LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

Bible Quotation for today/Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 10,38-42. As they continued their journey he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary (who) sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me." The Lord said to her in reply, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her

The surprise of the Arab (particularly Gulf Arab) community at Hezbollah’s behavior in Syria and its dedication in fighting to defend Bashar Al-Assad’s regime resembles the surprise of the international community at Iran’s behavior on the nuclear issue, after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) only now “discovered” that dialogue with Tehran was moving in a “vicious circle”.
It is as if the Arabs were saying that what Hezbollah did before the war in Syria was acceptable, and that the change that has occurred in its stances was not rooted in its very structure. This is just like when the world refuses to admit that Iran has been engaging in maneuvers ever since the first IAEA report was issued in 2003 about it hiding information concerning its nuclear activity, and that it has done nothing but increase its ability to enrich uranium, while keeping the world busy with promises and false hopes.
If the Arabs had listened to what the Lebanese have grown tired of repeating about their experience with Hezbollah ever since it was founded three decades ago, and their complaints about the practices it has engaged in throughout those years, they would have reached the conclusion that its current stances are the natural result of its emergence, its structure, and its wagers.
Indeed, Hezbollah began as an Iranian-Syrian security unit and remains so today. Yet some consider that the clearest manifestation of its organic alliance with the Syrian regime appeared with the Hariri assassination in 2005. At the time, questions had been raised about the reasons for the “inability” of Hezbollah’s security apparatus, efficiently deployed in the capital and in all of Lebanon’s regions, to discover the existence of a truck loaded with two tons of explosives moving around in the streets of Beirut waiting for its target to drive by. This is until it became clear from the investigations of the international tribunal that it had participated in the assassination, both in terms of planning and execution. This alliance later manifested itself in the massive demonstration organized by Hezbollah in which it offered “thanks” to Syrian regime, providing political and security cover for the campaign of assassinations that targeted pro-independence politicians and journalists, a campaign to which it doubtless contributed. Finally, their alliance became consecrated in the July War of 2006, which Hezbollah had sparked in hopes of altering local and regional factors and of solidifying Iran’s role in the region.
Is it then strange for a group that began its career with a wave of eliminations within its own community that included liberals, secularists, and even religious individuals who opposed turning it into a sectarian political party, to stir up its community’s fanaticism in order to justify fighting the majority of Syrians on their own soil in defense of another sectarian regime of rule?
Did the Arabs really believe Hezbollah’s call for dialogue among confessions? And did they think that there was any hope for it to turn one day into a Lebanese political party and to hand over its weapons to the state, whose foundations it is undermining every day?
By entering the war in Syria on several fronts, Hezbollah has proven that it had never been miscalculating or misestimating, as some Arabs believed. The latter had adopted with good intentions the illusion of the possibility of it changing its convictions and its course. Rather, what it had done and what it did was the result of precise calculation and of a plan carefully designed in Tehran and Damascus to allow Hezbollah to gradually eat away at the authority of the Lebanese state and take control of its institutions, as the Assad family had done in Syria. This is why no speech by its Secretary-General has ever been devoid of attacks against the state, its “powerlessness” and its “shortcomings”.
Hezbollah will remain part of the joint Syrian-Iranian security apparatus, carrying out what the latter requires in service of the interests of one or both of them, as long as it remains outside of the Lebanese state and continues to hold an arsenal superior to that of its army, as well as the ability to engage in political blackmail through security at any time. And it will move after the battle of Qusayr, without any apprehensions, to the remaining fronts in Aleppo, Damascus, and other places, in defense of the alliance between its own “regime” in Lebanon and the regimes in Syria and Iran. As for the Arabs finding its behavior strange, it only means that the Arabs have not yet decided to wage the battle of defending the Syrian people.

Bulgaria Denies Backtracking over Hizbullah Involvement in Burgas Attacks
Naharnet /Bulgaria denied Thursday backtracking over whether Hizbullah was behind a bomb attack last July on its soil that killed five Israelis, saying earlier comments were misinterpreted. "Bulgaria has not revised its stance on the terrorist act," Foreign Minister Kristian Vigenin was cited in a statement as telling Ireland's ambassador to Sofia John Rowan in talks. On Wednesday, in an interview with state BNR radio, Vigenin had said that evidence that Hizbullah was behind the attack at Burgas airport on the Black Sea was "circumstantial" and "not categorical" at this stage. He urged the European Union to seek additional proof from other cases before labeling Hizbullah's military wing a "terrorist" entity, sparking press speculation of a change in position by Sofia. A statement from the previous government in February had said that there was a "justified conclusion" that two helpers of the bomber belonged to the party. That led to renewed calls for the EU to join the United States in adding Hizbullah's military wing to its list of "terrorist" groups. "Bulgaria is ready to join a consensus decision of the EU and it is our responsibility to present an even more solid basis for this," Vigenin was cited as saying Thursday. In order to do this, Bulgaria urged swifter responses to requests for assistance it has sent to several countries, he added. Israel, Lebanon, Australia and Morocco were mentioned by chief prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov in February as the countries Sofia had asked for help. Five Israeli tourists and their Bulgarian driver were killed in the July 18 bombing on their tourist bus. The identity of the lone bomber, who also perished, has so far remained a mystery. The attack was the deadliest on Israelis abroad since 2004 and Israel immediately blamed it on Iran and its "terrorist" proxy Hizbullah, but Bulgarian investigators have however been more cautious. Iran denied involvement. The EU opened the door to blacklisting Hizbullah following a formal British request last month, but the decision is still being discussed and will require unanimous approval. Source/Agence France Presse.

Qusayr was a debacle for the West and Israel: Aftershocks in Lebanon, Golan and Gaza Strip
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report June 6, 2013
http://www.debka.com/article/23021/Qusayr-was-a-debacle-for-the-West-and-Israel-Aftershocks-in-Lebanon-Golan-and-Gaza-Strip
The Syrian rebels’ defeat in the key town of al Qusayr, Wednesday, June 6, was also a major strategic debacle for the US, Israel and Western Europe, the price they paid for leaving allied Syrian-Hizballah troops orchestrated by Iranian officers a clear field to win the day. The Syrian-Hizballah machine is now ready to capitalize on its victory and roll into Aleppo and southern Syria to extinguish rebel resistance there too. Israel is next in its sights.
Five months ago, on February 26, an exclusive debkafile video report, entitled “Bashar Assad, Ali Khamenei, Vladimir Putin and Hassan Nasrallah Have Won the War," revealed how step by step Bashar Assad was turning the tide of war and recovering the initiative, backed by a broad alliance of Russia, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Hizballah.
This alliance is already at work building on its success - not just in the Syria conflict, but beyond its borders too.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has posted 20,000 troops on the Syrian border to seal it off against the passage of Sunni and al Qaeda reinforcements for the Syria rebels. Iraqi commandoes are preparing to launch raids against al Qaeda-linked forces in eastern Syria. The Nusra Front, for instance, appears to have vanished from the battlefield and keeping a low profile.
Syria’s half million Druzes, sheltering away from the conflict in their mountain villages on Jebel Druze in the south, were given an ultimatum by Hizballah to proclaim their loyalty to Bashar Assad or face attack.
Hizballah aggression against the Syrian Druzes would have major connotations for the community in Lebanon and its leader, Walid Jumblatt. On the other hand, if Syrian Druzes threw in their lot with the Assad regime, the Druzes of Lebanon would be forced to line up with Iran’s proxy. This realignment would counteract the Syrian rebels’ threat to strike Hizballah strongholds inside Lebanon. And these shifts would leave the Druze villagers on the Israeli Golan few options but to line up with the rest.
Unnoticed by Israel, the long arm of the Syrian war has reached deep into the Gaza Strip. Its Palestinian Hamas rulers lost no time in jumping on the winning bandwagon. A delegation is already in Tehran waiting to plead for a new military cooperation pact. Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and Hamas politburo chief Khaled Meshaal faced heavy pressure to turn away from their ties with Turkey and Qatar and renew the military pact Hamas signed with Iran and Hizballah in September 2012
The pressure came from Marwan Issa, deputy commander of Hamas’s military wing, the Ezz a-din al-Qassam Brigades - who fled the Gaza Strip after Israel’s Pillar of Defense operation against Hamas rockets, and stayed in Tehran ever since - and Mahmoud a-Zahar, who lost the politburo slot to Meshaal.
Thursday June 6, the Hamas military wing suddenly issued a declaration of allegiance to Iran and Hizballah.
Hamas is in desperate need of a new patron and even more of cash. Turkey and Qatar have cut off funds to the radical Palestinian movement and so its rulers, with the al Qusayr victory resounding strongly in their ears, turned back to Tehran and Hizballah to beg for funding to buy rockets.
This side-effect of the Syrian war and Hizballah’s successful role there is bad news for Israel. Back under the thumb of Iran and its proxy, Hamas is more than likely to scrap its ceasefire deal with Israel after nine months of rocket-free border calm, in its eagerness to rejoin the winning side of the Syrian war.
This would be a strategic slap in the face for Israel and the Obama administration, which helped broker the ceasefire last year, and a major hurdle in the path of US Secretary of State John Kerry and his hard work for reviving the Israeli-Palestinian peace track. With two anti-Israel warfronts looming on the Golan and the Gaza Strip, no Palestinian Authority figure, including Mahmoud Abbas, would venture to sit down with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu The Syrian-Hizballah victory in Qusayr exposed the hollowness of the US-European-Israeli posture of non-intervention in the Syrian conflict. While all three backed away from confirming the outbreak of chemical warfare in Syria, aside from empty threats, Moscow, Tehran and Baghdad managed to repair the inroads made on Assad’s military power by two and-a-quarter years of hard fighting, and fashion a combined Syrian-Hizballah fighting machine capable of crushing the Syrian uprising.
Having proved its mettle in an epic victory, the Syrian-Hizballah partnership confronts Israel, Jordan and the US forces posted there with plans to follow up in its success in two stages: First, to conquer Aleppo and southern Syria and clear them of rebels; second, to use the Golan as a jumping-off base to face Israel on the battlefield.
Already, their campaign to seize the town of Quneitra on the Syrian side of Golan has begun. The roar of gunfire and shells heard distinctly in Israel Thursday, June 6, told Israel’s war leaders in no uncertain terms that the war front against Hizballah had shifted from southern Lebanon to the Golan.

GCC Urges Nationals to Avoid Going to Lebanon as Arab League Condemns Hizbullah Activities in Syria
Naharnet /The countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council urged their citizens on Wednesday to avoid traveling to Lebanon or staying in the country as “a safety precaution.”
“All six member states of the GCC call on their citizens not to travel to Lebanon and urge their nationals who are already in the country to leave it,” Council chief Abdullatif al-Zayani stressed during a press conference.
He elaborated: “We took this decision taking into consideration the current unstable situation in Lebanon, which is a threat to the nationals of GCC countries.”
Meanwhile, the Arab League on Wednesday condemned Hizbullah's involvement in the Syrian war.
Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi announced after an extraordinary meeting of Arab foreign ministers that the resolution issued after the talks condemns “any intervention in Syria, especially by Hizbullah.”
"There were several points of views regarding Hizbullah and we decided to condemn any foreign interference in the Syrian conflict, especially Hizbullah's involvement,” al-Arabi told reporters. Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Amr revealed that no party had reservations on the decision concerning Syria “except for Lebanon that distanced itself from this matter.” The military support of Hizbullah has helped Syrian regime forces gain the upper hand in the battle for control of Qusayr, where an army assault began last month, amid a Lebanese, regional and international outcry.
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah had previously justified the group's involvement in Syria by saying they were defending Lebanese-inhabited border villages inside Syria and Shiite holy sites.
But during a May 25 speech marking the 13th anniversary of Israel's military withdrawal from Lebanon, Nasrallah said the Takfiris are the “most prevailing group in the Syrian opposition,” warning against a defeat against them in the ongoing war in Syria. He said: “If Syria falls in the hands of the Takfiris and the United States, the resistance will become under a siege and Israel will enter Lebanon. If Syria falls, the Palestinian cause will be lost.”

Saudi Urges Lebanese to End Syria-Linked Fighting
Naharnet/Saudi Arabia on Thursday urged Lebanon's people to act "wisely" and end their fighting in the city of Tripoli, wracked by a wave of bloody violence linked to the conflict in neighboring Syria.
Riyadh was following "with deep concern the bloody events taking place in Tripoli... that benefit nobody but those who do not mean well for Lebanon and its people," said Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal. Saudi Arabia, a powerhouse in the region, "urges all parties involved to put an end to this fighting and act wisely," said Prince Saud, quoted by the official SPA news agency. He voiced the Sunni-dominated kingdom's support for "strengthening the authority of the Lebanese state and its control over all its territories". Riyadh affirmed its "confidence in the Lebanese government's keenness to take all measures that would preserve security and stability for the Lebanese people in all their sects and beliefs," said the minister. A new wave of Syria-linked clashes between Sunni and Alawite residents of the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli has killed eight people since the weekend.
The confrontations came after a brief lull, following a flare-up last month in which 31 people died and more than 200 were wounded. The violence is tied to the conflict in Syria, where a Sunni-led uprising is fighting to overthrow the regime of President Bashar Assad, who belongs to the Alawite offshoot of Shiite Islam. The fighting in Tripoli, which has flared sporadically since the beginning of the Syria conflict in March 2011, has largely been confined to the Alawite-populated Jabal Mohsen and the Sunni Bab al-Tabbaneh. Source/Agence France Presse.

2 Gunmen Dead after Attacking Lebanese Army in Arsal
Naharnet /The army command said Thursday that two gunmen, a Lebanese and a Syrian, have been killed during a clash with soldiers in a border town in northeastern Lebanon. The military said in a communique that on Wednesday night a group of armed men riding a pickup truck clashed with the troops after attacking their checkpoint in the area of Wadi Hmeid in the outskirts of Arsal. Two of the assailants were killed while the rest were able to escape, it said. Another armed group attacked the same members of the checkpoint at 2:30 am but the assault caused no casualties, the communique said. The soldiers were able to seize the pickup truck along with the weapons and ammunition that the gunmen were transporting, it added. On Wednesday, State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr charged three people for killing Lebanese soldiers at the same checkpoint last month. Saqr charged in absentia Mashhour Abdul Mawla al-Rifahi al-Wazir, a Syrian, for the premeditated killing of three soldiers on May 28. The judge also charged two Lebanese, Ahmed Hussein Mohammed and Iman Shmaytiyeh, who are in detention, for taking part in the assault. The suspects face the death penalty if convicted.

1 Dead, 7 Hurt in Fierce Clashes between Salafists, Pro-Hizbullah Group in Tripoli
Naharnet/One person was killed and seven others were hurt as fierce clashes spread to the heart of the northern city of Tripoli on Thursday, after a security plan by the Lebanese army managed to relatively contain the violence in the flashpoint districts of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen. The army deployed in the souk area, restoring a tense calm four hours after the clash broke out between Salafists who support the revolt in Syria and pro-Damascus fighters, a security official told Agence France Presse. Two of the wounded were soldiers, though the identity of the man killed in the firefight in the markets of central Tripoli had not been confirmed, the official said on condition of anonymity. "A major clash in Tripoli's souks broke out between Salafists and fighters loyal to Hizbullah," a security source told AFP earlier on Thursday. It is the first battle since 2008 in central Tripoli, although frequent Syria-related violence has raged in other districts. It comes after some three weeks of sectarian fighting in the flashpoint Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhoods, during which around 40 people were killed. The army deployed in force on Tripoli's main streets on Thursday, the official said on condition of anonymity, although the soldiers stayed clear of the strife-torn areas. The central Tripoli battle saw Salafists fight members of the Syrian National Socialist Party, which supports the Assad regime. Al-Jadeed television said “clashes between the al-Nashar and Hajar families in Tripoli's internal markets have left casualties.” Al-Manar television said fighting erupted in Tripoli's gold market and the areas near Khan al-Saboun. Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5) said ambulances rushed to the areas of the clashes and “the situation in Tripoli's internal markets is heading for further escalation.”SourceAgence France PresseNaharnet.

Lebanese Army Raids Tripoli Neighborhoods as Sniper Fire Resumes, Charbel Says Full Deployment in 48 Hours
Naharnet /Sniper activity renewed on Thursday in the northern city of Tripoli as the army began a series of raids to detain offenders and seized weapons from a depot in the wheat market. According to a communique issued by the army the arms depot included a quantity of explosives, local-made mortars, rifles and ammunition and other military equipment.
The statement pointed out that depot belongs to Ziad Allouki. It also revealed that a patrol was targeted with gunfire in Tripoli's Jabal Mohsen, during raids in the city.
Al-Jadeed television said a clash erupted between the army and gunmen in an area between Nejmeh Square and Bab al-Ramel in Tripoli, amid reports of casualties.
The army vowed to continue pursuing gunmen, warning that it will not hesitate in responding to those who are violating security. Caretaker Interior Minister Charbel assured from Tripoli that the army will complete "full deployment in the city within 48 hours," urging gunmen to support the military institution's plan.
"The army has been implementing a security plan since Wednesday and definitely there have been obstacles along the way but they're overcoming them,” he said after meeting with al-Mustaqbal bloc MP Mohammed Kabbara at the latter's residence. “We agreed on letting the army continue implementing its security plan and it will complete full deployment in the city within 48 hours.”
Charbel revealed that the security forces will patrol and erect checkpoints in Tripoli, noting that "all the wanted and the perpetrator will be arrested."
He stressed: “The army will not back away neither will the security forces.”"(Caretaker Prime Minister) Najib Miqati will reconstruct the city when things calm down, and the cabinet has taken a decision to finance projects worth USD100 million,”Charbel revealed.
Prior to the talks with Kabbara, the caretaker minister had inspected the posts of security forces in the city and presided over a security meeting at Tripoli's serail.
Meanwhile, MP Kabbara said after the meeting that “all Tripoli's figures agree that the only option is the state through the army and the security forces.”
Kabbara also called on the gunmen to withdraw from the streets. The al-Mustaqbal MP had participated earlier in a meeting with a number of deputies and dignitaries to discuss the latest developments in the city, Radio Voice of Lebanon (93.3) reported. After the National Islamic Gathering's meeting, Kabbara urged "the army and the state to prove their keenness to preserve the safety of Tripoli."
"Our choice is for the state to apply a security plan in a fair and transparent manner without any discrimination between one region and another," he stressed.
"The Gathering's meetings are open and it is supervising the application of the security plan, especially the violations of armed groups in Ball Mohsen."
Kabbara warned of groups that have "no interest in preserving security in Tripoli."
"Some Syria and Hizbullah-affiliated parties say Tripoli is not under the rule of law," he said.
While he assured that "things are going back to normal in Tripoli," the northern MP added: "We call on the residents of Tripoli not to allow anyone to cause chaos in the city."
The Arab Democratic Party announced on Thursday afternoon lifting the political cover off any security violator in Tripoli, MTV said.
As well, Al-Mustaqbal movement expressed concern over the situation in the North, urging Tripoli's residents to "cooperate responsibly with the army's measures and not to give those seeking to harm the city's unity the chance to implement their foreign objectives."
The state-run National News Agency earlier reported that the army patrolled the streets separating the rival neighborhoods of Alawite Jabal Mohsen and Sunni Bab al-Tabbaneh.
Media reports said that an officer and several soldiers were injured in the wheat market and in Bohsas after unknown assailants opened fire at their patrol.
The news agency reported that the residents of the wheat market blocked the road in the area with burning tires to protest the arrest of several people, prompting the army to open fire in the air to disperse them.
Traffic and most markets, shops,schools and university campuses opened their doors as usual in the city.
However, several media outlets reported that assailants torched shops in the northern city to force closure.
On Wednesday the Army Command vowed in a statement that it will take decisive measures to address the thorny situation in Tripoli away from any political interference.
Later, the NNA reported that a 4x4 flipped on al-Mallouleh bridge after snipers targeted it.
The international road linking Tripoli with Syria was also blocked. The city has so far witnessed around 17 rounds of fighting which intensified when the now more than two-year conflict erupted in Syria. For the first time last month, supporters and opponents of Assad lobbed mortar shells and fired heavy machine guns at each other. The latest confrontations come after a brief lull in the violence between the two sides, following a flare-up last month that left 31 people dead and more than 200 hurt. A statement was issued after a meeting in Tripoli's Dar al-Fatwa lauding the role of the army and security forces in preserving security. “The measures should be comprehensive and reach all Lebanese territories,” Sheikh Mohammed Imam, who read the statement said.
The attendees called on security agencies to be “transparent” to avoid strife. “We urge Tripoli residents to avoid strife and stress that the army preserves Tripoli's security and that of Lebanon,” Imam added.

General Prosecutor Judge Hatem Madi Requests Lifting MP Mohammed Kabbara's Immunity
Naharnet/General Prosecutor Judge Hatem Madi requested on Thursday lifting immunity off al-Mustaqbal bloc MP Mohammed Kabbara a day after President Michel Suleiman decided to file a lawsuit against him.
Madi submitted the request to caretaker Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi, who will in turn refer it to the parliament. Madi visited the president at Baabda palace, a presidential statement said. On Wednesday, Suleiman decided to file a lawsuit against the lawmaker for accusing him of “conspiring with foreign countries” against Tripoli. However, Kabbara snapped back at the president, saying he “should have asked the Public Prosecution to act after thousands of Hizbullah fighters crossed the border under the eyes of his official security agencies to take part in the Syrian war, instead of urging (Hizbullah chief) Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah to withdraw from Qusayr.”
“Unless there is cowardliness to face this reality or collusion to which the Lebanese are supposed to turn a blind eye,” Kabbara added. On Tuesday, al-Mustaqbal MP, who hails from Tripoli, voiced “regret” that Suleiman, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati, Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji and the military institution “seem to be colluded with the Syrian regime.” A new wave of Syria-linked clashes between Sunni and Alawite residents of Tripoli has killed eight people since the weekend. The confrontations came after a brief lull, following a flare-up last month in which 31 people died and more than 200 were wounded. The violence is tied to the conflict in Syria, where a Sunni-led uprising is fighting to overthrow the regime of President Bashar Assad, who belongs to the Alawite offshoot of Shiite Islam. The fighting in Tripoli, which has flared sporadically since the beginning of the Syria conflict in March 2011, has largely been confined to the Alawite-populated Jabal Mohsen and the Sunni Bab al-Tabbaneh.

Syria Army Takes Control of Dabaa Village near Qusayr
Naharnet /Forces loyal to President Bashar Assad reclaimed control of the central village of Dabaa on Thursday, Syrian state television said, a day after the army and Hizbullah captured a rebel bastion. "Our heroic armed forces have secured and stabilized the town of Dabaa, north of Qusayr," the broadcaster said. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, "fierce clashes" are still ongoing in parts of Dabaa. The village has seen frequent hit-and-run operations by both regime and rebel forces. It lies north of Qusayr, which fell to army and Hizbullah forces Wednesday, nearly three weeks after the launch of a vast assault on the town.
Thousands of civilians and rebels -- including wounded people -- fled Qusayr as the town fell out of insurgent control, most of them to the village of Eastern Bweida.
Eastern Bweida lies some seven kilometers (four miles) northeast of Dabaa. "I am very concerned about what will happen to the people who were evacuated to Eastern Bweida," said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman, who had earlier called on the International Committee of the Red Cross to evacuate the wounded. Backed by its ally Hizbullah, the Syrian army is pushing to wrest the last rebel bastions in central Syria from rebel hands.Qusayr is strategic because it lies on the route linking Damascus to the coastline, which the regime is trying to secure ahead of any possible negotiations with the rebels.
Source/Agence France Presse.

Syrian Army Retakes Golan Crossing from Rebels
Naharnet/Rebels fighting troops loyal to Damascus on Thursday briefly seized the only crossing along the Israel-Syria ceasefire line in the Golan Heights, before regime forces recaptured it, an Agence France Presse correspondent and Israeli sources said. The Quneitra crossing is in the demilitarized zone on the Golan Heights, most of which Israel seized from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War.
It has both strategic and symbolic importance because of its proximity to Israel and to the Syrian capital. "The Syrian army has recovered control of the crossing, there are sounds of explosions from time to time but far less than in the morning," an Israeli source told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. An AFP correspondent near the crossing also confirmed that forces loyal to President Bashar Assad had taken back Quneitra, saying he could see tanks moving inside the area. The Israeli military earlier confirmed that the crossing and the nearby town of the same name had fallen into rebel hands. "We can confirm that opposition forces have overrun the town of Quneitra and the border post but it's not exactly clear who they are," said Captain Arye Shalicar. But he was unable to confirm that government forces had retaken the area, saying the situation was still developing.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based group that monitors Syria's two-year conflict, had also confirmed the takeover by rebel forces.
"We are watching very closely what is happening there and we have to be ready for any development," Shalicar said. "We hope there won't be any spillover into Israel."
Israel fears that the bloody fighting over the border could leave a vacuum on the Syrian side of the strategic plateau, leaving it open to infiltration by hardline militant groups bent on attacking the Jewish state."It is very worrying because on the one hand you have jihadists and Islamists who are fighting there, and on the other hand, you also have government forces which are allied with Hizbullah," a security source told AFP.
"We certainly don't want to have Hizbullah on two fronts."
The fear was that the crossing would fall into the hands of elements with an unknown agenda, "by people who we don't know, whose purpose we don't know," he said. "We don't know whether they are with us or against us."
Also located at Quneitra is the headquarters of the U.N. Disengagement Force, which counts some 1,200 peacekeepers.Since 1974, UNDOF forces have been charged with monitoring the ceasefire between Syria and Israel. In Manila, the Filipino military said one of its peacekeepers in UNDOF was wounded in the leg by shrapnel. U.N. officials said only that there had been "shots" in the area and that they were following the situation "extremely closely".During the morning, the Israeli army said two mortar rounds struck near the Golan town of Majdal Shams, and two badly wounded Syrians were let in through Quneitra and taken to Ziv hospital in the Galilee town of Safed. It was not immediately clear whether they were rebels, government troops or civilians caught in the crossfire, but Ziv hospital said that a live grenade had been found on one of them, sparking a brief security scare.
"A live hand grenade was discovered on one of two wounded Syrians brought this morning by the IDF (army) for treatment at Ziv medical center," a statement said.
"The grenade was found as doctors treated a seriously wounded and unconscious person. When they began removing his clothes they found in his pocket the live grenade. The area of the trauma room and adjacent operating theater was evacuated." It was quickly defused by bomb disposal experts, it said. Quneitra crossing is used almost exclusively by Druze residents of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights who are allowed to cross over to study, work or get married. Israel seized a large section of the strategic plateau from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed it in 1981, in a move never recognized by the international community.
Israel and Syria are still technically at a state of war.Source/Agence France Presse.

'Terrorists' at Turkey Demos, Reveals Erdogan
Naharnet ظPrime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday that members of a "terrorist organization" were taking part in deadly anti-government protests sweeping Turkey and refused to cancel a controversial development plan that sparked them. "Among the protesters, there are extremists, some of them implicated in terrorism," Erdogan told reporters in Tunis on the final day of a north African tour that has been overshadowed by the unrest back home. "Supporters of this terrorist organization were present" including some who acted in Istanbul's Taksim Square, epicenter of the protests, he added. Seven foreigners implicated in the unrest have been arrested, Erdogan said, without specifying what part they had played in the violence. Six were arrested in Istanbul and one in Ankara, according to the interior ministry. "Seven foreigners have been implicated in the unrest, six of whom have appeared before the public prosecutor and one of whom is under arrest," Erdogan said. Later in Ankara, Interior Minister Muammer Guler said the foreigners detained were two French, two Iranians, a Greek, a German and an American, and that two had been released, without saying who.
"The authorities have decided to deport four of these foreigners, and one of them is still in custody," he said. Since last weekend, thousands of angry demonstrators opposed to the conservative policies of Erdogan's Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) have taken to the streets of Turkey's main cities calling for him to quit. A heavy-handed police response to a peaceful demonstration against the redevelopment of Istanbul's Gezi Park next to Taksim Square was the initial spark for the nationwide unrest that has now claimed three lives. Erdogan has previously defied the protesters, dismissing them as "extremists".
"We will not allow a minority to dictate to the majority, nor will we accept the tyranny of the majority," he said on Thursday, while defending the urban development plan.
"We will go through with this project... (which) respects (Turkey's) history, culture and environment." "What we are doing is to protect the rights of the majority and to preserve the beauty of Istanbul," Erdogan said, adding that he did not link the environmental activists to the unrest. "We know very well who is implicated in the troubles, and I exclude all citizens concerned about preserving the environment." The embattled premier was due back in Turkey later on Thursday after his four-day trip, which also took him to Morocco and Algeria. Speaking in Morocco on Monday, Erdogan said the situation in Turkey was "calming down" and that the problems would be resolved by his return. But the mass unrest has only intensified in his absence, with doctors reporting thousands of injured as police tried to quell the rallies in major cities with tear gas, pepper spray and water cannon. A Turkish policeman died in hospital on Wednesday hours after being injured in a fall while chasing anti-government protesters in the southern city of Adana, the private NTV news channel said.
His death marks the first police fatality in seven days of clashes, with two young male protesters killed earlier. Fresh violence broke out in the capital Ankara overnight but Istanbul, where the unrest started on May 31, was relatively calm after six nights of unrest.
Source/Agence France Presse.

Saudi Mufti Calls for Putting an End to Hizbullah 'Aggression' in Syria
Naharnet /Saudi Arabia's top cleric urged governments and fellow clerics across the Muslim world to punish Hizbullah for its intervention in the Syrian civil war against the mainly Sunni rebels fighting to oust President Bashar Assad. Grand mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Shaikh said Hizbullah's actions vindicated the Sunni-dominated kingdom's long suspicion of the group and its alliance with Shiite Iran.
"We urge all politicians and clerics to take substantial measures against this detestable sectarian group (Hizbullah) and all those backing it," Shaikh said in a speech carried by the official SPA news agency.
Shaikh welcomed an about-turn last month by influential Qatar-based Sunni cleric Youssef al-Qaradawi, who had previously backed Hizbullah, particularly after its 2006 war with Israel.
Qaradawi "has returned to the stance taken by the kingdom's top scholars and which was clear on this sectarian detestable movement ever since it was created," Shaikh said. "We support" Qaradawi in his stance and call on "all clerics of the Muslim world to stick together and cooperate during this critical moment in history," he added.
In last month's speech, Qaradawi, who has millions of supporters around the Arab world, particularly in the ranks of the Muslim Brotherhood, said he had been at fault for previously backing Hizbullah and urged Sunni volunteers to join the Syrian rebels. Hizbullah fighters spearheaded a devastating 17-day assault on the Syrian town of Qusayr near the Lebanese border which culminated on Wednesday with its recapture from the rebels.
The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council -- of which Saudi Arabia is the key member -- warned on Sunday that it could take measures against Hizbullah.
One GCC member, Bahrain, has already ordered steps against the group. Hizbullah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem on Wednesday said “Qusayr's achievement dealt a severe blow to the American-Israeli-Takfiri scheme.”
Hizbullah chief Nasrallah had previously justified the group's involvement in Syria by saying they were defending Lebanese-inhabited border villages inside Syria and Shiite holy sites. But during a May 25 speech marking the 13th anniversary of Israel's military withdrawal from Lebanon, Nasrallah said the Takfiris are the “most prevailing group in the Syrian opposition,” warning against a defeat against them in the ongoing war in Syria.
He said: “If Syria falls in the hands of the Takfiris and the United States, the resistance will become under a siege and Israel will enter Lebanon. If Syria falls, the Palestinian cause will be lost.”

Qaida Chief Urges Syria Jihadists to Fight for Anti-U.S. Govt
Naharnet /Al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahiri has called on jihadists fighting in Syria's civil war to unite and fight for the establishment of an anti-U.S. government in Damascus, in a newly released audio message.
Syria's President Bashar Assad belongs to the Alawite sect of Shiite Islam, while the divided rebels fighting to oust his regime are mainly Sunni Muslims, including the jihadist Al-Nusra Front.
"Unite, listen and agree that you shall not lay down your arms and leave your trenches until the establishment in the Levant of an Islamic state that will restore the caliphate," said Zawahiri.
"The United States, it associates and allies want you to sacrifice your blood... to bring down the criminal Alawite regime and install a government in its pay and to preserve Israel's security," he said in the message posted on Islamist websites on Thursday. "The jihad in the Levant should work to establish a combatant Islamic caliphate that continues to make sacrifices... until the banner of jihad and Islam is hoisted.
"Your laudable jihad gives hope for the recovery of Palestine, 65 years after it was robbed from us," he added in the message marking the anniversary of the Six-Day War in which Israel seized the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Syria's civil war flared after Assad's forces launched a bloody crackdown on democracy protests that erupted in March 2011. Tens of thousands of Syrians have since been killed and millions forced to flee their homes.
Assad's government insists it is fighting "terrorists" who want to impose an Islamic state. This assertion was bolstered in April when Al-Nusra Front leader Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani pledged allegiance to Zawahiri. The vow came after the al-Qaida chief urged rebels to fight for the establishment of an Islamic state in Syria, a call that was met with caution by the mainstream rebel group, the Free Syrian Army.
SourceAgence France Presse.

Syrian Army Retakes Golan Crossing from Rebels
Naharnet /Rebels fighting troops loyal to Damascus on Thursday briefly seized the only crossing along the Israel-Syria ceasefire line in the Golan Heights, before regime forces recaptured it, an Agence France Presse correspondent and Israeli sources said. The Quneitra crossing is in the demilitarized zone on the Golan Heights, most of which Israel seized from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War. It has both strategic and symbolic importance because of its proximity to Israel and to the Syrian capital. "The Syrian army has recovered control of the crossing, there are sounds of explosions from time to time but far less than in the morning," an Israeli source told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.An AFP correspondent near the crossing also confirmed that forces loyal to President Bashar Assad had taken back Quneitra, saying he could see tanks moving inside the area.
The Israeli military earlier confirmed that the crossing and the nearby town of the same name had fallen into rebel hands. "We can confirm that opposition forces have overrun the town of Quneitra and the border post but it's not exactly clear who they are," said Captain Arye Shalicar.
But he was unable to confirm that government forces had retaken the area, saying the situation was still developing. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based group that monitors Syria's two-year conflict, had also confirmed the takeover by rebel forces. "We are watching very closely what is happening there and we have to be ready for any development," Shalicar said. "We hope there won't be any spillover into Israel." Israel fears that the bloody fighting over the border could leave a vacuum on the Syrian side of the strategic plateau, leaving it open to infiltration by hardline militant groups bent on attacking the Jewish state.
"It is very worrying because on the one hand you have jihadists and Islamists who are fighting there, and on the other hand, you also have government forces which are allied with Hizbullah," a security source told AFP.
"We certainly don't want to have Hizbullah on two fronts."
The fear was that the crossing would fall into the hands of elements with an unknown agenda, "by people who we don't know, whose purpose we don't know," he said. "We don't know whether they are with us or against us."
Also located at Quneitra is the headquarters of the U.N. Disengagement Force, which counts some 1,200 peacekeepers. Since 1974, UNDOF forces have been charged with monitoring the ceasefire between Syria and Israel. In Manila, the Filipino military said one of its peacekeepers in UNDOF was wounded in the leg by shrapnel. U.N. officials said only that there had been "shots" in the area and that they were following the situation "extremely closely".During the morning, the Israeli army said two mortar rounds struck near the Golan town of Majdal Shams, and two badly wounded Syrians were let in through Quneitra and taken to Ziv hospital in the Galilee town of Safed. It was not immediately clear whether they were rebels, government troops or civilians caught in the crossfire, but Ziv hospital said that a live grenade had been found on one of them, sparking a brief security scare.
"A live hand grenade was discovered on one of two wounded Syrians brought this morning by the IDF (army) for treatment at Ziv medical center," a statement said.
"The grenade was found as doctors treated a seriously wounded and unconscious person. When they began removing his clothes they found in his pocket the live grenade. The area of the trauma room and adjacent operating theater was evacuated."It was quickly defused by bomb disposal experts, it said. Quneitra crossing is used almost exclusively by Druze residents of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights who are allowed to cross over to study, work or get married. Israel seized a large section of the strategic plateau from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed it in 1981, in a move never recognized by the international community.
Israel and Syria are still technically at a state of war.SourceAgence France Presse.

On Syria, John Kerry is left out on a limb
By Michael Young The Daily Star
The effectiveness of the Obama administration’s strategy in Syria is dependent on there being a good relationship between President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry. While nothing suggests there are problems on that front, Obama has limited interest in the matter that preoccupies the secretary most today: Syria.
Earlier this week, after meeting with Poland’s foreign minister, Kerry commented on efforts to hold an international conference on Syria in Geneva: “This is a very difficult process, which we come to late.” To many this was implicit criticism of the administration’s repeated efforts to avoid engaging with the Syrian crisis. Kerry added, “We are trying to prevent the sectarian violence from dragging Syria down into a complete and total implosion where it has broken up into enclaves, and the institutions of the state have been destroyed, with God knows how many additional refugees and how many innocent people killed.”
This breakdown has been going on for over two years, and has been characterized by all the alarming elements Kerry described. For him to suddenly outline the dangers seemed more a subtle criticism of how the Syrian situation was allowed to reach such a stage than acknowledgement of a fundamentally new approach in Washington.
The question is whether Kerry has much latitude to push the United States in directions that Obama hesitates to allow. The Obama White House has tightly controlled the foreign policy agenda in recent years. Hillary Clinton was influential enough to have her way on certain issues, but one thing she frequently had trouble doing was enrolling the president in efforts to advance her recommended policies.
Kerry may be less effective. He was not Obama’s first choice as secretary of state, and the president has been largely silent on Kerry’s efforts to organize the Geneva II conference. That’s ironic, because Kerry agreed to it with the Russians partly in order to lessen the pressure on the president to intervene in Syria, after Bashar Assad’s forces allegedly used chemical weapons against the rebels.
The president has also said nothing about Kerry’s attempt to resume negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians. It is understandable that Obama does not want to put his name to politically risky courses of action that might fail; but without more presidential commitment, the momentum that Kerry requires to get both projects rolling will not be forthcoming, thwarting the secretary’s political aims.For instance, there were reports Tuesday that France and the United Nations had concluded that the Syrian regime used limited quantities of chemical weapons in fighting near Aleppo some months ago. The White House once again stuck its head in the sand. The spokesman, Jay Carney, said, “[w]e need more information” that allows the administration to “establish a body of information that can be presented and reviewed, and upon which policy decisions can be made.” There was a man throwing out chaff to buy Obama room to maneuver. Indeed the administration has yet to gather such a body of information, and has set no deadline for doing so.
In that context you have to wonder what leverage Kerry really has. The Obama administration, probably with Kerry’s approval, has withheld $63 million slated for the Syrian opposition, angry with its refusal to attend the Geneva conference while Hezbollah continues to fight on Syrian territory. The opposition decision was unwise, since it embarrassed Washington and by way of contrast made the Assad regime, which has agreed to attend the conference, look flexible.
However, publicly undermining the opposition is not the way to go. It strengthens a regime that has long fought America in the Middle East, and it weakens America’s diplomatic hand, when the objective should be to reinforce the opposition and impose unity in its ranks. But that requires effort and initiative, which have been absent from the administration’s approach to Syria. In contrast, the Russians saw how poorly Bashar Assad managed the Syrian uprising, but they never undercut the Syrian leader, and now he is stronger thanks to their military assistance and blocking tactics at the United Nations.
With friends like the Obama administration, who needs enemies? But Kerry is lucid about Syria’s importance, whereas the White House seems not to be. All those who have argued that the United States has no strategic interest in Syria have drunk from Obama’s Kool-Aid. For starters, Iran and Hezbollah have reached the contrary conclusion, and have acted accordingly, which imposes a second look at that foolish proposition. It is surely in the interest of the U.S. to push Iran out of Syria, and to make it difficult for Hezbollah to rearm in any new Middle Eastern conflict. A contained Hezbollah is one that will be more careful about embarking on new wars, which could stabilize Lebanon.
And since Iran is the main rival of the United States in the region, and since its nuclear program happens to be a major concern of the Obama administration, weakening Tehran’s footprint in the Levant could facilitate negotiations to help resolve the nuclear standoff.
Nothing is clear-cut in the Middle East, but the potential gains from an Iranian defeat in Syria should nevertheless have been obvious from the very beginning to Obama’s foreign policy sages. The White House claims to adhere to political realism, but other than displaying hard-nosed indifference to the fate of the Syrian population, the administration has failed to apply realist principles in defense of American national interests to the events in Syria.
Kerry’s admission that the U.S. came late to Syria will not endear him to Obama’s current advisers at the White House. The secretary of state could find himself without political allies at a time when he needs them the most to implement a coherent Syria policy. But the arrival of Susan Rice as the new national security advisor to replace Tom Donilon and the appointment of Samantha Power as UNambassador, both of whom have taken a touger line on Syria than other officials, could play in Kerry’s favor. Perhaps the secretary won’t be as lonely as he might have been.
**Michael Young is opinion editor of THE DAILY STAR. He tweets @BeirutCalling.

The Middle Class Strikes Back
Soner Cagaptay/New York Times
Turkey can become the first consolidated Muslim democracy if Erdogan begins to respect the will of his people. Since 2002, Turkey's sound economic policies have made it a member of the Group of 20 and turned it into a majority middle-class society for the first time in its history. Yet this week's huge protests show that the ruling Justice and Development Party, known as the A.K.P., has become a victim of its own success.
Indeed, the middle class that the party has created is committed to individual freedoms -- and it is now challenging the A.K.P.'s style of governance and political domination. College students, mostly of middle-class origins and considered apolitical, emerged as an organizing force in the demonstrations. They set up makeshift clinics, provided legal counsel for those demonstrators arrested and established hot lines for injured people. Their participation offers an early glimpse of Turkey's future; these students were only in elementary school when the A.K.P. took office in 2002, and they have known no other party. They want their voices to be heard -- along with the environmentalists, ultranationalists, gay rights groups, members of the Alevi community, Kurdish separatists and secular liberals who have taken to the streets. These unlikely bedfellows all reject the A.K.P.'s heavy-handed political style.
All this suggests that modernization theory -- the idea that economic development leads to more democracy -- is in the process of being proved right in Turkey. Indeed, as countries become middle class, they tend to become irreversibly diverse and democratic, developing the bedrock for democratic governance, including consensual politics and respect for individual and minority rights.
This week's clashes have exposed a fundamental rift between that democratic vision and the ruling party's leadership style. The A.K.P. and its leader, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, have interpreted democracy simply as majoritarianism -- rule by and for the majority, no matter how narrow, with little regard for consensus building. Mr. Erdogan believes that once elected, leaders need not worry about opposing views. During the demonstrations, he dismissed the protesters' legitimacy, arguing that "the will of the people is manifested at the ballot box."
Mr. Erdogan is a democrat only in the sense that he believes in ruling through popularly elected governments. Half of Turkey supports the A.K.P., but the other half does not. Yet, acting on this mentality, Mr. Erdogan has pushed to remake Turkey in his own image: capitalist and conservative, while dismissing opposing views. He has embraced free-market economics, successfully privatizing Turkey's moribund public-sector companies. At the same time, his government has promoted a socially conservative, family-values agenda, encapsulated by his iconic call for each woman to have at least three children.
For several years, Mr. Erdogan's image as "a strong man with strong family values" worked. It brought him two successive election victories after 2002, with a growing share of the vote each time. But as Turkey prospered, more Turks were lifted out of poverty in the last decade than ever before.
Recently, though, the A.K.P. has faced severe public opposition to some of its projects, including legislation that limits the sale of alcohol as well as the catalyst for the protests: his plan to uproot hundreds of trees and turn a park adjacent to Istanbul's largest square into a shopping mall. Yet in both cases the A.K.P. leadership simply plowed ahead. For them, steamrolling opposing voices was just business as usual.
Mr. Erdogan has failed to realize that he is dealing with a new Turkey. It was surprising enough that an environmentalist sit-in was organized in downtown Istanbul to save a city park. Even more surprising was the fact that when the police moved in to crack down, tens of thousands of middle-class citizens poured into the streets in the middle of the night.
Since then, demonstrations have spread across the country deep into Anatolia, following the footsteps of the country's growing bourgeoisie, which is no longer only in historically cosmopolitan coastal centers like Istanbul and Izmir, but in provincial cities like Gaziantep and Malatya, where trade with neighboring countries like Iraq and Iran has brought newfound wealth. The nationwide popular reaction suggests the birth of a new Turkey that cherishes individual rights and the accouterments of middle-class life.Even Mr. Erdogan's allies and supporters, including the Gulen movement, an influential grass-roots network that had hitherto mostly supported the A.K.P., threw some support behind the demonstrations and published a number of editorials in its media outlets criticizing the ruling party.
The new middle class that the A.K.P. has built is telling its government that democracy is not just about winning elections; it is also about building consensus. And they are telling Mr. Erdogan that while they may vote for him, they do not necessarily support all his policies. This is good news for Turkey's future. The country has crossed a threshold -- it is too middle class and too diverse to fall under a one-size-fits-all democracy. And the A.K.P. will have to listen to opposing views, even though it remains the most popular party in the country.
Turkey has become the first majority middle-class and majority Muslim society in history. Now it can become the first consolidated democracy among all Muslim countries, if Mr. Erdogan begins to respect the will of his people.
**Soner Cagaptay, author of the forthcoming book The Rise of Turkey: The Twenty-First Century's First Muslim Power, is the Beyer Family fellow and director of the Turkish Research Program at The Washington Institute.

The Gulf states could have acted differently on Syria
By: Bernard Haykel/Asharq Alawsat
The GCC countries have been slow in reacting to and developing a policy towards the conflict in Syria. It is time for the GCC to become more engaged and make public its views and strategy. When contrasted with Iran—which has been fully involved from the beginning of the Syrian uprising in terms of financial, military and ideological support for the Assad regime—most GCC countries have been timid and too reliant on the leadership of other countries, such as the United States, Turkey, or even Qatar. It goes without saying that the outcome of the war in Syria is of fundamental importance to the future of the Arab world. Neither Iran nor radical Sunni Jihadists, nor for that matter the West or Russia, can determine the outcome of this conflict. The GCC countries must be the key players in this unfolding drama on multiple levels.
The Assad regime, and Iran, its principal regional backer, have portrayed the conflict in Syria as a sectarian war, pitting moderate Muslim and anti-imperialist forces against radical Sunni jihadists—Takfirists, in Sayyid Hasan Nasrallah’s assessment of the Syrian opposition. This narrative has been extremely influential and effective at convincing a reticent and exhausted US government not to get involved in the Syrian war. For a war-weary America under the leadership the very cautious President Obama, no choice can be made between an Iranian-backed authoritarian regime on the one hand and Al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadists on the other. Both are equally bad options, and as such the preferred strategy of the US has been to keep involvement in the conflict to a minimum.
One way in which Iran and Hezbollah have made their narrative palpable has been to focus on the destruction of shrines and tombs by the radical jihadists, as well as the brutal beheadings and mutilation of Assad’s supporters and troops. In more specific terms, the Iranian narrative has focused on the threat to the shrine of Sayyida Zaynab in Damascus, which has become a symbol of the clash between the forces of moderation and extremism. Since the GCC counties are supporting the opposition, the Iranian argument asserts that they are in effect supporting the violent and intolerant extremists who seek wanton destruction and killing.
The GCC, led by Saudi Arabia, must loudly offer a counter-narrative in this struggle. One way to do this is to publicly declare their condemnation of radical jihadist ideology and action, in particular the destruction of religious sites. Sayyida Zaynab, for example, could be declared an inviolate monument that no opposition group should try to destroy or harm in any way.
Making public such a stance and offering a counter-narrative would be important for several reasons. First, Iran’s sectarian narrative obscures the oppression and brutality that ordinary Syrians who are opposed to Assad’s rule continue to endure. They are accused by Iran as being radicals bent on committing genocide against Shi’ites and their shrines, and who therefore ought to be fought at all costs. Second, this Iranian narrative denies the fact that Saudi Arabia has waged its own war against the jihadist extremists of Al-Qaeda within the kingdom, in Yemen, and elsewhere. It is factually false for Saudi Arabia to be labeled a supporter of Al-Qaeda, a wrongful accusation that has taken a decade to refute in the US after the tragic events of 9/11. Third, US military support for the Syrian opposition will only materialize if the Syrian opposition is not seen as yet another Al-Qaeda affiliate or front. Only Saudi Arabia, with its intimate knowledge of the Islamist religious field, and the jihadists in particular, can help make the distinction between the minority of radical jihadists and the majority of legitimate opponents to the regime in Damascus.
It will not serve Syria or the Arab world to allow Iran to characterize the Syrian opposition as entirely made up of jihadist terrorists, and it is important for the GCC countries to marginalize those radical jihadists who are fighting in Syria. One way of doing this is to condemn jihadist beliefs and practices on matters such as the veneration of tombs and shrines and the unbelief of the Shi’ites. The war in Syria is not about sectarianism, but rather about justice for all, regardless of religion or sect. This ought to be the position of the GCC and the entire world.
The counterpoint to this article can be read here.

The era of Arab failed states
By: Eyad Abu Shakra/Ashareq Alawsat
In the week of the 46th anniversary of the Six-Day War of 1967, it is clear now that said war was far worse than we had thought. The worst thing is that we failed to draw lessons from this, leading to a series of successive tragic “endings” instead of igniting the awakening we badly needed.
Later, we fell subject to the worst of delusions following the outcome of another “earthquake,”, namely the delusion surrounding the “victory” in the October 1973 Yom Kippur war. This second “earthquake” shattered the remainder of the dreams—or delusions, in the words of the pessimists—that Arabs continued to cherish at the time in an attempt to raise their morale and convince themselves that there is nothing wrong with falling down—the problem is the fear of getting back up again.
If we consider the situation in the Arab region today, it will become clear that we committed a big mistake by ignoring two key facts necessary for any awakening—namely, to respect human rights, and to protect and safeguard them through institutions and mechanisms allowing for a smooth and systematic transition of power.
The borders of any country in the world do not come out of nothing; rather, they are drawn by world powers. Changes to borders are not final in and of themselves, and today many countries even in Europe—“the mother of democracies”—are redrawing their borders in one way or another without negatively affecting human rights. On the contrary, this is having a positive impact on human rights.
Václav Havel did not use the military to maintain the borders of Czechoslovakia, preferring to respect the Slovakians who were desirous of separating from the Czech Republic in a friendly manner. This is a step whose negative effects were soon alleviated by the expansion of the European Union’s umbrella.
Over the past years, support has run high for the Scottish National Party (SNP) in Britain, which campaigns for Scottish independence. On the other hand, the UK Independence Party (UKIP) actively campaigns, in other parts of Britain, for the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. Rather than using coercion and fabricating charges of treason, both parties observe the law and respect different opinions.
In Spain, there is a constant competition between campaigners for independence from the Spanish federation and those who call for further consolidation of the current federation. After years of fruitless violence in the Basque Country, the majority of people finally voted against full independence, disproving the claims and pretexts of the advocates of violence.
Wise societies are always keen to reach consensus and settle differences according to the constitution, public interest, and the principles of justice and equality.
Forty-six years after the 1967 war, we are facing a dangerous increase in the number of “failed states” across the Arab region. There are projects, some of which are already underway, to partition and divide countries such as Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Sudan, Yemen and Libya. Other countries are not immune to internal tensions resulting from a discourse of partition and fragmentation similar to the one which has disrupted the very concept of the “state” as we knew it, thus giving rise to the so-called “failed states.”
There can be no doubt that the responsibility for this miserable situation lies with the region’s people, leadership, and popular and political organizations. However, if there is an excuse, this is the regional influences and international interests that made it easy to bring about this situation. The stance taken by international powers towards the people of the region has always been far from honest and understanding.
Absolute US support for Israel on the basis of “maintaining the strategic balance” in the Middle East during the Cold War—which includes the Yom Kippur War—crystallized even more following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Washington now openly seeks to “maintain Israel’s military superiority” without halting its escalating settlement activities, consequently provoking feelings of disappointment and misery both inside and outside the Palestinian territories. With this, Arab moderation began to dwindle. Besides, US monopoly of the political “game” in the region, as Anwar Sadat used to say, only serves to open the door to Arab and Islamic extremism.
Today, the way Russia is dealing with the Syrian tragedy is no different from the stance the US has always adopted towards the Palestinian crisis. What we are facing today is an ugly situation full of arrogance, obstinacy and indifference to the blood and suffering of the Syrian people on the part of Russia. This situation can only be understood as the Russian Bear seeking revenge and exploitation of Washington by joining forces, whether directly or indirectly, with the theocratic regime in Iran that has nothing in common with the allegedly liberal Moscow regime.
We have also heard remarks this week from Vladimir Putin that any attempts to intervene militarily in Syria are “doomed to fail,” while US secretary of state John Kerry has once again expressed “concern” at the escalating situation in Syria—not to mention Britain’s announcement that lifting the arms embargo on the opposition depends on the Geneva II conference. All such comments only serve to exacerbate the situation and incite extremism.
The blood of the Syrian people seems to have lost its value after the indifference shown to the desire of the moderates in the region for coexistence as well as handing power to an authoritarian regime that seeks no solutions, shows no care for cooperation, and rejects all other opinion but its own.
All of these saddening “No’s” bring to mind the “Three No’s” of the 1967 conference held in Khartoum, capital of Sudan…before its division.