LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
November 17/2012

Bible Quotation for today/
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 9,18-26. While he was saying these things to them, an official came forward, knelt down before him, and said, "My daughter has just died. But come, lay your hand on her, and she will live."Jesus rose and followed him, and so did his disciples. A woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the tassel on his cloak. She said to herself, "If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured." Jesus turned around and saw her, and said, "Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you." And from that hour the woman was cured. When Jesus arrived at the official's house and saw the flute players and the crowd who were making a commotion, he said, "Go away! The girl is not dead but sleeping." And they ridiculed him. When the crowd was put out, he came and took her by the hand, and the little girl arose. And news of this spread throughout all that land.

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
Sitting out the Syria game/Tony Badran/Now Lebanon/November 16/12
Syria and Israel…Encore/By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat/November 16/12
Preventing Further Escalation in Gaza/By: David Makovsky/Washington Institute/November 16/12

Palestinian rockets strike Jerusalem, Tel Aviv. Reserves call-up expanded
DEBKAfile Special Report November 16, 2012/Signs of an approaching full-scale war increased Friday afternoon, Nov. 16. The IDF obtained government approval to call up reserves in addition to the 30,000 already approved. Hospitals across the country were placed on emergency footing and patients not needing urgent treatment were sent home. The security cabinet meets urgently after 550 Palestinian rockets fired in three days. Jerusalem and Tel Aviv were targeted Friday by Hamas which reported firing two “homemade M-75” missiles each at Israel’s capital and commercial hub. There were no casualties in either town.
The Jerusalem siren was heard in outlying towns Mevaseret Zion, Motza Ilit, Beitar Ilit, Kibbutz Maaleh Hahamisha, Ora and Har Adar.
Israeli ground forces continue to stand by on the Gaza border awaiting government orders to go in.
debkafile reported earflier Friday: As Hamas government officials greeted Egyptian Prime Minister Hesham Kandil on his arrival for a short visit to the Gaza Strip, Friday morning, Nov. 16, Palestinian rocket crews stepped up their barrage against Israel. After Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu acceded to Cairo’s request to suspend military action for the visit, air strikes were resumed over northern Gaza to counter Palestinians fire across the South: Dozens of rockets exploded in Beersheba, Ashdod, Hof Ashkelon, Ashkelon, Shear Hanegev, Ofakim, Sderot, Eshkol and Kiryat Malachi. There were several panic victims and direct hits to houses.
Thursday night, long-range Fajr rockets exploded in Greater Tel Aviv region, Israel’s urban and commercial heartland (3 million population) – two landing near Bat Yam or the sea and one or two between Rishon Lezion and Palmachim.
IDF armored, artillery and mechanized infantry units continued to stream to the Gaza border Thursday and Friday, gathering at jumping-off positions for crossing into the enclave in the next stage of the operation. Reservists are reporting for duty on the orders the defense minister issued for 30,000 call-ups. They are reporting at schools in various towns which were converted to registration stations.
Schools in the heavily battered south remain closed indefinitely and all locations within 40 kilometers stay on emergency footing for rocket attacks.
The IDF is rushing forward the completion of the fifth Iron Dome battery after the first four stopped some 150 incoming rockets in the last 48 hours.
debkafile: Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz and the high IDF command are pushing for the ground operation, Stage B of the Pillar of Cloud operation, to start without delay. The prime minister and defense minister prefer to wait.
Thursday night, as the operation wound up its second day, the Israeli Air Force intensified its action, conducting 250 strikes across the territory, supported from the Mediterranean by the Israeli Navy. They targeted rocket-launching positions, stores, silos, arms and ordnance dumps and the eight tunnels snaking under the border fence for use in terrorist attacks and exploding booby-traps. A generator was hit near the residence of Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh.
Our sources report that Thursday, some international airlines cancelled flights to Israel. International airline officials told debkafile that security in central Israel is uncertain after Palestinian rockets from Gaza reached the Tel Aviv area. They fear Ben Gurion international airport at Lod may be next.
The sources noted that the landing of a rocket in the sea off Bat Yam posed a serious aviation hazard because it occurred under the flight path of passenger planes bound for and departing Israel. Intense Israeli Air Force activity over Gaza was making commercial flights additionally “hazardous if not impossible,” they said.
Air France was the first to reschedule flights and advise passengers to call in before setting out for their airport of departure.
Also on Thursday, the US embassy in Tel Aviv advised its nationals and staff to avoid non-essential travel to southern Israel and the children of staff to stay home from their schools in the Tel Aviv area.
A skeleton staff would operate the embassy with most of the diplomats and personnel taking the day off and staying home for their own safety, in case Yarkon Street where the building is situated were to come under Palestinian rocket fire.

STL Prosecution Files Pre-Trial Brief
Naharnet/The Special Tribunal for Lebanon announced on Friday that the Prosecution has filed its Pre-Trial Brief, the list of witnesses it intends to call at trial, and the list of exhibits it intends to offer into evidence in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's assassination. Thursday's filing is in accordance with a deadline set by the Pre-Trial Judge as part of the preparation for trial, the STL said in a statement.
“The Prosecution’s 58-page Pre-Trial Brief elaborates on the allegations and charges in the Indictment,” it said.
The Brief “includes for each count charged in the Indictment, a summary of the evidence which the Prosecution intends to bring regarding the commission of the alleged crime and the form of responsibility incurred by the accused.”The documents were all filed on a confidential basis, the statement said, adding the list of Witnesses and list of Exhibits will remain fully confidential, unless the judges decide otherwise. But the STL said it would release a public redacted version of the Pre-Trial Brief soon.
Warrants have been issued against Hizbullah members Salim Ayyash, Mustafa Badreddine, Hussein Oneissi and Assad Sabra in the Feb. 2005 assassination of Hariri in a massive car bombing on the Beirut seafront. The Pre-Trial Judge announced in July that the trial of the four men would provisionally start on March 25 next year, even though the defendants are still at large.

Nasrallah Urges Arabs to Supply Gaza with Arms, Use Oil to Press U.S., EU
Naharnet/Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Thursday called on the Arab countries to supply battered Gaza with weapons and use the factor of oil to pressure the U.S. and Europe into ending their support for Israel. “The aggression started with the assassination of a major jihadist leader and several people were martyred or wounded amid a strong defiance by the resistance,” said Nasrallah in a televised address marking the first day of the Shiite Ashoura religious ceremonies.
“We extend our condolences to Hamas Movement on the death of commander (Ahmed) Jaabari and we offer our condolences to the Palestinian people. We strongly condemn the aggression and all the freedom advocates in the world must stand by Gaza, the resistance and the jihadist fighters,” Nasrallah stressed.
He said that the “main bet” is on “the will of the people in Gaza and the will of the resistance.”
“The reason for confidence is that there is a resistance movement in Gaza that has a level of wisdom, courage and steadfastness that makes it qualified for engaging in a confrontation at this high, dangerous and decisive level,” Hizbullah's leader added.
He noted that the firing on Wednesday and Thursday of Iranian-made Fajr 5 rockets at the Tel Aviv area “highlights the wisdom and courage of the current resistance in Gaza.”
Two more Gazans died as Israel pressed on with a major bombing campaign across Gaza on Thursday, raising the death toll to 15, and Palestinian fighters fired more than 250 rockets over the border, with two of them hitting the Tel Aviv area.
A rocket hit the sea just south of Tel Aviv, an Agence France Presse correspondent at the scene said, the farthest that a rocket from Gaza had ever landed inside Israel.
The attack sparked panic in Tel Aviv, with television images showing people lying on the ground outside the defense ministry, their hands over their heads as sirens wailed.
Earlier on Thursday, a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip struck Rishon LeTzion, some 15 kilometers (nine miles) southeast of Tel Aviv, the Israeli army said, but there were no injuries or damage.
“It is an episode of the episodes of the bloody, historic and decisive confrontations that will decide the fate of Palestine and the holy sites. It is one of the stages that require everyone to shoulder their responsibilities,” said Nasrallah.
“We have noticed that this enemy does not need an excuse to wage war and aggression. If the enemy's government has a political interest in war it will wage it, like it did during the 1996 Grapes of Wrath Operation when (then Israeli prime minister Shimon) Peres waged a war on Lebanon ahead of the Israeli elections,” Nasrallah noted.
“The Israelis do not need a Palestinian action in order to make a reaction and I remind the Lebanese, the Arabs and the governments in the region of this,” he want on to say.
Lashing out at the U.S., France and Britain, Nasrallah said “the blood of Gaza's children has exposed the reality of the American, French and British stances on the region.”
“This proves that they're not concerned with values or human rights, but rather with their own interests,” added Nasrallah.
He called on the Arab and Muslim countries to “cooperate in order to enable the jihadist (Gaza) Strip to achieve victory and foil the Israeli plans.”
“Western countries can definitely pressure Israel. We always hear remarks about the 'weapon of oil' and Arabs know that there are certain countries in Europe that would collapse if the price of oil rises and the same can be said about the U.S.,” said Nasrallah.
“Slash production or raise the prices,” Hizbullah's leader suggested, addressing the oil-producing Arab countries.
Commenting on remarks voiced by some Arab leaders that “what's happening in Gaza is aimed at diverting attention from what's happening in Syria,” Nasrallah said “these remarks are laughable because the Israeli objectives are clear.”“The right thing to say is that Israel benefited very well from what's happening in Syria in order to wage a war on Gaza,” Hizbullah's leader noted.

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah
November 15, 2012/Now Lebanon
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Thursday evening gave a televised address on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Muharram. His speech came one day after Israel launched a major military operation in Gaza which sparked retaliatory missile fire.
“We witnessed lately a monstrous and vast aggression against our people in Gaza, and the killing of Hamas [military commander] Ahmed al-Jaabari and innocent civilians. I would like to offer my condolences to the Hamas movement and to all the Palestinian people over the death of the heroic martyr Jaabari and the Palestinian civilians. We condemn the Israeli aggression on Gaza and we call on the Arab world to take a firm stance in this regard.
The shooting of rockets [from Gaza] on Tel Aviv shows the wisdom, courage and strength of the Palestinian resistance. What happened in Gaza proves that the enemy does not need a justification to wage war. Whenever they have an interest to launch an aggression—whether it was a political, electoral or security interest—they wage a war.
The Israeli enemy resorted to deception and backstabbing. A few days prior to the aggression, there were statements that [Israel] is seeking calm and peace, but [instead they] killed the Hamas official. We notice that the enemy has benefited from its previous aggressions. It benefitted from its 2006 attack on Lebanon.
The enemy announces a series of objectives for their aggression that do not match its real objectives, so that if they lose the battle they can say that they achieved their goals. They said their objective is to inflict maximum harm on Palestinian factions, but is that really their objective?
The enemy implicitly acknowledged that the Gaza resistance managed to impose a deterrence force.
The blood that fell in Gaza and the innocent people that were killed exposed the real image and intentions of the US and the Western countries. The US claims that it only works for its interest, and not for the [Arab] people’s interest and democracy as it claims. When Israel launched its aggression on Palestine, the US said that it supported Israel’s right to defend itself.
We do not want to embarrass anyone or outbid anyone, but the Arab and Muslims countries must take a firm stance. Previously, the Arab countries were demanded to take measures such as cutting ties with Israel, annulling all agreements with it, withdrawing envoys from Israel and support the people of Gaza with food and weapons.
Arabs are capable of stopping the aggression against Israel by exerting pressure on the US. The US can, if it wants to, stop the aggression on Gaza by making a simple phone call.
Arabs should exert pressure by decreasing the amount oil the export, or by increasing the price of oil, thus, the economies of Western countries would be threatened and this pressure would [force] the US and Israel to stop the aggression on Gaza.
I heard some Arab leaders saying that the war on Gaza aimed at turning attention away from the events in Syria. So is it possible that Israel is waging a war just to turn attention away from Syria? Israel is benefitting from the conflict in Syria and the region. It is benefitting from the change of priorities and balances.
We should do all we can. We should keep in contact with our people in Gaza, as this should not only be the battle of Gaza but the battle of us all.
Shifting to another subject, the occasion of Ashura this year comes amid a critical situation in the region. We can choose one of these three stances to face the [impasse] that took a sectarian aspect.
The first stance is to say that we are not concerned in the current situation or even deny the presence of an [impasse]. This would be a surrendering of our responsibility. One can also engage themselves in the [impasse] and even enflame it further. This is a crime whether it was committed by a Sunni or a Shiite. The third stance is to assume our responsibility, face the situation and work on ending this [impasse] and tension and turn things back to normal. This is the responsibility of all people.
Sometimes the media serves the [impasse] by exaggerating an event that reflects [strife], thus increasing the tension among people.
I want to tell our Sunni brothers that commemorating Ashura is not a provocation against them; the opposite is true. I would like to say the same things for Shiites; they should not consider this occasion to be against Sunnis.”

Preventing Further Escalation in Gaza
David Makovsky/Washington Institute
November 15, 2012
Washington's objective should be to persuade all parties that returning to the de facto ceasefire serves everyone's best interests, though even that outcome promises instability if Hamas does not crack down on jihadist groups in Gaza.
The fighting between Israel and Hamas has escalated for a second day. Hamas rocket barrages are targeting the coastal cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon along with areas as far south as Dimona (seventy-five kilometers from Gaza and home to Israel's nuclear reactor). In all, 274 rockets have been fired at Israel so far, reportedly including a longer-range Fajr-5 aimed at the Tel Aviv area -- the first time since the 1991 Gulf War that the city has been targeted in this manner. And in the southern Negev region, three civilians were killed today when their apartment building was hit. Meanwhile, Israel says it has struck 250 Hamas targets in Gaza, apparently knocking out many longer-range rockets and weapon storehouses. This comes after Operation Amud Anan (Pillar of Defense/Pillar of Cloud) was launched on Wednesday, when Israel killed Hamas military chief Ahmed Jabari after days of escalation. Eleven Palestinians are believed to be dead.
In response to the crisis, Egypt has withdrawn its ambassador from Israel. Although President Obama has already urged Cairo not to escalate the situation, he will likely need to take further action to preserve Egyptian-Israeli peace and mobilize regional pressure on Hamas.
ISRAEL'S OBJECTIVES
At minimum, Israel seems bent on restoring the deterrence that kept Gaza fairly quiet after Operation Cast Lead concluded in early 2009. The relative calm that followed that ground assault lasted through 2011, but the situation changed this year. Since January, Gaza militants have fired 750-800 rockets into Israel, forcing many of the estimated one million civilians in the Negev to repeatedly head into bomb shelters and close their schools. Although the new Iron Dome rocket-interception system has mitigated the impact of this barrage, only a few batteries are operational, and they are deployed to metropolitan areas, not smaller towns. Moreover, the range and lethality of Gaza rockets have increased in recent years, putting more high-population areas at risk; for example, Israel's fourth-largest city (Beersheba, in the Negev) is a frequent target now.
Israel's approach to Gaza is also being shaped by uncertainty over whether Hamas will ever go after the jihadist factions that inflamed the situation in the first place. At various times since 2009, Hamas refrained from firing rockets itself but did not prevent Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other terrorist groups from doing so. Even when it did arrest the perpetrators of such attacks, it released them shortly thereafter. And in recent months, Hamas has actively participated in some attacks in response to jihadist accusations that it was abandoning the mantle of "resistance." In light of this track record, Israel has apparently decided that Hamas cannot be counted on to maintain a de facto ceasefire; hitting Jabari at the outset of yesterday's campaign indicates that hurting the group's operational capability was a central concern.
There is no evidence yet that Pillar of Defense is a prelude to a major ground operation aimed at degrading Hamas's capabilities, which would be costlier in terms of lives and damage. As for a sustained operation to displace Hamas as the governing body in Gaza, that was not Israel's objective in 2008-2009 and seems equally improbable today. The Palestinian Authority has not demonstrated that it is capable of taking control of the strip, and Israel prefers that there be some governing body there that can be held responsible in the event of rocket strikes or other attacks.
HAMAS AND EGYPT'S CALCULATIONS
Hamas seems to have miscalculated on several fronts. First, it may have believed that Israel would avoid major action for fear of antagonizing the new government in Cairo, given Gaza's proximity to Egypt and Hamas's close ties with the Muslim Brotherhood. It may also have believed that recent shows of regional solidarity (including the Qatari emir's visit to Gaza last month and ongoing support from Turkey) would raise the diplomatic cost of Israeli action to prohibitive levels.
In addition, Hamas may not have expected an attack against a high-profile target like Jabari, which was a change from Israel's pattern of sporadic retaliation to rocket fire. Indeed, Israel considered him a leading terrorist -- he was responsible for overseeing at least one suicide bombing in the late 1990s and was key in Hamas operations during the second intifada, when the group carried out numerous suicide attacks. And when Hamas took over Gaza in 2007, he organized its fighters into a military force with companies, battalions, and brigades. Jabari is also believed to have overseen the detention of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, allowing himself to be photographed when Shalit was swapped for Palestinian prisoners last year.
As for Egypt, the Gaza crisis will test whether Cairo is a true peace partner eager to contain escalation or just another party seeking to stoke the fire. Obama's Wednesday phone call to President Muhammad Morsi reflects U.S. concern about the fragility of the 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty given the Muslim Brotherhood government's support for Hamas. In his first comments on the crisis, Morsi stated before a meeting of senior ministers, "Israel must realize that we don't accept the aggression, which negatively affects security and stability in the region." He added that Gazans should know "we stand by them to stop this assault on them."
Although Morsi has not objected to his security services playing a behind-the-scenes role in negotiating a ceasefire, it remains unclear whether he is willing to devote any political capital to making this happen in public. At the same time, he did insist that Hamas bolster its control over jihadists after militants killed sixteen Egyptian soldiers in a northern Sinai attack this summer.
TIMING
More broadly, the Palestinian issue is poised to return to prominence after some time on the world's back burner. Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas has turned down Washington's request to abort the planned November 29 vote on upgrading the PA's status at the UN General Assembly. That date is redolent with symbolism -- on November 29, 1947, the assembly voted for partition and a two-state solution, and Abbas has said it was a mistake for the Palestinians to reject that offer. It is not clear how, if at all, Operation Pillar of Defense will affect the UN question.
Meanwhile, Israeli defense minister Ehud Barak likely does not want any issue to divert too much attention from his main concern, the Iranian nuclear program. On one hand, this could be an argument for resolving the Gaza crisis quickly. On the other hand, taking the time to root out longer-range rockets in Gaza could be viewed as a way of minimizing potential retaliation from there in the event of an Israeli strike on Iran.
U.S. ROLE
Obama's phone call to Morsi showed the administration's understanding that the Gaza issue could have broader implications for Israeli-Egyptian relations and, in turn, the U.S.-Egyptian relationship. If Cairo makes the cold peace with Israel even colder -- for example, if both Morsi and new defense minister Abdul Fattah al-Sisi continue their refusal to meet with Israeli officials, or if they threaten to suspend the treaty -- it could further harm Egypt's standing in Washington at a time of mounting questions over the Morsi government's direction.
Policymakers should also acknowledge that the situation in Gaza -- with Hamas not doing much if anything to contain jihadist groups -- is inherently unstable. Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey have said that they are encouraging Hamas to adopt more moderate positions. Now is the time to test that claim. Washington should launch high-level efforts aimed at prodding all three governments to use their influence with Hamas, persuading the group to crack down on factions whose indiscriminate rocket fire provokes large-scale Israeli retaliation.
**David Makovsky is the Ziegler distinguished fellow and director of the Project on the Middle East Peace Process at The Washington Institute.

Syria and Israel…Encore
By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat
Following my article, “Israel trying to save al-Assad!, which was published on Tuesday, the primary question that was posed was: Is Israel truly trying to save al-Assad? Why isn’t the Free Syrian Army [FSA] the party trying to drag Israel into the battle? There are many questions, and it is clear that many people are worried about the Syrian crisis moving closer to the Israeli border, and the dangerous implications of this. We must pay attention to two issues here. Firstly, it is certainly in Israel’s interests to ensure that its borders with Syria remain as they are for the next 40 years, which indeed is precisely as they have been over the past 40 years. This is because the al-Assad regime –that of the father and the son – is the best protector of the ceasefire agreement between Syria and Israel, despite its desire to incite regional battles and crises with Israel, whether in Gaza or Lebanon, or heating up the Egypt – Israeli file following the Egyptian – Israeli peace agreement. The al-Assad regime has pursued this approach by investing in false slogans regarding the resistance, supporting this resistance everywhere except the Golan Heights! This has been the reality of the situation over the past 40 years, and this is a situation that Israel respects, particularly as Tel Aviv only needs to give the al-Assad regime a slap on the wrist on the occasional times that it exceeds the rules of the game. Al-Assad has continually taken pre-emptive steps against the al-Assad regime, which for its part, has always repeated that it has the right to respond! What further confirms this issue is the repeated Israeli statements regarding the importance of protecting secure and calm borders with Syria, as they have been over the past 40 years!
The other important thing is that everything that has been put forward by the al-Assad regime in terms of threats since the beginning of the revolution, whether by those close to the regime or via the Iranian media or indeed what Bashar al-Assad said himself in his most recent interview with Russia Today, has been implemented, or at least attempted. This can be seen in Lebanon and Jordan, as well as Syria’s borders with Turkey, not to mention Iraq. In fact, only two of these threats have not been carried out by the al-Assad regime, namely dragging Israel into the crisis and the use of chemical weapons. Now, the al-Assad regime has begun by playing the Israeli card, and Israel rushed to respond to this, then returned and withdrew from this position, and perhaps until now, it is calling for self-restraint because it has become clear that its intervention means protection for al-Assad, nothing more and nothing less. This is particularly the case today as the Arab world, and following this the international community, have begun to move in a faster and more concrete manner , especially in terms of recognizing the Syrian National Coalition on the part of the Arabs, France and America. Therefore, the Russians don’t have much to offer, and as one of the most prominent Arab politicians said, Russia is like somebody selling ice-cream at noon and putting the price up without being aware that the ice cream is melting in their hands. The danger now is for the Israeli “gift” to re-freeze this ice-cream! Therefore, we are facing two real threats, namely Israeli intervention in the Syrian crisis to reshuffle the cards and the threat regarding the use of chemical weapons being realized. Apart from this, al-Assad has exhausted all of his tricks and threats.

Are the States united?
By Osman Mirghani/Asharq Alawsat
Four years ago, when Barack Obama was elected as the first African-American US president, the overwhelming atmosphere was one of joy coupled with great hope, not just inside America but around the entire world. The slogan of change struck a chord to the point that everybody expected Obama’s entry to the White House would begin a new stage characterized by hope. For in America, many people were dreaming that their country had turned a page on the painful past, and begun to heal its deep wounds to become more united and harmonious. This optimism was also reflected on the US economy which was exiting years of crisis towards recovery. As for externally, hopes were raised that Obama’s election would see the world move towards a better stage in terms of cooperation and calm after a decade of tension and war that characterized George W. Bush’s years at the White House, particularly since the 9/11 attacks that changed much in the course of America and the world.
All opinion polls published at the time reflect this sentiment. In a poll conducted by Gallup for USA Today, 67 percent of Americans said that they felt optimistic and happy following Obama’s election. Whilst in another poll, America’s CBS television channel reported that 71 percent of Americans had expressed their optimism regarding the next 4 year. In addition to this, 70 percent of those polled by Gallup said that they thought that race relations would be better as a result of Obama’s election, particularly in terms of what this meant for America’s minorities and the racial mix of America’s society from different races and religions.
However as the wind blows counter to the ship’s desire, so the 2012 elections took place in an atmosphere as far removed as possible from the spirit of hope and optimism that followed the 2008 elections, whether domestically or internationally. The dreams of hope faded to be replaced by fears and concerns regarding the consequences of the economic crises and political tensions in many parts of the world, to the point that 72 percent of Americans said that they believe that their country will be a party in an external conflict or war during the next 4 years.
The 2012 elections shed light on something else that deserves contemplation, namely that America is deeply divided, even if its internal demographics are quickly changing, with everything that this implies for the social and political situation. Obama won with the support of black and Latino voters, not to mention women and the youth, whilst Romney’s primary supporters were white, particularly senior citizens and those living in rural areas. These considerations will play a major role in the future choices and campaigns of the Republican and Democratic parties. For the Latino (or Hispanic) community is considered the fastest-growing demographic group in the US, overtaking the African-American community in this regard, at a time when the proportion of white voters is decreasing on a yearly basis. Just twenty years ago, whites made up 90 percent of the recorded electorate in the US, however this figure has decreased to 74 percent in the 2008 elections, decreasing even further to 70 percent in 2012. Many analysts believe that this demographic change will have the greatest impact on the Republican Party which will result in a complete review of its electoral strategy to compete with the Democrats for the minority votes, particularly the Hispanics.
However the image is not this simple because Obama also won thanks to strong support from women, as he won 55 percent of women’s votes in comparison to 44 percent who voted for Romney. This is something that could strengthen Hillary Clinton’s chances, as all signs indicate that she has begun her preparations to contest the 2016 presidential elections, particularly as women are more likely to vote than men, according to the electoral process over the past years. Obama also heavily won the youth vote, with 60 percent of those aged between 18 and 29 voting for him, in comparison to just 37 percent who voted for Romney. Even amongst the 30 – 44 year olds, 52 percent of them voted in favor of Obama, which is extremely important in a society whose young population is on the rise and whose elderly population is declining, although polls also indicated that the majority of America’s senior citizens voted for Romney and the Republicans.
America’s biggest problem appears when one contemplates the distribution of votes between Obama and Romney according to racial lines; 59 percent of whites voted for Romney in comparison to 39 percent for Obama, whilst 93 percent of the black vote went to Obama compared to just 6 percent for Romney. As for the Hispanic or Latino community, 73 percent voted for Obama in comparison to just 26 percent for Romney. It is also true that Romney critically hurt himself when he provoked a large proportion of America’s poor, not to mention black and Latino communities, in some of his statements and comments, particularly his famous statement in which he said that 47 percent of American people – who will vote for Obama no matter what – do not pay taxes, consider themselves victims and rely on government support. He added that his job is not to worry about this 47 percent. However these statements ultimately blinded Romney and reinforced his image as a rich white man who does not care about minorities or understand the suffering of the poor; although in reality this did not significantly change the way that the minorities voted, at least in this election.
America may have re-elected Obama in spite of the ongoing economic crisis which has strongly affected its position; however it did not emerge from these elections in a unified or optimistic manner, rather these results confirmed that the country is witnessing deep divisions below the surface. These are divisions that will have a clear impact on the American political makeup and approach in the forthcoming years.

Sitting out the Syria game
Tony Badran/Now Lebanon/November 15, 2012
In the run-up to the US presidential election, Washington’s regional allies were convinced that the Obama administration’s lack of a Syria policy was due to the US president’s preoccupation with securing a second term. Once the elections were over, the thinking went, priorities would change and the US would pursue a more robust policy.
There was such desperation for US leadership and a clear US policy that some in the Saudi press were counting days and hours to the election. For instance, Tariq al-Homayed, editor of al-Sharq al-Awsat, waxed hopeful in late September that in 40 days, “all options will be on the table.” On the eve of the election, Homayed again wrote that the region “has been in a coma for more than a month because of the US elections… If Obama wins things will be different… In 24 hours, there will be movement and action.”
Now that President Obama has been reelected, this hopeful view of a dramatic shift in US policy has resurfaced. The recent formation in Doha of the Syrian National Coalition of Opposition and Revolutionary Forces, and the news of Turkey holding talks with NATO over deploying Patriot missile batteries on its border with Syria, have spurred speculation that the US has finally changed its posture and has adopted a more aggressive Syria policy.
However, this reading is overly hopeful. What’s more, it confuses the attempts by Washington’s allies to spur it into action with the actual policy thinking of the Obama administration.
When the Turks deliberately leaked the news of their discussions with NATO about the Patriot batteries, the story was seen as a Turkish gambit to establish a de facto no-fly zone in northern Syria. There remains, however, much to be answered about this plan—assuming it will even come to pass, as Ankara has not yet made an official request.
First off, on the eve of the election, the Turks were told about the continued US unwillingness to pursue the safe haven option. Then last week, the State Department placed the potential deployment of Patriot batteries within a strictly defensive framework, against a possible Syrian attack on Turkey, perhaps with chemical weapons. In fact, the State Department spokesperson, Victoria Nuland, dismissed the prospect of using the Patriot interceptors to set up a no-fly zone on the cheap as mixing “apples and oranges.”
More importantly, even should Turkey and NATO go through with this deployment, the rules of engagement, as well as the details of who would man the batteries and who would hold command over them, are all unclear. However, it’s safe to say that the White House, which has resisted all attempts by its regional allies to drag it into more involvement, is not likely about to offer the Turks the ability to force its hand on intervention in Syria.
The consistent statements by administration officials, before and after the election, support this conclusion. At best, the US and NATO might deploy the Patriot batteries as a show of commitment to Turkey’s security. But Washington will resist any attempt to alter the purpose of this deployment. This way the administration will have appeared to have done something bold, but in reality, the ground rules will have remained unchanged.
Indeed, the administration is standing its ground on the matter of arming the Syrian rebels. For Turkey and Qatar, who were closely involved in the creation of the Syrian National Coalition, the purpose behind this unified opposition front boils down to pressing Washington to agree to provide advanced lethal assistance and to establish a no-fly zone along the border with Turkey.
Indeed, the first thing the head of the new Syrian coalition called for was “specialized weapons”—a reference to anti-air systems to counter the Assad regime’s airpower. Similarly, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu indicated that this was Ankara’s primary concern when he called on the members of the Friends of Syria group to “be more active,” adding that with the new unity agreement, “there is no excuse anymore.”
Obviously, Davutgolu was directing his statement at the Obama administration, whose excuse for months had been that the Syrian opposition’s fragmentation precluded more US involvement.
Yet it is precisely on this central point of military aid that the US position remains unchanged. Remarkably, all recent assertions in the media about a shift in the US approach ran against consistent and explicit statements to the contrary from administration officials, both immediately before and after the election. For instance, in October, the US Ambassador to Turkey Francis Ricciardone relayed to the Turks that “no matter what the election results, I do not believe there will be a change in perspective [on Syria].”
The administration also ruled out last month any prospect of supplying the opposition with shoulder-fired anti-air missiles, and was reportedly startled when the British prime minister, David Cameron, floated the possibility of opening the door to arming the rebels last week.
And just in case anyone didn't get the point, in its statement following the formation of the Syrian National Coalition, the State Department made sure to underline that assistance from the US will continue to be of the "non-lethal" variety.
As for the second main demand of a no-fly zone, during the opposition gathering in Doha, the administration’s point man on Syria, Ambassador Robert Ford, reportedly emphasized to the rebels—and to their regional backers—that they should not expect any change in the administration’s position on that front.
In the end, therefore, despite leaks regarding a review process of the Syria policy, the pre-election dynamic continues unaltered: US regional allies continue to maneuver to push Washington toward more involvement, while the administration continues to insist on staying out of the game.
Barring an extraordinary development, it seems US policy will remain unchanged for the foreseeable future, to the dismay of US allies who hoped the election would make a difference.
*Tony Badran is a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He tweets @AcrossTheBay.

Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Miqati : The Economy Should Not be Exploited for Political Gains
Naharnet /Prime Minister Najib Miqati stressed in a statement he delivered at the Annual Arab Banking Conference on Friday that the economy should not be exploited to achieve political gains.
In his statement the PM stressed that Lebanon has achieved a slight growth rate despite the changes fanning out in the Arab world.
“Although Lebanon was influenced negatively by the political, security and economic situation in the Arab region and the world, it was the least vulnerable to the effects of the global financial crisis. Its banking sector maintained resilience and immunity,” said Miqati.
The cabinet is seeking to study ways to achieve the social-economic reform in a bid to strengthen the economic framework, help the private sector, rehabilitate the infrastructure, develop education, health care and social health. It also aims to support regional and municipal development, added Miqati.
The cabinet seeks to activate and unify the vision about the role of the private sector, and to issue a law of partnership between the public and private sectors.
In light of the regional and global economic situation prevailing, Miqati stressed that efforts to thwart obstacles facing the national economy are one of the cabinet's goals, including tourism and exports.
The cabinet is in efforts to improve the electricity sector by increasing the production capacity, and invest the region's economic resources.
In the telecommunications sector, “we are in the process of setting up a mechanism to draw a clear policy for communications and information technology based on Law No. 431,” said the PM.
Elaborating on Lebanon's banking sector, he said it was able to maintain its immunity and role increasing total deposits in Lebanese commercial banks, an average of seven percent annually. At the same time claims on the private sector grew at an annual rate of approximately ten percent.
All the above confirms the distinguished role of the Lebanese banks in the financial sector in the Arab region, said the premier.
Miqati concluded addressing all political powers in Lebanon that the government will not succumb to the first crisis it faces.
“We should not exploit the economy for political purposes. The economic sector should be given the priority. We reject using the economy to achieve political gains,” he said.

CIA Opens Investigation into Petraeus Scandal
Naharnet/The CIA has launched an internal inquiry following the resignation of its director David Petraeus, who confessed to an extramarital affair, a spokesman for the U.S. intelligence agency said Thursday.
"If there are lessons to be learned from this case, we'll use them to improve," said the spokesman, Preston Golson.
"But we're not getting ahead of ourselves. An investigation is exploratory and doesn't presuppose any particular outcome," he added.
Petraeus, who was already the most celebrated U.S. general of his generation before he took the helm at the CIA last year, resigned last week to pre-empt the revelation that he had had an affair with his biographer.
The scandal sent shockwaves through the Washington security establishment and entangled the U.S. commander of allied forces in Afghanistan, General John Allen, whose career is on hold pending a Pentagon investigation.
Petraeus has kept a low profile since his resignation, but he will be in the limelight once again on Friday when he heads to Capitol Hill to testify before two congressional committees over a deadly attack on a U.S. mission in Libya.
The 60-year-old retired general is not expected to face charges, but FBI agents seized a trove of documents from the home of his mistress, 40-year-old Paula Broadwell, and may act if she improperly received classified material.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said Thursday that the FBI had not found any "national security threat" in the course of its investigation.
Petraeus' resignation also triggered speculation that its timing -- three days after President Barack Obama's re-election -- was political or was linked to the probe into the killing of four Americans at the Benghazi consulate.
Lawmakers are still demanding answers, with Senator Chuck Grassley -- the senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has oversight of the FBI -- asking Holder and FBI director Robert Mueller for a timeline of events.
"A number of questions have been raised about the FBI's actions during the course of its investigation of the Petraeus matter," Grassley said. "It would be best for the administration to be forthright and transparent so the country can feel comfortable that our chief domestic law enforcement agency is doing everything properly under the law to protect national security."
Petraeus has yet to speak publicly, but he told a friend, CNN Headline News anchor Kyra Phillips, that the scandal had nothing to do with Benghazi and that he had never passed secret documents to his lover.
"He was very clear that he screwed up terribly -- it was all his fault -- even that he felt fortunate to have a wife who is far better than he deserves," Phillips said, after a series of calls to Petraeus.
"He has insisted to me that he has never passed classified information to Paula Broadwell," she added. "He has said this has nothing to do with Benghazi and he wants to testify. He will testify."
Petraeus will face both the House and Senate intelligence committees on Friday as they probe the September 11 attack on the consulate in Benghazi, in which Ambassador Chris Stevens and three more Americans died.
Two of the dead were former Navy SEALs working as paramilitary agents for Petraeus' CIA, and questions have been raised about whether the agency or the State Department was responsible for security at the exposed outpost.
Broadwell herself further muddied the waters by suggesting in a public speech that the CIA team in Benghazi was holding local prisoners and that this was what inspired Islamist militants to launch their assault.
The CIA has firmly denied her claim, made before the scandal broke.
Petraeus met Broadwell in 2006 when she was studying for a doctorate at Harvard. They hit it off and she was invited to follow him to Afghanistan to study his command for what was to become a fawning biography.
The four-star general retired from the military last year and took over at the CIA. Shortly afterwards, according to Petraeus' friends, he and Broadwell became lovers, and remained so until they split around four months ago.
The affair came to light as a result of an FBI inquiry that was launched in May when Jill Kelley, a 37-year-old Tampa socialite who hosted parties for officers at U.S. Central Command in Florida, complained of threatening emails.
Agents traced the anonymous emails to Broadwell's computer and found that she had been jealous of Kelley's rapport with both Petraeus and Allen.
While investigating cyberstalking they uncovered sexually explicit emails between Petraeus and Broadwell. The investigation might have remained secret, but an FBI agent raised concerns with a congressman and the scandal broke.This week, Allen was pulled into the drama, when it was revealed he had written hundreds of emails to Kelley, some of them reportedly "flirtatious," and the Pentagon launched an inquiry into his conduct.
He was expected to be promoted to become NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, but Obama has put this on hold until the result of the investigation.
SourceAgence France Presse

Egypt PM Says Cairo to Intensify Truce Efforts to Halt Israeli Aggression
Naharnet/Egyptian Prime Minister Hisham Qandil vowed Friday to intensify Cairo's efforts to secure a truce and end Israel's "aggression" in the Gaza Strip. "Egypt will not hesitate to intensify its efforts and make sacrifices to stop this aggression and achieve a lasting truce," he said at a press conference in Gaza City's Shifa hospital after seeing some victims from the latest Israeli strike.
Qandil crossed into Gaza before midday through the only border post with Egypt, heavily guarded by Egyptian security personnel wearing flak jackets and carrying assault rifles.
He was greeted by Gaza's Hamas prime minister, Ismail Haniya , who ventured out in public for the first time since Israel launched the offensive Wednesday by assassinating the militant group's military commander. Egypt said Qandil's three-hour visit Friday was meant as a show of solidarity with the Palestinian territory's Hamas rulers.