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.