LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
December 24/2012

Bible Quotation for today/
Psalm 112/Praise Yah!* Blessed is the man who fears Yahweh, who delights greatly in his commandments. His seed will be mighty in the land. The generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house. His righteousness endures forever. Light dawns in the darkness for the upright, gracious, merciful, and righteous. It is well with the man who deals graciously and lends. He will maintain his cause in judgment. For he will never be shaken. The righteous will be remembered forever. He will not be afraid of evil news. His heart is steadfast, trusting in Yahweh. His heart is established. He will not be afraid in the end when he sees his adversaries. He has dispersed, he has given to the poor. His righteousness endures forever. His horn will be exalted with honor. The wicked will see it, and be grieved. He shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away. The desire of the wicked will perish.

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
Egypt: The Guide and the military establishment/By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat/December 23/12
Our fear of criticizing the Brotherhood/By Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Alawsat/December 23/12

Lebanese killed in sword attack at Kuwait mall: report
December 23, 2012 /The Daily Star
BEIRUT: A 26-year-old Lebanese dentist was killed in a Kuwait shopping center Friday at the hands of a stateless man, Kuwait-Based al-Qabas reported Sunday.
Jaber Youssef was stabbed three times at The Avenues Mall by a bidoon man, the newspaper said.
The bidoon are residents of Kuwait who lack citizenship.
The perpetrator, a 22-year-old who wielded a sword, stabbed Youssef in the neck, chest and heart, according to the autopsy report obtained by the daily.
Police used the mall’s security cameras to identify the man, who was arrested hours later at Bnaydar Camp for the stateless population.
Authorities are conducting a search for three individuals who the suspect says helped in the killing.
Preliminary investigation with the 22-year-old man revealed that he purchased the sword from the mall just prior to the crime but police have yet to narrow down the motive behind the killing.
A security source told al-Qabas that a friend of Youssef, who was with the dentist at the time of the assault, was wounded in his left arm with a sharp object.
The friend, the source said, told police that four people had harassed them while they were in their vehicle on their way to the mall, one of Kuwait's largest shopping centers.
Youssef and his friend had a verbal altercation with the same four men in the mall’s parking lot minutes before they approached them inside the center.

Jumblat: March 8, 14 Camps Seeking Electoral Law that Caters to Their Own Interests
Naharnet/Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat refused to be affiliated to any of the rival March 8 and 14 camps, saying that he and Prime Minister Najib Miqati “lie in the same boat,” reported the daily An Nahar Sunday. He told the daily: “The rival camps are seeking to adopt a parliamentary electoral law that caters to their own interests.”
“They act as if the country only belongs to them. Neither side is willing to make concessions or consider the possibility that a third party or minority exists in Lebanon and seeks different goals than them,” he said.
“Each camp believes that whichever side is victorious in the parliamentary elections will be able to take over the country and eliminate the other,” added Jumblat.
Asked about the solution to the current political deadlock, the MP replied: “I don't know. The two camps should realize that I am not affiliated to either of them.”
“A third and centrist opinion exists in Lebanon and this third choice must be represented in the parliamentary elections,” he stressed.
On the March 14-led opposition's demand for the resignation of the government, he commented: “Miqati and I are in the same boat. We either sink or swim together.”

Amin Gemayel Warns that Lebanon May Pay Price of Changes in Syria
Naharnet /Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel stressed the need to fortify the internal Lebanese scene against any political or security development in Syria, reported the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Sunday.
He stressed the need “to take in the dangerousness of the developments in Syria in order to avert having Lebanon pay the price of the changes in the neighboring country.”
“The situation in Lebanon is worrying because any development in Syria will not radically change the balance of power in Lebanon as long as the main political powers maintain their positions and regional presence,” he remarked to al-Hayat. Some sides in Lebanon believe they can exploit the changes in Syria to their benefit without taking into consideration that the changes may in fact harm the country, warned Gemayel.
The Lebanese government has been adopting a policy of disassociation from the developments in Syria ever since anti-regime protests broke out in the neighboring country in March 2011.

Israel backs Russia’s avowal that Syrian chemical arms are secure “for now”
DEBKAfile Special Report December 23, 2012/At the moment, [Syria’s] chemical weapons are under control,” said senior Israeli defense official Amos Gilad Sunday, Dec. 23, echoing the statement by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Saturday that “the Syrian government has “consolidated its chemical weapons in one or two locations amid a rebel onslaught and they are under control for the time being.”
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu then said enigmatically: “We are facing a near possibility of far-reaching changes in the Syrian regime with ramifications for the sensitive weaponry [chemical, biological] present there.”
Like Lavrov’s comments, neither Israeli statement accounted for the sudden reversal of events in the last 48 hours in the turbulent history of its northern neighbor. As recently as Friday, Bashar Assad’s Scuds and warplanes were battling the rebels to keep his big chemical and biological warfare arsenals at the Al Safira complex near Aleppo out of the hands of al Qaeda adherents who were moving in fast on this target.
Twenty four hours later, the Russian foreign minister asserted the weapons were secure.
debkafile’s military sources disclose that the battle of al Safira was abruptly interrupted by a foreign military force which stepped in and stopped the fighting in order to commandeer the chemical and biological stocks.
In its report Saturday, debkafile identified this force as a Russian special unit.
The entire episode is covered in a heavy blanket of secrecy, imposed from Moscow, Washington, Jerusalem and Damascus. They are using the public preoccupation with the holiday period in the West to keep it dark. However, from the scraps of evidence available, it is transpires that the foreign special unit reaching al Safira gave both sides, the Syrian army and the rebels, an ultimatum to hold their fire until the arsenals were removed, or else this special unit would mete out crushing punishment.
Since then, the Syrian army and rebels do not appear to have resumed fighting and it is not clear which side remains in control of the al Safira military complex.
One of the many enigmas surrounding this episode is whether the Russians carried out their operation for the capture of Assad's WMD alone, or in conjunction with the US and Israel. And whether this cooperation extended up to and including implementation, or was confined to the intelligence and preparatory stages.
Amos Gilad’s comment points to a measure of international cooperation.
Furthermore, it is not clear whether the Syrian ruler gave permission for the removal of his unconventional weapons out of the reach of the rebels. Neither is their destination known. And most of all, what makes Russian and Israeli officials so sure that they are in safe hands?
In his statement Saturday, Lavrov divulged that it had been “consolidated in one or two places” and that “Russian military advisers... kept close watch over [Syria’s] chemical arsenal.”
The Israeli defense official was in rare tune with Moscow on the fate of the Syrian ruler. He asserted that the civil war between Assad and opposition forces fighting to topple him had become deadlocked, but that the Syrian leader showed no signs of heeding international calls to step down.
"Suppose he (Assad) does leave, there could be chaos ... in the Middle East you never know who will come instead. We need to stay level-headed; the entire world is dealing with this (another reference to multinational action in Syria). At the moment, chemical weapons are under control, despite the fact that President Bashar al-Assad has lost control of parts of the country," Gilad said.

'Hamas preparing for West Bank takeover'
By JPOST.COM STAFF 12/23/2012
'The Sunday Times' claims Hamas instructed its sleeper cells in West Bank to prepare for armed struggle to overtake the territory. Photo: Mohammed Salem / Reuters
Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal instructed the terror group's sleeper cells in the West Bank to prepare themselves for armed struggle to take control of the Palestinian territory, The Sunday Times reported.
According to the report, citing the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and the Aman military intelligence service, Hamas, at the behest of Iran, was preparing to seize power in the West Bank as it did in Gaza in a 2007 civil war.
The Sunday Times claimed that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu had been warned by Israeli intelligence services of Hamas's possible usurpation of power, and quoted what it described as a close Netanyahu associate as saying: “Bibi [Netanyahu] understands the geopolitical changes in the Middle East. No way would [he] give up an inch of the West Bank - he is convinced that the intelligence assessment about a Muslim Brotherhood [Hamas] takeover is solid.”The Sunday Times also alleged that relations between Hamas and Iran were on the upswing after a brief cooling off period; relations were strained when Sunni Hamas abandoned its support of Syrian President Bashar Assad, Shi’ite Iran's primary ally in the region. According to the paper, however, as Assad’s position has weakened, Iran has hedged somewhat by re-pivoting towards Hamas in order to protect its interests were Assad to fall. The Sunday Times said that Iran's motivation was to create a third proxy force in the West Bank - after Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza - through which to retaliate to any potential Israeli attack on Tehran's nuclear program. The paper concluded by quoting senior Fatah member and former head of Palestinian general intelligence General Tawfik Tirawi as saying that "Hamas wants intifada [uprising]" and "will take over the West Bank.” Last week, a poll by Khalil Shikaki of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research found that 48 percent of the electorate in both the West Bank and Gaza would vote for Hamas leader Ismael Haniyeh if Palestinian elections were to be held, as opposed to 45% for current PA President Mahmoud Abbas.

Israeli PM: Israel preparing for major changes in Syria
By HERB KEINON, JPOST.COM STAFF 12/23/2012 Netanyahu reiterates Israel closely monitoring the "dramatic developments" in Syria and is preparing for possible action should the Assad regime be overthrown, voices concern over deteriorating West Bank security. Photo: Pool / Haim Zach Israel, in cooperation with the US and others in the international community, is preparing itself for the possibility of far-reaching changes in the Syrian regime, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Sunday. Netanyahu, speaking at the outset of the weekly cabinet meeting, said those changes could have "implications" for the "sensitive weapons systems there."
'Israel has in recent weeks expressed its serious concern about how changes in Syria will impact upon Damascus' huge stockpile of chemical weapons. Netanyahu told the cabinet there are "dramatic developments" in Syria now "about every day." Turning toward developments in the West Bank, Netanyahu said there has been an increase in disturbances there in the form of attacks on IDF forces. "Later today, we will visit IDF Central Command in order to closely monitor developments as well as the necessary steps to deal with each possible scenario," he said.
During the meeting, the cabinet unanimously approved a supplemental allocation of NIS 9.5 million to assist those in the south – particularly the elderly and immigrants – impacted by last month's Gaza operation.
Netanyahu said that various needs in communities in the south that resulted from Operation Pillar of Defense will be dealt with through the additional grants. Netanyahu's comments followed a report in The Sunday Times that Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal instructed the terror group's sleeper cells in the West Bank to prepare themselves for armed struggle to take control of the Palestinian territory. According to the report, citing the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and the Aman military intelligence service, Hamas, at the behest of Iran, was preparing to seize power in the West Bank as it did in Gaza in a 2007 civil war. The Sunday Times claimed that Netanyahu had been warned by Israeli intelligence services of Hamas's possible usurpation of power, and quoted what it described as a close Netanyahu associate as saying: “Bibi [Netanyahu] understands the geopolitical changes in the Middle East. No way would [he] give up an inch of the West Bank - he is convinced that the intelligence assessment about a Muslim Brotherhood [Hamas] takeover is solid.”

UN Syria envoy to meet Assad on ceasefire efforts
By BLOOMBERG 12/23/2012/ Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi en route to meet Syrian President Bashar Assad to discuss ceasefire efforts; Russian Foreign Minister: Assad won’t stand down and won’t be offered asylum in Russia; death toll at 44,000. Photo: REUTERS
Lakhdar Brahimi, the United Nations Special Envoy on Syria, plans to meet Syrian President Bashar Assad Monday to discuss the 21-month uprising and international efforts to agree to a cease-fire.
Brahimi will enter Syria via Lebanon Sunday, said Al Manar TV, the Hezbollah-run television network, citing its own correspondent. Assad won’t stand down and won’t be offered asylum in Russia, according to Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The civil war has cost more than 44,000 lives since March 2011, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. About 130 people were killed yesterday, it said.
Negotiations are the only way to halt the increasingly intensive fighting, the United Nations Independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria said December 20. Violence has “increased dramatically” in and around major cities, particularly Damascus, the capital, and Aleppo, the commercial hub, the commission said in its latest update. It found numerous incidents of torture, summary executions and attacks on cultural property.
In a bid to revive mediation efforts, Russia has invited Brahimi to Moscow this month, according to Lavrov. It has also asked Mouaz al-Khatib, head of the united Syrian opposition grouping, the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, to hold talks with Russian representatives to discuss a peaceful solution, he said.
Assad, whose forces have suffered recent setbacks at the hands of the rebels, last month vowed that he wouldn’t flee. He approved the nation’s 2013 budget of 1.383 trillion pounds ($19.5 billion), Syrian state-TV said today.
Syria is “the last stronghold of secularism and stability in the region,” Assad said in an interview with Russian state broadcaster RT in Damascus last month. “I have to live and die in Syria.”

Our fear of criticizing the Brotherhood
By Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Alawsat
Now, following their ascent to power in Egypt, in the eyes of many the Muslim Brotherhood are like the holy calf, namely nobody criticizes them, as they equate this with criticizing Islam! This is a rule that we cannot accept, for the Brotherhood are nothing more than a political party and are no different than any other political party in this regard.
We have seen the start of a relentless campaign to protect the Brotherhood and its practices, seeking to place the Egyptian regime above criticism and grant this political movement a sense of sanctity it does not deserve, for no other reason that it proclaims itself “Islamic” and its followers sport the so-called “prayer bump” on their foreheads! For us, the Brotherhood are nothing more than a political group, they make mistakes and commit errors, and they should be appreciated and indeed criticized based upon their actions. I say to those in the region who are afraid of the Brotherhood’s supporters: we have lived under this media terrorism for years. We were confronted with this on numerous occasions in the past and it never succeeded. One day, those who are afraid of this will discover what I myself discovered in previous such campaigns. We faced this terrorism on numerous occasions in the past, including from Hezbollah, being accused of being traitors and Zionist agents simply for discussing its actions. However those who fought us unjustly yesterday have turned against Hezbollah today, criticizing them utilizing language that we ourselves would not dare use! We heard the same thing, for us and against us, from these very same people over the issue of Iran, who they previously viewed as the “champion” of Islam and “nemesis” of Israel, whilst today they have completely reversed their position and are now criticizing Iran far more than we ever did! They also previously defended the Bashar al-Assad regime, believing its lies about pan-Arabism and the Palestinian Cause and fighting the enemy, completely ignoring the crimes it was committing. The al-Assad regime did not begin its terrible crimes in March of last year, when the Syrian popular revolution broke out; rather it had been committing these for years. Even when the al-Assad regime was responsible for the deaths of dozens of Lebanese leaders and senior politicians, they continued to call it the “resistance” axis and assert that anybody who objected to this was in Israel’s service! Under this pretext, these same people defended al-Assad and his supporter’s crimes. We also recall those who lauded Al Qaeda during the terrorist organization’s early days, defending the worst group in the history of Islam and portraying them as if this were the shade of great Islamic hero Khalid ibn al-Walid.
I say to all those who sanctified Hassan Nasrallah, and attacked us over Iran, Bin Laden and al-Assad: be patient, do not rush to judge those who criticize the Brotherhood in Egypt or elsewhere. This is politics, and the Muslim Brotherhood is a political organization; they are not infallible. If you just look at the situation a few weeks following their ascent to power in Egypt, you will – unfortunately – see that many Brotherhood figures had already not hesitated to resort to deception and slander. What they said about Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei during this period is a simple model of the manner in which they seek to discredit anybody who opposes them, and this includes slinging accusations of apostasy and treason! They said that ElBaradei had sold Iraq out and was responsible for its destruction, along with other false allegations, when anybody who was accurately monitoring the situation well knows that of all the Arabs who have run international institutions, he is amongst the most moral and ethical and he completely rejected international intervention in Iraq. However the Brotherhood deleted this with a stroke of their pen and promoted a false version of ElBaradei and his accomplishments to monopolize power and remove a political rival!
I am well aware that it is difficult for some people to differentiate between those who view Islam purely as a religion, and those who work in politics and raise religious slogans. This is thanks to some opportunists rushing to exploit religion and religious slogans for their own benefit. Criticizing the ruling Muslim Brotherhood does not mean that one is criticizing Islam, they are not the Prophet’s Companions; rather this is nothing more than criticizing a normal political group, as any other. When we criticize a socialist group, for example, this does not mean that we oppose social justice or its values. When we criticized the Baathists and supports of pan-Arabism, this did not necessarily mean that we rejected the concept of Arab unity! Therefore we must not bow down to slogans, religious or otherwise; these should not be immune from criticism. Those who raise such slogans are nothing more than politicians and political parties, whilst opposing the Freedom and Justice Party does not mean support for slavery and injustice! These are just names, and they are used to attract public support in this manner.
Unfortunately, somebody may avoid one ideological trap only to stumble into another. We see the same mistakes being made again and again, only each time over different “names” or “attributes”. Therefore, it is only those who worship this holy calf - whether we are talking about the Brotherhood or anybody else – who continually fall into this trap and sanctify this false idol…as for the rest of us, we know better!

Egypt: The Guide and the military establishment
By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat
On Thursday the Muslim Brotherhood’s General Guide said “they [in the Egyptian army] are obedient soldiers, in need of leadership, and when the leadership was corrupt, these soldiers followed it, and that's why there is a need for a wise readership as well as raising the soldiers' awareness”. Was this just a slip of the tongue, or words taken out of context, as the Guide himself claims, having denied accusations of insulting the Egyptian military establishment?
I think that the answer should come within the overall context of the behavior and actions of the Brotherhood since they assumed power in Egypt. The overall context says that if the Brotherhood want to render al-Azhar obedient, “purify” the judiciary, the media and businesses, and exclude political opponents through character assassinations and smear campaigns, as is happening now against the leaders of the National Salvation Front, then we should not rule out that they are also planning and intending to destroy the Egyptian military establishment, the only remaining coherent institution in Egypt today. The story here is not one of words taken out of context, rather we are facing an organized, escalatory move by the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, most notably with their attempts to the country via a constitution that divides rather than unites the population. Yet the problem that the Brotherhood have not understood today is that most of those who were deceived by them in the past, whether inside or outside Egypt, have begun not to trust them, and thus excuses such as “words taken out of context”, or phrases such as “the corrupt media”, no longer have any notable value.
Thus, against the backdrop of the clamor in Egypt between the Brotherhood Guide and the military, it would be best for the current debate in the country, and the region in general, to focus on the nature of obedience and its implications. Is it possible, for example, for military obedience to be a bad thing, whilst obedience to the General Guide is righteous? If the military establishment is fundamentally based on obedience, since the dawn of history, and armies, throughout the ages, even in the most powerful democratic nations have adhered to his, then how can it become wrong in the eyes of the Muslim Brotherhood, whose affiliates themselves declare obedience to their General Guide, despite the presence of state institutions; the judiciary, the presidency and so on? How can it be right to pledge allegiance to the ruler, or vote for an elected president, whilst pledging allegiance at the same time to the General Guide? This is something very difficult to understand, and completely contrary to the concept of the state of any kind!
This question, or discussion, about the concept of obedience, will lead everyone to an important point. It will show the difference between those who believe in the importance of the state and its institutions, and those who want to swallow the state and distort the performance of its institutions and its basic concepts. Obedience in the army simply means that there is a state and institutions, and this concept is found in all countries, even democratic ones such as the US, Britain and France, while obedience to a group, whatever that may be, including the Muslim Brotherhood, means the abolition of the concept of the state, its institutions, its constitution and laws, even eliminating the value and prestige of the head of state himself.
Therefore, this is the debate we should engage in now. We should not pay attention to the insults and accusations of treason, which are meant to distract and mislead public opinion. The debate must revolve around the following question: What is the difference between declaring obedience to the army and declaring obedience to a certain group? This is so that everyone is aware of the danger of what is happening in Egypt and our region.

Facts on Egypt's constitution
Cairo, (AFP) - Almost two-thirds of Egyptian voters approved an Islamist-backed constitution rejected by a secular leaning opposition which led protests in the run up to a referendum, according to unofficial preliminary results.
State media reported 64 percent of voters opted for the new charter, which has Islamist overtones, over two rounds of voting that ended on Saturday. Official results are expected on Monday.
The charter's adoption will be followed by parliamentary elections in two months, ending a tumultuous transition since an uprising overthrew president Hosni Mubarak in early 2011.
Key points of the controversial draft constitution:
- Islam remains Egypt's official religion. The previous formulation that the "principles of sharia" are the main source of legislation is maintained. However, these principles are broadened to include Sunni Muslim doctrinal interpretations.
- "Freedom of faith is guaranteed" -- but only for Islam, Christianity and Judaism, not for other religions.
- The president is limited to two consecutive four-year terms, not indefinitely as under Mubarak.
- The constitution does not mention a vice president. Vice President Mahmud Mekki announced his resignation as voters were casting ballots Saturday.
- The defence minister is chosen from within the military. Also, the military's budget will be decided by a committee dominated by military officers, effectively making it independent of civilian oversight.
- Civilians will not be tried in military courts except in cases where the "crimes are susceptible to harm the armed forces." The opposition and rights groups demand that this vaguely defined exception be removed.
- The charter upholds "the equality of citizens under the law without discrimination," but omits an explicit mention of equality of the sexes.
- Freedom of expression is protected -- except when it comes to "insults against physical persons" or "insults towards the prophets." Some fear those exceptions open the door to censorship.
- The state is the designated protector of "public morals and order."
- It is forbidden for Egypt to sign international treaties and conventions that go against the constitution. Rights groups criticise the absence of an explicit reference to respect for international human rights conventions.