LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

Bible Quotation for today/Paul and the Other Apostles
Galatians 02/01-10/"Fourteen years later I went back to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. I went because God revealed to me that I should go. In a private meeting with the leaders I explained the gospel message that I preach to the Gentiles. I did not want my work in the past or in the present to be a failure. My companion Titus, even though he is Greek, was not forced to be circumcised, although some wanted it done. Pretending to be believers, these men slipped into our group as spies, in order to find out about the freedom we have through our union with Christ Jesus. They wanted to make slaves of us, but in order to keep the truth of the gospel safe for you, we did not give in to them for a minute. But those who seemed to be the leaders—I say this because it makes no difference to me what they were; God does not judge by outward appearances—those leaders, I say, made no new suggestions to me. On the contrary, they saw that God had given me the task of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as he had given Peter the task of preaching the gospel to the Jews. For by God's power I was made an apostle to the Gentiles, just as Peter was made an apostle to the Jews. James, Peter, and John, who seemed to be the leaders, recognized that God had given me this special task; so they shook hands with Barnabas and me, as a sign that we were all partners. We agreed that Barnabas and I would work among the Gentiles and they among the Jews. All they asked was that we should remember the needy in their group, which is the very thing I have been eager to do.

Who are You, Are you yourself?
Elias Bejjani/28.07.13/Many people do not recognize consciously who they really are, and willingly and viciously hide behind fake faces, or let us say they put on deceiving masks. Why? because they hate themselves, and mostly burdened with devastating inferiority complexes. these chameleon like-people do not trust or respect themselves, have no sense of gratitude what so ever, lack faith in God and worship money. Most of them were initially poor but suddenly became rich. Instead of investing their riches that are graces from God in helping others and making them happy, especially those of their family members, they alienate themselves from every that is human feelings, actual love, live in castles of hatred, ruminate on grudges and contemplate revenge. Not only that, but they start to venomously and destructively envy any one who is happy, respected and descent. Evilly they use their riches and influence to inflict pain and misery on others. When we look around where ever we are it is very easy to identify many people who are of this evil nature. How they end? They end paying for all their destructive and vicious acts, if not on this earth, definitely on the Day Of Judgment. God safeguard us from such evil people.

Israel Warns Lebanon against Getting Dragged into Syrian Unrest
Naharnet/Israeli Chief of Staff Benny Gantz warned on Sunday Lebanon against getting dragged into the war in Syria, reported Yedioth Ahronoth. He called on the Lebanese government against getting caught up in the civil war in the neighboring country. The government had adopted a policy of disassociation from the conflict in Syria, but Hizbullah has in recent months become involved in the fighting bringing about widespread local and international condemnation. Lebanese border areas have also come under shelling from Syria. Syrian regime forces said that the attacks are part of its attempts to crackdown on rebels, while the rebels have fired at Hizbullah strongholds in retaliation to the party's intervention in the conflict. The Syrian regime has told Lebanon to better control its porous border to prevent the smuggling of fighters and arms.

President Suleiman Returns to Lebanon after Medical Visit to U.S.
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman returned to Lebanon on Saturday night from a brief trip to the United States, reported the daily An Nahar Sunday.
It said that he traveled to the U.S. on Monday in order to receive medical treatment for his left eye at a hospital in Washington D.C. He is set to head on Monday a meeting for the Higher Defense Council.
The talks are set to discuss the latest developments in Lebanon, most notably the European Union's blacklisting of Hizbullah's military wing as a terrorist organization. The Higher Defense Council is also set to address the extension of Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji's term and the flow of Syrian refugees into Lebanon.

Report: March 14 Camp Meets to Unify Position on Recent Developments
Naharnet/Representatives of the March 14 camp held a meeting on Friday in order to tackle the latest developments in the country, reported the daily An Nahar Sunday. The meeting was not aimed at taking decisions, but it was aimed at assessing the situation in the country in order for the camp take a unified position on various developments, March 14 General Secretariat coordinator Fares Soaid explained to the daily. The talks addressed the extension of Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji's term, the discussions to form a new government, and the European Union's blacklisting of Hizbullah's military wing. He revealed that the unrest in Syria was also tackled, adding that future meetings between the representatives will be held.

Lebanon Parliament unlikely to convene: MPs
July 28, 2013/The Daily Star/BEIRUT: A repeat boycott by enough lawmakers to prevent the necessary quorum for Parliament to convene will likely jettison for a third time a series of legislative sessions called for Speaker Nabih Berri early next week, MPs from rival political camps said Sunday. “I do not think Monday’s session will be held,” MP Ammar Houry, from the opposition Future Movement, told The Daily Star.
“We [Future Movement lawmakers] will not attend the session, neither will our allies,” Houry added, referring to other political parties in the March 14 coalition. MP Ghassan Mokhaiber, from the Free Patriotic Movement, also said that lawmakers in the Change and Reform bloc would not attend the scheduled legislative sessions set for Monday through to Wednesday. “Nothing has changed for us to change our stance or contemplate attending the session,” he said. “On what basis would we attend [the Parliament session]?” he asked. A boycott by various political parties and officials has led to the postponement of legislative sessions of Parliament called for by Berri on two separate occasions. The Future Movement, which heads the opposition March 14 coalition, as well as caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and independent Christian lawmakers argue the legislature can’t convene while there is a resigned government, except for urgent matters. The FPM, for its part, has boycotted the session over a draft law which if approved would see the extension Army commander Gen. Jean Kahwagi’s mandate. MP Michel Aoun, who heads the FPM, says a new Army commander needs to be appointed and objects to Kahwagi remaining at his post any longer. Speaker Berri insists that upon the resignation of the government, Parliament is automatically in an extraordinary session and can legislate as it sees fit. Some 45 draft laws are up for debate in the three consecutive legislative sessions set for next week.

Recent appointments by Lebanon mufti are invalid: Council
July 28, 2013 /The Daily Star/The Daily Star/Antoine Amrieh)
BEIRUT: The Higher Islamic Council said over the weekend recent appointments of muftis in different parts of Lebanon by the country’s top Sunni preacher are void and that elections should be opted as a method for selecting muftis in the future. In early January, Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabbani appointed new muftis across the country, defying the Council which has argued the appointments are invalid.
In a statement issued Saturday following a meeting under former Minister Omar Miskawi, most of the 82 members of the Council said that they approved a petition signed by Sidon’s elections committee challenging Qabbani’s appointment of a new mufti for the southern coastal city. They said that their decision challenged not only the appointment of Sheikh Ahmad Nassar as Sidon’s mufti but appointments by Qabbani in January for posts across Lebanon. The petition stipulated ending the practice of appointing new muftis, administrative councils and heads of departments in Dar al-Fatwa and adopting elections in order to fill such posts in the future.
The Council said the petition was published in the official gazette on May 9, 2013. According to the council’s decision, appointments prior to January were still valid.
The statement said that the Council members based their petition on articles 58 and 38 of Decree 18 of 1955, which organizes the affairs of Dar al-Fatwa.
Most of the members who approved the petition are close to the Future Movement of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri.
An ongoing dispute over the extension of Qabbani’s term has divided the Council. In April, the grand mufti held council elections opposing members considered illegal.
These members still convene under Miskawi, arguing that the council’s term won’t expire till the end of 2013. Qabbani’s term expires in September 2014.

Report: Qahwaji's Term Likely to Be Extended for One Year
Naharnet/The decision to refer Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji to retirement will likely be postponed, reported the daily An Nahar on Sunday. It said that his term will be extended for a year in order to appease all political powers given that some forces, mainly the Free Patriotic Movement of MP Michel Aoun, have opposed the extension. The decision to extend his tenure will likely be announced during a meeting for the Higher Defense Council on Monday, said Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) Sunday. The extension also includes Chief of Staff Walid Salman. The Council is scheduled to convene on Monday under President Michel Suleiman.
Caretaker Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn had proposed that Qahwaji's term be extended until an agreement is reached on his successor, but further consultations with the concerned authorities agreed that the extension should last a year. Aoun vowed on Friday to challenge before the Constitutional Council the extension of Qahwaji's term, saying that it as “illegal and harms army ranks.” The extension of Qahwaji's term which ends this September when he turns 60 – the maximum age for the post of the army commander – had created a disputed among the political foes. Political leaders that support the extension of Qahwaji's mandate argue that the security situation in the country can't endure any vacancy in military posts.

Siniora, Jordanian king discuss Syria crisis
July 28, 2013/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Former Prime Minister Fouad Sinora met Sunday Jordanian King Abdullah II as part of a delegation for talks over recent developments in the Arab world, particularly the crisis in Lebanon’s neighbor Syria.
Siniora, who met the Jordanian king in Amman at around noon, was part of a delegation from the Council for Arab and International Relations (CAIR) headed by Kuwaiti MP Mohammad Jassem al-Saqr.
During the one-hour meeting with King Abdullah, the delegation discussed ways to end the bloodshed in Syria, according to a statement from Siniora’s office. The talks also addressed the possibility of finding a political solution to end the crisis. The delegation then head to Istanbul, where they are set to meet with Turkish officials to discuss regional developments but principally the situation in Syria, the statement said.
The council members will visit other Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates. The CAIR is an independent Arab civil society body that addresses ties between Arab countries and Western states. The council includes prominent Arab officials such as former Arab League chairman Amr Moussa and former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi.

Canada Appalled by Egyptian Violence
July 27, 2013 -Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today released the following statement:
“Canada is deeply concerned and appalled by reports of deadly clashes last night in Nasr City.
“We extend our condolences to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to those injured.
“Canada urges all parties in Egypt to remain calm, avoid violence and engage in meaningful political dialogue.
“Canada firmly believes that the only way to move forward and restore calm is to respect the voices of all Egyptian citizens and the contributions of its civil society, including religious minorities. All Egyptians deserve a stake in the future stability and prosperity of Egypt.
“We urge all Egyptian leaders to denounce this violence.”

Egyptian health dept. reports 29 Muslim Brotherhood protesters killed, 650 injured, says MB inflated Saturday’s casualties

DEBKAfile Special Report July 27, 2013/The Egyptian Health Moslem Brotherhood reported 29 Muslim Brotherhood protesters killed, 650 injured - not more 100 dead and 4,000 injured as the Brotherhood claimed from live fire it said was directed against its supporters around Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque in Nasser City early Saturday, July 27. Earlier, Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim vowed to end the three-week sit-in at the mosque calling for the reinstatement of ousted president Mohamed Morsi and restore order to Cairo streets after the two massive rival demonstrations Friday night. The military claim millions rallied in support of the army in Tahrir Square. Explosions were heard in Eilat from Sinai fighting. DEBKAfile reported Friday night: Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators filled Cairo’s streets and squares Friday, July 26 in rival rallies shortly after deposed president Mohamed Morsi was formally charged and detained for 15 days. Tahrir Square was packed with crowds responding to Defense Minister Gen. Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s call for a mandate to support the military fight on “terrorists.” Another huge crowd of Morsi supporters packed the streets around the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque in Nasser City.
Instead of directing their ire at the overthrown Muslim Brotherhood, the pro-military demonstrators shouted “Bye Bye America!” as huge placards waved over their heads depicting as a threesome Gen. El-Sisi, Vladimir Putin and Gemal Abdel Nasser, who ruled Egypt in the 60s in close alliance with the Soviet Union. Their rivals in a separate part of Cairo chanted "Sisi out! Morsi is president! Down with the army!"
In Alexandria, five people were killed in clashes between Muslim Brotherhood supporters and opponents. The anti-American banners represented a message: No matter if President Barack Obama denies the Egyptian people US support because of the military’s steps against the Muslim Brotherhood, Cairo has an option in Moscow. Reports began appearing Friday morning on the social networks including Facebook from sources close to Putin that Moscow is considering supplying Egypt with advanced fighter bombers to replace the F-16 planes, whose delivery Obama suspended Wednesday, July 24. This was a gesture to show the US President’s displeasure over Gen El-Sisi’s rejection of the demand to release the ousted president and integrate the Muslim Brotherhood in the interim government. The military gave the Muslim Brotherhood an ultimatum to endorse the new situation by Friday. The Brotherhood, whose supporters have maintained a sit-in in Nasser City for 20 days, did not respond.The military accordingly gave the screw another turn. A Cairo investigating judge Friday ordered deposed president Morsi detained for 15 days pending investigation into charges of plotting with the Palestinian Hamas to orchestrate a jailbreak during the 2011 revolution and conniving with Hamas in killing police officers and soldiers.He has been held at an unknown location since the coup.
These charges carry potential death sentences.They relate to the attack by armed men who on Aug. 5, 2012 killed 16 Egyptian border policemen in their camp in northern Sinai near Rafah. The prosecution claims to have evidence that the raid was plotted by Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood to depict the Egyptian military as a spent force. That attack kicked off the current armed Salafist mutiny against Egyptian military and police targets in Sinai The other charge relates to the raid on Wadi Natroun prison at the tail end of the 2011 uprising against Hosni Mubarak, which broke out of jail thousands of inmates including Morsi and other Muslim Brotherhood leaders.
According to DEBKAfile’s intelligence sources, the jailbreak was executed by special networks of Hizballah and Hamas which had been planted in Cairo and Suez Canal cities for subversion and terrorism.
The radical Hamas, offspring and ally of the Egyptian Brotherhood, is now solidly in the military regime’s sights as a hostile entity.
The military takeover of power in July 3 is gaining the aspect of a neo-Nasserist revolution. Many Egyptians are beginning to turn to Moscow in search of their country’s primary world ally rather than Washington. They have taken note that Putin has shown himself to be the foe of the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria as well as Egypt.

The Israeli Prime Minister's New Path
David Makovsky/New Republic
Netanyahu is emphasizing a rationale for peace negotiations rooted in Israeli self-interest rather than Palestinian goodwill, and Abbas should do the same.
In 1956, Israel's famed general Moshe Dayan gave a eulogy about a young kibbutznik who was killed in a border attack by Arabs, saying that Israelis needed to get used to the idea that life in the Mideast meant remaining forever on guard. He termed this the "fate of our generation." "This is our life choice," he said, "to be prepared and armed, strong and determined, lest the sword be stricken from our fist and our lives cut down." Expressing sympathy for the Palestinians, while at the same time saying their hatred for Israel is growing, Dayan added, "without the steel helmet and the cannon's fire, we will be not be able to plant a tree and build a home."
Nearly 50 years later, in 2003, future Prime Minister Ehud Olmert used a memorial service on the 30th anniversary of the death of Israel's founder, David Ben-Gurion, to veer from the conservative stance of the Likud. Citing a 1949 address to Israel's parliament, in which Ben-Gurion explained Israel's decision not to gain the West Bank in the armistice ending its war of independence, Olmert said that "faced with the choice of all the land without a Jewish state or a Jewish state without all the land, we chose a Jewish state without all the land." If Israel had taken the land, an Arab majority would have outnumbered Jewish Israelis. Olmert said that Israel now had to make a comparable decision.
Secretary of State John Kerry, who recently announced a "basis" for resuming Israeli-Palestinian peace talks after a three-year hiatus, may be pleased to know that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is showing signs of continuing this graveside tradition.
At Theodor Herzl's gravesite on June 27, in an admittedly less sweeping fashion, Netanyahu spoke of the Zionist ethos of self-reliance. Anti-Semitism will not be eradicated anytime soon, he said, and a peace agreement will not extinguish extremism. Yet, he declared, "we do not want a binational country." People who meet Netanyahu privately in recent weeks say he now often talks about the threat of binationalism as a rationale for supporting a Palestinian state even if he has opposed it for decades as a security threat. Netanyahu elaborated on this at the start of a cabinet meeting this Sunday. In remarks released by his office, he stated that holding talks is a "vital strategic interest" because Israel is keen on "preventing the creation of a binational state between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea."
In short, Netanyahu is saying the status quo is unsustainable. Netanyahu argues here that Zionism is based on Israel remaining both Jewish and democratic, and that the character of the state will not persist indefinitely if Israel fails to reach an agreement with the Palestinians. I have carefully followed Netanyahu's public statements over decades, and this theme of preventing Israel from sliding into binationalism is one that he has largely avoided. (There was a singular reference to it when he spoke at a Tel Aviv think tank last year, but this was during the short period of time that he had a very wide government coalition of 94 of 120 Knesset members. As the liberal elements left his government over a separate issue, he did not mention it again.)
This is important, as it enables a right-of-center government to frame a peace agreement in terms of Israeli self-interest. In the 1990s, when the idea of Mideast peace was in its heyday, Shimon Peres -- who fashioned himself the Jean Monnet of the region, bringing old enemies together on the basis of economic cooperation -- spoke of a "new Middle East." However, the Middle East today is in chaos and therefore, the economic self-interest argument carries little weight. It is important for Israelis to frame peace in terms of self-interest, especially since there is so little trust among Israelis of Palestinian and Arab intentions.
Moreover, Netanyahu is an Israeli leader who greatly identifies with the idea that Palestinians should recognize the Jewish character of Israel. Some Palestinian officials quietly insist that Israel is overplaying its hand. Since Israel wants this so badly, they argue, Palestinians should hold out until it is the last card to play. Others oppose such explicit recognition altogether. In any event, this demand of Israel to be recognized as a nation-state of the Jewish people derives from the same fear of Israel becoming binational -- that in the absence of the partition of the vast majority of the West Bank, Israel would continue the slide toward becoming de facto binational (approximately half Jewish and half Arab, although exact calculations are extremely contentious). This would undercut the very Jewish character that Israel seeks to preserve in order to remain a democracy.
It is interesting that an idea that originated with Israeli liberals is beginning to migrate to the right side of the spectrum as both sides declare fealty to the idea that Israel, as a Zionist state, is democratic and Jewish. Retaining its democratic character -- equal voting rights for all its Jewish and non-Jewish citizens -- and its Jewish character therefore requires an arrangement to preserve its Jewish majority: a two-state solution.
Just as Netanyahu is finding a rationale for peace negotiations rooted in self-interest rather than in Palestinian goodwill, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas must do the same. Of course, the lack of trust is just as strong on the other side. Abbas has to make it clear to his people that the road to ending occupation and to attaining statehood runs through peace with Israel.
Their political messaging is critical. Polling among both Israelis and Palestinians demonstrates that both groups still want a two-state solution. However, they are convinced the other side is not interested and that therefore, peace is very unlikely. Moreover, Netanyahu and Abbas do not like to get out ahead of their publics. Both are risk-averse. They are not figures like Ben-Gurion and Anwar Sadat, who made gigantic decisions and brought their people behind them. Rather, these two men look over their right shoulders. That's why their messaging is important, enabling both leaders to tilt the cost-benefit analysis in the direction of peace -- so that they no longer have to go only to gravesites to deliver tough truths.
*David Makovsky is the Ziegler distinguished fellow and director of the Project on the Middle East Peace Process at The Washington Institute.

Protests rage against Tunisia Islamists after new killing
July 28, 2013/2013/ By Kaouther Larbi/Agence France Presse
Tunis: Police fired tear gas Sunday at protesters as opponents and supporters of Tunisia's Islamist-led government clashed outside parliament after the burial of the second opposition figure slain this year.
Mohamed Brahmi's cold-blooded murder on Thursday outside his home has stoked tensions in the North African nation where the Arab Spring began.
Many Tunisians blame the government for not reining in radical Islamists accused of a wave of attacks since strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was toppled in a popular uprising in 2011.
Opposition figures are calling for the government to resign and the powerful General Union of Tunisian Labour (UGTT) was due to convene Monday "to decide the fate" of the country, its secretary general Sami Tahri said.
Radical Salafists close to the Al-Qaeda-linked group Ansar al-Sharia, blamed by the authorities for Brahmi's murder, denied any involvement in an online statement Sunday.
Brahmi was gunned down in the Ariana suburb of Tunis, his body riddled with 14 bullets, almost six months after the murder of opposition politician Chokri Belaid.
Authorities say the same gun was used in both killings, and blamed jihadists close to Ansar al-Sharia. But in a Facebook statement, the group denied responsibility for what it called "a political assassination, part of attempts to push the country toward chaos".
Brahmi's murder "only profits remnants of the former regime and lackeys of the Zionists and Crusaders", it said.Hundreds of thousands of mourners thronged the streets of Tunis on Saturday in an emotionally charged funeral to El-Jellaz cemetery where Brahmi was buried next to Belaid.
Slogans vowing to "avenge" Brahmi and Belaid rose from the sea of mourners.
After the burial, protesters calling for the fall of the government marched on the Constituent Assembly and clashed with riot police who fired tear-gas to disperse them, an AFP reporter said.
An opposition MP was injured by a blow to the head.The demonstrations later tapered off but erupted again overnight when thousands of supporters and opponents of the government led by the Ennahda party squared off outside.
An AFP reporter said rival protesters camped outside parliament until dawn, separated by security barricades and anti-riot police.
"Enough with Ghannouchi," the opposition crowd chanted, referring to Ennahda chief Rached Ghannouchi. "The people want the fall of the assassins."
Ennahda supporters retorted that the parliament was a "legitimate" body and warned there was no room in Tunisia for the likes of Egyptian armed forces chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Sisi led a coup that toppled elected Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in Egypt on July 3.
Supporters of the deposed president have camped out in Cairo for a month demanding his reinstatement, and some 300 people have been killed in violence since the coup.
In Tunis before dawn, police fired tear gas when protesters began hurling rocks at each other. Security forces also dismantled tents that anti-government protesters had erected outside parliament.
Interior Minister Lotfi Ben Jeddou on Sunday pledged to guarantee the safety of anti-government demonstrators, leftist MP Samir Taieb said.
"The minister told us that he has clearly given orders for (security) agents not to use force against demonstrators and those who take part in the sit-in before the National Constituent Assembly," he said after a meeting with Ben Jeddou.
Taieb earlier told AFP that the government should step down and hand over to an administration of national unity.
The number of MPs who have decided to boycott the Constituent Assembly since Brahmi's murder has risen to 65 -- nearly a third of the 217-seat strong parliament, according to Taieb.
He warned that Tunisia was on the brink of "unprecedented (security) breakdown if the government does not resign".
Parliament's speaker Mustapha Ben Jaafar, meanwhile, called for "restraint" from his assembly colleagues and urged MPs to work to reach a so far elusive agreement on a new constitution by the end of August.

Israel approves prisoner deal to clear way for peace talks
July 28, 2013/By Ori Lewis/Reuters
JERUSALEM: Israel's cabinet on Sunday approved the release of 104 Arab prisoners to help restart U.S.-brokered peace talks with the Palestinians after nearly three years of diplomatic stagnation.
Thirteen ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition cabinet voted in favour of the prisoner release, seven voted against and two abstained, a government official said.
"The cabinet has authorised the opening of diplomatic talks between Israel and the Palestinians...," said a statement issued by the prime minister's office.
Netanyahu had urged divided rightists in his cabinet to back the prisoner deal.
"This moment is not easy for me, is not easy for the cabinet ministers, and is not easy especially for the bereaved families, whose feelings I understand," he said when the cabinet met, referring to families who have lost members in militant attacks.
"But there are moments in which tough decisions must be made for the good of the nation and this is one of those moments."
Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, who is set to head Israel's negotiation team, told her cabinet colleagues that resuming talks with the Palestinians was a vital national interest.
"Today's cabinet decision is one of the most important for the future of Israel... Starting a (peace) process is in Israel's security and strategic interests," Livni said.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has demanded the release of prisoners held since before a 1993 interim peace accord took effect. Israel has jailed thousands more Palestinians since then, many for carrying out deadly attacks.
The prisoner release would allow Netanyahu to sidestep other Palestinian demands, such as a halt to Jewish settlement expansion and a guarantee that negotiations over borders will be based on boundaries from before the 1967 Middle East war, when Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat welcomed Israel's decision, which he said had come 14 years late, and pledged to work for the release of all prisoners held by Israel.
"This Israeli cabinet decision is an overdue step towards the implementation of the Sharm el-Sheikh agreement of 1999," he said in a statement. "We call on Israel to seize the opportunity ... to put an end to decades of occupation and exile and to start a new stage of justice, freedom and peace for Israel, Palestine and the rest of the region."
In any future peace deal, Israel wants to keep several settlement blocs and East Jerusalem, which it annexed as part of its capital in a move never recognised internationally.
Hundreds of protesters from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) staged a rally against the resumption of peace talks, clashing with police in the West Bank city of Ramallah, the seat of Abbas's Palestinian Authority.
PFLP activists also demonstrated in Gaza and chanted: "Listen Abbas, our land is not for sale... The (Palestinian) cause will never be resolved except by the rifle."
Appealing for support on his Facebook page on Saturday, Netanyahu said the inmates would be freed in groups only after the start of talks, expected to last at least nine months.
The 22-member cabinet also discussed legislation that would require a referendum on any statehood deal reached with the Palestinians involving a withdrawal from land Israel captured in the 1967 war. It will be sent for parliamentary debate shortly. The U.S.-sponsored talks, expected to reconvene in Washington as early as Tuesday, broke down in late 2010 in a dispute over Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank, which Palestinians say denies them a viable state. Before the cabinet meeting, Netanyahu told ministers from his Likud party that Israel would pay a price if peace talks did not resume, according to one official who was there.
The latest diplomatic push follows months of intense shuttle diplomacy by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry who said a week ago the groundwork had been laid for a breakthrough, while setting no specific date for talks to restart.

EU's Ashton heads to Egypt as crisis deepens
July 28, 2013/Agence France Presse
CAIRO: EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton headed to Egypt on Sunday, as the country's political crisis deepened with a deadlock between the interim government and supporters of the ousted president.
Ashton's visit, confirmed by Egypt's vice presidency, comes a day after 72 people were killed at a protest in support of deposed Islamist leader Mohamed Morsi.
The bloodshed prompted defiance from Morsi's supporters, who pledged to continue their protests calling for his reinstatement.
The presidency said it was "saddened" by the deaths, but that they came in a "context of terrorism".
Sporadic violence continued throughout the country on Sunday, with two killed in separate clashes, a security source said.
Ten gunmen were also killed during an operation by security forces in the Sinai Peninsula, the official MENA news agency said.
Egypt's vice presidency said Ashton would meet with interim president Adly Mansour and vice president for international relations Mohamed ElBaradei.
MENA said she would also hold talks with members of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood and the Tamarod group that organised the protests that preceded his ouster.
The visit comes amid polarisation in Egypt, with Morsi supporters accusing security forces of firing on unarmed civilians and the presidency denouncing "terrorism".
"We are saddened by the spilling of blood on the 27th," Mansour adviser Moustafa Hegazy told reporters.
But he dubbed the protest area where the deaths occurred a "terror originating spot" and said "we cannot decouple this from context of terrorism".
Interior minister Mohamed Ibrahim also warned his forces would "not allow any mercenary or person bearing a grudge to try to disrupt the atmosphere of unity".
"We will confront them with the greatest of force and firmness," he said.
Morsi loyalists, still camped out at the scene of Saturday's violence, were equally defiant.
"There are feelings of agony and anger, but also a very strong feeling of determination," Brotherhood spokesman Gehad el-Haddad told AFP.
"For us, if we die, we meet our creator and we did so for a just cause... Either we die or we succeed."
Saturday's violence, which came after a night of rival protests for and against Morsi, was the bloodiest incident since Morsi's July 3 ouster following huge demonstrations against his rule.
Sporadic violence continued early on Sunday, with a security source reporting two people killed in clashes between Morsi supporters and opponents in Port Said and northern Kafr El-Zayat.
Both clashes came at the funerals of Morsi supporters killed in Cairo.
Morsi supporters said Saturday's bloodshed was the result of security forces using live fire on unarmed protesters, but the interior ministry insisted only tear gas was used.
Ibrahim warned pro-Morsi demonstrations would be dispersed "in a legal fashion" and "as soon as possible," urging protesters to "come to their senses" and go home.
The violence was widely condemned, with Human Rights Watch accusing the authorities of "criminal disregard for people's lives".
US Secretary of State John Kerry, whose country contributes hundreds of millions of dollars in military and economic aid to Egypt, called on the authorities to "respect the right of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression".
US Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein said her government should "relook at granting aid" to Egypt.
The violence also prompted domestic criticism, with ElBaradei, a former opposition activist, denouncing "excessive use of force" by the authorities.
The head of the Cairo-based Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam's highest seat of learning, called for an urgent investigation.
The National Salvation Front coalition of leftist and liberal groups said the Brotherhood bore some of the blame for its "provocative approach".
The deaths followed a call from Sisi for a mass show of support for a crackdown on "terrorism".
Hundreds of thousands obliged, demonstrating their continued support for Morsi's ouster.
The Islamist is being held in custody accused of "premeditated murder" over his escape from prison during Egypt's 2011 uprising.
With tensions running high, the prospects for a political resolution to the crisis appeared dim.
Egypt "is structured with two political forces, the Muslim Brotherhood and the army," said Jean-Yves Moisseron, a Middle East expert at France's Institute for Research and Development.
Liberals "did not seize the historic opportunity they had in 2011 to structure themselves in an autonomous way, (and as a result) the historic conditions for a democratic transition in Egypt are far from materialising."

Syrian opposition condemns rebel execution of captives
July 28, 2013/Agence France Presse
BEIRUT: The opposition Syrian National Coalition on Sunday condemned the reported "collective execution" by rebels of soldier prisoners in the north and said it had created a commission of inquiry.
At least 150 Syrian regime forces died in fighting with rebels for control of Khan al-Assal, a key town in the northern Aleppo province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday.
It said more than 50 of those killed were executed by rebels after Khan al-Assal fell on Monday, while the rest died fighting for the regime's last bastion in the west of Aleppo province.
"Videos show what appears to be the collective execution of a number of soldiers," the opposition statement said."The Coalition condemns this act, and announces the creation of a commission of inquiry, stressing the need to take proceedings against those whose implication in the crime is proven."
The Coalition said first indications show "the implication of armed groups not affiliated to the general command of the Free Syrian Army" backed by Arab and Western governments.
The mainstream rebel Ninth Division of the FSA claimed responsibility for taking Khan al-Assal in a video statement distributed on Monday.
But footage distributed on Friday by the Observatory said jihadists including the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front and Liwa Ansar al-Khilafa were behind the takeover.
"The Coalition and the FSA general command condemn any violation of the Geneva Convention, no matter who is behind it," the opposition statement said. Amateur video filmed by rebels and distributed by the Observatory showed the bodies of dozens of regime forces in a building.
"Mass graves for Bashar (al-Assad's) army," says one unidentified fighter, referring to the Syrian president, as a cameraman walks through the complex filming the corpses.
"These are Assad's dogs," the unidentified cameraman adds.
On Saturday, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem sent letters to UN chief Ban Ki-moon and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights about the executions.
State media said his letter focused on "the horrible massacre committed by the terrorist group called Liwa Ansar al-Khilafa against dozens of civilians and soldiers".
Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zohbi told state television late on Saturday that "the terrorists who committed a massacre at Khan al-Assal and the states that support and finance them will pay dearly for this crime".
Assad's regime refers to the insurgents trying to topple it as "terrorists".
Rebels had for months tried to take Khan al-Assal, a strategic town where 200 rebels and government forces were killed in fierce fighting over eight days in March.
Both sides have also traded accusations that chemical weapons in Khan al-Assal killed around 30 people, according to a March toll released by the Observatory and the regime.

Kuwait govt resigns after parliamentary polls
July 28, 2013/Agence France Presse
KUWAIT CITY: The Kuwaiti government on Sunday submitted its resignation to the oil--rich Gulf state's ruling emir in line with the constitution a day after parliamentary elections, an official statement said.
After accepting the resignation, Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah will either reappoint outgoing premier, Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Sabah, the likely scenario, or another senior member of the ruling family to form a new cabinet. Before bowing out, the government approved a decree calling for the new parliament to hold its inaugural meeting on August 6, the cabinet said on its website. The new cabinet, Kuwait's 13th in seven years, must be formed before parliament's first session. The Shiite minority emerged as the main losers on Saturday in Kuwait's second polls in under eight months.They were reduced to eight seats in the 50-member assembly compared with a record 17 members in the previous parliament which was nullified last month by Kuwait's constitutional court.
Shiites form around 30 percent of Kuwait's native population of 1.23 million.
Liberals and moderate Sunni Islamists made some gains in the election, the sixth since mid-2006.
Voter turnout rose to 52.5 percent, compared to December's record low of 40 percent because of an opposition boycott. The average turnout at Kuwaiti polls is around 65 percent.
Some groups who had boycotted the previous polls chose to take part this time, notably Bedouin tribes and liberals.
Radical Shiite and Sunni Islamists were dealt a heavy blow in the latest election, with at least two Shiite and two Sunni radical members failing to hold onto their seats. Analysts expect the new parliament to have improved ties with the government.
Liberals, Shiites, Sunni Islamists, merchants and almost all Bedouin tribes will be represented in the new parliament.
The liberals, who had no seat in the previous parliament, won at least three this time around. Sunni Islamists increased their presence from five to seven seats and tribal groups maintained their strength at 24 seats. Only two women were elected compared to three in the previous parliament.
The opposition had called for a boycott in protest at the government's amendment of the key electoral law, although it was eventually upheld by the constitutional court.
The opposition gave no early official comment on the election results but former opposition MP Mubarak al-Waalan said the new parliament was totally pro-government.

Kerry builds a US-Arab superstructure to direct Israel-Palestinian talks - White House reservations

DEBKAfile Exclusive Analysis July 28, 2013/Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s willingness to “do everything” to avoid giving the Palestinians a pretext for not turning up for their first encounter with Israeli negotiators in Washington Tuesday, July 30, bodes ill for Israel’s bargaining position right from the start. So too does his proposal to include jailed Israeli Arabs among the 104 Palestinian prisoners to be released. Several threats from Ramallah not to make the Tuesday date had their effect. Netanyahu sent an open letter to the Israeli people Saturday night, July 27, explaining his “incredibly difficult decision” to free the 104 prisoners as a gesture ahead of the renewal of peace talks. “Sometimes prime ministers are forced to make decisions that go against public opinion – when the issue is important to the country,” he wrote.
That letter arouses less sympathy than concern. It confirms the impression that the Palestinians only have to threaten to walk out of the negotiations in order to extort concessions from Israel, in the knowledge that US Secretary of State John Kerry or his “special envoys” will move in fast to save the process. If so, how far will Netanyahu go when the substantive talks begin? By including Israeli Arabs in the prisoner deal, is he saying that the Israeli Arab population is part of a future deal with the Palestinians and their regions are on the table for potential land swaps? If so, he is handing out freebies far too early in the game.
Because, according to debkafile’s sources, the Tuesday meeting in Washington is just a preliminary step to prepare the procedures and modalities for the process. That is all Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and the prime minister’s political adviser Yitzhak Molcho, for Israel, and Yasser Abd Rabbo for the Palestinians will be asked to do in Washington.
For now, the terms of reference for the negotiations have yet to be determined and President Barack Obama has yet to sign the formal letters of assurance promised to Netanyahu and the Chairman of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas. There are reasons for this delay. Secretary Kerry wants to be certain that the talks will show real progress before he asks the president to offer formal assurances to the two leaders. There is another reason too. debkafile’s Washington sources also report that although Obama gave Kerry a free hand for restarting the peace track, he is slowing the Secretary down with reservations of his own, especially with regard to the Secretary’s choices of special envoys to lead the four specialist negotiating tracks or mechanisms.
Leading candidate for the political mechanism is his longtime close adviser on Middle East issues Frank Lowenstein, former Senate Foreign Relations committee chief of staff who acted as policy advisor to Senator Kerry. Another candidate is Martin Indyk, twice ambassador to Israel. It is not clear which would be the senior. The White House would prefer a member of the National Security Council rather than a State Department loyalist in the seat assigned to Indyk. Tagged for the military-security track is retired Marine general John Allen, former commander of US forces in Afghanistan and former supreme commander of NATO.
An appointee of this high rank to supervise the negotiations on security matters is intended to give the US the leverage to dictate the pace of this track and override efforts by Israeli security and military officials to bring their will to bear. The Israeli side will not like this appointment. The third mechanism will deal with economic issues and the fourth, under the heading of general subjects, will be the framework for Arab League delegates, and especially Saudi Arabia and Egypt, to take a hand in the process and determining its outcome. John Kerry has constructed an intricate edifice over and above the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, a kind of US administration superstructure with Arab components, to stand over the Israeli government and its prime minister and the Palestinian Authority and its chairman. Regardless of he powerful machine Kerry is building to steer the negotiating parties and bend them to Washington’s will, Netanyahu is already racing ahead to put before the cabinet meeting Sunday, July 28, a proposal for a popular referendum that will be called to approve an accord negotiated with the Palestinians. There is a long way to go before that point is reached – if ever.

Egypt’s Fatwa War
By: Mshari Al-Zaydi/Asharq Alawsat /They say that it is the Yawm Al-Furqan, or critical moment, in Egypt; however, it is not just critical in the eyes of the Muslim Brotherhood, but also in the eyes of others. Islamic heritage and sentimental memory for the peoples and values of yesterday is not something that exclusively belongs to any faction, party or group. In fact, the term Al-Furqan and its religious and historic significance does not solely belong to the Muslim Brotherhood, or indeed anybody else. A fatwa war has erupted between two parties in Egypt: between the Mursi, Badie and Brotherhood camp, and the camp of Field Marshall Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and the military, not to mention all the other forces that oppose the Brotherhood, including Al-Azhar. The fugitive general guide of the Muslim Brotherhood shocked everybody when in his latest weekly message he wrote that the Egyptian army chief’s ouster of Mohamed Mursi was akin to destroying the Ka’aba. Badie said: “I swear by God almighty that what Sisi has done in Egypt is more criminal then if he had . . . demolished the holy Ka’aba stone by stone.” Perhaps one should excuse Badie, for he is clearly suffering a nervous breakdown following the collapse of Muslim Brotherhood rule. As for the most famous Brotherhood jurist, Sheikh Youssef Al-Qaradawi, he also did not hold back from what he excels in: issuing fatwas and inciting the public. On his official website, Qaradawi claimed that the Egyptian army chief’s call for demonstrations to support the military were nothing more than incitement to murder, saying that it would be religiously impermissible to respond to this. On the other hand, Al-Azhar weighed in in favor of the demonstration “against terrorism” called for by Sisi. Al-Azhar grand sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb called on Egyptians to respond to the army chief’s call for a mass demonstration on Friday “in a peaceful and civilized manner.” In a speech on Egyptian television, Tayeb called on the Egyptian people to “go out and save Egypt from what it is facing.” The Al-Azhar grand sheikh concluded his speech by saying, “Your Al-Azhar calls on you to take every care possible to express your opinion in a peaceful manner.”What is the lesson from these politically contradictory statements, particularly when their religious natures seem to conform? The lesson is that the conflict that is playing out in Egypt is secular, not religious. All of these clashes between rival political and social factions have nothing to do with religion or faith. Religion stands above these petty feuds and grudges, or at least that is how it should be. I say this despite the fact that historically Al-Azhar has always been the first to speak on behalf of Islam. This stands in contrast to Badie, a political “guide” of a political movement whose background is in veterinary medicine. This also applies to Sheikh Al-Qaradawi who, despite the fact that he has Islamic jurisprudence credentials, is involved up to his eyeballs with this political organization. In addition to this, he is one individual and cannot be compared to Al-Azhar, with its hundreds of clerics and centuries of history. Therefore, we are facing a strictly earthly struggle.

The EU’s Political Signals
By: Manuel Almeida/Asharq Alawsat
On Monday, the foreign ministers of the 28 European Union member states agreed unanimously to place the military wing of Hezbollah on the EU’s list of terrorist organizations. This agreement has been heralded as a diplomatic triumph for the UK, which led a process that saw a decisive breakthrough with the acquiescence of France and Germany in May this year. The US and Israel have been important backers of the EU’s decision, and so has the Netherlands—three states that list the whole Hezbollah movement as a terrorist organization. Two incidents have been put forward as the main justifications for this decision. The most visible was the bus bombing in Bulgaria in July 2012 that killed five Israeli tourists and their driver. Hezbollah has been implicated in the subsequent investigation conducted by Bulgarian authorities in collaboration with Europol and other international partners. The second justification is the four-year jail sentence handed down by a Cypriot court to a Hezbollah member accused of planning to attack Israeli targets on the island. European allies underscore Hezbollah’s actions in Bulgaria and Cyprus, but the timing and context of the EU’s pronouncement only confirms what is already well known: the Shi’a group’s involvement in the Syrian conflict in support of President Bashar Al-Assad weighed in the EU’s choice. When France’s position on the matter became public, a spokesman for the French foreign ministry said Hezbollah had broken the consensus that existed among Lebanese political parties on non-involvement in Syria’s civil war.
The move has been criticized as inconsequential. The planned crackdown by European law enforcement agencies on Hezbollah’s European operations, including fundraising, will face a very a loose and informal global network. Hezbollah’s military activities are also highly secretive: their fighters often hide their identity and affiliation.
It is also seen as ambiguous due the distinction it makes between the political and military wings of Hezbollah and the difficulty of separating one from the other. Hassan Nasrallah himself has rejected the existence of such a divide within the organization. And in an interview with the German weekly news magazine Der Spiegel, Ibrahim Moussawi, Hezbollah’s spokesman, said that “Hezbollah is a single large organization, we have no wings that are separate from one another.” He added, “What’s being said in Brussels doesn’t exist for us.”
The distinction, however, has the clear purpose of leaving open the official channels of communication between the EU and its member states and Hezbollah’s leadership. This is important from the Europeans’ perspective, and indicates that European decision-makers understand Hezbollah has become the dominant force in Lebanese politics and the key determinant in the stability or instability of the country. It also shows that Europe’s leadership is cognizant of concerns regarding the safety of the UN Interim Forces (UNIFIL) deployed in South Lebanon, an area that borders Israel and is controlled by Hezbollah. In fact, this concern has been one of the key factors behind the traditional European cautiousness to sanction the group.
The consequences of the EU’s decision are unpredictable, but it seems unlikely it will have any significant destabilizing effect within Lebanon. It is relatively consensual among Lebanese political factions that to give credit to such a decision will only contribute to a further radicalization of Lebanese politics. Various key political figures in Lebanon, including the president, Michel Suleiman, and the acting prime minister, Najib Miqati, have been vocal in their objections. But despite the apparently innocuous nature of the EU’s move, one has to look at the symbolic level when interpreting the EU’s decision, because it sends messages in several directions. Importantly, it constitutes a warning to Hezbollah regarding their decisive involvement in the Syrian conflict in support of a leader that is seen in Europe as an illegitimate and bloody dictator.
Just a week before Hassan Rouhani’s inauguration, it sends a message to the new Iranian president. As an indirect condemnation of the Iranian sponsorship of Hezbollah’s involvement in Syria and firmness ahead of a possible round of negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, it is a sign to the new Iranian leadership that rhetoric alone will not be enough to change the equation.
It also pleases the US, the key European ally, and it calms the waters with Israel just a week after the EU issued guidelines banning the financing and cooperation with Israeli institutions in all territories seized during the 1967 war. In doing so, it has smoothed the way for US secretary of state John Kerry’s efforts to revive the peace talks.
How much do these messages matter? They probably do not matter enough to alter things on the ground, but they are certainly enough to generate strong reactions from all those they were directed at.

Has the Arab Spring nose-dived?
By: Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Alawsat
It wasn’t only the Economist or many Western analysts who asked this question. It’s a question asked by millions of Arabs who witnessed the historical changes that began two and a half years ago. The overthrow of Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi and the revolt against the regime of Bashar Al-Assad are enough to justify calling these changes an Arab Spring. These two serious events represented a real change carried out by the people.
One should also not underestimate Egypt’s spring, in which Hosni Mubarak’s regime was toppled and in which the Brotherhood’s government was also ousted. Before that, Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali was toppled in Tunisia and Ali Abdullah Saleh was ousted in Yemen.
Without Libya’s revolution, Qaddafi may have lived 10 more years, and someone just like him would have inherited governance, leading to the survival of one of the strangest and the worst regimes in modern history. In Syria, the persistence of the majority of Syrians in seeking to topple Bashar Al-Assad shows the brutality of the regime that ruled the country for four decades and spread terror in the region.
Toppling Mursi represents the second chapter of the Egyptian spring. It shows that the Egyptians demand real change. They granted the Brotherhood a precious opportunity to run the country but the Brotherhood seized this opportunity to repeat the governing mistakes of Mubarak, ruling with the same mentality of dominance and monopoly of power.
It’s natural for the collapse of violent and deep-rooted regimes to leave behind chaos and disappointment, like what we see in Libya. The fall of the Gaddafi regime left behind a vacuum filled by groups with a Gaddafi mentality and a belief in the power of arms. After their failure in Afghanistan, Yemen, Iraq, Somalia and Algeria, and after their defeat in Mali, terrorist groups which sneaked into the country to take over it joined the former groups in Libya. They are attempting to get involved in Arab Spring countries that are still in a phase of transition, like Egypt and Tunisia.
The spring isn’t rosy. The long and bloody duration of the uprising in Syria has proved this. But the permanence of the war there and the life and material losses the people have suffered mean that they will keep going until Assad’s end. Their determination and will have proved to be steadfast.
This itself is a confirmation that Damascus’ spring is real and not just a mere attempt. The same goes for Yemen, which remains the most successful Arab Spring country. The Yemeni, have made it half-way now, and they are the most capable at confronting crises among Arab Spring countries.