LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِJune 29/2010

Bible Of the Day
Isaiah 10/14
10:1 Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, and to the writers who write oppressive decrees; 10:2 to deprive the needy from justice, and to rob the poor among my people of their rights, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey! 10:3 What will you do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help? Where will you leave your wealth? 10:4 They will only bow down under the prisoners, and will fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

Free Opinions, Releases, letters, Interviews & Special Reports
Lebanese monk Estephan Nehmeh beatified by Vatican/Daily Star/28/10
Shifting Sands/by Ryan Mauro/June 28/10
New Opinion: Should we laugh or cry/Now Lebanon/28 June/10
Who was responsible for the violence in Toronto?/ By Arthur Weinreb/June 28/10

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for June 28/10
Sfeir: Lebanon in Need for Hands, Brains of its Citizens/Naharnet
Sailing of Lebanese Ships to Gaza Postponed/Naharnet
Jumblat's Palestinian Rights' Proposal Came Following Meeting with Assad/Naharnet
Alpha Employee … Israeli Spy for Over 14 Years/Naharnet
Iranian lawmakers to travel on Lebanese aid ships/Daily Star
Venezuela's Chavez: Israel, US 'empire' are foes/The Associated Press
Syria invites Brazil to broker Mideast peace/Ynetnews
Iranian Elections and Hezbollah/Ya Libnan
Lebanon arrests 'suspected spy at mobile phone network'/AFP
Alfa exec arrested on suspicion of spying for Israel/Daily Star
Beirut rally demands Palestinian rights rights/Daily Star
Report: Hariri to Visit Damascus after July 17/Naharnet
Erdogan in Beirut Next Month to Inaugurate Burn Center/Naharnet
Syrian Ambassador: Lebanon-Syria Ties were Not Abnormal in the First Place/Naharnet
Report: U.S. Military Chief Discussed with Israeli Officials Syrian Support for Hizbullah/Naharnet
Lebanon Witnesses Religious Day with Estephan Nehmeh's Beatification/Naharnet
Israel Abducts Shepherd Imad Atwi, Hashem Considers It Blue Line Violation/Naharnet
Thousands Rally in Beirut for Palestinian Refugees Civil Rights/Naharnet
Berri in Damascus Tuesday/Naharnet
 

Four arrested in connection with Zahle blast
June 28, 2010 /Four men have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the June 19 explosion in Zahle which came on the eve of Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir’s historic visit to the city, the National News Agency (NNA) reported on Monday. Government Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr has received the report on the interrogations of the suspects. Saqr transferred the case to the General Prosecutor’s Office of Appeals in the Bekaa after determining the incident was not a “terrorist-related activity,” the NNA said.
-NOW Lebanon

Should we laugh or cry?
June 28, 2010
Now Lebanon/Hezbollah wants “parliamentary, ministerial, popular and legal efforts” to investigate what it is calling an “American defamation campaign,” using an alleged $500 million that it claims was secreted to the Lebanese media over four years to “disfigure Hezbollah’s image in the ranks of the Lebanese youth.” The money was, however, in all probability given to such programs as the Middle East Partner Initiative, or MEPI, run by USAID, and which, according to its website, advances such sinister activities as “democratic reform… women’s empowerment, educational advancement, economic development, and political participation.”
The champions of this witch hunt are Hezbollah MPs Nawwaf al-Moussawi and Kamel al-Rifai, men convinced that the US campaign is “truly scandalous” and “violates Lebanese dignity.” They use words like “collaborator” (as if Lebanon were occupied) and promise to use “state institutions” to provide a comprehensive list of those “people, organizations and clubs” who have been on the take, before finally suing the US administration and its Lebanese beneficiaries.
This is clearly arrant nonsense. Hezbollah is the last organization that should complain either about foreign funding or the corruption and manipulation of youth (especially as its very ideology is predicated on martyrdom and fighting Zionism, both of which are advocated in its schools and youth camps). Neither, for that matter, should it call on the support of a state it has chosen to ignore for a decade.
It is an open secret that Hezbollah receives its own funding, mostly from Iran (an estimated $500 million each year) but also from private donors who believe in, or who feel obliged to support, the cause. We say “estimated” because this cannot be verified, as there are no official accounts. Again, we don’t know how the money is spent, but it is a fair guess to say that it is used to buy weapons (that have been used, and will in all probability be used again, in a military confrontation with Israel, leading to the deaths of many Lebanese and the destruction of much Lebanese property) as well as to sponsor social, cultural and educational programs.
To pinpoint the hypocrisy of Hezbollah’s whining, one only has to look back to the aftermath of the 2006 war, a conflict fought with Iranian money (although again we can’t be sure), when further funds, again from Iran (this we were told), were donated not to the Lebanese state, but directly to Hezbollah to compensate constituents (Amal families got nothing) who had suffered in the month-long conflict.
When it’s put like that, the positions of Messrs Moussawi and Rifai are suddenly quite shaky, although they would probably use the blanket panacea that any monies used to confront the Zionist entity are by their very nature legitimate and underwritten with a mightier and more moral pen. US funds, on the other hand, even those that are audited and above board, are clearly part of a Zionist plot to destabilize Lebanon from the inside.
Staying with destabilization, it is a bit rich for Hezbollah to suddenly invoke the mechanisms of state – parliament, the cabinet and the legislature – to uncover this alleged nest of collaborators, when the party has always ignored the Lebanese state and its good offices.
It ignored the state in 2006 when it took Lebanon to war with Israel without consulting parliament; it ignored the state between November 2006 and June 2008, when it disrupted economic and social life by occupying the downtown area; and it ignored the state when it tried to overthrow it on May 7, 2008 by bringing murder and mayhem to the streets of Beirut and other parts of the country.
Now Hezbollah wants to use the state to further its own propaganda? One doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Ziad Baroud
June 28, 2010
On June 27, the Lebanese National News Agency carried the following report:
Minister of Interior and Municipalities Ziad Baroud pointed out we were facing major challenges in Lebanon, because our country’s border is not fully controlled and because there are armed groups on the Lebanese domestic arena. In statements to Voix du Liban [Voice of Lebanon] radio station, he addressed security incidents which occurred during the last few days, from the Zahle explosion to the distribution of the flyers of strife in East Saida and the Zuaitariya incident in Fanar, reminding us that the only direction of arms was toward the Israeli enemy. He stressed that the country could not proceed with “nagging” because what was happening in Lebanon could happen in the most advanced countries: “We are seeking a zero crime rate in Lebanon.”
Regarding the Zuaitariya incident, Minister Baroud pointed out that the army handled the incident with strictly, adding that this was the way to treat these events in a drastic way. He continued in this context that it was prohibited to use these arms on the domestic arena, considering that their direction should solely be “toward the Israeli enemy.” He assured that the choice of the state was that of security and the safety of the citizens, stating there were certain locations where this issue must be contained and stressing the presence of political forces which are trying to make sure that these violations do not occur... Regarding the Zahle explosion, the Interior Minister said that had there been a cause for concern, he would not have travelled abroad, stressing he was in permanent coordination with President Michel Sleiman and Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri.
He indicated: “The timing of the explosion was clearly suspicious because it occurred on the eve of Patriarch Sfeir’s visit to Zahle,” asking however to wait for the outcome of investigations because the situation might not be as it appeared… We have great trust in the army and the security forces which are deploying efforts extending beyond their capabilities due to their will and determination to protect the people,” stressing that it was the duty of the state to protect citizens and uphold their safety, whether on the road, in shops or in their movements. On the other hand, Minister Baroud revealed the presence of leads which might have results from the flyers that were distributed in villages east of Saida, assuring that these flyers were not a source of concern for several reasons, including the fact that the Muslim partner was as worried about the Christians as it was about itself, which constituted a major guarantee.
He added in this context that the reaction seen on the Islamic level was enough to eliminate any confusion in regard to this issue. He also indicated that this issue was limited, and was neither programmed nor part of a plan, continuing: “What reassures me is that the Christian presence is an active and historic one which is not only passing through. The Christians testify for their history and their partnership with the Muslims…” He stated that the building of the state was still far, stressing however the necessity for the Lebanese to uphold their identity before any other. In the meantime, he said that the prize he received in Spain proved that the public sector could compete with the private sector, praising the efforts exerted by the unknown employees who helped him in the ministry and who deserve this prize. In this context, he called for the drawing up of plans that could be implemented in order to restore trust in the hearts of the Lebanese people and make them hold on to their country.
On the other hand, he stated that the traffic crisis required a surgical operation, praising the efforts of Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri in this regard. He expressed surprise toward the non-existence of public transportation means in the capital, and the non-creation of highways since the sixties, with a few minor exceptions, demanding the building of a circular highway to enter Beirut and the restoration of the railway road… Regarding the obstructions facing dialogue and the dialogue activities, he said that the activities were ongoing but that dialogue which did not exist in the past was now being held at the level of the Cabinet and the parliament, although at insufficient levels. He thus called for recalling that the government is one of partnership and that it constituted dialogue in itself, but that this dialogue was not strategic because certain things required a board of directors and not a ministerial council.
Asked about the dialogue table, Minister Baroud believes it provides the minimum acceptable level of discussions that should be taking place, especially since it was sponsored by the president of the republic with the participation of all the sides, stressing the necessity not to relinquish it until another solution for the discussion is found on the institutional level… On the other hand, he stated it was necessary to benefit from the right moment on the domestic and regional levels, cautioning: “If we do not benefit from it to build relations of trust and draw up some sort of protocol to resolve our disputes, we would be in states that are not worth living.” Regarding the electricity plan and talk about quotas which accompanied it, Minister Baroud differentiated between the allocation of shares and concord, excluding the existence of quotas at this level and calling for the completion of the plan so that it is executed…


Who was responsible for the violence in Toronto?
By Arthur Weinreb
Monday, June 28, 2010
Canada Free Press
It could have been worse. Major damage arising from the protests against the G8 and G20 only occurred during Saturday’s protests and marches. While there were many more arrests made on Sunday, no major damage to the city occurred on that day.
On Saturday, four police cruisers were torched. Windows of banks and of course Starbucks were smashed along with that of other businesses including mom and pop stores. Bottles and other objects were thrown at police by the mainly white middle class punks who are known as anarchists.
One fact that is not in dispute is that there was a large police contingent; made up of police officers from all over Canada, on both days of the protests. So there must be a reason why major damage was done on Saturday but not on Sunday.
Real responsibility lies with the Ontario Federation of Labour and other groups
So who was responsible for all the violence? Well, the anarchists themselves, many of whom came from far away with the sole purpose of damaging private and public property. These pampered children rail against, among other things “big oil” that surely must be happy at all the gas they used to get here. Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the police will certainly be blamed for the massive police presence that the left will argue provoked the peaceful protesters into taking action. But the real responsibility lies with the Ontario Federation of Labour and other groups who organized their family-friendly demonstration in which approximately 10,000 people took part in.
It’s all about “rights” and nothing about “responsibilities”
Yes, they had a “right” to demonstrate. Every time Toronto Mayor David Miller and his politically correct police chief opened their mouths, their comments were always prefaced with the phrase that people have the right to demonstrate. The organizers of Saturday’s protests clearly illustrate what’s wrong with society today; it’s all about “rights” and nothing about “responsibilities”.
From what had transpired during past G8 and G20 summits, these organizers knew or ought to have known that anarchists and other groups that were bent on destruction would use the peaceful march as a cover to remain hidden until they felt the time was right to wreak havoc and cause wanton destruction. These labour unions hold demonstrations, marches and protests all the time and they had a right to protest but they didn’t have to protest on that particular day. The truth is that even though they intended to march and demonstrate peacefully, the only rational conclusion that can be drawn is that they really didn’t mind facilitating the anarchists’ objectives of doing significant property damage in downtown Toronto. The organizers and their supporters that included families with little children acted as useful idiots for all those who were intent on causing as much damage as possible.
The organizers of the peaceful demonstration justified their holding the march by saying that they had a message that they wanted to deliver to the G20 leaders. What a croc! Whatever their message was, the leaders were safely tucked away, unable to hear it. The leaders will only know what they picked up from the media.
The media. Sticking to the principle of “if it bleeds, it leads,” most of the media focused on the damage, especially the torched police cars. If the focus was not the damage or the many standoffs between the police and protesters, it was to tell the stories of the poor little dears who were arrested. We learned from some of the media that they were all innocent. INN O CENT! And in case anyone who is reading this spent the entire weekend watching CP24, there actually was a summit held in Toronto where world leaders discussed issues like the economy. They were on the other side of the fence.
The organizers of the demonstration knew or ought to have known that their message had virtually no chance of getting out this past weekend, with the anarchists in town.
On Sunday, when there was no large peaceful demonstration for the little punks to hide in there was virtually no damage done. Those who organized and took part in the organized march on Saturday facilitated the damage that was done to the city; without them it would not have occurred. But they will never acknowledge that fact.
Yes, they had a right to demonstrate; but they took no responsibility aiding and sheltering those who caused the damage. It’s too much to expect the peaceful people to take any responsibility.
They could have held a massive rally and marched on any other weekend and had a better chance of getting their message out. But that’s just too much to ask.
 

Alpha Employee … Israeli Spy for Over 14 Years
/Naharnet/Confessions made by mobile telephone network technician Charbel Q. not only showed he spied for the Israeli Mossad secret service, but also the seriousness of the work he did for the Israelis over the past 14 years in his capacity as both an Alpha employee and communications ministry staffer.Lebanese security sources described Charbel's arrest as a "very valuable treasure.""This is more than a hefty catch. This is the very most precious treasure in terms of services and data the detainee has been providing Israel all those years," one security official told As-Safir newspaper in remarks published Monday. Preliminary investigations with Charbel showed that the Israelis instructed him with installing technical equipment across the entire Alpha stations which helped provide Israel with frequencies, thus, making it able to monitor Alpha mobile phone calls. Investigators are trying to pin down Charbel's accomplices, given that more than a technical expert noted that the detainee may be head of a network himself or part of a larger network or system.
Beirut, 28 Jun 10, 11:07

Nahhas Says Alfa 'Technician' Arrested, Not Head of Transmission and Broadcast Dept.
Naharnet/Telecommunications Minister Charbel Nahhas denied that the army intelligence had arrested a key employee at the mobile telephone network operator Alfa on charges of spying for Israel, as had been reported in Lebanese media on Sunday. "Last Thursday, a technician who works for the Alfa company was arrested by the security services," the minister told Agence France Presse on Sunday. "An investigation has been opened into possible collaboration (between the person) and Israel," Nahhas said.
The military intelligence directorate of the Lebanese Army has arrested the head of the transmission and broadcast department of Alfa -- one of the two operating GSM networks in Lebanon – on charges of providing Israel with sensitive information that can harm Lebanon's national security, Ad-Diyar newspaper reported Sunday.
Lebanon has arrested more than 70 people since launching a major crackdown in April 2009 against suspected Israeli spy networks, including security force members with equipment for monitoring communications. Israel has not commented on the arrests. Lebanon and Israel remain technically in a state of war, and convicted spies face life in prison with hard labor or the death penalty if found guilty of contributing to Lebanese loss of life.(Naharnet-AFP) Beirut, 27 Jun 10, 20:43

Sailing of Lebanese Ships to Gaza Postponed
Naharnet/The sailing of two aid ships from Lebanon to Gaza has been postponed till further notice, pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat reported Monday. It said latest contacts led to the decision to postpone the sailing of "Julia" and "Maryam," scheduled to set sail for the Gaza Strip soon, particularly after Iran cancelled sending two aid ships to the Israeli-blockaded enclave. Beirut, 28 Jun 10, 09:39

Sfeir: Lebanon in Need for Hands, Brains of its Citizens
Naharnet/Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir on Monday expressed dismay over the Lebanese split.
"Lebanon is in need for the hands and brains of its citizens," he told visitors. Beirut, 28 Jun 10, 12:01

Jumblat's Palestinian Rights' Proposal Came Following Meeting with Assad
Naharnet/A proposal by MP Walid Jumblat to give Palestinian refugees in Lebanon their civil rights was reportedly discussed during a visit by the Druze leader to Syria.
Pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat on Monday, citing sources in Jumblat's Democratic Gathering parliamentary bloc, said the offer was discussed with Syrian President Bashar Assad during Jumblat's first visit to Syria following a five-year hiatus. It said Assad, at the time, urged Jumblat to act as assistant to Change and Reform Bloc leader Gen. Michel Aoun by carrying out direct contact with him or through his ally, Hizbullah. The sources said Aoun showed understanding when Jumblat raised the Palestinian issue with him during the first meeting between the two men in Mukhtara. Aoun, however, reportedly expressed reservations about the issue to give Palestinians freedom of movement in terms of travel abroad in the event they had opportunities to work. Beirut, 28 Jun 10, 09:21

Report: Hariri to Visit Damascus after July 17
Naharnet/Prime Minister Saad Hariri's visit to Damascus at the head of a ministerial delegation is expected to take place between July 17 and 23, informed sources told An Nahar daily. The sources ruled out a possible visit on July 5-6 given the busy schedule of the Syrian leadership. Syria's al-Watan daily said Sunday that Hariri would travel to Damascus between July 5 and 6 after the administrative and technical committee put its remarks on 15 agreements and prepared eight other deals. Al-Watan also said that a Lebanese delegation will hold talks in Damascus on Monday and Tuesday to continue discussions on an agreement that controls the movement of people and the transport of goods. Beirut, 28 Jun 10, 08:30

Erdogan in Beirut Next Month to Inaugurate Burn Center
Naharnet/Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to visit Beirut on July 16 to inaugurate the biggest center for the treatment of burns suffered during wartime in the southern port city of Sidon. Al-Liwaa daily said Monday that Erdogan would make a two-day visit to Lebanon during which he would also sign agreements with his Lebanese counterpart Saad Hariri. The deal over the agreements was reached during Hariri's visit to Turkey earlier in the month. Beirut, 28 Jun 10, 09:11

Turkey Closes Airspace to Some Israeli Military Flights
Naharnet/Turkey has closed its airspace to some Israeli military flights following a deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship, the Turkish prime minister and officials said Monday. An official said civilian commercial flights were not affected. Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters in Toronto that Turkey imposed a ban on Israeli flights after the May 31 raid on a Turkish ship that was part of a six-vessel international aid flotilla, according to the state-run Anatolia news agency. The prime minister, who is in Canada to attend a summit of the Group of 20 major industrial and developing nations, did not elaborate. A Turkish government official said, however, that the ban was for Israeli military flights and that commercial flights were not affected. It was not a blanket ban and each flight request would be assessed case-by-case, the official added.
On Sunday, Israel's Yediot Ahronot newspaper reported that Turkey had not allowed a plane carrying Israeli military officers, en route to a tour of memorial sites in Auschwitz, Poland, to fly over Turkish airspace. The transport plane, with more than 100 officers on board, was forced to make a detour, the paper said. The Israeli military "refrained from responding officially to the event so not to exacerbate the rift in relations," the newspaper added. The Israeli prime minister's office had no comment on Erdogan's statements.
Eight Turks and a Turkish-American were killed in the raid that drew Turkish outrage and widespread international condemnation.
The aid ships were sailing to Gaza to break an Israeli blockade that it said it imposed to keep weapons and other military components out of the hands of Gaza militants who have attacked Israel with bombs, rockets and mortars for years. Israel insists troops involved in the deadly raid acted in self-defense after being attacked by some of the activists on board.
Turkey, which had a close alliance with Israel until the three-week Gaza war, which ended in early 2009, withdrew its ambassador and canceled joint military drills in response to the raid. It has said it will not return its ambassador and will reduce military and trade ties unless Israel apologizes for the raid. It also wants Israel to return the seized aid ships, agree to an international investigation and offer compensation for the victims. "Up to now, we have done whatever is necessary within the rules of law — whether national or international — and we will continue to do so," Anatolia quoted Erdogan as saying, adding that ties with Israel could return to normal if the Jewish state meets Turkey's demands.
"We are not interested in making a show. We don't desire such a thing and we have been very patient in the face of these developments," he said, according to Anatolia.
Israel has objected to an international inquiry into the operation and has set up its own investigative commission that includes two foreign observers.(AP)  Beirut, 28 Jun 10, 12:40

Lebanese monk Estephan Nehmeh beatified by Vatican
Thousands of faithful gather at Kfifan ceremony
By Antoine Amrieh
Daily Star correspondent
Monday, June 28, 2010
KFIFAN, Batroun: Lebanese Maronite monk Estephan Nehmeh was beatified by the Vatican on Sunday as thousands of the faithful gathered outside the Monastery of Kfifan in the mounatains of the northern district of Batroun.
Archbishop Angelo Amato, special envoy of Pope Benedict XVI, read the papal decree bestowing the title of “blessed” on Estephan Nehmeh (1889-1938), who devoted his life to “meditative prayer and unlimited service to the poorest.”
The beatification of the monk was approved after doctors appointed by the Holy See in 2007 certified the “miraculous” cure of his niece, Sister Marina, from cancer.
The bedridden Sister Marina, 95, attended Sunday’s ceremony. Sick for 30 years, it was she who prayed to her dead uncle to intercede for her.
Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir presided over the ceremony at the Saint Justine and Saint Cyprien monastery in Kfifan, where Nehmeh’s mummified body was on display in a glass coffin.
President Michel Sleiman, who is also a Maronite, and Prime Minister Saad Hariri, a Sunni Muslim, attended, along with other political figures and a huge crowd estimated by the organizers at thousands.
“We are happy with saints that lived among us and equally to us on this land but our happiness becomes overwhelming if we follow their path and become like them,” Sfeir told the crowds.
Kfifan is also the home of Saint Nehmtallah Hardini while the neighboring monastery of Jrebta is home to Saint Rafqa.
Since the early hours of the morning, roads to Kfifan were packed with cars and buses transporting believers to the location as thousands parked miles away from the monastery to take the journey on foot.
Triumph arcs, Lebanese flags and slogans welcoming the patriarch and hailing Nehmeh were lifted in the mountainous towns leading to Kfifan.
Marches to the monastery started Saturday night from nearby towns and villages and Nehmeh’s hometown Lehfed.
Among the faithful who attended the ceremony, expatriates from Australia, Canada, the US, Europe and Mexico came to participate in the beatification of Nehmeh.
The Internal Security Forces and the Lebanese Army deployed all along the road from Beirut to Kfifan and secured the monastery’s parameters as participants were searched before being allowed entry to participate in the ceremony.
Giant screens were also erected in the monastery’s yard to allow the crowds to follow-up with the ceremony as the faithful voiced prayers.
At the opening of the Mass, Sfeir asked the papal delegate permission before beatifying Nehmeh. “The Maronite Church and the Order of Lebanese Monks asked the Holy Pope Benedict XVI to beatify Lebanese Maronite Monk Estephan Nehmeh,” Sfeir said.
“We are happy to welcome you as the pope’s envoy to head in his name the ceremony to beatify monk Estephan Nehmeh. This occasion is a very joyful one for Lebanon and particularly the Maronite community despite the country’s small size and population,” he added.
For his part, Amato highlighted Lebanon’s importance from a religious and historic perspective as a sanctuary for Christianity given the dynamic role of the Christian community and the large number of religious sites.
“We should be grateful to Pope Benedict XVI for his gift to the Lebanese people through the beatification of brother Estephan since this is a new page of sanctity that is added to the bright pages that Saint Charbel, Sainte Rafqa and Saint Neamtallah Hardini drew,” Amato said.
“We should follow the path of faith, love and sacrifice of Estephan and practice our faith and seek perfection similarly to the Cedars of Lebanon,” Amato said.
Meanwhile, head of the Lebanese Order of Maronite Monks Elias Khalife said Nehmeh represented the humanitarian and Christian values of the Maronite Church.
Khalife also hailed the Maronite patriarch, Sleiman and Hariri who attended the ceremony “that made Lebanese Christians and Muslims happy.”

The life and journey of Estephan Nehme
By Robert Cusack
Special to The Daily Star
Monday, June 28, 2010
BEIRUT: Located 950 meters above sea level in a wooded area rich in groundwater and natural sunlight, the mountain village of Lehfed (meaning “The flat land” in Aramaic) would appear to the casual visitor beautiful if not dissimilar to its surrounding neighbors.
Occupied in succession by the Phoenicians and Byzantines, Lehfed was then inhabited by Syriac and Maronite Christians. Its calm and tranquil environment combined with its hidden location was felt by many Christians to be an ideal location in which one could lead a life of devout existence.
It was in this village that Youssef Nehme, recently beatified by the Catholic Church, was born on March 8, 1889, to his Christian parents Estephanos Bou Haykal Nehme and Christina Badawi Hanna Khaled.
He was the youngest son of six children and according to sources was apparently loved and pampered by all; in short, and for want of better information, it could be said that he had an uncharacteristically happy and loving childhood.
As a child, Nehme preferred solitude and prayer to gatherings and parties and it would appear that from a young age that he would meditate and pray in silence in the woods surrounding his home.
It was at this age that Nehme adopted his life’s prayer – the reminder “God can see me,” that remains his most famous mantra. It is said that later in his life Nehme intensified this prayer through imagining that God was watching him like a foreman and would work and live at all times accordingly.
Although from an agricultural background, Nehme learned to read and write at the village school and in the Maronite school “Our Lady of Grace” in the town of Sakii Rishmaya nearby.
Following the death of his father in 1903, Nehme pertained to becoming a novice monk at the Monastery of Saints Cyprian and Justine in Kfifane nearby at the age of 16 in the year 1905.
It was at this time that Youssef Nehme adopted the name of “Estephanos” after his father’s name and the name of his village’s patron saint.
Following two years in the Novitiate, Nehme adopted the cassock and became a monk after taking his vows on August 23, 1907.
He then became an associate brother, where he worked as a carpenter and in construction as well as with agriculture in the Monastery’s fields.
Nehme then spent the rest of his life working in silence in the Lebanese Maronite Order as the head of the gardens and fields in the monasteries in which he lived.
According to his biographers at “Our Lady of Good Help,” Nehme changed monasteries on occasion – he lived firstly at the monastery of “Our Lady” in Mayfouk for 12 years, before spending 10 years at the “Monastery of Notre Dame des Secours” in Jbeil and 10 months in“Saint Antonios” in Hoob.
He also served at “Saint Challita” monastery in Kattara and “Saint Maroun” in Aanaya.
It is said that he braved through the harsh realities that presented themselves during World War I in Lebanon, preferring instead to reflect inward on the pains of Christ and upon thoughts of the divine. It is felt by some that this is a just summary of his life’s philosophy and mission.
Having suffered from extreme sunstroke and exhaustion caused by his monastic lifestyle, Nehme suffered a severe fever that eventually lead to an apoplexy and his untimely death at the age of only 49.
Following his death, Reverend Father Antonios Nehme, superior of Kfifane monastery wrote in his epitaph: “He left the perishable life on Tuesday at 7 pm on the 30 of August, Brother Estephan Nehme the Lehfedian. He was a brother who worked diligently and zealously for the benefit of the monastery benefit. He was of strong built, good health, peaceful, far from hostilities, modest, knowledgeable in handwork, reserving his duties and attached to his vows, accomplishing his requirements the best way.”

Iranian lawmakers to travel on Lebanese aid ships
Monday, June 28, 2010
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TEHRAN: Iranian lawmakers, protesting at Israel’s blockade of Gaza, plan to travel on an aid ship that is preparing to leave from Lebanon, an official said on Saturday. Lebanon said last week it would allow a Gaza-bound ship called the Julia to sail, via Cyprus, despite warnings from Israel that it reserved the right to use all necessary means to stop ships that tried to sail from Lebanon to Gaza.
Mahmoud Ahmadi-Beighash, a member of the Iranian Parliament’s national security and foreign policy committee, said Iranian Parliament delegates could sail on the ship rather than attempt to enter Gaza via Egypt.
“A ship is going from Lebanon to Gaza in the course of the current week and the lawmakers are following up to go to Gaza via this ship,” he said in comments carried by semi-official news agency ISNA.
Ahmadi-Beighash said the decision to use the ship in Lebanon rather than Egypt’s land border with Gaza was taken in a meeting with Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani.
Ships with Iranian aid for Gaza left this month but it was not clear if they would unload in Egypt.
Earlier this year, Egypt refused permission to an Iranian aid boat to unload after an Israeli warship told the aid boat to leave as it approached the coastal enclave of Gaza.
Israel has announced steps to ease a land blockade of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, after an international outcry over an Israeli commando raid in May on an aid flotilla that killed nine pro-Palestinian activists.
The Israeli blockade was conceived more than three years ago as a way of suffocating popular support for Hamas, which refuses to recognize Israel and which seized control of Gaza in 2007.
Israel suspects Iran of supplying Hamas with weapons. Iran is under UN sanctions for its nuclear energy program, which the West suspects is a cover for developing nuclear weapons.
The sanctions included the inspection of Iranian vessels but Head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines Hussein Dijmal declared that no Iranian ship has been inspected so far. He then confirmed, “the movement of Iranian ships is regular despite some reports that Iranian vessels will be inspected. The European Union has not yet enforced its decision.” – Reuters

Alfa exec arrested on suspicion of spying for Israel
Monday, June 28, 2010
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BEIRUT: Lebanese security authorities have arrested a senior executive at state-owned mobile telecom firm Alfa on suspicion of spying for Israel, security sources said on Sunday.
“Army intelligence officials are questioning him. They have also arrested another ‘valuable catch,’” one of the sources told Reuters, without elaborating.
The army has refused to comment. No one was available at Alfa to comment.
Lebanese newspaper Ad-Diyar said army intelligence had arrested Alfa’s head of transmissions and broadcasting with the charge of “supplying Israel with sensitive information that harm Lebanese national security.”
Ad-Diyar, which did not mention a source, said the executive was detained on Thursday and army intelligence officials were questioning him to find out who else had been working with him.
“His job is a sensitive position because he is able to access information that few others can get,” Ad-Diyar said.
The sources did not identify the suspect’s name to Reuters and Ad-Diyar only released his initials as “S. K.” Lebanon began a wave of arrests in April 2009 as part of an espionage investigation in which dozens of people have been arrested on suspicion of spying for Israel. A retired brigadier general of the General Security directorate was among the high profile detentions. More than 20 people have been formally charged.
Earlier this week a Palestinian refugee was also arrested.
Telecommunications in Lebanon are a sensitive issue. Politicians in the past have accused each other of eavesdropping on telephone calls.
In 2008, the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora had accused Hizbullah in 2008 of violating Lebanon’s sovereignty by operating a private telecommunications network, an accusation that in part sparked street fighting and brought the country to the brink of civil war.
Israel has not commented on any of the arrests.
Hizbullah, which fought a war with Israel in 2006, has called for the death penalty for all suspects convicted of spying for Israel.
Senior Lebanese security officials have said the arrests dealt a major blow to Israel’s spying networks in Lebanon and that many of the suspects played key roles in identifying Hizbullah targets that were bombed during the 2006 war.
Other suspects have been charged with monitoring senior Hizbullah officials. A Lebanese arrested on suspicion of spying for Israel confessed in March to having helped in the assassination of a Hizbullah commander in 2004. – Reuters

Beirut rally demands Palestinian rights rights
By Simona Sikimic
Daily Star staff
Monday, June 28, 2010
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BEIRUT: Thousands of demonstrators descended on Downtown Beirut Sunday to pressure the government into granting full civil and economic rights to the 400,000 Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon.
Groups from the country’s 12 Palestinian refugee camps joined with politicians, activists as well as Lebanese and Palestinian NGOs in pushing for the right to work and the right to own property, but outrightly rejecting the granting of citizenship or tawteen.
Calls to improve access to the Nahr al-Bared camp, which has remained under strict military guard since the outbreak of hostilities between the army and extremist group Fatah al-Islam in 2007, also featured prominently in the event.
The demonstration, thought to have numbered over 5,000, took place outside of the UN headquarters. It was originally scheduled for outside Parliament but permission was denied by the army, organizers said.
“This day is vitally important,” Abdullah Abdullah, the Palestinian ambassador to Lebanon, told The Daily Star.
“Firstly it shows how much Palestinians are determined to live with dignity,” he said.
“Secondly it gives assurances for all those who have concerns that granting us our rights will not impact on the politics in Lebanon,” he added. “It does not upset the balance and it will not take anything from the economy of the country.
Representatives for the Lebanese Communist Party, the Progressive Socialist Party and the Fatah Movement all spoke or at the event.
Luisa Morgantini, former vice president of the European Parliament and chair of the Delegation for relations with the Palestinian Legislative Council addressed the crowd through a pre-recorded message, saying: “The international community employs double standards.”
“Even the EU says that the occupation is illegal,” she added. “We must work for the rights of Palestinian people but [there are] no real measures and acts to stop the occupation.”
She also called for unity from the Lebanese and Palestinian people, but also for within the Palestinian community, which remains fiercely divided between Hamas, which controls Gaza, and Fatah, which is in administrative control of the West Bank.
The Future Movement, which organizers claim had promised to send speakers, and who have publicly come out in support of the right to work, failed to send representatives.
The protest culminated with the low-key delivery of a petition to Adnan Daher, Secretary General of the Lebanese Parliament.
The petition calls for the right to own property, the right to mobility and the elimination of Article 59 of the work law, which restricts the Palestinian right to work.
Plans for further action remain to be finalized but organizers are currently discussing arranging an additional protest timed to coincide with the next parliamentary debate on Palestinian rights, scheduled for July 5.
The original draft for reform of Palestinian rights was presented to Parliament by Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt. The draft proposition was rejected by a coalition of Christian parties who fear that granting rights will be the first step to full naturalization. Despite remaining marginalized in many cases, Palestinian refugees living in Syria, Jordan and other parts of the Arab world have largely been granted equal citizenship rights, if not given outright nationality,
“This is a big first step toward achieving the human rights of Palestinian people,” said Marwan Abdel-Aal, member of the political bureau of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and a speaker at Sunday’s event. “This is a big message from all the Lebanese people. It is the first time Lebanese groups have participated like this.”


Shifting Sands
by Ryan Mauro
Jun 28th, 2010
http://frontpagemag.com/2010/06/28/shifting-sands/
The U.S. position in the Middle East is quickly slipping as an image of Western weakness is convincing important actors that it is in their best interest to invest their future with the bloc of Iran and Syria. While some Arabs are choosing to embrace Israel backstage, this is because of the fear that an Israeli strike on Iran is their last hope before being forced to capitulate. If Tehran is viewed as the new dominant power, Israel will find itself alone and the West will have to contend with a region of countries too afraid to resist the demands of Iran and Syria.
Jordanian and Egyptian officials are anonymously complaining about the display of U.S. weakness, saying they can only conclude that they must oppose American policy in order to be treated properly.
“Only if you’re tough with America and adopt an anti-U.S. stance will the U.S. have a more flexible attitude and pay you,” an Egyptian official told WorldNetDaily.com.
“No matter what the Syrians do, how they declare all the time they are allied with Iran, the U.S. is trying harder and harder to attract Syria and offer them more,” a Jordanian was quoted as saying in the same report.
Members of the Syrian, Lebanese and Iranian democratic opposition movements affirm that they’ve been discouraged by the U.S. attitude since President Bush’s second term and even more so since the Obama Administration came into power. The Obama Administration has announced that it has chosen Robert Ford to serve as the ambassador to Syria, restoring diplomatic relations after Syrian President Bashar Assad openly laughed off reports of Syria exiting its alliance with Iran.
Iraq has actually taken a harder stance against Syria’s support for terrorism than the United States. Last fall, a crisis developed between the two countries when the al-Maliki government lost its patience with Syria’s support for terrorists in Iraq following massive bombings in Baghdad. The Iraqis tried to build support for a United Nations tribunal to prosecute insurgents and officials in Syria guilty of supporting terrorism. They won the backing of France, but the U.S. declared neutrality, calling it “an internal matter” that should be solved diplomatically.
An official from al-Maliki’s political bloc said their campaign for a U.N. tribunal was actually being resisted by the U.S. The Iraqi Foreign Minister publicly lamented that the U.S. was still sticking to the flawed theory that secular and radical Islamic terrorists won’t cooperate. More recently, the Obama Administration reportedly denied Israel permission to bomb a convoy delivering Scud missiles to Hezbollah.
Farid Ghadry, an Executive Member of the Reform Party of Syria, a U.S.-based group seeking to replace the Assad regime with a democracy, says that the Syrian opposition feels abandoned and demoralized.
“Because of the U.S. policy to engage Syria and neglect the democratic dissidents, the opposition living inside Syria spends its time in and out of jail and the Syrian opposition outside the country has been mostly Jumblattized,” he told FrontPage, referring to Walid Jumblatt, the Lebanese Druze leader who once opposed the Syrian regime but began embracing it in recent years.
Lebanon is a distinct example where the failure of the U.S. to staunchly challenge Syria and Iran has led to political leaders once dedicated to fighting them to switch sides. Dr. Joseph Gebeily, the President of the Lebanese Information Center in the U.S., says that a combination of selfishness and a realization that Hezbollah, Iran and Syria were the dominant players has caused key Lebanese leaders to defect.
Michel Aoun, a Maronite Christian, was once a major opponent of Syrian influence in Lebanon. He was even talked about a potential U.S.-backed President of Lebanon and labeled Hezbollah a terrorist group and Syrian proxy. In 2006, he allied with Hezbollah and visited Syria in 2008, saying “the rivalry has ended.” Dr. Gebeily says Aoun was acting purely out of self-interest and went to what he perceived as the winning side.
Walid Jumblatt, a leader of the Lebanese Druzes, also opposed Hezbollah and boldly asked the U.S. to aid the Syrian opposition seeking to overthrow the Assad regime. Now, he is opposing the disarmament of Hezbollah. He says, “We want neither peace nor a settlement with Israel” and that his prior remarks towards Syria were “improper.”
Jumblatt chose to go to the other side in 2008 after Hezbollah emerged victorious from clashes with supporters of the Lebanese government that opposed Syria. He described himself as a “hostage” in Beirut and surrendered. “Tell Sayeed Hassan Nasrallah I lost the battle and he wins. So let’s sit and talk to reach a compromise. All that I ask is your protection,” he said. Dr. Gebeily says that Jumblatt also saw the Obama Administration as giving the “green light for Syria to return as the power player.”
The same story goes with Saad Hariri, the son of Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri whose assassination in 2005 is widely attributed to Syria and sparked the Cedar Revolution. Now, Hariri meets with the leaders of Syria and Hezbollah and boasts that “a new phase in our relations” with the Assad regime has begun. He has even told Assad that if Hezbollah is accused of killing his father, he will defend the group by saying an “external element” infiltrated the group to carry out the murder.
Dr. Gebeily says that Hariri is also opening up to Syria at the request of the Saudis who wish to lure them from Iran. “Privately, Hariri and Jumblatt said they felt abandoned by the Bush Administration in May 2008, when Hezbollah attacked Sunni Beirut and the Druze mountains,” he said.
Similar dynamics exist in Iraq. Even Iyad Allawi, the secular Shiite leader of the cross-sectarian bloc opposed to Iran, tried to build a relationship with the Iranian government after the election. The Iranian ambassador to Baghdad said that his coalition should have a role in the next Iraqi government, and then a spokesperson for the coalition said they would forbid the use of Iraqi territory to attack Iran. This overture did not produce a closer relationship, as Allawi right now is going to the pages of The Washington Post to plead for U.S. support as Iran tries to manipulate the formation of the next government.
The democratic movement in Iran is also being hurt by a lack of U.S. support. In November, the international spokesman for the Green Movement requested greater U.S. assistance, warning that President Obama would lose his support in the country if he did not support democracy. Indeed, Iranian protestors have ridiculed President Obama, asking him whose side he is on. The demoralization is causing some Iranians to quick protesting. One office manager who opposed the regime directly said, “Why risk our lives to make a change, when it is completely unclear what the outcome will be?”
The country of Qatar, a long-time U.S. ally and host of a major American base, has moved into Iran’s bloc. Last July, the Qatari Chief of Staff met with the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, where they discussed future joint military exercises and solidarity with Iran was declared. Emir al-Thani also met with President Ahmadinejad where he said the Islamic world needed a superpower like Iran.
Some countries, like Egypt and Saudi Arabia, are still holding the line against Iran, but every appearance of American weakness tempts them to join the other side. The movement of Turkey into Iran’s bloc further pressures the rest of the region to stop their struggle against Iranian hegemony. If this trend continues, it will not be long before the remaining bastions against Iranian influence start cutting deals with the enemy.
This article was sponsored by Stand Up America.
**Ryan Mauro is the founder of WorldThreats.com, National Security Advisor to the Christian Action Network, and an intelligence analyst with the Asymmetric Warfare and Intelligence Center.