LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
July 24/07

Bible Reading of the day
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 12,38-42. Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you."He said to them in reply, "An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.
Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.
At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and there is something greater than Jonah here.At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here.

Openions
The obvious power of satisfied, empowered, democratic citizens-Daily Star July 23/07
Toward a US diplomatic firewall strategy in Iraq.By David Ignatius. July 23/07
It may soon be too late for Lebanon. By Oussama K. Safa. July 23/07

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for July 24/07
Ban Tells Saniora Tribunal Seat at The Hague-Naharnet
Fighting in South Leaves Police Officer Killed, 5 Men Wounded-Naharnet
Nasrallah Warns Rockets Could Still Strike Any Spot in Israel-Naharnet
DAY BY DAY-FrontPage magazine.com
 Blair makes first trip as Mideast envoy. AP
Hezbollah chief Nasrallah: Our reach spans every point in Israel-Ha'aretz
Ahmadinejad's advisor: Israel fabricated 'Syria deal'-Ynetnews
Human rights group accuses Lebanon of assaulting Palestinian detainees-Toronto Star
Hizbullah: We can strike all of Israel-Jerusalem Post
Iran denies arms deal with Syria-Los Angeles Times
Olmert: Israel cannot meet Syria's demand on Golan-Daily Star
Army clears booby traps, advances in Nahr al-Bared-Daily Star
Sfeir says politicians ought to be flexible-Daily Star
Rivals await start of French-led dialogue-Daily Star
Commercials to warn children of danger of unexploded ordnance-Daily Star
Brawl in southern village turns deadly-Daily Star
Two Danes hope to bridge divide caused by cartoons-Daily Star
Nahr al-Bared refugees yearn to return home, rebuild-Daily Star
Israeli speaker meets Abbas on reviving peace talks-Daily Star

The Lebanese Information Center welcomes the introduction of US House Resolution 548
July 20, 2007
It was with much gratitude that we learned of the introduction by the Chairman of the Middle East and South Asia Committee Gary Ackerman of House Resolution 548, which supports Lebanon and its democratically-elected government.
It is noteworthy that, as Americans of Lebanese origin, we share with the prominent members of the US congress who co-sponsored this Resolution the understanding that the battle for Lebanon’s sovereignty, the complete restoration of its democratic process and its independence are critical elements of our nation’s global war against terrorists - and that it must be won. Vital US interests are at stake because a fallen Lebanon would readily become a launching pad for the likes of Al Qaeda and Hezbollah, from which they can terrorize the world and destabilize the whole region.
Syria and Iran consider the defeat of freedom in Lebanon as a major victory in their fight against the US. They are waging multifaceted assaults against Lebanese sovereignty and they are savagely eliminating the Lebanese activists who oppose them. It is, therefore, necessary to continuously provide the Lebanese people with encouraging messages of firm support to boost their morale and to prevent their collapse under the formidable pressures of their barbaric enemies. The aforementioned Resolution does that. Moreover, this Resolution would help dispel the hopes of the Syrian and Iranian regimes, which have been betting on a partisan discord in the US congress over the issue of Lebanon. The LIC invites the Honorable Members of the House to vote in favor of HR 548 in order to reiterate the commitment of the United States to a free and democratic Lebanon. And, by thus doing, encourage the Lebanese people, government and leaders to count on US resolve without fears of abandonment precipitated by previous experiences.

Fighting in South Leaves Police Officer Killed, 5 Men Wounded
A clash between Christian villagers and their Shiite neighbors in southern Lebanon has left one police officer killed and five men wounded, security officials said.
They said the fight broke out Sunday when residents in the Christian village of Tanbourit argued with Shiite youths from the nearby town of Ghaziyeh, blaming them of having harassed some women as they traveled around the area in their car. The two groups quickly scuffled and then hurled rocks at each other before shooting erupted, the officials said. They said four Tanbourit villagers were wounded in the brawl, and a fifth was hit in the head by a bullet when gunshots broke out.
Elias Samir Haj, 22, a member of the security services of the Internal Security Forces and a village resident, was later killed by the gunmen as he drove the critically injured villager to hospital in the nearby coastal town of Sidon, the officials said. The Shiite youths were suspected of having fired all of the shots, officials said.
They said the army had arrested 10 men for questioning over the incident, which came as Lebanon is facing its most serious political crisis since the end of the civil war, with Prime Minister Fouad Saniora's government locked in a fierce power struggle with the Hizbullah-led opposition.
Many Lebanese have kept weapons since the war, and the youths suspected in the shooting were not thought to belong to Hizbullah or any other militant group, the officials said. Southern Lebanon is predominantly Shiite, but has a patchwork of communities that often congregate by religion and live in separate villages.
Lebanese troops and policemen deployed in Tanbourit to prevent renewed friction between Christians and Muslims from the two localities, which lie a few hundred meters from each other. Soldiers also raided a number of houses and hideouts in Ghaziyeh and seized the car used by the youths, officials said.
Ghaziyeh's mayor, Mohammed Samieh Ghadar, denounced the clash and vowed it would not hurt the "brotherly" ties between the two communities.
"This is an isolated incident, it will not affect our relations," Ghadar said.(AP-Naharnet) Beirut, 23 Jul 07, 08:29

Ban Tells Saniora Tribunal Seat at The Hague
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has informed Prime Minister Fouad Saniora that the International Tribunal to try the suspected killers of former Premier Rafik Hariri shall have its seat at The Hague. Diplomatic sources said Ban telephoned Saniora on Sunday night to notify him of his efforts to "finalize everything related to the tribunal issue so it can exercise its functions." The daily An Nahar had said that the U.N. secretariat was working hard to set up the court after the Beirut government suggested the names of Lebanese judges. It said that the court will be established at the end of the year. Ban's telephone discussion with Saniora came less than two weeks after Chief U.N. investigator Serge Brammertz released his eighth report to the U.N. Security Council.  Brammertz signaled for the first time that the U.N. International Independent Investigation Commission would be wrapping up its work and transferring its files and findings to the international tribunal, which the council unilaterally established on May 30 to prosecute suspects in the killings.  Hariri was killed along with 22 other people at a powerful blast Feb. 14, 2005.
Beirut, 23 Jul 07, 11:20

Nasrallah Warns Rockets Could Still Strike Any Spot in Israel
Israeli military officials said Hizbullah moved most of its rockets in south Lebanon among civilians in villages as Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah warned the group's missiles could still strike any spot in Israel.
The Israeli officials said that the new moves are part of Hizbullah's reorganization after last summer's war. During that 34-day conflict, Hizbullah fired almost 4,000 rockets at Israeli population centers, and Israeli land and air assaults caused heavy damage to Lebanese towns and neighborhoods.
Nasrallah said that during last summer's war Hizbullah rockets were able to hit "Tel Aviv or other than Tel Aviv. Every corner and every spot in occupied Palestine was certainly within the reach" of Hizbullah rockets.
"And even now, it can certainly be reached," he added, in a short excerpt of the interview to be braodcast in its entirety by Al Jazeera on Monday.
Last summer, Lebanon criticized Israel for targeting civilian areas, while Israel said Hizbullah was to blame for operating among civilians and putting them at risk.
Many of Hizbullah's rocket batteries were located in unpopulated rural areas, where the fighters dug networks of tunnels and fortifications, the officials said. But the Israeli army's new intelligence indicates that those positions have now largely been abandoned in favor of populated villages, which provide better cover for the group's activities. The U.N.-brokered cease-fire that ended the war expanded UNIFIL, the international peacekeeping force in south Lebanon, to 13,000 troops, entrusting it with ensuring that Hizbullah is not rearming near the Lebanon-Israel border. Yasmina Bouziane, a UNIFIL spokeswoman in Lebanon, refused to comment on the Israeli charges. A Hizbullah official in Beirut also refused to comment on the allegations. The official said only that in the past Hizbullah fighters fired rockets at Israel from valleys and mountainous areas and not from inside villages. The Israeli officials said Hizbullah's postwar efforts also include the construction of new fortifications north of the Litani River, farther from the Israeli border and out of UNIFIL's jurisdiction.
Last summer's conflict began when Hizbullah men attacked an Israeli border patrol in July, 2006, killing three soldiers and capturing two. The fighting left more than 1,200 people killed in Lebanon, most of them civilians. In Israel 159 people died, including 119 soldiers.(AP-Naharnet) Beirut, 23 Jul 07, 07:18