When We are Lost, God Is Our Refuge
By: Elias Bejjani
The Lost (prodigal) Son's parable is a road map for repentance and forgiveness. It shows us how much Almighty God our Father loves us, we His children, and how He is always ready with open arms, and willing to forgive our sins and trespasses when we come back to our senses, recognize right from wrong, admit our weaknesses and wrongdoings, eagerly and freely return to Him and with faith and repentance ask for His forgiveness.
In our Maronite Catholic Church's rite, on the Fourth Lent Sunday, that fall this year on March 03, we recall and cite the biblical Lost Son's parable that is known also as The Prodigal Son. This impulsive, selfish and thoughtless son, as the parable tells us, fell prey to evil's temptation and decided to take his share of his father's inheritance and leave the parental dwelling.
This Lost Son, who became a slave for his bodily earthly instincts' motives and pleasure urges travelled to a far-away city where he indulged badly in all evil conducts of pleasure and corruption until he lost all his money and became penniless. He experienced severe poverty, starvation, humiliation and loneliness. In the midst of his dire hardships he felt nostalgic, came back to his senses and decided with great self confidence to return back to his father's house, kneel on his feet and ask him for forgiveness. On his return his loving and kind father received him with rejoice, open arms, accepted his repentance, and happily forgave him all his misdeeds. Because of his sincere repentance his Father gave him back all his privileges as a son.
The Lost (prodigal) Son's parable:
Luke 15/11-32: "Jesus went on to say, “There was once a man who had two sons. The younger one said to him, ‘Father, give me my share of the property now.’ So the man divided his property between his two sons.  After a few days the younger son sold his part of the property and left home with the money. He went to a country far away, where he wasted his money in reckless living.  He spent everything he had. Then a severe famine spread over that country, and he was left without a thing.  So he went to work for one of the citizens of that country, who sent him out to his farm to take care of the pigs. He wished he could fill himself with the bean pods the pigs ate, but no one gave him anything to eat.  At last he came to his senses and said, ‘All my father's hired workers have more than they can eat, and here I am about to starve!  I will get up and go to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against God and against you. I am no longer fit to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired workers.”’ So he got up and started back to his father." He was still a long way from home when his father saw him; his heart was filled with pity, and he ran, threw his arms around his son, and kissed him. ‘Father,’ the son said, ‘I have sinned against God and against you. I am no longer fit to be called your son.’ But the father called to his servants. ‘Hurry!’ he said. ‘Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and shoes on his feet.  Then go and get the prize calf and kill it, and let us celebrate with a feast! For this son of mine was dead, but now he is alive; he was lost, but now he has been found.’ And so the feasting began. “In the meantime the older son was out in the field. On his way back, when he came close to the house, he heard the music and dancing.  So he called one of the servants and asked him, ‘What's going on?’ ‘Your brother has come back home,’ the servant answered, ‘and your father has killed the prize calf, because he got him back safe and sound.’ The older brother was so angry that he would not go into the house; so his father came out and begged him to come in. But he spoke back to his father, ‘Look, all these years I have worked for you like a slave, and I have never disobeyed your orders. What have you given me? Not even a goat for me to have a feast with my friends! But this son of yours wasted all your property on prostitutes, and when he comes back home, you kill the prize calf for him!’ ‘My son,’ the father answered, ‘you are always here with me, and everything I have is yours.  But we had to celebrate and be happy, because your brother was dead, but now he is alive; he was lost, but now he has been found.’”
Almighty God is ready and always willing to turn everything around and take the hands of those who seriously and honestly pursue His mercy with perseverance forgiveness and repentance. He, with love and extreme happiness leads their steps towards all virtues of righteousness. He who in the Cana Wedding changed the water into wine and cured the Leper is willing all the time also to transform our minds and consciences from wickedness to goodness and salvation if and when we call for His help.
Lent is a prime time for spiritual change through genuine praying, serious and in depth self-examination, return to the roots of faith, repentance and forgiveness. Meanwhile fasting is not a mere act of abstaining from eating for 12 hours during the Lens day, but a time for temporary detachment and dissociation from all instincts urges and all that is earthly.
Lent is a precious time for learning via a very personal experience how to share in acts and not in words the poor, deprived, persecuted, alienated and sick. And most importantly to seriously remind ourselves that we are just transient visitors on this earth, no matter how big are our earthly riches and how much influential our power and authority might be. Reality is that once Our Al Mighty God takes back His gift of life, (soul), our bodies parish and with a very short period of time disintegrates and become dust from which it was basically made.
"By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return". (Genesis 03:19)
During the Lent time we are required to go through a thorough self - examination process to cleanse our thoughts, conscience and mind from all that is instincts' motives and urges. We need to peruse genuinely self peace and  reach to every body else for a comprehensive peace. Talking directly with God through praying helps in reach these two sorts of peace.
"Where do wars and fightings among you come from? Don’t they come from your pleasures that war in your members? You lust, and don’t have. You kill, covet, and can’t obtain. You fight and make war. You don’t have, because you don’t ask. You ask, and don’t receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it for your pleasures. You adulterers and adulteresses, don’t you know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who lives in us yearns jealously”?  But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Be subject therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament, mourn, and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you."
(James 4/01-10) Asking Almighty God for what ever we need is exactly what the Holy Bible instructs us to do when encountering all kinds of doubt, weaknesses, stumbling, hard times, sickness, loneliness, persecution, injustice etc. "And so I say to you: Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For those who ask will receive, and those who seek will find, and the door will be opened to anyone who knocks. Would any of you who are fathers give your son a snake when he asks for fish?  Or would you give him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? As bad as you are, you know how to give good things to your children. How much more, then, will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11/09-13)
We are not left alone at any time, especially when in trouble, no matter how far we distance ourselves from God and disobey His Holy bible. He is a Father, a loving, caring and forgiving Father. What is definite is that in spite of our foolishness, stupidity, ignorance, defiance and ingratitude He never ever abandons us or gives up on our salvation. He loves us because we His are children. He happily sent His only begotten son to be tortured, humiliated and crucified in a bid to absolve our original sin.
God, Our Father, carries our burdens and helps us to fight all kinds of Evil temptations if we call for His help and believe in Him. He is our loving and caring Father, and we are His children. A loving father never abandons his children and what we have to is ask.
"Come to me, all you who labour and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew11/28-30). God is waiting for our repentance, let us run to Him and ask for forgiveness before it is too late. "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." (Matthew 21/22)

Lebanon's SCC Protesters Vow 'Comprehensive Mobilization' as Talks with Miqati Fail
Naharnet/Protesters demanding the government to refer the wage scale for the public sector to parliament for approval held on Saturday a sit-in near the vehicle registration authority in the North Metn town of Dekwaneh, vowing a "comprehensive mobilization" next week. The protest was organized by the Syndicate Coordination Committee, which is a coalition of private and public school teachers and public sector employees.
Several SCC members, teachers and employees at the authority, who stopped their work on Saturday, gathered outside the premises of the institution, the National News Agency reported. “No one will end this open-ended strike before the wage scale is referred to parliament,” Head of Public Secondary School Education Teachers Association Hanna Gharib said at the protest. The sit-in was accompanied by heavy security measures taken by the Internal Security Forces, mainly riot police, to prevent possible clashes. The SCC launched an open-ended strike last week, saying it will not back down on its demands until the government refers the scale that it approved last year to parliament for endorsement. A meeting was held between a delegation from the SCC led by Gharib and Prime Minister Najib Miqati at the Grand Serail after the sit-in in Dekwaneh. The meeting was the first since the SCC launched its strike. But Gharib said after the talks that there was “no progress,” adding “the strike will go on until it (the scale) is referred to parliament.”“There are only promises without any practical solutions,” he told Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3).Miqati however told journalists at the Grand Serail that he promised to put the wage scale on the agenda of the first cabinet session that will convene under President Michel Suleiman after March 21. “The issue is not only linked to the wage scale but to the entire economy,” he said, adding that he told the delegation to end their strike. Miqati later headed to Ain el-Tineh for talks with Speaker Nabih Berri, who allegedly welcomed the government's steps on the wage scale. During the protest, Gharib had promised a "big day next week" if Miqati did not react positively to the protesters' demands. "We will only come out of this war with our heads high," he said. Gharib called for a protest near the industry ministry on Monday to announce a "comprehensive mobilization." On Friday, a protest was held near the Labor Ministry in Beirut's Shiyah district. The demonstrators announced they would implement new escalatory measures starting Monday if their demands were not met. The government argues that it is delaying the decision on the funding in an attempt to thoroughly discuss plans to boost the treasury's revenue to cover the expenses of the salaries boost.

Chad Claims it Killed Jihadi Leader Belmokhtar in Mali
Naharnet/The Chadian army claimed that its troops in northern Mali on Saturday killed Mokhtar Belmokhtar, the one-eyed jihadist commander who led the deadly assault on a gas plant in southern Algeria in January.
"The Chadian forces in Mali completely destroyed the main jihadist base in Adrar of the Ifoghas mountains" at 1200 GMT, an army statement said, adding that several militants were killed "including leader Mokhtar Belmokhtar".Agence France Presse

Controversial Salafist cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir Supporters Protest for 2nd Week in Row, Demand End of Siege
Naharnet/Controversial Salafist cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir and his supporters rallied for the second day in a row in the town of Abra in the southern city of Sidon amid heavy security deployment to protest claims that Hizbullah rented apartments in the vicinity of his mosque in the town. “We reject the security siege and media blackout,” al-Asir said during the protest. The army deployed heavily near al-Asir's Bilal bin Rabah mosque in Abra, bringing reinforcements in anticipation of the protest. The rallies held by al-Asir and his supporters are to protest claims that Hizbullah rented apartments in the vicinity of his mosque in the town. Last week, the anti-Hizbullah Salafist cleric urged officials and authorities to force the evacuation of the apartments to avert a possible “strife or any dangerous incident.” Security forces prevented several protesters from reaching the buildings that Hizbullah supporters allegedly rented apartments in them, al-Asir's official page on social media network Facebook. Media was prevented from broadcasting live the rally. According to LBCI, al-Asir called on his supporters to rally on Sunday at 4:00 p.m. at al-Karami roundabout. “Iran's weapons in Sidon on Friday were ready to be used but the judiciary and the higher defense council failed to see that,” al-Asir told supporters.
He slammed the unbalanced policies in Lebanon, saying “everyone in the country has the right to express his opinion but us.” “We will not give up on our right to live in dignity... We will escalate our measures if our demands weren't met,” the Salafist cleric said. Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah warned during a televised speech on Wednesday that “some parties are pushing Lebanon in a very rapid manner to sectarian strife and working on that night and day and all the facts verify this issue.”He pointed out that some statements and remarks by some Sunni MPs and clerics are taking a very provocative and seditious course.

Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc head MP Fouad Saniora Rejects Armed Appearances in Sidon, Says March 14 Will Emerge Stronger after Elections
Naharnet/Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc head MP Fouad Saniora stated on Saturday his rejection of all appearances of gunmen in the southern city of Sidon, condemning blocking roads and “threatening people's movements”.“We are against all appearances of gunmen in the city,” Saniora stressed in a speech he gave at Rafik Hariri High School during the commemoration of Sidon's liberation from Israeli occupation, insisting that judicial and security authorities are the “only bodies in charge of assuring security and of restoring people's rights”.Saniora emphasized on the shared experiences between Sidon's residents and southerners during the Israeli occupation.
He remarked: “The city has always enjoyed openness and Christian-Muslim coexistence and everyone has the right to live here”.“We'll preserve this,” he confirmed. “We will not, however, ignore injustice as we are against coercion and terrorizing people”.“The city should not be used to serve plans of regional greed,” he noted. “There are violent intentions but we reject confronting them with internal clashes”.The former PM called on the legal authorities to enforce the law and to penalize “those committing crimes" without providing any political cover-up on their activities.Controversial Salafist cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir and his supporters rallied for the second day in a row on Saturday in Sidon's town of Abra amid heavy security deployment to protest claims that Hizbullah rented apartments in the vicinity of his mosque in the town. Last week, the anti-Hizbullah Salafist cleric urged officials and authorities to force the evacuation of the apartments to avert a possible “strife or any dangerous incident".
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah warned during a televised speech on Wednesday that “some parties are pushing Lebanon in a very rapid manner to sectarian strife and working on that night and day and all the facts verify this issue".He pointed out that some statements and remarks by some Sunni MPs and clerics are taking a very provocative and seditious course.
Tackling the upcoming parliamentary elections, Saniora said March 14 did have misunderstandings discussing the electoral law, but he insisted that the coalition will “emerge stronger”.
He expressed: “March 14 is not a political coalition but a vision for an independent, free and democratic state”. “It's March 14's revolution that launched the Arab Spring,” he remarked.
The Mustaqbal MP explained that the bloc's rejection of the Orthodox Gathering's draft electoral law stems from the lawmakers' “belief in a united Lebanon”.
“We will oppose any attempt to divide Lebanon for political gains,” Saniora stated.
The Orthodox proposal which calls for a single district and allows each sect to vote for its own MPs under a proportional representation system was endorsed by March 14's Phalange Party and the Lebanese Forces.
Meanwhile, it has been rejected by al-Mustaqbal, the Progressive Socialist Party of Walid Jumblat and March 14's independent Christian MPs, along with President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister Najib Miqati. Saniora commented on reports saying that Hizbullah fighters are engaged in battles in villages near the Lebanese-Syrian border, expressing his opposition to any armed interference in the neighboring country's war.
“Stop sending fighters to combat alongside President Bashar Assad's regimes,” he stated, calling on the cabinet to deploy army on the border and to seek the help of international emergency forces.
“A neutral cabinet is the answer to face regional developments and to restore economic and political stability,” he said.
Also addressing the council of ministers, Saniora said: “Do not cover-up on fraud cases that involved fake medications, smuggling gas and football match-fixing”.





Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai supports extending terms of Sleiman, Parliament
March 02, 2013/By Hussein Dakroub /The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai has come out in support of extending the terms of Parliament and President Michel Sleiman to allow rival factions to agree on a new electoral law, in a development boosting the chances of postponing the June 9 elections.Rai’s stance reflected growing doubts about the ability of the March 8 and March 14 parties to reach agreement on a voting system as the deadline for inviting voters to participate in the June 9 elections draws near, thus enhancing the possibility of the polls either being conducted under the 1960 law, or not held on time.
Rai, who returned Friday from an official visit to Russia, lamented the feuding parties’ failure to agree on a new electoral legislation to replace the 1960 law.
“Everyone has complained about the 1960 law. They have been working for years on a new [electoral] law through committees and draft laws. The good will and dignity of the Lebanese are sufficient [for the parties] to come up with a new electoral law on which all the parties agree in the interests of everyone,” Rai said in an interview with Russia Today.
Referring to failed attempts in the past few weeks by a parliamentary subcommittee to agree on a new electoral law, Rai said: “I am still confident that the Lebanese will reach a solution and a law will be approved.”
“If they have to extend the terms of [Parliament or the president] in order to give people time to understand the new law and prepare for it, then so be it,” Rai said, adding that the extension should be from two to four months.
“Everyone is against extending the mandate, be it for Parliament or for the president. Everyone says they’re against the extension,” he added.
Speaking to reporters at Beirut airport, Rai confirmed his call for the extension of the terms of the president and Parliament.
“Shame on us, on the Lebanese and on those in power for not arriving at a new election law after having studied it in committees and draft laws for five years. Shame on all of us for not reaching a new law,” Rai said. Sleiman has recently declared that he opposes an extension of his six-year term in office, which expires in 2014. He has also pledged not to sign a decree extending Parliament’s four-year mandate, which expires on June 20.
In the interview with Russia Today, Rai rejected governing the upcoming elections with the 1960 law. “Returning to the 1960 law is no longer acceptable. For the sake of the dignity of the Lebanese, we must find an [electoral] law,” he said. His comments came a day after Prime Minister Najib Mikati signaled that his Cabinet was close to moving forward with the elections based on the 1960 law after the failure to agree on a new voting system. Mikati said Thursday he had agreed with Sleiman to sign a decree calling on voters to participate in the elections.
The 1960 law, which has been rejected by both sides of the political divide, including the Maronite Church, adopts the qada as an electoral district and is based on a winner-takes-all system. The 1960 law was used in the 2009 elections.Rai also said security conditions should not prevent the elections from being held, “unless, God forbid, things take a turn that restricts people’s movements, then there will certainly be difficulty.”
Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said in a statement that he had sent a decree calling on voters to participate in the polls to the Cabinet’s Secretariat General on Dec. 3, and not two days ago as reported by some media outlets.
Meanwhile, a group of independent March 14 Christian lawmakers, including Deputy Speaker Farid Makari, reiterated its rejection of the Orthodox Gathering’s electoral proposal, while voicing support for a hybrid vote law that combines proportional representation with a winner-takes-all system.
The lawmakers met with Beirut Greek Orthodox Archbishop Elias Audi to discuss the issue.Referring to the Orthodox proposal, Makari told reporters after the meeting: “We hope all the parties have really bypassed this proposal, which contradicts Lebanon’s philosophy, its Constitution and the spirit of its National Pact and causes damage to the Christians themselves.”Asked what was the best electoral formula that could ensure true representation of the Christians, Makari said: “The only logical formula, and not the best formula, that can be accepted is the formula that combines a winner-takes-all system and proportional representation.” The Orthodox proposal, which designates Lebanon as a single electoral district in which each sect elects its own lawmakers through a proportional representation voting system, has widened the political divide in the country.Makari indirectly slammed a proposal announced by Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah Wednesday calling for adopting proportional representation with Lebanon as a single district. He said such a proposal was aimed at preventing the elections from being held.

Syrian no-man’s land bordering Israel and Jordan is up for grabs
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report March 2, 2013/The four Syrian mortar shells exploding on the Israeli side of the Golan Saturday, March 2, flashed a signal to Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that the moment is at hand to step in and decide how to dispose of the expanse of southern Syrian bordering on northern Israel. This urgency sent Defense Minister Ehud Barak flying to Washington Friday March 1, to meet new US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel next Tuesday.
At the top of their agenda for discussion this time will not be Iran but, debkafile’s military sources report, the disappearance, except for scattered military units, of Bashar Assad’s ruling presence and army from the Syrian areas abutting on Israel and Jordan. The collapse of Assad’s defense lines on these two borders generates a new strategic situation of major import.
Most Israelis, including their media, are too deeply engrossed in the ins and outs of Netanyahu’s struggle to form a coalition government to notice that a no man’s land has opened up on the Syrian Golan, the Horon province (where the Syrian uprising first erupted two years ago), and the Yarmuk River dividing Syria from Jordan.
At the same time, the Assad army is all but gone from there and the Syrian rebels are constrained from moving into the abandoned territory by three considerations:
1. They are short of the manpower for seizing and holding it;
2. Their commanders have evidently not caught onto the brilliant international, strategic opportunity waiting to drop in their laps;
3. The Druze community in their mountain fortresses overlooking the territory is poised to prevent any outsider takeover.
Israel is confronted with a choice between leaving the long-menacing areas overlooking the Sea of Galilee and its north-eastern regions to an unknown fate - or asserting control itself.
At this point, Israel’s armed forces still have three options:
a) Directly capturing dominant points in those no-man’s land areas as guarantees of a say in who eventually dominates them.
b) Military support for a Druze land grab.
c) Military collaboration with Jordan to control the fate of the abandoned lands abutting both their borders.
There is still time to pre-empt developments that would be detrimental to Israel’s security: One such development would be a deal being reached on how to dispose of the abandoned territory between the Assad government and Syrian opposition in the talks opening in Moscow Tuesday, March 5.
This deal would open the door for ensconcing on the Israeli border Muslim extremists, such as the pro-Al Qaeda factions fighting with the Syrian rebels.
Barak’s mission to Washington is to align Israel-US positions on these and other urgent topics with the new US defense secretary. debkafile’s Washington sources are skeptical about his chances of success in view of the Obama administration’s decision to pass the resolution of the Syrian question to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
This leaves the initiative up to Netanyahu. He has shown exceptional skill of late in ducking clear decisions on such matters. However, indecisiveness at this moment could cost Israel dear in the future.

Hypocritical much? Hezbollah leader lecturing on stoking 'sectarian tensions'
Published March 2nd, 2013 - via SyndiGate.info
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is to be commended for sounding the alarm over the threat of sectarian tensions in Lebanon.
In his speech Wednesday night he gave a level-headed warning of the risks the country faces if it follows the path down which some of its religious and political figures seem to want to take it.
Yet there will be those who will justifiably question whether the Hezbollah chief has done enough to counter such tendencies within his own party and to work actively to ease sectarian tensions in the country.
There are several questions that his speech raises over his party’s own behavior, and some of the positions it has taken recently that arguably fan the flames of exactly that which he warned against.
And regardless of how reasonable his speech sounded, his critics will always measure the party over its actions both past and present.
Perhaps most prominent in their minds will be Nasrallah’s repeated refusal to hand over party members named as suspects in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, as well Hezbollah’s apparent refusal to cooperate in the investigation into the attempt on Butros Harb’s life.
Its role in engineering the downfall of a government headed by the main Sunni leader also casts a shadow on its ability to position itself as a defender of sectarian unity, as does the blind eye it has turned to calls for the current government’s downfall. Their unwavering support for the regime of President Bashar Assad, whether Nasrallah is willing to admit to it or not, also has sectarian tones, increased by the participation of Hezbollah “members,” as the party leader described them Wednesday, in fighting against Syrian rebels. The direct negative repercussions of this on Lebanon’s stability have already been hinted at, in the Free Syrian Army’s threats against Hezbollah.
Nasrallah would be well advised to rethink some of these positions, so that his words are backed up by his party’s actions. If he truly wants others to join his efforts to combat growing sectarian tension, then he would do well to meet them halfway by reviewing his own party’s positions on many areas before he asks others to do the same. He cannot justify talking about peace and calm while sanctioning destructive policies.
Finally, given that he adopted some constructive positions in his speech Wednesday night, it was ultimately a disappointment to see the Hezbollah party leader resort to threats against his opponents to get his point across. When he told his opponents to miscalculate the party at their own risk, he proved that his party was in fact reverting to old formulas.
For all the rational statements he made Wednesday, his final threat will be what sticks in the minds of both the party’s opponents and its supporters. By maintaining the worst of Hezbollah’s reputation, Nasrallah is undermining his own positions. Should Hezbollah be lecturing other people on sectarianism? Should the party be doing more to unite Lebanon? Tell us what you think below.

Sectarian tensions rise in south Lebanon amid security enhancements
Press TV/Relative calm hangs over the southern Lebanese city of Sidon after the armed deployment of a very controversial Salafist cleric -“Ahmad Al-Asir”- and his supporters several days ago.
“Al-Asir” who had been threatening to break into apartments said to be owned by the Lebanese Resistance movement Hezbollah in the city, was expected to stage an indefinite sit-in in front of a Shia mosque there known as “Mujama’ Al-Zahraa’”. “Mujamma’ Zahraa’s” Imam, “Sheikh Afif Nabulsi”, responded by vowing that no one will be forced out of the city.
In a preemptive measure to contain this escalation which was considered to be of sectarian nature, Lebanon’s Security Forces and Army were heavily deployed in the city.
Meanwhile, several press conferences were also held in Sidon by religious clerics and lawmakers to condemn what they described as the attempt of some to instigate strife following suspicious agendas.
In a recent televised speech Hezbollah Secretary General, “Sayyed Hassan Nasr-Allah”, warned of sectarian tensions stressing that some are pushing for a Sunni-Shia strife in the country and called for prompt action to prevent history from repeating itself. Back in November 2012, "Al-Asir" opposed the hanging of pictures of Hezbollah martyrs who were killed by Israel and banners related to the Shia community's mourning of the Martyrdom anniversary of the third Shia Imam, on a day known as Ashura. As a result armed clashes broke out claiming the lives of three people and injuring at least 8 others.
Unprecedented security measures were taken in the Southern portal city of Sidon in attempt to contain any provocation that could lead to a nationwide conflict. The city's lawmakers and dignitaries have stated that this phenomenon was not spontaneous. They say certain foreign countries have orchestrated the plot to isolate the resistance from within. Meanwhile, locals here say they are paying a high price.

Netanyahu gets 14 more days to form new Israeli government
By Ori Lewis | Reuters – ..JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli President Shimon Peres on Saturday gave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an additional 14 days to try to form a new government after he was unable to complete the task during an initial 28-day period.Talks with potential partners have been deadlocked since elections on January 22 and if he is unable to form a government by March 16 a new poll could be called - a delay that also puts into question a planned visit by U.S. President Barack Obama. Netanyahu's Likud-Beitenu won 31 of the Knesset's 120 seats - an eroded lead that forced him to cast a wide net for partners while juggling their disparate demands. During the 28-day period, Netanyahu managed to forge a pact only with the party of former foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, whose six-member faction "The Movement" has given him 37 seats, way short of the minimum 61 needed to confirm a new coalition.
In a brief statement following his meeting with Peres on Saturday night, Netanyahu hinted that at least one potential coalition partner refused to sit alongside others. Netanyahu has faced demands from the parties that placed second and fourth, Yesh Atid (There is a Future) and Bayit Yehudi (Jewish Home), to slash mass exemptions from military conscription and cut welfare stipends to ultra-Orthodox Jews.
In coalition talks on Friday with Bayit Yehudi, Netanyahu's chief negotiator said the right-wing party was unwilling to sit alongside ultra-Orthodox parties but Bayit Yehudi officials denied this.
Although he did not name Bayit Yehudi or Yesh Atid as the reason for his inability to form a coalition, Netanyahu said some parties were boycotting others.
"In these past four weeks I tried to form the broadest possible government ... I think the ultra-Orthodox public is prepared to accept (demands by other partners) but the main reason that I have not managed to complete the task by today is ... because there is a boycott of a certain sector," he said.Netanyahu's outgoing coalition includes two ultra-Orthodox parties which have generally backed him on policies such the settlement of occupied West Bank land in defiance of world powers who support the Palestinians' drive for statehood there.
Bayit Yehudi is even less accommodating of the Palestinians than Netanyahu, who says he wants to revive stalled peace talks.
NEW ELECTIONS
Should Netanyahu fail to co-opt allies for a parliamentary majority by March 16, Peres could hand the coalition-building task to another lawmaker and if after an additional period no government emerges, Israelis would have to return to the polls.Netanyahu was backed by 82 of parliament's 120 lawmakers to form the next government so Peres, whose only real executive power is to nominate a Knesset member to form a government, may opt not to pick another candidate and elections would be called.Obama is due to visit Israel at the end of March and Netanyahu's trouble in building a new government raises the question of whether he may call off that visit.
But when asked about Israeli reports he might cancel, an official in Washington, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was no talk at this point about the possibility of Obama scrubbing the trip.
White House spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said: "President Obama looks forward to travelling to Jerusalem, Ramallah and Amman later this month."
(Additional reporting by Matt Spetalnick in Washington; Writing by Ori Lewis; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

Hezbollah-Israel Psychological War Continues in Nasrallah Speech
Almonitor/Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah appeared on TV to deny rumors that he has cancer and was transferred to Tehran for treatment. His appearance was carefully planned from a psychological warfare perspective. By listening to his speech, experts will conclude that he is not sick and is in fact behind his desk in Beirut directing operations. The speech also portrays him as competently confronting the internal sectarian strife knocking on the door.Three psychological features were apparent in his speech. They are part of a “psychological-security plan” aimed at denying rumors of his illness and at showing that he is still in the country.
First: his calm demeanor. He did not raise his finger threateningly at Israel as he used to, even though Israeli jets are overflying Lebanon in an unprecedented way these days, conducting mock raids at low altitude over border areas. Nasrallah’s calm demeanor revealed that the party possesses an “advanced psychological missile” fired at Israel and the party’s many enemies. The objective was to leave the impression that Nasrallah is in excellent psychological health, indicating that his physical health is also sound.
Second: the context. Nasrallah used his appearance — which was ostensibly intended to deny that he was afflicted by cancer or that he was in Iran — to also address recent political developments, some of which happened a few hours before his speech. He mentioned Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri’s statement, made two hours before Nasrallah’s appearance, in which the former announced he was withdrawing his electoral proposal. Nasrallah wanted to signal that he is monitoring events very closely and is not bedridden in Tehran. His speech contained dozens of instances designed to give the impression that he is closely monitoring events.
Third: vigilance. Nasrallah gave the impression that he is going through a period that requires him to strategically consider how to prevent triggering sectarian strife in Lebanon. He warned of the danger this strife could pose and called for sincere efforts to prevent it from happening. But he also gave the impression that he is able to confront it if it were to occur.
His TV appearance was designed to show him as not only in good health but also with full mental capacity from political and strategic perspectives, and that he is perfectly able to make major political decisions. This is illustrated when he said, “Do not make any mistakes with us.”
According to sources close to the party, Hezbollah believes the rumors that Nasrallah was sick and has moved to Iran were part of psychological warfare being carried out against the party, a war that has intensified in recent times. Israel is its architect, and its aim is to influence the morale of the resistance members and support base.
The sources list some of the methods used in the psychological campaign. These include rumors that Hezbollah’s assistant secretary general, Sheikh Naim Qassem, was assassinated; rumors that a car bomb was detonated in the southern suburbs of Beirut, whose majority is Shiite and supports Hezbollah, in order to cause panic; and mock raids being conducted by Israeli aircraft over areas thought to contain Hezbollah military bases. The mock raids sounded real and were intended to strike fear in the hearts of the fighters.
A series of events happened that together form a professionally conducted psychological war. They reached their peak with the rumor that Nasrallah was sick and had left Lebanon.
These sources reveal to Al-Monitor the following facts:
1. The party traced the source of the rumor that Nasrallah was ill to Beirut International FM, a radio station with limited range, but was still picked up locally and internationally. It is clear that choosing this radio station was intentional to conceal the party responsible for the leak.
2. The party has a tradition to never hide the news that one of their leaders is sick. Hence, Nasrallah’s medical records are public and they show that he is free from disease. The only time he fell ill was several years ago, when he suffered from a narrowed vertebrae. He underwent treatment and did not cover it up.
3. Nasrallah personally attaches special importance to psychological operations against Israel and closely follows the psychological war that Israel wages against Hezbollah. In one instance, he refused to postpone his planned speech when he learned that his son had been killed two hours earlier in a military operation in the South. Nasrallah said to his advisers, “Relax, I will give my speech on time. I do not want to give the impression to the enemy that the death of my son has affected my morale.”
'The psychological war speech'
It is no secret that Hezbollah attaches special importance to psychological warfare in its fight against Israel and its enemies. Hezbollah’s televised appearance yesterday was one round in that war, in which the party used one of its best psychological weapons. It is clear that before Nasrallah’s appearance, his speech had undergone scrutiny by the party’s psychological warfare experts. The way Nasrallah appeared was planned. Those who watched the speech can decide for themselves whether the plan worked. If they come out with the impression that rumors of his illness were false then the plan worked. The party would like to know how the “psychological war speech” affected the Israelis. They hope that the faces of the Israeli security agents would show their dismay after seeing Nasrallah on TV and in good health.
Nasser Chararah is a contributing writer for Al-Monitor's Lebanon Pulse, head of the Lebanese Institute for Studies and Publications, a writer for multiple Arab newspapers and magazines, author of several books on the Hezbollah-Israeli conflict and has worked for the Palestinian Research Center.

Syria, Iran Say Assad to Remain in Power Till 2014
By ALBERT AJI and ZEINA KARAM Associated Press DAMASCUS, Syria March 2, 2013 (AP)
Iran and Syria condemned a U.S. plan to assist rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad on Saturday and signaled the Syrian leader intends to stay in power at least until 2014 presidential elections.
The remarks came against the backdrop of a strategic victory for the regime as the military regained control over a string of villages along a key highway to open a potential supply route in Syria's heavily contested north.
The army command boasted of the achievement in a statement, saying it had eradicated the remnants of "terrorist agents and mercenaries" in the area that links the government-controlled central city of Hama with Aleppo's international airport.
The reversal of gains, confirmed by Syrian activists, has the potential to change the outcome of the battle in Aleppo, Syria's largest city where government troops and rebels have been locked in a stalemate for months.
Syrian rebels have long complained that they are hampered by the world's failure to provide heavier arms to help them battle Assad's better-equipped military. The international community is reluctant to send weapons partly because of fears they may fall into the hands of extremists who have been gaining influence among the rebels.
This citizen journalism image provided by Edlib News Network, ENN, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows anti-Syrian regime protesters holding a caricature placard during a demonstration, at Kafr Nabil town, in Idlib province, northern Syria, Friday, March. 1, 2013. Syrian government forces fought fierce clashes with rebels attacking a police academy near the northern city of Aleppo on Friday, while the bodies of 10 men most of them shot in the head were found dumped along the side of a road outside Damascus, activists said. (AP Photo/Edlib News Network ENN) CloseBut U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced on Thursday that the Obama administration was giving an additional $60 million in assistance to Syria's political opposition and would, for the first time, provide non-lethal aid directly to the rebels.In their first official statements on the U.S. decision, the Syrian and Iranian foreign ministers accused Washington of having double standards and warned it will only delay an end to the civil war.
Iran is a staunch ally of the Syrian regime and has stood by the embattled Assad throughout the conflict.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem and his Iranian counterpart, Ali Akbar Salehi, also set clear parameters for any future talks with the opposition, saying that whether Assad stays or goes will be decided in presidential elections scheduled for next year. Salehi went further to say Assad may run for another term.
"Assad is Syria's legal president until the next elections. Individuals have the freedom to run as candidates. Until that time, Assad is Syria's president," Salehi said at a joint news conference in Tehran. Al-Moallem said the Syrian people have the right to choose their leaders through the ballot box.
The remarks are likely to complicate already faltering diplomatic efforts to start a dialogue between the government and the opposition, which has offered to join talks with regime elements but insists that Assad must step down.
The U.N. estimates that 70,000 people have died since the uprising against Assad began in March 2011.Syria's opposition chief has offered to sit down for talks with regime elements, but insists that Assad must step down.
Al-Moallem said it was inconceivable that Washington would allocate $60 million in assistance to Syrian opposition groups while it continues to "kill the Syrian people" through economic sanctions imposed against the country.
"If they truly wanted a political settlement, they wouldn't punish the Syrian people and finance (opposition) groups with so-called non-lethal aid," he said. "Who are they kidding?"
The Damascus official called Syria's sovereignty a "red line."
He directly accused Turkey and Qatar and other countries he did not name of supporting and funding "armed terrorist groups" operating in Syria, using the regime's terminology for the rebels. Both countries are strong rebel backers and have offered logistical and other assistance to Syrian opposition groups.
His Iranian host, Salehi, said "double standards were being applied by certain countries that serve to prolong and deepen the Syrian crisis" and lead to more bloodshed.
Syrian rebels control large swaths of land in the country's northeast, including several neighborhoods of Aleppo.
For weeks they have been trying to storm the Aleppo airport, a major prize in the battle for Syria's commercial capital. The rebels ousted troops from several bases protecting the facility and cut off a major highway the army used to supply its troops inside the airport complex.
Syrian army officials said troops had secured the facility and regained control of several villages along the highway leading to the airport after days of fighting.
An opposition spokesman, Rami Abdul-Rahman, director the Britain-based anti-regime activist group the Observatory for Human Rights, confirmed the army's victory Saturday, calling it a "significant achievement."
"Securing these villages, assuming the regime can hang on to them, has the potential to turn around the direction of the conflict in Aleppo," Abdul-Rahman said. This citizen journalism image provided by Edlib News Network, ENN, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows anti-Syrian regime protesters holding a banner and Syrian revolution flags, during a demonstration, at Kafr Nabil town, in Idlib province, northern Syria, Friday, March. 1, 2013. Syrian government forces fought fierce clashes with rebels attacking a police academy near the northern city of Aleppo on Friday, while the bodies of 10 men most of them shot in the head were found dumped along the side of a road outside Damascus, activists said. (AP Photo/Edlib News Network ENN) CloseIn other violence Saturday, clashes broke out in the northeastern Raqqa province, and activists said dozens of people on both sides were reported dead or wounded.
Ahrar al-Sham Movement, a militant Islamic brigade fighting with the rebels, announced in an online video posted Saturday that it was starting a wide scale operation against military and infrastructure targets in the area along with other extremists including Jabhat al-Nusra, the al-Qaida-affiliated group designated by the U.S. as a terrorist group.
Sporadic clashes also continued near Syria's Rabiya border crossing with Iraq. Syrian fighter jets fired at least two missiles and rebels on the ground fired at the jets, according to a witness on the Iraqi side of the border.
The fighting comes a day after Iraqi officials said a Russian-made rocket fired from Syria slammed into Iraqi territory, intensifying concerns that violence from Syria's civil war could spill across the border. No one was injured in the strike.A police officer at the Iraqi Rabiya border crossing said five Syrian soldiers and one officer fled the clashes into Iraqi territory. Three of the soldiers were wounded and evacuated to a hospital in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, he said. A doctor confirmed the figure. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release information to the media. They didn't say what happened to the other three who fled.
The chief of Syrian rebel forces, Salim Idris, accused Iraqi soldiers of firing at rebel positions inside Syrian territory and claimed Iraq's government was backing Assad's regime.
Iraq's Defense Ministry denied that Iraqi forces were backing the Syrian army during clashes with rebels. A statement said Iraqi forces are deployed in the border regions only for routine duties and one Iraqi soldier was wounded during the exchange of fire. *Karam reported from Beirut. Associated Press writers Barbara Surk in Beirut, Ali Akbar Dareini in Tehran and Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Sinan Salaheddin in Baghdad contributed to this report.

Rights Group: Cluster Bomb Attack in Syria Kills 19
VOA/A human rights group says 19 people were killed when Syrian warplanes dropped cluster bombs, which are banned under a U.N. treaty. Amnesty International said Saturday the attack Friday in the northern town of Aleppo wounded more than 60 people. An Amnesty official on the scene reported that nine Soviet-made cluster bombs, each carrying up to 150 cluster submunitions, were dropped on a heavily populated area.
Cluster bombs can potentially kill many civilians. Syria is among the countries that have not signed a 2010 U.N. treaty banning their use.
Smoke rises over the Salah al-Din neighborhood in central Aleppo, Syria, March 2, 2013.xSmoke rises over the Salah al-Din neighborhood in central Aleppo, Syria, March 2, 2013.
​​In other news, Syrian activists said a fierce battle on the outskirts of the northern city of Raqa killed dozens of Syrian troops and rebel fighters. The opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Saturday the clashes caused many people to flee. Also Saturday, Syria and its ally, Iran, accused the United States of applying double standards for offering to provide aid to the rebels.
On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced $60 million in extra aid to the Syrian opposition and, for the first time, non-lethal aid to some of its rebels trying to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad.
In Geneva, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met for talks with international peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi. The two later said in a statement the United Nations is willing to broker peace talks between Syria's government and the opposition.Both men also expressed frustration at the failure of the international community to end the fighting in Syria. An estimated 70,000 people have died in the 23-month-long conflict.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

Old Elites Fighting Old Wars in Old Ways in Iraq
By: Amir Taheri /Asharq Alawsat
In an address at the University of Basra last week, Iraq’s Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki warned against “the threat of sectarianism.” Events in the past weeks give some credence to the warning. We have witnessed mass demonstrations in such Sunni-majority provinces as Anbar, Nineveh and Salahuddin. Even relatively quiet places such as Diyala and Kirkuk have indicated that the sectarian pot may be on the boil.
Since this is not the first time that Maliki warns of sectarianism one might wonder what role his government has played in creating this threat. Another important question is: How does Maliki propose to halt the drift towards sectarian conflict? Maliki’s decision to dramatize the situation may be motivated by electoral calculations. In April Iraqis go to the polls in local elections with opinion surveys indicating great difficulties for the coalition led by Maliki. Because local governments have a good chunk of power under Iraq’s democratic constitution their control is important in shaping the national political landscape. Maliki may well want to mobilize his Shi’ite base ahead of local polls by harping on sectarian fears.
Doing so, however, might diminish his stature. Instead of acting as a leader for all Iraqis he would be recast as a sectarian chief. And that could transform the next parliamentary elections, scheduled for 2014, into a sectarian contest with incalculable consequences. Maliki’s warning could become a self-fulfilling prophecy, and doomsday scenarios predicting “the end of Iraq” are already on the market.
In recent weeks, the Kurds have reawakened secessionist dreams by talking of “a future in independence.”
Some observers see the visit to Moscow by Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani, and the warming up of his relations with Turkey, as signs that the Erbil leadership may be seeking international support for a breakaway referendum.
Ardent sectarian Shi’ites would not be too unhappy to see Kurds secede. That would cut Iraq’s Sunni minority population by almost half, leaving Shi’ites in an even stronger position.
Conservative Arab Sunni circles, including some tribes, might also welcome a Kurd-free Iraq. This is because, politically, Kurds have always represented a good chunk of progressive forces in Iraq. The remnants of the Ba’ath and kindred Sunni revanchistes would welcome such an outcome and try to use it as a pretext for claiming a mini-state of their own. Doomsayers claim that, if a chunk of Iraq goes, we would witness the end of Iraq as a unified nation-state.Does this sectarian ballet reflect the deeper political realities of post-dictatorship Iraq? Or is it the product of choreography worked out by old sectarian leaders who have lost touch with reality?
My guess is that the old ruling elites of Iraq’s various communities are still fighting the old battles in the old ways.
Maliki is the product of the Dawa party, a Shia party that had to be sectarian to survive, living and partly living, under dictatorship.
What about Barzani and Jalal Talabani? They could not have led the Kurds without emphasizing Kurdish-ness in opposition to the Ba’athist ideology of pan-Arab supremacy.
As for most Sunni Arab leaders, it is not easy to shake off the myth that depicted Shi’ites and Kurds as “fifth-columns” seeking to sabotage Iraq from within.
The challenge for Maliki and other Iraqi political leaders is to transcend their respective sectarian pasts and discover, or re-discover, a new multi-ethnic, multi-faith Iraq governed by pluralism.
Those who fail the challenge would be scripted out by reality. Because of his position as prime minister, Maliki has a crucial role to play. Rather than playing the sectarian card he should rise above petty politics to propose a national program to all Iraqis. Since sectarianism is partly fomented by outside powers, Maliki should re-balance Iraq’s foreign policy by toning down closeness with Iran, without provoking its hostility, while improving relations with Arab states worried about the so-called “Shi’ite Crescent”.
The idea of a mini-Shi’ite state in nine of Iraq’s provinces would produce an Iranian satellite, a modern version of the Nu’manite kingdom of the Sassanid times. That would deprive Iraqi Shi’ites of effective control over their destiny. The Kurdish leaders would do well to realize that their people are more concerned about a credible project for economic and cultural development with social justice rather than a scenario for secession. The sectarian card might have been effective when Kurds were oppressed by despots in Baghdad. Today, the central government is present in its absence.
A small independent Kurdistan, landlocked in a chunk of Iraq, would not be able to maintain the relatively high living standards the Kurds have achieved over the past three decades.
As for Arab Sunnis, a return to tribal leadership means an historic leap backwards. The current Arab Sunni leadership has failed to secure a reasonable share of power in the context of a federal Iraq. More than other communities, Iraq’s Arab Sunni community needs new voices and a new leadership. Such a leadership could find relevance in shaping the future only if it offers a project for Iraq as a whole. After all, it was the Arab Sunni community that led the creation of Iraq as a nation-state after the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire.A mini-Arab Sunni state in four provinces could become an irrelevance or get annexed by Jordan or Syria provided it survives as a unified state. Iraq’s Arab Sunni community has genuine grievances and these must be addressed. The fact that the Ba’ath victimized other communities more than the Arab Sunnis does not justify oppressing them today. Today, Iraq’s various communities including Turkmen, Christians and Feylis. Their real difference notwithstanding, they resemble streams that must flow into the same river in order to survive. If they flow away they risk disappearing in neighboring sands. A potent symbol in the coming elections could be a broom that promises to sweep away old sectarians.
For the first time since its creation Iraq is in control of its destiny. This is a precious chance that only madmen would want to miss.

From Harrods to the Pyramids
By:Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed /Asharq Alawsat
We have recently seen news reports about the Qataris wanting to buy the pyramids from the Egyptians. Prior to this, there were claims that they had also made an offer to Egyptian businessmen and deputy Muslim Brotherhood Guide Khairat El-Shater to buy the Suez Canal. Although such claim have been denied and said to be nothing more than unsubstantiated rumors, there can be no doubt that Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood government is now facing a financial crisis to the point that it is now looking at any and all means of saving money, including reconciliation with businessmen imprisoned on corruption charges.
In principle, there is nothing strange about such bids, particularly in this era of globalization. After all Harrods, one of Europe’s most important stores and a historic British symbol, was bought up by Egyptian businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed. He managed this store for a quarter of a century before selling it on to Qatar for a reported GBP 1.5 billion. So what would be the problem if the Egyptians sold the Suez Canal or the pyramids to the Qataris who have enough cash pay off the Brotherhood government’s deficit?
In reality, it would be easier to imagine New York City selling off the Statue of Liberty, or the French renting out the presidential Elysée Palace. It is impossible to imagine the Egyptians agreeing to sell off the Sphinx or any other historical monument in this manner. Egypt is a country in the midst of political transition and is witnessing many conflicts between different civil forces. In addition to this, the Egyptian people are very sensitive about the issue of foreign ownership. We must not forget that the Egyptian opposition, during the Mubarak era, raised hell with the government for taking the decision to sell off the country’s iconic Omar Effendi department stores to a Saudi food company. Even the Muslim Brotherhood criticized Mubarak at the time, despite the fact that Omar Effendi was just a store—not a historical landmark—and was losing money to boot. Today, the Brotherhood stand accused of being worse than Mubarak for putting Egypt’s historic and strategic wealth on sale.
The Suez Canal—which the Qataris are reported to be interested in buying—epitomizes the history of conflict in Egypt over control of national land and wealth. It is therefore natural for the Egyptians to be suspicious and angry about the idea of its sale, even if we are in an era of globalization where no commercial property is sacred. The Suez Canal began as a French engineering project during the eighteenth century under Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon wanted to secure maritime control over the primary area of European colonial activity in the world. The project also served as a French political move against the British. The digging of the canal was not complete until the second half of the nineteenth century. The Suez Canal deal saw the French being granted the right to operate the canal for 99 years. When the Suez Canal began operations in 1969, this represented one of the greatest events in the world, changing the balance of trade and contemporary history. Due to their debts, the Egyptians were subsequently forced to sell their shares in the canal to the British. Following this, the military conflict over control of this important strategic waterway began, with the British colonialists deploying their troops to control it. The situation became even more complex after the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 and Egypt’s refusal to allow the Israelis to use the canal. Eight years later, Israel, Britain, and France attacked Egypt following the nationalization of the canal. Egypt responded by sinking forty ships and shutting the Suez Canal. The rest is history. As a result of this, it is very difficult to imagine that Qatar being able to manage the Suez Canal. This is not a department store, while the Qataris are not an unaffiliated political party. Qatar is at odds with almost 80 percent of countries in the region and does not have Dubai’s experience in terms of successfully operating international ports.
Although selling the pyramids and renting out the Suez Canal are just ideas, or more like rumors, they perhaps reflect the greatest problem that is facing the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, namely the economic crisis. It would be very difficult for any ruling party to feed eighty million people per day, regardless of ideology or political views. The Brotherhood came to power from opposition in the street, and even prison, and they do not know much about running an economy or state. As a result of this, we do not know how they will manage a complex state like Egypt that is burdened with numerous commitments. In addition to this, the Brotherhood is at odds with the other revolutionary forces and over-encumbered with a thirst for power, seeking control over the presidency, the government, the parliamentary and judiciary.

Maliki is Sincere but Wrong
By: Mshari Al-Zaydi /Asharq Alawsat
I don’t believe that there is any need to reiterate the criticisms of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki’s performance, not to mention the huge number of opportunities that he has missed to lead Iraq to safety.
Such criticisms are well-known. However, to be objective, we must not blame all of Iraq’s current mistakes and misfortunes on the man. Iraqi’s youths are beset by a number of historic issues and ills. These can be dated back to the era during which the country was under British mandate, not to mention independence from British rule, the monarchist era, the republican era, and later the harsh Ba’athist era. This included both the reign of Abdul Salam Arif and later Saddam Hussein, which encompassed the invasion of Kuwait, international isolation, and then the occupation of Iraq itself and execution of Saddam Hussein. Following this, we saw the the establishment of a political system based on sectarianism as a result of the stupidity of the Americans, the cunning of Tehran, and the disunity of Iraq’s Arab neighbors.
Nuri Al-Maliki can therefore be viewed as the natural product of Iraq’s history, with all its ills. His discourse and actions are also a prime result of this.
In spite of all this, a fair and impartial observer cannot help but acknowledge that Maliki demonstrates determination and possesses a clear vision. More recently, the Iraqi prime minister has also begun to take increasingly direct and clear positions, unlike many regional politicians; this includes his interpretation and position on the Syrian war. This is something that was clear to see in his previous interview with Asharq Al-Awsat editor-in-chief, during which he warned against backing the Alawites into a corner, asserting that desperation grants courage. In Maliki’s most recent interview with the Associated Press (AP), he warned that a victory for Assad’s opponents will only serve to incite sectarian wars in Lebanon and his own country, create a new sanctuary for Al-Qaeda, and destabilize the region as a whole.
Maliki told AP: “If the opposition is victorious, there will be a civil war in Lebanon, divisions in Jordan, and a sectarian war in Iraq”
Admittedly, Maliki’s words are direct and to the point, and perhaps anger many of those who support the Syrian revolution against Bashar Al-Assad, and I include myself in this category. However we must avoid becoming too emotional, for he was correct in some of what he surmised, or at least close to being correct. The signs of this civil war are clear to see in Iraq and Lebanon. This is all the result of clashes between a dictatorial regime that has chosen to focus on security solutions and inciting sectarian strife, and an opposition that is insistent upon confrontation until the bitter end, making huge sacrifices despite everybody forsaking them.
However this does not negate the fact that the “cowardly” American and European reading of the Syrian situation from the very beginning, and the lack of any real support for the Syrian revolution, ultimately served to force the Syrians to dance with the devil in order to protect themselves from the butcher Bashar Al-Assad and his criminal gang.
As for the impact of this on neighboring Iraq and Lebanon, this is only natural. In addition to this, Maliki and the Shi’ite alliance’s discourse and gambles in Iraq in terms of promoting the Iranian story about the situation in Syria are crystal clear. It is enough to observe the “practices” of Iraq’s Shi’ite blocs towards the Syrian crisis. The situation is even clearer in Lebanon, and Hezbollah—with its fighters, discourse, and media, not to mention Hassan Nasrallah himself—is standing shoulder to shoulder with the Assad regime. So why should we not expect a similar response from Nuri Al-Maliki? Particularly when we are talking about an ailing region that suffers from historic ills that are too easy to exploit and incite.
Maliki is confident in his vision to incite the crisis, however he has failed to continue to read the situation and see how others view him and the role that he is playing in this sad drama.

The Future of Hezbollah
By: Adel Al Toraifi/Asharq lawsat
In a lengthy report published by the New Yorker magazine this week, the famous journalist Dexter Filkins wrote about the growing concerns within Hezbollah circles about the ongoing civil war in Syria, where the Assad regime is fighting for survival with the support of its allies in Iran, Lebanon, and Iraq.
Filkins, who spent some time in Beirut’s southern suburbs and in the border regions adjacent to Syria, was able to talk with some Hezbollah fighters and even attended the memorial services of some elements who had died while fighting alongside the Syrian regime in its efforts to quell the uprising.
The report quotes one Hezbollah commander as saying: “If Bashar goes down we’re next”. Elsewhere, Filkins quotes another leader acknowledging that a Hezbollah commander has died in Syria “performing his jihad duties”. Later on, another party source contends, “The Arab countries are spending money to destroy Syria and Hezbollah.”
The picture portrayed by Filkins reflects a party feeling threatened and anxious as the Syrian warfare approaches its own strongholds. There is a state of self-containment and mistrust among the Hezbollah leadership, with nihilistic tendencies dominating all discussions and talk of a final battle and death before surrender. For more than two years Hezbollah the party has tried to distance itself—in the media—from the course of events in neighboring Syria, while its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, has launched statements in support of his Syrian ally, calling for “resistance” and opposition to the Israeli enemy. However, this rhetoric has not succeeded in justifying Nasrallah’s position towards the human suffering that the Syrian regime has caused.
Inside Lebanon, Hezbollah gained the acceptance and appreciation of some due to its “resistance” work and its talk of liberating the land, and its popularity rose sharply following the Israeli withdrawal in 2000. The party reached heroic status in some parts of the Arab world even after igniting a costly thirty day war with Israel in 2006. However, part of this burgeoning popularity was subjected to a strong setback after Hezbollah’s military invasion of Beirut and other areas in 2008, which some saw as an attempt to intimidate the Sunni community and the party’s opponents from other sects. At the time, Hezbollah justified its actions by describing them as a response to attempts to link the party to several assassinations that had recently been carried out against opposition Lebanese figures, most notably Rafik Hariri, the late Lebanese prime minister. Even so, some popular circles remained understanding or silently accepting of Hezbollah’s position, but since the outbreak of the events in Syria the party has found itself in an unprecedented moral dilemma.
The overwhelming tendency of the Arab street sympathizes with the Syrian demonstrations, and Hezbollah’s inexcusable stance alongside the Syrian regime has generated a kind of frustration and anger towards the party. It seems that Hezbollah has decided to stand in line with a regime that kills its own citizens, and has even opted to send its own elements to participate in the civil war of a neighboring country. When the so-called “Arab Spring” broke out, the Hezbollah leadership adopted the official Iranian stance in support of regime change, but as the uprisings continued Syria changed the rules of the game, whereby Hezbollah sided with the Assad regime at the expense of the unarmed Syrian citizens. This can be considered the critical moment when the party lost its regional popularity, and transformed into a sectarian and ideological opponent for broad sectors of the region. There is no doubt that Hezbollah is currently going through its most difficult days. It is no longer considered a hero in the Arab world but rather the odious enemy of the masses themselves, who used to boast of the party’s achievements a few years ago. These losses—at least for the foreseeable future—could change the position of Hezbollah and its forces not only in Lebanon but in the whole region; a region that is strongly against the party’s participation in the killing of innocent people. Perhaps Hezbollah’s leaders never imagined that all their achievements would one day transform into a heavy burden, but the most important question today is: What is the future of Hezbollah in light of what has happened?
To begin with, it must be noted that Hezbollah, despite its grave losses, still has some allies both inside and outside of Lebanon, particularly among some minority circles who feel threatened. Above this, the party boasts an arsenal of weapons and popular Shi’ite support, both of which encourage it to pursue military force within its immediate surroundings. But nevertheless, these factors are being genuinely under threat with the Syrian armed opposition forcing Hezbollah to defend its border positions. In the event of the fall of the Assad regime, there are no guarantees that the war will not spread towards Hezbollah’s areas of influence inside Lebanon, and the party could soon find itself confronted by many forces greater than it. Perhaps it is necessary to consider the party’s alternatives following the fall of its traditional ally, which used to provide it with a safe passage financially and militarily from Iran.
Here we should not forget that Hezbollah was founded before the consolidation of Iranian-Syrian relations, and that the party itself originally fought battles with the Syrians to impose itself as a military reality parallel to—but independent of—the Syrian army.
During the years that preceded the Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, Hezbollah used to declare that it alone had the final say in what was going on. Nevertheless, the party—which was established mainly for military purposes—has been unable, ever since dominating the Lebanese government in 2004, to put itself forward as a political alternative to the Lebanese state, despite the best efforts of its Iranian stepfather. Perhaps this is what is concerning Hezbollah at the current moment, namely that it will be forced to change its radical course to become more conciliatory and accepting in the Lebanese environment, in order to regain its popularity in the wider region. In other words, Hezbollah today has to choose between fighting a regional war to regain what it has lost in terms of its moral and military presence, or to follow the “peaceful” road and change its philosophy, if not its leadership, which has lost all its former legitimacy. At this moment, no one is able to predict, but it would be surprising if Hezbollah remained as it is after all that has happened. We have become accustomed to the party—as an extension of Iran—changing its policies and even its leaders in order to protect Iranian interests first and foremost, and only then the interests of the party.
Some might think that it would be difficult for Iran to get rid of a charismatic personality like Hassan Nasrallah, but there are historical precedents to suggest that the Iranian regime does not mind sacrificing its men in order to preserve its interests. Perhaps such a scenario is unlikely at the current moment, where it can be said that Nasrallah has transformed into a symbol for the party and the Shi’ite’s struggle for “resistance”. However, past experience suggests that the removal of certain personalities does not mean their retirement but rather their assassination, as regimes only seek to protect their interests, not their loyal men.
A Hezbollah activist recently appeared on television warning of the danger of the Al-Nusra Front in Syria and its alleged links to Al-Qaeda, claiming that this is evidence of the armed Syrian uprising deviating from its course. The activist then accused Gulf entities of supporting a “Sunni jihad” threatening minorities.
In truth it is interesting that Hezbollah leaders have begun to scaremonger by portraying others as jihadists, while the same rhetoric applies to them.
During his last recorded appearance, Nasrallah argued that his party would not tolerate any attempts to curb its influence, and that it would fight to the end. There is no doubt that Nasrallah meant what he said, or that he is ready to sacrifice the innocent in order to retain the influence of his party, just as Assad is doing now. Indeed it is sad that those currently in control of the fate of Syria and Lebanon are people who believe that when it comes to history, they will have the last word.