LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
March 15/15

Bible Quotation For Today/The Paralysed Curing Miracle
Mark 02/01-12.: "When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them. Then some people came, bringing to him a paralysed man, carried by four of them. And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, �Son, your sins are forgiven.�Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, �Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?� At once Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were discussing these questions among themselves; and he said to them, �Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, "Your sins are forgiven", or to say, "Stand up and take your mat and walk"? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins� he said to the paralytic �I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go to your home.� And he stood up, and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, �We have never seen anything like this!�

Bible Quotation For Today/So also good works are conspicuous
First Letter to Timothy 05/24-25//06/01-05: "The sins of some people are conspicuous and precede them to judgement, while the sins of others follow them there. So also good works are conspicuous; and even when they are not, they cannot remain hidden. Let all who are under the yoke of slavery regard their masters as worthy of all honour, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be blasphemed. Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful to them on the ground that they are members of the church; rather they must serve them all the more, since those who benefit by their service are believers and beloved. Teach and urge these duties. Whoever teaches otherwise and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that is in accordance with godliness,
is conceited, understanding nothing, and has a morbid craving for controversy and for disputes about words. From these come envy, dissension, slander, base suspicions, and wrangling among those who are depraved in mind and bereft of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.

Latest analysis, editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 14-15/15
Israeli voters must send a message to Obama/Shoula Romano Horing /Ynetnews/March 14/15
Iraq and the Sectarian Strife Ahead/Salman Aldossary/Asharq Al Awsat/March 14/15
Report: Senate panel probing possible Obama administration funding of effort to unseat Netanyahu/J.Post/March 14/15
Iran's sprawling influence drums up sectarian fears in oil-rich Arab neighbors/SETH J. FRANTZMAN/March 14/15

Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 14-15/15
'Without Meretz, Herzog has no chance to be PM,' party head says
Kerry cautious before new Iran talks, cites �important gaps�
Iran to supply Yemen with oil for a year: Houthi official
Iraqi offensive on Tikrit on hold for second day
Herzog�s four pledges for his first 100 days as prime minister are unworkable
Flagging before election, Netanyahu ramps up rhetoric
Assad relative assassinated in Syria: activists
Greek PM warns of far-right threat in Europe
Schaeuble waging 'psychological warfare': Greek minister
Belgium to 'isolate' prisoners who may radicalize others
Egyptian businessman says Cairo should fire slack civil servants
Turkey not headed toward 'dictatorship': Erdogan
Yemeni opposition announces united front against Houthis
Russia slams criticism from Euro MPs as 'lies'
Egyptian businessman says Cairo should fire slack civil servants
Powerful Libyan Militia Alliance in Rare Clash with IS

Jihad Watch Site Latest Reports
Video: Robert Spencer on why the Islamic State is Islamic
US Embassy in Saudi Arabia halts operations amid �heightened security concerns�
Islamic State selling looted 2,000-year-old artifacts on eBay
Islamic Supreme Council of Canada: Islamic State created by West
Bosnia: Five Muslims arrested for plotting jihad attack in Scandinavia
Islamic State kills nine �spies� for �betraying the religion of Allah�
Afghan government gave CIA cash to al-Qaeda
600 UK Muslims waging jihad for Islamic State, only 25 have bank accounts frozen
5,000 foreign Muslims flock to Libya, heeding Islamic State�s call for jihadis
Video: Robert Spencer on why the Islamic State is Islamic

The Healing Miracle of the Paralyzed
By: Elias Bejjani
March 15/15

http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2015/03/15/elias-bejjanithe-healing-miracle-of-the-paralyzed/
�Come to me, all you who labor 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." Matthew 11/28-30).
The habit of praying for others in any manner or pattern is a desirable religious practice, especially when the prayers are for the sake of those who are sick, persecuted, oppressed, poor, lonely and distressed, or have fallen prey to evil temptations. Praying for others whether they are parents, relatives, strangers, acquaintances, enemies, or friends, and for countries, is an act that exhibits the faith, caring, love, and hope of those who offer the prayers. Almighty God, Who is a loving, forgiving, passionate, and merciful Father listens to these prayers and always answers them in His own wisdom and mercy that mostly we are unable to grasp because of our limited human understanding. "All things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.� (Matthew 21/22)
On the fifth Lenten Sunday the Catholic Maronites cite and recall with great reverence the Gospel of Saint Mark( 02/01-12): "The Healing Miracle of the Paralytic": "When he entered again into Capernaum after some days, it was heard that he was in the house. Immediately many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even around the door; and he spoke the word to them. Four people came, carrying a paralytic to him. When they could not come near to him for the crowd, they removed the roof where he was. When they had broken it up, they let down the mat that the paralytic was lying on. Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, �Son, your sins are forgiven you.� But there were some of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, �Why does this man speak blasphemies like that? Who can forgive sins but God alone?� Immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, said to them, �Why do you reason these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to tell the paralytic, �Your sins are forgiven;� or to say, �Arise, and take up your bed, and walk?� But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins�� He said to the paralytic� �I tell you, arise, take up your mat, and go to your house.� He arose, and immediately took up the mat, and went out in front of them all; so that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, �We never saw anything like this!�
This great miracle in its theological essence and core demonstrates beyond doubt that intercessions, prayers and supplications for the benefit of others are acceptable faith rituals that Almighty God attentively hears and definitely answers.
It is interesting to learn that the paralytic man as stated in the Gospel of St. Mark, didn't personally call on Jesus to cure him, nor he asked Him for forgiveness, mercy or help, although as many theologians believe Jesus used to visit Capernaum, where the man lives, and preach in its Synagogue frequently. Apparently this crippled man was lacking faith, hope, distancing himself from God and total ignoring the Gospel's teaching. He did not believe that the Lord can cure him.
What also makes this miracle remarkable and distinguishable lies in the fact that the paralytic's relatives and friends, or perhaps some of Jesus' disciples were adamant that the Lord is able to heal this sick man who has been totally crippled for 38 years if He just touches him. This strong faith and hope made four of them carry the paralytic on his mat and rush to the house where Jesus was preaching. When they could not break through the crowd to inter the house they climbed with the paralytic to the roof, made a hole in it and let down the mat that the paralytic was lying on in front of Jesus and begged for his cure. Jesus was taken by their strong faith and fulfilled their request.
Jesus forgave the paralytic his sins first (�Son, your sins are forgiven you) and after that cured his body: "Arise, and take up your bed, and walk". Like the scribes many nowadays still question the reason and rationale that made Jesus give priority to the man's sins. Jesus' wisdom illustrates that sin is the actual death and the cause for eternal anguish in Hell. He absolved his sins first because sin cripples those who fall in its traps, annihilates their hopes, faith, morals and values, kills their human feelings, inflicts numbness on their consciences and keeps them far away from Almighty God. Jesus wanted to save the man's soul before He cures his earthy body. "For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world, and forfeit his life?" (Mark 08:/36 & 37).
Our Gracious God does not disappoint any person when he seek His help with faith and confidence. With great interest and parental love, He listens to worshipers' prayers and requests and definitely respond to them in His own way, wisdom, time and manner. "Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened". (Matthew 07/07 &08)
In this loving and forgiving context, prayers for others, alive or dead, loved ones or enemies, relatives or strangers, are religiously desirable. God hears and responds because He never abandons His children no matter what they do or say, provided that they turn to Him with faith, repentant, and ask for His mercy and forgiveness either for themselves or for others.
"Is any among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praises. Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the assembly, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will heal him who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up". (James Letter).
There are numerous biblical parables and miracles in which Almighty God shows clearly that He accepts and responds to prayers for the sake of others, e.g.:
Jesus cured the centurion's servant on the request of the Centurion and not the servant himself. (Matthew 08/05-13)
Jesus revived and brought back to life Lazarus on the request of his sisters Mary and Martha. (John 11/01-44)
In conclusion: Almighty God is always waiting for us, we, His Children to come to Him and ask for His help and mercy either for ourselves or for others. He never leaves us alone. Meanwhile it is a Godly faith obligation to extend our hand and pull up those who are falling and unable to pray for themselves especially the mentally sick, the unconscious, and the paralyzed. In this realm of faith, love and care for others comes our prayers to Virgin Mary and to all Saints whom we do not worship, but ask for their intercessions and blessings.
O, Lord, endow us with graces of faith, hope, wisdom, and patience. Help us to be loving, caring, humble and meek. Show us the just paths. Help us to be on your right with the righteous on the Judgment Day.
God sees and hears us all the time, let us all fear Him in all what we think, do and say..

النص/شفاء المخلع وواجب الصلاة من أجل الآخرين/الياس بجاني/15 آذار/15

http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2015/03/15/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%B3-%D8%A8%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%B4%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AE%D9%84%D8%B9-%D9%88%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AC%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B5%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%A9-%D9%85/

Maronite Bishops Synod Call on Arab, Islamic States to Safeguard Lebanon
Naharnet/The Maronite bishops synod called Saturday on the Arab and Islamic countries to aid Lebanon and help it resolve its crises that were caused by the war raging in the Middle East. �The Arab and Islamic countries should assume their historic responsibilities to combat extremism and fanaticism and preserve the Christians' existence in the region,� the synod said in its final statement that was read by Maronite Bishop of Batroun Mounir Khairallah. The statement stressed the importance of the Christian existence in the region, considering that it �plays an important role in forming the Arab world. �Christians should withstand the storm that will subside. They should remain in their land and preserve their property.�In Syria, IS kidnapped some 220 Assyrian Christians last month, prompting 5,000 people to flee the countryside in fear of the jihadist advance. IS militants have also attacked Christians in neighboring Iraq, where it seized swathes of territory in a lightning June offensive last year. The Synod also called on these countries to �aid Lebanon and support it to resolve its political, economic and security crises, which were caused by the conflicts and wars in the Middle East.�They reiterated calls on lawmakers to attend parliamentary sessions set to elect a new head of state, saying: �They should carry out their constitutional duty and elect a new president.�MPs failed for the 20th time on Wednesday to elect a new head of state over lack of quorum. President Michel Suleiman's term ended in May without the election of a successor. Hizbullah and Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun's Change and Reform bloc have been boycotting electoral sessions due to a disagreement with the March 14 camp over a compromise presidential candidate.

March 14 announces new 'national council'
The Daily Star/Mar. 14, 2015 /BEIRUT: The March 14 secretariat announced Saturday the creation of a �national council� and a preparation committee to develop the bloc�s new political platform. �The General Secretary announces the creation of the National Council for March 14 forces,� Fares Soueid, the head of March 14�s secretariat, announced Saturday. �Every person who attended this conference will be automatically assigned as a member of the council�s general assembly.�The announcement came after a speech by former Prime Minsiter Fouad Siniora, according to the bloc�s official statement at the group�s annual conference. Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the �Cedar Revolution� movement that ended the Syrian military presence in Lebanon, the conference was held at BIEL, Downtown Beirut. Soueid announced that a preparation committee has been formed to prepare the new bylaws and political platform for March 14 within a deadline of two months. The committee�s members included MPs Marwan Hamadeh, Fadi Karam, Joseph Maalouf, Jean Ogassapian, Ahmad Fatfat and other officials and activists from factions affiliated with March 14. After the end of the conference, Fatfat expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that the committee did not include �even one single woman.�Soueid responded by saying that a woman named Zeina Mansour volunteered to join the committee as he ended the announcement. In the official statement read by Siniora, March 14 reiterated the principles on which the coalition was founded and attacked the rival political camp led by Hezbollah. �The Persian plan wishes to engage the region in a war, by creating a clash between Sunnis and Shiites,� Siniora said. He accused Iran of causing turmoil in the region for the sake of using it as a chip �on international negotiations tables.� Siniora slammed Hezbollah for participating in wars outside Lebanon and thus involving Lebanon in regional conflicts, and accused the party of intentionally extending presidential vacuum. March 14 also denounced the Syrian regime as being the �center of terrorism� in the region and accused it of committing crimes against humanity. The statement also warned about the increasingly high number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, who have become �a burden and a threat.�

UAE not targeting Lebanese citizens: PM
The Daily Star/Mar. 14, 2015
BEIRUT: UAE�s prime minister assured his Lebanese counterpart Saturday that his country has no official policy of targeting Lebanese citizens, one day after the Gulf government decided to deport 70 families. Lebanon�s Prime Minister Tammam Salam raised the matter with his Emirati counterpart, Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Rashid al-Maktoum, on the sidelines of an economic conference in Egypt. According to a statement released by Salam�s office, Maktoum stressed that the �UAE has neither a policy nor an intention to target Lebanese residents.�Maktoum highlighted the high numbers of Lebanese living in the UAE and their professional successes, the statement said. �Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid clarified that if measures were taken against some Lebanese, they were certainly based on particular security concerns and do not exceed this limit,� it added. Around 70 Lebanese citizens were notified by the Lebanese embassies in UAE of the decision to deport them with their families Thursday. Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil Friday confirmed reports that the UAE had decided to deport the Lebanese individuals, adding that he had contacted his Emirati counterpart in a bid to resolve the matter. Most of the Lebanese facing deportation are Shiites. This was the third move of this kind by a Gulf nation in the past six years. In 2009, dozens of Lebanese Shiites who had lived in the UAE for years were expelled on suspicion of links with Hezbollah. In 2013, Qatar also expelled 18 Lebanese citizens, after the Gulf Cooperation Council imposed sanctions against Hezbollah for its military intervention in the Syrian war. Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Bassil had contacted the UAE�s foreign minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan, and other relevant parties in an attempt to resolve the issue, and had briefed Salam on the discussions. The ministry said Bassil spoke about the issue during Thursday�s Cabinet session, sharing information he had received on the matter. The statement also said that the Foreign Ministry had tried to improve ties between Lebanon and the UAE, as evidenced by the recent reappointment of a Lebanese ambassador to the nation and bilateral discussions on consular, diplomatic and political problems. Hasan Alayan, the head of a committee representing Lebanese nationals who have been expelled from the UAE in recent years, told The Daily Star Friday that the Lebanese were given 24 to 48 hours to leave the country. Salam is heading a high-ranking Lebanese business delegation to Egypt.

March 14 Forms National Council: Hizbullah Prolonging Vacuum, Persian Scheme Dragging Region to War
Naharnet/14.03.15
The March 14 forces announced Saturday the formation of a National Council comprising political parties, independents and civil society activists, following a closed-door conference marking the tenth anniversary of the coalition's birth.
�We have decided to form a National Council comprising political parties, independents and civil society activists. A preparatory committee will be tasked with devising a March 14 plan of action for the coming period and to draft the by-laws,� the coalition said in a statement recited by ex-PM Fouad Saniora after the rally at the BIEL center in Beirut.
March 14 General Secretariat Coordinator Fares Soaid said �anyone who took part in this conference will be automatically considered a member of the general assembly� of the National Council.
�We meet here today 10 years after your uprising in the face of the tyranny that assassinated the best of our symbols,� the conferees said in a closing statement, addressing the Lebanese people.
�We tell the Arab and international public opinion that we were resilient and we preserved a civil, modern and cross-confessional movement,� they added.
�We committed mistakes and we achieved success, but we preserved our resolve. March 14 is looking forward to the future of Lebanon and the region, which we want to create with our hands, instead of leaving it a hostage to a so-called empire,� the coalition said in the statement, referring to Iran's growing influence in the region.
The conferees stressed that �Lebanon's future belongs to the Lebanese.��We will not give up our constitution and state, which alone must monopolize the use of force and arms in line with the applicable laws. We won't allow anyone to defeat us and we don't want to defeat anyone,� the coalition declared.�We want the return of everyone to the state, not under preconditions, but according to the Constitution, and this should start through the election of a president,� it added.
In a jab at Tehran, the conferees warned that �the Persian scheme is seeking to drag the region into a war and ignite a Sunni-Shiite conflict, as if the people of the region are fuel for its interests.�
�Everyone is aware of the role of Iran and its proxies, topped by Hizbullah, which is implicating Lebanon and seeking to prolong the presidential vacuum,� the conferees added. They cautioned that the Lebanese state can no longer secure the �continuity of its institutions and it is unable to find solutions.� As for the Syrian crisis, the March 14 coalition said �the regime's crimes triggered a huge wave of sectarian and ethnic tensions and paved the way for extremism claiming to defend Islam.�
�Terrorism is threatening the entire world and at the core of this terrorism is the Syrian regime, which is committing crimes against humanity,� the conferees added. �Today we launch a new dynamism that is aimed at containing the repercussions of violence. We call for the partnership of Muslims and Christians in running the affairs of a civil state, which is unique in this Islamic world,� they said. The coalition called on the Lebanese to communicate with �the forces of moderation in the world.�
�We call on the Lebanese who drew lessons from the war to communicate and show solidarity to curb the violence that is being practiced by those who have not 'left their caves' -- those who are playing the game of extremism and elimination,� it said.
It also urged the Lebanese to �revive the coexistence example in a region that it being invaded by violence.�Turning to the situation in the region, the coalition underlined that �this Orient is in critical need for efforts aimed at finding a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian cause.�The coalition was established in March 2005 in the aftermath of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, which was largely blamed on the Syrian regime at the time.
On March 14, 2005, a month after Hariri's murder, hundreds of thousands of Lebanese flocked to downtown Beirut to demand the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon after a nearly 29-year presence. The mass rally was later dubbed the Cedar Revolution or Independence Uprising. The Syrian withdrawal did take place in April of that year. In 2007, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, a U.N.-backed court, was established to prosecute and try Hariri's killers.
The STL is now trying five Hizbullah members in absentia over their alleged involvement in the murder. The trial opened in The Hague in January 2014. Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has dismissed the court as a U.S.-Israeli scheme and vowed that the accused will never be found.

Ruler of Dubai Meets Salam, Says UAE Not Targeting Lebanese
Naharnet/Prime Minister Tammam Salam met with prominent state leaders on Saturday during his second-day visit to the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. Salam held talks with the vice president of the United Arab Emirates and Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed al-Maktoum. The PM reportedly discussed with Sheikh Mohammed the UAE decision to deport around 90 Lebanese from the country. The Gulf state recently gave a 24-hour notice to some Lebanese to leave in the latest wave of deportations from the state. Sheikh Mohammed vowed to follow up the matter with his country's authorities, stressing that there is no official decision to target the Lebanese living in the UAE. He pointed out that all measures taken against some Lebanese expats are merely linked to security concerns and don't exceed this limit. The PM later held a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz. Salam lauded during his talks with the Saudi official Riyadh's support to Lebanon, praising its continuous aid to the army. For his part, prince Muqrin stressed his country's keenness to preserve unity in Lebanon, calling on them to overcome their political differences. The premier also held a meeting with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Friday evening. On Friday, Salam announced in a speech at the Egypt Economic Development Conference in Sharm el-Sheikh his confidence in Egypt's ability to �overcome the tough phase,� as he reminded that Lebanon is also facing a �fierce terrorist onslaught.�He said that Lebanon wants to see Egypt �safe, strong and prosperous� with �an active role� in the Arab world. �We have succeeded in confronting this fierce onslaught and to achieve a high level of security immunity in the country through our army and security forces and the help of our brothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other countries,� the premier added.
Since last year, the Lebanese army has been confronting jihadist groups entrenched on the country's porous eastern border with Syria. It fought bloody clashes with the militants after they overran the border town of Arsal on August 2.
�Together with Egypt we are capable to foil strife, defeat darkness and emerge victorious in the struggle of wills. We can pave the way for our people towards a bright and promising future,� Salam added. The premier held talks on Friday with Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah at his place of residence in Sharm el-Sheikh and with Jordanian King Abdullah II, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and EU foreign affairs head Federica Mogherini.

Lebanon Army defuses bomb near northern border
The Daily Star/Mar. 14, 2015/BEIRUT: Lebanese Army technicians Saturday discovered and defused an improvised explosive device at the northern border with Syria, the military announced in a statement. The statement said the explosive device was found at 8:15 a.m. Saturday by an Army patrol on the side of a dirt road in the Akkar town of Abboudieh. The explosives expert examined the 20-kilogram bomb and defused it, it added. A security source told The Daily Star that the explosive was 70 meters away from an Army checkpoint and was on the Lebanese side of the border with Syria.

Aoun Urges 'Dissociating' Lebanon by 'Strong President who Can Gather All Parties, Equipping Army'
Naharnet/Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun on Saturday called for �dissociating� Lebanon from the regional conflicts through electing �a strong president� who can �gather all parties� and providing modern arms and training to the army.
�The fire is surrounding us but it won't reach us and if we want to dissociate Lebanon from its surroundings, we have missions to perform, such as the election of a strong president for a strong state and strong army, a president who would truly represent his popular base,� said Aoun at an FPM dinner commemorating the March 14, 1989 Liberation War.
�We want a president who would reconcile between all parties and we want to build well-equipped and well-trained armed forces, instead of settling for saluting the army's martyrs,� Aoun added.
�We are all army in Arsal and across Lebanon and we are all resistance against Israel and the takfiris and terrorists,� he declared.
The FPM leader warned that the current changes in the region and the world �cannot bear further waiting.�
�We must confront them unified. We must choose what we want of them before others impose what they want on us and we're invited to start a new chapter through extending our hands to each other,� he added.
Aoun underlined that �we must overcome the negativity of the past in order to deserve the future."
Aoun served as the PM of one of two rival governments contending for power in Lebanon from 1988 to 1990.
He declared what he called a �Liberation War� against Syrian forces present in Lebanon on March 14, 1989. On October 13, 1990, the Syrian forces invaded the areas under Aoun's control and overran the presidential palace.
Aoun left the palace and sought refuge in the French embassy and was later allowed to travel to France. He returned to Lebanon on May 7, 2005, eleven days after the withdrawal of Syrian troops.
In 2006, as head of the FPM, he signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Hizbullah. He later visited Syria in 2009.
�Officials inside and outside Lebanon tried to delay my return to the country until after the (2005) parliamentary elections with the aim of eliminating me from political life,� Aoun charged.
Recalling the election of president Michel Suleiman after the Doha agreement that followed the May 7, 2008 clashes, Aoun stressed that �this mistake will not be repeated and there won't be another Doha."
�Our political choices are aimed at preserving Lebanon and we succeeded in achieving this objective and Lebanon remained stable despite the contradictions that inflamed some throats but failed to inflame the situation on the ground,� Aoun said
He pointed out that during all stages, the FPM's concern was to preserve stability.
�Because we believe that dialogue is the gateway to salvation and that the country can only be built on partnership, we engaged in dialogue with ex-PM Saad Hariri, which led to the formation of the cabinet of national interest,� Aoun noted.
The country has been without a president since Suleiman's term ended on May 25, 2014. Political disputes and electoral rivalry between Aoun and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea have so far prevented the election of a successor.

Israeli voters must send a message to Obama
Shoula Romano Horing /Ynetnews
Published: 03.14.15/ Israel Opinion
Op-ed: Congress speech was PM Netanyahu�s way of telling US president that he is giving up on him as ever being a trustworthy friend of Israel and appealing directly to the American people; Israelis should show their support for this stand. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Congress speech had such moral clarity and historical and strategic context that it inflicted fatal wounds to US President Barack Obama�s very bad deal regarding the Iranian nuclear program.
During the speech, Netanyahu was Churchill-like, warning a naive world about Obama�s Chamberlain-like agreement which could lead to another holocaust as well as a nuclear arms race and destruction in the Middle East. He was like King David, a proud Jewish warrior, challenging Obama�s Goliath-like plan to appease evil in order to create an alliance with the Muslim world while throwing Israel under the bus. He was like President Ronald Reagan, calling the world to "tear down" Iran�s sponsorship of terrorism around the world, its aggression against its neighbors and its call for Israel's destruction.
Still, Isaac Herzog, the head of the left-center camp, is continuing to tell us that the speech to Congress "will not stop the Iranian nuclear program" and won�t affect the upcoming agreement , not the content, not the timetable" and that the prime minister�s trip "damaged Israel�s relations with the US."
After the speech, it seems that the Herzog camp and the media have been coordinating with and joining Obama�s campaign in dismissing the effectiveness and importance of Netanyahu�s speech while continuing their fear mongering about the harsh consequences to the Israeli- America relationship.
The president dismissed the speech as "theater" and "nothing new," and told reporters that Netanyahu had no better ideas than the status quo or, in theory, military strikes against Iranian facilities.
We know the reason Obama belittled the speech, but for Herzog, Yair Lapid, Tzipi Livni and the left to be on the side of Obama and Iran in criticizing their own prime minister's message on such an important issue in order to win an election is a disgrace and a betrayal.
Fear mongering and ridicule cannot conceal the true reality that we all witnessed on live television.
Despite the warnings that Bibi would speak in front of "empty chairs" and that the Democrats would boycott the speech, 92% of the Congress was in attendance including the overwhelming majority of both Republicans as well as Democrats. Netanyahu was escorted into the chamber by bipartisan delegation of lawmakers and greeted with raucous enthusiasm. The Congress gave Netanyahu 26 standings ovations and 43 applauds by both Democrats and Republicans and a three-and-half-minute standing ovation at the conclusion of the speech.
Moreover, the pro-Obama New York Times, in an article titled "Netanyahu event similar to a State of the Union address, but more electric," described the speech as follows: "It had the trappings of the State of the Union address: A packed and rapt House chamber, suffocating security, lawmakers lining the aisles, a powerful world leader at the microphone."
The truth is that Netanyahu's speech was so effective that he, the prime minister of the tiny Jewish state, with a population of six million Jews and the size of New Jersey, elevated himself to the position of a powerful world leader and an equal to the president.
Now the burden of persuasion has been moving to Obama and to Herzog, Lapid and Livni to address the arguments the prime minister raised as to why the emerging deal is "a very bad deal."
A Fox News poll published the day after the speech revealed that the American people agree with Netanyahu�s arguments over those of their own president. Eighty-four percent of voters, including 80% of Democrats, think it is a bad idea to allow Iran to get nuclear weapons 10 years from now in return for agreeing it won�t obtain nukes before then.
Moreover, a 57% majority feels the US has not been aggressive enough in trying to get Iran to stop building a nuclear weapons program and two-thirds of voters favor the US using military action, if necessary, to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons.
Obama repeats a seemingly simple vow: That on his watch, the United States will do whatever it takes to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Obama must respond as to why he agrees to live with an Iran that 10 years from now will be free to have as many nuclear bombs as they want with no restrictions on behavior or economic sanctions? Why does he think that the military solution or the additional economic sanctions to suffocate Iran�s economy and destabilize the regime would not be a better alternative solution? Why does he believe that friendship is possible with a Jihadist Muslim dictatorship that has long been, according to the US State Department, the world�s leading state sponsor of terrorism?
In reality, we do not really know what Herzog stands for except for his "anyone but Bibi" message.But we do know that a week before the speech, he told the Washington Post that he trusted US President Obama to "reach a good deal on Iran" and declined to call a potentially nuclear Iran "an existential threat" to Israel, saying that a nuclear Iran is only "a big threat. That�s enough."
Now Herzog must explain why he trusts Obama to make a good deal even though it seems that the President has agreed in the negotiations to allow the Iranians to keep their enrichment plants and reactors, their intercontinental ballistic missiles program and 6,500 spinning centrifuges? Why does he believe that a "good deal" could ever be reached in light of Iran�s long history of nuclear deception and vicious public threats by its supreme leader regarding the annihilation of the Jewish state? Why does he think that a nuclear Iran which already has Revolutionary Guards units in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq is not an "existential threat"?
Israelis must know whether, if he is elected prime minister, will he ever be able to say no to Obama�s pressures just to protect the relationship. Would he agree to the creation of another Hamastan in Judea and Samaria and Jerusalem and a bad deal on Iran to appease Obama?
Netanyahu, for the last six years, has reluctantly tried to pacify Obama on the Palestinian issue for the sake of a good Israeli-US relationship by releasing terrorists, freezing settlements, offering outrageous offers to the Palestinians, and publicly accepting a two state solution. Yet still, Obama has blamed Israel and Netanyahu for Abbas� rejections.
This congressional speech was a break up letter and Netanyahu�s message to Obama that he is giving up on him as ever being a true and trustworthy friend of Israel and appealing directly to congress and the American people.
Now the Israelis must give a message to Obama that they are standing united with Bibi.

Herzog�s four pledges for his first 100 days as prime minister are unworkable
DEBKAfile Exclusive Analysis March 14, 2015
While the opinion polls tab Yitzhak Herzog, co-leader of the opposition Zionist Camp party (former Labor) a highly credible contender for ousting Binyamin Netanyahu, the same credibility does not characterize the four pledges he made to the voter ahead of the March 17 election - however sincere his intentions.
In his first 100 days as prime minister, Herzog vowed if he is elected to lead the campaign to bring down the prohibitive cost of housing; mend Israel�s relations with the United States, i.e. the Obama administration; revive peace talks with the Palestinians; and create a �regional platform� for Israel�s foreign relations.
The last three goals would, he promised, be subject to considerations of Israel�s nation security.
All these are worthy causes. They were put forward by a politician taking center stage for the first time after decades on the sidelines, who suddenly has an even chance to reach the pinnacle. But they are no more feasible than the promises heard from run-of-the-mill, cynical politicians.
Netanyahu�s Likud campaigners were remiss in not picking up on this weakness in their rival's platforfm and proving it was populist cant.
1. Affordable housing for an entire class of needy young couples can obviously not be brought forth with a snap of the fingers; it takes infrastructure, tax reform and two to three years to put in place.
If Herzog upholds his deal with Zionist Camp co-leader Tzipi Livni to share the premiership and hand the reins of government over to her after two years, i.e. April 2017, then this pre-election pledge may not materialize during his entire term as prime minister - but hers.
2. The White House may be presumed to be gladly preparing to welcome Netanyahu�s potential successor for an early visit - if he wins the election and heads the next government.
But any winner with not much more than one-fifth of the Knesset seats will need a couple of months at the least to negotiate with partners and build a coalition government. So the White House need not expect a visit before late May or early June.
But in the meantime, teams in Washington and the Zionist Camp�s Tel Aviv headquarters are no doubt working on a joint communiqu� for the two leaders that would reflect Herzog�s support for Obama�s policies on the nuclear accord under negotiation with Iran and the Palestinian issue.
After all, Herzog promised repeatedly that he would repair Israel�s relations with Washington, after the damage wrought by Netanyahu.
To this end, the draft communiqu�s will most certainly avoid referring to Iran�s drive for expanded influence and military dominance across the region - from Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen to Israel�s doorstep on the Golan and South Lebanon, where the Iranian military already presents a potential security threat.
There is no doubt that Herzog genuinely cares about the country�s security. However, in order to fulfill his best intentions for better relations with Washington, he will have to avoid this minefield.
No power on earth, with the possible exception of Iran�s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has proved able to distract Obama from his determined drive to achieve a nuclear accord between Washington and Tehran and, as part of the deal, to start lifting the economic and financial sanctions imposed on Iran to halt the weaponization of its nuclear program.
The deal is almost in the bag.
Taking it as a given, the P5+1 group (Russia, China, France, Britain, and the US plus Germany) which negotiated the accord, was this week secretly discussing how to start relaxing UN sanctions on Iran by mean s of a new UN Security Council resolution.
This resolution would be intended to make the deal binding, and the Obama administration would use the world body for an �end-run� around the US Congress and override its objections to the deal as non-binding without legislative ratification.
The US president could then present the Iranian leader with a binding deal endorsed by the UN Security Council.
This extreme stratagem is a mark of Obama�s ruthless determination to get the accord through by any means, even at the price of undermining Congress. It is his answer to Binyamin Netanyahu�s convincing arguments against �a bad deal" and its enthusiastic reception in Congress.
So where would this leave the well-intentioned Herzog and his partner Livni?
They have accused the Likud prime minister of jeopardizing the traditional US bipartisan support of Israel by an alliance with the Republican Senate majority, thereby alienating the Democrats on the other side of the aisle. However, if they lined up with Obama on the Middle East and even Iran for the sake of putting the quarrel with Netanyahu to rest, Herzog would have to favor ties with the Democrats over the Republicans. Would that policy be more bipartisan?
And how would that work when Obama�s unknown successor enters the White House in 2017?
3. Herzog and Livni may be eager to go back to peace talks with the Palestinians. But where is their partner? The next government will almost certainly release the tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority that the Netanyahu government suspended after Mahmoud Abbas filed unilateral charges against Israel at the international war crimes court. It will also likely acquiesce to Washington�s �suggestions� for a couple more concessions to the Palestinians. US Secretary of State John Kerry may even arrive for another visit or two to Jerusalem and Ramallah for a lame attempt to get the negotiating ball rolling again.
But by now, Abbas is far out of reach, busy pursuing the unilateral course he adopted more than a year ago after giving up on the Obama administration and its peace diplomacy.
Herzog, Livni and Kerry might as well write him off.
4. The �regional platform� which the Zionist Camp leader promises to embrace is just as nebulous because Herzog will find that he can�t have it both ways.
If he decides to espouse Obama�s policies, he will instantly alienate Saudi King Salman and Egyptian President Abdel-Fatteh El-Sisis, who entered into limited cooperation with Netanyahu to oppose those very policies on behalf of the Sunni Muslim Arab world. As soon as he starts doing business with the Obama administration, Herzog's "regional platform" will sink in the sand.

Iraq and the Sectarian Strife Ahead
Salman Aldossary/Asharq Al Awsat
Friday, 13 Mar, 2015
Imagine this scene: Sunni militias, backed by the Iraqi government, US and Gulf states, fighting Shi�ite terrorist groups. What would the outcome be? Certainly, one does not need to be a genius to realize that the result would undoubtedly be tragic and disastrous. We would witness massacres, a state of insecurity and mass liquidations based on sectarian lines.
This is exactly what is happening in Iraq right now, bar the identity of the players. Shi�ite militias, or the so-called Hashed Shaabi, or Popular Mobilization forces, are supplied with weapons and military equipment by the Baghdad government and backed by the US and, of course, Iran, which boasts about Baghdad becoming the capital of its empire. These Shi�ite militias are fighting the terrorist group the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Sunni-populated areas of Iraq. One can only imagine that these militias will be carrying out horrible acts against those they claim to be terrorists. How could a militia act like a regular army when it bases its ideology on sectarian principles rather than those of the state? Ultimately, it is the sect, not the state, that will prevail.
Sectarianism has never been as prevalent as it is now in our region. The result would be the same, whether it was Sunni militias fighting Shi�ite terrorist groups or vice versa. As for the Iraqi government�s decision to give up its role and instead commission illegal militias to act on its behalf, it will only lead to destruction. Hezbollah in Lebanon is the best example of this. The idea of militias in the first place is, no matter how we sugarcoat facts and describe them in terms that appeal to the public, an indication of government weakness. When armed by, and allied to, official bodies, militias pose a great danger; when they are made up of members from one sect, militias turn into a state inside a state. In fact they become more powerful and popular than the state. Would it be surprising to see those militias carrying out mass acts of revenge against innocent people whom they accuse of being terrorists, or at least collaborators with terrorists? This is exactly what ISIS is doing against those who do not belong to it.
Shi�ite leader Moqtada Al-Sadr has added fuel to the fire by blaming the predominantly Sunni population of Mosul for their lax approach towards ISIS. Sadr did not stop there but called on his Saraya Al-Salam militia to be ready to take part in the liberation of Mosul. His comments amount to a serious provocation against the people of Mosul whom he has accused of being in collusion with terrorist groups, while portraying Shi�ite militias as the heroes that will liberate them from terrorism.
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Iraqi Vice-President Osama Al-Nujaifi said: �There are 50,000 soldiers from Mosul ready to participate in the battle to liberate the city but they lack the weapons.�
Imagine a country whose government thinks the solution to defeating one militia is to arm another and give it free rein to fight. Meanwhile, Qassem Suleimani, the Iranian Quds Force Commander, boasts about his soldiers being at the vanguard of forces fighting terrorist groups in Iraq. After the US invasion of Iraq and the subsequent government vacuum and the Iranian interference, there were voices asking Saudi Arabia to intervene to protect Sunnis from the lack of security there. But Riyadh continued its efforts to bring all Iraqis together under the umbrella of the state, not the sect.
Today, under US sponsorship and with the approval of the Iraqi government, Tehran is exploiting the conditions that have resulted from the rise of ISIS, seeking to send its soldiers and militias to �cleanse� Sunni-populated areas from Sunni terrorism.
The Sunni community in Iraq has long suffered since the era of Saddam Hussein, to whom they are unjustly linked. Later they suffered from the terrorist groups who, though fighting in their name, have done them great harm. Today they are also suffering from those preventing them from taking part in the liberation of their city of Mosul while branding them ISIS members with sectarian militias waiting for the right time to attack.
Everyone is responsible for, and taking part in, the growing sectarian strife in Iraq. If the stage is left for sectarian militias, we would be saying goodbye to Iraq and Iraqis. At the time of sectarian violence, no one emerges victorious.

Report: Senate panel probing possible Obama administration funding of effort to unseat Netanyahu
By JPOST.COM STAFF/03/14/2015
A US Senate investigatory committee has launched a probe into an American nonprofit�s funding of efforts to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the State Department of US President Barack Obama gave the nonprofit taxpayer-funded grants, Fox News reported on Saturday. According to the news outlet, a source with knowledge of the panel's activities told it that the probe was underway and was bipartisan in nature.
According to the source, the probe is looking into �funding� by the OneVoice Movement � a Washington-based group that has received $350,000 in recent State Department grants, Fox News reported.
A spokesperson for Sen. Rob Portman, (R-Ohio), the chair of the committee, refused comment on the report to Fox.
�The Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations does not comment on ongoing investigations,� Caitlin Conant, spokeswoman for Portman, told Fox.
Earlier this week, Netanyahu suggested to a meeting of Likud activists in Kiryat Gat that there is an international effort to remove him from power.
In a recording of the meeting obtained by Army Radio, Netanyahu is heard saying of the current election campaign, "This is a very close battle. Nothing is ensured because there is a great, worldwide effort to topple Likud rule."
According to Fox, the Israel-based Victory 15 campaign which seeks to �replace the government� in Israel is a "subsidiary" of OneVoice.
OneVoice defines itself as an "international grassroots movement that amplifies the voice of mainstream Israelis and Palestinians, empowering them to propel their elected representatives toward the two-state solution."
One expert told Fox earlier this month that the State Department grants constituted "indirect Obama administration funding of the anti-Netanyahu campaign by providing OneVoice with the $350,000 � even though State Department officials said the funding stopped in November, ahead of the announcement of the Israeli election."
OneVoice is barred from directly targeting Netanyahu by US law regulating its tax-exempt status, and doing so would threaten that status, Fox News wrote in the report.
Last month, Central Elections Committee chairman Justice Salim Joubran ruled that the Likud was unable to prove a connection between V15 and other organizations to the Zionist Union and Meretz.
Joubran rejected the Likud�s petition to block activity by organizations V15, One Voice and Molad and by strategist Eyal Arad on grounds that they are indirectly campaigning for the Zionist Union and Meretz, and required the party to pay NIS 48,000 in legal fees.
The Likud accused the Zionist Union and Meretz of illegally accepting donations from non-Israeli citizens and organizations with foreign funding via V15, which seeks Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu�s defeat in the election, and other left-wing organizations. V15 is partly funded by S. Daniel Abraham and Daniel Lubetzky, who are not Israeli citizens.
Joubran also said that the party would have to prove that V15 was campaigning for a specific party for it to be illegal, and not the organization�s stated purpose of changing the country�s leadership, or even support for the Center-Left.

'Without Meretz, Herzog has no chance to be PM,' party head says
By JPOST.COM STAFF/03/14/2015
Meretz is in danger of failing to attract the minimum number of votes needed to be in the next Knesset, a development that would effectively end any hopes of Zionist Union head Isaac Herzog unseating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the head of the left-wing party said on Saturday. During an appearance before a town hall meeting in Holon, Zehava Gal-On urged traditional Meretz supporters who are thinking of casting their ballot for the Zionist Union to reconsider. "Meretz will endorse Herzog, so we are calling on our constituents to vote Meretz," she said. "Because the minimum threshold has been raised for this election, a truncated Meretz, or no Meretz, will preclude Herzog from becoming prime minister, and four Knesset seats will go down the drain." Gal-On said that for Herzog to have any chance of forming the next coalition, the center-left bloc will need to bolster its strength. "The big test of these elections is what kind of society will we have here," Gal-On said. "If there is no Meretz, there will be no Left in Israel." The latest public opinion polls show that Meretz could conceivably miss the cut entirely. Since four is the minimum number of seats that could be allotted to a party, Meretz officials are worried that their faction, which has been hovering near five in the latest surveys, could altogether disappear.

Kerry unsure if nuclear deal with Iran can be reached by end of March
By REUTERS/03/14/2015
On the eve of fresh talks with Iran, US Secretary of State John Kerry said it was unclear whether an interim agreement over its nuclear power program was within reach. "I can't tell you whether or not we can get a deal, whether we are close," Kerry told a news conference on Saturday in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, where he attended an Egyptian investment summit. "The purpose of these negotiations is not just to get a deal, it is to get the right deal," he added. The United States and five other major powers - Britain, Germany, France, China and Russia - will resume negotiations with Iran in Lausanne, Switzerland, from Sunday. They hope to clinch a framework agreement by the end of the month. The two sides would then seek to negotiate by June 30 a final agreement to would curb Iran's most sensitive nuclear activities for at least 10 years. In exchange, sanctions on the Islamic Republic would gradually end. Kerry expressed concern again that a letter to Iran last week from Republican senators may have undermined the talks. The letter warned Iran that any deal made by President Barack Obama might last only as long as he remained in office - a highly unusual intervention in US foreign policy-making. Kerry said he would assure Iranian negotiators and Europeans allies during the upcoming talks that Congress did not have the authority to change the deal. "As far as we're concerned, Congress has no ability to change an executive agreement," Kerry said, adding that "important gaps" still remained between the sides. The letter followed a speech to Congress earlier this month by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who warned that Obama was negotiating a "bad deal" with Iran. Republicans invited Netanyahu to speak about Iran without consulting the White House or Democrats. With Israel preparing to elect a new government next week, Kerry said the United States hoped that whatever the outcome it would help push forward the peace process with Palestinians. Opinion polls show Israel's center-left opposition is poised for an upset victory in the parliamentary elections over Netanyahu's party. "President Obama remains committed to a two-state solution," Kerry said, adding "he remains hopeful that whatever choice that people of Israel make, that there will be an ability to be able to move forward on those efforts."He declined to elaborate on the prospects of resuming the talks, with an election just days away. Peace talks broke down in April 2014 after nine months of negotiations led by Kerry, with the long-standing goal of a two-state solution no closer. Kerry met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday on the sidelines of the investment conference in Sharm el-Sheikh. The meeting included Jordan's King Abdullah and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Abbas has steered clear of taking a position on the Israeli election, saying only that he was ready to work with who wins.

Iran's sprawling influence drums up sectarian fears in oil-rich Arab neighbors
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN/03/14/2015
DUBAI � In the wake of Israel�s raid on Iraq�s Osirak reactor in 1981, president Saddam Hussein gathered together his top scientists and generals.
�You think the mullahs are weak? You think those bearded fanatics will give up? No, they are not weak, they will never give up.�
Saddam�s Iraqi army was already a year into what would become an almost eight-year war with Iran.
Initial successes had ground it to a halt and now, his nascent attempts to build a nuclear reactor lay in ruins.
His admonition reminds us how the Middle East has been transformed. Whereas once Saddam�s legions were poised inside Iran, today the Islamic Republic�s influence stretches from the Bab al-Mandab straits of the Red Sea to Damascus.
The years since Saddam was at the height of his power and acted as a shield for the Gulf states and Saudi Arabia from the power of Tehran have clouded many memories.
Driving down a central avenue last week in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, a local Emirati recalled the 2011 protests in Bahrain � in which the majority Shi�ite population seemed on the verge of overthrowing the Sunni monarchy.
It worried people. �We see what�s happening in the region... How did Hezbollah come to control Lebanon, it was not a Shi�ite country 50 years ago?� asked the local man.
It is widely felt that there has been a quiet Shi�ite demographic increase in some countries in the region, a fact attributed less to religious differences than a quiet program to expand the community�s influence and serve as an Iranian proxy. Indeed, when Iranian presidential adviser Ali Younesi said, �All of the Middle East is Iranian� on Tuesday, it merely bolstered the feeling of vulnerability.
On March 4, the headlines in the English-language daily Gulf News described the Iranian takeover of Yemen.
�Houthis drove the Western- and Saudi-backed government out of Yemen�s capital... prompting Iranian officials to boast that they now occupied �four Arab capitals.�� Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Gen. Qassem Soleimani is overseeing Iraq�s offensive against Islamic State.With the second-largest economy in the Arab world, the UAE is not just sitting atop oil wealth, but has made massive investments in infrastructure and attempts to diversify the sectors that feed its GDP. Part of this project has meant that Dubai, which has the largest population of the seven monarchies that make up the Emirates, has been developing economic free zones, special areas for universities and hi-tech.
A multi-day tour of the country and a visit to the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature provided a vision of what they are trying to accomplish in the Gulf. With some 71 million passengers estimated to fly through Dubai�s airport this year, the Gulf has become a major center of culture, trade and tourism in the region. But how is that squared with the fact that not so far away in Iraq, Islamic State is busy demolishing the remains of ancient Middle Eastern civilizations? Iran is expanding its influence. Can the vision of the Middle East presented in Dubai, with its conspicuous consumerism and massive diversity (85 percent of Dubai�s residents are non-Emirati, with expats from all over the world) blunt the darker sectarian visions prevalent in other states, or the corruption and chaos reigning in other places? This question was on the mind of Mohamed al-Rumaihi, a professor of sociology at Kuwait University, in an article published on March 7. �The common wisdom in the region is not to rely on Western allies� we have to take care of our own problems ourselves.�
He argued that Egypt should form a pact with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states. �This is what is needed to confront not only the terrorist groups, but also attempts by Tehran to extend its hegemony over the region... The Gulf states suspect that this kind of agreement [with Iran] alluded to by US officials probably will be at the cost of their interests and national well-being.�
The Gulf News editorial that same day demanded the US give the Gulf Cooperation Council clarification on any agreement and provide transparency.
It is of particular interest that the Gulf has been watching the Iran negotiations in Washington with the same keen eye as Israel, but without any of the bluster. When one looks at the role Iran has played in Iraq, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon, it is clear Tehran has not attempted to build up these states and make them economically viable. The opposite: It has no interest in seeing a reborn Iraq.
Whereas the UAE is launching a National Strategy for Empowerment of Emirati Women and women celebrated International Women�s Day by completing a 140-km. trek, in other countries the situation is bleak.
Hadani Ditmars, an Iraqi woman, said on Al Jazeera: �Iraqi women are arguably the first to see their status go from one of the highest in the region to one of the lowest, in less than two decades.�
So why isn�t the UAE speaking up more about showing itself as a model for the region? Obviously, it is a model that cannot be replicated in total because its construction boom has relied on importing cheap labor from abroad; millions of these immigrants stay on, some having generations of families, with no path to citizenship.
One Chinese immigrant explained, �In Dubai there is no politics, so shopping is what people do to feel important.� That may be partly true, but at the Emirates Festival of Literature, where some 30,000 people attended five days of panels and meetings with authors, renowned Egyptian feminist author Nawal el-Sa�adawi told the crowd it is the duty of creative people to critique government policies. �If I was in the UAE, I would be against the government � just as I was against the government in Egypt.� She received thunderous applause.
Yet there is widespread reticence to put UAE foreign policy in the international spotlight. A local academic spoke angrily about the Iran issue. �It destabilized countries around the Gulf. On the one hand, you have Iran and on the other, you have Islamic State; it�s hard to say which is the lesser of two evils... We have always been a peace-seeking state, since the time of the late Sheikh Zayed [the first leader of the UAE].�
But since last year, the UAE has been a key ally in the bombing campaign against Islamic State � by one account, flying more combat sorties than any other of the four Arab participants.
Given the forward-thinking vision of the UAE leaders, the hi-tech and business orientation of the country, and its shared fears of Sunni extremists and Iran, it would seem in Israel�s best interests to rekindle relations with the Gulf state.
The UAE�s view? In January 2014, Dubai�s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum said that trade with Israel could come after a peace deal is signed. �We will do everything with Israel, we will trade with them and welcome them, but sign the peace process [with the Palestinians],� he told the BBC