LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِSeptember
25/2011
Bible Quotation for today/Teaching
about Vows
Matthew 5/33-36: "You have also heard that people were told in the past, Do not
break your promise, but do what you have vowed to the Lord to do. But now I tell
you: do not use any vow when you make a promise. Do not swear by heaven, for it
is God's throne; nor by earth, for it is the resting place for his feet; nor by
Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Do not even swear by your head,
because you cannot make a single hair white or black.37 Just say Yes or
No—anything else you say comes from the Evil One."
Latest
analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases
from
miscellaneous
sources
The Communist Party tragedy/By:
Hazem al-Amin/September 24/11
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources
for September 24/11
Kataeb bloc MP Nadim Gemayel:
Patriarch did not clarify position on Hezbollah’s arms
France denies Sarkozy said no home for Christians in region
Al-Rahi from Tyre: We Want Political Decisions that Ensure Muslim-Christian Coexistence
Ahead of al-Rahi Trip, U.S. Says Christians Choices Not Limited to Autocracy or Extremism
Al-Rahi to Connelly: Resolving
Hizbullah’s Arms Linked to Israeli Implementation of International Resolutions
Patriarch justifies Hezbollah’s
arms to US envoy, says report
Christian leaders fail to agree on
electoral reform
ICRC repatriates Lebanese man’s
remains from Israel
Hezbollah: Obama remarks reflect total bias toward Israel
Sleiman says he has urged Assad to pass reforms
Report recommends extensive prison reforms
ISF Member Killed in Dispute between Bir Hassan Residents
Suleiman to Ban: Let Israel Implement Resolution 1701 and Then Ask Us about 1559
Hariri praises Abbas, slams Israel
Hezbollah were capable of killing Hariri: Alloush
Gunshots from Syria Fired at Akkar
Syrian teenage girl found beheaded, mutilated
SANA: Senior Syrian General Dies of Heart Attack
Palestinian FM rejects Quartet proposal: Does not address settlements, Israeli withdrawal
Palestinian and Israeli leaders cross swords as ME Quartet bids for new talks
Netanyahu at UN: Palestinians can get state only after peace with Israel
Abbas at UN: Palestinians ready to return to talks based on 1967 borders
Turkey seizes Syrian ship, announces arms embargo
France denies Sarkozy said no home for Christians in region
September 23, 2011/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: The French Embassy denied Friday a report in a Lebanese newspaper that
President Nicholas Sarkozy told the Maronite patriarch that Lebanese and Syrian
Christians should move to the European Union as they are no longer welcome in
the Levant. Ad-Diyar newspaper reported Friday the French president told the
Patriarch Beshara Rai during a meeting earlier this month that there is no room
for Christians in the Levant and that the best solution would be for them to
move to the European Union, citing a member of the patriarch’s delegation.
The paper quoted the president as saying: “Given that there are 1.3 million
Christians in Lebanon and 1.5 million in Syria, why don’t Christians move to
Europe, since Europe has absorbed 2 million Christian immigrants from
Iraq?”According to the newspaper the patriarch was shocked by the president’s
position, and his subsequent statements following the meeting were taken
“contrary” to what Sarkozy had said. In statements made during his meeting to
France Rai warned that the uprising in Syria could threaten the Christian
presence in the country, and urged the international community to give Syrian
President Bashar Assad time to implement reforms.
The French Embassy in Lebanon denied the report Friday, and said Christians were
an “essential component” of the region.
“Following the visit of the Maronite Patriarch in France, some Lebanese
newspapers attributed to the French president words that were never said,” said
the statement.
“France is committed to the presence of Christians in Lebanon, as well as in
Syria and throughout the region of the near and Middle East,” it said, adding
that Christians have a “vital role to play in the democratization process that
is under way in the region.” Earlier this year the French president said a
“religious cleansing” was taking place of Christians in the Middle East,
following a series of attacks on Christian Coptic churches in Egypt and Iraq,
and referred to the dead as "martyrs of the freedom of conscience."
ICRC repatriates Lebanese man’s remains from Israel
September 24, 2011/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: The body of a male Lebanese civilian was repatriated from Israel Friday,
facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross. The handover
operation occurred in Ras Naqoura, at the Israeli-Lebanese border, in the
presence of ICRC delegates. “Our role is strictly humanitarian and part of our
ongoing work to restore and maintain contact between people detained or
separated in connection with armed conflict and their families,” said Juerg
Montani, head of the ICRC delegation in Lebanon. “Sometimes this includes the
repatriation of mortal remains to the families, an important step in their
process of mourning and closure.
Kataeb bloc MP Nadim Gemayel: Patriarch did not clarify
position on Hezbollah’s arms
September 24, 2011 /Kataeb bloc MP Nadim Gemayel on Saturday said that Maronite
Patriarch Bechara Boutos al-Rai “did not clarify” his recent position concerning
Hezbollah’s use of arms. “The patriarch did not clarify his position; it is very
important and dangerous…and [he] cannot have double standards regarding the
arms’ issue,” the MP told LBC television.
He added that Hezbollah’s weapons “threaten and frustrate the Lebanese people.”
A heated debate has erupted in Lebanon over controversial remarks by the
patriarch.
Rai said that the international community must help “liberate the land [occupied
by Israel],” adding that “only then we will ask Hezbollah to hand over its
weapons.” He also urged that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad be given a chance
to implement reforms. Assad’s regime has cracked down on a string of
unprecedented protests across his country, killing more than 2,700 civilian
protesters since the uprising began in March, according to the United Nations.
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Western-backed March 14 parties have been calling for
Hezbollah’s disarmament. -NOW Lebanon
.
Al-Rahi to Connelly: Resolving Hizbullah’s Arms Linked to Israeli Implementation
of International Resolutions
Naharnet /U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly informed Maronite Patriarch
Beshara al-Rahi of her country’s disappointment with his recent statements,
reported As Safir on Saturday. Al-Rahi had recently stated that Hizbullah’s arms
are a product of the Israeli occupation, which sparked Connelly’s consternation.
The patriarch responded: “It is a terrorist party in your eyes. It’s true that
it possesses arms, but some Lebanese land is still under occupation.” “The
occupation must come to an end,” he stressed. “If only the international
community and the United States would help Lebanon and hold Israel accountable
in implementing international resolutions,” he added. “Had they done so, then we
wouldn’t have a problem called Hizbullah’s weapons,” al-Rahi noted. He had
stated during his visit to France recently that Hizbullah’s arms possession is
linked to the liberation of occupied Lebanese territory. These statements and
others on Christians in the region sparked controversy in Lebanon. He later said
that his remarks were misinterpreted and taken out of context.
Patriarch justifies Hezbollah’s arms to US envoy, says report
September 24, 2011 /Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai justified
Hezbollah’s use of arms during a recent meeting with US Ambassador to Lebanon
Maura Connelly, As-Safir newspaper reported on Saturday. “While it is true that
Hezbollah is armed, the fact remains that [parts of] the Lebanese territory are
still under [Israeli occupation],” the daily quoted Rai as telling Connelly. The
paper said that the US envoy told the patriarch that her country is “displeased
with his latest statements, especially with regard to Hezbollah.”
However, Rai said that the Shia group “is a terrorist party in [American] eyes
[only],” As-Safir added. “There is an Israeli occupation that should end as
well…Had the international community and the United States helped Lebanon and
urged Israel to implement international resolutions, there would not have been
any problem by the name of Hezbollah’s weapons,” Rai reportedly added. A heated
debate has erupted in Lebanon over recent controversial remarks by the
patriarch. Rai said that the international community must help “liberate the
land [occupied by Israel],” adding that “only then we will ask Hezbollah to hand
over its weapons.” He also urged that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad be given
a chance to implement reforms. Assad’s regime has cracked down on a string of
unprecedented protests across the country, killing more than 2,700 civilian
protesters since the uprising began in March, according to the United Nations.
Hezbollah is blacklisted as a terrorist organization by Washington.-NOW Lebanon
Ahead of al-Rahi Trip, U.S. Says Christians Choices Not
Limited to Autocracy or Extremism
Naharnet /The United States considers the ongoing popular protests in Syria and
a number of Arab countries as “a reflection of the ambitions of these countries’
peoples, their aspiration for freedom and democracy, and their adherence to all
of their political and civil rights,” a western diplomatic source stressed.
In an interview with Naharnet, the source noted that “the U.S. administration
believes it is Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi’s right to express the
concerns and aspirations of his community during this period. “But it is looking
forward to understanding his vision and the vision of those he represents with
regard to addressing these concerns on the basis of a future perspective and
common vision with all those concerned domestically and internationally about
helping the peoples of the region to achieve freedom, democracy, stability and
prosperity,” the source clarified.
“According to this approach, the U.S. administration welcomes what it believes
will be a primarily pastoral visit Patriarch al-Rahi will make to the Maronites
in the U.S., and welcomes a constructive dialogue on how the Christian community
can move forward in supporting the aspirations of the peoples of the region,”
the diplomat added.
The U.S. administration also hopes the patriarch will “stress his interest in
these legitimate goals” during the visit, the Western diplomatic source went on
to say.
“Christians and their representatives must leave behind the state of anxiety
over the future and their fate through contributing to the efforts exerted to
achieve freedom of expression and democracy. The U.S. believes that the Arab
peoples’ realization of their legitimate rights includes the guaranteeing of
religious freedom and the protection of minorities in all fields,” the source
noted.
“Patriarch al-Rahi has stressed, during the past weeks and on more than one
occasion, the right of the Christians to exist in this region, and we share his
opinion and support it, not only concerning the Christians but also concerning
all sects. But what we hope to hear from Patriarch al-Rahi is his viewpoint on
how the Christians can play a positive role in achieving freedom and
guaranteeing their existence,” the source added.
“The true achievement of the goal of freedom of expression and belief is in the
hands of the people of the region,” continued the official.
“The Christians therefore have to present their views and mechanism through
which they can maintain their freedom and existence,” said the source.
“The United States believes that real stability and freedoms cannot be achieved
by an oppressive regime claiming to protect minorities,” the official stated.
These goals should be accomplished by all components of society “through
reaching an agreement that calls for the establishment of a political system
based on freedom and democracy,” noted the diplomat.
“Al-Rahi has repeatedly said that the statements he made in France were
misinterpreted and therefore the American administration is hoping that his
visit to the U.S. would be an opportunity for him to join the ranks of those who
are playing a positive role in shaping the future of the region,” stressed the
source.
This future calls for Christians to play an effective role in the region,
without having to choose between dictatorial regimes and extremists, remarked
the western official.
“False choices do not serve Christians or minorities in Syria and other
countries in the region,” added the diplomat.
Asked if al-Rahi may meet with high-ranking U.S. officials such as President
Barack Obama or Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, he replied: “The United
States looks forward to constructive dialogue with the Patriarch.”
On whether Washington expects al-Rahi to issue a specific stand ahead of his
trip, the western diplomat responded: “It’s natural that the Patriarch would
visit his communities in South Lebanon and like others we will listen to what he
says. He has spent a lot of time in the past few days stressing that his
previous statements were misinterpreted.”
“The American administration does not link the program of the visit (to the
U.S.) to the patriarch’s statements, but looks forward to taking part in a
serious dialogue over the role of Christians and their future in the region,”
the official told Naharnet.
“The patriarch has spoken at length about his concerns over the Christians and
we look forward to see how he will lead his sect amid these developments,” the
source said.
Al-Rahi from Tyre: We Want Political Decisions that Ensure
Muslim-Christian Coexistence
Naharnet /Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi hoped on Saturday that God would
inspire political leaders to take the appropriate decisions that would fall in
Lebanon’s favor.
He said from the southern city of Tyre: “We hope they will take political
decisions that can ensure the people’s freedom and protect the coexistence
between Muslims and Christians in Lebanon and the whole region.”“We are not idly
watching the developments in the Arab world, but we are praying for them and all
the people who are seeking to live in dignity and peace,” he added. He was
welcomed in Tyre by Jaafari Muftis Hassan Abdullah and Madrar Habbal, a number
of bishops, minister Mohammed Fneish, and MPs Ali Khreis, Abdul Majid Saleh, and
Michel Moussa, and a number locals. Al-Rahi then headed to the southern town of
Qana, the second stop of his tour of the South.
Christian leaders fail to agree on electoral reform
September 24, 2011/By Patrick Galey The Daily Star
BKIRKI, Lebanon: Christian leaders failed to agree upon proposed changes to the
parliamentary electoral law Friday, as divisive remarks made by Maronite
Patriarch Beshara Rai concerning Hezbollah and Syria were briefly discussed. The
meeting at Rai’s seat in Bkirki brought together Christian representatives from
across the political divide and, in spite of talks described as “very positive,”
failed to produce a cohesive stance on legislation that would change how
parliamentary representatives are chosen in the 2013 election.
“The participants had an in-depth discussion characterized by rich ideas,”
Bkirki spokesperson Walid Ghayyad told reporters following the conclusion of
four hours’ worth of talks.
“Christians who believe in the Lebanese state and its institutions believe that
the election law is the proper and fundamental entry-point to enhancing the
[political] role of Christians and building a true partnership based on actual
power sharing,” he added, in reference to the current 50-50 system in which
Christians are allotted 64 parliamentary seats in spite of some deputies running
in non-Christian majority areas.
Unlike Lebanon’s current winner-takes-all system, proportional representation
would grant every electoral list a section of parliamentary seats equivalent to
the percentage of votes it achieved. There is disagreement over proportional
voting, and some claim that the proposed system would widen sectarian rifts
among the electorate.
The four main Christian parties have established a quadripartite committee to
discuss suggested changes to the electoral law, which must be passed before
mid-2012 in order to be implemented during the following year’s parliamentary
vote.
The political source said that participants had agreed to the addition of an
independent representative on the committee and confirmed that the proposal put
forth by the Orthodox Gathering – in which Lebanon would be classed as one
electoral district – had received the most interest in terms of possible
solutions.
No repeat meeting will occur until the committee has decided upon which proposal
to pursue, the source added.
Batroun MP Butros Harb, speaking after the meeting, said that more in-depth
discussions were needed to provide a united Christian front regarding
proportional representation.
“There will be another meeting because the issue of elections is a huge and very
critical one; it’s a strategic issue,” he said. “Every draft law has its
positives and negatives. Personally, I support a law that allows each person to
elect a single MP, because it would constitute the best type of parliamentary
representation and reassure the Lebanese.”
Harb said that no mention had been made of Rai’s remarks, made earlier this
month in France, that provoked a political maelstrom. The patriarch linked an
overall Middle East peace settlement to the fate of Hezbollah’s arms and warned
the international community that the fall of President Bashar Assad in Syria
could imperil Christians there.
Several Christian leaders came out seeking clarification of Rai’s words, which
he subsequently claimed had been take out of context. Contrary to Harb’s claim,
a source inside the meeting told The Daily Star that Phalange Party head Amin
Gemayel had confronted the patriarch over his remarks.
Rai is reported to have replied: “I am a patriarch; I will not be taking
political positions. I ask questions on general principles and convey fears and
concerns. During my discussions in France I did not take sides with one party or
the other and Bkirki’s principles are known to be in support of human rights and
the state.”
The session began with a prayer led by the patriarch and was attended by several
senior Christian politicians, including Lebanese Forces head Samir Geagea, Free
Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun and Marada Movement head Sleiman Franjieh.
In all, 34 delegates attended, with notable absences including Bsharri MP Strida
Geagea, Chouf MP Dory Chamoun, Metn MP Salim Salhab and Aley MP Fouad Saad.
One participant, who did not wish to be identified because of a secrecy
agreement struck at the meeting, told The Daily Star that some parties were
seeking to block proportional representation.
“I hope this isn’t true, but my impression is that many wouldn’t want to see
proportional representation adopted and may use various means and tricks to
avoid it,” the participant said. “Major political groups wouldn’t want to see it
jeopardizing results in their constituencies. You will not hear anyone saying
they are against proportional representation, because it is an international
trend. But at the same time they are trying to build on a system of each
community electing its members of Parliament.”
Geagea told reporters that although an agreement had not been reached Friday,
“the committee registered all observations put forward in today’s meeting but it
was a very positive discussion.” Metn MP Sami Gemayel, who is on the committee,
added: “Holding this meeting under the auspices of Bkirki is something good. The
discussions were in-depth and we hope that they will be continued, in order to
arrive at a single election law.”
Lebanon PM heads to New York
September 24, 2011/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Prime Minister Najib Mikati left Saturday morning to New York where he
is scheduled to meet U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and other officials as
part of the 66th meeting of the General Assembly. Mikati is also set to attend
the General Assembly and preside over a Security Council session where he will
give a speech focusing on developments in the Arab-Israeli conflict and the
uprisings in the Arab region where protesters have been calling for democracy
and basic human rights.
The prime minister’s four-day visit, which will also include meetings with
foreign and Arab officials, comes a day after Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas submitted a request that the U.N. recognize a Palestinian state. The U.N.
Security Council will meet Monday afternoon to discuss the request. Lebanon
currently holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council throughout
September. Ban has to examine the application before referring it to the
Security Council. Action on the membership request could take weeks, if not
months.
On Friday, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly met with Mikati at the
Grand Serail where the ambassador consulted Mikati about Lebanon’s presidency of
the Security Council as well as his trip to New York. According to a statement
released by the embassy, Connelly highlighted important areas of continued
military cooperation between the two countries as well as Lebanon’s initiatives
to implement its obligations under United Nations Security Council Resolution
1701.
The question of 1701 was reportedly brought up during a meeting between Ban and
Sleiman over the weekend. Bann asked Sleiman about Lebanon’s failure to
implement UNSCR 1559, which stipulates the disarmament of all militias in the
country. Sleiman reportedly responded to Ban by saying that 1559 is directly
related to UNSCR 1701 and that when Israel fully implements the latter, Lebanon
would then see that resolution 1559 is fully implemented.
Hezbollah were capable of killing Hariri: Alloush
September 23, 2011
By Mohammad Zaatari/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Hezbollah had the capability to assassinate former statesman Rafik
Hariri in 2005, Future Movement official Mustafa Alloush said Friday, but
proving that they did so is up to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. "If I was
asked directly, I would say that this party had the capability to assassinate
Rafik Hariri, but proving this fact is the responsibility of the international
tribunal and this court is one of Hezbollah's main concerns today,” Alloush said
during a seminar organized by the Future Movement in Sidon titled “Hezbollah and
its difficult choices.”
The STL, established in 2007 to investigate the assassination of Hariri, has
indicted four members of Hezbollah, but the party’s chief Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah
said the accused will never be apprehended, adding that they were innocent of
the crime and describing them as honorable men of the resistance. “Revealing
facts behind the crime would show this party to be a terrorist group
domestically and internationally,” Alloush said. The FM official also added that
Hezbollah has long been opposed to Hariri’s policies and said that the party had
tried to present a “friendly” relationship between Nasrallah and Hariri in the
media. Future Movement has launched a campaign against Hezbollah following the
collapse of the government of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, the son of the
slain former prime minister. The party has accused Hezbollah of placing Lebanon
in confrontation with the STL and the international community due to its vocal
opposition to the court and continued affirmation that Hezbollah will not
cooperate with the tribunal. Nasrallah has described the United Nations-backed
court as an Israel-U.S. tool aimed at targeting the resistance and sowing strife
in the country. Alloush said that Hezbollah’s support for President Bashar
Assad’s government during the six-month uprising in Syria has damaged its
relationship with the Syrian people. Nasrallah has echoed Assad’s remarks that
the anti-government protests in Syria are part of a conspiracy against the
country.
Detained Syrian girl's mutilated body found, Amnesty
International says
September 23, 2011 /An 18-year-old whose mutilated body was found by her mother
in a mortuary appears to be the first woman among more than 100 Syrians to have
died in custody since protests erupted in March, Amnesty International said on
Friday. The London-based human rights watchdog said that the family of Zainab
al-Hosni had been visiting the mortuary in the flashpoint central city of Homs
on September 13 to identify the body of her activist brother Mohammad Deeb, who
was also apparently tortured and killed in detention.
While there, "by chance" and "in horrific circumstances," her mother discovered
her decapitated body, which had also had the arms cut off and skin removed.
Mohammad Deeb, 27, had been organizing protests in Homs since mass
demonstrations against President Bashar al-Assad's regime first broke out, and
his sister is believed to have been detained in July in a bid to put pressure on
him to turn himself in. He was eventually arrested on September 10, three days
before his mother was asked to pick up his body from the mortuary. The body
showed signs of torture, including bruising on the back and cigarette burns,
Amnesty said.
The family was not permitted to take Zainab’s body home until September 17 and
only after her mother had reportedly been made to sign a document saying the
siblings had been kidnapped and killed by an armed gang, it added. "If it is
confirmed that Zainab was in custody when she died, this would be one of the
most disturbing cases of a death in detention we have seen so far," said
Amnesty’s deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa, Philip Luther,
noting that it brought to 103 the number documented since March.
"The mounting toll of reports of people dying behind bars provides yet more
evidence of crimes against humanity and should spur the UN Security Council into
referring the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court," he added.
-AFP/NOW Lebanon
Syrian teenage girl found beheaded, mutilated
September 24, 2011 /The Daily Star
BEIRUT: A young woman was found beheaded and mutilated, reportedly by Syrian
security agents, underscoring what witnesses and the U.N. human rights office
said Friday was a new tactic of retaliating against protesters’ families to
snuff out the 6-month-old uprising against the regime of President Bashar Assad.
The 18-year-old, Zeinab al-Hosni, is believed to be the first woman to die in
Syrian custody since the uprising began in mid-March. Amnesty International said
Friday she had reportedly been detained by security agents to pressure her
activist brother to turn himself in. The violence serves as a grim reminder of
the Assad family’s iron grip on power in Syria for more than 40 years. Witnesses
and activists say retaliation against families of those involved in the uprising
has ranged from threatening phone calls to beatings and in some cases killings.
The U.N. human rights office said Friday that the harassment was extending
beyond Syria’s borders. “Prominent human rights defenders, inside and outside
the country, are reported to have been targeted,” U.N. human rights office
spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said in Geneva. “We are also concerned by reports
of the targeting and attacking of families and sympathizers of the protesters by
security forces.” She offered no details and did not elaborate on the activists
or their families being targeted outside the country.
According to U.N. estimates, more than 2,700 civilians have been killed in the
crackdown since March and thousands more have been detained since protests began
in mid-March.
The teenager was from the central city of Homs. She was seized by men in
plainclothes on July 27, apparently to pressure her brother Mohammad, who was
organizing protests in the city, Amnesty said. After her arrest, he was
contacted by telephone and told that she would only be released if he stopped
his activities, the New York-based group said. Her brother was eventually
arrested earlier this month.
His mother was summoned by security forces on Sept. 13, to pick up his body,
which showed bruises, burns and gunshots, the group said.
At the same morgue, her mother happened to find her daughter’s body. The family
said Zeinab had been decapitated, her arms cut off, and skin removed, according
to Amnesty. After Zeinab’s burial last weekend, women held a protest in Homs,
hailing her as the “flower of Syria” and chanting “Syria wants freedom” and “The
people want the president’s ouster,” according to video footage posted on the
Internet by local activists. “They plucked the flower, and she said, ‘After me,
a bud will rise up.’ Rejoice in eternal paradise, Zeinab,” read a sign held by
one of the women. The deaths of Zeinab and her brother bring to 103 the number
of people who have been reported killed in Syrian custody since the uprising
began in March, Amnesty said. “If it is confirmed that Zeinab was in custody
when she died, this would be one of the most disturbing cases of a death in
detention we have seen so far,” said Philip Luther, Amnesty’s deputy director
for the Middle East and North Africa. The Syrian government has banned many
foreign journalists and placed heavy restrictions on local coverage, making it
difficult to independently verify events on the ground. But there have been
growing reports in recent months of activists’ families facing bloody
retribution, including parents of Syrian pianist Malek Jandali.
Palestinian and Israeli leaders cross swords as ME Quartet
bids for new talks
DEBKAfile Special Report September 23, 2011,
In their speeches to the UN General Assembly Friday, Sept. 23, Israeli Prime
Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas agreed only on
the importance of reviving peace talks. Otherwise they were daggers drawn. But
first, the Palestinian leader submitted to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon a
formal request for Palestinian membership in the name of "President of the State
of Palestinian and head of the PLO."
The Middle East Quartet (US, EU, Russia and the UN), later issued a call for
both to start peace talks in a month to end within a year and avoid provocative
steps meantime.
The speeches the two leaders delivered conveyed the impression of unbridgeable
differences and animosity.
Abbas, who spoke first, issued a stream of anti-Israel venom and distortions of
Palestinian-Israel history from 1948 up to the present, omitting key chapters
like the two years of suicidal terror led by Yasser Arafat whom Abbas depicted
as a hero. Israeli was portrayed as a ruthless occupation force, guilty of
terrorism, suppression, theft of Palestinian land and water and the destruction
of the infrastructures for their state. Israeli archeological digs were carried
out to bring Temple Mount mosques tumbling down, he said.
Some of his Israeli listeners described him in dismay as "Arafat in a suit."
The Palestinian leader held Israel and its "apartheid settlements" wholely
responsible for the failure of every past peace effort and its settlements the
core of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. In his black-and-what presentation of
the conflict, Israelis were the villains and the Palestinians their helpless
victims.
Netanyahu in a speech designed for Israeli and American ears, commented that the
conflict began fifty years before a single settlement existed and asked
sarcastically if by settlements, Abbas meant Tel Aviv.
Abbas demanded a halt to all settlement activity, trotting out the routine
Palestinian propaganda about thousands of deaths and hardships meted out by the
savage Israeli occupiers.
For talks to take place, he said, Israel must accept the Palestinian right to
all the lands it captured in 1967 on the West Bank and Jerusalem. For his part,
Abbas said he would never recognize Israel as a Jewish state. Turning to the
Palestinian religious and historical affinity to Jerusalem, he called it the
city of two Koranic prophets, Muhammad and Jesus, obliterating any Jewish ties
to the city - and then accused Israel of restricting freedom of faith.
Netanyahu outlined the historic Jewish ties to the Land of Israel to explain why
it was so important for the Palestinians to accept the Jews' historical ties to
their land, which they have consistently refused to do. In fact, Palestinian
leaders have declared that their state would never accept any Jewish presence.
Netanyahu said because Israel was so small, peace must be anchored in security.
Refusing to recognize this truth, the Palestinians resolved to seek a state
rather than peace.
In peace negotiations, Israel would seek defensible borders and a long-term
military presence in a demilitarized Palestinian, said the prime minister –
especially after the experience of the uprooting of settlements and
disengagement from the Gaza Strip resulted in years of missile attacks on
southern Israel.
"The West Bank will not be another Gaza," he vowed.
In addition to Gaza, Israel evacuated land for two peace treaties, Netanyahu
noted, and is willing to make painful compromises for peace. But so must the
Palestinians.
Secretary Ban will put the Palestinian bid for acceptance of their bid for
members of the world body to the UN Security Council which convenes later
Friday.
Suleiman: I Advised Assad Not to Ignore His People’s
Demands
Naharnet /President Michel Suleiman stated on Friday that Lebanon’s position at
the United Nations Security Council on the developments in Syria “does not place
it in a compromising position,” revealing that he encouraged Syrian President
Bashar Assad to pave the way for democracy. He told MTV in an interview: “I
advised him against ignoring his people’s demands.”
“I heard positive statements on this issue while at the U.N. General Assembly,”
he added. Lebanon, a non-permanent member of the Security Council, is currently
heading its regular session. On August 3, it chose to “disassociate” itself from
a Security Council statement condemning the Syrian regime’s crackdown against
anti-regime protests, explaining that such a stand will not help end the crisis
there. Suleiman stressed: “Presidents who do not stay ahead of reform will pay
the price for it.”
“Lebanon supports democracy and democratic change and we prefer that it takes
place peacefully,” he continued from New York where he was taking part in the
U.N. General Assembly.
Furthermore, the president said that he had no evidence that some Lebanese
powers are meddling in Syria’s internal affairs.
“The situation in Syria does not have to have repercussions on Lebanon,” he
noted. On the developments in Lebanon, he said: “The government is not
completely unified, but it unites when it comes to issues such as the
electricity and oil files.” “The government was formed in Lebanon and given the
current electoral system, my only choice is a national unity government,”
Suleiman stated. “Lebanon is not selective in committing to international
obligations and regardless of the circumstances, it is committed to the Special
Tribunal for Lebanon,” he added.
“The government does not need to get embroiled in a dispute over this issue,” he
noted.
The Communist Party tragedy
Hazem al-Amin, September 23, 2011
A celebration held by the Lebanese Communist Party in the southern town of
Adloun to commemorate the launch of the National Resistance Front was
interrupted by Hezbollah and Amal Movement supporters throwing eggs at
participants and hampering the ceremony, causing its interruption and forcing
Communist militants to go home.
I spent eight years as a member of the Lebanese Communist Party before leaving
the party at the end of the 1980s. As I convinced myself at the time, my
departure from the party was linked to the successive crumbling of socialist
states and ideas. I guess, however, that this was not true. Indeed, for those
people in my position, the Communist Party is tantamount to an age group that I
had to put behind me much like one evolves from childhood into adulthood. A
Russian maxim actually has it that whoever turns 20 without being a Communist is
heartless and whoever turns 30 while still being a Communist is brainless. The
bottom line is that we invented an illusion to justify our leaving the party
much like we had invented an illusion to join it. I left the party for reasons
that are totally illusory and I still have lots of relations within it. Over
more than 15 years spent outside the party, I never felt that my membership was
a sin weighing down on me despite the tremendous mistakes made back then. In
short, I – like many others – did not leave the party with angry residual
feelings or fundamental protests against its status and role. I left it because
I was sort of drowsy.
During this period, the party leadership changed from late George Hawi to Farouq
Dahrouj, and this was a normal occurrence. The Communist Party was, at the time,
being widely marginalized by the Syrian leadership. Its candidates to the
parliamentary elections were thus prevented from joining the lists of “allies,”
and many of its members saw their ministerial ambitions foiled even though
smaller parties gained ministerial, parliamentary and administrative seats.
The tragedy of the Communist Party was not a surprising fate for us. It was the
end, but it did not extend to other parties because the end is the culmination
of a story and a destination.
The party leadership tried to treat the sacrifices made by Communist militants
with platitudes in the process of searching for its own niche in the post-Taif
period, but we did not perceive this as an offense to the years we spent in the
party.
We did not welcome it, but we were outside the party and we knew that, like us,
they were no angels.
The Communist Party had launched the Resistance and was its trademark throughout
the 1980s. It was a wealth of culture and arts, and was – in many stages – the
greatest, broadest and most diverse of Lebanese parties. This party, which
wanted its share of the power pie, did not find a spot for itself under
Lebanon’s new sun.
The party was the playground we left without making a fuss and to which we
returned from time to time out of nostalgia. My path used to cross with George
Hawi’s sometimes at the Gongole Café in Corniche al-Mazraa. I did not know the
man very closely and no convictions bonded us to one another, but I used to
regard him somewhat like a father, and I could not shake that feeling away no
matter how hard I tried. As for Farouq Dahrouj, whom I did not know in person,
there had always been something in him that I liked, though I could not define
what it was. It was nothing essential, but it emanated from my implicit
acceptance of the party’s mistakes and oversights. I used to say to myself:
“This café I love has become timeworn, but it’s ok if the waiter makes a
mistake.”
Such was my emotional relation with the Communist Party until I met Khaled
Hadadeh, its new secretary general at the time, at a café in Beirut’s Central
District along with a group of Iraqi Communists I knew. The man was friendly,
but he did not register in my emotional zone, the one that was my only remaining
tie to the party. Still, I said, it is alright: it seems I am on my way to being
cured from this disease.
Yet this was, once again, an illusion. Hadadeh managed to lure me back into the
emotional game, albeit in a negative and disastrous manner. I started feeling
offended by every mistake he made, and there were many of them! He was panting
behind Hezbollah, requesting a parliamentary seat he never got. He took part in
protests of support for the Islamic Resistance during which the “Resistance
society” hit the Communist youths expressing solidarity with their resistance.
He took part in the movement calling for “the abrogation of political
sectarianism” beside “lay” forces like the Amal Movement and Hezbollah, during
which our comrades were also beaten.
The party leadership is strangely adamant about continuing to protect the
“alliance” with the change and progress forces represented by the Baath
Socialist Arab Party in the best of cases and by the Amal Movement in the worst
of cases. The shame culminated with the party’s stances on the Syrian uprising.
All these events became like arrows piercing my sad and miserable Communist
heart.
**This article is a translation of the original, which appeared on the NOW
Arabic site on Friday, September 23, 2011
Question: "What does the Bible say about the death penalty / capital
punishment?"
GotQuestions.org
Answer: The Old Testament law commanded the death penalty for various acts:
murder (Exodus 21:12), kidnapping (Exodus 21:16), bestiality (Exodus 22:19),
adultery (Leviticus 20:10), homosexuality (Leviticus 20:13), being a false
prophet (Deuteronomy 13:5), prostitution and rape (Deuteronomy 22:24), and
several other crimes. However, God often showed mercy when the death penalty was
due. David committed adultery and murder, yet God did not demand his life be
taken (2 Samuel 11:1-5, 14-17; 2 Samuel 12:13). Ultimately, every sin we commit
should result in the death penalty because the wages of sin is death (Romans
6:23). Thankfully, God demonstrates His love for us in not condemning us (Romans
5:8).
When the Pharisees brought a woman who was caught in the act of adultery to
Jesus and asked Him if she should be stoned, Jesus replied, “If any one of you
is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7). This
should not be used to indicate that Jesus rejected capital punishment in all
instances. Jesus was simply exposing the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. The
Pharisees wanted to trick Jesus into breaking the Old Testament law; they did
not truly care about the woman being stoned (where was the man who was caught in
adultery?) God is the One who instituted capital punishment: “Whoever sheds
man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made
man” (Genesis 9:6). Jesus would support capital punishment in some instances.
Jesus also demonstrated grace when capital punishment was due (John 8:1-11). The
apostle Paul definitely recognized the power of the government to institute
capital punishment where appropriate (Romans 13:1-7).
How should a Christian view the death penalty? First, we must remember that God
has instituted capital punishment in His Word; therefore, it would be
presumptuous of us to think that we could institute a higher standard. God has
the highest standard of any being; He is perfect. This standard applies not only
to us but to Himself. Therefore, He loves to an infinite degree, and He has
mercy to an infinite degree. We also see that He has wrath to an infinite
degree, and it is all maintained in a perfect balance.
Second, we must recognize that God has given government the authority to
determine when capital punishment is due (Genesis 9:6; Romans 13:1-7). It is
unbiblical to claim that God opposes the death penalty in all instances.
Christians should never rejoice when the death penalty is employed, but at the
same time, Christians should not fight against the government’s right to execute
the perpetrators of the most evil of crimes.