranking political sources as saying that France has stepped in again in an
effort to find a solution to the crisis over the indictments. The sources said
that while Lebanon and the world were busy celebrating Christmas and the New
Year, Lebanese political leaders were mulling French ideas aimed at finding
exists for the indictment crisis. They said these ideas are not a compromise
given Paris' support for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. "These ideas are
rather scattered and floating," one source told An-Nahar. The proposals could
serve an exit from the crisis, he said. The ideas, according to the sources,
focus on addressing the first stage of the indictment, by ensuring internal
stability, financing of the court and relaunching government work. Paris seeks
to play an active role in the current effort to maintain Lebanon stability, the
sources revealed. Meanwhile, well-informed ministerial sources uncovered fresh
efforts to end nearly six weeks of government paralysis. While the rival
political camps remain steadfast in their positions on the false witnesses, the
sources said President Michel Suleiman is likely to relaunch --upon his return
from vacation in Spain this week -- talks with the various groups in an effort
to convene a Cabinet meeting. The source said Prime Minister Saad Hariri is
expected to launch similar talks after his return from Riyadh. Beirut, 03 Jan
11, 08:18
Iranian Presidential Office Chief of Staff in Beirut Tuesday to Deliver Letter
to Suleiman
Naharnet/The Iranian Fars news agency announced on Monday that the Iranian
Presidential Office Chief of Staff Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaii is expected to arrive
in Beirut Tuesday to meet with President Michel Suleiman. He is also set to
deliver a message to Suleiman from his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
In addition, Rahim-Mashaii is scheduled to hold talks with a number of Lebanese
officials on ties between Tehran and Beirut and ways to bolster them, reported
Fars. Beirut, 03 Jan 11, 15:29
Berri Says January Decisive on Tribunal, Describes Situation as Smelly Swamp
Water
Naharnet/Speaker Nabih Berri described the country's political situation as
"worn-out" but said January will be decisive on the crisis over the Special
Tribunal for Lebanon. "January is the month of decisiveness on the crisis over
the international tribunal," Berri told An Nahar and As Safir newspapers in
remarks published Monday. The speaker hoped bickering parties would achieve a
settlement on the issue. "As usual I am optimistic and the New Year won't be
worse than its predecessor," he said although he described the political
situation as "worn-out." Berri also described the deadlock as "stagnant water in
a swap" that "smells bad."On the security situation in the country, Berri said
he was comfortable at it, adding it was "acceptable.""Security stability should
be complementary to the political agreement," he told the newspapers. He
expected parliament to meet this month after the finance and budget committee
completes discussion of several draft laws referred to it. When asked about
Labor Minister Butros Harb's draft-law that prevents the sale of property
between Christians and Muslims for a period of 15 years, Berri said: "It is the
first sign of rejection to form the Higher National Authority for the
Abolishment of Political Sectarianism."He said overprotection of confessions is
leading to the rejection of the other. Beirut, 03 Jan 11, 07:45
March 14: Most that We Can do is Study Ways to Deal with Indictment
Naharnet/Circles monitoring the situation in Lebanon predicted that the
political crisis and the government paralysis that started in December are
expected to continue to January 15 when Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor
Daniel Bellemare is set to hand the indictment over to Pre-Trial Judge Daniel
Fransen. This development would serve to reactivate matters in Lebanon, they
said. Meanwhile, March 14 forces sources revealed that Arab-Arab efforts to end
the crisis are ongoing, but all they have so far achieved is ease the tense
political rhetoric and stress that Lebanon's stability and security should not
be jeopardized. They stated that a settlement is nowhere in sight "given the
clear positions by both sides hold towards the STL."
"The most that the March 14 forces and Prime Minister Saad Hariri can achieve is
sit together ahead of the release of the indictment and study ways to deal with
it, but the March 8 forces, and Hizbullah in particular, are demanding the
abandonment of the tribunal before the release of the indictment, which is out
of the question," the sources stressed. Beirut, 03 Jan 11, 17:13
Abu Ghida Asks for Death Penalty for Abu Jaoude
Naharnet/Military Magistrate Riyad Abu Ghida on Monday asked for the death
penalty for Col. Antoine Abu Jaoude, who is charged with collaborating with
Israel. In his indictment, the judge also accused Abu Jaoude of transferring
information to Israel. He referred the suspect to the permanent military court
for prosecution. Beirut, 03 Jan 11, 14:17
Jumblat: Attack on Egypt's Christians Aims at Creating Organized Chaos
Naharnet/Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat on Monday condemned
the "cowardly terrorist" attack that targeted Christians in Egypt, saying the
bombing aims at creating instability in the country. "This is a criminal act
aimed at creating instability and … strife to reach organized chaos," Jumblat
said in a cable he sent to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak about New Year's Day
church bombing that killed 21 people in Alexandria. The Druze leader also cabled
head of Egypt's Coptic Church Pope Shenouda III. "We condemn this crime that
targeted innocent Egyptian citizens," Jumblat said. "We also agree with you that
work should be carried out to strengthen national unity." Beirut, 03 Jan 11,
14:52
Fatfat: March 14 Rejects Politicized Indictment
Naharnet/Mustaqbal MP Ahmed Fatfat on Monday said the majority March 14
coalition rejects a "politicized" indictment. "March 14 rejects a politicized
indictment. It wants an indictment backed up with irrefutable evidence," he told
ANB television channel. Fatfat said the false witnesses' issue does not exist,
adding that he refuses to link this issue with the interests of the people.
Beirut, 03 Jan 11, 11:21
Rai: Christians Shouldn't Be considered 2nd Class Citizens in the East
Naharnet/Jbeil Maronite Archbishop Beshara Rai said Monday that an Islamic
summit should announce its stance from fundamentalists that are attacking
Christians in the region.
Islamic and Arab countries should also make a stance from the latest attacks on
Christians in Iraq and Egypt, he told LBC TV network. "Egyptian authorities
should protect Christians," Rai said, adding "no one has the right to consider
Christians second class citizens." They should have equal rights with Muslims,
he told LBC.On Sunday, Rai urged Lebanese officials to be on full alert to
prevent the infiltration of terrorist networks to Lebanon following the deadly
church bombing in the Egyptian city of Alexandria.
Rival Lebanese leaders united in
condemnation of attack on Copts
By Hussein Dakroub /Daily Star staff
Monday, January 03, 2011
BEIRUT: Leaders of Lebanon’s rival political parties teamed up Sunday to condemn
a bomb attack targeting a Coptic church in Egypt that killed 21 people, with
Prime Minister Saad Hariri calling for “a historic declaration” to protect Arab
and Islamic civilization. Some Lebanese religious leaders, citing similar terror
attacks targeting Christians in Iraq, linked the Egypt bombing to an alleged
Israeli plot to stir up Muslim-Christian strife in the Middle East. President
Michel Sleiman condemned the Alexandria bombing in telephone conversations with
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Pope Shenouda III, head of Egypt’s Coptic
community. “This crime comes in the framework of the policy of terrorism which
rejects the other [sect] and serves to strike coexistence among religions for
which the Arab world is known,” Sleiman told Mubarak, according to a statement
released by the president’s media office.
In a cable sent to Mubarak, Sleiman said the perpetrators of “this criminal
bloody attack” aimed to inflame sectarian strife in Egypt.
Speaker Nabih Berri condemned the Alexandria attack in telegrams he sent to
Mubarak, Pope Shenouda III, and Egyptian Parliament Speaker Fathi Srour.
In his telegram to Mubarak, Berri said, “This terrorist attack, coupled with the
deplorable crime targeting the unity of the Iraqi people following the massacre
in a Baghdad church, is designed to increase trouble and political and sectarian
tensions from the Middle East to North and Western Africa to serve domination
projects and Israel.”
Hariri condemned the “terroristattack” in Alexandria, saying in a telegram to
Mubarak the incident should serve as an occasion for “a historic declaration” to
protect Arab and Islamic civilization. “The terrorist crime that targeted the
Saints Church in Alexandria had a shocking effect on all the forces of freedom,
moderation and dialogue in the world, especially as it coincided with the
celebration of a new year,” Hariri said. “The condemnation is not enough to
express the anger in our hearts over this heinous crime. It is time for us all
who are in positions of responsibility to initiate a historic declaration that
protects our Islamic and Arab civilization from a scheme that targets the unity
of our peoples, the safety of our countries and the rights of the Arab citizens
of all religions and sects to exercise their beliefs and religions freely,” he
added in his telegram.
To face the threat of “such criminal acts,” Hariri called for “a wide Arab
action … to adopt a unified position on this issue and to consider any attack on
the shared life of Muslims and Christians as an attack on Arab national
security.”
Hizbullah condemned the bombing, calling it an attack on religious plurality. It
offered its condolences to the families of victims who died in the bombing. A
statement issued by Hizbullah’s media office called on Egyptian authorities to
uncover “the criminals and those standing behind them in order to foil one of
the most dangerous conspiracies to target religious diversity in more than one
Arab and Muslim country to serve the Zionist-Jewish project in occupied
Palestine and the American project to disintegrate our Arab and Muslim
countries.”
Berri and Hizbullah are part of the March 8 alliance which is at loggerheads
with the rival March 14 coalition over a UN-backed court probing the 2005
assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Lebanon’s Grand Mufti,
Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani, condemned the “criminal act that carried with it
Zionist hallmarks” during telephone conversations with the head of Al-Azhar
University, Ahmad al-Tayyeb, Pope Shenouda, and Egypt’s Mufti Sheikh Ali Gamaa
Sunday.
“The attack targets the safety, security and stability of the Egyptian people.
It is aimed at inciting sectarian conflicts between Muslims and Christian Copts
with such terrorist acts in order to distract Egypt from its leading Arab
reconciliatory role,” Qabbani said in a statement carried by the state-run
National News Agency. “This attack on the Alexandria church was not an
individual internal Egyptian act. Rather, it was a criminal act carried out with
the hallmarks of Zionist foreign apparatus that wants to sow the seeds of hatred
between Muslims and Christian Copts,” the mufti said. Gregory III Lahham,
patriarch of the Roman Melike Catholic Church, who is currently on a pastoral
visit to Egypt, condemned the “massacre.”
“It is a clear criminal and terrorist act targeting innocent Christians. It is a
phenomenon that calls for anxiety and vigilance that Christians might be a
target for terrorist acts which move from one area to another,” Lahham said.
Calling for Arab and international action against terrorism, he said, “The
targeting of Christians is a clear plan to empty the Orient of its basic
components.” Jbeil’s Maronite Bishop Bishara al-Rai condemned the bombing and
called for an Islamic summit to stop attacks targeting Christians in Egypt and
Iraq. “We cannot be content with verbal condemnations as the pope said. There
should be action on the ground,” Rai said. He added that the Christians in Egypt
were suffering a lot “because their rights and security were being attacked and
they were being treated as aliens in their country.”
Rai called for the immediate convening of an Islamic summit to take a stance on
attacks targeting Christians in the name of religion. Rai also called on the
Arab League to meet to protect the safety of both Christians and Muslims. Kataeb
(Phalange) Party leader Amin Gemayel condemned the Alexandria bombing, saying
the repeated attacks on Christians in the Middle East encouraged “terrorist,
extremist and fanatic groups.” He stressed that the Christians’ security in Arab
countries was the responsibility of all Arab leaders combined.
Referring to the Egypt attack, Gemayel told visitors who visited his residence
in Bikfaya, “This is a very dangerous phenomenon that needs to be addressed … We
are preoccupied with secondary issues on whether a Cabinet session will be held
or not, while the Middle East region is braced for very big storms, the signs of
which came in attacks on Christians.”
The Lebanese Forces also condemned the attack. In a statement the party called
on Christian and Muslim Egyptians to rally behind the Egyptian government “to
take all necessary measures to uproot terrorism and ensure full protection for
all citizens.” Baalbek Hizbullah MP Walid Sukarriyeh condemned the Egypt attack,
saying it was part of “the policy of creative chaos adopted by the US to forge a
new Middle East that fulfills the Zionist and Jewish dreams of the Israeli
enemy’s entity.” “Targeting Christians in Egypt and Iraq is a Zionist act
regardless of the one who did it and under any guise,” Sukarriyeh said. He noted
that the Alexandria bombing occurred days after Egypt had uncovered an Israeli
spy network seeking to destabilize Egypt, Syria and the resistance.
Alexandria's Copts were victims of homegrown Egyptian Islamic terror
DEBKAfile Special Report January 2, 2011, 11:45 AM (GMT+02:00) The suicide
attack on the Coptic Saints Church in Alexandria, northern Egypt, which left 21
dead and 79 injured after New Year's mass, was carried out by a local Egyptian
Islamic Jihad extremist, debkafile's counter-terror sources report. In calling
for national unity, President Hosni Mubarak stepped away from blaming Al Qaeda,
which has been massacring Iraqi Christians. But he also glossed over homegrown
terror by calling the attack "a foreign assault."The rising tide of Islamist
terror in Egypt, which exploded in Alexandria on Jan. 1, is thrown up by
multiple sources inside the country:
1. Al Qaeda has grown offshoots in the cities lining the Suez Canal, such as
Ismailya, Suez, and the towns and villages around Alexandria.
2. For years, Egyptian security forces have tried and failed to uproot the Al
Qaeda cells and Egyptian Islamic Jihad fugitives on the run which are entrenched
in the rugged mountains at the heart of the Sinai Peninsula. These strongholds
are also used by the local Bedouin tribesmen operating a thriving Middle East
smuggling network for weapons, drugs and human traffic.
3. Its routes keep Al Qaeda supplied with weapons, explosives and
reinforcements. They start in Somalia, pass through Eritrea and Sudan into
southern Egypt, cross the Suez Canal and land in Sinai with their contraband.
Their supply route then forks into a western branch for deliveries to
Palestinian Gaza Strip and West Bank recipients , and the eastern branch, which
heads northeast to Jordan and winds across its borders through to Syria, Lebanon
and Iraq.
Since no one including Israel takes any real action to stifle this booming
smuggling trade, Iran can safely jump aboard any segment of the network to
smuggle missiles and other weapons systems to the Palestinian Hamas and Islamic
JIhad in the Gaza Strip.
4. Egypt and Israel have also been looking the other way as Al Qaeda cells in
the Gaza Strip flourish and become increasingly aggressive. Those cells are
largely responsible for the rising number of attacks on Israeli forces
patrolling the Gaza border fence, providing their fighters with valuable
experience in real combat conditions. Some Egyptian Islamic Jihad fugitives have
reached the Gaza Strip too and liaise between the Egyptian and Palestinian
terrorist movements.
Copts account for roughly ten percent of Egypt's population of 80 million. Their
Coptic Orthodox Church, one of the oldest in Christendom, was founded in the
first century. After the seventh century Arab conquest, Islam gradually became
the dominant faith of the land until the present. The Copts have survived
against spates of persecution. Sunday morning, dozens filled the same Saints
Church attacked a day earlier, while riot police backed by armored vehicles were
deployed outside.
Exactly a year ago, six Christians were killed in a drive-by shooting outside a
church in southern Egypt, and in November police killed a protester during
clashes with Copts triggered by a halt to the construction of a church in Cairo.
Non-Islamic tourists are often targeted for homegrown Islamist terror attacks,
such as the suicide bombing at the crowded Cairo Khan el-Khalili souk on April
7, 2005, in which three tourists were killed, two French and one American. Three
months later, on Oct. 30, another terrorist jumped to his death from a bridge
into a busy bus terminal from which tourists head out to the different sites
across the country. At the same time, two veiled women opened fire on a tourist
bus bringing sightseers back from the Saladin Citadel in Cairo. Those attacks
were claimed by the "Egyptian Mujahidin" and "Abdullah Azzam Shaheed Brigades,"
an ersatz name which many terrorism experts believe is used by al Qaeda's many
offshoots in the Middle East and Persian Gulf mask their members' identify.
The Alexandria attack peaked a period of simmering Islamic-Coptic violence. In
November, police killed a Copt taking part in a protest triggered by a halt to
the construction of a church in Cairo. Muslim rioters have long demanded that
two Muslim women married to Copts and converted to Christianity be "returned."
The law is behind them. In Egypt, interfaith marriages between Muslims and Copts
are banned as illegal. While Iraq's Christians are in flight from Al Qaeda-led
Islamist terror, the Lebanese Shiite extremist Hizballah is ironically on the
alert for the same scourge to attack its own religious and military centers.
Hassan Nasrallah and his security chiefs fear that Lebanese Islamists with links
to Al Qaeda – or jihadis attacking Christians and Shiites in Iraq – may soon
infiltrate the country through Syria and target his strongholds. One Islamist
terrorist organization would then be pitted against another for the first time
Hizbullah can fire 400-600 rockets a day in next war’
By YAAKOV KATZ AND LAHAV HARKOV
01/03/2011 03:40
Mossad official’s estimate from leaked cable predicts Tel Aviv will be hit; Iran
has 300 long-range missiles, IDF chief says.
Hizbullah would likely shoot between 400 and 600 missiles a day into Israel
during a future war, a senior Mossad official told a congressional delegation to
Israel in 2009, according to a US diplomatic cable published on Sunday. The
cable from November 2009 summed up meetings a delegation led by Ike Skelton
(D-Missouri) held with top officials from the Mossad, the Shin Bet (Israel
Security Agency) and the IDF. It was first published on Sunday by Norway’s
Aftenposten newspaper, which received it from WikiLeaks.
According to the Mossad official, 100 of the missiles will hit Tel Aviv
Hizbullah, the delegation was told, has 40,000 missiles as well as a number of
Iranian-made Ababil unmanned aerial vehicles that have a range of 150 km. and
can be loaded with explosives and sent to bomb strategic targets in Israel.Chief
of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi told the delegation that due to the
military buildup in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, he was preparing the IDF for a
“major war” since it would then be easier to scale down for smaller conflicts if
needed. As a result of the growing rocket threat, Ashkenazi told the congressmen
that the IDF was investing heavily in missile defense systems, such as the
Arrow, David’s Sling and Iron Dome. While the Iranian threat was grave,
Ashkenazi told the Americans that the threat from Hamas and Hizbullah, which
were funded by Iran, was most acute since due to their proximity to Israel,
their rockets would be more accurate. Turning to Iran, Ashkenazi said that
Israel would have 10 to 12 minutes to prepare after its radar systems detected
an Iranian missile fired toward the country. He said that Teheran had more than
300 missiles capable of reaching Israel. Ashkenazi also gave some rare insight
into how Israel gathers intelligence on Hizbullah and locates targets in
Lebanon. Israel frequently sends drones over Lebanon to identify potential
targets, he said, calling their use a “success.” In addition, he revealed that
the IDF closely cooperates with the US National Security Agency, which gathers
signal intelligence such as communications.
Despite public denial, U.S. officials tell Haaretz: We're angry at Barak
By Barak Ravid /Haaretz
23:52 02.01.11
U.S. administration officials contacted Haaretz on Sunday to confirm the United
States' disappointment with Barak over the stalled peace process, despite a
public statement by State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley, who denied the
allegations. Crowley issued a statement Sunday denying the U.S. administration's
fury with Barak, as was reported in Haaretz earlier Sunday, in which he said
that the administration would continue working with Barak.
"We have tremendous respect for Minister Barak and he remains a main channel of
communication between the U.S. and Israel," Crowley said. "We will continue
working with him on a full range of issues of mutual interest for both
countries." But several other administration officials have contacted Haaretz to
confirm the administration's disappointment with Barak. Crowley briefed several
Israeli journalists on Sunday, partly in response to a request by Barak's
office, which was giving reporters Crowley's phone number.
Three ministers from the Labor Party called on Defense Minister Ehud Barak on
Sunday to tell Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the Labor Party, which
Barak heads, will quit the government unless the peace process moves forward
An even stormier meeting is expected when Labor MKs meet on Monday. Ministers
Avishay Braverman, Isaac Herzog and Benjamin Ben-Eliezer called for the
ultimatum after Haaretz reported on Sunday that the White House and the U.S.
State Department are furious with Barak over the stalled peace talks. Several
sources confirmed that the Obama administration sees Barak as having misled it
about his ability to convince the Netanyahu government to move the peace process
forward.
Braverman, who serves as minister of minority affairs, called on Barak to hold a
Labor Party convention immediately, which would vote on the ultimatum.
"The time has come for us to stand up for ourselves and speak clearly," he said.
"If we don't do so, Netanyahu will remain tied to the right-wing forum of seven
and will submit daily to the extortion of Shas and of [Avigdor] Lieberman on
every significant matter. Our time has come to impose an ultimatum." Speaking at
a meeting of Labor ministers, Braverman told Barak: "Your mistaken strategy to
serve as an intermediary between Netanyahu and the Americans has ended in
failure. Not only is there no peace process, but we have sustained a serious
blow on security issues. The bottom line is that your conduct vis-a-vis the
Americans has caused great damage to the State of Israel, and there is no chance
of renewing negotiations."
Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer suggested giving the
government until April before the Labor Party quits. "If there is no political
progress within several months, we have to quit the government," he said. Social
Affairs Minister Isaac Herzog, who also supports the ultimatum, said Netanyahu
"must understand that his government is in danger
Politicians criticize draft law to block inter-religious
land sales
By Elias Sakr /Daily Star staff
Monday, January 03, 2011
BEIRUT: A law proposal drafted by Labor Minister Butros Harb to prevent
inter-religious property and land sale in Lebanon drew criticism over the
weekend from a number of figures, while a Hizbullah official said the proposal
failed to address the actual reasons behind the emigration of Lebanese,
particularly Christians. Hizbullah’s Minister of State for Administrative Reform
Mohammad Fneish told The Daily Star Sunday that though he empathized with
concerns over rising emigration rates among the Lebanese and particularly
Christians, such a proposal would fail to accomplish said goals.
“We should look for the reasons behind the emigration of Lebanese and
particularly Christians and act accordingly,” said Fneish.
“Among these reasons is the lack of stability, destructive political ventures
and economic recession,” he said.
He added that Harb’s proposal was a political maneuver that contradicted calls
by some parties for the strengthening of the state’s role and its institutions.
Harb’s draft law would prevent Christians and Muslims from selling property to
each other for a period of 15 years. The proposed legislation was said to be a
response to fears that the demographic balance in Lebanon would be affected by a
recent, quasi-organized trend in land sales from members of one religion to
another.
“The purchase of property on Lebanese territories is leading to the expulsion of
certain religions and sects at the expense of others,” Harb said.
Criticizing the draft law, former Prime Minister Salim Hoss said Harb’s proposal
would deepen sectarian divisions rather than safeguard national coexistence.
“The proposal contradicts the Constitution’s introduction, which stipulates that
Lebanon’s land is one for all Lebanese,” Hoss said.
“Thus every Lebanese has the right to reside on any part of it and benefit from
it under the rule of law,” he added.
Hoss also challenged Harb’s contentious proposal from a legal perspective as one
that imposes illegitimate restrictions on the freedom of property ownership and
trade.
“This proposal is absolutely unacceptable because it is illegitimate and
unjustified when it comes to the freedom of handling properties by their
owners,” Hoss said.
Echoing Hoss, Beirut MP Tamam Salam said Harb’s proposal was a step toward
dividing the population.
“This is a divisionary step that splits the Lebanese and classifies them by
imposing barriers and later walls to separate them in a bid to achieve what
years of civil war failed to accomplish,” the Lebanon First bloc MP said.
“It is not required that every religion seizes a part from Lebanon but rather
that Lebanon seizes a part from every religion,” Salam said.
But the labor minister then responded that parties opposed to his proposal would
be actively cooperating in the expulsion of Christians unless they come forward
with an alternative proposal to end emigration. “Many politicians have put
pressure on owners to refrain from selling their land and urged the Maronite
Patriarchate to preserve territories, particularly ones owned by Christians,”
Harb said. The Maronite church and the Maronite League have been active of late,
warning of the phenomenon of land sales and making attempts to reverse recent
transactions.
Qaouk: We're getting closer to Saudi-Syrian solution to crisis
By Hussein Dakroub
Daily Star staff
Monday, January 03, 2011
BEIRUT: An Arab-mediated solution to end Lebanon’s months-long political crisis
is getting closer, a senior Hizbullah official said Sunday, reflecting rising
hopes for Saudi and Syrian mediators to break a deadlock over a UN-backed
court’s indictment that threatens to destabilize the country. The upbeat note
came as rival Lebanese factions were expected to resume political activity in
earnest following a New Year holiday lull. “We have reached the stage where we
are getting closer to an Arab endeavor that saves Lebanon from a minefield,”
Sheikh Nabil Qaouk, deputy head of Hizbullah’s Executive Council, told a rally
in the southern village of Nmeirieh. “The foundation of any solution for the
current crisis in Lebanon calls for a unified Lebanese position on rejecting the
use of the international tribunal as a weapon to stab the resistance in the
back,” he said.
Qaouk said Lebanon could not remain “a hostage” to the UN-backed Special
Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) and its impending indictment into the 2005
assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The indictment is widely
expected to accuse some Hizbullah members of involvement in Hariri’s killing,
raising fears of sectarian strife.
“No Israeli infiltration will be allowed under the guise of the tribunal to
achieve the objectives of the 2006 [Israeli] war,” Qaouk said. Hizbullah and its
allies in the March 8 alliance refuse to recognize the STL, which they dismiss
as an “American-Israeli” tool designed to incite sectarian strife in Lebanon.
Meanwhile, the US Ambassador to Lebanon, Maura Connelly, reiterated her
country’s support for the STL. She also said that the appointment of Robert Ford
as US ambassador to Syria was not a reward for the Damascus government.
“Appointing a US ambassador to Damascus should not be viewed as a reward to the
Syrian government. Having an ambassador in Damascus improves our ability to
deliver firm messages to the Syrian government and to articulate clearly our
concerns and priorities to Syria,” Connelly said in a statement released by the
US Embassy Friday.
“No step taken with Syria comes at Lebanon’s expense. Robert Ford is one of the
most qualified US diplomats in the Foreign Service.”
Minister of Youth and Sports Ali Abdullah, from the March 8 camp, predicted a
Saudi-Syrian-sponsored solution for the Lebanese crisis.
“Lebanon will seriously witness the birth of a Syrian-Saudi-sponsored solution
that will revive political and Cabinet activity in Lebanon,” Abdullah told a
rally in the Bekaa Valley.
The minister called on all rival March 14 and March 8 factions to meet the
Saudi-Syrian efforts halfway “so that a compromise could be reached to end
Lebanon’s current crisis.”
Hizbullah MP Hassan Fadlallah said efforts would be intensified to ensure the
success of the Saudi-Syrian efforts. – H. D.
Top officials deplore attack on Faysal Karami's residence
Security services begin processing video tapes as part of probes into the
incident
Monday, January 03, 2011
TRIPOLI: Lebanon’s top officials and parties across the political spectrum
condemned Sunday the attack that targeted the residence of the son of former
Prime Minister Omar Karami in the northern coastal city of Tripoli over the
weekend. Unidentified assailants tossed late Saturday a hand grenade in the
direction of the residence of head of the Arab Liberalism Party Faysal Karami,
wounding two of his bodyguards. The vehicle transporting the perpetrators was
identified as a black Kia with licence plate number 995, a security source said.
The former premier said the failure to uncover those behind the incident would
leave the capital of north Lebanon prone to security incidents and instability
but added that he had faith in the state’s security institutions to put the
culprits on trial. “I did not allow any reaction to the incident by our
supporters since the issue is no more than a sound cracker,” Karami told
reporters during a news conference held at his son’s residence. “But from a
political and security perspective, the incident is a very dangerous one,” he
said. “Tripoli is not for one group but for several parties and if every party
throws a bomb at another the city will pay the price.”
President Michel Sleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Saad Hariri,
along with several ministers, lawmakers and ambassadors as well as religious and
security officials phoned Karami to condemn the incident.
Hizbullah, Karami’s political ally, said in a statement released by its press
office that the incident was part of attempts to deal a blow to internal
stability and undermine the position of figures who oppose plans to spark strife
among the Lebanese. Hizbullah urged political and security officials to take the
necessary measures to uncover those responsible for the incident and to put them
on trial. Tripoli has witnessed over the past few years several security
incidents and a number of armed clashes mostly between the neighborhoods of Bab
al-Tabbaneh, which houses a Sunni majority, and Alawite Jabal Mohsen. Tensions
have mounted in Lebanon in recent months over the indictment to be issued by the
Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), a UN-backed court tasked with bringing to
justice those behind the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik
Hariri.While Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s coalition continues to voice support
for the STL, Hizbullah and its allies condemn the court as a politicized
“Israeli-US” tool. Future Movement secretary general Ahmad Hariri, heading a
delegation of the party, also paid a visit to Karami’s residence and discussed
with Faisal Karami the circumstances surrounding the incident. Mufti of the
Republic Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabbani said the recurring security incidents
throughout Lebanon indicated that “certain evil hands” sought to undermine
stability and raise tensions in the country.
Qabbani voiced hope that probes would uncover the circumstances surrounding the
incident in Tripoli and lead to the arrest and trial of the perpetrators.
Security forces and Lebanese Army Intelligence services have launched probes
into the incident and were processing video tapes taken from surveillance
cameras installed in the surroundings of Faisal’s residence, Karami said.
Echoing Qabbani, Tripoli and North Lebanon Mufti Sheikh Malek al-Shaar condemned
the attack, adding that it aimed to foment strife in the city. “This is a failed
attempt to instigate strife in Tripoli,” he said. “The city will not allow such
acts which are opposed to its values and principles and the perpetrators will
fail to accomplish their objective in tampering with Tripoli’s security and
unity.”“The capital of the north stands alert against all plots aimed at
provoking tensions,” Shaar said. –With additional reporting by Antoine Amrieh
Analysts: Peace between Israel and Hizbullah rests with stability, UN forces
Fresh conflict unlikely in 2011 but some at UN see outcome of Special Tribunal
vital
By Patrick Galey /Daily Star staff
Monday, January 03, 2011
BEIRUT: Israel and Hizbullah are unlikely to seek a fresh conflict in 2011,
although much depends on Lebanon’s internal stability and the competence of
international peacekeeping forces, military and political analysts told The
Daily Star Sunday. Retired Lebanese Army General and political science lecturer
at the American University of Beirut Elias Hanna said that recent intensive
military training exercises performed by Israel were a deliberate demonstration
that its military was capable of defeating Hizbullah. “The saying is: ‘If you
want peace prepare for war.’ [Israel is] implementing the worst case scenario,”
Hanna said. “Moreover, it is their message to the US, Iran and Syria that they
are ready to go and do it themselves. When they move, Hizbullah have to move.”
It emerged Sunday that Israeli military chief Gabi Ashkenazi had advised US
diplomats in late 2009 that he was preparing for a “large-scale” war, according
to documents released by WikiLeaks and reported by a Norwegian paper, the
Aftenposten.
Hanna said, however, that Israel would think twice before attacking Hizbullah
inside Lebanon again. “It was a catastrophe for the Israelis in 2006 and they do
not want a repeat of that,” he said.
In addition, Hizbullah – so long as the current security situation in south
Lebanon persists – lacks motivation to strike Israel preemptively, according to
Hanna. “From time to time we might have some unknown missiles fired into Israel
but there will never be a major issue to disturb the status quo, which is based
on what Hizbullah wants and what Iran and Syria wants.”
As well as tough choices for the two principal combatants, the new year brings
with it challenges for the 13,000-strong United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon
(UNIFIL), according to former long-term force adviser Timur Goksel.
Last year saw a spate of attacks on French peacekeepers by southerners,
something Goksel attributed to miscommunication. He welcomed the announcement
that Ireland and Finland will again contribute troops to UNIFIL in 2011.
“Irish and Finns were very popular in the south [during their last deployments]
… They are not aggressive types and are good for peacekeeping,” Goksel said.
Goksel added that it would be likely the two nations would share the UNIFIL area
south of Tibnin, a sector previously manned by French troops and which saw some
altercations between peacekeepers and southerners last year.
“This will mean some redeployment from the French contingent. Either the French
will reduce their numbers in UNIFIL or they will give up the idea of deploying
in a specific area. Whatever it is, [the French] giving the area up is a good
thing for UNIFIL,” he said.
“The French contingent has a different approach to peacekeeping. It’s not easy
to be peacekeepers if you trained as a fighting force.”
As for a repeat of 2010’s attacks on the force, Goksel said he didn’t anticipate
any major future clashes, although he warned problems were possible if Hizbullah
was to be implicated in the UN-backed probe into the assassination of former
Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
“What worries most at the UN is the impact of the [Special Tribunal for Lebanon
(STL)], if there was a negative outcome for Hizbullah and what impact that will
have on UNIFIL,” he said.
Sahar Attrache, Middle East and North Africa analyst for the International
Crisis Group, said it was possible – if unlikely – that attacks on UNIFIL could
follow public court indictment announcements.
“The situation [with UNIFIL] will depend on the situation with the whole
country. I don’t suspect that UNIFIL will be the first target,” she said. “In
some way, UNIFIL in the view of Hizbullah represents the international
community. The whole situation is so unpredictable but if Hizbullah controls the
situation then the predicament of UNIFIL will be very different in 2011.”
She added, however, that: “Hizbullah doesn’t want to confront the international
front as well as Israel.”
Hanna argued that since troop contributing countries had voiced their support
for the STL, UNIFIL soldiers were in a difficult position concerning Hizbullah.
“[UNIFIL’s] countries are totally supporting the tribunal and their physical
presence is within the Hizbullah area,” he said. “The relationship between
UNIFIL and the people in the south is dependent on how far the force interferes
with Hizbullah’s plans for the south and endangers its strategic military
designs on the region.”
Hanna also ruled out the possibility of Hizbullah commencing hostilities with
Israel as a smokescreen to smother indictments. “Would Hizbullah go to war in
order to avoid [the STL fallout]? No. Because it is not a local decision, it is
a regional one,” he added.
Goksel also pointed out the potential confusion which could result from new
troop arrivals. The Finns and Irish will bring the number of contributing
countries to 33 for 2011.
“Why bring more and more countries in? This is unheard of in UN history and one
of the reasons it hasn’t worked is that there are all these countries,” Goksel
said. “It doesn’t make the force better or more professional; it just makes
things harder for the troops on the ground. As long as its peaceful it’s fine
but if things get serious it can be unmanageable.”
Two southern issues dominated discussions in 2010, both in Beirut and among the
international community: the Blue Line demarcation and Ghajar.
In August a dispute which began over maintenance work on a tree close to the
Blue Line at Adaysseh village resulted in the death of two Lebanese soldiers and
a journalist, as well as a senior Israeli officer in the worst violence seen
along the de facto border since August 2006.
The incident prompted calls for a hastening of Blue Line demarcation, which
Goksel said would occur this year.
A potential source of friction were the announcements by both Lebanon and Israel
that their governments would seek to protect and exploit fossil fuel resources
in the east Mediterranean.
Goksel said it was unlikely UNIFIL would be involved in the demarcation of a
naval “border,” given the potentially lucrative nature of any separation.
“Demarcating the sea is far more complex than land borders. It is a completely
different calculation and UNIFIL will not be capable of doing it themselves. I
don’t see the UN, with its limited capacity, getting involved,” he said.
Both Goksel and Hanna gave short shrift to Israel’s announced intention to
remove its troops from the northern sector of Ghajar village, in line with
international guidelines.
“Ghajar is a minor issue for the future. The rhetoric was high at the beginning
and has waned. It was political propaganda and was meant to be believed but the
Israelis won’t give something for free,” Hanna said.
9175 Dead Worldwide, Happy New Year!
Gadi Adelman
January 3, 2011
Now that 2010 is over the numbers are in.
According to the Religion of Peace website here are the numbers for the year
2010:
Total Islamic terror attacks: 1987.
Total dead: 9175.
Total of critically injured: 17436.
Their home page sums up just last month nicely,
So far this Christmas, Religion of Peace devotees have bombed a church in the
Philippines, blown up 45 flood refugees waiting in line for Western food aid,
plotted to bomb a Christmas tree lighting in Oregon and a recruitment center in
Maryland, massacred 86 innocents in attacks on Nigerian churches, planned to
poison American food buffets and implant bombs in human bodies, plotted the
slaughterof civilians in Holland, London and a newspaper office in Denmark...
and even set off the first suicide blast in Sweden, which was intended for
Christmas shoppers.
So when do we stop pretending that Islam is just another religion?
I started writing articles in mid January 2010 and sadly, even though I prefer
to write about things that others don’t, I never had a week that I was at a loss
for words or material.
Last Thursday I was honored to have Dr. Walid Phares as a guest on my ‘America
Akbar’ Radio show.
Dr. Phares was on to discuss his new book “The Coming Revolution: Struggle for
Freedom in the Middle East”, we were pleased he chose to stay on for over an
hour as he answered both our questions as well as questions from our callers and
chat room.
One of the many things that Dr. Phares discussed was the escalating problem of
‘home grown’ terrorism in the U.S. He stated,
“Between 2001 and 2008 you had about one case a year of home grown terrorism;
between early 2009 to September 2009 you had approximately one case a month.
Yet, in the last three months we have had one case a week.”
The numbers are staggering, not just in the U.S., but worldwide. Since 9/11/01
to December 31, 2010 there have been a total of 16,586 Islamic terror attacks.
The website Religion of Peace painstakingly keeps up with these numbers on a
daily basis. To be fair and honest in their calculating of this daily list they
explain the following on their ‘About the list of attacks’ page,
This list of terrorist attacks committed by Muslims since 9/11/01 (a rate of
about four or five a day) is incomplete because only a small percentage of
attacks are picked up by international news sources, even those resulting in
multiple loss of life.
These are not incidents involving nominal Muslims killing for money or personal
pride. This is not ordinary crime. We include incidents of deadly violence that
can reasonably be determined to have been committed out of religious duty - as
interpreted by the perpetrator.
We usually list only attacks that result in loss of life (with a handful of
exceptions). In several cases, the victims are undercounted because deaths from
trauma caused by the Islamists may occur in later days, despite the best efforts
of medical personnel to keep the victims alive.
We usually don't include incidents related to combat, such as in Iraq and
Afghanistan, unless it involves particularly heinous terror tactics. Unprovoked
sniper, drive-by or roadside bombing attacks on military personnel serving
normal police duties are sometimes included depending on the circumstances.
One of the other items we discussed with Dr. Phares was the blatant silence on
the part of the media when it comes to not only truthful reporting on terror,
but at all.
I have learned to live with the mainstream media and their “selective”
journalism. I know I can get my news from other sources on the internet and it
is here where I usually find out the truth, from the source.
What I cannot live with is the miscommunication or even lies that come out of
our current administration.
Allow me to give a perfect and current example. During the first hour of the New
Year, 2011, a car bomb exploded in Alexandria, Egypt, killing 21 and injuring
79.
President Obama released a statement, in which he said,
“I strongly condemn the separate and outrageous terrorist bombing attacks in
Egypt and Nigeria. The attack on a church in Alexandria, Egypt caused 21
reported deaths and dozens of injured from both the Christian and Muslim
communities.”
I’m glad our President was so much quicker condemning this act of terror while
on vacation than he was last year with the ‘underwear’ bomber.
Just one problem, just a little mistake in his sentence. He stated “deaths and
dozens of injured from both the Christian and Muslim communities”. Wrong!
There was not one Muslim death, not one, unless of course you count the suicide
bomber. Each person that died was a Christian; the bomb went off outside a
Coptic Church.
As far as the injured, only 8 out of the 79 were Muslim.
Apologists will read this and say I am being ridiculous; at least he condemned
it right? No!
He is making the Muslims the victims once again. Neither the Muslims nor their
community was targeted here. It was the Christians, it was a Church, yet people
who read or hear this statement will come away with the Muslims once again being
among the victims.
As Catholic Online reported,
The attack came following repeated threats from al-Qaida militants in Iraq that
they intended to attack Egypt's Christians. According to the Los Angeles Times,
the Ministry of Information stated that an unnamed official had stated that this
may have been the work of a suicide bomber carried out by foreign terrorists.
All but eight of the injured and all the fatalities were Christians from Saints
Church, located on the eastern side of the coastal city.
Al-Qaeda. So once again, an attack was carried out by Islamic terrorists, plain
and simple. But instead of using words such as “Islamic extremist” or “Islamic
radical” or “Islamic terrorist” Obama makes the Muslim the victim.
We are coming up to the tenth anniversary of 9/11. We still don’t have a
finished memorial at Ground Zero; Yet Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf will be starting
his tour across the U.S. this month telling us why it is so important and so
right to have a mosque only 550 feet away.
The Flight 93 memorial in Pennsylvania is going to end up being yet another
thorn in Americans side. The design which has been argued about for years is
entitled “the Crescent of embrace” by architect Paul Murdoch and associates.
The aerial view above can be found all over the internet but is best explained
on the website of the Flight 93 Memorial Project.
So, what can you do? Educate yourself and others. Don’t just read this and be
done with it.
Is ten years not enough time to start honoring the nearly 3000 fellow Americans
that died that day, not to mention those that have died in other attacks such as
Fort Hood or the EMS workers that continue to suffer each day (with some dying)
from their exposure to dust and toxins at Ground Zero?
Make a New Year’s resolution to start educating yourself and pass on what you
learn. Visit my website where you can link to dozens of other sites including
the Religion of Peace to keep up with what is really going on in the world. As
Dr. Walid Phares stated, the numbers are getting worse, not better and the best
way to combat this epidemic is through education.
I wish each and every person a wonderful, safe and healthy year. May this year
bring less than 9175 deaths due to Islamic terror for all our sakes the world
over.
Behave like a government
January 3, 2011
http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=227124
If there is one thing the Lebanese government demonstrated it couldn’t do in
2010, it was multi-task. This may be more down to the fact that March 8 members
of the government sees their job as ensuring that the slim March 14 majority was
unable to go about the day-to-day business of state, a pattern of behavior we
are reassuringly told is called consensus politics. But the fact remains that in
2010 its performance was nothing short of a disgrace, such was the blinkered
preoccupation with certain issues – most notably the Special Tribunal for
Lebanon and who killed former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri – at the expense of
virtually everything else.
We may be a nation that has defied global economic trends and succeeded in
delivering 6 percent growth, while other countries have sat in a two-year
economic winter, but the government cannot claim any credit for our healthy
balance sheet. The money flowed into Lebanon despite the government, not because
of it. If the truth be told, the government has been nothing more than a burden
to those who seek to consolidate Lebanon’s economic potential.
But even then our so-called good fortune is a poisoned chalice of sorts, for it
is a balance sheet that tells only half the story. Much of the money came from
two sources: The pockets of wealthy foreigners, mostly Arabs, who use Lebanon as
a place to let off steam and escape the heat of their own countries, and a
building boom that defies all economic analysis, and which still may turn out to
be a bubble. Life for the average Lebanese has not been reflected in this
vigorous economic performance. Instead, we are once again waiting for a decision
from leaders of other countries – this time we wait for the so-called
Syrian-Saudi track to find a way out of the suffocating deadlock.
Nonetheless, the realities of the region aside, in 2011 our leaders must
shoulder their responsibility when it comes to the needs of the people who
elected them to office, public or otherwise.
Where to begin? The government must, as a priority (it has been nearly 20 years
after all) work to provide full access to 24-hour electricity. It must also
harness Lebanon’s abundant water resources. We could also use a decent public
transportation system, but we will be happy if the roads become safer. Simply,
we should have access to the basic utilities that many similar nations take for
granted and which we have no excuse not to provide.
Lebanon is not Rwanda or Afghanistan, or any other third world hellhole. If it
can attract as many millionaires per square kilometer as the south of France,
the state has not excuse not to cater to the basic needs of its citizens. The
imbalance simply cannot continue.
Furthermore, at a time when the world’s governments are placing green issues at
the top of their agendas, Lebanon cannot begin to call itself an enlightened
nation until it is seen to do the same and stop the rampant environmental damage
wrought upon the country over the past 35 years. It is a culture of destruction
to which successive governments have not only turned a blind eye, but in many
cases have actively lent a hand. It must stop.
Elsewhere, the public sector should be gradually purged (yes it can be done) and
staffed by committed, qualified and honest technocrats. Meanwhile, the political
class and senior civil servants should set an example of moral probity. Rank,
even a ministerial portfolio, does not give one the right to push to the front
of the queue, demand privilege and favor, shout at the general public or push it
off the road. The people take their cue from their so-called leaders, so the
example to the nation must be set from the top down.
May be the government should meet more often. There is much work to be done.