LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
February 16/2010

Bible Of the Day
Matthew 6/16-21: “Moreover when you fast, don’t be like the hypocrites, with sad faces. For they disfigure their faces, that they may be seen by men to be fasting. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6:17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head, and wash your face; 6:18 so that you are not seen by men to be fasting, but by your Father who is in secret, and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.  6:19 “Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal; 6:20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and steal; 6:21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Israel is accused of waging covert war across the Middle East/By: Sheera Frenkel/The Times/February 15/10
The state and the conscience/Now Lebanon/February 15, 10
Necessary Preliminary Steps on the Middle-East Peace Road/By: Rabbi Daniel M. Zucker/February 15/10
Syria is no different from Hamas or Hezbollah/By Gabriel Siboni/February 15/10
Clinton: Iran is turning into military dictatorship By Amos Harel and Haaretz Service/February 15/10
Canada Deplores Iran’s Detention of Members of the Baha’i Community/February 15/10

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for February 15/10
Berri, Hizbullah, Jumblat Distinguished between Hariri and his Allies/Naharnet
60 Victims Identified, Plane Wreckage Removal Awaits Committee Decision/Naharnet
Report: Israel Targeting Meetings between Hamas, Hizbullah, Iranian Members/Naharnet
Australian Court Sentences 5 Men, Including Lebanese, in Terror Plot/Naharnet
Constitutional Council Invites Candidates to Fill Diab's Vacant Seat/Naharnet
Le Monde: Revelations about Hizbullah's Involvement in Hariri's Murder Credible/Naharnet
March 14 Leaders Stress Need to Accomplish Sovereignty, State-to-State Relation with Syria/Naharnet
Hariri from Martyrs Square: We Stretch Our Hand to Cooperate in Extending State Authority/Naharnet
Jumblat: March 14 'a Stage That Served Its Purpose', I Don't Consider It Failed/Naharnet
Geagea Urges Opposition Leaders 'to Place Weapons in State's Service'/Naharnet
Gemayel Asks Syria to Treat Lebanon 'as a Sovereign State'/Naharnet
Saniora: We Resist Israel Shoulder-to-Shoulder, But We Shouldn't Give It Alibis to Attack Us/Naharnet
Iran’s nuclear chief: World powers make new enrichment offer/Now Lebanon
Municipal elections might not be held on time, Harb says/Now Lebanon
Al-Watan says Geagea, Siniora speeches target Hezbollah/Now Lebanon
Berri voices surprise at March 14’s stance/Now Lebanon

Le Monde: Revelations about Hizbullah's Involvement in Hariri's Murder Credible
Naharnet/The French newspaper Le Monde said that revelations published by the German weekly magazine Der Spiegel about Hizbullah's involvement in the 2005 assassination of ex-PM Rafik Hariri were "trustworthy." It said that primary conclusions of the investigation since 2005 pointed a finger at Syria. Damascus, however, hailed as a "victory" the release in April of four Lebanese generals who were held for nearly four years without charges over Hairiri's murder. Their release was not due to errors in the conclusions of the probe, but due to the methods adopted by initial investigators -- witnesses making questionable statements, unprofessionally gathered forensic evidence which cannot be used before a court.
But, despite those mistakes which accompanied the investigation, the probe is progressing, Le Monde wrote, adding that the cellular phone network used by the perpetrators had been pinned down. It quoted sources as saying that the network pointed to the involvement of Hizbullah officials in Hariri's assassination. "This confirms a May 2009 report by Der Spiegel which accused Hizbullah operatives," Le Monde added. Hizbullah's Nawaf Moussawi dismissed Le Monde's report. Der Spiegel has said a U.N.-backed tribunal investigating Hariri's murder has obtained new evidence proving Hizbullah was behind his assassination. Hizbullah had described Der Spiegal's report as "fabricated lies" and a cheap attempt at influencing the June 7 parliamentary elections. Beirut, 15 Feb 10, 10:07

60 Victims Identified, Plane Wreckage Removal Awaits Committee Decision
Naharnet/More DNA test results are expected to come out on Monday after remains of the Ethiopian plane crash victims confirmed to belong to 60 bodies. Flight 409 bound for Addis Ababa crashed into the Mediterranean Sea minutes after takeoff from Beirut airport early in the morning of Jan. 25, killing all 90 people on board. Meanwhile, Lebanese army divers were nearly at the beginning of the final stage of the search for plane crash victims. This issue, however, would raise a question of how to deal with the main parts of the plane which are still in place about 45 meters deep off the coast of Naameh south of Beirut. As-Safir newspaper on Monday quoted high-ranking official sources as saying that recovery of the main wreckage or moving it requires a decision by the international committee investigating the disaster. It said the committee is likely to take a decision in this regard on Monday or Tuesday after examining the data and pictures of the plane taken underwater. Beirut, 15 Feb 10, 10:53

Berri, Hizbullah, Jumblat Distinguished between Hariri and his Allies
Naharnet/Hizbullah, Speaker Nabih Berri and Druze leader Walid Jumblat were pleased with Prime Minister Saad Hariri's speech during a rally to mark his father's assassination anniversary. But they were unhappy with statements given by Hariri's allies. Both Hizbullah and Berri expressed satisfaction at the contents of Hariri's speech. Berri dubbed Hariri's statement as "good and positive, particularity in terms of the part which stressed on permanent consensus in Lebanon." He said he "did not have time to listen" to the other speeches by Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel, ex-Premier Fouad Saniora and Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea. Jumblat, in turn, did not waste time listening to speeches by Hariri's partners. "I paid attention to Hariri's speech, but I did not have time to listen to the other speeches," Jumblat said in remarks published by several Beirut newspapers. Berri criticized some of the festivities that accompanied "celebrations to commemorate the martyrdom" of Hariri. Sources close to Hizbullah, meanwhile, noticed a difference in contents between Hariri's speech and those of his allies. "Hariri sought in his speech to strengthen the bridges which he began working on, particularly the part where he spoke about opening a relationship window with Syria, while his allies, namely Gemayel and Geagea sought to torpedo these bridges, mainly bridges related to national dialogue," one Hizbullah source told An-Nahar newspaper. As-Safir, for its part, quoted a senior Hizbullah official as expressing dismay over Saniora's speech. Beirut, 15 Feb 10, 08:17

Australian Court Sentences 5 Men, Including Lebanese, in Terror Plot
Naharnet/Five Muslims, including Lebanese-Australians, were jailed for up to 28 years Monday for plotting an attack using guns and explosives to protest against Australia's role in the "war on terror." The men, who cannot be named, were convicted in October of gathering firearms, chemicals and bomb-making instructions, along with a mass of Islamist propaganda, for the attack on an unknown target. Justice Anthony Whealy, who handed down the sentences at a purpose-built courthouse in Sydney's west, said the plans were "often lacking in cleverness" but were well advanced when the five were arrested in 2005. "There is no reason to doubt that, absent the intervention of the authorities, the plan might well have come to fruition in early 2006 or thereabouts," Whealy told the hearing of New South Wales Supreme Court. The men from Sydney, who are Australian citizens of Lebanese, Libyan and Bangladeshi descent, were handed maximum terms of 23 to 28 years, with the shortest non-parole period being 17 years and three months. The five, aged 25 to 44, showed little emotion and some of them smiled at each other when Whealy left court. The judge had said there was overwhelming evidence they wanted to create "at the very least, serious damage to property" and posed a "serious risk" to the public, although it was not clear that they intended to kill. "On occasions they were inept and clumsy, but these factors did not make their conspiracy any the less dangerous," he said.
Australia's former conservative government was closely aligned to the policies of former U.S. President George Bush, and the country was one of the first to commit troops to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The five took Australia's involvement in those conflicts as "acts of aggression against the wider Muslim community," prosecutor Richard Maidment told the court earlier. They spent months collecting chemicals, firearms and ammunition, and raids on their homes found "large quantities of literature which supported indiscriminate killing, mass murder and martyrdom in pursuit of violent jihad." The men had pictures and videos showing the hijacked aircraft smashing into the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001, as well as beheadings and death on the battlefield, Maidment said. They also had documents glorifying al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden and showing how to make a pipe-bomb with common ingredients such as citric acid and hair bleach, he said.(AFP-Naharnet) Beirut, 15 Feb 10, 08:59

Constitutional Council Invites Candidates to Fill Diab's Vacant Seat
Naharnet/The Constitutional Council said Monday that the vacancy of the seat occupied by Asaad Diab, who died earlier this month, would be announced in the official gazette's next issue.
Candidacies could be filed within 10 days of the publication of the gazette, the Constitutional Council said. Diab, former social affairs minister and president of the Lebanese University, passed away on Feb. 3 at the age of 72, succumbing to a chronic disease. He held several positions in the judiciary, including member of the Constitutional Council and president of the Institute of Judicial Studies. Beirut, 15 Feb 10, 11:55

Israel is accused of waging covert war across the Middle East
By: Sheera Frenkel
From The Times February 13, 2010
Israel is waging a covert assassination campaign across the Middle East in an effort to stop its key enemies co-ordinating their activities.
Israeli agents have been targeting meetings between members of Hamas and the leadership of the militant Hezbollah group, and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
They are also suspected of recent killings in Dubai, Damascus and Beirut. While Israel’s Mossad spy agency has been suspected of staging assassinations across the world since the 1970s, it does not officially acknowledge or admit its activities.
The current spate of killings began in December when a “tourist bus” carrying Iranian officials and Hamas members exploded outside Damascus. The official report by Syria claimed that a tyre had exploded but photographs surfaced showing the charred remains of the vehicle — prompting speculation that a much larger explosion had taken place
Several weeks later a meeting between members of Hamas, which controls Gaza, and their counterparts from Hezbollah in its southern Beirut stronghold in Lebanon was also attacked, resulting in several deaths.
Hamas had sought to cover up the incidents because it was embarrassed, a senior Palestinian official in Ramallah told The Times.
“There has been growing co-operation between Gaza and Iran. Israel can read the writing on the wall and they know that with the help of Iran, the Hamas Government in Gaza will become stronger and will fight better.
“But Israel is overstepping their boundaries. Other countries don’t want to become a killing field for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
Most recently, the top Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh was killed in Dubai on January 19, 2010. He is believed to have been poisoned by a woman who visited his room at the Al Bustan Rotana Hotel in Dubai.
Israeli officials said that Mabhouh had been a key figure in procuring Iranian-made longer-range rockets for Hamas that could be fired at targets in central Israel.
The exiled Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal has vowed revenge for Mabhouh’s death. He has also suggested that the current fighting between Hamas and Israel will become more regional. In an interview with the London-based al-Hayat newspaper, Mr Mashaal said that future wars with Israel would not be fought solely in the Gaza Strip.
Under the current Mossad chief, Meir Dagan, Israel is believed to have renewed efforts to kill high-level opponents. Only months after the former paratrooper assumed leadership of the intelligence service in October 2002, senior Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon began to be targeted. He was credited with ordering the killing of two relatively senior Hezbollah members who were killed in southern Beirut in July 2003 and August 2004.
More recently, Israel has been accused of planting a car bomb in Damascus that killed the top Hezbollah leader Imad Mughniyah in February 2008. The Israeli Cabinet minister Daniel Herschkowitz last week praised the Mossad chief as one of the agency’s most successful leaders.
When asked about Mossad’s involvement in the Dubai slaying, Eli Yishai, the Interior Minister, smiled and said: “All the security services make, thank God, great efforts to safeguard the security of the state of Israel.” While some countries are questioning whether Israel isn’t taking credit to increase the reputation of its defence establishment, other moderate Arab States are now describing the assassinations as a “covert war” between Israel and Hamas. Diplomats said they were aware that covert Israeli operations had increased. “We watch their comings and goings; we are aware that there is more activity both on our ground and other countries in the region,” said an Egyptian diplomat. “They are trying to embroil us all in their conflict.”
Tensions between Israel and Hamas have remained high, despite the relative quiet that has ensued since the end of Israel’s offensive in Gaza last winter. Israeli troops were placed on alert yesterday after intelligence suggested that Hamas planned to abduct soldiers. Israel said this week that it had foiled a kidnapping in December by arresting the Hamas operative Slaman Abu Atik on the Israeli-Gaza border. He planned to enter Israel via Egypt, said the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service

Hariri from Martyrs Square: We Stretch Our Hand to Cooperate in Extending State Authority
Naharnet/Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Sunday stressed that national unity is the only mean of facing the challenges of this period, expressing March 14's readiness to cooperate with the opposition "to extend the State's authority and rule of law." "With this spirit we have put Lebanon on the map of inter-Arab reconciliations, and it is not a secret that I am a partner in putting this map," Hariri addressed the cheering crowds who came from all over Lebanon to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the assassination of ex-PM Rafik Hariri in Beirut's Martyrs Square.  Hariri said his visit to Damascus was part of Saudi King Abdullah's initiative which has positively affected the Arab situations. "In all truth, honesty and responsibility, I am keen on keeping this window open, and on building a new era in Lebanese-Syrian relations, from one sovereign, free and independent state to another," he said. "Five years have passed, and we are still continuing our path of defending Lebanon, Arabism, democracy, freedom, sovereignty, and independence," PM Hariri addressed the crowd. He added: "Lebanese came to this Square on March 14, 2005 to say that our nation will not be an arena anymore and our democracy will no longer be exposed."
"You created March 14 and you are the real leadership of March 14," Hariri addressed the crowd. "Stability serves the interest of 'Lebanon First', inter-Arab reconciliation serves the interest of 'Lebanon First', solidarity facing Israeli serves the interest of 'Lebanon First', and defusing civil strife serves the interest of 'Lebanon First,'" said Hariri, repeating the motto 'Lebanon First', the very motto he first launched on a previous Feb. 14 anniversary. "Inter-Arab reconciliation is a chance that Lebanon should not miss," Hariri added.
Beirut, 14 Feb 10, 17:57

Jumblat: March 14 'a Stage That Served Its Purpose', I Don't Consider It Failed
Naharnet/Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat on Sunday limited his participation in commemorating ex-PM Rafik Hariri's assassination anniversary to visiting the latter's tomb in downtown Beirut. Some supporters of Jumblat's PSP were at the rally waving their party's red flag.
"We came here although our party did not announce its participation," said Bilal Abi Rafeh from the eastern area of Rashaya. "Walid Jumblat has his opinion, and we respect that. But we have ours too," he told AFP. "I agreed with Hariri to accompany him in his car to Martyrs Square," Jumblat said in remarks published by the daily An-Nahar on Sunday.
Jumblat arrived at the tomb with PM Hariri, Taymour Jumblat, and his party's cabinet ministers Ghazi Aridi, Akram Shohayeb, and Wael Abu Faour.
In an interview with Al Arabiya satellite TV network, Jumblat said: "Hariri's speech was comprehensive, objective, and acceptable. Hariri doesn't represent a group anymore, he became the premier of all of Lebanon government." However, Jumblat said he opposes the theory that says "Lebanon First," adding "it is Saad Hariri's day and he chose this motto, so there's no problem." "March 14 is a stage that served its purpose, and I don't consider that it failed. We want truth, justice, and stability, but the Special Tribunal for Lebanon is now beyond our control and handled by the international community. And we don't want to overbid over the well-known standards: Special relations with Syria, truce with Israel, and Arabism," Jumblat answered to a question about "I am a Palestinian Arab and I can't abandon my Arabism." Jumblat said that he clarified his remarks to the Syrian leadership through As Safir newspaper's interview and that the Syrians have no conditions regarding his visit "which will happen soon." "I've done all I can and I will do all I can to prevent sectarian strife. I'm very proud with what I did on May 11 when we overcame the Shiite-Druze strife," Jumblat added. As to Hizbullah's arms, Jumblat said: "We agreed in Doha to preserve the truce with Israel and that Hizbullah's arms are to remain pending a solution within the State." Beirut, 14 Feb 10, 20:13

Gemayel Asks Syria to Treat Lebanon 'as a Sovereign State'
Naharnet/Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel on Sunday called for "the rise of best relations between Lebanon and Syria," adding that Syria "should believe, once and for all, that Lebanon is an independent entity and a free sovereign State with a unique regime in this region." Gemayel was the first to speech in Martyrs Square where a massive turnout gathered to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the assassination of ex-PM Rafik Hariri. "They thought that eliminating Rafik Hariri will go like eliminating those before him, but they hadn't taken into consideration your uprising and your crowd's chants: Yes to Lebanon and to freedom," Gemayel addressed the crowd. Gemayel said the path to reconciliation with Syria was a long one. "We want Syria to take concrete steps, with a deadline, to bring to an end issues that are still hanging between our countries," said Gemayel. His son and former cabinet minister Pierre Gemayel was gunned down in 2006. March 14 has demanded Damascus uncover the fate of thousands of Lebanese who went missing during Syria's military rule over Lebanon and cooperate in the demarcation of formal borders between the two countries. "Any local or regional alterations cannot change anything in our national path or in our determination to press forward in building the strong and just State, fortifying independence, and accomplishing sovereignty."Gemayel suggested to turn the national dialogue table into a place "for sincere dialogue that tackles the root of the Lebanese problem, because temporary settlements and the postponing approach have not caused but more paralysis and obstruction on the level of State's institutions." Beirut, 14 Feb 10, 18:55

Geagea Urges Opposition Leaders 'to Place Weapons in State's Service'
Naharnet/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Sunday called on Hizbullah to "place its arms in the service of the state." "Here is the real national resistance you are speaking of every hour. A Lebanese resistance because its motto is 'Lebanon First' … and last; a national resistance because it emerged from the interests of the Lebanese," Geagea addressed the cheering crowds who came from all over Lebanon to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the assassination of ex-PM Rafik Hariri in Beirut's Martyrs Square. "And it is real because it is capable -- and no-one else – of protecting Lebanon," Geagea added, clearly addressing Hizbullah and its backers. He called on the leaders of the Hizbullah-led opposition "to take a courageous patriotic decision" through agreeing to give their military capabilities to the Lebanese State and the decisions of war and peace to the Cabinet. As to the national unity government, Geagea said: "We wanted it a national unity government to achieve transition to unity and statehood." However, he called on President Michel Suleiman and PM Saad Hariri to prevent the transformation of the national unity government "into a national paralysis government." Beirut, 14 Feb 10, 18:21

Saniora: We Resist Israel Shoulder-to-Shoulder, But We Shouldn't Give It Alibis to Attack Us
Naharnet/Former premier Fouad Saniora on Sunday stressed "the willingness of the Lebanese to resist Israel shoulder-to-shoulder" if it attacks Lebanon, adding "we have to make every effort not to give the enemy a chance or an alibi to destroy our country.""You've said no to murderers and no to terror. You've achieved unity, the unity of Lebanon and its independence, and God willing: You will achieve its sovereignty and transition to statehood," Saniora addressed the cheering crowds who came from all over Lebanon to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the assassination of ex-PM Rafik Hariri in Beirut's Martyrs Square. "We share the bonds of history with Syria, and we respect it. We ask it for mutual respect and to acknowledge this unique Lebanese archetype," added Saniora. Beirut, 14 Feb 10, 19:38

Berri voices surprise at March 14’s stance
February 15, 2010 /Now Lebanon/Speaker Nabih Berri told As-Safir newspaper in an interview published on Monday that he was surprised at the March 14 alliance’s decision not to accept his call to turn the February 14 commemoration of former Premier Rafik Hariri’s assassination into a national event. “I would never refuse someone’s request to participate in an occasion held to commemorate martyrs of the Amal Movement,” he said, adding, “I want the annual ceremony held to commemorate Imam Moussa al-Sadr’s disappearance to be a national occasion.” Sadr, who is a prominent Shia leader in Lebanon, left for Libya with his two companions in August 1978 on a visit to meet with government officials. However, they were never heard from again. Berri described Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s address during the February 14 ceremony as good, adding he had no time to listen to the speeches of Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, former PM Fouad Siniora and Kataeb Party leader Amin Gemayel. -NOW Lebanon

The state and the conscience
February 15, 2010
Now Lebanon/If we are to believe in the March 14 ideal of independence and sovereignty, then on Sunday we saw, somewhere in the combined messages of Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, two possible futures for the movement.
At the rally to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the murder of his father, Prime Minister Saad Hariri spoke of the need for Arab solidarity, a cozy sound bite that we can all embrace, but which on this occasion was code for the inescapable realities of the region, namely that Beirut is under enormous pressure to mend fences with Damascus. His recent visit to Syria, he said, had “benefits for Lebanon’s stability and Arab relations.”
Hariri has a national responsibility – one that you could argue has forced him to put aside any personal feeling for the greater good of the melting pot that is Lebanon. Those who see this as abandoning the cause must remember that Hariri spoke as a statesman; that today he must speak for all Lebanese.
He cannot be an exclusionist, and yet his challenge is to walk that almost impossible path of being part of the Arab fraternity and being able to forge ahead with the original ideals of the March 14 movement (he is, after all, also the leader of the parliament majority). However, in doing so, there are no guarantees that the first will not undermine the second.
And this is where Geagea comes in. For if Hariri has become the state, then Geagea has now become the conscience of March 14. His message yielded little, dressed as it was in the traditional rhetoric of the Cedar Revolution: the state, the state, the state.
It has been five years since the Valentine’s Day bomb attack outside the St. Georges Hotel that claimed the life of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 21 others, including MP and former Economy Minister Basil Fleihan. The blast was not just an act of mass murder; metaphorically it shook Lebanon to its very foundations.
When the smoke had cleared, we could no longer look the other way as we had done for three decades. We had to ask ourselves who we were and where we were going. Clearly things could not continue, and whether elements of the Damascus regime had a hand in the killing or not, the writing was on the wall for Syria’s 29-year military presence.
There is a school of thought that would argue that the natural balance of the region would always return, that Syria’s influence in Lebanon was never going to be kept at bay indefinitely. And so it came to pass. We saw in the wake of the June 2009 parliamentary elections that, even though the polls recorded a victory for March 14, the government today represents all interests, including those who see Damascus as a key ally. It may not be to the liking of March 14 supporters who voted against, among other things, Hezbollah and its culture of violence.
It is in this precarious environment that Geagea must be steadfast, and on Sunday he once again set out his stall. He invited Hezbollah to take the “courageous and patriotic” decision to “give their military capabilities to the Lebanese state and the decisions of war and peace to the cabinet.” He declared that there would be “no compromise” or “obstruction” on the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, adding that Lebanon would “accept the tribunal’s outcome, regardless of the verdict.” He said March 14 was committed to uncovering the fate of Lebanese detainees in Syria and delineating Lebanese borders with Syria. Hariri must seek to fulfill all these priorities.
It is absurd to believe that March 14 has the teeth it once had. Hariri is faced with an enormous challenge to once and for all work to make Lebanon a fully-functioning state, impose the aspirations of the movement that has stood by him for five years, and ensure that Lebanon’s role within the regional dynamic does not diminish her national self respect and that Syria does not move from the viewers’ gallery onto the floor.
Some would say he has his work cut out.

Syria is no different from Hamas or Hezbollah
By Gabriel Siboni
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem recently told Israelis that "you know that war at this time will reach your cities." The statement bolsters the recognition that the Syrian strategy in a future war will be based on targeting population centers in Israel. It seems that after the enemy's attempts to act through conventional military means and terrorism failed, it tried to locate Israel's weak point. Damascus sees our cities as a weak point.
The Syrian minister's comments show the extent to which Damascus has adopted a terrorist modus operandi that is no different from that of Hezbollah or Hamas. Even though, unlike those groups, it has still not moved its rocket launchers into population centers whose residents are meant to serve as human shields, Israel is obliged to immediately issue a warning, in every important venue in the world, that Syria is acting in contravention of the laws of war. The kind of threat Syria issued requires a response that will ensure that the enemy will continue being deterred from carrying it out. Israel must also counter the ethical and legal implications of the Syrian threat.
As for the threat posed by Hezbollah and Hamas, the situation is more complicated. A recent conference at the Institute for National Security Studies set out the possible ways the Israel Defense Forces might act in a future confrontation with Hezbollah. Particular emphasis was given to the fact that the group is placing its weapons systems in southern Lebanon villages. As soon as Hezbollah opens fire in an attempt to target Israeli civilians, the modus operandi Israel adopted in the Second Lebanon War will become even more entrenched in the following ways: objectives that constitute real and present danger to Israeli civilians will be immediately targeted, while maximum effort is made to avoid targeting innocent civilians; Israel will warn civilians to evacuate the war zone, for their own protection; after the warning is issued, there will be a broad attack on Hezbollah targets in built-up areas.
Professor Asa Kasher suggested at the conference that there is a difference between "regular wars," in which the enemy accepts the burden of the laws of warfare, and "irregular wars," in which the enemy doesn't accept those obligations. During the Second Lebanon War and Operation Cast Lead, the enemy did not adhere to the laws of war, though Israel was obligated to carry the burden. Israel can announce that because of the lack of reciprocity in accepting the laws of warfare, it will adopt its own ethical doctrine. It will take into account the moral principles of the doctrine of just warfare, according to which the laws of war are preserved by both sides, but will adopt measures necessitated by the lack of reciprocity.
Just as the American doctrine in the war in Afghanistan has been partly publicized, it may be worth considering the possibility of officially publishing the IDF's ethical principles. The methods mentioned above could serve as the basis for such a doctrine, but their adoption is insufficient. Israel must announce what the principles of its modus operandi are, and make sure that, as much as possible, they are in accordance with the doctrines of the United States and other democracies.
The publication of the ethical principles, followed by a public relations campaign in Israel and around the world, will have the capacity to delegitimize the methods of the enemy, improve international understanding for the methods the IDF employed during Operation Cast Lead, and even strengthen deterrence and further delay a future confrontation. After all, the enemy will weigh seriously the price it will have to pay in such a confrontation.
The writer heads the military research program at the Institute for National Security Studies.

Clinton: Iran is turning into military dictatorship
By Amos Harel and Haaretz Service
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday the Obama administration believes Iran is becoming a military dictatorship.
In remarks to Arab students at Carnegie Mellon's campus in Qatar, Clinton said the Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran appears to have gained so much power, saying "the Revolutionary Guard ... we believe is, in effect, supplanting the government of Iran."
"That is how we see it. We see that the government of Iran, the supreme leader, the president, the parliament, is being supplanted and that Iran is moving toward a military dictatorship. That is our view."
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Clinton's comments came after it was announced earlier Monday that U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will be arriving in Israel within weeks on an official visit, amid growing regional tensions over Iran's controversial nuclear program.
Referring to U.S.-led effort to force new sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, Biden told Meet the Press on Sunday that he hoped to recruit China's support to the campaign.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will be arriving in Israel within weeks on an official visit, Haaretz learned on Monday, amid growing regional tensions over Iran's controversial nuclear program.
Referring to U.S.-led effort to force new sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, Biden told Meet the Press on Sunday that he hoped to recruit China's support to the campaign.
"We already have the support of everyone from Russia to Europe, and I believe we could also garner China's support so to isolate [Iran]," Biden said, adding that the world had "to make it clear to them that we can't go on like this."
On Sunday, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen appeared keen to relay a public message to Israel: The U.S. is leading the international effort to levy harsh sanctions on Tehran, so Israel must exercise complete restraint.
Mullen told reporters he was concerned about the unintended consequences of a military strike on Iran's nuclear program.
The U.S. army chief said after arriving in Israel on Sunday that American policy on the matter is clear: "Iran must not acquire nuclear capability."
However, Mullen also said that if a regional confrontation were to break out following a strike on Iran, it "will be a big, big, big problem for all of us, and I worry a great deal about the unintended consequences of a strike."
In a fairly unusual step, Mullen held a short press conference at the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv. He then met with the Israel's military leadership, including Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi.
In June 2008, when Mullen was last here, circumstances were similar: Then-president George Bush and his administration also interpreted Israeli statements as meaning that the country intended to attack Iran. Mullen was dispatched by the Bush administration in order to clarify that Israel cannot do this.
Mullen was asked Sunday about the red lines the Obama administration set for Iran's nuclear program. He refused to offer a detailed response, but said, "President Barack Obama was very clear that from a policy standpoint, Iran cannot have nuclear weapons."
He added that he still hoped a solution could be found through diplomacy and sanctions, and that there would not be a regional war.
"We haven't taken off any option from the table," he said. While the military option had not been discounted, "it's pretty hard to be specific."
He reiterated the assessment that unless Iran's nuclear program was halted, Tehran could have its first nuclear bomb within one to three years.
Mullen expressed concern at the behavior of the Iranian leadership and said it had a destabilizing influence on the region. He cited as cause for concern Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's recent statement that Iran could step up uranium enrichment, and added that the country was linked to Hezbollah, Hamas and the instability in Yemen, and played a role in Afghanistan. Stressing America was committed to Israel's security, he commended the countries' close defense and security ties, and their stabilizing effect on the region.
The admiral also noted that the U.S. has taken steps to protect several countries in the region from Iranian threats, and mentioned that Patriot air defense missiles had been deployed in the United Arab Emirates. Mullen added that all measures are defensive. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in Qatar that Iran is leaving the international community little choice but to exact a heavy price from Tehran over its provocative actions.

'If Mideast peace isn't realized now, it may never come'
By Natasha Mozgovaya, Haaretz Correspondent
Last update - 22:45 13/02/2010
If Israel and the Palestinians don't reach a peace agreement now, the opportunity to do so could be lost forever, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry said at U.S.-Islamic World Forum in Doha, Qatar on Saturday.
"Undoubtedly the most crucial and most vexing of all issues is how we can revitalize a Mideast peace process that delivers peace?not just process?because if we don?t do it now, the door may well shut forever," Kerry said. "No one can overstate the dangers of another generation growing up knowing only conflict," the U.S. senator added.
Speaking about Israel's desire to see ties with Arab nations warm as part of the peace process with the Palestinian Authority, Kerry said that the "Arab world cannot simply wait for Israeli-Palestinian peace before improving relations with Israel."
"Building trust must be a step-by-step process, and the region must recognize Israel?s desire for acceptance and its fundamental need for security. And perhaps most importantly, the leading voices in the Arab world have a vital role to play with their people in creating the atmosphere for lasting peace with Israel," Kerry said.
On the humanitarian crisis taking place in Gaza as a result of Israel and Egypt's blockade on the coastal Strip, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman said that "year ago, I saw firsthand the devastation there ? and it is a tragedy that so little has been rebuilt since then." "In southern Israel, I also saw the toll that Hamas rockets had inflicted in a barrage that no country would endure interminably. But our grievance is not with the people of Gaza," Kerry said, adding that the process could "benefit by finding ways to allow them to rebuild their homes and their lives without empowering those who seek violence." Kerry's comments came a day after United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on Israelis and Palestinians to promptly resume talks to overcome the daunting obstacles in the way of settling their conflict. "Permanent status issues, including Jerusalem, borders, refugees, security, settlements and water will be resolved only through negotiations," Ban said in a message to the UN meeting in support of Israeli-Palestinian peace being held in Qawra, Malta. In addition to encouraging the two parties to return to the negotiating table, Ban also criticized Israel's settlement building as well as the rocket fire coming from Gaza.
"At this crucial juncture, Israel should refrain from taking steps, which have the potential to prejudge negotiations and create tensions," he said, citing the expansion of Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem and eviction of some Palestinians from the area. The Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip inflicted "protracted suffering" on Palestinians, which is a source of great concern, Ban said. He described the blockade as "unacceptable and counter-productive" to development and reconstruction in the war-torn territory. On the other hand, Ban condemned renewed rocket fire from Gaza, "which indiscriminately targets Israeli civilians.


Canada Deplores Iran’s Detention of Members of the Baha’i Community
http://www.international.gc.ca/media/aff/news-communiques/2010/067.aspx
(No. 67 – February 14, 2010 – 5:45 p.m. ET) The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today made the following statement regarding reports that Iran has arrested another seven members of Iran’s Baha’i community:
“Canada deplores Iran’s detention of seven more members of the Iranian Baha’i community today. Alaeddin Khanjani, Ashkan Bassari, Maria Jafari Ehsani, Bashir Ehsani, Romina Zabihiyan and Houtan Sistani were arrested this morning. Mona Misaghi was arrested on February 10, 2010. These individuals appear to have been detained on the basis of their faith. This is unacceptable. We call on the Iranian authorities to ensure the immediate and safe release of these individuals, as well as all other members of the Baha’i community currently in detention, without delay.
“Despite being a party to several human-rights conventions, Iran continues to disregard the rights of its people. We urge Iran to live up to its commitments and obligations under domestic and international law, and to begin adopting meaningful change in its human rights practices.
“Canada will continue to express its grave concerns regarding Iran’s history of abuse against religious minorities. For years, the Baha’i community in particular has been targeted by the Iranian government and subjected to persecution, discrimination and detention, despite the community’s peaceful nature. The Iranian government has waged a systematic propaganda campaign against the Baha’i faith, employing all forms of state-controlled media to incite hatred and suspicion against the Baha’i.”
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Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
613-995-1851
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613-995-1874

Necessary Preliminary Steps on the Middle-East Peace Road
Rabbi Daniel M. Zucker, Professor
12 Feb 2010Last month, President Barack H. Obama, in his first State of the Union address, admitted that his Middle East policy as pertains to the Israel-Palestine conflict has been a failure. Iran’s continued rejection of all western diplomatic offers demonstrates graphically that President Obama’s policy of engagement likewise has been a dismal failure. Nearly three-quarters of a year ago, this writer suggested that Obama follow a different course in order to achieve his goals.[1] Despite being awarded the Nobel Peace prize, it’s time to for the White House to recognize that peace requires more homework than either the president’s team performed, or did the team of his predecessor, despite genuine good intentions on the part of both groups. After all, we are talking about the Middle East, where history is measured in millennia and not in single years or decades.

 A large part of the Palestinian–Israeli conflict is exacerbated by the extremist position of the Palestinian Moslem Brotherhood, aka Hamas, which categorically denies any and all legitimacy to the State of Israel and continually declares its intention to eradicate the Jewish state, a goal stated clearly in its charter.[2] Similarly, strife between Israel and its northern neighbor Lebanon has been provoked by the activities of the Shiite resistance organization Hezbollah, whose cross-border attack on an Israeli army patrol sparked the three week Lebanon War of July 2006. Both Hamas and Hezbollah receive training, financial support and huge amounts of arms and explosives from their benefactor and patron, the regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

 The Islamic Republic of Iran has been gripped by an unprecedented level of social ferment for the last eight months since the fraudulent election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to a second term of the presidency. Despite the problems at home, the regime has cranked up its aid and supply to Hezbollah and Hamas, the recent dramatic discoveries of weapons smuggling including the mid-January 2009 unidentified air-strike in the northern Sudan on a truck convoy smuggling arms into Egypt for transport to Gaza[3], the January 20, 2009 search of the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea by a combined U.S.-Egyptian naval task force searching for the Iranian freighter M/V Monchegorsk, aka M/V Iran-Hedayat renamed en route as the Panamanian-registered M/V Famagustus loaded with an estimated 60 tons of arms meant for Hamas in Gaza[4], the January 23, 2009 boarding of an Iranian freighter flying the Cypriot flag with weapons discovered in its hold, bound for Latakia, Syria, the cargo either intended for Hamas in Gaza or Hezbollah in Lebanon[5], the sinking in the Red Sea of an Iranian vessel transporting arms to Gaza in mid-April 2009[6], and most dramatically, the Israeli capture of the Antigua-flagged freighter M/V Francop, carrying hundreds of tons of Iranian arms bound for Hezbollah via Syria[7].

 The preceding short list of interdicted Iranian arms shipments to Hamas and Hezbollah should serve to make it crystal clear that the Ali Khamenei regime of Iran is actively pouring fuel on the fire in the conflicts between Israel and the Palestinians as well as that between Israel and the Lebanese who are being held hostage by Iran’s proxy, Hezbollah[8].

 As any firefighter knows, the first thing to do in fighting a fire is to cut the oxygen and fuel supplies that are feeding the inferno. It’s time for Obama and the State Department, as well as the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Lady Catherine Ashton, to visit Texas and take a lesson from the ghost of legendary oil-well firefighter “Red” Adair in how to put out fires: cut the fuel supply! If one wants to solve the Israel-Palestine conflict, cut off the fuel to the terrorists that have been torpedoing every attempt to bridge the gaps between the opposing parties. And today it is the Iranian regime that is supplying the gasoline to intensify the flames of conflict.

 With Iran itself in flames due to the courageous supporters of the “Green Revolution” that now seek to finally end the three-decade nightmare of radical Islamic theological rule that has engulfed Iran, the U.S. and the E.U. should be doing the utmost to support the Iranian people’s attempt to bring about regime change[9]. Specifically it’s time to apply a very strict regime of sanctions against Iran[10]—cutting off everything other than food and medicines. The argument that such sanctions only hurt the people but not the regime is faulty as these sanctions are meant to cause the lower classes to turn against the regime for its mismanagement of the oil wealth. The recent vote of the Iranian Majlis (parliament) to end a three-decade old program of subsidies for food and fuel[11] has already caused the level of discontent to rise dramatically[12]. Strict sanctions and embargoes of Iran will ratchet up the pressure on the Iranian economy to the point where the working class will be fed up with a regime that spends its wealth on building nuclear weaponry, suppressing its citizenry[13], and financing world-wide terrorism[14]. From the beginning of the protests the street demonstrations regularly repeat the chant “Na ghazeh na lobnan janam fadai iran”—“Neither Gaza nor Lebanon is our business; no to Gaza and no to Lebanon. Iran is our business, and I give my life for that!”[15]—indicating the popular displeasure with the Iranian regime’s support of Hamas, Hezbollah, and Hizballah-Iraq. Although it has been clear to the Iranian resistance movement for years, the popular press is now reporting that at best 10-15% of the Iranian population supports the current regime[16]. 

Given the information just sited, it should be clear that any regime change in Iran that removes the theocratic mullah regime and its valeyat-e faqih (rule of the Islamic jurisprudent) doctrine would not only be an improvement for Iran itself, but would put a stop to the exportation of Khomeinism (i.e., Islamic revolutionary fundamentalism). Hezbollah/Hizbullah-Iraq would wither for a lack of funds and direction, and Hamas would find its threat capabilities severely diminished for lack of funding and supply of weaponry. With these Iranian proxies removed or seriously curtailed, the Palestinian populace would have a chance to decide whether or not it wants genuine peace with Israel. 

However, there remains another hurdle to cross before peace can become a realistic goal. It applies to both parties to the Israel-Palestine conflict, but there is a greater problem currently on the Palestinian side. I am referring to the problem of corruption. The Palestinian electorate didn’t vote for Hamas in 2006 because it wanted to be governed by sharia law, but because it was thoroughly disgusted with the endemic corruption of Fatah. Despite the trouncing that Fatah took at the polls in 2006, it has done almost nothing to reform itself in the meantime. Baqshish (bribery) is the order of the day, and forget about accountability or transparency[17]. As a result, Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestinian Authority, peopled as it is with Fatah fat-cats[18], has little popularity with the average Palestinian. Until that situation changes, Islamic radicals will be able to seduce the average Palestinian voter to support Islamist parties that promise justice, law and order[19].

Although Israel doesn’t suffer the degree of corruption that does the Palestinian Authority, it too, could benefit greatly from greater transparency and accountability[20]. Too many political figures in Israel operate under a cloud of suspicion of financial misdeeds[21].

There remains another area that must be encountered before peace talks have any chance of success. I refer to the subject of incitement. Predominantly a problem from the Palestinian side[22], but not exclusively so[23], incitement to violence against the other remains a critical barrier to peace. Although the “Roadmap” of 2003 discussed the need to end incitement[24], non-compliance by extremists (on both sides) has prevented progress in traveling the map which originally envisioned a completed solution by 2005[25].

When the above mentioned steps have been implemented, then honest parties on both sides of the conflict will be able to find ways to make the necessary compromises to bring about a solution agreement that lays the groundwork for genuine peace and cooperation. But if these steps are disregarded or sidestepped, peace will remain just as elusive as it has been for the past sixty-two years. 

Rabbi Daniel M. Zucker is founder and Chairman of the Board of Americans for Democracy in the Middle-East, a grassroots organization dedicated to teaching our elected officials and the public of the dangers posed by Islamic fundamentalism and the need to establish in the Middle-East genuine democratic institutions that promote the dignity of the individual as an antidote to the venom of fundamentalism. He may be contacted at contact@ADME.ws.