LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِSeptember 17/2011

Bible Quotation for today
Death Concept: Through his crucified and resurrection Jesus defeated death in its ancient concept, which is the death of the body . He broke the death thorn and since than, the actual death became the sin. Those who commit the sin die and on the judgment day are outcast to the eternal fire. Death for the believers is a temporary sleep on the hope of resurrection
John 5/19-26: "Jesus therefore answered them, “Most certainly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father doing. For whatever things he does, these the Son also does likewise.  For the Father has affection for the Son, and shows him all things that he himself does. He will show him greater works than these, that you may marvel.  For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom he desires.  For the Father judges no one, but he has given all judgment to the Son,  that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who doesn’t honor the Son doesn’t honor the Father who sent him. “Most certainly I tell you, he who hears my word, and believes him who sent me, has eternal life, and doesn’t come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.  Most certainly, I tell you, the hour comes, and now is, when the dead will hear the Son of God’s voice; and those who hear will live.  For as the Father has life in himself, even so he gave to the Son also to have life in himself.

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
Jumblatt’s Sunni disposition/By: Michael Youn/September 16/11
No one likes them/Now Lebanon/September 16/11
Netanyahu to ensure death of Oslo Accords at UN/By Yossi Sarid/September 16/11

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for September 16/11

Lebanon's leaders recognize need to fund STL: report

Israel summons Egypt ambassador over conflicting peace treaty remarks

Miqati Meets al-Rahi: The Patriarch Does Not Retract his Positions

Suleiman’s Support for al-Rahi Seen a Response to Local, Foreign Critics

President Michel Sleiman discusses Lebanon’s UN Security Council

Implicit Understanding’ to Fund STL Over Fears of Sanctions on Lebanese Banking Sector

Geagea to Attend Bkirki Meeting After Controversy of Passing Cloud

Lebanon: 2 ISF Officers Injured in Armed Ambush in Bekaa

Demonstrators Vow to Bring Down Regime as Syrian Soldiers Kill 7

Clinton Confident Iran Will Free Hikers

Lebanese Parliament Likely to Approve Electricity Bill on Thursday Despite Heated Debate

March 14 Denies it is Seeking STL Funding through Draft Law

Report: Turkey has Warned Iran over Syria Crackdown

Lebanon's leaders recognize need to fund STL: report

September 16, 2011 /The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s top three leaders recognize that they must continue funding the Special Tribunal for Lebanon to avoid facing sanctions that would hurt the country’s banking sector, An-Nahar reported Friday. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, President Michel Sleiman, and Prime Minister Najib Mikati have all been warned by international figures of the risks of halting the country’s 49 percent share of the funding for the tribunal investigating the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
“Officials privately recognize the need to fund the tribunal after they were clearly told by certain international elements that Lebanon would face sanctions that might hurt its banking sector if any delay in funding occurs,” the paper said. This understanding cuts across the political spectrum, with even Hezbollah, which has publicly strongly rejected the tribunal which indicted four of its members in June this year, aware of the danger posed to Lebanon if the government decided to halt the funding, the newspaper reported.
Lebanon’s banking sector is vital to its economy, as one of the strongest in the region and the most successful industry in the country.
Although the international community has urged Lebanon to preserve its commitment to U.N. Resolution 1757, which established the tribunal and lays out the requirement that Lebanon pay the 49 percent share, it has never publicly warned of any possible sanctions. Earlier this month the prime minister said that funding the tribunal was in the interests of the country, and that the government would continue to pay the country’s share of the tribunal’s budget so long as it was.
Sources told An-Nahar that funding for the tribunal would come from a loan from the treasury, transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Official spokesman Martin Youssef told An-Nahar in comments published Friday that the country still owes 70 percent of its share of the tribunal’s funding for 2011.
“We are confident of Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s promises. It is true that there are other countries participating in the funding, but that doesn’t mean that we are not waiting for Lebanon’s share,” Youssef said. Meanwhile, March 14 sources told local newspaper Al-Joumhouria in comments published Friday that the funding did not a require a government decree and that it was therefore not in a hurry to pass a proposal in Parliament to protect the funds. “The international tribunal, Lebanon’s commitment and what comes with it from financial commitments were issued by an international law in the Security Council under Chapter 7. Therefore, the commitment overrides any domestic law,” sources told Al Joumhouria.

Patriarch's remarks based on wisdom: Mikati
September 16, 2011 /By Antoine Amrieh The Daily Star
DIMAN, Lebanon: Prime Minister Najib Mikati voiced support Friday for Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai, who has faced criticism for his remarks about Syria and Hezbollah’s arms.
“The patriarch’s statements were based on wisdom,” Mikati told reporters after a closed-door meeting with Rai in Diman, the patriarch’s summer residence in north Lebanon.
He said Rai will not back down on his statements which “were made following in-depth examination.” “I am reassured by his [Rai’s] stance,” Mikati said. The visit to Diman is part of an annual tradition of visits by Lebanese officials before the patriarch returns to Bkirki, seat of the Maronite Church. Mikati’s statement came a day after President Michel Sleiman voiced his full support for Rai against March 14 Christian critics who lashed out at him for backing the Syrian regime and Hezbollah’s weapons. Rai is currently at the center of a political storm in the Christian heartland sparked by his statements, made during a visit to Paris last week. The president said the patriarch’s position served Lebanon and that he did not need anyone to defend him. “The patriarch’s visit to France was good, successful and served Lebanon’s interest,” Sleiman told reporters after a private meeting with Rai on Thursday.

Implicit Understanding’ to Fund STL Over Fears of Sanctions on Lebanese Banking Sector
Naharnet /Lebanese leaders have reached an “implicit understanding” to fund the international tribunal after receiving Western warnings about possible sanctions if Lebanon rejects to pay its share of funds, An Nahar daily reported Friday. The newspaper said that President Michel Suleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri and Premier Najib Miqati have been informed by Western officials that any procrastination in the payment of Lebanon’s share would expose it to sanctions that could target its banking sector. Hizbullah, which calls the Special Tribunal for Lebanon an American and Israeli tool, is also aware of the dangers of such a warning, An Nahar said. Upon his return from New York end of September, Miqati could transfer the funds to the foreign ministry, which in turn would pay the $32 million owed by Lebanon, it added. Meanwhile, STL spokesman Marten Youssef told An Nahar that the court was sure that the premier would fulfill his promises. “It’s true that other countries contribute to the funding of the court but this doesn’t mean that we are not waiting for Lebanon’s contribution,” he said.

U.N. Chief Urges 'Coherent' Int'l Action on Syria
Naharnet /U.N. leader Ban Ki-moon called Thursday for "coherent" new international action over the deadly crackdown on opposition protests by Syria's President Bashar al-Assad.
"When he has not been keeping his promises, enough is enough and the international community should really take coherent measures and speak in one voice," the U.N. secretary general told a press conference. Ban expressed particular concern over what he called the "very oppressive handling" of opposition protests in which more than 2,600 people have died.
Ban has had several telephone conversations with Assad since the protests erupted in mid-March. Assad made commitments at various times in the talks to end his clampdown and to make political reforms. "These promises have become now broken promises," Ban said. The U.N. leader said it was for the U.N. member states and the U.N. Security Council to decide what action should be taken on Syria after it had ignored "urgent appeals" by the international community. Western powers have called for a Security Council resolution laying out sanctions against Assad. But it is deadlocked because of opposition from Russia, China and other countries.**Source Agence France Presse

2 ISF Officers Injured in Armed Ambush in Bekaa
Naharnet/Two Internal Security Forces Information Branch officers were injured at dawn Friday when armed men opened fire on their patrol at the Jlala bridge-Chtaura in the Western Bekaa, the National News Agency reported. NNA said the two-vehicle patrol came under fire from three gunmen riding a Mercedes that turned out to be stolen. One of the patrol’s vehicles, a Nissan, was riddled with bullets. Officer Joseph al-Ashqar received wounds in his arms and legs while Elias Nasrallah was severely injured after bullets reached his abdomen and other parts of his body. NNA said that the Mercedes was stolen from its owner Salam Massaad in Jeb Jenin hours before the 3:00 am ambush. ISF took strong security measures in the Bekaa and launched an operation to search for the suspects that fled towards the international highway that leads to Damascus. Security forces later found the vehicle near a waste dump in Jeb Jenin.

Demonstrators Vow to Bring Down Regime as Syrian Soldiers Kill
Naharnet /Syrian security forces shot dead seven people in operations across the country on Friday, five of them in Hama province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
"Four people were killed and 11 more were wounded -- three of them seriously -- during search and seize operations in the town of Hilfaya" 17 kilometers (10 miles) from Hama city, the Britain-based group told Agence France Presse in Nicosia. "One person was also killed in the village of Khattab in Hama province," it added.
Elsewhere, two people were killed in the village of Sarjeh in the northwest region of Jebel al-Zawiya after they were arrested by security services, the Observatory said.
In the city of Hama itself, security agents "surrounded the Saad bin Abi Waqas mosque" anticipating an anti-regime protest after Friday prayers, activists there reported, adding that a surveillance aircraft was seen overhead. In July, Hama saw protests by hundreds of thousands of people calling for the downfall of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, but the rallies were put down by security forces using deadly violence. Friday's deaths come after the Observatory earlier reported several tanks and troop transports bearing down on the northwest town of Maaret al-Numan in Idlib province. "Tanks, personnel carriers and trucks full of soldiers were seen on Friday morning heading towards Maaret al-Numan," it quoted activists there as saying. The Observatory said operations by Syrian security forces in Idlib on Thursday resulted in the deaths of two people, 73 arrests and another nine people missing.
*Source Agence France PresseAssociated Press

Clinton Confident Iran Will Free Hikers
Naharnet/U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday that she was confident Iran would free two U.S. hikers convicted of spying and rejected concerns about the delay in their release. "At this point we are not at all concerned because we have received word through a number of sources, publicly and privately, that the decision will be executed... and that we will see their return to their families," she said. Clinton, speaking to reporters after talks with Australia in San Francisco, said that it was not unusual for Iran to take time in implementing decisions and declined to speculate on whether there was a rift inside the regime. "We have seen in the past some delays that have occurred after decisions were announced," Clinton said.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in interviews Tuesday that hikers Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer, who have been held in Iran for more than two years, would be released imminently.
But Iran's judiciary, which is dominated by ultra-conservatives, said that no decision has been taken. Iran convicted the young Americans of spying but they insisted they were stopped as they hiked in the border area with Iraq. A third hiker, Bauer's fiancee Sarah Shourd, was released on bail in September 2010.
"It's very difficult for us to try to speculate as to the differences and battles that are going on within the leadership in Iran, to really understand exactly what the nature of that is," said U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, speaking alongside Clinton. The United States has tense relations with Iran dating from the 1979 Islamic revolution. Western powers accuse Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, although the regime says its atomic program is for peaceful purposes. Panetta declined to say if he shared the view of his predecessor, Robert Gates, who cautioned that a military strike on Iran would merely delay its nuclear program by a few years. "We remain very concerned -- very concerned -- about their efforts to develop a nuclear capability and we have indicated our concerns directly to the Iranians," Panetta said. "And we have indicated that it is important for them that if they want to become part of the international family that they have to take steps to stop progress in that area," he said. "I am not going to talk specifically about what steps we would or would not take in order to make sure that doesn’t happen," he added.**Source Agence France Presse

Hariri on Democracy Day: Arms Greatest Threat to Democracy
Naharnet /Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri voiced on Thursday his support for the Lebanese people and their ability to defend Lebanon’s democratic system against all attempts to target it. He said in a statement on the occasion of International Democracy Day: “We are voicing a concern over democracy today because of the threat of arms, which are democracy’s greatest enemy. “It’s unfortunate that the Arab movements towards freedom are coinciding with attempts to harm Lebanon’s democratic system,” he noted. He remarked that Democracy Day holds great significance this year because of the revolts that have taken place in the Arab world, hoping the peoples of Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya would succeed in defending the democracy they strived so hard to achieve. On the developments in Syria, he said: “The Syrian people represent Arab dignity and they have set an example for peoples that are struggling for freedom.”
“We hope that they would succeed in their mission and overcome the security regime,” stated the former premier. “Our support for the Arab people stems from Lebanon’s historic commitment to the issues of freedom, democracy, and human rights,” he continued.

Geagea to Attend Bkirki Meeting After Controversy of Passing Cloud
Naharnet /Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea will attend a meeting of Maronite political leaders scheduled to be held in Bkirki later this month after the storm sparked by the controversial statements of Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi subsided, high-ranking LF sources said. “There will be no problem in our participation at the Bkirki meeting on Sept. 23 after the ‘summer cloud’ that al-Rahi’s remarks created have passed,” the sources told An Nahar newspaper published Friday. “The patriarch returned to Bkirki’s principles” after stressing that his statements on Hizbullah’s arms and the situation in Syria were taken out of context, they said. Earlier in the week, Geagea called the controversy “a passing cloud of ambiguity.”
The Phalange party has also denied that it was mulling to boycott the Bkirki meeting that will bring together in addition to Geagea, Phalange party chief Amin Gemayel, Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun and Marada movement chief Suleiman Franjieh.

Suleiman’s Support for al-Rahi Seen a Response to Local, Foreign Critics
Naharnet /President Michel Suleiman’s support for Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi was seen as a response to local and foreign criticism of the prelate over his controversial statements on Hizbullah’s arms and Syria, An Nahar daily said Friday. Suleiman visited al-Rahi at his summer residence in Diman on Thursday. He said the patriarch does not need anyone to defend him against the statements that he made during a visit to Paris earlier this month. Al-Rahi’s visit to France was successful and served Lebanon’s interest, the president said.
The patriarch’s statements created a controversy in Lebanon after the March 14-led opposition criticized him for linking the fate of Hizbullah’s weapons to the liberation of remaining occupied Lebanese territories. Al-Rahi also expressed concern at the possibility of the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood to power in Syria, which causes a threat to Christians in the region. He said Syrian President Bashar Assad should be given the chance to introduce reform. However, the patriarch later claimed that his statements were taken out of context. This has appeased March 14. But French Ambassador Denis Pietton was quoted as saying earlier in the week that Paris was “disappointed” by al-Rahi’s remarks and that he would soon visit the patriarch as ordered by his government to seek a clarification.

Parliament Likely to Approve Electricity Bill on Thursday Despite Heated Debate
Naharnet/Speaker Nabih Berri will most probably refer the electricity draft law to parliament for approval on Thursday despite the failure of the joint parliamentary committees to approve the controversial $1.2 billion bill, his sources said. The sources told As Safir daily that the next meeting of the committees on Monday will be the last no matter what results the MPs reach. Berri could call for a parliamentary session next Thursday to approve the bill, they said. The committees’ first meeting on Thursday was marred by a heated debate between March 8 MPs and March 14-led opposition lawmakers. The dispute over the financial and technical aspects of the plan led to the postponement of the meeting until Monday. While as expected March 14 MPs expressed surprise at the lack of technical and financial explanations on the implementation of the project, March 8 parliamentary sources told As Safir that opposition lawmakers sought to topple the plan and prevent the government from making an achievement even if it benefited all the Lebanese.
Last week, the cabinet endorsed the electricity bill following a compromise over the funding of the project that would lead to an additional 700 Megawatts of power to provide 24 hours of electricity to the Lebanese.Energy Minister Jebran Bassil is expected to provide an answer to opposition MPs during Monday’s meeting but ministerial sources hinted to As Safir that March 14 was seeking to find negative aspects in the plan to score political gains.The meeting would come as a ministerial committee tasked with amending the electricity law holds its first talks under Premier Najib Miqati on Tuesday. The law would lead to the establishment of a regulatory authority to supervise the electricity sector within three months.
The government will also witness an intense activity as it is scheduled to hold two sessions on Monday and Wednesday afternoons.

March 14 Denies it is Seeking STL Funding through Draft Law
Naharnet /The March 14-led opposition has denied that it is seeking to propose a draft law in parliament to fund the Special Tribunal for Lebanon if the government fails to take such an action. MPs Marwan Hamadeh and George Adwan and March 14 general-secretariat coordinator Fares Soaid told An Nahar daily on Friday that the opposition is not mulling to propose a draft law. March 14 considers the government responsible for funding the STL and implementing Lebanon’s international commitments, they said. Their denial came a day after An Nahar said that the March 14 camp is discussing the possibility of presenting a draft law to the parliament to fund the tribunal similar to Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun’s move on the issue of the electricity project. Lebanon is obligated to pay a 49 percent share of the funds of the STL, which was created by a 2007 U.N. Security Council resolution, at Lebanon's request, to try those responsible for ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's Feb. 2005 assassination.

Report: Turkey has Warned Iran over Syria Crackdown
Naharnet /Turkey has warned Iran "not to spoil" the Syrian leadership whose security forces have been cracking down on protesters since mid-March, a Turkish daily quoted Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as saying Friday. Erdogan told the daily Hurriyet, "I cannot say there has been tension with Iran but we warned them (the Iranians) that 'the Assad administration is getting spoiled with your encouragement.'" Erdogan said he had discussed the matter with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. "Later he sent an envoy. We talked with him too. There has been a change in their approach," Erdogan said. Turkey has expressed frustration with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his iron-fisted regime for failing to listen to the people, whose almost daily demonstrations for democracy have been met with violent repression, at a cost of more than 2,600 lives according to the U.N. Iran is concerned about the possible collapse of its principle ally in the Middle East and has never condemned Syria for the violence while suppressing mass protests, as it has supported similar protests in other Arab countries.
Tehran accuses its traditional foes Israel and the United States of stirring up trouble in Syria. Erdogan said he would dispatch intelligence chief Hakan Fidan to Iran to discuss the developments in Syria, adding that he may meet with Ahmadinejad on the sidelines of the annual U.N. General Assembly meetings next week.**Source Agence France Presse

Mikati reassured after meeting with Rai
Now Lebanon/September 16, 2011
Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai stands alongside Prime Minister Najib Mikati during their meeting at the former’s summer residence in Dimane on Friday. (Dalati & Nohra)
Following his Friday meeting with Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai in Dimane, Prime Minister Najib Mikati said that he was “very relieved and reassured by the Patriarch’s wisdom.” Mikati also said that he does not think that the Patriarch will retract his statements because they were spoken out of conviction. The patriarch has faced criticism by some figures of the Western-backed March 14 coalition after his recent statements in France supporting the Syrian regime and Hezbollah’s arms.MTV reported that “Mikati confirmed to the patriarch that he is committed to Lebanon’s obligations to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)” probing the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. “The PM told the patriarch that STL funding is very important for Lebanon regardless of some parties’ opinions on it,” the station added. The Hezbollah-led March 8 parties – which currently dominate Lebanon’s cabinet – have opposed a clause in the Lebanese annual state budget pertaining to the funding of the tribunal, which is investigating into the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Lebanon contributes 49 percent of the STL’s annual funding.In June the UN-backed court indicted four members of Hezbollah for the murder of Hariri. However, the Shia group strongly denied the charges and refused to cooperate with the court.-NOW Lebanon

Qabbani: Bassil’s statement on opposition is ‘shameful’
Now Lebanon/September 16, 2011 /Future bloc MP Mohammad Qabbani said it was “shameful” that Energy Minister Gebran Bassil said that the opposition wants the electricity plan to fail.Is it possible for someone to not want electricity? Qabbani asked. “What we want is an official plan to put up for discuss. We did not receive the plan, hence we cannot present our remarks,” he told LBC television on Friday. “The energy minister is violating the law. It is not possible to deal with someone like Bassil because he does not respond to anyone.”
Bassil said in an interview published that “the opposition has no other concern than to bring down the energy project” approved by the cabinet last week.Following a long argument between ministers, the cabinet, last week, approved the electricity plan aiming to increase electricity output by 700 Megawatts-NOW Lebanon

President Michel Sleiman discusses Lebanon’s UN Security Council
Now Lebanon/September 16, 2011 /President Michel Sleiman held on Friday a meeting at the Baabda Presidential Palace to address Lebanon’s participation in the UN General Assembly regular session and Lebanon’s presidency of the UN Security Council for the month of September.  Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour, Social Affairs Minister Wael Abu Faour, Environment Minister Nazem al-Khoury and a number of consultants participated in the meeting, the National News agency reported. Sleiman met earlier on Friday with Lebanon First MP Serge Torsarkissian, who briefed him on Thursday’s joint parliamentary committees’ session on the energy plan approved last week by the cabinet. Joint parliamentary committees held a session on Thursday to discuss the energy plan proposed by Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun. The president also met with the General Security chief General Abbas Ibrahim and gave him instructions to control the border at the Al-Abboudiye and Al-Arida crossings. Sleiman also told him to follow up on the issue of Lebanese exiles in Israel. -NOW Lebanon

Jumblatt’s Sunni disposition
By: Michael Young/September 16, 2011
To write that Walid Jumblatt is shifting political direction is a conspicuous waste of perfectly good words. Changeability, we know, is par for the course with the Druze leader. And Jumblatt’s acrobatics, particularly his efforts to curry favor with a Sunni community from which he has been alienated for months, were always expected.
Jumblatt’s most recent foray into defending the Sunnis was his response to Patriarch Bechara al-Rai, who publicly warned last week that the Muslim Brotherhood might win out in Syria if the regime of President Bashar al-Assad were to fall. Jumblatt described Rai’s statement as “inaccurate,” and was rewarded with condemnation from the patriarch’s partisans. Jumblatt was right, but to compensate for his disapproval and preserve good relations with the Maronites, he prepared a warm Druze welcome for Rai on his tour of the North Metn and the Chouf, and will reportedly visit the patriarch soon.
There are two principal reasons why Jumblatt cannot endure lasting Sunni resentment: Lebanese parliamentary elections and the Druze leader’s view of the long-term interests of his community.
Jumblatt’s influence is closely tied in to the size of his bloc in parliament. The Druze leader knows well that his political representation is exaggerated, given his community’s scant numbers. What lets Jumblatt punch above his weight is the current election law, which allows him to dominate in the Chouf and Aley districts, and at one time gave him a significant say in Baabda. However, in the Chouf Sunnis form a third of the electorate (with the Druze and Maronites each making up a third), and in 2009 they were numerically the largest single voting bloc. For Jumblatt to have his way in the district, since he can never be sure of how the recalcitrant Christians will lean, he must guarantee that Sunnis stay on his side.
That’s not all. Two of Jumblatt’s closest Druze collaborators, the parliamentarians and ministers Ghazi al-Aridi and Wael Abu Faour, were essentially elected in 2009 on Sunni-dominated lists backed by Saad al-Hariri: Aridi in Beirut and Abu Faour in the West Bekaa. Were Jumblatt to enter the 2013 elections on bad terms with Hariri and the Sunnis, the pair would almost certainly fail to be re-elected, representing a major setback for the Druze leader.
In parallel, between now and election time expect Jumblatt to lead efforts to undermine an election law based on proportionality. Such a law would threaten the Druze leader’s tight hold on the mountains. Nor will he be alone. Lebanese election laws grant winning candidate lists all the seats in voting districts. This system favors major politicians and factions—who in turn perpetuate the system.
Beyond elections, however, Jumblatt has long regarded it a strategic necessity for the Druze to be allied with the Sunnis in Lebanon and outside. Quite sensibly, he has grasped that a minority like his only gains by tying itself to the community forming a majority in the Arab world. This partly explains Jumblatt’s reflexive recourse to Arab nationalist symbolism, but also his persistent efforts to situate his actions, when possible, in the context of an Arab consensus. During the postwar period, and until 2004, he managed to maneuver with ease because Saudi Arabia and Syria, and with them most Arab states, were on the same wavelength in Lebanon.
More prosaically, Jumblatt is well aware that a close affiliation with the Sunnis opens doors to Saudi Arabia and the vast resources allowing the Druze leader to exercise his power of patronage. Jumblatt sounded appropriately glum earlier this year when he announced that the Saudis had severed their ties with him following his break with Saad al-Hariri. That was indeed costly—and yet Jumblatt had positioned himself at the crossroads of a Syrian-Saudi deal to neutralize the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, urging Hariri to endorse such an arrangement. In the end it was to no avail.
For now Jumblatt is inching closer to the Sunnis, but he’s not there yet. He faces several obstacles. The first is that Syria and Hezbollah are not pleased with his realignment, so that his relations with both have noticeably cooled. However, the Druze leader will not permit a full-fledged divorce. The notion that he will return to March 14 seems almost absurd. Jumblatt aims to mend fences with Hariri specifically, but he has no interest in fully reintegrating a cumbersome coalition that would limit his latitude to pursue his own agenda.
Moreover, Jumblatt holds the balance of power in parliament. He can hand the majority either to March 14 or to Hezbollah and the Aounists depending on how his bloc votes. The Druze leader will not soon surrender such leverage, which requires him to play March 14 and the Hezbollah-Aoun alliance off against one another.
A second obstacle for Jumblatt is the uncertainty surrounding Saad al-Hariri’s intentions. Rumors have been swirling about the former prime minister’s political future, his cash flow problems and even his relations with Saudi Arabia. Whatever the truth, Hariri has been perplexingly absent for months, probably because the Saudis don’t want him in Beirut during the Syrian uprising. This makes planning difficult for his allies—and for Jumblatt, who needs to discern better where Hariri stands before preparing his next move.
It’s a sign of how bad things are in Syria that Walid Jumblatt is slipping out from the Assads’ embrace while still relatively confident that he is not a top priority for assassination. Nonetheless, the Druze leader must be careful. The Assads don’t forgive or forget. Jumblatt will pursue his balancing act with the precipice rarely far away.
**Michael Young is opinion editor of the Daily Star newspaper in Beirut and author of The Ghosts of Martyrs Square: An Eyewitness Account of Lebanon’s Life Struggle. He tweets @BeirutCalling.

No one likes them
Now Lebanon
September 15, 2011
It is ironic that the Wikileaks cables have landed those who disseminated them into trouble, when all they have done (assuming we believe their authenticity, and there is no reason why we shouldn’t) has been to reveal the truth. Those pertaining to Lebanese politics have left many of us breathless by the hypocrisy they reveal. However, they have also told us much about the relationship between Hezbollah and the party’s so-called allies.
Earlier this year, we learned that former Health Minister Mohammed Jawad Khalife had warned that Hezbollah would “turn [Lebanon’s] life into hell politically” if Syria and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STC) failed to reach a solution to the case of the 2005 assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri—the inference being that the party would do Syria’s bidding.
But last week came the bombshell, again from Wikileaks, when we read that Parliament Speaker and Amal Movement leader Nabih Berri, a supposed ally of Hezbollah and staunch defender of the Resistance, confirmed to American diplomats that Hezbollah was a major component of Iran’s regional strategy. He also sensationally said that he supported Israeli military actions against Hezbollah in 2006 as long as it did not backfire and create more public support for the party, and he voiced his frustration that the Lebanese army had not taken up positions in South Lebanon. Amazing.
Then on Sunday, we learned that Prime Minister Najib Mikati had referred to Hezbollah as a tumor. One might argue that Mikati cannot be held responsible for what he said five years ago, but the truth is that since then, the party’s behavior can only have caused this tumor to metastasize. It was Hezbollah, remember, that was responsible for mobilizing the 18-month downtown sit-in that brought business activity in central Beirut to a halt; that led the attempted coup of May 7, 2008, during which parts of west Beirut were overrun; and that brought down the democratically-elected government of Saad Hariri in January 2010.
We could also mention the relatively minor incidents, like the murder of Lebanese army helicopter pilot Lt Samer Hanna in August 2008, the abduction of MEA employee Joseph Sader (a crime that is widely attributed to Hezbollah), and the party’s refusal to offer (not that it would have necessarily been accepted) to assist in the fight against Fatah al-Islam militants in the summer of 2007.
And there is, of course, the small matter of the indictments handed down to four Hezbollah members by the STL charging them with planning and carrying out the murder of Rafik Hariri. It seems that every burden heaped upon the country, be it war, strife, or simply a sense of stalemate and frustration, has Hezbollah’s fingerprints on it.
The common denominating factor in all these events was that they were all carried out under the veiled threat of the party’s ability to deliver violence at the drop of a hat. (Indeed on May 7, the threat was acted on, and the guns that they solemnly promised to use only against Israeli aggression were turned inward and used with lethal force against their fellow compatriots. The three days of violence were the closest Lebanon has come to civil war in two decades.)
We can censure our politicians who ride with the hounds and run with the fox, but then again, it is no secret that the majority of Lebanon’s political class are no angels. This we know. Now that Wikileaks has exposed their duplicity, it will be up to the electorate at the next polls to decide if it is time for a wholesale clean out.
Does Hezbollah have any friends left at all? If we are to believe the veracity of the leaked documents, the party is clearly politically isolated and is only able to exert domestic influence because of its arms and its backers, Iran and Syria. It clearly has not learned from history that no one sect can dominate Lebanon, a country that is founded on plurality, whether we see this plurality as a liability or an asset.
Given the evidence, should we really be surprised that Mikati likened the party to a tumor? It only remains to be seen if it is operable.

Netanyahu to ensure death of Oslo Accords at UN
By Yossi Sarid/Haaretz
Who doesn't want to be popular? And it's not very difficult to do. All you have to do is refrain from climbing the cliffs of controversy and stick to the valley of the popular mood. Topics that are too current are liable to make any average Joe turn quarrelsome, so we recommend that you prefer the vision thing.
There's nothing wrong with a vision of the future, as long as the future is assured. But that's not the case at the moment.
Good health and long life are the secret to a wonderful old age. The old-timers are no longer around, and all of history is in the palm of your hand; you can do whatever you like with it. Not only did you make history with your own two hands, you are history: Who will point out your flaws? Who is authorized to correct them? We'll always be grateful to you for your constant, consoling presence, and in times of trouble, we will draw strength from your fountain of youth.
All around the storm blows, and how good it is to see the person who is exalted among his people going everywhere, adapting his words to the moment and the need. How pleasant to hear him talking about his morning exercises and his diet, and about books - everything that holds body and soul together. He honors tycoons as well as ordinary people with his presence; both are part of the Jewish people. Where else is there anyone as simultaneously folksy and aristocratic as this man?
When a family sits on a sidewalk in Jerusalem and the prime minister ignores them, he is the one who opens the gate even as it is being locked, who promises that their son will soon be redeemed: We will not remain quiet. And when the new Israelis pitch tents all over the country, he invites them, too, in order to praise them: What a wonderful protest, without a hint of violence. That is the behavior of a sensitive man, who knows how to accurately assess the national mood.
Yes, he is careful not to hurt anyone's feelings in the course of his work; a person who was badly burned before he became popular is very careful. We notice that he has never said a word to the minister who has declared war on the world from Aswan to Tehran via Istanbul, nor has he ever expressed reservations about the behavior of the rabbis who reject the fundamentals of statehood, destroy the Israel Defense Forces, discriminate against Sephardi girls and prevent Ethiopian children from learning. He has never flung defiance in the teeth of the settlers, teeth they bare at anyone who stands in their way, and even bite with. Does he recall the kindness of their youth, his youth? Nor has he ever said anything about government corruption or the hedonism of the wealthy.
Why should he get involved in politics now? Why should he challenge people who are truly powerful and absorb their blows, which would bring him back into the eye of the storm? Who knows, maybe they would even demand his ouster. That's all he and his vision need, at his age.
What else will you ask of him, oh government? He even put aside his pride, when he stopped in the middle of the road en route to a meeting in Ramallah and turned back, based on an instruction from the GPS in his luxury car. And now he is willing to go to the United Nations as an emissary, to risk his life in Israel's wars: I come to bury my Oslo Accords, not to praise them, he will tell the General Assembly.
This week, the chairwoman of his last party spoke about the path that leads to Masada, which may fall again after all, and mentioned the sense of disaster now felt by many people, including me. When I heard her words, which radiated despair and loss, I thought to myself: What will the public's favorite say when the disaster occurs and his vision dies before its time? What will he tell his grandchildren and great-grandchildren when they ask, "Where were you when the world ended, Grandpa?"