LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
October 30/12

Bible Quotation for today/Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus
Mark 10/46-52: "They came to Jericho, and as Jesus was leaving with his disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus son of Timaeus was sitting by the road. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus! Son of David! Have mercy on me!” Many of the people scolded him and told him to be quiet. But he shouted even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man. “Cheer up!” they said. “Get up, he is calling you.” So he threw off his cloak, jumped up, and came to Jesus. “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.“Teacher,” the blind man answered, “I want to see again.” “Go,” Jesus told him, “your faith has made you well.”At once he was able to see and followed Jesus on the road."

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
In Lebanon They are all the same/Hazem Saghiyeh/Now Lebanon/October 29/12
What kind of Resistance are we talking about/By: Carlos Eddé/October 29/12
Some people are living in another world/By Emad El Din Adeeb/Asharq Alawsat/October 29/12
Sudan: Absurdity or confrontation/By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat/October 29/12
The Syrian rebels and the media embroilment/By Abdul Rahman Al-Rashid/Asharq Alawsat/October 29/12
Humanitarian Hypocrisy/By Raymond Ibrahim/Investigative Project on Terrorism/October 29/12

No additional suspects in amended STL indictment
October 29, 2012/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: The amended indictment of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon prosecution will not include additional names as previously reported and will have no effect on the start date of the trial in 2013.
“Pre-Trial Judge Daniel Fransen has confirmed the Prosecution's request to amend the indictment,” the U.N.-backed court said via its Twitter feed.
“The new indictment does not include new names or charges and will not have an impact on the start of trial on 25 March 2013,” it added.
Media reports surfaced that new suspects would be added to the indictment that already names four members of Hezbollah of involvement in the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Earlier this year, Fransen rejected on "procedural grounds" a request from the Prosecutor to amend the indictment, which was made on Feb. 8 by former Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare and confirmed by Fransen in June, to add a count of “criminal association.”
On its Twitter feed, the STL also said the changes to the indictment include modification of the list of victims of the car bomb and clarifications to existing allegations as well as corrections to minor mistakes.
Salim Jamil Ayyash, Mustafa Amine Badreddine, Hussein Hassan Oneissi and Assad Hassan Sabrremain remain at large and will be tried in absentia.
Hezbollah has denied the allegations and said that the accused are “honorable men” from the resistance party who will never be apprehended. It has accused the court of being an Israeli-U.S. court aimed at targeting the group.

Israel believes sanctions on Iran hit Hezbollah
October 29, 2012/ By Amy Tiebel/Daily Star
TEL AVIV, Israel: A top Israeli military official says international sanctions against Iran are cutting its flow of aid and weapons to anti-Israel Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. Even so, he says the Lebanese guerrilla group remains a potent force with an arsenal far larger and of higher quality than it possessed during a month long war against Israel in 2006. Speaking Monday, the official said Hezbollah possesses tens of thousands of rockets and missiles capable of striking deep inside Israel. Israel has expressed concerns that Syria's chemical weapons might fall into the hands of Hezbollah as the Syrian civil war deepens. The official said for now, the Syrian government appears to be maintaining control over its chemical weapons arsenals.The official spoke on condition of anonymity under military rules.

Dempsey: Drill proof of US commitment to Israel
By GREER FAY CASHMAN 10/29/2012/ 1Peres says thanks joint US defense chief for profound military cooperation, which he says indicates strong friendship. The current joint US-Israeli military exercise is proof of the Unites States commitment to remain strong and together with Israel, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey said Monday during a meeting with President Shimon Peres. Dempsey emphasized that the military exercise being conducted by the soldiers, pilots and sailors of both countries, is the largest one ever.For his part, Peres thanked Dempsey for what he termed as the profound cooperation between US and Israeli forces, indicating the friendship between the two countries is "at its height and at its best."
"This cooperation is meaningful, politically and militarily." he said. While not ignoring the dangers in the region, Peres stressed that it was important not to overlook the opportunities.
Dempsey arrived in Israel on Sunday, to oversee the air defense drill. He met with Defense Minister Ehud Barak in the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv last night.
The two military leaders are expected to tour areas where the missile defense drill is being held. The majority of the exercise, named Austere Challenge 12, involves the computer simulation of long and mediumrange missile attacks on the Israeli home front, and their interception. Yaakov Lappin contributed to this report

Lebanon's Arabic press digest - Oct. 29, 2012
October 29, 2012/The Daily Star
Lebanon's Arabic press digest.
Following are summaries of some of the main stories in a selection of Lebanese newspapers Monday. The Daily Star cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports.
An-Nahar
Opposition leaders meet in Maarab Saturday night
Government approves diplomatic appointments Wednesday
UCC freezes [Monday] action today, surprised why pay raise not on Wednesday’s agenda
Fidaa Itani held, not kidnapped, to be released after completion of investigations
Leaders of the March 14 coalition met Saturday night at the residence of Lebanese Forces chief in Maarab. The meeting – which ended after midnight – was attended by Kataeb party leader Amin Gemayel, former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, MPs George Adwan, Sami Gemayel, Ahmad Fatfat and former Minister Mohammad Shatah, in addition to [LF leader] Samir Geagea.
It is believed that the participants discussed in detail the Lebanese, regional and international situations and developments in light of the assassination of Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hasan, which require the opposition to adopt a different pattern of dealing with the government.
It is believed that they agreed the framework on how to operate in the new phase: show zero tolerance toward the “killing machine” in Lebanon since 2004 and those who provide cover for the crimes.
Meanwhile, sources at Baabda Palace and Ain al-Tineh told An-Nahar that the list of appointments at the ambassadorial level was now ready and Cabinet would discuss them during a session Wednesday.
Al-Akhbar
Arms depot explosion in Minyeh
A significant security development took place Sunday evening in the northern city of Minyeh when a mysterious explosion ripped through a bomb factory, killing one of the workers.
News of the explosion seeped through quietly, without any statement issued to explain what occurred.
Politically, the dispute between MP Walid Jumblatt and former Prime Minister Saad Hariri continued without escalation.
Sources close to Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea told Al-Akhbar that Geagea was surprised when U.S. Ambassador Maura Connelly, during an Oct. 23 meeting with him, sought to verify whether Saudi Intelligence chief Emir Bandar Bin Sultan had called him just hours after his news conference following the assassination of [Police Information Branch chief Wissam] al-Hasan.
Geagea nodded. “He [Sultan] admonished me because he expected I would take a more escalatory position regarding the demand to topple the government.”
Connelly commented: "Qataris are more realistic than Saudis in their policies.”
"You and Jumblatt must boycott an irresponsible Saad Hariri,” she said.
Al-Mustaqbal
Geagea believes ousting Cabinet a "start signal" to end assassinations, Hezbollah won’t let go of [government]
From Martyrs Square to Riad al-Solh Square to the sit-in outside the residence of Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Tripoli – all protests over the killing of Wissam al-Hasan’s – one can hear a unified voice demanding Mikati’s departure.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah will not let go of the government, saying “it is the best possible [government] and is not replaceable.”
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea believes that “bringing down the government will not stop assassinations but that toppling it is only the start signal of the long march that is supposed to lead to an end to assassinations and the work of criminals."
Al-Anwar
Official confirmation: lives of a number of threatened MPs in danger
Political activity resumes [Monday] after Eid al-Adha with the opposition insisting on toppling the government, while Prime Minister Najib Mikati is adamant to stay, saying that his resignation means admitting [liability] in the case of the assassination of [Brig. Gen. Wissam] Hasan.
However, the return to political life brushes with threats received by a number of MPs that are likely to reflect negatively on Parliament’s activities.
Commenting on this, Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said: “Lawmakers’ lives are in danger as a result of threats they received, and we have taken security precautions.”
Deputy Speaker Farid Makari said he could not put lawmakers’ lives at risk by calling them for subcommittee meetings to discuss amendments to the electoral law to be adopted in the 2013 polls.

Iran: Hezbollah drone down by Israel not ‘latest’ technology
By Associated Press, Oct 28, 2012
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s defense minister says his country has drones far more advanced than the unmanned aircraft launched by Lebanon’s Hezbollah and downed by Israel earlier this month.
Sunday’s report by the official IRNA news agency appears similar to previous claims that Iranian drones have expanded capabilities and range, including the ability to reach Israeli airspace.
The IRNA report quotes Gen. Ahmad Vahidi as saying the drone by Iranian-backed Hezbollah was not the “latest Iranian technology, definitely.” He did not elaborate.
Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah has said the drone was manufactured in Iran and assembled in Lebanon.
Later, Iran claimed that Iranian-made surveillance drones had made dozens of apparently undetected flights into Israeli airspace from Lebanon in recent years. An Israeli official rejected the account.

Hezbollah debates dropping support for the Assad regime
October 28, 2012/Filed Under Assad, Christians, Hamas, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Resistance, Shiites, Sunnis, Syria
Hezbollah has been one of the staunchest supporters of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, but now there are bitter arguments within its ranks about whether it is time to change course.
The giant banner with a portrait of Bashar al-Assad, strung across a busy street in South Beirut, proclaimed loyalty to the Syrian president — and cursed his enemies.
“Those who hate the Lion of Syria are sons of bitches,” it read, in Arabic slang with a play on the meaning of the Assad name.
Elsewhere in the Arab world he may be hated as a bloody tyrant, but in Hezbollah’s South Beirut stronghold Mr Assad is still a hero.
A couple of streets away, the British hostage Terry Waite was held captive for four years until his release in 1991, and nearby is the site of the notorious massacre of Sabra and Shatila where perhaps as many as 3500 people were murdered by pro-Israeli militias in 1982.
Hezbollah’s reclusive leader Hassan Nasrallah, the undisputed head of Lebanon’s Shia Muslims, lives nearby in a heavily guarded apartment complex. Hezbollah’s own police force, in khaki fatigues, patrol the streets, which are noticeably more crowded and scruffier than in the centre of Beirut with its nightclubs and fashionable shops.
Hezbollah – “the party of God” – needed help from neighbouring Syria to become the most powerful force in Lebanese politics, and it could always depend on the ruling family in Damascus during its wars with Israel.
Now in Mr Assad’s time of need Lebanon’s Shias have mostly been loyal in return – providing logistical and moral support and even sending fighters into Syria’s civil war to kill his enemies.
But in Lebanon there are as many Christians and Sunni Muslims as there are Shia. Now, as doubts grow that Mr Assad will survive and Syria’s civil war begins to spread into Lebanon, The Sunday Telegraph has been told of secret arguments raging inside Hezbollah’s ranks about whether the time has come to stop backing Mr Assad.
To many in South Beirut, where Hezbollah runs hospitals, schools, and rubbish collections, and pays pensions to the families of slain fighters, that would be unthinkable.
“Bashar is a major backer of our resistance, and so we are for him,” said Ahmad Suleiman, 43, a burly Hezbollah loyalist.
Mr Suleiman’s house was blasted into rubble in an air strike during the bloody 2006 war with Israel that Hezbollah claims to have won; in 1996 his brother was killed by an Israeli tank shell, making him “a martyr” he says proudly. He can remember “arrogant” Israeli soldiers patrolling his streets during the invasion of Lebanon, when he was a boy — streets that are still scarred with bullets from that time.
“The resistance”, as Hezbollah is called by its supporters, relied on Syrian and Iranian weapons and training to fight the Israelis. A bond was thus forged between Damascus, Tehran and South Beirut that until now has always looked unbreakable.
Many Hezbollah supporters insist it is Assad who is the victim, not the opposition, and that he is worthy of their support.
“In Syria there are terrorist attacks, torture, killing and beheading, all done by the enemies of the regime,” Mr Suleiman said. “This is not a revolution like the one in Egypt. Ninety per cent of the Syrians support Bashar. He is a good man and he will survive.
“If it looks as if he is in real danger, we will send thousands of our men into Syria. And if America or Nato is stupid enough to intervene, we will be there defending Arab lands.”
There were reports of fresh fighting in Syria on Saturday, with opposition activists claiming Syrian artillery bombarded cities, in breach of a truce meant to mark the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday. Both the government and rebels agreed a truce. Mohammed Doumany, an activist from the Damascus suburb of Douma, said he had counted 15 explosions in an hour and said at least two civilians had been killed. There were also reports of heavy fighting along the Syria-Turkey border.
Hezbollah has a private army, regarded as a terrorist organisation by the United States, which is much stronger than Lebanon’s national army – yet it is also inside Lebanon’s government as part of an uneasy arrangement of rival political parties.
Since it was founded in the 1980s it has built a reputation as a formidably disciplined organisation, tolerating no public dissent. But a year ago the rival Palestinian militant organisation Hamas, which controls Gaza, abandoned its support for Mr Assad. Now, insiders say, Hezbollah is engaged in a fierce debate behind closed doors over whether to follow suit.
“There are different points of view, with some saying that we should push for a settlement within Syria and not bank on Assad staying,” said one Lebanese with connections to senior Hezbollah circles.
Some Hezbollah members, including clerics, fear that their support for Mr Assad is dragging them into a dangerous fight with Sunni Arabs – the other side of Islam’s main sectarian divide – in Syria and Lebanon, he said.
They say it is now urgent to end their support for Mr Assad, so that a new relationship can be formed with whoever comes to power in Syria next.
“There is an awareness inside Iran and Hezbollah that they are going to have confrontation with the Sunnis, or are going to have to bridge the gap between them,” the source said. “The hardest topic is Syria. The future of Hezbollah and the Shia is directly related to the future of Syria. If Bashar is to be sacrificed, let’s sacrifice him and not Syria.”
The most dramatic sign of dissent within Hezbollah is the cancellation of a forthcoming party convention that is usually held every three years – the first time anybody can remember it being dropped. The official explanation is that it would be a security risk.
But a Shia politician from an important political family said: “They are not able to hold their convention because they are afraid they cannot agree on Syria.”
Disagreement is said to be strongest between civilian Hezbollah members, who are more likely to favour cutting links with Damascus, and its powerful military wing, trained and indoctrinated by Iran and still fiercely loyal to the Syrian regime.
“I have heard that the division is deep between the Lebanese branch of Hezbollah and the military. Hassan Nasrallah decided to cancel the convention,” said the source. “He was worried he would not be able to come up with a final resolution.”
Mr Nasrallah pledged his loyalty to the Damascus regime in public several times at the beginning of the crisis, but has shown much less enthusiasm about doing so recently.
“Nasrallah is anxious,” said one observer of the South Beirut political scene. “At every crossroads he watches closely what is happening.”
Car bombings and clashes between militias, alarming signs that Syria’s violent struggle is spreading to Lebanon, have forced many of his followers to wonder where their involvement with Mr Assad is leading them. Dozens of Lebanese have died in fighting between pro- and anti-Assad factions in Lebanon’s cities this year, and the car bomb assassination nine days ago of the country’s spy chief, who was one of Syria’s biggest enemies in Beirut, brought back frightening memories of Lebanon’s own 15-year-long civil war.
Beyond Lebanon, Hezbollah’s prestige, once sky-high, now looks tarnished. Instead of being praised among Arabs for standing up to Israel, it is seen by many as the lackey of a bloodstained dictator.
When Hamas abandoned its support for Syria, under pressure from Palestinians appalled by the regime’s slaughter, Ismail Haniya, its leader in Gaza, dramatically announced it during Friday prayers in Cairo. “I salute the Syrian people who seek freedom, democracy and reform,” he said. There were calls of “No Hezbollah and no Iran” from the crowd.
For sticking with the Damascus regime, Hezbollah has been criticised by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the Gulf States.
Its support for the Assad regime was “an obvious strategic mistake”, said Abdel-Halim Qandil, the co-founder of the new left-of-centre Egyptian political party Kefaya (Enough). “It would have been better to be neutral or to keep silent,” he said.
There is growing unease even among Hezbollah’s grass-roots supporters in its political heartlands of South Beirut, and speculation that it will lose out politically as well.
“My mother has always voted for Hezbollah, but she has seen the television pictures of dead children in Syria and she is horrified,” said one Hezbollah supporter. “Of course she is behind the resistance. But for the first time in her life I think she may not vote for them in the next election.”
By: Nick Meo, Ruth Sherlock, and Carol Malouf in Beirut/Telegraph.co.uk.

US Ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly denies quote published by Lebanese daily
October 29, 2012 /Now Lebanon/US Ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly denied in a statement on Monday the accuracy of quotes attributed to her, which appeared in a Lebanese newspaper earlier in the day. The article, published in Al-Akhbar newspaper under the title “Connelly to Jumblatt and Geagea: Boycott Hariri’s Recklessness,” attributed quotes to Connelly “that were without basis and wholly untrue,” according to the press statement. “The paper never [sought] to confirm these fabricated quotes before their publication.” According to Al-Akhbar, Connelly allegedly told Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea that “the resignation of the cabinet of [Prime Minister Najib] Miqati is not allowed under the current circumstances,” adding that the LF leader and the Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt should “distance themselves from the recklessness of [Future Movement leader MP Saad] Hariri.”The statement added that the US “remains committed to a stable, sovereign and independent Lebanon and stands by the Lebanese people as they continue to confront the aftermath of this heinous [Ashrafieh bombing].”Internal Security Forces Information Branch Chief Wissam al-Hassan was killed on October 19 in a huge explosion that rocked the Beirut area of Ashrafieh, which left at least two others dead and at least 126 wounded in mainly Christian East Beirut, in the first such attack in the Lebanese capital since 2008. After Hassan’s funeral, supporters of the pro-Western March 14 coalition attempted to storm the Grand Serail – Lebanon’s seat of government – in Downtown Beirut. The Future Movement and the Lebanese Forces are two of March 14’s main pillars.
-NOW Lebanon

What kind of Resistance are we talking about?
Carlos Eddé, October 29, 2012
Hezbollah calls itself a resistance movement, so why can’t other militias?
The right to resistance against oppression, occupation and military aggression is recognized in the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It also is confirmed in the Taif Accord.
Hezbollah anoints itself as “the Resistance” and unilaterally grants itself the right to be armed on the pretext that Israel is still occupying parts of Lebanon’s territory and is violating Lebanon’s airspace.
Therefore, if foreign occupation and violation of border integrity justify the right to bear arms, to be organized in an armed resistance movement and to be entitled to decide without consideration for anyone how, when and where to make use of these weapons, by the same logic, other groups may or should organize themselves into “resistances” to defend Lebanon from the attacks by the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Furthermore, maybe resistance organizations should be necessary to liberate Lebanon from Iranian occupation.
For indeed, Lebanon is under Iranian occupation. Hezbollah’s doctrine and its leaders’ statements identify the party as being part of “The Nation” rather than Lebanon. Also, Hezbollah does not hide the fact that it is an integral part of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. Furthermore, the party is financed and armed by Iran, and unequivocally and unashamedly proclaims that it takes its orders from Iran’s Supreme leader of the Islamic Revolution. Moreover, the Lebanese state has no free access to the zone occupied by the Iranian militia, and the Lebanese air force is bared from flying in the area under the threat of being shot down. Hezbollah does not act as a Lebanese entity but as an Iranian militia staffed by Lebanese nationals.
Accordingly, considering Iran’s occupation of parts of Lebanon and the attacks of Bashar al-Assad’s army, and based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Taif Accord and the ministerial statements ratified by all parties to parliament which puts the army and the Resistance on the same level of the Lebanese people, every Lebanese—or group of Lebanese—is entitled to form a “resistance” of their own, to carry weapons and to decide when and how to use these weapons to defend Lebanon. Hezbollah is not the Resistance; at best it can be a resistance or the “Islamic Resistance,” but more realistically it should be named ex-resistance as it has stopped acting in such a capacity since the Israeli army left Lebanon.
When it comes to the occupation of one’s country and facing military aggression, there can be no double standard. Similar threats are entitled to similar responses. However, given the danger associated with the proliferation of resistance movements, it would be better for the army to effectively defend all borders against any and all aggression, for the Internal Security Forces to effectively be in charge of security within all of the Lebanese territory, and for the Iranian militia—Hezbollah—to be disarmed and its occupied zone returned to Lebanese sovereignty.
Carlos Eddé is the head of the Lebanese National Bloc.

Now is not the time to stay at home In Lebanon
October 29, 2012/Now Lebanon
Mourners at the grave of slain intelligence cheif Wissam al-Hassan. The suggestion that opposition figures should stay home to avoid assassination plays into the hands of Hassan's killers. (AFP photo)
Future bloc MP Farid Makari told Monday’s edition of Al-Joumhouria newspaper that he would not call for a meeting of the electoral law parliamentary sub-committee and take what he called “responsibility for the deaths” of MPs. He did, however, invite them to his house to discuss the matter, should they be inclined to do so.
In the wake of the recent murder of Brigadier General Wissam al-Hassan in broad daylight in Ashrafieh, March 14 MPs have been frank in expressing their fears of further killings among their own ranks. Indeed, security sources have suggested that future attacks will target strategic opposition figures rather than cause widespread public panic with indiscriminate bombings.
Exactly how a journey to Makari’s house is any less dangerous than a trip to parliament is anyone’s guess, and to publicly shy away from the threat of the bomber is to play into the hands of those who would seek to spread death and destruction across Lebanon and destabilize its institutions. It is no secret that the Syrian regime would love to create havoc across the border and use such a scenario as a bargaining chip with the West—“Let us deal with our internal problems or we will set the region ablaze” is the implicit offer on the table.
Instead of staying at home, Makari and the rest of the March 14 MPs should remember that they are lawmakers and representatives of the people, and that with the prestige of high office also comes a degree of responsibility. They have chosen to serve their country, and surely in making that choice, like all public servants, they were aware of the possibility of public sacrifice. Surely it is part of the same vocational parcel.
Makari’s words may have been well-intentioned, but the last thing the Lebanese want to see is absent MPs. It’s bad for public confidence—shades of the civil war—and is a green light to those who wish to capitalize on uncertainty. Now more than ever, there is a need for all shades of the political spectrum to step up and declare their primary loyalty to Lebanon. To do this, March 14 should make a concerted effort to make it look like it’s business as usual and send a message to the rest of the political class that the interests of Lebanon supersede all else.
We are living in dangerous times. The parameters of the war in Syria are changing by the day. Not only are the casualty figures rising, but the profile of the combatants is changing. Recent media reports suggest that Shiites are pouring into Syria from both Iraq and Iran to fight on behalf of the Alawite regime, while Syrian opposition fighters are becoming increasingly radicalized, a reaction to Western apathy over their plight.
In such times, Lebanon cannot risk offering up its soft underbelly to those who would seek to expand the conflict, and March 14 must be seen to stand for the protection of Lebanese institutions, its sovereignty and its national unity. In doing so the bloc will not only maintain some semblance of political balance, but also show the true colors of the pro-Syrian March 8 bloc, an alliance that today is finding it increasingly difficult to have any relevance in the current political debate.
Too many Lebanese patriots have died or been targeted in the last eight years. The opening salvo was fired when Progressive Socialist Party MP and former minister Marwan Hamadeh was nearly killed in October 2004, and since then nearly a dozen MPs, politicians, activists and security figures—all of whom stood for freedom, sovereignty and democracy—have perished.
Hiding has not worked, nor will it honor their memory. Today, the stakes are much higher and the very stability of the region is under threat. Now is not the time to stay at home.

In Lebanon They are all the same”
Hazem Saghiyeh/Now Lebanon/October 29, 2012
Politics is a confusing thing for naïve and simplistic people, especially when it is conflict-ridden politics of the kind we have in Lebanon. Since the complication of politics confuses simple minds, the “solution” comes in the shape of equality among all by saying “Everyone is the same … they are all evil” or by insulting politics in general: “Politics has no religion.”
This is tantamount to resignation from all worldly complications.
Naïve Lebanese may be excused for this resignation, for they have been suffering for decades. Yet naivety is not a cure as it rather makes illnesses more deadly and incurable. Furthermore, it may suggest to those who harbor it salvation cures, which have no real or practical foundations. We know from numerous past experiences that many salvation theorists reverted to extremist ideas and suicidal practices upon coming to terms with reality and its potentials. This holds true for large swaths of fascists who were driven to fascism by their naïve wish to get life rid of the “pollution” of politics and politicians.
These words come against a backdrop of the inclination recently displayed in the so-called White March, in addition to several sayings and writings scattered here and there. This inclination was apparent in the fact that the silly and childish attack on the Serail was invoked as a pretext to day “they are all the same and “we want to get rid of all of them.”
While such stances have been dictated by naivety, bad faith portrayed the folly of the attack on the Serail as a “coup”, thus making it possible to pit this “coup” against the May 7 invasion [of Beirut] and ultimately say: “It’s tit for tat.”
Saying that the comparison holds true would be equivalent to equating [former ISF information Branch chief Major General] Wissam al-Hassan and his killer, likening Hezbollah’s military strength to that of its foes, or comparing the “Resistance”-sponsored project – which blatantly contradicts the state – to the silly scattered municipal “projects” that are popular in the March 14 environment.
No, they are not “all the same.” There is a side today in Lebanon that has weapons, kills and allows the life and death of the Lebanese to be hinged on these weapons. Such a threat can be found only in the war-like, Syrian-sponsored environment, whereas what lies outside this environment consists of victims falling non-stop, at least since 2005.
The insistence – against all odds – on claiming that “they are all the same” is the shortest route to glossing over the truth, promoting the capacity to kill and widening the gap preventing us from establishing a civil society worthy of this denomination.
*This article is a translation of the original, which first appeared on the NOW Arabic site on Monday, October 29, 2012

Ayalon: Regional instability could last a generation
By NADAV SHEMER 10/29/2012/ Deputy foreign minister says he would not be surprised if the Arab Spring spawns eight new states in the near future. Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon predicted Monday that regional instability could continue for one generation, saying that it would not surprise him if the Arab world splits into 30 separate states in the near future.
The Arab League currently consists of 22 members from across the Middle East and North Africa, including Syria, which was suspended in November 2011, and the Palestinian Authority.
“When we talk about the so-called Middle Eastern Spring, we are seeing something that is very similar to what happened in the Soviet Union,” Ayalon said at the opening to the annual Go4Europe conference in Tel Aviv. “A dictatorial regime, a police state, suppresses all inner conflicts in the society. But when the strong regime falls, for whatever reason, everything comes out.”
He continued: “You have to remember that aside from Egypt, all the Arab countries are artificial. They were created by two European gentlemen, Sykes and Picot, British and French, who divided up areas of influence on the ruins of the Ottoman Empire - irrespective of nationalities, tribes and other geopolitical considerations.”
Ayalon said that regional instability creates complications for investors who are interested in emerging markets. However, he also put a positive spin on the situation, saying that the Sunni-Shia conflict and internal schisms within both branches of Islam are eroding the unity of the Arab League and reducing the likelihood of “Arab boycotts and OPEC extortion.”

'Drone sent photos of 'sensitive bases' to Iran'
By REUTERS 10/29/2012/Iranian lawmaker claims UAV sent by Hezbollah transmitted pictures of restricted military, sensitive sites to Tehran. Iran holds pictures of Israeli bases and other restricted areas obtained from a drone launched into Israeli airspace earlier this month, an Iranian lawmaker was quoted as saying on Monday.
Earlier this month, Israel shot down a drone after it flew 25 miles (55 km) into the Jewish state. Lebanese militant group Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the aircraft, saying its parts had been manufactured in Iran and assembled in Lebanon.The drone transmitted pictures of Israel's "sensitive bases" before it was shot down, said Esmail Kowsari, chair of parliament's defense committee, according to Iran's Mehr news agency. He was speaking to Iran's Arabic-language Al-Alam, Mehr reported on Monday.
"These aircraft transmit their pictures online, and right now we possess pictures of restricted areas," Kowsari was quoted as saying.A report in The Sunday Times earlier this month claimed the drone transmitted pictures of sensitive military sites and Dimona.
Israeli air space is closely monitored by the military and, except for commercial air corridors, is restricted, with special attention paid to numerous military and security installations.
Israeli threats to bomb Iranian nuclear sites if diplomacy and sanctions fail to stop Tehran's nuclear program are a flashpoint for tensions in the Middle East. The West suspects the program is designed to develop a nuclear weapons capability, something Tehran steadfastly denies.
Iran's military regularly announces defense and engineering developments though some analysts are skeptical of the reliability of such reports.
On Sunday Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said the downed drone did not represent Iran's latest know-how in drone technology, according to Mehr.
In April, Iran announced it had started to build a copy of a US surveillance drone, the RQ-170 Sentinel, captured last year after it came down near the Afghan border.
JPost.com staff contributed to this report.

Iran develops Ababil-T – a 2,000-km range stealth attack drone
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report October 29, 2012,
Defense Minister Gen. Ahmad Vahidi warned Sunday, Oct. 28, in Tehran: “The drone was definitely not the latest Iranian technology.” debkafile: He was talking about the drone which Iran and Hizballah sent over Israeli airspace on Oct. 6 and stressing that it was not the last word in their UAV armory - or even the last to invade Israel’s skies.
According to our military sources, in mid-September, Tehran secretly shipped to Lebanon a batch of dismantled Ababil-T UAVs although the Iranians could not be sure that Israel would not discover their location and its air force bomb them before they were launched. The Syrian war is also making it hard to maintain permanent Iranian launching teams in Lebanon.
However, Iran is making great strides in producing drones with more capabilities and longer ranges. During the 2006 Lebanon War, Hizballah launched an earlier model of the Ababil to bomb Tel Aviv. It was shot down by the Israeli Air Force. Since then, the Iranians have produced the more advanced Ababil-T for short and medium range attack and Ababils-B and –S.
Our military sources identify Ababil-T as Iran’s most advanced drone in operational service. It has electronic warfare, military intelligence-gathering and online transmission capabilities suited to conditions of front-line battle. It is designed to disable enemy electronic systems in combat, especially those of the United States and Israel.
Ababil means “swallow,” after the story in the Koran of an enemy sending a herd of elephants to attack the Qaaba in Mecca and the swallows released by Allah for defeating them.
Its prototype had a maximum flying range of 150 kilometers, an altitude 4.2 kilometers and it could stay aloft for 10 hours at a stretch. Iranian engineers have rapidly improved its velocity and range. But until recently, they were not known to have figured out how to produce a drone able to cover the distance to Israel in direct flight without a staging-post in Lebanon. They dared not let their prize Ababil-T cut through Iraq or Turkey because it risked interception by the American or NATO forces stationed in those countries.
This obstacle appears to have been overcome by the last upgraded Ababil, according to Gen. Vahidi.
Indeed, a week before he spoke, on Oct. 17, Manouchehr Manteqi, head of Iran’s aerospace industry, announced that Tehran now had drones capable of flying a distance of 2,000 kilometers – and therefore reaching Israel. Iran plans to store a supply of those advanced models to Lebanon for the use of Hizballah – and not only against Israel but to extend its range against a whole array of Tehran’s enemies – before flying them back to home base in Iran. Iranian sources claim that the latest drone was tested in combat conditions In November 2011. A UAV was sent secretly over US Fifth Fleet vessels in the Persian Gulf, collected data and gained valuable experience for its further development. They have now advanced to the planning stages of a spy drone with stealth qualities and a large UAV bomber, cannibalizing technology pirated from the American RQ-170 Sentinel drone they downed on Dec. 4, 2011, buying it from Russia and China and stealing it from the West.
Most of their UAV development program budget is being spent on upgrading their drones’ navigation, transmission and cyber warfare systems.
The great progress Iran has made in the past five years in all these fields has been helped along by Iranian students returning home from studies at MIT and other universities in the United States, Britain and Germany. They are offered attractive salaries to work hard on the goals set before them.

Iranian ships dock in Sudan after strike
Dudi Cohen 10.29.12/ynetnews /IRNA news agency reports navy vessels arrived in Sudanese port five days after attack on arms factory in bid to 'convey a message of peace and friendship'
Iranians conveying message to Israel? Two Iranian navy vessels docked at a Sudan port on Monday, just five days after the explosion at an arms factory in Khartoum.
According to Iranian official news agency IRNA, the 'Shahid Naqdi' corvette and a freighter left from a port in southern Iran last month, passed through the Red Sea and docked at a port in the east African country. According to the Iranian report, the ships arrived to "convey a message of peace and friendship to the region's countries and to provide safety at sea in light of maritime terrorism."
US says not invovled in 'Israeli attack'
Local Sudanese newspaper al-Intiba reported Monday that CIA Director David Petraeus called Sudanese deputy intelligence head Saleh A-Tayeb, shortly after the alleged Israeli attack in Khartoum.
In his call, Petraeus reportedly denied reports indicating that the US had early knowledge of the attack.
According to the report, the US tried to contact Sudan officials shortly after they had blamed Israel for the attack, and denied reports claiming it had assisted Israel in its strike.
The Sudanese paper quoted an official as saying that the Americans are fearful for the safety of diplomats in Khartoum.
According to the official, the US asked that Sudan guarantee the safety of American diplomats currently based in Khartoum.
The source further added that the Sudanese official explained Sudan's position to Petraeus, adding that it bares the responsibility of protecting the foreign citizens residing in the African country.
However, he explained that despite the US' denial of direct involvement in the attack, it could have applied pressure on Israel and prevented the Jewish state from taking certain steps.
The explosion in the Khartoum arms factory occurred last week. Shortly after the attack, a Sudanese minister said that the factory was attacked by four military planes.

Canada Condemns Attack at Church in Northern Nigeria
October 28, 2012 - Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird issued the following statement:
“Canada unequivocally condemns today’s cowardly attack at a Catholic church holding Mass in northern Nigeria.
“On behalf of all Canadians, I offer my deepest sympathies to the families and friends of those killed and wish a speedy recovery to those injured by this senseless violence.
“These people were targeted because of their religious beliefs. No one should ever have to practise his or her faith in fear. Canada calls on all Nigerians to respect religious freedom and refrain from acts of violence. Canada further calls on the Nigerian government to bring to justice those responsible for this heinous crime.”
In his first official visit to Nigeria earlier this month, Baird met with Foreign Minister Olugbenga Ashiru. Both agreed that prosperity and security are inextricably linked, and both are committed to religious pluralism.
The Government of Canada has made religious freedom a foreign policy priority. Canada is committed to working with Nigerian institutions and civil society representatives to promote freedom of religion and human rights for all. Canada is currently working with the Nigerian government on a security and non-proliferation project in the middle-belt city of Jos. The project aims to reduce the security risks posed by terrorist groups known to be active in the region and who often target religious groups and institutions.

Humanitarian Hypocrisy
by Raymond Ibrahim/Investigative Project on Terrorism
October 26, 2012
http://www.meforum.org/3366/humanitarian-hypocrisy
The world's double standards concerning which peoples qualify as oppressed and deserving of help are staggering. Two recent stories illustrate this point:
First, a report exposed, in the words of the Turkish Coalition of America, "Turkey's continued interest in expanding business and cultural ties with the American Indian community" and "Turkey's interest in building bridges to Native American communities across the U.S." Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., even introduced a bill that would give Turks special rights and privileges in Native American tribal areas, arguing that "[t]his bill is about helping American Indians," and about "helping the original inhabitants of the new world, which is exactly what this legislation would do."
The very idea that Turkey's Islamist government is interested in "helping American Indians" is preposterous, both from a historical and contemporary point of view. In the 15th century, when Christian Europeans were discovering the Americas, Muslim Turks were conquering and killing Christians in Europe (which, of course, is why Europeans starting sailing west in the first place). If early European settlers fought and killed natives, only recently, Turkey committed a mass genocide against Armenian Christians. And while the U.S. has made many reparations to its indigenous natives, Turkey not only denies the Armenian holocaust, but still abuses and persecutes its indigenous Christians.
In short, if Turkey is looking to help the marginalized and oppressed, it should start at home.
But of course, Turkey is only looking to help itself; the American Indians are mere tools of infiltration. One need not elaborate on the dangers involved in thousands of Muslim Turks settling in semi-autonomous areas in America and working closely with a minority group that holds a grudge against the United States.
Yet if one can understand Turkey's machinations, what does one make of another recent report? Fifteen leaders from U.S. Christian denominations—mostly Protestant, including the Lutheran, Methodist, and UCC Churches—are asking Congress to reevaluate U.S. military aid to Israel, since "military aid will only serve to sustain the status quo and Israel's military occupation of the Palestinian territories."
These are the same church leaders who utter nary a word concerning the rampant persecution of millions of Christians from one end of the Muslim world to the other—a persecution that makes the Palestinians' situation insignificant in comparison.
If Muslims are subjugated on Israeli land, at least one can argue that, historically, the Jews were there first—millennia before Muslims conquered Jerusalem in the 7th century. On the other hand, millions of Christians—at least 10 million in Egypt alone, the indigenous Copts—have been suffering in their own homelands for 14 centuries, since Islam burst in with the sword.
Nor is this limited to history: from Nigeria in the west, to Pakistan in the east, Christians at this very moment are being imprisoned for apostasy and blasphemy; their churches are being bombed and burned down; their women and children are being kidnapped, enslaved, and raped. For an idea, see my monthly Muslim Persecution of Christians series, where I collate dozens of anecdotes of persecution every month—any of which, if Palestinians experienced, would make headlines around the world; but as it is only "unfashionable" Christians who are experiencing these atrocities, they are regularly overlooked.
Nor are Palestinian Christians immune from this phenomenon: a pastor recently noted that "animosity towards the Christian minority in areas controlled by the PA continues to get increasingly worse. People are always telling [Christians], Convert to Islam. Convert to Islam."
Indeed, the American Jewish Committee, which was "outraged by the Christian leaders' call," got it right by saying: "When religious liberty and safety of Christians across the Middle East are threatened by the repercussions of the Arab Spring, these Christian leaders have chosen to initiate a polemic against Israel, a country that protects religious freedom and expression for Christians, Muslims and others."
By any objective measure, the atrocities currently being committed against Christians around the Muslim world are far more outrageous and deserving of attention and remedy than the so-called "Palestinian Question." Incidentally, Israeli treatment of the Palestinians—some of whom, like Hamas, openly declare their intent to eradicate the Jewish state—is largely predicated on the aforementioned: Israel knows Islam's innate animus for non-Muslims and does not wish to be on its receiving end, hence the measures it takes to exist.
There is a final important point of irony concerning the differences between Turkey's Muslims and America's liberal Christians: the former engage in hypocrisy to empower Islam; the latter engage in hypocrisy to disempower Christianity, even if unwittingly. Just like secular/liberal Americans who strive to disassociate themselves from their European heritage—seeing it as the root of all evil and championing the rights of non-whites like American Indians—liberal American Christians strive to disassociate themselves from their Christian heritage and champion the rights of non-Christians, hence their keen interest for Muslim Palestinians. And all the while, the one religious group truly persecuted from one end of the Islamic world to the other—Christians—are devoutly ignored by the humanitarian hypocrites.
*Raymond Ibrahim is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center and an Associate Fellow at the Middle East Forum.

Sudan: Absurdity or confrontation!
By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat
When you consider the operation to target the Yarmouk weapons factory in Sudan courtesy of Israel, as an Arab citizen concerned with Arab states, one is faced with two choices: Firstly, you could look at the Israeli strike on the Yarmouk weapons factory in an emotional manner, feeling anger towards Israel, and saying whatever comes into your mind about the Israelis. The other option is to look at the situation in a rational manner, and try to draw lessons from what happened and is happening in our region.
Personally, I prefer the second rational option, and this means asking a simple but important question, namely: how can there be an arms factory in a country that has been plagued by wars, divisions and crises? Sudan is a country that has experienced fierce civil wars and crises, whilst it is passing through circumstances that have resulted in its president being wanted for international justice, in addition to prompting the finest Sudanese minds and intellects to flee the country. This has prompted the international community to shine a light on Sudan, and there are international organizations and committees whose prime concern is Sudan, from Darfur to human rights cases. So how can this country build a weapons factory? This is not all, for Iran is also being accused of being involved in this. Worse than this, some Sudanese officials are saying that following this air strike, Sudan has become a confrontational state…yes, and so what? What can Khartoum do?
This is truly confusing, for the story here is not one of rumors or propaganda. In the late 1990s, the US bombed the Al-Shifa pharmaceutical factory in Sudan. According to the BBC Arabic news website, then President Clinton said that the targeting of this factory was related to the network led by Osama Bin Laden, and that this factory had been producing materials used in the production of chemical weapons, despite the factory owners’ insistence that the factory had nothing to do with Bin Laden. The story does not stop here, for an arms convoy was also targeted around two years ago in Sudan. It was said that Israel was behind this attack because this convoy included weapons being smuggled to Hamas. Today we see the bombing of the Yarmouk weapons factory, whilst Iran is also being accused of having links to the weapons production there. So what is more absurd than this in a divided Sudan, which is exhausted because of the ruling Muslim Brotherhood regime; a country that does not exit one crisis before it gets embroiled in another? Anybody who looks at the statistics regarding food security, poverty, education and child mortality in Sudan, not to mention the ongoing crises that exist in several Sudanese regions, will be well aware of the crisis that this country is facing as a whole, and the absurdity regarding the notion of the existence of arms factories serving foreign parties being located there! All of this means that Sudan as a whole is a region where it would be easy for military operations to be launched, whether from Israel or anybody else.
Anybody looking at the reality in Sudan, from its hosting of Osama Bin Laden to the presence of arms smuggling, not to mention the construction of absurd weapon factories, as well as its crises and divisions, will be well aware that the country is not a confrontational state, as some of its officials are claiming. Rather, Sudan is a country that has made systematic mistakes, particularly since these Muslim Brotherhood forces came to power; this means that first and foremost, it is Sudan and the Sudanese people who are the victims!

The Syrian rebels and the media embroilment
By Abdul Rahman Al-Rashid/Asharq Alawsat
A group of Syrian rebels in the Azaz region stand accused of kidnapping Lebanese journalist Fidaa Aytani. This journalist risked his life to enter Syria and he is not the first media figure to be detained by the Syrian rebels. This renews talk about how long we can be silent about the abuse of our professional colleagues who are only doing their duty to cover the Syrian revolution?
Whatever the justifications of the kidnappers, they are carrying out crimes against the media as a whole when they took the decision to detain this Lebanese journalist, or as they portray it, “host” him! Ultimately, this will result in those who rely on the media’s enmity [against al-Assad] being the biggest losers. The media is the oxygen that any revolution around the world lives on. Without the support of the media, the Syrian revolution will lose everything that it has gained, particularly as it is in a tough situation requiring every sympathetic hand to stand with the Syrian people and their revolution during these difficult times.
I am not specifically defending the media of the revolution and its supporters, nor their opponents, but rather everybody in the media, including those working for the Syrian regime. They have the same rights as all media figures, namely that they are protected and their safety guaranteed, regardless of their positions and stances. This is our duty to them, despite our profound disagreement with their views. Protecting journalists during times of war is a duty, and this does not differentiate between positions and affiliations; this is a necessity for the media as a whole.
Without the courageous media, and the brave representatives, the Syrian revolution would perhaps not have been able to win the sympathy of not just the world, but the Syrian people themselves. Without respecting the profession of journalist – regardless of their political stances – the revolution will lose the support of even those in their own ranks, as well as the gains it has made. We blame the Syrian revolutionaries more than the Syrian regime, because they have a true cause, particularly as they are the party that is making the most gains from a media presence in Syria, regardless of their orientation. This is why the detention of the LBC reporter or the kidnapping of the Ukrainian report is something that worries all media professionals. Why should the Syrian rebels be afraid of a Ukrainian reporter, even if she is filing reports that serve the Syrian regime? The majority of the people have decided their stance towards the al-Assad regime after more than one year of controversy and violence. The majority of the world stands against the al-Assad regime, and so not much depends on what a Ukrainian journalist or western photographer report, even if they do not like the revolution. If the rebels Syrian rebels kidnap a female reporter because she says things on television that they do not like, then what is the difference between them and the al-Assad regime that imprisons and kills based on a word?
Our profession is based on recognizing the right of journalists to observe, enjoying safety and protection whatever the situation in order to do their jobs, particularly as without this newspapers and television channels would be unable to cover and report what is happening around the world. As for the journalists and reporters who go to the battlegrounds, they are not revolutionaries and do not have personal or national agendas, rather they are media professionals who are distinguishing themselves through their courage, embarking on adventures that go beyond the call of duty. Regardless of journalists’ positions and reports, we expect Syria’s rebels to be more noble and honorable in their dealings with the media than the Bashar al-Assad criminal gang!
We, as media representatives, cannot sit on the fence regarding the abduction of journalists, regardless of their political orientation or the organization or country they belong to. We cannot be silent on the lives of journalists being threatened in this manner. The Syrian rebels have the right to refuse to deal with the media figures they don’t trust, or to refuse to give information to media organizations they don’t like. However they don’t have the right to detain or abduct journalists simply because they are on the opposing side. This represents a violation of international rules and the norms that protects journalists and reports. By doing so, the Syrian rebels are undermining the profession that is most helping them, and confirming the image that the regime is putting forward about them. The Syrian regime has sought, since the beginning of the revolution, to kill and destroy the media, physically and materially. Damascus is aware that if it is able to divide the revolution and the media, this will be a great win for the regime, particularly as it wants to commit its crimes in the dark away from media scrutiny. The al-Assad regime is seeking to push the Syrian people to lose their enthusiasm, patience and willingness to sacrifice; this would result in the revolution losing much of the popularity and momentum it enjoys.

Some people are living in another world!
By Emad El Din Adeeb/Asharq Alawsat
There is a well-known joke in Egypt that is being reproduced these days. This joke goes: An Egyptian state TV presenter went to a remote village to conduct an interview with an old man. She asks him “what do you want from the president?” He answers, “Which president?” She replies “President Mohamed Mursi; the first elected president in the history of Egypt.”
Viewing the visible shock and disbelief on the old man’s face, the presenter asks him “don’t you remember the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces that preceded Mursi?” The old man appears even more shocked, and asks “what supreme council?” She replies “the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces that toppled former president Hosni Mubarak?”
The man, appearing even more shocked, asks “who is this Mubarak?” and she answers “Hosni Mubarak, the president who succeeded Anwar Sadat.” The man then asked “who is this Anwar Sadat?” The presenter replies “Sadat is the president who succeeded Gamal Abdul Nasser, who led the military junta that dethroned King Farouk.” At this point the man cried out in shock and asked “has our dear King Farouk died? May he rest in peace!”
This is the end of the joke, but the meaning behind it remains, namely some people live as if they are frozen in time. This is something that results in a lack of perception and a refusal to accept reality.
If you think I am over-exaggerating, you need only read was put forward in the media and on social networking sites regarding the results of discussions between the Libyan military and the tribal fighters in Bani Walid, particularly as these fighters still believe that Gaddafi has not been killed but is still alive, and are calling for his return. These fighters refuse to believe that the Gaddafi regime is over and that its figures have either fled, been killed or are awaiting trial. Whilst some Iraqi Baathist cadres still believe in the ideology of their leader Saddam Hussein, calling for Iraq to return to Baathism.
In addition to this, the last picture of Bashar al-Assad was taken in one of Damascus’s mosques during Eid al-Adha prayers. The official Syrian state media caption underneath this picture claimed that the Syrian president was “smiling” at the successful ceasefire, which in reality did not hold. Therefore President Bashar al-Assad seems to believe there is something to smile about regarding the situation in Syria, whereas everybody else on earth thinks the complete opposite!
If you create and live in your own world and prefer this to what is really happening, refusing to accept reality as it is – even if this is the reality of death – then you are suffering from a mental illness known as “lack of perception.” We are living in a virtual world where the decision-makers believe that they, and nobody else, possess the exclusive right to the truth. Their destiny is certain doom.