LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
May 09/12
Bible Quotation for today/The
Question about Food Offered to Idols
01 Corinthians
08/01-13: " Now, concerning what you wrote about food offered to idols. It is
true, of course, that all of us have knowledge, as they say. Such knowledge,
however, puffs a person up with pride; but love builds up. Those who think they
know something really don't know as they ought to know. But the person who
loves God is known by him. So then, about eating the food offered to idols: we
know that an idol stands for something that does not really exist; we know that
there is only the one God. Even if there are so-called
gods, whether in heaven or on earth, and even though there are many of these
gods and lords, yet there is for us only one God, the Father, who is the Creator
of all things and for whom we live; and there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ,
through whom all things were created and through whom we live. But not everyone
knows this truth. Some people have been so used to idols that to this day when
they eat such food they still think of it as food that belongs to an idol; their
conscience is weak, and they feel they are defiled by the food. Food, however,
will not improve our relation with God; we shall not lose anything if we do not
eat, nor shall we gain anything if we do eat. Be careful, however, not to let
your freedom of action make those who are weak in the faith fall into sin.
Suppose a person whose conscience is weak in this matter sees you, who have
so-called knowledge, eating in the temple of an idol; will not this encourage
him to eat food offered to idols? And so this weak person, your brother for
whom Christ died, will perish because of your knowledge! And in this way you
will be sinning against Christ by sinning against other Christians and wounding
their weak conscience. So then, if food makes a believer sin, I will never eat
meat again, so as not to make a believer fall into sin.
Latest analysis, editorials, studies,
reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
Mofaz-Netanyahu cabinet may pave the way for an Israeli strike on Iran/By Amir
Oren/Haaretz/May 08/12
Syrian
uprising stokes old enmities in Lebanon/By:
Mona Alami//Now Lebanon/May 8/12
The Iraqi example/By:
Hazem Saghiyeh/Now Lebanon/, May 8/12
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for
May 08/12
Hezbollah spotted building new bases
MTV:
Priest Walid Gharios released after being abducted in Baalbek
Baalbek Priest Kidnapped after 'Baptizing Muslim Girl'
Sleiman, Geagea condemn kidnapping of priest in Baalbek
March 14 wins majority in municipal by-elections
Lebanon's Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh : Lebanese banks in Syria safe from
crisis
Mikati vows 2013 parliamentary polls to
proceed as planned
EDL contract workers hold Beirut, Tripoli,
Nabatiyeh sit-ins
Al-Rahi from Canada Urges Expats to Register in Lebanon
Eichhorst Advises Lebanon on Joint Technical Action in Union for the
Mediterranean
Jal el-Dib Residents Resume Protests over Lack of Traffic Alternative
Diva Elissa quits post as U.N. Goodwill Ambassador
U.S., EU urge Iran to use nuclear talks to ease international
standoff
In surprise move, Netanyahu, Mofaz agree to form unity government, cancel early
elections
Netanyahu, stunning Israel by forging unity bloc, defends move as pro-stability
Mofaz-Netanyahu cabinet may pave the way for an Israeli strike on
Iran
Formation of Israeli unity cabinet shows Netanyahu blinked first, again
Netanyahu and Mofaz: Our coalition is broadest in Israel’s history
After Netanyahu-Mofaz deal, ultra-Orthodox parties must contend with waning
political power
Iran upgrades Palestinian Jihad
Islami’s Gaza arsenal with coastal missiles, improved Qassams
Activists mock
Syria elections in online videos
Arab League chief: Violence in Syria can spill to bordering
countries
Arab League chief warns of civil war in Syria
Western oil sanctions cost Syria $3 billion,
minister says
Nearly 12,000 killed in Syria revolt, NGO says
Erdogan: UN must bolster observer mission to Syria
China urges Syrians to honor ceasefire pledges
Egypt's extremist
Islamists flex their muscles
U.S. hostage urges
Obama to meet al Qaeda demands
Apparent airline
bomb plot thwarted: U.S. officials
Interpol seeks arrest of Iraq
vice-president
France's First Unwed First Lady May Pose Diplomatic Dilemmas
Phalange: International Attention towards Lebanon Shows its Importance in Region
Mofaz-Netanyahu cabinet may
pave the way for an Israeli strike on Iran
By Amir Oren/Haaretz
The deal reached between Netanyahu and the Kadima chief has broken the record
for cynical agreements, one which had held since the August 1939 Molotov-Ribberntrop
agreement between Russia and Germany.A "prime ministers' forum" was held as part
of the unity government of 1984-1990: Shimon Peres, first as prime minister,
later as vice-prime minister and foreign (or finance minister); Yitzhak Shamir,
first as former and future prime minister and then as incumbent; and Yitzhak
Rabin, as former prime minister and incumbent defense minister. All the
important decisions of the time were made, while not always unanimously, through
the consultations of that threesome: the retreat into south Lebanon, the Ahmed
Jibril prisoner exchange swap, the Jonathan Pollard affair, the Kav 300 affair
[in which Shin Bet operatives were blamed for killing terrorists following an
attack on the 300 bus near Ashkelon]; Iran-Contras, the cancellation of the Lavi
jet fighter project, ties with Jordan (in the London agreement), and dealing
with the first Intifada.
The deal reached between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Kadima chief
Shaul Mofaz on Monday broke the record for cynical agreements, one which had
held since the August 1939 Molotov-Ribberntrop agreement between Russia and
Germany. It allows Netanyahu to change his name to Kombinyamin [Netanyahu's
first name combined with the word "Kombina," which in Israel is used to refer to
an underhanded deal], and reminds us that the last time Mofaz was anywhere near
the concept "reliability" it was as an IDF soldier during the raid to rescue
hijacked airline passengers in Entebbe.But, the deal also reinstates the prime
ministers' forum, now again a Triumvirate: an incumbent (Netanyahu), a former
(Ehud Barak), and one that shall never be (Mofaz). Barak, like Rabin who
maintained the defense portfolio under both Shamir and Peres, achieved the goal
set by his campaign ad release earlier this week: to remain defense minister. At
the beginning of the week, when he was the only one joining close Netanyahu
family members in going to the grave of Netanyahu's father Benzion, he
effectively took on the role of the prime minister's brother. And, unlike the
issue-filled 1980s, this time there's only one topic on the diplomatic-security
agenda: Iran.
For all the latest updates follow Haaretz on Facebook and Tumblr.
This is, of course, when taking into account that the reelection of U.S.
President Barack Obama this November could – and as far as Netanyahu is
concerned, might – bring the Palestinian issue back to center stage. A senior
Israeli official who frequents the White House quite a bit was under the
impression that the Palestinian issue was the only emotional aberration in
Obama's otherwise cool and cerebral mode of thought – he empathizes with
Palestinian distress. But Netanyahu has that covered, as Mofaz will be entrusted
with contact with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas until the elections in
November 2012; first as the father of the revolutionary "Mofaz program," which
has been collecting dusk, and later as he takes on the role of foreign minister,
following Avigdor Lieberman's forced resignation from the cabinet and as empty
portfolios need to be manned.
Mofaz will fly out to meet U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and maybe
even Obama will give him some quality time. He'll get some respect, and in
return will take on at least some of the burden of responsibility, with
Netanyahu able to delay any move that could interrupt him within Likud. As for
Iran, Mofaz has thus far distanced himself from the reckless adventurism
attributed to Barak and Netanyahu. However, that was a long time ago, about 24
hours, and in the meantime he lost the "o" and one "p" from "opposition," and
has ended up with "position." His relative advantage, as the only Iranian-born
Israeli leader, he already used in previous years in speaking with Iranians on
Israeli Radio's Farsi station. Then, he warned Tehran of the consequences of an
attack on Israel, and promised, among other things, to spare the civilian
population when Israel goes on a counter strike; he also supported economic
sanctions. But that was during previous, less belligerent cabinets.
In Mofaz's case, there's a point in the matter, although not the one Itzik was
going for – the army man's habit to salute his superiors. When he was chief of
staff, he obeyed his superiors – more so in the case of former Defense Minister
Yitzhak Mordechai and then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon than to Netanyahu, Barak,
and former Defense Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer – and when he was defense
minister he obeyed Sharon. Now, as a partner in the innermost discussions, he
can be noted as the minority vote opposing the other two in all the dramatic
decisions yet to be made. If the adventure works, Mofaz will be there; if it
fails, well, he warned and tried his utmost to prevent it.
The addition of Mofaz, along with that of former Shin Bet chief Avi Dichter as
head of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, gives Netanyahu and
Barak a protective vest against any political opposition of the move against
Iran. Pushing back the elections also prevents the retiring of ministers Dan
Meridor and Benny Begin, leaders of those resisting the Netanyahu-Barak move in
unofficial Forum of Eight discussions. Vice Prime Minister Moshe Ya'alon, who
moved away from the defense portfolio and who effectively lost his place as the
PM's acting substitute to Mofaz, joined, after preliminary hesitations, to
Meridor and Begin, and now could ratchet up his objections. But, with Kadima in
the government, the internal battle has been decided, even if only in points.
It's a necessary but insufficient condition: Obama still objects. The U.S.
Defense Secretary said again in a TV interview over the last weekend that
Netanyahu and Barak received clear messages from Netanyahu and himself on that
issue. The bizarre idea of timing the attack for September-October, both as
giving a heads-up to the Iranian aerial defenses as well as an attempt to
provoke Obama on the eve of the elections, is now officially off the agenda with
the delay of elections of Israel and Mofaz's inclusion.
But that's only an expansion of the possible timetable. Those opposing a
preemptive operation have one immediate cause for relief and a cause for concern
in the long run of anywhere between two months and a year, with Spring 2013 as a
target date. Supporters of the move, on the other hand, can claim that
strengthening the government and the implied threat that suggests, could bring
about a better negotiation stance for the world powers in their nuclear talks
with Iran, which renew in two weeks in Baghdad.
The Mofaz-Netanyahu pact's point of brilliance probably borrows from the
infamous "Bibi-tours" affair: signing up to the government on a free-seat basis.
Yossi Peled and Matan Vilnai are out; Ruhama Avraham – Kadima's most powerful
politician – along with another one from the long list of politicians who
supported Mofaz in exchange for a ministerial position, are in. But just as
importantly, the Knesset's State Control Committee is losing its chairman, Ronny
Bar-On. When State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss hands in a tough report on
the Carmel fire disaster, or on the decision making which led to Israel's raid
of the Gaza-bound aid flotilla, or on any other issue, there won't be a
political official demanding accountability from Netanyahu.
Hezbollah spotted building new bases
May 08, 2012/Nicholas Blanford The Daily Star
BEIRUT : Recently uploaded satellite images to the online Google Earth portal
reveal what appears to be a Hezbollah military training ground constructed since
2006 in remote hills in the eastern Bekaa Valley along the border with Syria.The
facility near Janta includes a suspected driver training course, a 100-meter
firing range and a possible urban terrain assault course, according to imagery
analysts and European intelligence officials who first noticed the unusual
hillside markings in 2008.
Google Earth images also reveal considerable – and surprisingly overt –
construction activity in sealed-off Hezbollah security pockets in southern
Lebanon, particularly in the hills south of Jezzine, which became the group’s
main line of defense following the 2006 war with Israel and subsequent
redeployment from the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon-patrolled border district.
The scale of the activity hints at the enormous efforts Hezbollah has undertaken
since the 2006 war to prepare itself for the possibility of another conflict
with Israel. But the construction work also raises questions as to the purpose
of these facilities, which are easily visible to Israel’s near daily aerial
reconnaissance violations as well as to satellite surveillance by Western
nations and now to anyone with Google Earth installed on their computer,
assuming they know where to look.
The Google Earth image of the Janta area is dated May 21, 2011, and when
compared to the previous image dated Nov. 28, 2005, shows substantial activity
such as new tracks and buildings alongside the more militaristic facilities.
These rugged hills contained Hezbollah’s first training camps when the nascent
organization and Iranian Revolutionary Guard instructors began a recruitment
drive in late 1982 in the Shiite villages of the Bekaa to build a resistance
force to combat Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in June that year.
A then-youthful Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s current secretary-general,
was one of several clerics who delivered religious lessons to the recruits at
these camps. There are few trees on the barren hills in the eastern Bekaa,
making them vulnerable to observation and attack by Israel. Hezbollah abandoned
these training areas following a deadly nighttime air raid in June 1994 by
Israeli jets and helicopters against the Ain Dardara camp which left over 40
recruits dead.
However, between 2008 and 2009, Western intelligence analysts noticed some
unusual earthworks in the hills which were subsequently identified, according to
one, as a “significant and active training camp.”
The new buildings in the area may well be of civilian nature, but there are four
sites close to the border with Syria that raise interest. One conforms to the
driver-training course and consists of a track with a series of hair-pin bends.
Beside it is an unidentified object consisting of three graded strips in the
shape of an arrow. Another nearby feature includes two parallel rows of three
small roofless buildings each and a larger structure at the southern end. Some
400 meters southwest of the three facilities is the alleged firing range. The
image shows what looks like a white SUV parked at the entrance.
If this is a genuine military site, it is evident that Hezbollah does not care
who notices it as no effort has been made to conceal the facilities. The lack of
camouflage suggests that the site is for specialized training and is not
regularly used.
In the Jezzine area, numerous buildings and new roads have appeared in the hills
south of the town in areas sealed off by Hezbollah after the 2006 war. These
security pockets are not secret and their existence is common knowledge locally.
The hills are strategically advantageous with clear overviews of the western
Bekaa to the east and the coastal littoral to the west, both traditional axes of
advance for invading armies from the south.
Hezbollah’s zones here echo the security pockets it manned in the border
district between 2000 and 2006. Everyone knew where those zones were located,
but no one knew exactly what Hezbollah was up to in them. Only after the 2006
war was it revealed that Hezbollah had built an extensive network of hidden
rocket-firing positions and bunkers and tunnels with ingeniously camouflaged
entrances. The difference with the post-2006 security areas north of the Litani
river is that while there appears to be an attempt to camouflage some sites, the
bulk of the construction is surprisingly obvious and in the open. Much of the
construction appears to consist of metal-roofed utility buildings for industry
or agriculture, although at present neither activity is discernible in the area.
Whatever is going on in these hills is occurring under Hezbollah’s authority as
the party maintains a tight grip on the area. According to diplomatic sources, a
former defense attaché at the Dutch Embassy in Damascus drove into these hills
in 2010 to have a look for himself. He was quickly stopped at a checkpoint where
armed and uniformed Hezbollah fighters told him to leave at once.
It is possible that the construction is genuinely of a civilian nature and is
providing the foundation for future agricultural or industrial projects.
But there is another alternative. Hezbollah’s military leaders are masters of
deception, which raises the possibility that the construction activity is
nothing more than a decoy to keep everyone guessing while the militarily
significant work is conducted under camouflage and in secrecy elsewhere.The
truth presumably will remain unknown until the next war with Israel.
Sleiman, Geagea condemn kidnapping of priest in Baalbek
May 08, 2012/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman condemned Tuesday
the recent abduction of Father Walid Gharious who was released Monday hours
after having been snatched at gunpoint in Baalbek, east Lebanon."[Sleiman]
condemned the kidnapping ... and said that this kind of action is unacceptable
given that it restores one of the Civil War’s ugliest images and presents a
model that provokes feelings and reactions at a time when Lebanon still enjoys
security and stability,” Sleiman’s press office quoted him as saying. He also
stressed on the importance of arresting perpetrators to prevent similar
incidents in the future and in order to consolidate civil peace and coexistence.
Gharious was kidnapped Monday and delivered a few hours later to Sheikh Momahhad
Yazbeck, the head of Hezbollah’s Shura Council.He was snatched at gunpoint on
the Ansar road in Baalbek over an issue of a young woman who converted to
Christianity, security sources told The Daily Star Monday.
Sources said that the atmosphere became very tense in Baalbek after Gharious was
kidnapped over an issue regarding a young woman named Banin Qataya, who is the
daughter of a Shiite cleric in the region.According to the sources, the
kidnappers believed Gharious knew the whereabouts of Qataya, who had converted
to Christianity and left her parents’ house almost three years ago after falling
victim to torture and mistreatment over her conversion. Meanwhile, Lebanese
Forces leader Samir Geagea, in a telephone conversation with Sleiman, also
denounced the kidnapping.According to Geagea’s press office, the LF leader asked
security agencies to follow up on the issue given the "dangerous implications of
the act that could undermine coexistence in the Bekaa region in particular and
Lebanon in general and threatening national unity and civil peace.”
Priest abducted in Baalbek
May 7, 2012 /A priest identified as Walid Gharios was abducted on Monday in
Baalbek after he had baptized a Muslim, the National News Agency
reported.“Unidentified assailants in two cars intercepted Gharios in his car in
Baalbek and kidnapped him,” the report said.The report also said that
tpreliminary information revealed that the abductors kidnapped the priest
because he had “baptized a Muslim girl after she left her parents’ house.”The
NNA added that security forces were working to track down the priest and his
kidnappers. -NOW Lebanon
Al-Rahi from Canada Urges
Expats to Register in Lebanon
Naharnet/08 May 2012/Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi reiterated on Tuesday
his call on Lebanese expatriates to “swiftly register their spouses and children
in the Lebanese embassies and consulates in order to obtain their home country’s
nationality.”“The Lebanese embassies and consulates in Canada are cooperating to
register the wife and children (of Lebanese nationals) in Lebanon,” al-Rahi said
during a mass at the Maronite Catholic parish at Saint Charbel Church in
Ottawa.He praised the role played by the Maronite Foundation in the World to
maintain the link between the expats and their homeland.
As Lebanese “we are required to be registered nationals in order to enjoy our
(civil) rights and duties,” al-Rahi stated.The patriarch travelled in April on a
one-month pastoral visit to Canada, the United States and Mexico.
Netanyahu and Mofaz: Our coalition is broadest in
Israel’s history
DEBKAfile Special Report May 8, 2012/Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and
Kadima leader explained why they agreed to form a national unity government and
avoid an early election at a joint news conference in Jerusalem Tuesday, May 8.
Netanyahu said the new lineup would provide a solid basis for addressing key
issues: Legislation to replace the Tal Law with a more equitable distribution of
national burdens; approval of a responsible state budget; reform of the
electoral system and government structure for greater political stability;
promotion of a responsible peace process.
Netanyahu extended a warm welcome to the outgoing leader of the opposition and
his Kadima party.
Mofaz: A government backed by 94 members of the 120-member parliament is strong
enough for the right decisions and better able to rise to hard challenges than
the present administration. Unity is therefore a major historic step. It will
lead to a reformed ruling system that will not be prey to extortion.
Netanyahu in reply to a question about differences with Mofaz over the High
Court’s order to evacuate five houses built on Palestinian-owned land in Bethel,
on the West Bank, said: ‘We are law-abiding adults and are holding quiet
consultations for an acceptable solution.”
Read earlier debkafile story.
In a startling about turn, Israel’s prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu let the
bill for dissolving parliament (the Knesset) for an election on Sept. 4 go
through first reading Monday night. The proceedings were interrupted by his
announcement that he was co-opting the leading opposition party Kadima to a
national unity government naming its leader Shaul Mofaz, who recently displaced
Tzipi Livni, deputy prime minister. The government now commands a huge majority
of 92 members of the 120-strong Knesset.
From the start, Netanyahu’s bow to pressure for a general election a year before
it was due puzzled political watchers, including debkafile. His government
coalition was exceptionally stable for an Israeli government which has rarely
survived more than half a term and he topped opinion polls as the most popular
politician in the country. Labor leader Shelley Yacimovitch was the only
opposition leader pushing hard for an early election which no other party seemed
to want.
The new lineup awarding Kadima ministerial posts has already been confirmed by
Likud’s fellow coalition partners, Israel Beitenu and the ultra-Orthodox Shas.
They obtained the prime minister’s commitment to table two controversial bills:
the Law for Equality in Sharing the National Burden (universal mobilization for
military or community service for all sectors including ultra-Orthodox and Arab
citizens) by the end July, and the Reform of Government by the end of December,
2012.
The Kadima leader pledged not to quit the government before end of term in
September 2012.
Netanyahu must have pretended to go along with steps for an early election
almost up to the end to disarm and mislead his political enemies who had been
pushing hard through the media to arrest his rising popularity and bring his
government down. In back rooms meanwhile a new, stronger government was in the
making in dead secrecy.
Labor remains on the opposition benches after the prime minister turned the
tables on its leader’s fairly amateurish campaign to unseat him. Yacimovitch’s
obvious next step might be to reignite the “Social Justice” protest movement
which took the streets last summer. However efforts to rally large numbers in
the last few days, with the help of financial contributions from foreign
sources, have fallen flat.
The new face on Israel’s political block Yair Lapid will be left in limbo after
the fanfare of launching his new party (There is a Future), the main article of
whose charter is the long-term guarantee of his unelected position as party
chief.
Lebanon: Unbearable pressure
By Emad El Din Adeeb/Asharq Alawsat
In the space of one week, two maneuvers were carried out in the Lebanese arena
simultaneously: the first American, the second Iranian, each aiming to counter
and undermine the interests of the other side.
A few days ago, Jeffrey D. Feltman, Assistant US Secretary of State for Near
Eastern Affairs, concluded a visit to Lebanon where he met with political
figures including Christian leaders, members of the March 14th Alliance, and
President Michel Suleiman.Simultaneously, the Iranian First Vice President
Mohammed Reza Rahimi paid a visit to Beirut, where he met with leaders from
Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, along with the Prime Minister, the Speaker of
the Parliament and even President Michel Suleiman. Following his meetings,
Feltman said that it was necessary to reinforce the approach of freedom,
democracy and internal solidarity in Lebanon, in order to face the challenges of
the region. He added that it was necessary for Lebanon's stance towards the
situation in Syria to be clear, and sympathetic with the forces demanding
freedom and sovereignty there. As for the Iranian First Vice President, he
called for action to strengthen President Mikati's government, stressing that
other counties should follow Lebanon's distinguished model of democracy. Rahimi
also added that he was against foreign intervention in Syria, and that the
Syrian President must be allowed to reach a proper political solution. An
American maneuver and an Iranian counter-maneuver are being conducted in
Lebanon, and the goal is to create a situation in Lebanon for dealing with the
Syrian issue. The Americans seek to groom Lebanon to apply pressure to the
critical situation Syrian by all means possible to accelerate collapse of the
regime, whilst the Iranians seek to strengthen the Mikati government and its
allies in order to support the Syrian regime, so as to preserve it and
decelerate the speed of its downfall. It is such an explicit and clear ploy to
exploit the Lebanese arena as part of a proxy conflict against others, and using
the mediation of others. It seems as if it is Lebanon's inevitable fate to
function as a "tool" for managing conflict and for settling international and
regional disputes, using its soil. It is my absolute conviction that pressure
will mount upon Lebanon for it to play some role in the Syrian issue, and this
will intensify gradually and simultaneously as the civil war escalates in Syria,
and as we approach the moment of the regime's departure. Between America's
pressuring role to help overthrow the Syrian regime, and Iran's counter-measures
to promote the pro-Assad trend, the map of internal Lebanese divisions seems as
dangerous as the 17-year Lebanese civil war. The question here is: How will
Lebanon maintain its cohesion under all this immense pressure, whilst it is only
a few meters away from the furnace of the Syrian civil war?
Are Egypt’s Salafis a political dark horse?
By Dr. Hamad Al-Majid/Asharq Alawsat
The Egyptian Salafis nomination of the veteran Brotherhood figure Abdel Moneim
Aboul Fotouh is not the first of their surprises; in fact the words “surprise”
and “Salafis” in Egypt have become two sides of the same coin. The Salafis
surprised everyone by entering politics in the first place, bearing in mind that
Salafism and politics are two incompatible lines that do not mix. In fact, the
Salafis have memorized by heart the sayings of Sheikh Nasiruddin al-Albani, may
god have mercy on him, who said “leave politics to the politicians”, along with
his famous expression “refine and then educate”, claiming that people’s beliefs
must be refined from myths and superstitions first, followed by a pure Sunna
education.
The Salafis were confused by the Egyptian revolution because their mass support
base no longer accepted the theory of their leaders about leaving politics to
politicians, at a time when all segments of the Egyptian people were rising up
against tyranny. At the beginning, the Salafi sheikhs themselves were confused,
but they then decided to enter the revolution and escalate it, subsequently
harvesting its fruits. The Salafis ultimately confused the revolution itself
because they turned the electoral equation upside down, rebelling against the
literature of their elders and influential figures who advocated distance from
politics. When they entered the parliamentary elections circuit, the Salafi
parliamentary bulldozer caused a surprise when it won 25 percent of the vote,
surpassing veterans of Egyptian politics such as the Wafd Party and so on. When
the political parties brought the best of their men to compete for the
presidency, people thought that the Salafis were mere “dervishes”, and that the
utmost they could do was to nominate a turbaned sheikh who was only a master of
intonation, and whose knowledge of politics was not far better than a Tanzanian
tribesman’s knowledge of the streets of New York. The surprise was that the
Salafis put forth the lawyer Hazem Salah Abu Ismail as a "technocrat" candidate,
who has extensive experience in trade union work and legal practice.
In fact, the surprise surrounding the Salafi nomination of Abu Ismail can be
divided into three parts, along the lines of a cluster bomb: the first part was
that the Salafis had nominated a candidate who was once close to the inner
circle of the Member Brotherhood, as his father was a prominent Brotherhood
member and Abu Ismail himself, although not a Brotherhood affiliate, was once
placed on its list of candidates for the Egyptian Bar Association elections. The
second aspect was Abu Ismail's pragmatic discourse regarding the complex issues
of politics, art, tourism and so on. The third part of the surprise was the
stance Abu Ismail adopted when he was excluded from the list of eligible
presidential candidates, the escalation of his political reactions towards the
ruling authority, and the stances adopted by his adherers in Abbasiya Square and
near the vicinity of the Ministry of Defense. This all happened although the
[religious] texts which the Salafis rely extensively upon necessitate complete
obedience to the ruler (even if he lashes your back and confiscates your
possessions). What happened to Abu Ismail did not constitute a lashing or
confiscation of his property, but rather he was merely excluded from the
presidential race on account of his mother's nationality.
The biggest and the latest of all surprises, or as described by some as a
“master stroke", was when the Salafis then turned to nominate the Brotherhood’s
former symbol Aboul Fotouh. With such a nomination, the Salafis have hit a
number of birds with one stone: they have created a balance with the Muslim
Brotherhood, which is the strongest party in the political arena and is clearly
seeking to monopolize power. Had the Salafis supported the new Brotherhood
candidate Mohamed Mursi, this would have further consolidated the Brotherhood’s
monopolization. Yet their nomination of Aboul Fotouh certainly lessens the
Brotherhood’s grip on total domination, and paves the way for the Salafis to
share the spoils if their candidate proves successful. Furthermore, such an act
shows that the Salafis are potentially open towards any other party, contrary to
the old stereotype of them being closed minded. In short, the Egyptian Salafis
have shown surprising political cunning that will ensure them an important place
in the forthcoming political chess game.
Arab League chief warns of civil war in Syria
May 08, 2012/Daily Star/BEIJING: Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby warned Tuesday
rising violence in Syria could tip the strife-torn country into civil war, and
expressed support for the peace plan of U.N.-Arab League Special Envoy Kofi
Annan.Elaraby also said that an escalation in violence in Syria, where 14 months
of bloodshed has claimed more than 9,000 lives, could spill to neighbouring
countries.
"Escalating military action in Syria will end up leading to a civil war in
Syria, which no one wants to see," Elaraby told reporters at the League office
in Beijing. "I don't think the Syrians deserve something like that."His comments
come after the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross said
fighting had been so intense in parts of Syria that at times the uprising
against President Bashar al-Assad has qualified as a localised civil war.Elaraby
said the prospect of more violence "gives impetus to support the Kofi Annan plan
to make sure the fighting will stop". Annan's six-point plan includes a
ceasefire, deployment of observers and free access for journalists and
humanitarian aid. About 50 observers and civilian staff have been deployed in
Syria, but violence has continued since an April 12 truce. Elaraby also said he
would not try to push China to exert more influence on Assad, but called on
Beijing to continue supporting Annan's plan. "China is a country that no one can
pressure," said Elaraby. "The League of Arab States would not try to do that
because it would be preaching to the converts." Elaraby met with China's Vice
President Xi Jinping, widely expected to be the country's next president, and
Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on Tuesday. China and Russia have blocked moves in
the United Nations to censure Assad, a position which met with outrage from
Western and Arab nations. Beijing and Moscow have also welcomed the Syrian
leader's reform pledges. Saudi Arabia and Qatar have led the Arab charge to
isolate Syria, although other leading Arab states outside the Gulf such as
Egypt, Algeria and Iraq have taken a more cautious approach.
Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh : Lebanese banks
in Syria safe from crisis
May 08, 2012/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh has played down the negative impact
of the Syrian crisis on Lebanese banks operating in Syria, saying the central
bank has taken precautionary measures to guarantee the stability of Lebanon’s
financial institutions. “The dangers in Syria will not destabilize any Lebanese
banks operating there due to precautionary measures implemented by the Central
Bank,” Salameh told the daily Al-Mustaqbal’s banking supplement to be published
Tuesday. “There is no doubt that the crisis in Syria had its impact felt on the
Lebanese economy and the profits of Lebanese banks operating in Syria, but the
Central bank took all precautionary measures to prevent instability from
affecting Lebanon’s financial sector,” he added.
Lebanese banks have increased their provisions against non-performing loans
following the events in Syria and Egypt, measures which banking experts consider
crucial to protect local banks under the current circumstances. In the first
quarter of 2012, Bank Audi reported consolidated unaudited net earnings of $94.5
million, rising by 4.5 percent relative to the first quarter of 2011, despite
the allocation of collective provisions of $31.2 million. Bank Audi’s
consolidated assets grew to $28.7 billion at the end of March 2012, despite the
contraction of assets of Bank Audi Syria by 52 percent during the same period.
The bank’s consolidated deposits reached $24.4 billion. At the end of September
2011, the aggregate assets of the affiliates of seven Lebanese banks operating
in Syria reached $7.1 billion, marking a decrease of 13 percent from end-2010,
according to a report by Byblos Bank.
Despite the contraction in assets, Salameh ruled out the risk of a spillover of
the Syrian crisis to Lebanon. “There is no contagion and we do not expect the
dangers in Syria to destabilize any bank in Lebanon,” he said. Salameh added
that Lebanese banks operating abroad have no large credit exposure to those
markets. “Credit exposure is subject to the same standards which are adopted by
the Lebanese model,” he said. The governor stressed that Lebanese banks continue
to make good profits and enjoy high liquidity. While Lebanese banks have managed
to successfully weather the global financial crisis and the negative impact of
the regional turmoil, added pressure have emerged from the U.S. and EU, which
recently tightened sanctions on Syria and Iran and intensified a crackdown on
money laundering activities and terrorist funding. Salameh said Lebanese banks
have complied both domestically and abroad with the strict regulations and
precautionary measures imposed by monetary authorities through the Central Bank,
the banking control commission and the Special Investigation Commission. The
Special Investigation Committee was formed to investigate accounts suspected of
money laundering with the authority to lift banking secrecy if the need arose.
“Lebanon’s Central Bank is committed to the implementation of Lebanese laws to
preserve a sound and good reputation, as well as the implementation of
international standards that guarantee transparent banking,” he said. Early in
April, Lebanon lifted the banking secrecy law on 18 suspicious bank accounts and
investigated numerous cases which have not complied with the strict rules of the
Central Bank. The U.S. has sent several key officials from the Treasury
Department to Lebanon over the past two years with the most recent visits aimed
at ensuring that Lebanese banks are fully complying with sanctions imposed on
the neighboring Syrian regime.
March 14 wins majority in municipal by-elections
May 08, 2012/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Groups within the March 14 alliance won a majority of seats in municipal
by-elections for 36 towns and villages across the country Sunday. President
Michel Sleiman praised the process Monday, and said he hoped that the 2013
parliamentary elections will run as “smoothly.” Sunday’s elections saw an array
of lists, usually determined by family politics, contested at 36 municipalities
around the country while 20 municipalities did not hold elections because of a
pre-established consensus list between parties.
Largely a local, familial affair, the results still may provide some clues about
the voting in upcoming parliamentary elections.
The polls took place in towns around the country including five in south Lebanon
and a number in the north and the Bekaa Valley.
In the town of Sfaray, in the southern district of Jezzine, the list backed by
the Free Patriotic Movement triumphed. In Bisarieh in the southern district of
Zahrani, a coalition between Hezbollah, Amal and Baath party-backed candidates
beat out independent and Syrian Social Nationalist Party candidates.
In Kfar Shalal, a town in the south, candidates from a coalition list of Kataeb,
FPM and Lebanese Forces won against an independent list supported by prominent
families.
In Ter Harfal in the south, the coalition of Amal-Hezbollah won 11 seats out of
12 in the municipal councils.
Meanwhile, in the village of Rashain, in the northern district of Zghorta nine
seats were won by a Marada list. The other six were won by candidates supported
by the LF and the Independent Movement. Interior Minister Marwan Charbel had
visited Zghorta to ease tensions in the often politically heated district.
In Rashadin in the Koura district, Loyality List to the families of Rashadin –
backed by the LF –won all the seats.
In the Qateen village of Dinnieh, seven candidates won on the list of
“Developing Qateen” while the remaining five seats were won by the competing
list “Solidary of Qateen.”
A March 14 list won all the seats in the town of Qantara in Akkar.
In Selfaya in the Aley district, the list supported by the LF won five seats,
while the competing list won the remaining four seats.
In Deir Billa in Batroun, the list supported by March 14 won seven seats, while
the competing list won the other two seats. Also, the LF and SSNP list beat the
FPM-backed list in the Bekaa town of Saghbine.
The Kataeb Party emerged victorious in by-elections held in the Metn town of
Byaqout.
The interior minister had said average turnout was 70 percent and reached as
high as 91 percent in some areas.
People had turned out in droves Sunday as they chose their local representatives
during municipal by-elections, but the local elections were also marred by a
number of reports of bribery and illegal voting practices, according to a
watchdog organization.
The Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections announced that there was a
case of bribery in Mount Lebanon and other unconfirmed reports of bribery around
the country.
The organization also said there were four documented cases of polling place
violations where political representatives entered the balloting areas with
voters.
In four other areas, the monitoring group reported that voting ink was easily
washed from voters hands.
LADE did say most of the country’s polling stations were well equipped to handle
the voting.
Charbel called the elections an overall success, saying they were an important
mechanism to get people’s local voices heard and removed from the tense rhetoric
of national politics.
“The ministry will put its resources at the disposal of the winning
municipalities so they are effective in developing poor and remote areas,”
Charbel said after the elections.
Charbel said the high turnout was a good indication of the country’s security
situation and people’s sense of responsibility to local government.
He stressed that security was the backbone for these types of elections to take
place. “Security is much more important than democracy,” Charbel said.
“Stability is the building block for democracy, bread and achieving sustainable
development.”
Diva Elissa quits post as U.N. goodwill envoy: report
May 08, 2012/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: Lebanese singer Elissa has resigned from
her post as a United Nations goodwill ambassador, reported Albawaba Tuesday.
The resignation comes slightly over one year after Elissa's appointment as the
Middle East Goodwill Ambassador for the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Institution for
the use of Micro-algae Spirulina against Malnutrition (IIMSAM). According to
Albawaba, sources at the U.N.'s Dubai headquarters revealed Elissa resigned
after her request that IIMSAM create a program to include visits to affected
areas around the Arab world to perform her duties went unanswered. Elissa felt
her position was useless if she was unable help those in need or meet her
duties. Elissa became a Goodwill Ambassador in April 2011, replacing Aycha
Gadhafi, daughter of deceased Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi.Gadhafi was stripped
of her post due to events imposed by her father against Libyan revolutionaries.
In surprise move, Netanyahu,
Mofaz agree to form unity government, cancel early elections
PM, opposition leader reach dramatic late-night agreement to form national unity
government, in which Kadima head Mofaz expected to be appointed deputy prime
minister.
By Jonathan Lis and Ophir Bar-Zohar /Haaretz/Get Haaretz on iPhone Get Haaretz
on Android Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition chairman MK Shaul
Mofaz (Kadima) reached a surprise agreement early Tuesday morning to form a
national unity government. The move came as the Knesset was preparing to
disperse for early elections, which were expected to be scheduled for September
4. PM Netanyahu arriving at a Likud faction meeting on Monday night. Under the
agreement, Kadima will join Netanyahu's government and commit to supporting its
policies through the end of its term in late 2013. Mofaz is expected to be
appointed deputy prime minister, as well as minister without portfolio. In
exchange, Netanyahu's government will support Kadima's proposal to replace the
Tal Law, which enables ultra-Orthodox youth to defer national service. The sides
also agreed on instituting changes to Israel's electoral system. Meretz head
Zahava Gal-On expressed outrage over the surprise move, calling it a
"mega-stinking maneuver by a prime minister who wants to avoid elections and a
desperate opposition chairman facing a crash." Benjamin Netanyahu, center, and
Shaul Mofaz at a Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting at the Knesset,
Jan. 16, 2012. "This is a disgrace to the Israeli parliament and a terrible
message to the public, which is losing faith in the leadership of the state,"
she added. Shaul Mofaz was elected head of Kadima less than two weeks ago, when
he defeated former party head Tzipi Livni in the party's leadership primary. In
an interview with Haaretz ahead of the primary, Mofaz insisted that, if elected,
he would not join a government led by Netanyahu. "Kadima under my leadership
will remain in the opposition. The current government represents all that is
wrong with Israel, I believe. Why should we join it?" he said at the time.
Iran upgrades Palestinian Jihad
Islami’s Gaza arsenal with coastal missiles, improved Qassams
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report May 7, 2012/Iran is working
at speed to give the Jihad Islami, its radical Palestinian arm in the Gaza
Strip, a strong military edge over the ruling Hamas which it no longer trusts,
debkafile’s exclusive military sources report. Tehran is motivated by two
objectives:
1. Because of its growing distance from the Assad regime in Syria, Hamas can no
longer be relied on to support the Islamic Republic’s cause and strike Israel or
US Middle East targets if the latter go to war on Iran’s nuclear program.
One of Tehran’s top strategic priorities now is therefore to set Jihad Islami up
as the spearhead of a potential attack on Israel instead of Hamas from the Gaza
Strip and its Mediterranean coast.
2. Partly also as a rejoinder to the Qatari and Saudi arms shipments channeled
to the Syrian rebels through Turkey, Iran is matching the level and quality of
those arms deliveries by its own consignments through Sinai or by sea to the
Gaza Strip and the Palestinian extremist group.
Those consignments have two parts:
The first entails the establishment of a line of radar-guided, shore-to-sea
missiles along the Gaza coast - to prevent Israel’s missile ships getting near
enough to the enclave from the Mediterranean to shell shore targets - and as a
barrier against Israeli armored or special forces landings.
Iranian missile experts are on the spot setting up the missile deployments and
organizing the logistics for their transfer from storage to preset launching
sites. Scores of Jihad Islami fighters are undergoing special course in their
use at Revolutionary Guards centers while Iranian instructors in Gaza are
showing them how to use their radar systems.
For the second, Iranian and Hizballah missile engineers are working on
magnifying the explosive punch, range and targeting precision of the estimated
15,000 Qassam missiles in the Jihad Islami’s armory.
To this end, they re building for the terrorists a military industry with
production lines which for the first time will give them the capacity for the
high-speed serial production of dozens of Qassam’s instead of producing them one
at a time in small foundries.
Once those production lines are working, Jihad Islami can double the intensity
of its missile attacks on Israeli locations from 100 to 200 per day. Their range
has also been improved so as to bring Tel Aviv and its southern environs within
reach of upgraded Qassams launched from the Gaza Strip.
According to debkafile’s military sources, Iran and Jihad Islami welcome
Israel’s sudden decision to hold an early election on September 4 because they
believe its leaders will be too busy campaigning to interfere with the
Iranian-Palestinian military buildup going forward apace in the Gaza Strip. By
the time the next Israeli government is in place, most likely headed by the
incumbent Binyamin Netanyahu, their new deployment and armaments will already be
in place.
Syrian uprising stokes old enmities in Lebanon
Mona Alami, May 8, 2012/Now Lebanon
Syrian refugee children in Aarsal. The Syrian uprising is fuelling old tensions
in the Lebanese villages of Qaa and Aarsal. (Mona Alami)
The lush Masharii al-Qaa area in east Lebanon is known as a farming haven. On a
weekly basis, its orchards and vegetable gardens supply Beirut with truckloads
of fresh produce. But the area’s proximity to Syria, which has been rocked in
the last year by a bloody uprising, has brought forth old enmities among
villages in the region.
The discord stems from the interpretation of events taking place only a few
kilometers away on the other side of the border.
For the Christian residents of the village of Qaa, the events unfolding in Syria
are the work of “terrorists,” while Sunnis in Aarsal support the uprising.
Lebanese officials have reported Syrian army incursions in Masharii al-Qaa,
while Syria explained that it was pursuing of members of the rebel Free Syrian
Army. The verdant area has also become an underground railroad for Syrian
refugees entering Lebanon and a smuggling route for arms and other types of
contraband in and out of Lebanon.
“Syrian thugs are launching attacks from Masharii al-Qaa into Syria from the
local mosque. The Syrians have responded but have never entered Lebanese
territory. In the meantime, retaliatory attacks are hindering our work,” says
Saadeh Toum, former mayor of Qaa. For Toum, the villagers’ main concern is not
only the region’s lack of stability but the direct impact it has on the
agricultural sector. Every incident disrupting farming activity is translating
into a loss of revenue for the Qaa people.
“There is a growing feeling of resentment among the Qaa people toward
neighboring Aarsal. Tensions are on the rise,” says Toum.
The villagers’ resentment of their neighbors is nonetheless rooted in the past.
Qaa residents have accused their neighbors in Aarsal of illegally exploiting
Masharii al-Qaa since 1975. “Masharii al-Qaa is mostly owned by Qaa residents
but is farmed illegally by Aarsal villagers, which has resulted in an ongoing
land dispute,” explains Mansour Saad, current mayor of Qaa. According to Saad,
the Lebanese government earmarked $12 million to define the land and determine
true ownership, a process that never came to fruition.
The two villages drifted further apart after the assassination of Sunni Prime
Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005. Qaa sided with the pro-Syrian March 8 movement,
while Aarsal joined the pro-Western March 14 coalition. To make things worse, in
March of 2010, Saadalah Daher, a local shepherd, was killed in the Qaa Projects
while taking care of his livestock. The old man was badly beaten and accused a
resident of Aarsal of the attack before dying.
Aarsal residents, however, claim that there are no problems with the neighboring
village. “The support we bring is to Syrian refugees. There is an ongoing
humanitarian crisis at hand, and we have to do our duty. We do not aim to create
dissensions,” says local activist Abou Mohamad Ali Oueid, adding that there are
about 185 Syrian families currently taking refuge in Aarsal.
Aarsal residents also have other neighbors they are not on good terms with due
to the political makeup of the area, which is widely dominated by Hezbollah, a
party many in Aarsal consider their political opponents. “Villagers supporting
Syrian refugees or helping the injured have been the target of pressure. There
is nothing we can do; we are a minority in this area. Our only MP is loyal to
the Party of God,” explains Mohamad Ezzedine, a member of the Aarsal
municipality.
In nearby Qaa, Mayor Saad explains that the Syrian situation is making things
worse between the two villages. “There is not per se a religious conflict
between Qaa and Aarsal, but any dispute in Lebanon can be manipulated and
politicized,” he says. The presence in the Qaa village of 27 Christian families
from the Syrian villages of Rableh and Kosseir—loyal for the most part to the
Syrian regime—could be one more disruptive factor playing into the decades-old
feud.
The Iraqi example
Hazem Saghiyeh, May 8, 2012 /Now Lebanon
One paragraph of the education agreement championed by the Iranian delegation in
Beirut was marred by a “mistake,” namely a leftover word in the text indicating
that the agreement is between Tehran and Baghdad. This drives one to think about
the current situation in Iraq, where many expressions of domestic and foreign
policies have grown into an extension of Iran.
If the Lebanese people are called upon to play the same role as the Iraqis, then
they should know where Iraq stands today.
After the Americans toppled Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003, some Iraqi
politicians gave away their country and [the reins of] power in it to Iran. It
was clear that giving away a rich and powerful country, such as Iraq, was
dictated by the sectarian nature of the party that ruled Baghdad, hence its
sectarian partnership with the Iranians.
Needless to say, this was – and still is – a pure gain for Tehran, especially
amidst its numerous showdowns with the West and neighboring Gulf countries, in
addition to the chips it is collecting in order to compete with Turkey’s
regional influence.
Iraq, which the Iranians have turned into a bartering chip, has collected losses
that could lead to its doom as a pluralist country. The blatant Iranian
character that has come to stigmatize it increased discord and fuelled concerns
among the components of Iraqi society. Sunni Arabs have seen one of their
leading figures, Tariq al-Hashemi, accused of terrorism and finding refuge
abroad. They consider themselves totally expelled from power and believe that
they are paying the price for a Shia authority affiliated to Iran. Accordingly,
this promotes terrorist leanings in some circles, which had already provided a
fertile terrain in Iraq for Al-Qaeda and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The Kurds in the
North are rocked by concerns regarding the armament of the Central authority in
Baghdad, and are thinking of declaring their independence, which represents an
option that was previously not on the table. Iran is naturally not responsible
for what is going on in Iraq, as the Iraqis – especially those in power – are to
be held directly responsible. However, the fact that Tehran is taking advantage
of this development and seeking to deepen it is indicative of the fate befalling
pluralist nations when they put their eggs in the Iranian basket. This is what
the Lebanese people are called upon to witness amidst the flurry of insults
addressed to … US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey
Feltman.
This article is a translation of the original, which first appeared on the NOW
Arabic site on Monday May 7, 2012