LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
August 19/09

Bible Reading of the day
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 19:23-30. Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible." Then Peter said to him in reply, "We have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?" Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you that you who have followed me, in the new age, when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory, will yourselves sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Jihadi Public Relations.By Walid Phares/Human Events.com 18/08/09
The Israel-Hezbollah war of words.By: Lee Smith, Now Lebanon 18/08/09
Gebran Bassil/Now Lebanon August 17, 2009
Why Muslim Charities Fund the Jihad. By: Raymond Ibrahim/Pyjamaa Media 18/08/09
Aoun’s project will stay grounded until his mastery of key skills grows clearer- The -Daily Star 18/08/09
International Christian Concern (ICC)/Pregnant Christian Dragged Naked through Pakistani Police Station 18/08/09

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for August 18/09
Sfeir to the Vatican on September 19 then to Paris to Meet Sarkozy-Naharnet
Al-Mustaqbal Urges Return to 'Calm' Dialogue-Naharnet
Lebanon Thwarts Massive Escape by Fatah Islam Prisoners, Manhunt Continues for Fugivite-Naharnet
Islamist Militant Escapes From Prison In Lebanon-New York Times
Baroud responds to criticism, says Interior Ministry carrying out is duties/Now Lebanon
Calm Response to Aoun's Demands which Stalled Cabinet Formation Anew-Naharnet
Berri Frustrated from Tit-for-Tat Wrangling over Government-Naharnet
March 14 Leaves Hariri to Handle Aoun Problem-Naharnet
Opposition Defends Aoun's Explosive Stance-Naharnet
Riyadh: The Lebanese Are Capable of Overcoming Cabinet Formation Obstacles-Naharnet
Hariri Reacts to Aoun: I Stayed Away from Political Rivalries since Start of Formation Process-Naharnet
Aoun insists son-in-law must get telecoms post-The National
Aoun’s portfolio demands complicate cabinet formation-Daily Star
Ex-MP Lahoud vows to resort to judiciary over charges-Daily Star
Sfeir calls for speeding up cabinet formation-Daily Star
Israel dismantles observation post next to Blue Line-Daily Star
Lebanon appoints Joyce Tabet as STL deputy state prosecutor-Daily Star
Lebanese banks survive and thrive amid global economic downturn-Daily Star
Fadlallah: Ramadan starts on August 21-Daily Star
Body found of Lebanese drowned in Qaraon Lake-Daily Star
Teenage scout discovered drowned in Litani River-Daily Star
‘Path of Hope’ offers fun and friendship to disabled Lebanese-Daily Star
Iraqi militias torturing, killing gay men in name of religion – HRW report-Daily Star
Litani river sees surge in tourism-Daily Star
Lebanon limbers up for Francophone Games-Daily Star

Sfeir to the Vatican on September 19 then to Paris to Meet Sarkozy
Naharnet/Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir will visit the Vatican on September 19 to attend the yearly meeting of Catholic cardinals and bishops and is then expected in Paris, following an invitation from President Nicolas Sarkozy, al-Markazia news agency reported Tuesday. The French President's invitation comes "in the context of his policy to support Lebanon and President (Michel) Suleiman, in addition to reinforcing the relations between the countries," al-Markazia added. Talks between the two leaders are expected to cover the latest political developments in Lebanon and the patriarch's "vision regarding the upcoming phase." While in the French capital, Sfeir will also meet with a number of French officials.
Beirut, 18 Aug 09, 18:26

Al-Mustaqbal Urges Return to 'Calm' Dialogue
Naharnet/Al-Mustaqbal Movement parliamentary bloc, after its weekly meeting in Qoreitem Tuesday, stressed the need for a return to "calm" dialogue, a necessity to protect civil peace and to make progress in the government formation process. In a statement, the bloc said "the ongoing debate over the shape-up has undermined essential principles in the constitution, which the bloc considers as the real and sole guarantor for uniting the Lebanese especially with regards to the jurisdictions of the president and the premier-designate." The bloc praised the position adopted by Premier-designate Saad Hariri in light of "the regressing political rhetoric" and stressed the significance of his "perseverance, resolve and adherence to the constitution." It called on all political teams in Lebanon to "commit to a sophisticated and responsible dialogue and political communication." Beirut, 18 Aug 09, 15:38

Why Muslim Charities Fund the Jihad
By: Raymond Ibrahim
Pyjamaa Media
The answer is clear, though Obama's commitment to helping Muslims overcome U.S. rules governing charity is not.
August 15, 2009 - by Raymond Ibrahim
From what American schoolchildren are being taught by their teachers to what Americans are being told by their presidents, concepts unique to Islam are nowadays almost always “Westernized.” Whether the product of naivety, arrogance, or downright disingenuousness, this phenomenon has resulted in epistemic (and thus endemic) failures, crippling Americans from objectively understanding some of Islam’s more troublesome doctrines.
A typical seventh-grade textbook, for instance, teaches that “jihad represents the human struggle to overcome difficulties and do things that are pleasing to God. Muslims strive to respond positively to personal difficulties as well as worldly challenges. For instance, they might work to be better people, reform society, or correct injustice.”
Strictly speaking, this is by and large true. However, by not explaining what it means to be “better people, reform society, or correct injustice” — from a distinctly Islamic, as opposed to Western, perspective — the textbook abandons students to fall back on their own (misleading) interpretations.
Yet the facts remain: In Islam, killing certain “evil-doers,” such as apostates or homosexuals, is a way of “correcting injustice”; overthrowing manmade constitutional orders (such as the United States) and replacing them with Sharia mandates, and subjugating women and non-Muslims, are ways of “reforming society.” Those enforcing all this are, in fact, “better people” — indeed, according to the Koran (3:110), they are “the best of peoples, evolved for mankind, enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong,” that is, ruling according to Sharia law.
So it is with the Muslim concept of zakat, a word often rendered into English as “charity.” But is that all zakat is — mere Muslim benevolence by way of feeding and clothing the destitute of the world, as the word “charity” all too often connotes?
.S. president Barack Hussein Obama seems to think so — or, given his background, is at least banking that others do — based on his recent proclamation to the Muslim world that “in the United States, rules on charitable giving have made it harder for Muslims to fulfill their religious obligation. That is why I am committed to working with American Muslims to ensure that they can fulfill zakat.”
Thus does Obama conflate a decidedly Islamic concept, zakat, with the generic notion of charity. Is this justified? As with all things Islamic, one must first examine the legal aspects of zakat to truly appreciate its purport. Etymologically related to the notion of “purity,” zakat — paying a portion of one’s wealth to specifically designated recipients — is a way of purifying oneself, on par with prayers (see Koran 9:103).
The problem, however, has to do with who is eligible for this mandatory “charity.” Most schools of Muslim jurisprudence are agreed to eight possible categories of recipients — one of these being those fighting “in the path of Allah,” that is, jihadis, also known as “terrorists.”
In fact, financially supporting jihadis is a recognized form of jihad — jihad al-mal; even the vast majority of militant verses in the Koran (e.g., 9:20, 9:41, 49:15, 61:10-11) prioritize the need to fund the jihad over merely fighting in it, as fighting with one’s wealth often precedes fighting with one’s self. Well-known Islamists — from international jihadi Osama bin Laden to authoritative cleric Sheikh Qaradawi — are well aware of this and regularly exhort Muslims to fund the jihad via zakat.
More revealing of the peculiarly Islamic nature of zakat is the fact that Muslims are actually forbidden from bestowing this “charity” onto non-Muslims (e.g., the vast majority of American infidels). “Charitable” Muslim organizations operating on American soil are therefore no mere equivalents to, say, the Salvation Army, a Christian charity organization whose “ministry extends to all, regardless of ages, sex, color, or creed.” In Islam, creed is a major criterion for receiving “charity” — not to mention for receiving social equality.
From here, one can better understand Obama’s lament that “in the United States, rules on charitable giving have made it harder for Muslims to fulfill their religious obligation” — a statement that unwittingly implies that American zakat has, in fact, been used to fund the jihad. After all, these irksome “rules” to which Obama alludes appear to be a reference to the presumably “excessive” scrutiny American Muslim “charities” are subject to by law enforcement. Yet this scrutiny is itself a direct byproduct of the fact that American Muslim “charities” have indeed been funding the jihad, both at home and abroad. In light of all this, what truly remains to be seen is how, precisely, Obama plans on “working with American Muslims to ensure that they can fulfill zakat.”

Aoun’s project will stay grounded until his mastery of key skills grows clearer
By The Daily Star /Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Editorial
Roughly a week after Walid Jumblatt made waves by confessing his problem with being a member of March 14, causing many people scratching their heads, we’ll now see headlines and op-ed columns dominated by the “position” taken by Michel Aoun, on the formation of the government. It’s time for another round of puzzlement, and an attempt to make sense of what Aoun means in the Lebanese political context.
When Jumblatt dropped his bombshell, we said that in some ways, his reasoning was borderline-maddening. However, it was completely in line with the requirements of our sectarian political system and the performance of its practitioners.
But Aoun represents a true conundrum; when you go beyond the noise that’s being generated, a supposed John McCain-style straight-talker is actually quite confusing.
President Michel Sleiman’s role in the system is fairly clear; Samir Geagea’s concern with the Christian community pegs him as a certain type of politician. But the secular Aoun’s alliance with the Islamist Hizbullah, a group that’s in some ways outside the state the former general has long championed, is not as easy to fathom.
Hizbullah’s desire for an alliance with Aoun is understandable, but not the other way around. Aoun is allied with some of his fiercest enemies in the past; does this make sense to his followers? He was all in favor of examining waste and corruption when it came to the Ministry of the Displaced; now, Jumblatt’s a nice guy, and talk of “opening files” is forgotten. Why is Aoun on such bad terms with the Maronite patriarch? Many such questions can be asked. When Aoun returned from exile, he ranted against chaos and a lack of discipline, but he seems to lack organization and institution-building in his own party. Aoun champions competence and ending the old ways, but he’s a family operation, with a nephew and son-in-law as his chief political representatives. With the exception of harping about the debt, which anyone can do, Aoun’s agenda is all over the place. Issues bubble up, and disappear. While Jumblatt is obviously of the system, Aoun offers us a “para-politics,” of trying to pretend that he’s the key element in the system, while trying to be above the system at the same time. When you hear him speak, you hope at first that you could be a part of this new Republic he advocates; when he’s finished, you find yourself disgusted because you’re in the actual one.
As for competence, anyone can be good at one thing: but to be really effective in politics and public life, there are essential people, organizational and communications skills that must be mastered. Until a clearer picture of Aoun as a politician, communicator and organizer emerges, he won’t get his project off the ground.

Sfeir calls for speeding up cabinet formation
Daily Star staff/Tuesday, August 18, 2009
BEIRUT: Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir was quoted by his visitors as saying Monday that the cabinet formation process “should be accelerated, however without rush, as delays will have a negative impact on the country.” Speaking to reporters following talks with Sfeir at the latter’s summer residence in the mountainous village of Diman, Future Movement MP Samir al-Jisr said it was better not to link the birth of the cabinet to a “specific timetable.” “It is wiser not to link any matter to a timetable, the most important is to calm down the political atmosphere and remove all obstacles.” – The Daily Star

Sfeir Urges Speeding up Cabinet Formation without Rushing it
Naharnet/Following a visit to Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir in Diman, MP Samir Jisr, member of "Lebanon First" bloc, said the Patriarch wishes that "the Cabinet formation be accelerated, however without rush, as delay will have a negative impact on the country."On scheduling the Cabinet lineup before Ramadan, Jisr told reporters: "it is wiser not to link any matter to a timetable," and added "the most important is to calm down the political atmosphere and remove all obstacles."Regarding "the PM-designate not being a mailing box" underlined in both March 14 Movement and al-Mustaqbal's statement, Jisr confirmed "Article 53 in the Constitution places the formation of the Cabinet in the hands of both the President of the Republic and the PM-designate who have the right of evaluating and deciding."In reference to the demands of Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun, Jisr reiterated "every political party has the right to demand, but that does not imply that their demands have to be accepted by the President of the Republic and the PM-designate."
Answering reporters after meeting Patriarch Sfeir, MP Strida Geagea stated: "The Lebanese Forces are being attacked for their stable and unchanged positions and that what is strengthening them."When asked about the LF's stance vis-à-vis Jumblat, MP Geagea said: "It will be announced in an elaborated and direct upcoming statement."
Beirut, 17 Aug 09, 15:20

Lebanon Thwarts Massive Escape by Fatah
Islam Prisoners, Manhunt Continues for Fugivite
Naharnet/Lebanese security forces aborted early Tuesday a massive escape attempt from Roumieh prison by a group of convicted Fatah al-Islam terrorists.
Media reports said only one of the 8-man strong group led by Abu Salim Taha managed to escape. The other seven were re-arrested. They said the men managed to escape their cell around 5:30 am after sawing off their window bars and scaling down knotted blankets. A massive security manhunt, however, continued for the arrest of fugitive Taha al-Hajj Suleiman, a Syrian, who remains on the loose. The state-run National News Agency said police and Lebanese troops were backed by helicopter gunships. Security officials described Suleiman as a "dangerous" member of Fatah Islam. Fatah Islam fought a three-month battle against the Lebanese army in the northern refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared in 2007. The clashes killed 220 militants, 171 soldiers and 47 Palestinian civilians Beirut, 18 Aug 09, 08:54

Calm Response to Aoun's Demands which Stalled Cabinet Formation Anew
Naharnet/Lebanese leaders took a clam and measured response to Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Michel Aoun's fiery demands that were set out at a harshest ever political campaign in which the former army general challenged President Michel Suleiman and demanded the interior ministry as well as maintaining his old conditions, including the appointment of his son-in-law Jebran Bassil. Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri said in a swift response to Aoun that government formation is achieved in line with the Constitution.
A statement issued by Hariri's press office said the task of Cabinet formation was the responsibility of the PM-designate in cooperation with President Michel Suleiman.
Aoun on Monday set out new conditions, demanding the interior ministry which is Suleiman's share. An-Nahar daily on Tuesday said Speaker Nabih Berri has expressed dismay at the criticism campaigns and the exchange of reactions between Opposition leaders, a reference to Aoun, and Hariri. Berri, according to An-Nahar, believed a Hariri-Aoun "dialogue" should take place as soon as possible as political wrangling "does not facilitate the birth of the long-awaited government." Opposition circles, meanwhile, told An-Nahar that both Hizbullah and AMAL movement ignored Aoun's latest stances, an indication that Aoun has "exceeded the Opposition's expectations in terms of damaging the basics of a settlement to the Cabinet issue."
As-Safir newspaper, however, believed that Hariri' in his response and Aoun in his attack still "left the door open" for dialogue. The daily al-Liwaa, for its part, citing well-informed political sources, said Aoun's press conference has returned Lebanon to the same political scene it had witnessed prior to presidential elections, a reference to the FPM leader's "obstructing" role at the time. The sources said Hizbullah's reaction to Aoun's stances does not suggest his "readiness to assume responsibility in helping find or facilitate a settlement." They did not rule out a meeting between Hariri and Hizbullah to discuss Cabinet formation. Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports said contacts were underway among leaders of the March 14 forces in preparation for an expanded meeting to take a stance on Cabinet formation in the wake of recent developments. Beirut, 18 Aug 09, 09:16

Berri Frustrated from Tit-for-Tat Wrangling over Government
Naharnet/Despite his decision not to make public statements on cabinet formation, Speaker Nabih Berri has reportedly expressed frustration at tit-for-tat tirade of words between the opposition and the prime-minister designate. An Nahar daily said Tuesday Berri told his visitors Premier-designate Saad Hariri and Free Patriotic Movement leader Gen. Michel Aoun should engage in dialogue as soon as possible. The speaker added that accusation campaigns between the two sides do not help the cabinet formation process "amid bad living conditions ahead of the academic year." Beirut, 18 Aug 09, 08:52

March 14 Leaves Hariri to Handle Aoun Problem
Naharnet/The March 14 coalition has decided not to respond to latest remarks by Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun and leave PM-designate Saad Hariri to handle this issue.
Well-informed sources, however, told the daily As-Safir in remarks published Tuesday that some March 14 officials called on Hariri in the wake of Aoun's press conference on Monday "not to succumb to blackmail." The officials also reportedly urged Hariri to carry on with the government formation process in line with the Cabinet makeup already agreed on.
"Whichever party wants to join the Cabinet, is welcome. If the Opposition, however, rejects, then the PM-designate will have to adopt a mechanism based on the spirit of the parliamentary election outcome," one March 14 official told As-Safir. Beirut, 18 Aug 09, 11:49

Opposition Defends Aoun's Explosive Stance
Naharnet/A leading Opposition official said with the ball now in Saad Hariri's hand, the prime minister-designate should "evoke the experience" of his father, the late Premier Rafik Hariri, by launching dialogue with the various Lebanese leaders to resolve the Cabinet issue. In remarks published by the daily As-Safir on Tuesday, the official saw in the latest press conference held by Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun a "great deal of persuasion."He said Aoun "did not close the doors for negotiations with him and was still committed to facilitate Cabinet formation, particularly by accepting a 15-10-5 government makeup, thus, settling for less than what he deserves." Beirut, 18 Aug 09, 11:05

Riyadh: The Lebanese Are Capable of Overcoming Cabinet Formation Obstacles
Naharnet/Saudi Arabia has expressed its trust in the ability of the Lebanese to overcome all obstacles and form a national unity government. The Saudi government said in a statement following its session on Monday that the Lebanese cabinet would be formed. The statement added that the Lebanese should join forces to form the cabinet in order to achieve stability, security and prosperity. Beirut, 18 Aug 09, 09:48

Hariri Reacts to Aoun: I Stayed Away from Political Rivalries since Start of Formation Process
Naharnet/The premier-designate has been careful stay away from "political rivalries" since he started his mission to form a national coalition government, Saad Hariri's press office said Monday in reaction to MP Michel Aoun's earlier statements. "Since the moment he was designated premier, Saad Hariri has worked to form a national coalition government away from media and political rivalries," the office said in a statement. "As such Hariri insists that the jurisdictions of the premier-designate are clearly stated by the Lebanese Constitution and he did not, at any point in time, breach or will breach the Constitution or exceed those jurisdictions," it added. Hariri, the statement said, "believes that while each political team has the right to present its demands, the cabinet shape-up is the responsibility of the premier-designate in cooperation with the president of the republic."It said that Hariri has been conducting deliberations to form a government "based on the parliamentary elections outcome that ushered a parliamentary majority." "That majority, along with Speaker Nabih Berri's bloc and the Tashnag, nominated the premier-designate to form a government according to the constitution," it added. "No one has the right to try to cripple the record tourism season with media and political rivalries that are futile and have no purpose but to poison the air and the lives of the Lebanese," the statement concluded. Beirut, 17 Aug 09, 17:01

Jumblat: 15-10-5 Still Valid for Government Formation
Naharnet/MP Walid Jumblat said Monday the government formula that has been agreed on remained "valid" despite claims his recent political declarations have foiled it. Instead of his weekly interview with al-Anbaa newspaper, Jumblat gave a brief statement in which he reaffirmed his adherence to the 15-10-5 formula for a future cabinet. The formula he said "asserts political consensus and reflects the will of the electors. It is definitely still valid for the formation of a government." The Progressive Socialist Party, he said, "will not be dragged into this debate with any side at this stage, either with senior analysts or religious figures over their latest positions and statements." Jumblat announced he will not be making public statements throughout the Muslim month of Ramadan, saying he will focus instead on the PSP's "internal affairs." He also apologized "beforehand for not accepting any dinners during the month of fasting." Beirut, 17 Aug 09, 18:17

Ayatollah Fadlallah Urges Safeguarding Al-Hijaz Stability and Security and Assiri Lebanon's Unity and Diversity
Naharnet/Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awad al-Assiri reiterated the kingdom's "continuous support of Lebanon's unity and stability" and stressed the need to preserve its "social diversity," during talks Monday with Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah. The meeting also covered the latest Lebanese political developments and inter-Arab relations in the light of the actual challenges. "The kingdom of Saudi Arabia will continue to work hard to protect Lebanon's stability, unity and sovereignty," Assiri told Fadlallah. The ambassador stressed the need to "preserve Lebanon's social diversity as being a reflection of civilization in the region." For his part, Fadlallah urged Saudi Arabia "the cradle of Islam and the place from which the message of Islam spread to the world to persevere in its thriving efforts to unify Muslims inside the kingdom as well as outside." Fadlallah underscored the kingdom's determined battle against "Takfiri factions that are dividing the Muslims and distorting the image of Islam." Fadlallah emphasized the need to maintain "the stability and security of the Arab and Muslim World, especially Al-Hijaz region." He said the main factors "to implement stability are associated with the internal unity and the safeguard of the Islamic- Islamic relations as well as Islamic-Arab relations." As such, he called on all concerned sides to "keep working on ameliorating and developing those relations in order to provide security for the Arab World and to stand against foreign interference that aims at provoking a Sunni-Shiite conflict." Fadlallah also urged Saudi Arabia "to continue it policy based on openness and dialogue, in particular with Syria as it reflects positively on all Arab causes and issues." He also stressed the support of the Palestinians in order "to help them unite as well as stand against the Israeli policy of Judaization." Beirut, 17 Aug 09, 18:00

Israel Removes Disputed Kfarshouba Lookout Post
Naharnet/Israeli soldiers moved in at dawn on Monday to dismantle an observation post in a disputed border area occupied by Israel and claimed by Lebanon, security officials in Beirut said. They said the Israeli troops took down the lookout post set up last month in the Kfarshouba hills in southeast Lebanon, but that sandbags on the site were not removed.
A month ago, dozens of Lebanese protesters briefly took over the unmanned post and hoisted Lebanese and Hizbullah flags before being asked by U.N. peacekeepers to leave the area.
Shortly afterwards three Israeli tanks approached and soldiers were seen removing the flags. The observation post is in the Kfarshouba hills just outside the disputed Shebaa Farms -- a sliver of land rich in water resources located at the junction of southeast Lebanon, southwest Syria and north Israel. Israel seized the Shebaa Farms from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war when it captured the neighboring Golan Heights which it later annexed. The area has since been caught in a tug-of-war over ownership, with Israel and the United Nations saying they are part of Syria, while Damascus and Beirut insist the territory is Lebanese.(AFP) Beirut, 17 Aug 09, 12:00

Israel dismantles observation post next to Blue Line
By Patrick Galey and Carol Rizk /Daily Star staff
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
BEIRUT: Israel removed a controversial observation post close to the Blue Line early Monday morning, according to reports from south Lebanon. A senior army official, speaking to The Daily Star, confirmed that Israeli soldiers had been mobilized at dawn and dismantled the disputed lookout post in the Kfar Shuba hills, leaving behind only sandbags.
The post’s erection, close to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)-demarcated Blue Line – the boundary of Israeli military withdrawal from Lebanon – had caused outrage among residents in the south and led to a series of tension-heightening incidents between the two nations’ armed forces.
UNIFIL deputy spokesman Andrea Tenenti told The Daily Star that the peacekeeping force welcomed the voluntary removal of the post.
“[Israel] removed a concrete structure from south of the Blue Line, which is something that we were hoping for,” he said.
“It’s an issue that the Lebanese Army [LAF] has been tackling for a long time, although the activities were taking place outside the area of our operation.”
UNIFIL’s mandate, outlined in UN Security Council Resolution 1701 – drafted to end the July 2006 war between Lebanon and Israel – stipulates that peacekeeping forces may only assist LAF operations in the area spanning south from the Litani River to the Blue Line.
“But we have been in constant contact with the LAF command,” said Tenenti. “This was done in order to prevent any escalation in the situation.”
He added UNIFIL hoped the removal would signal an end to the spate of alleged violations of 1701 the area had seen in recent weeks.
The Kfar Shuba hills are close to the disputed Shebaa Farms region, a strip of land, rich in water resources, situated at the junction of southeast Lebanon, southwest Syria and north Israel. Israel seized the Shebaa Farms from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war when it took the adjacent Golan Heights – an area it later annexed.
Last month, scores of Lebanese protesters scaled the barbed-wire fence flanking the Blue Line and planted Lebanese and Hizbullah flags at the then-unmanned outpost before being asked to retreat by UN soldiers. Three Israeli tanks were later seen in the area as Israeli soldiers removed the flags. Israel subsequently warned that any repeat protest would be met with armed force. The army source welcomed the post’s removal but stressed that Israel continued to violate Resolution 1701.
“We insisted that all Israeli violations be removed and this is the first step toward that,” said the source. “However Israel’s presence on any Lebanese territory is considered a violation by itself.” Tenenti said that meetings were continually being held in order to limit the amount of southern security breaches. “We have a constant line of liaison with the parties to discuss issues or a problem, that’s why we are meeting,” he said. He repeated that the investigation into a recent explosion at a Hizbullah arms cache near the southern village of Khirbet Silim was progressing with UNIFIL and LAF cooperation. “We are still waiting for the investigation to be finalized,” Tenenti said.
The army source said that Israel’s decision came at a time when it was seeking to gain international favor as UNIFIL’s mandate came up for its annual review.
“Israel is demonstrating its good intentions before the decision to extend UNIFIL’s mandate is taken,” said the source. Discussions between UN member states are currently under way at the Security Council in New York to extend UNIFIL’s mandate for another year. Although a final decision is not expected until the end of August, senior diplomats have indicated they are seeking to prolong the peacekeeping force’s mission without amendment.

Aoun’s portfolio demands complicate cabinet formation
FPM leader insists on Interior ministry, bassil reappointment
By Elias Sakr /Daily Star staff
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
BEIRUT: Efforts to form a national-unity cabinet stumbled on Monday after Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun set controversial conditions with regard to the distribution of ministerial portfolios and the nomination of candidates. In a swift response, Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri’s press office issued a statement which underscored that the formation of a cabinet was, “according to the Constitution, the premier-designate’s responsibility in cooperation with President Michel Sleiman.”
Several March 14 officials had repeatedly said over the weekend that Hariri was “not a mail box,” a reference to Aoun’s demands from the premier-designate.
Aoun demanded on Monday that his Reform and Change bloc be allotted the Interior Ministry and that caretaker minister, his son-in-law Gebran Bassil, keeps the Telecommunication Ministry for another term.
The statement issued by Hariri’s press office Monday said the premier-designate would pursue his efforts to form a national-unity cabinet based on the outcome of the June 7 polls and away from media spotlights.
“The premier-designate is conducting deliberations based on the outcome of the June 7 polls which resulted in a parliamentary majority that, in turn, along with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri’s bloc and [the Armenian] Tashnag Party nominated Hariri to form a government,” the statement said. As for the distribution of portfolios, the statement highlighted the right of political parties to come forward with their demands while underscoring that the formation process according to the constitution was the responsibility of the premier-designate in cooperation with the president. Hariri also expressed his determination to maintain the country’s calm atmosphere in order to preserve the successful touristic season which benefits Lebanon’s economy and the citizens’ interests. “No one has the right to obstruct Lebanon’s touristic success with controversial political rhetoric only aimed to poison the country’s atmosphere and the Lebanese people interests,” Hariri said. Part of his deliberations on the distributions of portfolios, Hariri is expected to meet Hizbullah’s Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah later this week, parliamentary sources told the Central News Agency (CNA) on Monday.
The CNA also reported a possible meeting between Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun and Hariri following an invitation by the Latter on Monday. Meanwhile, Aoun, who said he had not decided on whether to meet Hariri yet, tied the formation of a new cabinet to two conditions, including the reassignment of Bassil at the head of the Telecommunications Ministry, and granting the FPM a “sovereign” portfolio. Portfolios considered as directly linked to the country’s sovereignty include the Interior Ministry, the Foreign Ministry, the Defense Ministry and the Finance Ministry. Tackling the delay in the cabinet’s formation, Aoun told reporters at his residence in Rabieh that the process was hindered by foreign intervention rather than the appointment of Bassil. “The government crisis was not due to [the nomination of] Jebran but [the problem is] foreign,” Aoun said.
He praised Bassil’s performance at the Telecommunication Ministry, saying the latter raised the ministry’s income to $500 million and dismantled illegitimate communication cells.
The March 14 Forces had repeatedly rejected to allot Bassil a ministerial portfolio since he lost the race to parliament during the June 7 parliamentary elections.
Bassil ran for one of two seats in his northern home town of Batroun when he lost the race to independent MP Boutros Harb and Lebanese Forces MP Antoine Zahra.
Aoun who refrained from criticizing caretaker Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud, demanded that his bloc be allotted the Interior Ministry to “to enhance its performance and free it of corruption.” “Baroud is like Bassil but I do not want him targeted,” he said. Aoun also called for awarding the president more constitutional rights rather than granting him a share in the government. He also announced that the March 14 coalition lost the parliamentary majority following Progressive Socialist Party head Walid Jumblatt’s withdrawal from the alliance.
“Jumblatt blew the 15-10-5 formula, no one holds a majority and now we moved to the 12-10-5-3 make-up,” a reference to Jumblatt’s share of three seats, Aoun said.
The 15-10-5 formula grants the majority 15, the opposition 10 and the president five seats. Nevertheless, Jumblatt on Monday reiterated support for the 15-10-5 structure, adding that it guaranteed political consensus and represented the voters will.

International Christian Concern
2020 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, #941 • Washington, DC 20006-1846
www.persecution.org / Email: icc@persecution.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
Jeremy Sewall, Advocacy Director
1-800-422-5441, jeremy@persecution.org.
Pregnant Christian Dragged Naked through Pakistani Police Station
Miscarries after Police Arrest Her for Theft without Evidence, Hold Her Three Days
Washington, D.C. (August 17, 2009) - International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that a pregnant Christian woman miscarried on July 26 after police beat her and dragged her naked through their police station in the Gujrat District of Punjab, Pakistan. Police had arrested her and a Muslim woman after their employer accused them of theft, but police did not even touch the Muslim woman.
The woman, Farzana Bibi, worked as a maid in the house of a wealthy Muslim. During a wedding held at the house, some jewelry was stolen from some of the landlord's female relatives. The police were called, and when they arrived at the scene they arrested two maids: Farzana and a Muslim woman named Rehana. Nazir Masih, Farzana's husband, said, "Police registered a fake theft case against my wife and Rehana without any proof."
Nazir went on to say that the police tortured his wife even though she told them she was pregnant. He told ICC, "Sub-Inspector Zulfiqar and Assistant Sub-Inspector Akhter subjected her to intense torture. They stripped off her clothes and dragged her naked around the compound of Cantonment Area Police Station in Kharian. They humiliated and tortured my wife, but did not do anything to Rehana."
Although Farzana complained of severe pain, the police ignored her pleas and detained her for another two days. When her condition became critical, the police finally transferred her to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital in Kharian, where she miscarried.
Nazir filed a report with the District Police Officer in Gujrat, detailing the abuse his wife received and her miscarriage. The District Office initiated an investigation after receiving the report, withdrawing the false accusations and suspending officers Zulfiqar and Akhter.
The authorities have pledged to punish all those responsible. Please pray that God would comfort Farzana and Nazir and that justice would be carried out. Please also call your Pakistani embassy and ask them to defend the rights of Christians.
Jeremy Sewall, ICC's Advocacy Director, said, "While we were not able to confirm whether Farzana was innocent of robbing her employers, it is absolutely unacceptable for police to humiliate her and abuse her so severely that she lost her child. The fact that the Muslim woman accused of the same thing was at least treated like a human being just proves again that if you are not a Muslim in Pakistan, you have no rights. The government should go beyond suspending the two officers guilty of this crime and try them for manslaughter."
Pakistani Embassies
USA: (202) 243-6500
Canada: (613) 238-7881
UK: 0870-005-6967
# # #
ICC is a Washington-DC based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC provides Awareness, Advocacy, and Assistance to the worldwide persecuted Church. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.
You are free to disseminate this news story. We request that you reference ICC (International Christian Concern) and include our web address, www.persecution.org.

Lebanon appoints Joyce Tabet as STL deputy state prosecutor
Judge has yet to join special tribunal due to UN ‘foot dragging’
By Michael Bluhm /Daily Star staff
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
BEIRUT: Lebanon has appointed Deputy State Prosecutor Joyce Tabet to the post of deputy prosecutor at the UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon, but she has yet to join the court because of negotiations over her contract, a number of tribunal and Lebanese judiciary sources said on Monday. Tabet told The Daily Star she still had “no idea” when she would take up her position, although tribunal officials confirmed almost three weeks ago that Lebanon had selected Tabet and the administrative process of adding her to the court had begun. The post of deputy prosecutor is reserved for a Lebanese national at the tribunal, which was established by a UN Security Council resolution to try suspects in the February 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Tabet has worked on the investigation of Hariri’s killing for years and has long cooperated with the UN commission looking into the assassination, the judicial sources said. All the sources said Tabet had a spotless professional reputation.
A tribunal spokesman said Tabet’s appointment was purely a human-resources issue in the hands of the UN’s Office of Legal Affairs, but several calls to the office’s New York headquarters went unanswered.
The Lebanese sources said the delay in Tabet joining the tribunal reflected a pattern of UN foot-dragging on appointments to the tribunal, and former Justice Minister Charles Rizk said the UN had moved glacially to appoint Daniel Bellemare, who headed the probe commission, to the post of prosecutor.
“When I was in the Cabinet, I was trying to urge the UN to accelerate the nomination of the prosecutor,” he said. “The procrastination which took place came from the UN, not from us.”
Bellemare, meanwhile, has left the tribunal headquarters in a suburb of Holland’s The Hague to undergo medical treatment in his native Canada since early July for an unspecified illness. Bellemare’s absence, however, is not delaying Tabet’s appointment or the pace of the investigation, said Peter Foster, the tribunal’s chief of public affairs and outreach. His absence is also not contributing to the ongoing wait for Tabet to join the court, Foster added. “There is no delay whatsoever in the office of the prosecutor with Mr. Bellemare being in Canada,” he said, adding that Bellemare was in “daily, if not hourly contact” with his office. The investigation “is actually picking up,” Foster said. Hariri’s February 14, 2005, assassination led to the exit of Syrian troops from Lebanon after 29 years, and the UN tribunal to try his killers long stood as one of the key issues polarizing Lebanon’s anti-Syrian March 14 and Syrian-backed March 8 political camps. March 14 figures have accused Damascus of Hariri’s killing and for the string of assassinations and attempted assassinations which continued to bedevil the country, while the Syrian regime of President Bashar Assad has denied any role in the violence and has said it will not allow its citizens to appear before the tribunal. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said the tribunal had been used as a political tool against Damascus, saying Syria had received and rejected “bargain offers” to terminate the tribunal in exchange for ending the presidential vacuum in Lebanon in late 2007 and early 2008. Despite the ongoing media fanfare surrounding the tribunal’s activity, a number of insiders in the international justice community have said that any potential verdicts remain years away. Anyone indicted by the tribunal, regardless of nationality, will certainly raise legal challenges to the tribunal’s legitimacy in advance of any potential trials, lawyers have said. Defendants will question the circumstances of the tribunal’s founding, the Security Council’s authority connected with the court and the Lebanese Parliament’s failure to approve the bilateral treaty establishing the tribunal, the legal insiders added.

The Israel-Hezbollah war of words
Lee Smith, Special to Now Lebanon , August 18, 2009
An image grab taken from Hezbollah-run Manar TV shows the group's chief, Hassan Nasrallah, delivering a televised speech from an undisclosed location in Lebanon on August 14 to mark three years since the end of the July War. (AFP/HO/Manar TV)
In the last couple of weeks, Hezbollah and Israel have crossed swords in a war of words that has led many to wonder if the genuine article is soon to follow.
First, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon explained Hezbollah will pay a heavy price should it shed the blood of Israelis abroad. Ayalon, like the rest of Israel’s government as well as its security establishment, is concerned that the Party of God will seek retribution for the assassination of Hezbollah Commander Imad Mugniyah in Damascus last winter, an operation for which the Israelis are believed to be responsible, and do nothing to disclaim.
Perhaps of more concern was Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s warning that the Lebanese government will be held accountable for any Hezbollah attacks on Israel. Later, perhaps to cool tensions in the wake of Netanyahu’s admonition, Israeli President Shimon Peres made a point of distinguishing between the government of Lebanon and Hezbollah. In a speech last week on the third anniversary of the end to what the Israelis call the Second Lebanon War, Peres said that “There was not in the past nor is there now any reason for Lebanon to be Israel’s enemy or for Israel to be Lebanon’s enemy.” Nonetheless, it is Netanyahu’s position that seems to reflect Israeli policy, or what has been called “the Dahiyeh Doctrine,” wherein Israel will no longer make any distinction between the Lebanese state and the Hezbollah state within it.
How serious are these threats? Let’s consider the context, or rather, contexts.
First, Israeli officials across the political spectrum assume that it is only a matter of time before a resumption of hostilities with Hezbollah, and there are several scenarios that might kick off such a conflict.
Israel believes that the Islamic Resistance will continue to try to avenge Mugniyah, perhaps, as Ayalon suggested, abroad rather than inside Israel proper. Should the Islamic Resistance succeed, Israel will likely respond, and in a fashion that the international community has come to call “disproportionate.”
Also, with rumors afloat that Syria has passed on or will pass on anti-aircraft missiles to Hezbollah, such an arsenal quite possibly constitutes an Israeli red line. In an unfortunate, albeit typical, fashion, Israel will let Damascus off the hook while Lebanon bleeds.
But the most significant context of course is Iran. Given Israel’s existential fears of an Iranian nuclear program, Hezbollah is a distant second on the Jewish state’s to-do list. To be sure, the Netanyahu government assumes that Hezbollah would enter the fray on behalf of its Iranian patron, but, correctly or not, Israel believes that it has an answer for Hezbollah. The Israel Defense Forces is not the same institution the Party of God held to a standoff three years ago, nor is the Israeli government that leads it.
The chances that Israel would strike a pre-emptive blow against Hezbollah before taking on Iran are unlikely. An unprovoked attack would be difficult for Netanyahu to sell on the diplomatic stage, even to its US ally, which, under the stewardship of President Obama, may fear an Israeli war against any Muslim body more than an Iranian nuclear program.
Clearly that’s not the case for Israel, even if over the weekend, its new ambassador to Washington, Michael Oren, told CNN the Israelis are "far from even contemplating" an attack on Iran. Since Netanyahu aides confide that Israel has numerous options for setting back the Iranian program, Oren’s statement is perhaps more indicative of Israel’s efforts to mend fences with Washington, for relations between the two are strained, certainly compared to the administrations of George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.
Bad US-Israel relations is not good news for Beirut, or even Hezbollah. One of the paradoxes of the 2006 July War was that good US-Israel relations actually minimized the bloodshed and damage in Lebanon. Once the Americans saw that then-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert could not set back Hezbollah, as he had boasted, the Americans rushed to a ceasefire to prevent the Siniora government, which Washington saw as a key regional ally, from falling. Partly to avoid antagonizing the Bush White House, and partly because it embarrassedly, albeit belatedly, recognized its own incompetence, the Israelis complied. To be sure, the Obama administration still sees Beirut as an important asset and ally, but while its Lebanon policy has been deft and consistent, insofar as Obama has put “daylight” between himself and Israel, the latter will find less reason to tailor its own strategic exigencies to suit Washington’s hopes and fears.
For its own part, Hezbollah has yet to live up to its reputation for comprehending regional and international realities in all their complexity. Remember that Israel’s recent threats come after the explosion of the arms cache at Kherbet Selem and the “protest” in Kfar Shouba, when southern residents broke through a barbed-wire fence to plant flags on the Israeli side of the Blue Line. The latter episode was perhaps meant to resonate within Lebanon’s domestic arena, and yet the fact is that after three years of quiet, Hassan Nasrallah got Israel’s attention. In response to the subsequent Israeli warnings, Nasrallah said, “Whoever talks a lot and threatens a lot, doesn’t frighten.”
And yet talking before acting is a function of how the national security apparatus of liberal democracies operates. Teddy Roosevelt may have believed in a policy of speaking softly and carrying a big stick, but that is just not how most presidents and prime ministers really act. For instance, as US troops massed in Kuwait in the buildup to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, it should have been clear to Saddam Hussein that the Americans meant to wage war unless he complied with their demands. Even more relevantly, in late May 2006, Israel had warned that Lebanon would pay for continued provocations, like the salvo of missiles fired by one of Hezbollah’s Palestinian affiliates.
“Let there be no doubt that we will deal a very painful blow to whomever tries to disrupt life along our northern border,” Olmert said at the time. “They will receive an unequivocal and very aggressive response without hesitation if they don't stop.” A little less than two months later, Hezbollah initiated the July War by kidnapping Israeli soldiers and firing on Israeli towns, which, along with the fact that Nasrallah later expressed his surprise at the Israeli response, suggests that the Hezbollah secretary general had not taken warnings seriously then either.
Three years on, it is true that neither side really seems to be girding for battle, but the fact is that wars are less often planned than they are stumbled into, especially by a military tactician who believes that frank warnings are nothing but empty talk.

Gebran Bassil
August 17, 2009
On August 17, the pro-government An-Nahar daily carried the following report:
Now Lebanon
Minister Gebran Bassil considered that the governmental reality should be redrawn “on the basis of the non-existence of a majority” following his visit on Saturday to Tripoli to see [former] Prime Minister Omar Karami. The visit lasted about an hour and a half, during which the two officials discussed the obstacles facing the government formation and the security situation in Tripoli and during which Bassil extended his condolences in light of the murder of the head of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in Tripoli and the North, Abdullah Ghandour. Following the meeting, Bassil said: “I was honored to visit Prime Minister Omar Karami to consult with him as a member of the opposition and a prominent pole in it. There is no opposition without him for he constitutes the main party in this team. I also conducted this visit to extend my condolences to him and to Tripoli on the death of the head of its Chamber of Commerce Abdullah Ghandour.
“Today, we are in the midst of what is being talked about regarding the government formation. We therefore consulted with the [former] prime minister and have a reading in this regard. We believe that the formation of the government should be proceeding at a faster pace, for it is not normal for us to be forming a government while the contacts between the main and composing sides are only being made in the media and not in real dialogue sessions. This is not the normal course to be adopted during the formation of a government. What we are seeing is similar to what is seen in an intermission when watching a play, i.e. when people who are not actors in the play come out to fill time with talk that is out of context until the bell rings and the real actors come in. I believe this is what is happening at the level of the governmental formation.”
He was then asked: “Where do you place what is being said about the appointment of Jebran Bassil as minister being the obstacle facing the government formation?”
He said: “As I have previously said, this is like watching a play and these claims are political acrobatics that have nothing to do with the real developments on the ground. Every time we create a problem with which we attack the people and the political parties who have rights. We want to protect these rights for they should not be affected. No matter how much time they waste and how many times they accuse us of obstructing the formation, we remain unconcerned because we have a political goal. We want to efficiently partake in the decision-making process and will not recant this demand under any pressures. They could bring the whole world if they want to, this will not change. We have had this experience during the last government formation, when despite all the time they wasted, we reached a result that was imposed by the existing political balance and this is what will happen in this case as well. They should stop wasting people’s time, especially since I believe this will not be in their own interest.
They are seeking new governmental formulas which will certainly convey the governmental and political reality which was imposed on the political arena and which pushes us to say there is no majority. We will deal with them as a majority to keep things going, but if they continue to provoke this obstruction we will say there is no majority and will try to redraft the governmental and political reality on that basis. There is a new situation with new formulas.”

Fadlallah: Ramadan starts on August 21
Daily Star staff/Tuesday, August 18, 2009
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s top Shiite cleric says the Muslim holy month of Ramadan will begin on Friday August 21. Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah said Monday in a statement that Ramadan will begin Friday based “on accurate astronomical calculations.” The beginning of Ramadan is traditionally based on the sighting of the new moon so most Muslims don’t know exactly when the month begins until a day or two before. Lebanon’s Shiites are alone in their reliance on astronomical calculations rather than moon sightings by the naked eye.
Ramadan is Islam’s holiest month and a time of reflection when Muslims abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex from dawn to dusk. Also on Monday, Sayyed Fadlallah met with Saudi Ambassador Ali at-Assiri, who stressed the need to preserve Lebanon’s social and cultural diversity, while reiterating his country’s support to Lebanon. For his part, Fadlallah urged Saudi Arabia “the cradle of Islam and the place from which the message of Islam spread to the world” to persevere to preserve Muslim unity “inside and outside” the kingdom. Fadlallah highlighted Saudi Arabia’s “determined battle” against “Takfiri factions that are dividing the Muslims and distorting the image of Islam.” The Sayyed Fadlallah emphasized the need to maintain “the stability and security of the Arab and Muslim World, especially the Hijaz region,” in reference to an area renowned for its historical and religious heritage in Saudi Arabia.
The Sayyed said the main factors “to implement stability are associated with the pressing need to safeguard of inter- Islamic relations as well as Islamic-Arab relations.” As such, he called on all concerned sides to “keep working on ameliorating and developing those relations in order to provide security for the Arab World.” – The Daily Star, with AP

Jihadi Public Relations
by Walid Phares
08/18/2009 Human Events.com
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=33177
How far will terrorists go to cloak themselves in legitimacy? Last week’s action in the Gaza Strip, now governed by the terrorist network Hamas, is a good example.
Hamas’ attack against the Jund Ansar Allah (JAA, “The Soldiers or the Partisans of Allah”), a Jihadist group inside Gaza, was intended to provide the Palestinian Islamist organization a pass to become a “mainstream” movement, acceptable internationally as a partner in peace negotiations with Israel.
This is another murky development in the world of Jihadism, where the biggest brothers in holy war devoured the little ones in a race between who can achieve final victory against the Kuffar (infidels). In Gaza, these intra-Jihadist slaughter fests are more important because the “Palestine cause” is so central to the global Islamist political narrative.
JAA seemed a perfect candidate for eradication in the name of legitimacy. It was self-declared in November 2008 as the ultimate Salafi Jihadist force of Palestine. After many previous attempts by al Qaeda inspired factions, Jund Ansar Allah (JAA) led by Abel Latif Mussa (aka Abu al Nour al Maqdissi) seized the control of a local mosque and segments of a neighborhood and launched a couple attacks against Israel in early 2009. The JAA issued many declarations calling for “real Jihad,” ending negotiations with Fatah, the international community and opposing any type of elections and constitutional structure in Gaza other than pure Sharia.
Hundreds of already indoctrinated youth joined the JAA and formed the nucleus of a Jihadi milita. Their ranks were growing at an alarming rate for Hamas, which had to squash them, before they became a competitive organization. The JAA was on its way to devouring Hamas using the same doctrines upon which Hamas was founded, grew and used to overthrow Fatah from Gaza.
After a few incidents, Hamas forces overwhelmed the headquarters of JAA killing dozens of militants.
The fighting took its toll on both groups. Unverified reports said Abu Jibril Shemali, commander of Izzedine al Qassam Brigades (Hamas’ SS-like force) and Abu Abdallah al Suri, JAA’s military commander were both killed in the clashes. The founder of the Jund Ansar Allah Abdel Latif Moussa was killed during the explosion of one of his suicide bombers as he targeted advancing Hamas fighters.
By now, the “Jund” has been crushed, its Mosque seized and its survivors pursued.
But what are lessons we need to learn from this pool of piranhas, where big Jihadi fish eat little Jihadi fish?
1. According to many commentators on al Jazeera, Hamas chose to finish up the “Jund” as a maneuver to lure the West in general -- Great Britain and the United States in particular -- into “engaging” the organization, lifting its name from terror lists and adding it to the peace process between the Palestinians and Israel. Hamas spokespersons rushed to say “we too are fighting the extremists, the terrorists as you are fighting them and pursuing al Qaeda,” which resonates greatly in Western ears, especially with the Obama administration and the Brown government: Soon enough sympathizing journalists, apologist academics and even diplomats and envoys will be citing the “glorious” deeds of Hamas as evidence of fight “against terrorism.”
The U.S. narrative lately has been underlining that there is no war against “Global Jihadsim” but a “war against al Qaeda” only. So those in the business of Jihad, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and a plethora of other groups, can make their credential known to the West by slapping some local, little al Qaeda boys, and claiming a green card to the world of “accepted Jihadists.”
Two summers ago, the Syrian regime and, to an extent, Hezbollah tried to come up with a similar model: Damascus released a copycat group in northern Lebanon, Fatah al Islam, before they claimed they beheaded the organization few months later, suggesting to Washington that Bashar can also kill al Qaeda crowds.
2. Was there a link between Hamas and the “Jund” it just sacrificed to enhance its public standing? It appears so. First, the constituents of the “Jund” (JAA) were part of the larger indoctrinated pools of jihadi fighters created by Hamas. Secondly, Hamas tolerated the presence of these ultra-Jihadists in their midst for a reason. They were fostered and grown so that they could be used tactically: either by blaming them for wild rocket launching or to crush them and cash in. Comparatively, Hamas couldn’t “tolerate” Fatah. By June 2007 the followers of Mahmoud Abbas were massacred in the enclave, because they were credible partners in a potential peace process and real competitors. Ghazi Hamad, a Hamas spokesperson told al Jazeera English that his organization was always dialoguing with the “Jund.” Which meansthey had relationship with them even though Hamas was the only dominant force in Gaza. There had to be a reason for this “tolerance” before Hamad admitted that Hamas stopped “tolerating.” The Jihadist regime in Gaza fed the little Jihadists and allowed them to grow until the time of the sacrifice came.
3. This brings us back to review the current Western re-definition of the so-called War on Terror and the decision by the Obama and Brown administrations to let go of the counter Jihadist narrative hoping, as they said, to drive a wedge between the so-called “good Jihadists” and the “extremists.” Hamas quickly understood the message and delivered the goods promptly, hoping they will be reclassified as “good Js.” But Hamas needs also to cater to its own Gaza indoctrinated constituencies, which were made to believe for decades that Jihad fi Sabeel Allah is the only way.
Tragicomically, Hamas was trapped by a smart question fielded by an al Jazeera English anchor who was pressing their spokesperson to show the difference between Hamas and the JAA. “Don’t you think that the people you just killed are more faithful to your constitution calling for the establishment of an Islamic Emirate on all of Palestine than yourselves, who are in power now?
Ghazi Hamad rushed to answer by instincts, revealing too much perhaps: “These guys wants to establish the Caliphate immediately on any part of liberated land, they are irrational; they don’t understand how Jihad works, we do.”
In my book Future Jihad, I have argued that the Jihadists are of several strategic schools of thought: short term, medium term, and long term. The difference between Hamas and the JAA is not about good or bad Jihad, as experts to Western Governments are claiming. Not at all. It is a difference about when to trigger the missile, under whose orders and within which framework of alliances.
The “Jund” wanted it all the time, and would launch anytime they could. Hamas wants a perfect kill, coordinated with its allies Hezbollah, Syria’s Baath, and Iran’s Pasdaran.
The Jund doesn’t care what the infidels in Washington and London think. Hamas cares strategically how the allies of its immediate enemy, Israel, behave. It wants to be part of the widest regional alliance against the Jewish state, while the latter loses all its allies, before D-Day is unleashed.
*Dr Walid Phares, author of Future Jihad: Terrorist Strategies against America, of The war of Ideas: Jihadism against democracy and of the forthcoming book, The Confrontation. He is also the Director of the Future Terrorism Project at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

http://yabeyrouth.net/content/view/27389/15/

http://14march.org/news-details.php?nid=MTU2Njgw
http://www.al-seyassah.com/editor_details.asp?aid=6146&aname=إلياس%20بجاني