LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِMay 19/2011

Biblical Event Of The Day
The Good News According to John 15/22-27: "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 15:23 He who hates me, hates my Father also. 15:24 If I hadn’t done among them the works which no one else did, they wouldn’t have had sin. But now have they seen and also hated both me and my Father. 15:25 But this happened so that the word may be fulfilled which was written in their law, ‘They hated me without a cause.’ 15:26 “When the Counselor has come, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will testify about me. 15:27 You will also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning"

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
The tale of the three Syrian soldiers/By: Aline Sara and Nadine Elali/May 18/11
Obama and the Muslim Brotherhood/By: Mark Silverberg/May 18/11
What the US missed by not bringing Osama bin Laden to trial/By: Walid Phares/May 18/11
Israel turned the Nakba into a 63-year process/By Amira Hass/May 18/11
President Obama and the Arab Spring/New York Times/May 17/11

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for May 18/11
Report: U.S. to sanction Syria's Assad for human rights abuses/Haaretz/Reuters
Assad: Syria security forces made mistakes during uprising/AP/Haaretz
More al Qaeda appointments after Saif al-Islam named command and revenge chief/DEBKAfile
MTV: Hezbollah aims ‘to paralyze the country’ with Thursday strike/Now Lebanon
U.S. slaps sanctions on Syrian president, top aides/Reuters
US Imposes Sanctions On Syria President, Other Officials -Treasury/WSJ
Teachers Go on Strike Refusing Political Deadlock/Naharnet
Feltman to Visit Lebanon on Eve of U.S. Initiative towards Region/Naharnet
Consultations Revived but Miqati Informed that Aoun Continues to Hold onto Demands/Naharnet
Miqati's Circles to Aoun: Constitution Can't Be Turned into a Game/Naharnet
Juppe Meets Jumblat: France is Committed to Preserving Lebanese Stability/Naharnet
Transportation Sector General Strike Demands Ceiling for Rising Fuel Prices/Naharnet
Berri Meets Bassil: No One will Replace Miqati, Solutions Continue to Crumble/Naharnet
Aoun: Miqati Unaware of Rules of Government Formation Process/Naharnet
Geagea on Nakba Day Clashes: They're Mistaken if They Believe that that is the Way to Reclaim Palestine/Naharnet
Mustaqbal: Let March 8 Admit It Has Embroiled Country in One-Sided Govt Crisis/Naharnet
Berri Meets Asarta: Israel's Massacre in the South Major Violation of Resolution 1701/Naharnet
Preparations Underway for inter-Maronite Summit in Bkirki in June/Naharnet
Anti-Assad Regime Meeting Postponed/Naharnet
Canada Expels Five Libyan Diplomats/FAITC
US, EU ready new sanctions against Syria/CBS
US Department of Justice plans to prosecute Hezbollah commander captured in Iraq/Long War Journal
Syrian refugees describe gangs fomenting sectarian strife/Christian Science Monitor
Al-Jazeera reporter's father 'baffled' by 'very minor' allegations.CBC
Women flee Tall Kalakh violence/Gulf News
Syria 'offended' by Turkish PM's statement, envoy says/Hurriyet Daily News
Jay Carney again on Syria's 'unacceptable behavior'/Los Angeles Times
Syria Steps Up Protest Crackdown With Assaults in Damascus Suburbs, Daraa/Bloomberg
Tanks storm south Syria city, US piles on pressure/Reuters
Iran frees Al-Jazeera reporter nabbed in Syria/CBS
US, EU to Take 'Additional Steps' Against Syria/VOA
Assad Family Grip on Syria Hampers Reform/VOA
Israel lodges complaints on 'Nakba Day' protests with UN/J.Post
France says gaining support for U.N. Syria resolution/Reuters
Aoun accuses Mikati, Sleiman of conspiring with Hariri to block Cabinet/Daily Star
Pressure mounts on Mikati to form Cabinet or quit/Daily Star
Gemayel says Bristol Conference was canceled by "arms" pressure/iloubnan.info


Feltman to Visit Lebanon on Eve of U.S. Initiative towards Region
Naharnet/U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman is expected to arrive in Beirut on Thursday on a one-day visit where he is set to hold talks with a number of high-ranking officials during the day, sources told Naharnet on Wednesday. He is scheduled to later meet political officials over a dinner banquet at the U.S. Embassy.
A Western diplomat told al-Liwaa daily published Wednesday that the visit comes on the eve of a new U.S. initiative on the Middle East and the peace process. His trip also comes amid three major developments: The turmoil in Syria and its implications on Lebanon, the demonstrations at Maroun al-Ras and the Israeli attack on protestors and the cabinet deadlock in Lebanon. Beirut, 18 May 11, 09:14

Report: U.S. to sanction Syria's Assad for human rights abuses
By Natasha Mozgovaya and Reuters /The United States plans to impose personal sanctions on Syrian President Bashar Assad, sources close to the matter said on Wednesday, amid continued violent crackdowns on Syrian pro-democracy protests. In a statement announcing the newly issued sanctions, U.S. President Barack Obama said the new measures were taken "in order to take additional steps with respect to the Government of Syria's continuing escalation of violence against the people of Syria." Syrian anti-regime protesters tearing down a poster of President Bashar al-Assad in Hama, north of Damascus, May 13, 2011.That violence, the statement added, included "attacks on protestors, arrests and harassment of protestors and political activists, and repression of democratic change, overseen and executed by numerous elements of the Syrian government." Beside Assad himself, the document lists the other senior Syrian officials sanctioned by the new measures as Assad, Syrian Vice President Farouk AL-Shara, Prime Minister Adel Safar, Minister of the Interior Mohammad Ibrahim al-Shaar, Minister of Defense Ali Habib Mahmoud, Head of Syrian Military Intelligence Abdul Fatah Qudsiya, and Director of Political Security Directorate Mohammad Dib Zaitoun. Assad had been partly rehabilitated in the West over the last three years but the United States and European Union condemned his use of force to quell unrest and warned they plan further steps after imposing sanctions on top Syrian officials. The Syrian leader told a delegation from the Damascus district of Midan that security forces had made mistakes handling the protests, Wednesday's al Watan newspaper said. One delegate said Assad told them 4,000 police would receive training "to prevent these excesses" being repeated, it said. Human rights groups say Assad's crackdown has killed at least 700 civilians. Authorities blame most of the violence on armed groups backed by Islamists and outside powers, saying they have also killed more than 120 soldiers and police. The Obama administration has tightened sanctions on senior Syrian officials to try to pressure Damascus to halt its crackdown on pro-democracy protests, but international human rights groups have criticized Washington for not taking stronger action.

Assad: Syria security forces made mistakes during uprising
By The Associated Press /Syrian President Bashar Assad said Wednesday that the country's security forces have made mistakes during the uprising against his regime and that thousands of police officers are receiving new training. Assad's comments were carried by the private Al-Watan daily on Wednesday. They came as a human rights activist said Syrian troops have used heavy machine-guns to strike a neighborhood in the central city of Homs. In this image from Syrian state television President Bashar Assad makes a speech in front of his cabinet in Damasus, Syria Saturday April 16, 2011.Mustafa Osso said the bombing of Bab Amr district took place early Wednesday. Syria's top rights organization has said that the crackdown by Assad has killed more than 850 people since the protests erupted in mid-March. The latest place to see a harsh crackdown on dissent is the western town of Talkalakh. Activists say 27 people have been killed there since last week.

More al Qaeda appointments after Saif al-Islam named command and revenge chief
DEBKAfile Special Report May 18, 2011, Circles associated with al Qaeda released the names of additional appointees Wednesday, May 18 after Egyptian Saif el Adal (Sword of Justice) was named interim operations chief by the organization's Shura council at its meeting on May 10. debkafile's counter-terror sources say that naming Osama bin Laden's most experienced terrorist operations mastermind underlined al Qaeda's current focus on avenging his death at American hands in Pakistan on May 2.
Other appointees are: Adnan al-Khairi al-Masry-Head of General Command; Muhammed Nasser Al-Wahshi-Head in Africa; Muhammed Adam Khan al-Afghani-Head in Afghanistan/Pakistan; and Fahd al-Iraqi-responsible for AfPak border. Ayman Zawahiri will reportedly replace Osama bin Laden with Saif al-Adel as his military chief.
According to our sources, Saif al-Adel will head the three-man team assigned with the revenge attack. Its other members are Mohammad Ilyas Kashmiri and Adnan G. El Shukrijumah.
Kashmiri is the commander of Brigade 313 which operates in Kashmir and India; Shukrijumah is al Qaeda's dirty bomb expert.
debkafile's sources describe el Adal as lacking Osama bin Laden's breadth for designing mega-operations on the scale of the 9/11 attacks in the United States. His forte is closely synchronized serial attacks on multiple targets. In his fifties today, he has won the reputation in the West and Arab world of an astute and accomplished master-terrorist and al Qaeda's senior operations officer, although the title was never formally conferred on him. El Adal is thought to have taken a hand in one way or another in almost every major al Qaeda action including the 2001 attacks in America.
When the United States invaded Afghanistan shortly after those attacks, el Adal fled to Iran where he was held under semi-house arrest for nine years under the protection of the al Qods Brigades, the intelligence and terrorist arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. Tehran which held a number of high-profile al Qaeda operatives allowed them to stay in regular touch with bin Laden. In 2003-2004, Tehran targeted Saudi Arabia for a wave of terror using the Qaeda operatives it was holding for these cross-border missions. Operations whiz Al-Adel was given overall command of this offensive. Then, in September 2010, when the US stepped up sanctions against Tehran, Iranian agents escorted him across the border into Northern Waziristan, Pakistan, to orchestrate operations against Americans in conjunction with the Taliban. From there, he stayed in communication with Kashmiri and Shukrijumah.
One of his tactical advantages over other contenders for the top al Qaeda job is his close ties with Iranian's intelligence and terrorist networks across the world, a major asset for selecting American targets for revenge.

MTV: Hezbollah aims ‘to paralyze the country’ with Thursday strike
May 18, 2011 /MTV reported on Wednesday that the public transport strike scheduled for Thursday is part of Hezbollah and its allies’ preparations to “completely paralyze the country.”A statement issued by transport syndicates earlier on Wednesday said that bus and public car owners will go on strike across Lebanon between 6 a.m. and 12 p.m. on Thursday.
-NOW Lebanon

The tale of the three Syrian soldiers
Aline Sara and Nadine Elali, May 18, 2011
Lebanese security forces patrol the area of Wadi Khaled on the border with Syria on May 15, 2011, the date three Syrian soldiers crossed into Lebanon. (AFP/Anwar Amro)
The three Syrian soldiers who crossed into Wadi Khaled from Syria on Sunday have been forced back to their homeland, head of the Lebanese Institute for Democracy and Human Rights Nabil Halabi confirmed to NOW Lebanon on Wednesday.
Little is known of the soldiers, why they came to Lebanon, if they were defectors or loyalists, and who sent them back. But myriad stories abound.
Before crossing the border, the soldiers had clashed with chabiha, militia men who support the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said Halabi. One soldier was shot dead, and his comrades had managed to transport his corpse into Lebanese territory, he added.
“The soldiers had received higher orders to shoot at Syrian citizens fleeing into Lebanon,” said a Syrian activist who is currently in Wadi Khaled and who had direct contact with the soldiers. But after refusing to follow the orders, they were attacked, added the activist, who spoke to NOW Lebanon on condition of anonymity. They left their arms there and defected to Lebanon, but now they are back in Syria, where “they will become victims of the system." But BBC Arabic’s Nada Abdelsamad, who interviewed two of the soldiers this week, paints a different picture of the story.  According to her, the soldiers were brought into Lebanon by force. “There were four soldiers who were attacked, one was injured, one was killed, and the two others are alive,” she told NOW Lebanon. The two soldiers Abdelsamad interviewed said they were attacked by a group of 20 people while on duty at the border village of Arida. “We were surprised, and there was shooting, and we weren’t sure where it was coming from,” said one. According to the soldier, after he and his comrades surrendered their weapons, their attackers pushed them toward the Lebanese border.
“I am not sure if the people who forced them across are Syrians from [the Syrian border village of] Tal Kalakh who were already in Wadi Khaled, or Lebanese from Wadi Khaled,” Abdelsamad told NOW Lebanon. “I’m really surprised [at what people are saying],” she added, in reference to statements that the soldiers had deliberately fled to Lebanon. “They were brought to Lebanon against their will. This is a fact, I was there.”But a sheikh from Wadi Khaled who did not want his name printed, argued otherwise. “They got caught in the crossfire, and one was injured. So his friends tried to rescue him and take him to the Lebanese border where there was an ambulance,” he said.
Now that the soldiers have been sent back, human rights activists are criticizing the Lebanese government and army for their handling of the situation.
According to Halabi, the Lebanese army’s intelligence bureau transferred the soldiers back to Syria without going through the proper judicial process. “Legally speaking, the army has no right to do so,” he stressed. According to the lawyer, such an act violates both international and domestic law.
“A person who has fled into the Lebanese territory has not committed a crime at the local level; he is a refugee, and as a refugee, is entitled to protection and intervention from the UNHCR,” Halabi said, referring to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Lebanon also ratified the Convention Against Torture, Article 3 of which condemns handing over a refugee at risk of being subject to torture, he added. “By handing them back, the soldiers will be facing death, not only torture,” said Halabi.
As for the Lebanese penal code, Halabi said that the soldiers were detained without a warrant by security forces, not judicial officers. Additionally, in this case, the military intelligence did not have the authority to send the soldiers back – only the Ministry of Justice did.
The army denied having any information on the deportation. “What you hear is just talk,” said a Lebanese Armed Forces representative in a phone interview with NOW Lebanon. “We don’t have information about this story; this issue is an issue of [the Ministry of] Justice.”
Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar told NOW Lebanon that the soldiers had requested to be sent back to Syria, meaning the Lebanese army was not required to go through judicial procedures before sending them back. “Obviously, if they want to go back, who is there to stop them said?” Nadim Houry, director of Human Rights Watch’s Beirut office. “But, in the absence of a clear process and clear communication, we have no independent guarantees on what these soldiers wanted or not.”
“The lack of transparency is unacceptable. The Lebanese army should come out with a clear statement about what process was put in place to make sure that when they were sent back to Syria, they would not be detained and possibly tortured,” he said.

Juppe Meets Jumblat: France is Committed to Preserving Lebanese Stability
Naharnet/French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe has reportedly informed Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat that France is keen on preserving Lebanon's stability amid an uprising against the Syrian regime.France is aware of the suppression of the Syrian people and cannot stand idle, Juppe told Jumblat and Caretaker Public Works Minister Ghazi Aridi during a meeting in Paris on Tuesday, Pan-Arab daily al-Hayat quoted sources as saying. "France is aware of the impact that the situation in Syria has on Lebanon," Juppe told his visitors, according to the sources. The three men held talks on the developments in the Arab world and Juppe heard Jumblat's point of view on the situation in Lebanon, including the cabinet impasse, the sources told al-Hayat. When contacted by An Nahar daily, Aridi called for speeding up the formation of the government and rejected any justification for the deadlock.
The minister said that the delay was paralyzing the economy of the country. "Unfortunately, all the issues are being addressed lightly," Aridi told An Nahar, warning that the current situation stands ahead of the "narrow political calculations" of the political parties. Beirut, 18 May 11, 09:44

March 14: Aiding Displaced Syrians Stresses Fraternal Ties between Lebanon and Syria
Naharnet/The March 14 General Secretariat expressed its concern and compassion over the flow of displaced Syrians into Lebanon, praising the efforts exerted by the Higher Relief Council and residents of Akkar to harbor them. It urged in a statement after its weekly meeting "concerned ministries and humanitarian organizations to assist our Syrian brothers."
"Aiding the displaced on all levels asserts the fraternal ties between the Lebanese and Syrian people," it continued. It warned however against attempts to "transform Lebanon into an open ground for the Syrian crisis." Addressing the postponement of a meeting aimed at voicing support for the anti-regime protests in Syria that was scheduled to be held at the Bristol Hotel on Tuesday, the March 14 general secretariat condemned "the terrorism that hotel was subject to that forced it to refrain from holding the gathering."
It accused the March 8 camp of being behind the threats directed against the hotel, voicing its "rejection of subjecting Beirut, the capital of culture and freedom" to its "terrorism practices."
Regarding the Nakba Day clashes that erupted at Maroun al-Ras on Sunday, the general secretariat strongly condemned the Israeli crimes, voicing its solidarity with the Palestinian people and support for their right to return to their homeland. "Lebanon is committed to the implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 1701 and respecting the Blue Line," it said. Beirut, 18 May 11, 14:33

Gemayel Meets Miqati: How Can We Hand Power over to a Technocrat Cabinet?
Naharnet/Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel stated on Wednesday that a technocratic government contradicts the Taif Accord, which stands as the political and executive authority in Lebanon. He asked after holding talks with Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati: "How can we hand over executive and national power to a Cabinet that is not connected with parliamentary blocs?" He instead reiterated his support for the formation of a national salvation government that had also been proposed by Speaker Nabih Berri. Gemayel also praised the premier-designate's efforts in forming a new government, saying: "He is bravely and wisely facing the challenges." "I sensed a determination and honest desire to serve Lebanon through forming a government that would meet the aspirations of the Lebanese," he added. Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea is among the most prominent officials demanding the formation of a technocratic government, which he said "is the only solution to the current situation in Lebanon." Soon after Miqati's appointment, Gemayel had made the announcement that negotiations between the March 14 camp and Miqati had reached a dead end "because of the March 8 camp's impossible demands." Beirut, 18 May 11, 19:23

Fears of Clash between Berri, March 14 after al-Mustaqbal Refuses Parliament to Play Executive Role
Naharnet/Speaker Nabih Berri and March 14 lawmakers are expected to clash over his efforts to hold a parliamentary session amid a political vacuum caused by the absence of a new government. "No matter what the opinion of colleagues is, some things need to be discussed," Berri told An Nahar daily in remarks published Wednesday. He said the issue of prisons and the election of a governor for the Central Bank were among the priorities that necessitated a parliamentary session despite the absence of a cabinet.
However, contacts are underway among March 14 officials to come up with a unified stance against Berri's move which began on Wednesday with a meeting of parliament's bureau committee and the administrative and justice committee to hear the opinion of MPs and take the appropriate decision.  During the meeting, MP Ali Hassan Khalil, Berri's aide, proposed a draft-law to keep Riyad Salameh as Central Bank governor pending the formation of a new government. MP Michel Moussa, who is also from the speaker's Development and Liberation bloc, proposed another draft-law that aims at granting amnesty in some cases not linked to major offenses. Al-Mustaqbal newspaper quoted al-Mustaqbal bloc and other March 14 lawmakers as saying that their alleged unified stance will be based on their "total rejection to overstep the prime minister and the government over issues that they could take decisions on."
They claimed that Caretaker Premier Saad Hariri's cabinet is capable of taking decisions on issues such as the appointment of the Central Bank governor "if it wants to." They did not rule out the possibility for the caretaking government to hold a session if Berri continued to insist on calling for a parliamentary meeting.
"We don't accept legislation amid the absence of a cabinet in Lebanon," the MPs said. Al-Mustaqbal bloc, which is part of the March 14 alliance, met on Wednesday morning and agreed to reject Berri's attempt to call for a parliamentary session to take executive decisions. Despite the announcement, al-Liwaa daily said that members of the March 14 forces were divided over the issue. While the tendency of the Lebanese Forces bloc was to reject Berri's move, Caretaker Minister Butros Harb and head of the administrative committee MP Robert Ghanem will most likely approve the speaker's initiative. According to al-Liwaa, it was not yet clear what the stance of the Phalange MPs will be. Beirut, 18 May 11, 08:29

Canada Expels Five Libyan Diplomats
No. 136 - May 17, 2011
The Government of Canada has taken steps to expel (declare persona non grata) five diplomats working at the Libyan Embassy in Ottawa. The activities carried out in Canada by the five Libyan diplomats are considered inappropriate and inconsistent with normal diplomatic functions. Canada has not severed diplomatic relations with Libya, but we have suspended the operations of the Embassy in Tripoli. The Libyan Embassy in Ottawa remains open. The five diplomats and their families must arrange for their immediate departure.

Don’t Even Try Defecting to Lebanon
Michael J. Totten
http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2011/05/17/dont-even-try-defecting-to-lebanon/
05.17.2011 - 8:15 AM /Commentary
Three Syrian soldiers tried to defect to Lebanon after shielding fleeing refugees from Bashar al-Assad’s violent Shahiba miltia, but they were promptly arrested by Lebanese army officers and will most likely be sent back to Damascus. “Defecting” from Syria to Lebanon in 2011 is as useless as fleeing Moscow to East Berlin during the Soviet era. Anyone who tries is all but guaranteed to be arrested, will most likely be tortured, and faces the real possibility of being executed. It’s sad, really. Lebanon, when left to its own devices, is a fairly open place and has acted as a refuge of sorts for writers and dissidents who can’t survive in the Arab world’s closed societies and despotic political systems. The country very nearly recovered its sovereignty and reverted to its old sectarian-democratic self after the Cedar Revolution in 2005, but today it’s firmly back in the Syrian- and Iranian-led Resistance Bloc.
No one rules Lebanon in the usual way Middle Eastern countries are ruled. Those who live in, say, the Christian city of Jounieh aren’t affected at all by Syrian, Iranian, or Hezbollah politics as they go about their daily lives. They can say whatever they want, and they can do whatever they want. Syria and Iran, though, via Hezbollah and their bribed and bullied proxies in the government and armed forces, are firmly in charge of Lebanon’s foreign and internal security policies. The three decent Syrian soldiers seeking refuge are probably doomed

UN under-secretary-general says border breachers ‘innocent'
By JORDANA HORN, JPOST CORRESPONDENT
05/17/2011 21:01
NEW YORK – Ambassador to the UN Meron Reuben and Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon both lodged protests in recent days against UN envoys and officials regarding Sunday’s breaches of Israel’s borders. Reuben sent two letters to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council on Monday, lodging formal complaints regarding the violent intrusions on the Syria and Lebanese borders. Syrian and Lebanese representatives made their views known as well. On Tuesday, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon met with UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos, as well as EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response Kristalina Georgieva. During his meeting, Ayalon lodged a protest against Amos, who characterized those who breached Israel’s borders Sunday as “innocent.”“It is incumbent that a United Nations senior official will denounce the provocative violence against Israel, its citizens and its sovereignty, instead of pointing the finger at a democracy trying to defend itself,” Ayalon said. “Israel’s territory is not worthless and will not be abandoned. Israel has the right and duty, as does any nation, to defend itself and its borders. It is disappointing that the person in charge of humanitarian affairs at the UN requires explanations on why defensible borders are a fundamental right of Israel’s citizens. Israelis are not second class citizens and they are entailed to all the rights of citizens of other nations.”
Lebanon also filed a complaint with the UN against Israel. Lebanese Ambassador to the UN Nawaf Salam said that IDF troops “opened fire” on unarmed protesters Sunday. He claimed Lebanese troops had taken “tight security measures” to escort the group on the demarcation line between the two countries. The deaths on Sunday, Salam said, highlight “Israel’s aggressive nature, as it did not hesitate to use excessive force against civilians in blatant contravention of international law and customs.” Lebanon, which has one of the rotating seats on the 15-nation Security Council, asked the council on Monday to “pressure Israel to renounce its belligerent and provocative policy toward Lebanon and hold it responsible” for the deaths.
UN officials warned on Tuesday that there would be further deaths and instability unless a lasting solution was found to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

U.S. And Israel Accuse Syria Of Provoking Border Clashes On Nakba Day
http://www.businessinsider.com/america-and-israel-accuse-syria-of-provoking-israel-border-clashes-on-nakba-day-2011-05
Mamta Badkar | May 17, 2011,
A Palestinian demonstrator seen during clashes with Israeli troops, to mark the 63rd anniversary of "Nakba"
The U.S. and Israel have accused Syria of inciting clashes along Israel's borders that led to the death of at least 14 people on 'Nakba' day, or the day of catastrophe.
In a press briefing spokesman Mark Toner said the U.S. regrets the deaths but believes Israel has the right to secure its borders. In response to a question about Syria's role in the demonstration Toner said:
Well, we do think that this is an effort by the Syrian Government to play a destabilizing role. They’re – it’s clearly an effort by them to take focus off the situation that’s happening right now in Syria, and it’s a cynical use of the Palestinian cause to encourage violence along its border as it continues to repress its own people within Syria.
During a briefing on Monday, White House press secretary John Carney expressed similar concerns:
Well, we certainly think that there's a history of that and it seems apparent to us that that is an effort to distract attention from the legitimate expressions of protests by the Syrian people and from the harsh crackdown that the Syrian government has perpetrated against its own people.
It has been argued that it is impossible for Assad's regime not to know about the crowds because crowds are not allowed to gather at the Golan border that is strictly monitored by both sides, and there have been no significant demonstrations in the area in recent years.
Meanwhile Israel's Ambassador to the UN, Mr. Meron Reuben has filed an official complaint with the UN:
In the days leading up to yesterday's incident, Israel alerted a number of parties about the explosive potential of plans for violent incidents on the so-called "Nakba Day." Despite these warnings from Israel, violent demonstrators broke down fences and crossed over the agreed disengagement line from the Syrian side.
All signs indicate that this incident could not have taken place or been organized without the knowledge of the Syrian authorities, who in previous years have helped to ensure that protests on the so-called "Nakba Day" occurred peacefully. This breach of the disengagement line between Israel and Syria from the Syrian side raises disturbing questions about whether certain actors in our region are seeking to such provocations as a cynical distraction from other issues.
The move has been seen as a desperate bid to secure Assad's presidency by winning over the support of Syria's middle class that have yet to take sides.

Iran says B.C. journalist broke passport rules
CBC News
May 17, 2011 4:16
A missing British Columbia journalist who is also an Iranian citizen committed several passport violations on her recent trip to Syria, a spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday without offering details on her whereabouts. Reporter Dorothy Parvaz's father, however, says any such violations would be "very insignificant" and typically subject to just a fine.
Parvaz, a correspondent for Al-Jazeera's English-language channel, has been missing since April 29, when she left the broadcaster's base in Qatar for Syria to report on the political turmoil there. Last week, Al-Jazeera said it had been told by Syrian officials that Parvaz was sent to Iran after she was detained in Damascus. Iranian spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Tuesday that Parvaz "travelled to Syria with expired Iranian passport, planned to work without a press permit and had several passports on her." Mehmanparast did not offer any evidence to back those claims. Parvaz is Iranian-born and has Canadian, U.S. and Iranian citizenship. It's unclear what rules could be broken by travelling with multiple valid passports, but Mehmanparast reiterated that Iran does not recognize multiple nationalities for Iranians. Iranians do not need advance visas to enter Syria.
"It baffles me why this is happening," Parvaz's father, Fred Parvaz, told CBC News. "This passport violation, these are just very minor, these are very insignificant. [It] could be subject to a fine or subject to some charges, and I have not seen any charges laid against her."
Whereabouts not disclosed
Mehmanparast also did not specifically address the whereabouts of the 39-year-old Parvaz. He said the Iranian Foreign Ministry was "following the issue to find out what happened to Parvaz, which is important to us, too." Canada's Foreign Affairs Department said in a statement Tuesday morning that it is "engaging Iranian and Syrian authorities at high levels to obtain additional information" and "pressing for information about her whereabouts." Syria has expelled most foreign reporters as its government cracks down on protests aimed at toppling the four-decade rule of President Bashar Assad's family. Parvaz, an experienced journalist, joined Al-Jazeera in 2010. She was born in Iran and moved to Vancouver as a teenager, later graduating from the University of British Columbia. She also has a masters degree from Arizona University and held journalism fellowships at both Harvard and Cambridge universities.
She previously worked as a columnist and feature writer for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in the United States

Syria 'offended' by Turkish PM's statement, envoy says
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
SEVİL KÜÇÜKKOŞUM
ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News
Syria is offended by some remarks by Turkish leaders that are seen as domestic political ploys ahead of the June 12 general elections, the Syrian ambassador to Ankara told the Hürriyet Daily News on Monday. The envoy said Syria had conveyed its displeasure to Turkish authorities in Damascus over Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s remarks comparing the Halabja massacre carried out by Iraq’s Saddam Hussein with the Syrian administration’s recent crackdown on protesters. “What has happened that really did not go over very well in Syria is the linkage between what has been going in Syria and what happened in Halabja,” Ambassador Nidal Kabalan told the Daily News. “We never presume there is bad will on the part of Turkey. Maybe it was meant to convey a message; it conveyed a negative one. It was not a crisis. We said we did not like it,” Kabalan said.
The envoy suggested that the upcoming elections in Turkey might have impacted Turkey’s attitude on the uprisings in Syria, which turned from support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad at first to criticism of the regime’s bloody crackdown on protesters. “We understand there has been a change [in Turkey’s approach to the Syrian turmoil] mainly for some local considerations. The elections are a key factor and it is putting everybody in an awkward position,” he said.
Kabalan said Damascus understands that Erdoğan and the country’s “Turkish friends have been worried about” what is going on in Syria due to concerns over regional security and stability.
“In Halabja, Saddam Hussein used chemical weapons to annihilate the whole population. What is happening in Syria is actually some small army units confronting gangs who are killing the police,” the ambassador said. He added that Syria had expressed its discomfort to Ankara “within the framework of friendship,” and can “differentiate between those who want to interfere in [our] internal affairs and those who criticize Syria because they love Syria.”
While underscoring Turkey’s special place as a friend, Kabalan also signaled disappointment with some critical statements from Ankara. “When Israel attacked the Mavi Marmara, al-Assad came to Istanbul and met with the Turkish president and prime minister,” the ambassador said, referring to Israel’s raid last year on a flotilla of Gaza-bound aid ships. “He said whatever action Turkey decides [to take] against Israel, we are with you all the way, including if Turkey decides to wage a war. This is the principle stance of a friend.” “The Syrian people do not like a lot of things that have happened in Turkey. They were expecting a completely different attitude,” he added. “But we understand that the Turkish government is at a very sensitive juncture. You have the elections [coming] and everybody is tense.” Kabalan said what Syria would like was “a very clear Turkish commitment to the security [and] stability of Syria and a very clear commitment to preserve the historical achievements of the two countries in recent years.”
“The conspiracy has finished in Syria,” he added. “We could focus with Turkey once again on the joint interests that have brought us closer in recent years, putting what has happened behind us.”
Muslim Brotherhood ‘like what PKK is for Turkey’
The Syrian administration has also been irked by the meetings of Syrian opposition figures in Istanbul in April. “I think Turkey has been trying to play a role, maybe which in principle has a good intention, but the Muslim Brotherhood, those who have taken part in armed operations against the Syrian army in 1980s, have Syrian blood on their hands,” Kabalan said.
“For us, the Muslim Brotherhood is like the PKK is for Turkey,” he said, referring to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK. “The Muslim Brotherhood has been attacking the army. You have to understand that sensitivity.”
Kabalan said the political wing of Muslim Brotherhood had been engaged in dialogue with the Syrian government, but added that he was talking about the military wing of the group.
“At the gathering in Istanbul a press conference was held by Riad al-Shaqfa, a mentor of the Muslim Brotherhood. It was carried live on Al Jazeera – an unwelcome development, I have to be honest. We did not like it. You should not give a platform to people with blood on their hands,” he said.
“The issue is who is meeting and what the decisions are. If it was a meeting to initiate a peaceful constructive dialogue with the country, it was not a problem,” Kabalan added.
The meeting was organized under the auspices of the Independent Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association, or MÜSİAD, but the financer and the real organizer was Gazi Mısırlı, one of the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood and a Syrian who has been living in Turkey with Turkish citizenship, Kabalan said.
“When President al-Assad came to Istanbul [in 2009], Mr. Erdoğan introduced this guy and said, ‘Please, my brother Bashar, help this man.’ Mısırlı is the financer of most of the actions,” the ambassador said. “He was welcomed by Bashar al-Assad personally to go back to Syria. This was 1.5 years ago, and he did not give one single answer.”
“We are very sorry for every single drop of blood that has been shed on Syrian soil. Syrian blood should be spread in Palestine, in fighting Israel, not in fighting in Syrian cities,” he added.
Kabalan said the unrest in Syria was almost over and that the government had obtained confessions from arrested armed people of at least 11 nationalities, including those from Iraq, Jordan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Eritrea and Somalia.
Asked about criticisms that al-Assad’s regime is slow in acting on reforms, the envoy said such changes take time, citing the Turkish government’s efforts to change the constitution over the past four to five years.
Turkish experts who visited Damascus have contributed to legislation on a multiparty system

Syrian refugees describe gangs fomenting sectarian strife
By Nicholas Blanford, Correspondent / May 17, 2011
Arida, Lebanon-Syria border
The four Syrian men came up the river bank, panting with exertion and fear, trousers rolled up, legs glistening wet, carrying heavy suitcases on their backs as they crossed into Lebanon.
.“Quickly, move along. There are snipers shooting this way,” urges a Lebanese soldier, motioning the four across an exposed stretch of road within clear view of houses on the Syrian side of the narrow Kabir river.
The four men were the latest refugees to flee from Tel Kalakh, a Sunni-populated town lying two miles west of this village that straddles the border. Syrian security forces and regime loyalists are engaged in a bloody crackdown that residents say is turning into a sectarian war between Sunnis and Alawites, the minority Shiite offshoot that forms the backbone of the regime.
Since Saturday, thousands of residents of the besieged town have slipped into Lebanon, some braving sniper fire to cross the small stone bridge at Arida, others creeping through the rugged stony hills to find fordable reaches of the Kabir River. The refugees are bringing with them tales of bloodshed and terror that, if true, offer rare glimpses into the uncompromising measures used by the Syrian security forces to crush a two-month rebellion that has shaken the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
“The bullets were falling on us like rain. The children were terrified,” says one young woman wearing a black niqab, a face covering worn by devout Muslim women. The refugees interviewed refused to give their names for security reasons.
“They are killing all the Muslims,” she added. “They are destroying the mosques so that we cannot gather to pray and demonstrate.”
Sunnis targeted by Alawite militiamen
Several refugees described seeing people getting their throats cut in the street by gangs of black uniformed “Shabiha” Alawite militiamen. They said some of the Shabiha militiamen in Tel Kalakh were dispatched from Qordaha, an Alawite town in western Syria that is the ancestral home of the Assad family and consequently a staunch bastion of support for the regime.
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In a chilling echo of the early stages in Lebanon’s 1975-90 civil war, they said that the Shabiha militiamen were stopping people in the street and checking their identity cards for potential victims.
“If they see he’s a Sunni from his family name, they take him away and kill him,” the woman in the niqab said. “They destroyed the Omar bin Khattab mosque because it is named after a companion of the Prophet Mohammed and dear to Sunnis. What we have here is a sectarian war between the Alawites and Sunnis.”
Most of the refugees on this side of border have taken shelter with Lebanese family members and friends. One family of 10 was crammed inside a tiny single-roomed building. The women leaned against the wall of unfurnished room while children played on the threadbare carpet that covered the cement floor.
“The town smells of the dead lying in the streets,” says a distraught portly woman wearing a dark full-length dress and a white headscarf. “The wounded are hiding in cellars. They are going in inch by inch and killing everyone."
She even said she had seen Shabiha militiamen catch a group of children, bind their hands, and urinate on them.
'Nothing left but God to protect us'
It was impossible to verify the allegations of killings and destruction inside Tel Kalakh, although most residents interviewed separately told similar accounts.
One young man inside Tel Kalakh who was contacted by telephone said that most remaining residents were in hiding, either locking themselves inside homes or slipping into the woods and fields surrounding the town.
“We are peaceful demonstrators,” he says. “We don’t have an armed resistance. We have nothing left but God to protect us. We are the martyrs for freedom. That’s all we have left.” He paused for a moment, then the crackle of rifle fire could be heard over the telephone line.
“They’re shooting. I have to go. We’re under fire,” he said. Then the line went dead.
Booming black market for weapons
Although the residents of Tel Kalakh insist that the opposition is unarmed, there have been numerous persuasive reports indicating that some of the protesters at least are shooting back. On Sunday, a Syrian border post in Arida was attacked and overrun and a soldier captured.
Sales of black market weapons in Lebanon have skyrocketed in recent weeks driven almost entirely by demand in Syria, according to arms dealers.
A group of young men from Tel Kalakh scrutinized the Syrian side of the river, looking for the hidden snipers that every few minutes fired a round or two into Lebanon, keeping nerves on edge. They suddenly became animated upon spotting a Syrian armored fighting vehicle belching gray exhaust fumes and trundling across a distant hill of lush knee-high grass peppered with piles of black basalt boulders.
“Look! It’s the enemy,” yells one man. Several Syrian soldiers could be seen standing on the roof of house that apparently had been turned into a temporary operations center.
Coils of razor wire were stretched across the road in front of the bridge over the Kabir river. Several Lebanese soldiers and orange-uniformed medics from the Islamic Medical Association sheltered from snipers beside a wall.
“It’s been quieter today, because it is too dangerous for people to enter Lebanon here,” said Walid Dinnawi, the chief medical officer.
“Sunday was terrible. There were bullets, smoke, shelling. We received eight casualties. One of them died. All of them were shot in the chest and above.”
A nationwide general strike has been called by the Syrian opposition for today in support of the beleaguered residents of Tel Kalakh.
“It will be a day of punishment for the regime by the revolutionaries and the people of free will,” said a statement posted on the Syrian Revolution 2011 Facebook page.

Obama and the Muslim Brotherhood
By: Mark Silverberg
17 May 2011
International Analyst Network
http://www.analyst-network.com/article.php?art_id=3780
President Barack Obama appears to be preparing a fresh outreach to the Muslim world in coming days, one that will ask those in the Middle East and beyond to reject Islamic terrorism in the wake of Osama bin Laden’s death and embrace what he believes will be a new era of positive relations with the U.S. A senior Obama administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity suggested: "We shouldn't be afraid of Islam in the politics of (Arab) countries", and Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser at the White House told the Wall Street Journal: “It’s an interesting coincidence of timing - that (bin Laden) is killed at the same time that you have a model of change emerging in the region that is completely the opposite of bin Laden’s model.” Problem is, this emerging model of change won’t be the kind the U.S. Administration is anticipating.
Since taking office, the President has been infatuated with the Muslim Brotherhood and has argued that political Islam and democratic politics are compatible with one another. This is more than a little surprising given that numerous polls are now suggesting that the Islamic bloc in Egypt will likely win the September elections and include Salafists who are even more extreme in their views of Islam than the Muslim Brotherhood, but this has not dampened his enthusiasm for this policy paradigm. He is a true believer, and fails to understand the nature of the gathering threats.
His outreach policy was defined in his June 2009 speech at Cairo’s Al-Azhar University when he stated his intention to mend the rift between the United States and the Muslim world by speaking of “the common values of the two cultures”, and calling for a "new beginning" in the relationship. Now he is about to begin another outreach initiative based on his belief that bin Ladin’s death represents a unique opportunity for radical Islamist groups to cast their swords into ploughshares, embrace democracy, and carry the torch of freedom to the Arab world. And according to DEBKAFile intelligence sources, he has already picked the “moderate” Muslim Brotherhood as his partner for promoting American interests in the Arab world in place of their ousted rulers. He will discover shortly that you can pet a scorpion but you cannot change its nature.
His determination to pursue this folly comes as no surprise given the recent Wikileak stating that his Administration had worked covertly with the Muslim Brotherhood for some time to bring down the Mubarak government long before the so-called “Arab Spring” of 2011. Within days of demonstrations erupting in Tahrir Square and elsewhere in Egypt, President Obama was calling for his Egyptian counterpart’s immediate removal from power - the sort of statement he has effectively refrained from making either in Iran or Syria, where demonstrations have gone on longer, and have been considerably bloodier.
In the coming months, we can expect to hear him addressing the Muslim world with his utopian vision that bin Laden’s death signals an end to” the old ways” and that the uprisings in Tunisia, Libya, Bahrain, Egypt, Yemen, Jordan, Syria and elsewhere in the Arab world are the harbingers of a new and better future of the Middle East. The problem with this approach is his fundamental misunderstanding of the tribal and religious nature of Arab societies, the extent to which political Islam prohibits resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict, and the dangers inherent in establishing alliances with radical Islamists whose sole raison d’etre is the establishment of Sharia throughout the Middle East and the destruction of American interests and influence in the region - most notably Israel.
As Islamic forces begin to take hold in the Arab world, it is becoming clearer that it was not the death of bin Laden that the Arab world sought, but the increasing influence of Islam in Arab societies that he promoted. Poll after poll continues to show this. A recent Pew Research Center study shows that more than 70% of Egyptians will favor the Muslim Brotherhood in the upcoming election (just as the Palestinians favored “moderate” Hamas in Gaza in the 2006 elections) while more than half of those polled favor cancellation of Egypt’s 30-year peace treaty with Israel. This will have a profound effect upon the future stability of the region. The “moderate” Islamists he is eagerly promoting as agents of change have plans of their own and will engender more not less radicalism and instability in the region.
Nevertheless, Obama’s overtures continue to be motivated by his unwavering belief that he can establish closer relations with an organization that is determined to destroy Western influence in the Middle East and that considers him to be a useful idiot much as Khomeini and the Politburo considered Carter to be a useful idiot when the latter discarded his ally the Shah of Iran during the 1979 “democratic” Iranian Revolution that brought the Islamists to power.
Efraim Karsh wrote in the January 2011 issue of the Journal of International Security Affairs: “If, today, America is reviled in the Muslim world, it is not because of its specific policies but because, as the pre-eminent world power, it blocks the final realization of (the Islamists’) age-old dream of a universal Islamic community or umma. It is the failure to recognize this state of affairs that accounts for the resounding lack of success of Obama’s policies toward the Middle East and the Muslim World.” In effect, since the Brotherhood’s admitted raison d’être is to establish and expand Shariah law throughout the world, Obama’s outreach policy to them is not only naïve but dangerous. Islamist leaders seek to replace Western influence in the Middle East by any means necessary, preferably, but not necessarily by the ballot.
It is the inability to recognize this state of affairs that accounts for the resounding lack of success of Obama’s policies in the Middle East and the Muslim world. His outreach policies have failed spectacularly as evidenced by the fact that Iran, despite all our efforts to appease and accommodate the mullahs and (subsequently) to enforce sanctions against the country, continues to work diligently to turn the recent Middle East disturbances to their favor, backing Shiite and other dissident groups in Bahrain, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia, and is on the brink of achieving nuclear capability. The Saudis have concluded that America is a “paper tiger” and, as a result, have moved into Bahrain militarily and begun to supply arms to the Syrian opposition in order to prevent further Iranian penetration of those countries. Turkey has turned away from the West and is becoming increasingly Islamic in orientation. The Palestinians have become even more intransigent and unwilling to compromise, negotiate, reduce incitement, and continue to flaunt their treaty obligations with Israel and refuse to recognize Israel’s existence as a Jewish state. Lebanon’s government is now effectively controlled by Hezbollah and Iran, and Syria continues to facilitate the transit of weapons and terrorists into Iraq and develop stronger bilateral ties with the Iranians while utilizing Iranian-supplied tear gas, anti-riot gear and militias to murder Syrian civilian protesters demonstrating against Assad’s brutal dictatorship.
Perhaps the President believes, as does Zbigniew Brzezinski (architect of the U.S. covert war in Afghanistan) that political Islam is an unstoppable force that Washington can safely ride in order to capture and control the oil and natural gas reserves of Central Asia, but if that is his belief, he’s wrong. His outreach policy cannot pacify Islamic extremists any more than Chamberlain could appease Nazism. If and when American officials finally understand this reality, the failure of Obama’s outreach to the Muslim world will have at least provided him with a dose of reality. But that will be small consolation after we’ve lost the Middle East.

Syrian soldiers 'held in Lebanon after fleeing clashes'
17 May 2011
Lebanon has detained at least two Syrian soldiers who crossed its border to escape clashes between security forces and protesters, activists say. The soldiers reportedly fled after opening fire on pro-regime militiamen attacking civilians near a border checkpoint they were manning. A third soldier is said to have been killed. Activists have appealed to the Lebanese army not to hand the soldiers back. There has so far been no comment from the Lebanese or Syrian authorities. Syrian civilians who have poured over the Lebanese border in recent days say security forces have surrounded the western town of Tal Kalakh and the nearby village of Arida, and launched a brutal crackdown. At least 16 people have been killed and scores arrested, activists say. "They destroyed the houses, they cut electricity and water. The wounded are dying in our hands and the dead are strewn on the streets," a Tal Kalakh resident told the Reuters news agency by telephone. Lebanese Institute for Democracy and Human Rights Nabil Halabi, the head of the Lebanese Institute for Democracy and Human Rights, said the soldiers had been manning a checkpoint close to the border when a group of civilians tried to cross into Lebanon.
The civilians came under fire from border guards and members of an armed gang loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad known as "shabiha", he added.
"The shabiha and Syrian border guards opened fire on refugees headed for the Wadi Khaled region, as well as on Lebanese who were waiting on the other side of the border," he told the AFP news agency. Some soldiers shot back at the security forces and three were wounded in the exchange, one of them fatally, Mr Halabi said.
He said Lebanese army intelligence agents had taken away "the two soldiers and the corpse", and that he feared they would be deported to Syria where there would be at risk of torture and execution. The mayor of the Lebanese village of Muqaibileh told CNN that three unarmed Syrian soldiers had crossed the border from Arida, where they were stationed. He did not say if one had been fatally wounded. Syria's state news agency said eight soldiers and policemen were killed on Tuesday while pursuing "wanted armed terrorists" in Tal Kalakh and the surrounding area. Several gunmen were killed or captured, it added.
Foreign journalists have been blocked from entering Syria and the reports could not immediately be verified.

US Department of Justice plans to prosecute Hezbollah commander captured in Iraq
By Bill RoggioMay 16, 2011
The US Department of Justice is planning to prosecute Ali Mussa Daqduq, a dangerous Lebanese Hezbollah and Iranian Qods Force agent who is responsible for organizing the Shia terror groups in Iraq and the kidnapping and murder of US soldiers.
The proposed prosecution was disclosed in a letter written by five US senators to US Attorney General Eric Holder, asking the Justice Department to clarify the status of Daqduq and inquiring why Daqduq will not be transferred to the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. The letter, which was signed by US Senators Charles Grassley, Orrin Hatch, Jeff Sessions, John Cornyn, and Tom Coburn, was sent to the Department of Justice this evening. A copy of the letter was obtained by The Long War Journal [see Threat Matrix report, Text of letter to the Department of Justice on Ali Mussa Daqduq].
"We are deeply concerned that the Administration and the Department of Justice are moving forward with plans to prosecute Ali Mussa Daqduq in federal court for clear violations of the laws of war that occurred in Iraq," the senators said.
The senators believe that Daqduq should be prosecuted by a military commission and not in a federal court as "his actions clearly defy the laws of war." The senators are also concerned that Daqduq would eventually be freed if transferred to the Iraqi government.
"Moreover, we are concerned that if Daqduq is left in the custody of the Iraqi government, AAH [the Asaib al Haq or League of the Righteous] will successfully negotiate his release," the letter continued. "There is little doubt that Daqduq will return to the battlefield and resume his terrorist activities against the United States and our interests."
Daqduq is perhaps the most dangerous of the Shia terror commanders captured by US forces in Iraq since 2003. Daqduq has a pedigree with Lebanese Hezbollah, Iran's proxy militia and terror group that is based in Lebanon. At the time of his capture in March 2007, he was a 24-year veteran of Hezbollah. He has commanded both a Hezbollah special operations unit and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah's security detail.
In 2005, Hezbollah's leadership directed Daqduq to travel to Iran and partner with Qods Force, Iran's elite special operations group tasked with spreading the Iranian theocracy to neighboring countries, to train Iraqi Shia terror groups, the US military said in a briefing in July 2007 after Daqduq's capture. The US seized documents that outlined Daqduq's role in supporting the Shia terror groups, which are collectively called the Special Groups by the US military. The Special Groups include the Mahdi Army, the League of the Righteous (Asaib al Haq, a Mahdi Army faction), and the Hezbollah Brigades.
In May 2006, Daqduq traveled with Yussef Hashim, the chief of Lebanese Hezbollah's operations in Iraq, to Tehran to meet with the commander and the deputy commander of the Iranian Qods Force Special External Operations branch. Daqduq made four trips into Iraq in 2006, where he personally observed Special Groups operations.
Upon his return to Iran, Daqduq was tasked to organize the Special Groups "in ways that mirrored how Hezbollah was organized in Lebanon," Brigadier General Keven Bergner said in the July 2007 briefing. Daqduq began to train Iraqis inside Iran to carry out terror attacks in their home country. Groups of 20 to 60 recruits were trained in the use of Explosively Formed Penetrators (EFPs), mortars, rockets, and sniper rifles, and instructed on how to conduct intelligence and kidnapping operations.
"These Special Groups are militia extremists, funded, trained and armed by external sources, specifically by Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps Qods Force operatives," said Bergner. "In addition to training, the Qods force also supplies the Special Groups with weapons and funding of 750,000 to three million U.S. dollars a month. Without this support, these Special Groups would be hard pressed to conduct their operations in Iraq."
Daqduq was captured in March 2007 along with two brothers, Qais and Laith Qazali. Qais was the leader of the League of the Righteous, which is considered the most dangerous of the Shia terror groups, while Laith was a commander in the group. Qais was responsible for the January 2007 attack on the Karbala Joint Provincial Coordination Center. Five US soldiers were captured during the operation and were executed by Qazali's men as Iraqi police and troops closed in on the snatch team.
Despite the roles played by Qais and his brother Laith in killing US troops and working with Iran's Qods Force, the US military released the two brothers and hundreds of their followers to the Iraqi government between July and December of 2009. The Shia terrorists were freed in exchange for a British hostage and the bodies of four other Brits who had been executed by the League of the Righteous while in custody.
The US military officially denied that the release of Qais and Laith was part of a hostage exchange, and instead insisted it was part of "reconciliation." But US military and intelligence official contacted by The Long War Journal privately said that the brothers had indeed been freed as part of a hostage exchange.
The League of the Righteous returned to terror activities shortly after the hostage exchange. In January of 2010, less than a month after Qais was finally freed, the terror group kidnapped Issa T. Salomi, a US civilian contractor, in Baghdad.

What the US missed by not bringing Osama bin Laden to trial
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
By Walid Phares
http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?idCategory=34&idsub=158&id=53955&t=What+the+US+missed+by+not+bringing+Osama+bin+Laden+to+trial
He was number one on world’s “Most Wanted” list, a serial mass murderer of Americans the United States wanted dead or alive, a fugitive from UN justice pursued by the nations of the world, and to millions of people around the world, evil incarnate. Osama Bin Laden’s (OBL) conscious disregard for the sanctity of human life manifested itself in the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians in the US, Europe, and Central and South Asia. The grandiose attacks he commissioned in New York, Washington, DC, Pennsylvania, Madrid, London, Moscow, Karachi and Bali underscored the al Qaeda leader’s malevolence and accomplished a feat that has eluded the Community of Nations since the UN’s founding in 1945—from the local Tanzanian police station to the Norwegian Room (UNSC Chamber) in New York, it galvanized world consensus around a single goal—bring Bin Laden to justice!
The Significance of the US raid
Unprecedented international consensus notwithstanding, the US president was justified in ordering a solo US insertion and extraction mission in Abbottabad. The risks accompanying a joint US-Pakistani military operation would be too great, especially since history had shown the Pakistani military to be heavily infiltrated by jihadi operatives and sympathizers. That only a few key decision makers in Washington had prior knowledge of the raid did not diminish the fact that Seal Team 6 fast-roped into OBL’s Abbottabad compound on behalf of the entire international community.
Whether or not Bin Laden was effective as the leader of al Qaeda is immaterial. He had eluded capture and death for nearly a decade since 9/11 and it was time for him to be brought to justice. The Abbottabad mission wasn’t about “beheading,” paralyzing, or debilitating al Qaeda. Justice had waited long enough and the world needed to know that the US and the rest of the free world will not cow to terror. Until Seal Team 6 had Bin Laden in their crosshairs, there was no debate over “dead or alive.” But after they had fully-secured the mega-bunker, hindsight wondered if Bin Laden should have been taken alive.
Direct versus historical justice
It was the US President’s prerogative to order the mission. The US wanted Bin Laden dead or alive so the Commander in Chief was justified in taking charge of the operation. The al Qaeda leader had been responsible for so many American deaths that his execution was no longer up for debate. Indeed, President Obama met his own country’s criteria for “direct justice and ordered al Qaeda’s founder and leader executed on-the-spot. However, in so doing, Obama prevented “historical justice” from being served.
Bin Laden was no “garden-variety” war criminal, to be sure, but he did command a terrorist organization that readily acted upon the doctrine of Combat Jihadism (Arabic: al Jihadiyya al Qitaliyya). He used this depraved doctrine to full effect, rationalizing and directing the mass murder of Americans and other countries’ citizens. If not for this ideology and its promotion, even the charismatic and wealthy Bin Laden would have found it difficult to build a following. By acting on that ideology and instructing others to do the same, he had already sentenced himself to direct justice. Nevertheless, the crimes of al Qaeda are far too great to be glossed over by the eradication of the organization’s architect. If killing him in was direct justice, delegitimizing his ideology would serve the greatest historical justice possible in light of the massacres and wars that it inspired. In my own view, Bin Laden immediate execution was unfortunate because it took away the opportunity to showcase, before the eyes of the world, the depraved moral and ideological foundations of the movement that gave birth to Bin Laden and that will give birth to future “Bin Ladens.” Had I been in a position to advise decision makers on the matter, I would have recommended capture because Bin Laden’s trial, which would have ended with the same result, would have delivered a broader, longer, more decisive blow to the ideology that made the man.
Capturing and trying Bin Laden
The heroism of US Navy Seal Team 6 presented us with the option to capture or kill the al Qaeda leader. Bin Laden was killed and then "buried at sea." With the capture option, the man who brought down the World Trade Center towers and part of the Pentagon would have been flown to the US as a war criminal, forced to see the sites he destroyed and hear the names of every life he snuffed out. Osama Bin Laden should have been made to stand trial before a US military tribunal, in Manhattan, at Ground Zero. He should have stood trial along with the mastermind of 9/11, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and other lieutenants who participated in the attacks. If needed, the Congress of the United States could have adopted appropriate special legislation in a “Seal Team Minute” to sanction such a trial.
The American people deserved to see justice served on the man who had ordered thousands of their family members, loved ones, friends, colleagues and countrymen killed. A special military tribunal with highly-trained prosecutors and skilled lawyers could have been formed and an accurate account given of the military operation that brought Bin Laden face-to-face with the people whose lives he had shattered. The wounded might have found closure and healing as they witnessed Bin Laden receiving the justice he deserved. More importantly, the charges against him would have been read and immortalized forever as a reminder to future generations of Americans.
The prosecution would have recited Bin Laden’s crimes and cited the speeches he gave declaring war on the US and inciting genocide against American citizens. The texts of his speeches should have been set beside Nazi fascism and calls for extermination of the Jews. The prosecution’s case would have comprised the first part of historical justice. Then Bin Laden’s response would come in which he would repeat his fustigations against America, the Europeans, infidels, apostate Muslims and the rest of the Planet. His defense would have been vital in exposing and identifying, once and for all, the ideological root of terrorism and the foundation upon which al Qaeda and others like them, have based their war on the international community. His references to Jihadi dogma would have carried no weight in court, but at least his political doctrine would have been exposed. Last, the court would have responded in accordance with US legal principles, and Bin Laden would have met his fate under law, incontrovertibly and with clarity.
I would not have dismissed the idea of a special international tribunal, even though many of my American compatriots are dubious of the concept. The International Court was established because one politician, Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, was murdered.
Genocidal leaders have been indicted under international law, as was the case with Sudan’s President, Omar al-Bashir. Bin Laden’s organization and its ideology killed people in numerous countries including Spain, Britain, Canada, Russia, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Indonesia, Australia, Lebanon, Algeria, Kenya, Tanzania, and many more. A Nuremberg-style tribunal for al Qaeda and its ilk, with trained prosecutors and judges from the victimized countries, should have been formed because it could have destroyed the legitimacy of al Qaeda and its anti-Peace doctrine.
The missed opportunity of the century
Either approach would have delivered historical justice, US military tribunal, or special international court, both would have been legitimate. Eliminating Bin Laden quickly and disposing of his body have brought a sense of swift justice to many, but did not deal a fundamental blow to the ideology behind the bloodshed. Al Qaeda survived the raid and will find another leader to replace Bin Laden. Yet I concede that the current political establishment of the US may not strategically comprehend the historical benefit of a trial of the ideology before the punishment of the master terror. In my book Future Jihad, I liken the fight against al Qaeda with the storyline in the movie, “Lord of the Rings.” We shouldn’t limit the struggle against terrorism to a pursuit of the mastermind. The latter can perish without the “ideological ring” being destroyed and a new mastermind will arise to resume the terror. As I wrote in 2005, Bin Laden was that mastermind, but the jihadi ring lives on, and is already creating a new Warlord of Jihadism. The US has celebrated direct justice, but historical justice remains to be served. Let us hope that the desire for instant justice without historical justice doesn’t backfire on the US.
*Dr Walid Phares is the author of The Confrontation: Winning the War against Future Jihad and a Professor of Global Strategies in Washington DC. He advises members of the US Congress and the European Parliament

Israel turned the Nakba into a 63-year process
Israel crowns itself as the winner in the global competition of victimhood; yet it manufactures methods of oppression and dispossession.
By Amira Hass/Haaretz
How natural it is for Israeli spokesmen to assert that the Nakba Day marches from Syria and Lebanon were the product of incitement and foreign calculations. The state, which bases its existence on 2,000 years of longing for and belonging to this country, shows contempt toward palpable displays of belonging to and longing for the same country of those who we expelled 63 years ago - and of their descendants.
The memorial day for the Holocaust, and the memorial day for the Nakba, are behind us. So the time has come to write about them both. "Holocaust" and "Nakba" are mistaken definitions, because they do not distinguish between natural disasters and man-made catastrophes. But the definitions gained currency. So too did negative attitudes, such as the denial of the historical occurrence and its political implications. For example, that Jewish survivors became refugees in their own lands of birth, or that Palestinians in the diaspora and those who remained in the country share a close bond.
Another example would be the refusal to acknowledge the suffering endured by the other. Here it will be said "the Arabs started the war", and there it will be said "the Jews caused the Nakba - the expulsion of the Palestinian people from its homeland, whereas the Palestinians bear no responsibility for the Holocaust - the genocide of the Jewish people."
In a private, personal sense, the Holocaust did not become the "past;" for those who survived it, it continues until they die. Something of this ever-painful continuousness is dictating - to a greater or lesser degree - our own lives, as the offspring of the survivors.
In contrast, with regard to the Jewish collective that came into existence after 1945, the Holocaust has a beginning and an end. The Allies' victory before Germany had time to extinguish additional Jewish communities, the establishment of the State of Israel, Germany's acknowledgment of the murder industry it established - all such events marked the end of this chapter of history.
The same for individual Palestinians, their beloved one who were murdered by Jews or killed in battles, the painful uprooting from homes - never turned into sheer memory. But 1948 is just a first chapter in a series that hasn't ended yet. For those who haven't experienced expulsion and bereavement - Israel provided ample opportunities to share such fate.
How much skill has Israel displayed in the wrong-doing to refugees in Gaza? How many times a week do the "present absentees," refugees who live within the borders of the state, pass by lands which were given to Jews at the behest of the legislators' cunning? What are the statistics of chronic poverty and structural discrimination faced by the "Arab sector" in Israel, and by Palestinian Jerusalemites, if not a nakba by other means?
And what is the sickening similarity between the pressuring of Bedouin away from Negev lands today and the removal of 1948 refugee Bedouin in the Jordan Valley? How is it that after 1967 tens of thousands lost their right to live in the West Bank (including Jerusalem ) and the Gaza Strip? Israel did not overcome its instinct to expel, and is today focusing on the Palestinian citizens of Israel.
Every Jew in the world, whether a citizen of the U.S. or Morocco, has rights in this one country, from the river to the sea, that we denied to those who live in it today, and those who were born in it and grow old as refugees in Lebanon or Syria. And the Oslo process? Israel devised it as a stratagem to impose the solution of reservations.
Israel makes capital out of the six million to justify policies of destruction and expulsion not just in the past, but in the present and future. As the state which claims to be the heir of the Holocaust martyrs, Israel crowns itself as the winner in the global, historical competition of victimhood. Yet it manufactures methods of oppression and dispossession of the individual and the collective, methods which turn the Nakba into a continuing, 63-year process.

President Obama and the Arab Spring
Published: May 17, 2011
New York Times
It should be no surprise that the ferment in the Arab world has touched the Palestinians, whose promised two-state solution is no closer than ever. On Sunday, the anniversary of Israel’s creation, thousands marching from Syria, Gaza, Lebanon and the West Bank breached Israel’s borders and confronted Israeli troops. More than a dozen people were killed; scores were injured.
According to The Times’s Ethan Bronner, the protests were coordinated via social media, but they also appeared to have support from Lebanon and President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, who is eager to divert attention from his crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators.
Israel must defend its territory. But the protests and the casualties might have been avoided if credible peace negotiations were under way. Since President Obama took office, Israeli and Palestinian leaders have had just three weeks of direct talks. Last week, George Mitchell, Mr. Obama’s Middle East envoy, quit.
There is blame all around: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, who is scheduled to meet with Mr. Obama at the White House on Friday, has shown little interest in negotiations and has used the regional turmoil as one more excuse to hunker down. Arab leaders haven’t given him much incentive to compromise. President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority wants a deal but seemed to give up after Mr. Obama couldn’t deliver a promised settlement freeze.
President Obama has done far too little to break the stalemate. As he prepares to give a speech on Thursday on the Arab Spring, the White House signaled that he is unlikely to offer any new initiative to revive peace talks.
Frankly, we do not see how Mr. Obama can talk persuasively about transformation in the Arab world without showing Palestinians a peaceful way forward. It is time for Mr. Obama, alone or with crucial allies, to put a map and a deal on the table. The two sides will not break the impasse by themselves.
This is a singular moment of great opportunity and challenge in the Arab world. The United States and other democracies cannot dictate the outcome but must invest maximum effort and creativity to help shape it. There is no one-size-fits-all doctrine for dealing with disparate countries. The United States and its allies are right to balance values and strategic interests.
Still Mr. Obama can use the speech to articulate principles that Arab countries should follow as a condition of Western economic and political support: democratic elections, free markets, peaceful relations with neighboring states — including Israel — rights for women and minorities, the rule of law.
He should press American allies to lay out similar principles when the Group of 8 industrialized nations meets this month in France and back them up with clear offers of support. The United States and its allies must help Tunisia and Egypt — their struggles have inspired the region — weather severe economic problems, providing debt relief, trade and access to international financial institutions. Civil society groups need support.
President Obama raised great hopes in 2009 when he spoke in Cairo about “a new beginning” with the Muslim world. The glow has faded. He has another chance this week to bolster this country’s image and to help support democratic change in the region. Reviving the peace process must be part of that effort. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict wasn’t central to protests in Egypt, Libya or Syria. But as Mr. Assad proved, it is still a far too potent weapon for autocrats and extremists.