لا حلول قبل تحرير لبنان من احتلال حزب الله
الياس بجاني/02 كانون الثاني/2020

المرّض لا يعالج إن لم يتم تشخيصه والتعاطي معه بجدية وبشكل مباشر، وليس فقط التلهي بأعراضه.

في وطن الأرز، المرض السرطاني ومنذ العام 2005 هو احتلال حزب الله الإيراني والإرهابي، ومن هنا فإن كل ما يعاني منه الوطن وأهله على كافة الصعد، وفي المجالات كافة هي كلها مجرد أعراض لمرض الإحتلال، وبالتالي لا خلاص ولا شفاء من خلال علاجات ترقيعية وآنية.

وفي هذا الإطار فإن فلا تغيير الحكومة واستبدال الوزراء بغيرهم ينهي الإحتلال ويعيد للبلد سيادته المصادرة، واستقلاله المسروق وقراره المهيمن عليه بالقوة.

ولا إقرار الموازنة مهما زينت وجملت نظرياً وفخخت عملياً وواقعاً لإفقار الناس أكثر وإسقاط الدولة سيكون لها أي تأثير على واقع الإحتلال.

وكذلك لن يفيد تعاظم الوعود والعهود ومعها زجليات وعنتريات العهد القوي وكل ما يقال ويشاع باطلاً عن نواياه الطيبة.

وفي نفس السياق عبثية وملهاة هي كل مسرحيات تبادل الاتهامات “من فج وغميق” بين أصحاب شركات الأحزاب التعتير التي اقترفت خطيئة الصفقة وداكشت الكراسي بالسيادة، ولا بينهم وبين غيرهم من السياسيين والإعلاميين أكانوا طرواديين أو ملجميين أو وطنيين.

كما أن لا جدوى من تهديدات عصابات ومافيات نفاق التحرير والممانعة والمقاومة والهروب إلى الأمام وإلهاء الناس بملفات يقولون أنها لعملاء لإسرائيل، في حين أن العمالة والعملاء هم في مكان آخر ومتفلتين من كل حساب ومحاسبة وفي مقدمهم جماعات نفاق المقاومة هؤلاء أنفسهم.

ولا خلاص بأي شكل من الأشكال ما دام حزب الله واسياده في إيران يصادرون ويتحكمون بسيادة واستقلال وقرار لبنان.

وعلى الأكيد لا أحد من الخارج، لا أميركا ولا الدول الغربية ولا الدول الخليجية ولا غيرهم سيأتون لتحريرنا وتخليصنا مما نحن غارقين فيه.

الحل الوحيد فقط، والذي من بعده يبدأ العمل الصعب والمضني على حل كل مشاكل لبنان واللبنانيين هو تحرير البلد من احتلال حزب الله.

ولإنجاز التحرير هذا علينا أولاً أن نحرر أنفسنا من الخوف واليأس والاستسلام، ومن كل أوبئة السياسيين، ومن نفاق واسخريوتية أصحاب شركات الأحزاب، ومن الغرائزية والأطماع، ونجاهر بالحق والحقيقة ونقول لا لحزب الله، ولكل من هو في خدمة مشروعه في أي موقع كان.

وأول خطوة في سياق التحرير والتحرر هي كشف وتعرية كل أداوت الحزب المحتل من سياسيين وأصحاب شركات أحزاب ومسؤولين وإعلاميين وعزلهم والإتيان بطبقة سياسية شريفة ووطنية بديلة تخاف الله ويوم حسابه الأخير.

هذا عمل بإمكان كل مواطن أن يلتزم به وينفذه دون صعوبة وذلك برذل كل هؤلاء السماسرة ومحترفي الصفقات وفي مقدمهم أصحاب شركات الأحزاب والابتعاد عنهم وعدم السير ورائهم وتركهم كلياً.

يبقى أن الثورة الشعبية المستمرة بقوة منذ ما يزيد عن الشهرين أمر جيد وصحي ولكنها لن تحقق أية نتائج اساسية وسيادية ما لم تسمي مرض الإحتلال بإسمه وتتوقف عن التزلف والتملق له وتتركه بذمية وباطنية وخوف يتاجر بكذبتي المقاومة والتحرير.

وفي الخلاصة لا قيام للدولة في ظل الدويلة، وما لم تقوم الدولة المستقلة والسيادية والممسكة بقرار الحكم فلا حلول لا صغيرة ولا كبيرة وفالج لا تعالج.

*الكاتب ناشط لبناني اغترابي
عنوان الكاتب الالكتروني
Phoenicia@hotmail.com
رابط موقع الكاتب الالكتروني على الإنترنت
http://www.eliasbejjaninew.com

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أَنَا صَوْتُ صَارِخٍ فِي الْبَرِّيَّةِ: قَوِّمُوا طَرِيقَ الرَّبِّ
انجيل القديس يوحنا الفصل الأول/19حتى34/وَهَذِهِ هِيَ شَهَادَةُ يُوحَنَّا حِينَ أَرْسَلَ الْيَهُودُ مِنْ أُورُشَلِيمَ كَهَنَةً وَلاَوِيِّينَ لِيَسْأَلُوهُ: «مَنْ أَنْتَ؟» فَاعْتَرَفَ وَلَمْ يُنْكِرْ وَأَقَرَّ أَنِّي لَسْتُ أَنَا الْمَسِيحَ. فَسَأَلُوهُ: «إِذاً مَاذَا؟ إِيلِيَّا أَنْتَ؟» فَقَالَ: «لَسْتُ أَنَا». «أَلنَّبِيُّ أَنْتَ؟» فَأَجَابَ: «لاَ». فَقَالُوا لَهُ: «مَنْ أَنْتَ لِنُعْطِيَ جَوَاباً لِلَّذِينَ أَرْسَلُونَا؟ مَاذَا تَقُولُ عَنْ نَفْسِكَ؟» قَالَ: «أَنَا صَوْتُ صَارِخٍ فِي الْبَرِّيَّةِ: قَوِّمُوا طَرِيقَ الرَّبِّ كَمَا قَالَ إِشَعْيَاءُ النَّبِيُّ». وَكَانَ الْمُرْسَلُونَ مِنَ الْفَرِّيسِيِّينَ فَسَأَلُوهُ: «فَمَا بَالُكَ تُعَمِّدُ إِنْ كُنْتَ لَسْتَ الْمَسِيحَ وَلاَ إِيلِيَّا وَلاَ النَّبِيَّ؟» أَجَابَهُمْ يُوحَنَّا: «أَنَا أُعَمِّدُ بِمَاءٍ وَلَكِنْ فِي وَسَطِكُمْ قَائِمٌ الَّذِي لَسْتُمْ تَعْرِفُونَهُ. هُوَ الَّذِي يَأْتِي بَعْدِي الَّذِي صَارَ قُدَّامِي الَّذِي لَسْتُ بِمُسْتَحِقٍّ أَنْ أَحُلَّ سُيُورَ حِذَائِهِ». هَذَا كَانَ فِي بَيْتِ عَبْرَةَ فِي عَبْرِ الأُرْدُنِّ حَيْثُ كَانَ يُوحَنَّا يُعَمِّدُ. وَفِي الْغَدِ نَظَرَ يُوحَنَّا يَسُوعَ مُقْبِلاً إِلَيْهِ فَقَالَ: «هُوَذَا حَمَلُ اللَّهِ الَّذِي يَرْفَعُ خَطِيَّةَ الْعَالَمِ. هَذَا هُوَ الَّذِي قُلْتُ عَنْهُ يَأْتِي بَعْدِي رَجُلٌ صَارَ قُدَّامِي لأَنَّهُ كَانَ قَبْلِي. وَأَنَا لَمْ أَكُنْ أَعْرِفُهُ. لَكِنْ لِيُظْهَرَ لِإِسْرَائِيلَ لِذَلِكَ جِئْتُ أُعَمِّدُ بِالْمَاءِ». وَشَهِدَ يُوحَنَّا: «إِنِّي قَدْ رَأَيْتُ الرُّوحَ نَازِلاً مِثْلَ حَمَامَةٍ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَاسْتَقَرَّ عَلَيْهِ. وَأَنَا لَمْ أَكُنْ أَعْرِفُهُ لَكِنَّ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَنِي لِأُعَمِّدَ بِالْمَاءِ ذَاكَ قَالَ لِي: الَّذِي تَرَى الرُّوحَ نَازِلاً وَمُسْتَقِرّاً عَلَيْهِ فَهَذَا هُوَ الَّذِي يُعَمِّدُ بِالرُّوحِ الْقُدُسِ. وَأَنَا قَدْ رَأَيْتُ وَشَهِدْتُ أَنَّ هَذَا هُوَ ابْنُ اللَّهِ».

I am the voice of one crying out in the desert: Make straight the way of the Lord
Saint John 01/19-28: This is the testimony of John. When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him to ask him, “Who are you?”he admitted and did not deny it, but admitted, “I am not the Messiah.”
So they asked him, “What are you then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.”So they said to him, “Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say for yourself?”He said: “I am ‘the voice of one crying out in the desert, “Make straight the way of the Lord,”‘ as Isaiah the prophet said.”Some Pharisees were also sent. They asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet?”John answered them, “I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.”This happened in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB

“I am ‘the voice of one crying out in the desert: Make straight the way of the Lord'”
“Prepare a way for the Lord.” Brethren, however far you journey along it… from the very nature of goodness there is no limit to the way along which you travel. And so… the wise and indefatigable traveler… can say to himself each day: “Now I begin”… And how many “go astray in the wilderness”… None of them can yet say: “Now I begin.”
For “the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord.” If the beginning of wisdom, then surely it is also the beginning of the way of goodness… It is this that encourages praise…; it also moves the proud to penance, so that they hear the voice of him crying in the wilderness,ordering the preparation of the way and thus showing how to begin it: “Do penance for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand”…
If you are on the way then fear only one thing: lest you leave it, lest you offend the Lord who leads you along it so that he would abandon you to “wander in the way of your own heart”… If you feel that the way is too narrow look forward to the end to which it leads you. If you were to see how everything is to be attained, then you would say without hesitation: “Broad indeed is your command!” If you cannot see so far, believe Isaiah who could…: “Behold,” he says, “the redeemed shall walk by this way and the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Sion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads. They shall obtain also joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” Those who dwell sufficiently on this end I think will not only make the way easier for himself but also grow wings so that he no longer walks but flies… May he who is the track of the runners and the reward of the winners lead and guide you along it: he, Christ Jesus
(Biblical references : Ps 77[76]:11 Vg. 107[106]:4. Pr 1:7. Ps 110[109]:10. Mt 3:2. 4:17. Is 57:1. Mt 7:14. Ps 119[118]:96. Is 35:10)

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عجيبة جديدة لطبيب السماء… إنعام أصبحت أمّا لـ3 أولاد: لا مستحيل مع مار شربل!

موقع aleteia/02 كانون الثاني/2020

كم تفرح السماوات والأرض كلما استُجيبت صلاة، وتحقّقت أمنيات، واجتُرِحَت الأعاجيب… إنه طبيب السماء مار شربل يشفع فينا…
إنعام عقيقي، متأهّلة وأمّ لثلاثة أولاد، أخبرت أليتيا اختبارها مع القديس شربل: “تزوّجت حنّا كرم في العام 2012، ورغبت وزوجي في إنجاب طفل لكنني لم أستطع الانجاب بسبب مرض مزمن عانيت منه على مدى 10 سنوات وأدّى إلى انقطاع الحيض، فلجأنا إلى العلاج الطبّي، وأجريت فحوصات عديدة بيّنت أنني أعاني من ضعف المبيض، ومن المستحيل أن يتمّ الحمل بالطرق الطبيعيّة…
وبعد العلاج الذي خضعنا له ولم يأتِ بأيّ نتيجة، رفعنا نظرنا إلى السماء، وطلبنا شفاعة مار شربل في عيده في تموز 2013… ولمستُ التغيير، فبدأت الدورة الشهريّة، وزاد وزني، وكنّا مواظبين على زيارة دير مار مارون-عنايا في 22 من كلّ شهر، وأجرينا الفحوصات اللازمة… وفي 31 آذار 2014، علمت أنني حامل وتبيّن بعد ثلاثة أشهر أنّه صبي، فقرّرنا أن نسمّيه “شربل”… وكان ابني النعمة الأولى التي زيّنت حياتنا…
وبعد ولادة شربل، قلقنا من أن يبقى وحيداً، وحاولنا مجدّداً الإنجاب، ولم ينجح العلاج الطبّي الذي اعتمدناه، فتضرّعنا من جديد إلى مار شربل وطلبنا شفاعته… وبعد توقّفي عن أخذ الأدوية ومتابعة العلاجات، استجاب الله صلواتنا، وحبلت بتوأم، فأطلّت تقلا ورفقا في 31 تشرين الأول 2018.
وبعدما تمّت الأعجوبة، قصدت وزوجي دير مار مارون-عنايا، وسجّلنا الأعجوبة بتاريخ 22 كانون الأول 2019″.
وترفع إنعام عقيقي صلاة شكر لمار شربل قائلة: “الله أعطى القديس شربل وفاض عليه من نعمه، وهو بدوره أعطاني أكثر مما أستحقّ، راجية من الله أن يحمي عائلتي ويحفظها”!

The post عجيبة جديدة لطبيب السماء… إنعام أصبحت أمّا لـ3 أولاد: لا مستحيل مع مار شربل appeared first on Elias Bejjani News.

Iran Can No Longer Rely on Shia Militias to Fight its Wars
كون كوغلن/معهد كايستون: لم يعد بمقدور إيران الإتكال على الميليشيات الشيعية لخوض حروبها
Con Coughlin/Gatestone Institute/January 02/2020

The President’s robust response to the recent upsurge in Iranian-sponsored violence in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East certainly appears at odds with the perception that he has no interest in conducting military operations in the Middle East, and that his main objective is to reduce Washington’s military presence in the region ahead of this year’s presidential election contest.

And it should also send a clear signal to Tehran that its reliance on Shia militias to carry out attacks on its behalf will no longer be tolerated.

The intense pressure Iran is facing over its continued meddling in Iraq is the key factor behind the recent upsurge of violence in the Middle East that has resulted in American warplanes carrying out their biggest attack in a decade on Iran-backed militias.

Ever since the ayatollahs came to power more than 40 years ago, they have sought to distract attention away from their domestic unpopularity by getting Iran-backed Shia militias to carry out high profile attacks.

From the devastating car bomb attacks the Iranian-backed Hizbollah militia carried out against American bases in Beirut in the 1980s to the more recent attacks on Saudi Arabia’s Aramco oil facilities in October 2019, the Iranian regime has repeatedly used its proxy Shia militias to great effect to distract attention away from its domestic travails.

The beauty of this arrangement, so far as the ayatollahs are concerned, is that, by relying on Shia militias to do their dirty work, whether it is firing missiles at Israel or carrying out assassinations in Europe, Tehran is able to deny any involvement in wrongdoing.

No longer. By launching a series of air strikes against Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria on Sunday night, the Trump administration has made it abundantly clear that it will no longer tolerate Tehran’s denials of its involvement in attacks against the US and its allies.

Moreover, after Washington accused Iran of being responsible for the subsequent attacks against the US Embassy in Baghdad that followed the air strikes, Tehran is risking a direct military confrontation with the US if it persists with the underhand tactic of employing proxies to carry out attacks on its behalf.

US officials believe the recent upsurge in Iranian-sponsored violence in Iraq has been caused by Iran’s desire to distract attention from the wave of anti-Iran protests that have taken place recently in the country over its continued meddling in the Iraqi government’s affairs.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump certainly left no one in any doubt that he held Tehran directly responsible for the American Embassy attack earlier this week, when hundreds of protesters breached the outer wall of the embassy compound in the heavily fortified green zone.

In a chilling echo of the attack on the US Embassy in Tehran in 1979 that resulted in the long-running American hostage crisis, protesters chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel”, set fire to a sentry box, pulled security cameras away from walls and hurled projectiles, including Molotov cocktails.

Writing on Twitter shortly after the attack, Mr Trump declared that Iran was responsible for carrying out the attack:

“….Iran will be held fully responsible for lives lost, or damage incurred, at any of our facilities. They will pay a very BIG PRICE! This is not a Warning, it is a Threat…”

Nor has the President been taken in by Iran’s claims that it had nothing to do with last week’s rocket attack against a military base used by American and Iraqi troops on the outskirts of the Iraqi city of Kirkuk, in which one American contractor was killed.

The actual attacks were carried out by the Iranian-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah, which operates in both Iraq and Syria, and the Pentagon’s military response was directed at destroying a number of the militia’s bases.

Mr Trump, however, has blamed Iran directly for carrying out the Kirkuk attacks, writing, “Iran killed an American contractor, wounding many. We strongly responded, and always will…”

The President’s robust response to the recent upsurge in Iranian-sponsored violence in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East certainly appears at odds with the perception that he has no interest in conducting military operations in the Middle East, and that his main objective is to reduce Washington’s military presence in the region ahead of this year’s presidential election contest.

It should also send a clear signal to Tehran that its reliance on Shia militias to carry out attacks on its behalf will no longer be tolerated.

*Con Coughlin is the Telegraph’s Defence and Foreign Affairs Editor and a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.

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أقبضوا على عصام خليفة!
عقل العويط/النهار/02 كانون الثاني 2020

الحكومة المقبلة هذه هي تباشيرها. فقد تلقّيت قبل قليل ما يأتي:
“قرّرت الهيئة الاتهاميّة في بيروت قبول الاستئناف المقدَّم من رئيس الجامعة اللبنانيّة الدكتور فؤاد أيّوب، وكيله المحامي رشيد أيّوب، في الدعوى المقامة على الدكتور عصام خليفة، وإصدار مذكّرة إلقاء قبض بحقّ خليفة وإحالته إلى محكمة الجنايات في بيروت ليحاكَم أمامها بما اتُّهم به، وإحضاره إلى مكان التوقّف الكائن لديها، والظنّ به بجنحة المادة 408 قانون العقوبات واتباعها بالجناية للتلازم”.

هذا القرار الصادر في حقّ عصام خليفة، بإلقاء القبض عليه، كان يجب أنْ تصدره هذه السلطة السياسيّة القذرة من زمان.

رجلٌ كهذا الرجل، هذا تاريخه، وهذه فعائله، كان ينبغي له أنْ يُلقى في غياهب السجون، وتحت سابع أرض، منذ العام 1969. ربّما قبل ذلك أيضًا. فأنتَ، يا عصام بن كمال خليفة، الذي من أعمال حدتون، في أعالي بلاد البترون، تستحقّ أنْ يُقبَض عليك، وأنْ تُنقَل مخفورًا إلى السجن، على أنْ يكون القبض عليكَ، أمام الشاشات، وعلى مرأى من الناس، لكي تكون عبرةً لمَن اعتبر، ولمن لا يعتبر.

أمّا الخفافيش، خفافيش الليل والنهار، فيجب أن يستخدموا أقصى درجات الحيطة والحمايات الأمنيّة، وهم ينقلونك، يا عصام كمال خليفة، إلى الحبس، بتهمٍ ليست أقلّها الخيانة العظمى. هذا عصام فؤاد خليفة، ما غيرو. الرجل الحرّ الأبيّ المرفوع الهامة، الراسخ الجذور، الذي رأسه يوازي الجبال العاليات.

فعامِلوه، والحال هذه، بالقسوة، لأنّه رجلٌ خطيرٌ خطيرٌ خطير. وإرهابيٌّ من الطراز الأوّل. لكنّه خطيرٌ ليس لأنّه رجل سلطة. وناكث عهود. وسارق أمانة. وفاسدٌ. ومهرِّب أموال. وغاسلها. وناقلها في الضوء كما في جنح الظلام. بل لأنّه فقط رجلٌ شريف.

ترى، لماذا يا عصام يفعلون بكَ ما يفعلونه؟ هل لأنكَ خائنٌ، وهل لأنّك مجرمٌ خطيرٌ للغاية، أم لأنّكَ أحد كبار حرّاس الحرّيّة والديموقراطيّة والكرامة والحقّ والقيم والقانون في لبنان، و… هذا يقضّ مضاجعهم؟!
وهل أنتَ خائنٌ ومجرمٌ وخطيرٌ وإرهابيٌّ، لأنّكَ حارس مياه لبنان من العدوّ الصهيوني، وخافر حدوده الجغرافيّة من الاغتصاب والتأكل والالتهام، والساهر منذ خمسين عامًا على جامعته الوطنيّة، ولأنكَ ضميرها ووجدانها؟!

لمَن لا يعرف عنوان منزل عصام كمال خليفة، فهو في الفنار، بناية قربان، الطابق الثاني، بملكه، قرب سوبر ماركت كيوان.
وهاكم رقم هاتفه: 03755302

أمّا بعد، وهذه رسالةٌ موجّهةٌ إلى أهل الثورة في لبنان، فإذا كان ثمّة ثورةٌ حقًّا في لبنان، من أجل إسقاط سلطة أمراء الطوائف والمذاهب، ومؤجّجي الفتن، وعاقدي الصفقات والمحاصصات، وأرباب العفن والعبوديّة والنهب والسرقة والاضطهاد، ومن أجل إنهاء تدخّل السلطتين التنفيذيّة والتشريعيّة في عمل السلطة القضائيّة، فيجب أنْ تشمّر هذه الثورة الفريدة عن ساعديها في هذه القضيّة بالذات.

مسألة هذا القرار الاتهاميّ الصادر في حقّ عصام خليفة، يجب أن لا تمرّ، تحت سماء هذه الثورة. هذا امتحانٌ جوهريٌّ، وليس امتحانًا عابرًا.
امنعوا اعتقال عصام كمال خليفة. وامنعوا أنْ تُمَسّ شعرةٌ واحدة من رأسه الأبيّ. وإذا كان من فعلٍ ثوريٍّ عظيم، فالفعل الثوريّ هو أن ترموا قَتَلَة أعمارنا وأحلامنا، في غياهب السجون!

The post عقل العويط/النهار: أقبضوا على عصام خليفة appeared first on Elias Bejjani News.

“قائدنا”.. من الخميني إلى خامنئي إلى سليماني
علي الأمين/العرب/03 كانون الثاني/2020

“سليماني قائدنا” هذا ما كتبته عناصر من الحشد الشعبي على جدران السفارة الأميركية في بغداد قبل يومين، وهذه العبارة التي تشكل في جوهرها مفتاح فهم الدور الإيراني وطبيعة نفوذه في المنطقة العربية. من “الخميني قائدنا” إلى “خامنئي قائدنا” وصولا إلى “سليماني قائدنا”، لا يمكن للقيادة الإيرانية أن تقبل بعلاقة نديّة مع أيّ دولة ولا جماعة أو شعب، فالتبعية المطلقة شرط بل مبدأ وركيزة العلاقة التي بنتها على أسس الأيديولوجيا الإيرانية في محيطها العربي والإسلامي، هذا حال العراق ولبنان واليمن ومناطق النفوذ الإيراني المتآكلة في سوريا.

الرد بشعار سليماني قائدنا، بعد قصف الطائرات الأميركية قاعدة تابعة لفصيل حزب الله العراقي في الأنبار، جاء ليؤكد ما ذهب إليه المسؤولون الأميركيون إلى وزارة الخارجية، بأن إيران هي المسؤولة عن أيّ محاولة تصعيد عسكري أو سياسي ضد الوجود الأميركي في العراق، ولم يخف سليماني تظهير أدواته العراقية أمام مدخل السفارة الأميركية القيادي في الحشد أبومهدي المهندس، ومسؤول عصائب أهل الحق قيس الخزعلي ورئيس هيئة الحشد الشعبي فالح الفياض ورئيس تحالف الفتح هادي العامري وغيرهم ممن كان نزولهم مع المحتجين، جاء بناء لطلب سليماني نفسه، الذي كان معنيا بأن يستعيد بعضا من معنويات أهدرتها الضربة الأميركية لأتباعه في الحشد الشعبي وتحديدا حزب الله العراقي.

ما كشفه المشهد العراقي أن الإدارة الأميركية ردت على الاستفزاز الإيراني الذي سبق الغارة على الأنبار، بالتلويح بردّ يطال إيران نفسها، وأظهر للقيادة الإيرانية أن واشنطن لن تتساهل في الرد على إيران في حال تعرض جنودها ومصالحها لأيّ أذى في العراق.

وفي المعلومات أن واشنطن التي كانت تقوم بمفاوضة حركة طالبان في أفغانستان بوساطة إيرانية، سحبت ممثليها عشية الضربة التي استهدفت الأنبار وأوقفت المفاوضات، وهي الرسالة التي جعلت إيران تدرك أن واشنطن لن تخضع للتهويل والابتزاز في العراق، وكانت تغريدة الرئيس الأميركي دونالد ترامب خطيرة بالنسبة إلى القيادة الإيرانية، عندما اعتبر أن الشعب العراقي أمام فرصة الخلاص من السيطرة الإيرانية اليوم.

ليس الحال مختلفا عمّا هو في لبنان الذي بدأ النفوذ الإيراني فيه يدخل مرحلة جديدة أبرز معالمها الانتفاضة المستمرة في لبنان ضد السلطة التي يشكل حزب الله سلطة الوصاية عليها، ورغم محاولات الحزب تشكيل حكومة جديدة يريد من خلالها إنهاء الانتفاضة، فإن حجم الأزمات التي يعاني منها لبنان، بات من الصعب السير في معالجته دون الخروج من المسار الذي رسمته الوصاية الإيرانية للدولة ونظام علاقاتها القائم على تقويض السيادة اللبنانية لصالح سلطة حزب الله من جهة، وعلى تقويض علاقات لبنان الخارجية الذي جعل لبنان دولة معزولة عن محيطها العربي والدولي من جهة ثانية.

من المتوقع أن يشكل مرشح حزب الله حسان دياب لرئاسة الحكومة، حكومة تعكس نظام المحاصصة المرفوض والذي قامت الانتفاضة لإسقاطه. فالسجالات التي تطفو على السطح بين أطراف الفريق الواحد الذي يشكل الحكومة بإشراف حزب الله، تظهر أمام اللبنانيين أن الخلافات لا تتصل بالرؤى السياسية أو الاقتصادية، بل بالحصص الوزارية لكل حزب وجهة من حلفاء الحزب وأتباعه، وهو ما يدلل على أن فرص الخروج من الأزمات المتوالية غير وارد في حسابات تأليف الحكومة.

عمّق المأزق الذي يعاني منه أركان الطبقة الحاكمة باسم مشروع الممانعة والمقاومة في لبنان، أن هذا المشروع وخطابه يفقدان حضورهما ويؤولان في المشهد اللبناني السياسي والاجتماعي، إلى خطاب مذهبي وطائفي، تتصدره شعارات “استعادة حقوق المسيحيين” و”شيعة شيعة”، ومقاومة باتت في وعي اللبنانيين سلطة أمنية ترعى الفساد وتحميه، وفي أحسن الأحوال سلطة استقواء طائفي ومذهبي، غايتها السلطة ورهن الدولة للخارج.

وكما انكفأ خطاب الإعمار باغتيال الرئيس رفيق الحريري في العام 2005، لصالح مشروع إيراني مُقنّع بالمقاومة والممانعة، فإن لبنان اليوم أمام مشهد انهيار هذا المشروع بعدما فقد القدرة على الإجابة على أسئلة الدولة في السياسة والاقتصاد والإدارة، وتحوّل إلى مجرد قوة عسكرية أمنية تحسن البطش والتهويل والترهيب، بعدما فقدت القدرة على الدخول في مغامرة الحروب وصفقاتها سواء مع إسرائيل أو الإرهاب.

هذا ما التقطته الانتفاضة اللبنانية التي أدركت اللحظة التاريخية التي كان لبنان فيها ولا يزال في حالة من اللاتوازن الإستراتيجي، سواء في النظر إلى وظيفته السياسية وما يتبعها في الاقتصاد والاجتماع. الانتفاضة أعادت الاعتبار لخطاب جديد من معالمه دولة المواطنة والدولة المدنية مقابل سلطة المحاصصة والفساد، والانفتاح والتفاعل مع العالم العربي والعالم، في مقابل العزلة العربية والدولية، والتشبث بالدولة الوطنية مقابل مشاريع تحالف الأقليات وإعلاء الهوية الطائفية أو الدينية على الهوية الوطنية.

هي بالتأكيد لا تشكل في مجملها خطابا متكاملا ليملأ فراغ خطابي المقاومة والإعمار، لكنه فضح خطاب المقاومة الذي كشف عن مشروع غايته حماية الخلل في بنيان النظام والدولة وتعميقه، بمقولة التوافق التي تعني لدى اللبنانيين اليوم المحاصصة والفساد وتجاوز القانون، وكشف عن وظيفة السلاح، الذي يحمي نظام الفساد القائم ويستظل بالمذهبية.
التحدي المطروح أمام الانتفاضة، هو إعادة بلورة الوظيفة والمشروع للبنان الدولة والوطن في محيطه وفي العالم وعلى مستوى الحياة السياسية والاقتصادية، لذا فهي تدرك أن هذه المهمة التاريخية والتي فجرتها انتفاضة 17 أكتوبر، لن تتحقق خلال أشهر، وإن أنجزت الكثير خلال أقل من 80 يوما، على مستوى تشكل وعي وطني لبناني غير مسبوق، في الشرخ الذي توسع بين السلطة والشعب، وفي فرض شروطها على أيّ دور دولي لمساعدة لبنان ماليا واقتصاديا، وفي تحديد وجهة التغيير في مفهوم السلطة والشأن العام.

على وقع هذه التحولات تبدو واشنطن مستمرة في عملية تطويع إيران وإضعاف نفوذها الإقليمي، ففي لبنان كما العراق لم يعد أمام الأيديولوجيا الإيرانية غير الدفاع عن الأنظمة التي فقدت الكثير من شرعيتها الشعبية ولا تزال، وها هي تفقد سطوة خطاب المقاومة بعدما حولته إلى مجرد خطاب سلطة يستقوي على الداخل ويلتزم بالخطوط الحمر التي وضعها الشيطان الأكبر والشيطان الأصغر من سفارة واشنطن في بغداد إلى حدود إسرائيل من لبنان إلى الجولان.

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نشرة أخبار المنسقية العامة للمؤسسات اللبنانية الكندية باللغة العربية ليوم 03 كانون الثاني/2020

اضغط هنا لقراءة نشرة أخبار المنسقية العامة المفصلة، اللبنانية والعربية ليوم 03 كانون الثاني/2020

ارشيف نشرات أخبار موقعنا اليومية/عربية وانكليزية منذ العام 2006/اضغط هنا لدخول صفحة الأرشيف

عناوين أقسام نشرة المنسقية باللغة العربية
الزوادة الإيمانية لليوم
تعليقات الياس بجاني وخلفياتها
الأخبار اللبنانية
المتفرقات اللبنانية
الأخبار الإقليمية والدولية
المقالات والتعليقات والتحاليل السياسية الشاملة
المؤتمرات والندوات والبيانات والمقابلات والمناسبات الخاصة والردود وغيره

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Detailed LCCC English News Bulletin For January 03/2020

Click Here to read the whole and detailed LCCC English News Bulletin for January 03/2020

The post Detailed LCCC English News Bulletin For January 03/2020 appeared first on Elias Bejjani News.

A Bundle Of English Reports, News and Editorials For January 02-03/2020 Addressing the On Going Mass Demonstrations & Sit In-ins In Iranian Occupied Lebanon in its 78th Day
Compiled By: Elias Bejjani
January 03/2020

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on January02- 03/2020
No For Arresting & Imprisoning Dr. Issam Khalefe/Elias Bejjani/January 02/2020
The Great Loss of the Journalist Najwa Kassiem/Elias Bejjani/January 02/2020
Love Unites Not Enmity/Elias Bejjani/January 02/2020
The accused is innocent until proven guilty/Elias Bejjani/January 02/2020
France Hopes for a Future Govt. that Meets Aspirations of Lebanese
Lebanon Bankers Threaten New Strike over Safety Concerns
Optimism Reportedly Surges after ‘6-Hour Diab-Bassil Meeting’
Jumblat Rejects Environment Portfolio, Says Give Social Affairs to ‘Caritas’
Geagea: Political Forces Seeking to Name Advisers as Ministers
Lebanon receives Interpol-issued wanted notice for Ghosn: Justice minister
Carlos Ghosn says family played no role in escape from Japan: Statement
Turkey probes how Nissan chief Ghosn fled via Istanbul, detains several
Japanese prosecutors raid Nissan ex-chair Ghosn’s Tokyo home
Ghosn Says He Alone Organized His Departure from Japan
Ghosn Escape Sparks Calls to Toughen Japan’s Bail System
Lebanese Lawyers Want Ghosn Prosecuted over Israel Trip
Lebanese lawyers file charges against Carlos Ghosn for Israel visits
Lebanon’s Ambassador to Japan denies his embassy helped Carlos Ghosn escape
Presidency Denies Aoun Welcomed Fugitive Ghosn
Carlos Ghosn’s Escape: What We Know
Runway to Runaway: Carole Ghosn, Wife of Fugitive Tycoon
Ghosn used one of two French passports to flee: media
Lebanon receives Interpol wanted notice for Nissan ex-chair
Renowned Lebanese senior news anchor Najwa Qassem dies at 51/Tarek Ali Ahmad/Arab News/January 02/2010

Details Of The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on January 02-03/2020
No For Arresting & Imprisoning Dr. Issam Khalefe
Elias Bejjani/January 02/2020
The biased judiciary arrest verdict against Dr. Issam Khalefe is an insult and contempt for each and every sovereign, independent, honourable, and free Lebanese citizen. In summary the Lebanese regime officials from top to bottom are corrupt, The country is occupied, The politicians are mere puppets, and the Judiciary is biased and politicized

The Great Loss of the Journalist Najwa Kassiem
Elias Bejjani/January 02/2020
The sudden death of the distinguishable journalist and reporter, Najwa Kassim this morning was an extremely sad news. We pray for the eternal rest of her soul and offer our deeply felt condolences to her family and friends. Her death is a great loss of a truly distinguished media talent.

Love Unites Not Enmity
Elias Bejjani/January 02/2020
Hizbullah, which is mere hostility and hatred, is striving to unite the Lebanese by force on the principle of enmity, while there is neither unity nor unification except on the basis of love.

The accused is innocent until proven guilty
Elias Bejjani/January 02/2020
Carlos Ghosn is accused, not convicted yet. His case is so complicated and intertwined with international political conflicts. Have mercy on the man and stop stoning him The accused is innocent until proven guilty

France Hopes for a Future Govt. that Meets Aspirations of Lebanese
Naharnet 02/2020
French ambassador to Lebanon, Bruno Foucher urged the formation of a Lebanese government acceptable by the people taking their demands into consideration, the National News Agency reported on Thursday. Foucher, who met with President Michel Aoun at Baabda Palace, conveyed his country’s desire that Lebanon “forms a new government that will respond to the aspirations of the Lebanese at this stage.”The meeting between the two men was held in the presence of caretaker State Minister for Presidency Affairs, Salim Jreissati and the first secretary at the French embassy, Stephanie Salha. Discussions also touched on the situation in Lebanon, and the ongoing efforts to form a new government.

Lebanon Bankers Threaten New Strike over Safety Concerns
Naharnet 02/2020
The Federation of Syndicates of Banks Employees in Lebanon on Thursday warned that it might stage a new strike amid the ongoing protests in the country that have increasingly targeted banks in recent days. In a statement, the federation said “bank branches witnessed organized attacks in late 2019 by individuals claiming to represent the popular protest movement.”“Through their storming of several bank branches, these hooligans sought to tarnish the image of the banking sector… and they breached all the norms of public morals, hurling all kinds of insults and profanes at the employees. They also beat up some colleagues,” the federation added. Describing the incidents as “a direct attack on the banking sector and the national value it represents as well as on the prestige of the state, whose duty is to protect all citizens,” the federation noted that “the state of chaos created by these organized attacks will not alleviate the suffering of depositors.”“Depositors have the right, under the applicable laws, to object against the extraordinary measures that the administrations of banks have temporarily taken to preserve the continuity of the work of the banking sector and to avoid a descent into the unknown,” the federation explained. Accordingly, the federation urged all security agencies to “protect bankers in their places of work against the violations of those who claim to be rebels against corruption and the waste of public funds.”The federation “warns that should security forces fail to deter these hooligans, it will be obliged to take the decision of declaring a new general strike in the banking sector pending the restoration of stability and calm in all places of work and branches across the country,” the statement said. A grinding liquidity crunch has hit Lebanon, where unprecedented protests since October 17 have railed against the political class and a deepening economic crisis. Since September, banks have restricted the amount of dollars that can be withdrawn or transferred abroad. Although no formal policy is in place, most have arbitrarily capped withdrawals at around $1,000 a month, while others have imposed tighter restrictions.
With ordinary depositors bearing the brunt of these measures, bank branches have transformed into arenas of conflict.
Fistfights, shouting and tears abound, as cash-hungry clients haggle tellers to release money trapped under informal capital controls.By trapping dollar savings, banks are increasingly forcing the public to deal with the plummeting Lebanese pound, in what experts are calling a de-facto haircut. The local currency has lost around 30 percent of its value on the unofficial exchange market for the first time since it was pegged to the dollar at 1,500 Lebanese pounds in 1997. The restrictions have sparked panic in debt-ridden Lebanon, where protesters are demanding the removal of a political class they deem incompetent and corrupt. A video circulating on social media shows a customer pulling out an axe in the middle of a bank while he screams at employees who refused to hand him his money.In the northern city of Tripoli, a single soldier struggled to break up a fist fight between a handful of bank employees and a group of angry customers. As demonstrations enter their third month, protesters are also increasingly targeting banks, which they say are robbing people of their hard-earned savings.They have staged impromptu demonstrations inside branches, during the Christmas holidays singing carols to relay their message.

Optimism Reportedly Surges after ‘6-Hour Diab-Bassil Meeting’
Naharnet 02/2020
Optimism surged Thursday evening regarding the new government following a six-hour meeting between Prime Minister-designate Hassan Diab and Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil, a media report said. “The government is expected to be formed over the next few days and its members will resemble Hassan Diab, which means that they are independent technocrats who have expertise,” unnamed sources told LBCI television. “The government will be a salvation government and it will confront the financial and economic difficulties and the draft government line-up is undergoing final touches,” the sources added, noting that the cabinet will not comprise ministers from the outgoing government. Media reports had earlier said that a final agreement had been reached over the portfolios of Hizbullah and the AMAL Movement while the so-called Druze hurdle was resolved through the selection of a figure that satisfies both the Progressive Socialist Party and MP Talal Arslan, According to MTV, Diab has also found a solution to the interior portfolio obstacle and will name a Sunni judge or lawyer to the post. LBCI meanwhile said that there are assurances that the government will be formed before the end of the week and that it would comprise 18 or 20 ministers. PSP spokesman Saleh Hdaifeh for his part confirmed that “contacts are ongoing” to resolve the Druze obstacle and that a solution might emerge on Thursday afternoon or on Friday.

Jumblat Rejects Environment Portfolio, Says Give Social Affairs to ‘Caritas’
Naharnet 02/2020
Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat on Thursday lashed out at proposals to represent the Druze community in the new cabinet with the environment or social affairs ministerial portfolios. “I tell those who are forming the government and I remind that Druze are not in the position of begging for a portfolio,” Jumblat tweeted. “In my name, in the name of all those who represent this dear sect and away from political divisions, we demand equality in the nature of representation, and at least we should have the industry or public works portfolio,” he added. “We reject garbage (environment portfolio) and as for social affairs, gift it to Caritas,” the PSP leader went on to say.

Geagea: Political Forces Seeking to Name Advisers as Ministers
Naharnet 02/2020
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Thursday accused the political forces that are forming the new government of seeking to appoint supposedly technocratic ministers who are “closer to being advisers to these political forces.”“Everything that has been and is still being leaked to the media about the anticipated government line-up is not reassuring at all, whether in terms of the interference of the very political forces who were behind the current crisis in the country or in terms of the feud over portfolios among these forces,” Geagea added in a written statement. “May God protect the Lebanese people in these difficult circumstances, after the forces responsible for them have insisted on their former ugly practices,” the LF leader went on to say. Lebanon is without a cabinet and in the grips of a deepening economic crisis after a two-month-old protest movement forced Saad Hariri to stand down as prime minister on October 29. Anti-government protests continued after Hariri’s resignation, while political parties negotiated for weeks before nominating Hassan Diab, a professor and former education minister, to replace him on December 19. Echoing protester demands, Diab promised to form a government of independent experts within six weeks — in a country where appointing a cabinet can take months. But the majority of protesters are unconvinced by Diab’s promise, decrying his participation as a minister in a previous government deemed corrupt. The support given to him by powerful Shiite movement Hizbullah also angers many protesters and pro-Hariri Sunnis. The 60-year-old Diab, who has a low public profile and styles himself as a technocrat, last month called protester demands legitimate but asked them to give him a chance to form “an exceptional government.”

Lebanon receives Interpol-issued wanted notice for Ghosn: Justice minister
The Associated Press, Beirut/Thursday, 2 January 2020
Lebanon’s justice minister said Thursday that Lebanon has received an international wanted notice from Interpol for Nissan’s ex-chair Carlos Ghosn. Albert Serhan told The Associated Press in an interview that the Red Notice for the former automotive titan was received earlier Thursday by the prosecution. Interpol’s so-called Red Notices are requests to law enforcement agencies worldwide that they locate and provisionally arrest a wanted fugitive. Japanese prosecutors on Thursday raided the Tokyo home of Ghosn after he skipped bail and fled to Lebanon before his trial on financial misconduct charges. Charged in Japan with under-reporting his future compensation and breach of trust, has repeatedly asserted his innocence, saying authorities trumped up charges to prevent a possible fuller merger between Nissan Motor Co. and alliance partner Renault SA.
It is unclear how Ghosn avoided the tight surveillance he was under in Japan and showed up in Lebanon. Ghosn said Tuesday in a statement that he left for Lebanon because he thought the Japanese judicial system was unjust, and he wanted to avoid “political persecution.”Japan does not have an extradition treaty with Lebanon.

Carlos Ghosn says family played no role in escape from Japan: Statement
Reuters, Beirut/Thursday, 2 January 2020
The family of former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn played no role in his escape from Japan, Ghosn said in a statement on Thursday, days after his abrupt arrival in Beirut from Tokyo, where he faces trial for alleged financial misconduct. “There has been speculation in the media that my wife Carole, and other members of my family played a role in my departure from Japan. All such speculation is inaccurate and false,” said the statement. “I alone arranged for my departure. My family had no role whatsoever,” it added.

Turkey probes how Nissan chief Ghosn fled via Istanbul, detains several
The Associated Press, Ankara/Thursday, 2 January 2020
Turkish police detained seven people including four pilots on Thursday in an investigation of how ousted Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn touched down in Istanbul as he fled Japan en route to Lebanon, according to broadcaster NTV. Turkey’s interior ministry has launched a probe into the transit of Ghosn, who has become Japan’s most famous fugitive after revealing on Tuesday he fled to Beirut to escape what he called a “rigged” justice system. People familiar with the matter told Reuters that Ghosn, one of the world’s best-known executives, had arrived in Beirut on a private jet from Istanbul on Monday. Hurriyet news website, citing an interior ministry official, said Turkish border police were not notified about Ghosn’s arrival, and neither his entry nor exit were registered. The plane arrived at 5:30 am (0230 GMT) Monday at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport, Hurriyet reported, adding prosecutors ordered the arrests after widening their investigation. The reports could not immediately be confirmed. Lebanon has said that Ghosn entered the country legally and there was no reason to take action against him. Japan does not have an extradition treaty with Lebanon. Japanese authorities allowed Ghosn to carry a spare French passport in a locked case while out on bail, public broadcaster NHK said on Thursday, shedding some light on how he managed his escape to Lebanon. The businessman, who holds French, Lebanese and Brazilian citizenship, was smuggled out of Tokyo by a private security company days ago, the culmination of a plan that was crafted over three months, Reuters has reported. Ghosn, who was charged with under-reporting his future compensation and a breach of trust, has repeatedly asserted his innocence. He says Japanese authorities trumped up the charges to prevent a possible fuller merger between Nissan Motor Co. and alliance partner Renault SA. His 1.5 billion yen ($14 million) bail that Ghosn posted on two separate instances to get out of detention is being revoked.

Japanese prosecutors raid Nissan ex-chair Ghosn’s Tokyo home
The Associated Press, Tokyo/Thursday, 2 January 2020
Japanese prosecutors raided the Tokyo home of former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn after he skipped bail before a trial on financial misconduct charges and left for Lebanon. Tokyo prosecutors and police did not immediately comment Thursday. Japanese media reported and showed photos of the raid. Government offices are closed this week for the New Year’s holidays. It is unclear how Ghosn avoided the tight surveillance he was under in Japan and showed up in Lebanon. Ghosn said Tuesday in a statement that he left for Lebanon because he thought the Japanese judicial system was unjust, and he wanted to avoid “political persecution.” He said he would talk to reporters next week. Japan does not have an extradition treaty with Lebanon.Lebanon has said Ghosn entered the country legally, and there was no reason to take action against him. His lawyers in Japan said they had no knowledge of the escape and they had all his passports. Ghosn has French, Lebanese and Brazilian citizenship. Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV, without identifying sources, reported Thursday that Ghosn had two French passports. Earlier Japanese reports said there were no official records in Japan of Ghosn’s departure, but a private jet had left from a regional airport to Turkey. Ghosn, who was charged with under-reporting his future compensation and breach of trust, has repeatedly asserted his innocence, saying authorities trumped up charges to prevent a possible fuller merger between Nissan Motor Co. and alliance partner Renault SA. His 1.5 billion yen ($14 million) bail that Ghosn posted on two separate instances to get out of detention is being revoked.

Ghosn Says He Alone Organized His Departure from Japan
Agence France Presse/Associated Press/Naharnet 02/2020
Former Renault and Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn issued a statement Thursday, his second this week, seeking to distance his Lebanese wife and family from any role in his spectacular escape from Japan to Lebanon. “The allegations in the media that my wife Carole and other members of my family played a role in my departure from Japan are false and misleading. I alone organized my departure. My family played no role,” he said. A first post-escape picture of Ghosn has meanwhile emerged, showing him next to his wife and two unidentified female relatives. According to French TV TF1, the photo was taken during a New Year’s Eve dinner in Lebanon. Ghosn, who had been under house arrest in Tokyo since April, is believed to be holed up in his central Beirut residence, where visitors file in and out under the scrutiny of TV cameras. Turkey has detained seven people for questioning, including four pilots, over how Ghosn managed to transit through Istanbul as he fled Japan on his way to Lebanon, Turkish news agency DHA reported Thursday. The Turkish interior ministry has opened an investigation into Ghosn’s apparent transfer between private jets at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport on Monday. It is focused on two flights, the first a Bombardier labeled TC-TSR flew from Osaka in Japan, landed in Istanbul at 05:15am and parked in a hangar. The second was a private jet to Beirut, a Bombardier Challenger 300 TC-RZA, which left 45 minutes later, according to DHA. The seven detained by police also include two ground personnel and the operations director of a private cargo company, DHA said. According to the Hurriyet newspaper, the Beirut-bound private jet was formerly owned by Turkish-Iranian businessman Reza Zarrab, convicted in the United States for his alleged role in a scheme to evade sanctions on Iran by trading gold for gas. Ghosn, the former Nissan boss, made a dramatic escape from Japan despite stringent bail conditions, claiming his upcoming trial for financial misconduct was rigged.

Ghosn Escape Sparks Calls to Toughen Japan’s Bail System
Agence France Presse/Naharnet 02/2020
Carlos Ghosn’s stunning flight while on bail awaiting trial has vindicated prosecutors who said he should have been kept in custody, and sparked calls to toughen Japan’s justice system that critics say is already overly harsh. “I knew it!” was the reaction of a senior Nissan executive cited in the Japanese press upon learning of his former boss’s escape to Lebanon to avoid trial in Tokyo. “This is how he proves his innocence? By fleeing abroad?” added the Nissan official quoted in the Asahi Shimbun. “It should be out of the question to grant bail to suspects who deny the accusations against them.”A senior prosecutor told the Mainichi Shimbun: “This is what we had predicted” when arguing Ghosn should remain in custody, bemoaning the fact their painstaking evidence gathering was now moot. There were also calls in the media to tighten bail procedures in the wake of the tycoon’s escape, which many papers said made a “mockery” of Japan’s justice system. “To prevent a repeat of the incident, we should discuss how to cover the weak points of the system, such as setting bail equal to most of the defendants’ assets, and GPS monitoring,” said the Yomiuri Shimbun. Ghosn’s high-profile arrest on multiple charges of financial misconduct threw an international spotlight on Japan’s justice system — widely considered draconian compared with the West. Suspects can be questioned initially for 48 hours, renewable for two periods of 10 days, bringing the time in custody without formal charges to 22 days.Prosecutors often then “re-arrest” a suspect on a slightly different allegation to restart the clock — which happened several times to Ghosn.
Certain of guilt
When formal charges are eventually pressed, there is a two-month period of pre-trial detention, renewable by one month at a time by appeal to the court.Former prosecutor Yasuyuki Takai told AFP that the system operates in this way so authorities only charge suspects they are absolutely sure are guilty. “Imagine that 30 or 40 percent of people were found not guilty during a trial. The public would ask why so many innocent people were being charged,” Takai told AFP, adding that courts have increasingly been granting bail. The Ghosn case, however, “proves that there are easy escape routes for wealthy people with backing who want to flee overseas, no matter how strictly courts impose bail conditions”, said Tsunehiko Maeda, a former prosecutor. “We can expect prosecutors to oppose future bail requests much more robustly.” Critics including rights groups such as Amnesty International have derided Japan’s system as “hostage justice”, designed to break morale and force confessions from suspects.
Every move monitored
When safely in Lebanon, Ghosn pressed this point again, saying he “would no longer be held hostage by a rigged Japanese justice system”. However, when pleading for bail in his only public court appearance, Ghosn said he was “looking forward to beginning the process of defending myself against the accusations that have been made against me”.One of his lawyers at the time said there was no way a tycoon as famous as Ghosn could escape with the world’s media and prosecutors monitoring his every move. “There is no risk that he will run away. He’s CEO of French company Renault. He’s widely known so it’s difficult for him to escape,” argued the attorney, Go Kondo. His lead lawyer, Junichiro Hironaka, confessed he was “dumbfounded” by news of his flight, but he also said he could “sympathise” with some of Ghosn’s comments about the justice system. “I thought it was not unreasonable that Mr. Ghosn has come to feel that way,” Hironaka told reporters in Tokyo. “How he was arrested and kept in detention; how they gathered evidence; the way they allowed meetings with Carole (his wife), and how they disclosed evidence. There must have been many areas that were not acceptable in the eyes of Mr. Ghosn.”

Lebanese Lawyers Want Ghosn Prosecuted over Israel Trip
Agence France Presse/Naharnet 02/2020
Lebanese lawyers on Thursday filed a report to the judiciary demanding fugitive auto tycoon Carlos Ghosn be prosecuted over a trip he made to Israel as Renault-Nissan chairman in 2008. Ghosn — who holds Lebanese, French and Brazilian citizenship — jumped bail in Tokyo in mysterious circumstances and arrived in his native Lebanon early on Monday. The tycoon had traveled to Israel in 2008 to support a partnership with Shai Agassi, an Israeli entrepreneur who had launched an ill-fated electric vehicle venture called “Project Better Place”. Three lawyers “submitted a report to the public prosecutor against businessman Carlos Ghosn for the crime of having entered an enemy country and violated the boycott law,” the state news agency reported. They said several contracts had been signed during his January 2008 trip and added that Ghosn had taken part in several economic conferences. “Doing business with Israel is not a matter of opinion — any normalization is forbidden by law,” Hassan Bazzi, one of the lawyers, told AFP. Lebanon is technically still at war with Israel, which occupied the south of the country until 2000, and forbids its citizens from traveling there. Interpol, the international police cooperation body, has issued a “red notice” for Ghosn’s arrest in the wake of him fleeing Japan, but Lebanese judicial sources have said he cannot be extradited there. Ghosn stands accused in Japan of deferring part of his salary until after his retirement and concealing this from shareholders, as well as siphoning off millions in Nissan cash for his own purposes. He has denied all charges and has announced a press conference for next week. Ghosn entered Lebanon on a private jet from Turkey using his French passport, according to airport documents seen by AFP. “Where were the public prosecutor and general security when Ghosn visited Lebanon, after he traveled to occupied Palestine and was photographed there?,” Bazzi asked. General security is Lebanon’s main intelligence agency, which routinely investigates Lebanese citizens suspected of ties with Israel. “Lebanon prosecutes poor people while those who have earned millions by investing with the enemy are treated as national heroes,” Bazzi said. In 2017, French-Lebanese filmmaker Ziad Doueiri was arrested and briefly questioned for filming part of his film “The Attack” in Israel.

Lebanese lawyers file charges against Carlos Ghosn for Israel visits
The National/January 03/2020
Under Lebanese law, citizens are not allowed to travel to Israel or have contact with Israelis
Three Lebanese lawyers have filed a request for charges against former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn for entering Israel in breach of domestic law. Mr Ghosn, who holds Lebanese, French and Brazilian passports, arrived in Lebanon this week in mysterious circumstances after fleeing Japan, where he was expected to face trial on financial misconduct charges. The lawyers accuse Mr Ghosn, 65, of signing contracts and attending several high-profile conferences in Israel, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported. Lebanese law bars its citizens from visiting Israel or communicating with Israelis. The two countries have never signed a peace treaty nor established diplomatic relations after the Arab-Israeli war of 1948.In 2008, Mr Ghosn, then head of French-Japanese car maker Renault Nissan, met president Shimon Peres and prime minister Ehud Olmert on a visit to Israel to sign a deal for mass-producing electric cars.
At the time, Hezbollah affiliated news website Al Ahed described the visit as “controversial”. The Iran-backed group, which wields considerable political power in Lebanon, fought a 34-day war against Israel in 2006. That did not stop Mr Ghosn from enjoying popular support in Lebanon. In August 2017, he attended a ceremony in Beirut during which the national post office unveiled a stamp with his image. One of the three lawyers, Hassan Bazzi, did not respond to a request for comment from The National asking why he waited 12 years to take legal action against Mr Ghosn. His colleague, Jad Tohme, accused Lebanese politicians of remaining silent in the face of a clear “security breach”, NNA reported. Lebanese authorities are usually swift to move against citizens suspected of breaking the law regarding Israel. In 2017, French-Lebanese filmmaker Ziad Doueiry was briefly detained for shooting part of a 2013 movie in Israel.Lebanese lawyer Ayman Raad, who is not involved in the case, told The National that the general prosecutor is not obliged to go ahead with an investigation.

Lebanon’s Ambassador to Japan denies his embassy helped Carlos Ghosn escape
Arab News/January 03/2010
The Lebanese Ambassador to Japan has strongly denied his embassy was involved in the dramatic escape of Carlos Ghosn in an exclusive statement to Arab News Japan, after widespread accusations in the media. The fugitive former Nissan boss made global headlines with his Hollywood-esque escape from Japan, after somehow slipping past immigration authorities and checkpoints to fly out in a cargo plane to Turkey and finally arriving on New Year’s Eve in Lebanon via private jet. An arrest warrant for Ghosn was issued by the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) on Thursday, according to a Lebanese judicial source. Lebanon’s ambassador to Japan, Nidal Yehya, issued a statement to Arab News Japan on Thursday saying: “The Lebanese Embassy in Tokyo is keen to inform Japanese public opinion that the Lebanese embassy had absolutely no relationship or interference with how Carlos Ghosn got out of Japan, and his violation of the conditions for his release on bail. “Rather, the Embassy has always stressed to him that he must abide by all the conditions of his release, as decided by the Criminal Court in Tokyo, in order to ensure his health and to ensure the proper preparation of the defence for the cases brought against him.” Ambassador Yehya spoke out after media reports accused the Embassy of involvement. Yōichi Masuzoe, who served as governor of the Japanese capital from 2014 to 2016, accused the Embassy of misusing its diplomatic privileges. He tweeted to his 161,900 followers: “The immigration system for entry and exit procedures are very strict. There is also special auditing of private jets. “The officials there could not be mistaken in such a situation. I think that the Embassy of Lebanon is involved somehow in the escape of Carlos Ghosn because of the use of diplomatic privileges. “As for Ghosn, he may have fled because he wants the Japanese government to thoroughly clarify the fact.”Masuzoe is a controversial figure in Japanese politics. He was a member of the House of Councillors, the upper house of Japan’s parliament the National Diet, from 2001 to 2013 before being elected as Governor of Tokyo in 2014. But in 2016, he was forced to resign over allegations of misuse of public funds. While an investigation found no criminal behaviour, he faced a vote of no confidence after details emerged of flamboyant spending on hotels, restaurants and travel, and he resigned. The statement followed a day of developments surrounding Carlos Ghosn’s escape. In Tokyo, Japanese prosecutors raided the Tokyo home Ghosn with officers seen entering the property. In Turkey, police detained seven people – four pilots, a cargo company manager and two airport workers – after the interior ministry launched a probe into the transit of ousted Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn, who after fleeing Japan stopped in Turkey on his way to Lebanon, broadcaster NTV said on Thursday. And, in France junior economy minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher said the state ‘will not extradite’ Ghosn if he arrives in the country.

Presidency Denies Aoun Welcomed Fugitive Ghosn
Agence France Presse/Naharnet 02/2020
The Lebanese presidency on Thursday denied reports that President Michel Aoun had welcomed fugitive former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn upon his arrival in the country. The French-Lebanese tycoon, who had been under house arrest in Japan over several counts of financial misconduct, escaped in mysterious circumstances and arrived in Beirut on Monday. Several media outlets reported that he had been greeted by Aoun but a senior presidency official denied the two men had met. “He was not received at the presidency and did not meet the president,” the official told AFP. Ghosn flew in from Istanbul on a private jet and has since been reunited with friends and family. Ghosn said he would speak to the media next week. One of his lawyers in Lebanon, Carlos Abou Jaoude, said a date for the press conference had yet to be determined. He entered Lebanon on a French passport, according to airport documents seen by AFP. The public Japanese broadcaster NHK reported that the court in Tokyo had allowed Ghosn to keep a second French passport so long as it were kept “in a locked case” with the key held by his lawyers. The exact circumstances of Ghosn’s daring escape from Japan, where he had been released on bail in April pending trial after 130 days in prison, remain unclear, though colourful rumours abound. One claim in the Lebanese media is that the auto mogul, who holds Lebanese, French and Brazilian nationalities, was sprung from his Tokyo residence in a musical instrument case — a story a source in his entourage denied. How Ghosn was able to jump bail has led to a Japanese investigation into what is seen as an embarrassing security lapse.Ghosn stands accused of deferring part of his salary until after his retirement and concealing this from shareholders, as well as syphoning off millions in Nissan cash for his own purposes. Ghosn has repeatedly denied all charges against him, and said that he fled to Lebanon to escape a “rigged” Japanese justice system. Some Lebanese see Ghosn as a symbol of their country’s fabled entrepreneurial genius and a proud representative of its vast diaspora.The mood has changed since his November 2018 arrest, however, and, weeks into an unprecedented wave of protests against corruption and nepotism, activists saw his return as another manifestation of privilege and impunity for the super-rich.

Carlos Ghosn’s Escape: What We Know
Agence France Presse/Naharnet 02/2020
From jumping bail in Japan and fleeing to Lebanon to be met with an arrest notice from Interpol, Carlos Ghosn has had a busy three days as a fugitive. Here’s what we know about the former Renault-Nissan boss’ escape.
Hid in an instrument case
The exact circumstances of his departure from Japan, where he was under house arrest pending trial, are still shrouded in mystery. According to Japan’s Kyodo news agency, Ghosn was smuggled out by private security operatives who pretended to be part of a music group for a Christmas party at his residence. Quoting a Lebanese consultant in Tokyo, Kyodo said Ghosn hid in an instrument case before boarding a private jet — a scenario a member of Ghosn’s entourage has denied. Ghosn is believed to have taken a private jet from Kansai Airport in western Japan on December 29, to Istanbul. It is believed that he then flew from there to Beirut.
Turkish investigation
Turkey’s interior ministry has opened an investigation into Ghosn’s apparent transfer between private jets at an Istanbul airport on Monday.Officials questioned seven people, including four pilots, as part of the probe, news agency DHA reported Thursday. The investigation is focused on two flights. The first, a Bombardier labelled TC-TSR, flew from Osaka in Japan, landed in Istanbul at 5:15 am and parked in a hangar. The second was a private jet to Beirut, a Bombardier Challenger 300 TC-RZA, which left 45 minutes later, according to DHA. Ghosn said in a statement on Thursday that he acted alone without his family’s help.
Four passports
There is no emigration data showing Ghosn’s departure from Japan but he entered Lebanon on a French passport, according to airport documents seen by AFP. Lebanon said the former car mogul — who holds Lebanese, French and Brazilian nationalities — had entered the country “legally” at dawn on Monday. His three passports were held by his Japanese lawyers, to limit the risk of flight. Japanese broadcaster NHK reported that the court in Tokyo had nonetheless allowed Ghosn to keep a second French passport so long as it was kept “in a locked case” with the key held by his lawyers.
‘Red notice’
Interpol, the international police cooperation body, has issued a “red notice” for Ghosn’s arrest in the wake of him fleeing Japan. However, a Lebanese judicial source told AFP that Lebanon and Japan do not have an extradition agreement under which Ghosn could be sent back to Tokyo. Ghosn stands accused in Japan of deferring part of his salary until after his retirement and concealing this from shareholders, as well as siphoning off millions in Nissan cash for his own purposes. His home in France was searched in June as part of a probe into his sumptuous marriage celebrations at the Palace of Versailles in 2016.
And three lawyers in Lebanon submitted a report to the public prosecutor Thursday demanding that the businessman be prosecuted for a trip he made to Israel in 2008. Details of just how he escaped could be clarified on Monday when the former auto executive is to speak to the press in Beirut.

Runway to Runaway: Carole Ghosn, Wife of Fugitive Tycoon
Agence France Presse/Naharnet 02/2020
Carole Ghosn, who not so long ago was an influential but discreet figure in the New York fashion world, has been thrust into the limelight by her tycoon husband Carlos’ arrest and subsequent flight from Japan. The 53-year-old second wife of the former Nissan boss, who like him also has Lebanese citizenship, has vocally led the campaign for her husband’s freedom but what role she played in his epic escape remains unclear. Carole was reunited with her husband on Monday after he jumped bail in Japan, where he had been jailed and then held under house arrest over several counts of financial misconduct. Little known in her birth country, the elegant entrepreneur often seen sporting flowing blonde hair spent a big part of her life in the United States. But over the past year, she has criss-crossed the globe, indefatigably spearheading a campaign to clear her husband’s name. Carole was not with him on November 19, 2018 when he was dramatically arrested aboard his private jet at a Japanese airport and was shocked to learn the news thousands of kilometers away. She was prevented from seeing her husband during his detention and initially kept largely silent about his case but was ever-present after he was released on bail to a central Tokyo apartment on March 6.
‘Traumatized’
The tycoon’s wife appealed to French President Emmanuel Macron, complaining in an interview with the newspaper Journal du Dimanche that the silence of French authorities in the case was “deafening.” She also contacted the White House and gave a tearful interview to U.S. media in which she said her 65-year-old husband was in poor health, exacerbated by what she described as “mental abuse” while he was detained. “During the month he was free, they tried to live normally, go for walks, eat good meals,” said a Tokyo-based friend of the couple. This was in spite of the photographers who camped outside their residence — to Carole’s visible annoyance. The respite was brief and Carlos was rearrested at dawn on April 4 to answer further allegations — an event that “traumatized” her, according to her friend. In interviews she claimed that prosecutors scoured their 50-square-meter apartment, searched her, took her passport and even accompanied her to the bathroom. “It was a huge trial, among the worst moments of her life,” said the couple’s French lawyer, Francois Zimeray, who praised her for her “dignity” under pressure. Using another passport, she then left Japan for France but returned a few days later to face questioning and show “she had nothing to hide.”Her friend told AFP: “She has decided to fight for her husband because she loves him and she believes in his innocence. She won’t leave him because she knows that for him, his defense is the biggest challenge of his life.” Media reports gave colorful accounts of Ghosn’s escape, spirited out of his home in an instrument case by a former U.S. marine and a private security operative from a Lebanese firm posing as musicians hired for a Christmas party. The former Nissan chairman insisted on Thursday that he had not received help from any government and had organized his escape “alone,” denying reports that his wife orchestrated the daring operation.
‘Beauty Yachts’
Born in 1966 in Beirut as Carole Nahas, the businesswoman has spent most of her life in the U.S. She holds American nationality along with her three children from her first marriage. Highly educated and successful in her own right, in the 2000s she founded a company selling luxury kaftans.
She met Carlos and the couple fell quickly in love, with Carole providing a calming influence on the impulsive tycoon, according to one friend. They were married in 2016 at the gilded Versailles Palace near Paris in a lavish ceremony that has since caught the attention of authorities amid questions over how the wedding was funded. According to sources close to the case, she is named as president of a company used to buy a luxury yacht that prosecutors suspect was purchased partly with funds diverted from Nissan. Authorities have questioned her over the British Virgin Isles-registered company “Beauty Yachts” but she has not been charged and denies wrongdoing.

Ghosn used one of two French passports to flee: media
AFP, Tokyo/Thursday, 2 January 2020
Former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn, who fled to Lebanon to avoid a Japanese trial, was carrying one of his two French passports, local media said Thursday, as Japan launched a probe into the embarrassing security lapse. Ghosn, who faces multiple charges of financial misconduct that he denies, won bail in April but with strict conditions, including a bar on overseas travel. His lead lawyer Junichiro Hironaka has said lawyers hold three passports belonging to the international tycoon, who holds French, Brazilian and Lebanese nationalities. But public broadcaster NHK said the court had allowed him to keep a second French passport so long as it were kept “in a locked case” with the key held by his lawyers. There is no emigration data showing Ghosn’s departure from Japan but he entered Lebanon on a French passport, NHK said. Prosecutors and police are poised to launch an investigation into the stunning escape, suspecting he departed “in an unlawful manner,” NHK said. Authorities plan to analyze security camera footage from his residence and other places they suspect Ghosn appeared before he fled, NHK said. Police suspect “several” people accompanied him to help him escape, it added. Immediate confirmation of the report was not available. When his defense lawyers were arguing for bail, prosecutors claimed he was a flight risk with powerful connections, but Ghosn himself had said he wanted to be tried to prove his innocence. One of his lawyers also said he was such a famous face that he had no chance to slip away undetected.
Some countries allow people to have two passports of the same nationality, for reasons including if they are travelling to nations in conflict with one another. Meanwhile, France says it will not extradite Ghosn, if he arrives in the country, a French minister said, according to AFP.

Lebanon receives Interpol wanted notice for Nissan ex-chair
Associated Press/January 02/2020
Interpol’s so-called Red Notices are requests to law enforcement agencies worldwide that they locate and provisionally arrest a wanted fugitive.
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s justice minister said Thursday that Lebanon has received an international wanted notice from Interpol for Nissan’s ex-chair Carlos Ghosn, four days after he fled Japan to Lebanon to evade trial on financial misconduct charges.
Albert Serhan told The Associated Press in an interview that the Red Notice for the former automotive titan was received earlier Thursday by the prosecution, and that Lebanon will do its part. Ghosn, who is Lebanese and also holds French and Brazilian passports, skipped bail before his much-anticipated trial in Japan, which was to start in April. He arrived in Lebanon, his country of origin, on Monday via Turkey and hasn’t been seen in public since. In a statement, he said he had fled to avoid “political persecution.”Authorities have said that he entered legally on a French passport.
Interpol’s so-called Red Notices are requests to law enforcement agencies worldwide that they locate and provisionally arrest a wanted fugitive. Serhan, the minister, said the Lebanese prosecution “will carry out its duties,” suggesting for the first time that Ghosn may be brought in for questioning. “We are a country of law and respect the law and … I can confirm that the Lebanese state will implement the law,” he said. “The prosecution will not stay cross-armed regarding this red notice.” He said the prosecution will “carry out its duties” by summoning Ghosn and listening to him and “at a later stage if there are any measures to be taken, then the precautionary measures will be taken.” Serhan added that Lebanon has not received any official extradition request from Japan and that the two countries did not have an extradition treaty, ruling out the possibility that Beirut would hand Ghosn over to Japan. “Mr. Ghosn arrived in Lebanon as any ordinary citizen. … Lebanese authorities have no security or judiciary charges against him, he entered the border like any other Lebanese using a legal passport,” he said. Ghosn’s sudden arrival in Beirut a few months ahead of his much-anticipated trial shocked Japan and confounded authorities. How he was able to flee Japan, avoiding the tight surveillance he was under, is still a mystery. Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency said Thursday that Turkish authorities had detained seven people as part of an investigation into how Ghosn fled to Lebanon via Istanbul.
The private DHA news agency reported that those detained are 4 pilots, a cargo company manager and two airport workers.
In Japan, prosecutors on Thursday raided Ghosn’s Tokyo home. Japanese media showed investigators entering the home, which was Ghosn’s third residence in Tokyo since he was first arrested a year ago. Authorities have now searched each one.
Tokyo prosecutors and police did not immediately comment. Government offices in Japan are closed this week for the New Year’s holidays. Ghosn said Tuesday in a statement that he left for Lebanon because he thought the Japanese judicial system was unjust, and he wanted to avoid “political persecution.”
He said he would talk to reporters next week.Lebanon said earlier that Ghosn entered the country legally, and there was no reason to take action against him. Ghosn’s lawyers in Japan said they had no knowledge of the escape and they had all his passports. Ghosn has French, Lebanese and Brazilian citizenship.
Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV, without identifying sources, reported Thursday that Ghosn had two French passports. Earlier, Japanese reports said there were no official records in Japan of Ghosn’s departure, but a private jet had left from a regional airport to Turkey. The Hurriyet newspaper said the plane carrying Ghosn landed at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport at 5:30 a.m. on Dec. 29. Ghosn was not registered upon landing and was smuggled onboard another plane that left for Lebanon, the paper reported. Ghosn, who was charged in Japan with under-reporting his future compensation and breach of trust, has repeatedly asserted his innocence, saying authorities trumped-up charges to prevent a possible fuller merger between Nissan Motor Co. and alliance partner Renault SA.
The 1.5 billion yen ($14 million) bail that Ghosn posted on two separate instances to get out of detention is being revoked.

Renowned Lebanese senior news anchor Najwa Qassem dies at 51
Tarek Ali Ahmad/Arab News/January 02/2010
The Arab media industry ushered in the new year on a somber note with the sudden passing of one of the titans of the field, Lebanese senior news anchor Najwa Qassem.
Qassem, a journalist known for her intrepid reporting on the Iraq and Lebanese wars, was 51 at the time of her passing and still working with Al Arabiya and Al Hadath News Channels.
Former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri, who is also owner of Future TV where Qassem began her career, tweeted his condolences, describing her death as “A real and sad shock,” adding that she “shone on the screen as a glowing star.”
Highlights of her broad-reaching career include being named one of the 100 most powerful women in the Arab world by Arabian Business in 2011, as well as Best Female Presenter by the Arab Media Festival in 2006. Her award-winning career began in 1992 with Future TV News Station in Lebanon where she hosted several shows and reported on Israeli military operations against Lebanon and its withdrawal from South Lebanon. Arab News Editor in Chief, Faisal J Abbas worked with Qassem at both Future Television of Lebanon and later at Al Arabiya News channel.
“I have had the honor of knowing Najwa since 1999, and the pleasure of working side by side with her at both Future Television of Lebanon and at Al Arabiya News Channel in Dubai,” Abbas said. “In every place she stepped foot in, Najwa always managed to set new standards in professionalism. She has remained remarkably humble despite having interviewed world leaders and covered two regional wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.”
“Her professionalism, good soul and incredible sense of humor will be truly missed. My sincere condolences to her family and to all our colleagues in the Arab media industry,” he added. Group TV Director at MBC Ali Jaber, who worked with Qassem at Future TV, said he spoke to her a short time before her death.“She was my first recruit to Future TV. I auditioned her first and it took me just few minutes to conclude that she will reign over the screen…she did ever since, on every screen she appeared on,” Jaber told Arab News, adding: “She was a true journalist and a great friend. We kept in touch until few hours before she died.”In 2003, Qassem moved to Al Arabiya News Channel where she survived a bombing on Al Arabiya’s Baghdad news station while covering the Iraq war – eight of her colleagues were killed in the attack. She reported on the 2005 assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri and on the front lines of the Lebanese-Israeli war in 2006. She hosted several news shows and current affairs bulletins with Al Hadath, having covered elections, conflicts, summits and more. Al Arabiya Senior News Anchor Lara Nabhan recounted fond memories with Qassem where she used to order food for everyone during breaking news segments knowing that her colleagues would not have time to eat.
“She used to always, in particular with me, watch and follow my coverage from home and then call me during the break to give me advice on questions I should have asked as well as praise me for the ones that I did. She was always supportive and helpful, especially when I needed advice on how to approach certain guests, and she would always give me the right angle to go with. Personally, she was very kind and helpful with me and she taught me well,” Nabhan told Arab News.
Tributes have filled social media in the Arab world with words of praise and condolences to Qassem, from those who worked with her to those who grew used to watching her on the news.

The post A Bundle Of English Reports, News and Editorials For January 03/2020 Addressing the On Going Mass Demonstrations & Sit In-ins In Iranian Occupied Lebanon in its 78th Day appeared first on Elias Bejjani News.

تقدمة يسوع في الهيكل وسمعان الشيخ
إنجيل القدّيس لوقا 35-25:2/كانَ في أُورَشَلِيمَ رَجُلٌ ٱسْمُهُ سِمْعَان. وكانَ هذَا الرَّجُلُ بَارًّا تَقِيًّا، يَنْتَظِرُ عَزَاءَ إِسْرَائِيل، والرُّوحُ القُدُسُ كانَ عَلَيْه. وكانَ الرُّوحُ القُدُسُ قَدْ أَوْحَى إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ لَنْ يَرَى المَوْتَ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَرَى مَسِيحَ الرَّبّ. فجَاءَ بِدَافِعٍ مِنَ الرُّوحِ إِلى الهَيْكَل. وعِنْدَما دَخَلَ بِٱلصَّبِيِّ يَسُوعَ أَبَوَاه، لِيَقُومَا بِمَا تَفْرِضُهُ التَّورَاةُ في شَأْنِهِ، حَمَلَهُ سِمْعَانُ على ذِرَاعَيْه، وبَارَكَ اللهَ وقَال: «أَلآنَ تُطْلِقُ عَبْدَكَ بِسَلام، أَيُّهَا السَّيِّد، بِحَسَبِ قَولِكَ، لأَنَّ عَيْنَيَّ قَدْ أَبْصَرَتا خَلاصَكَ،أَلَّذِي أَعْدَدْتَهُ أَمَامَ الشُّعُوبِ كُلِّهَا، نُوْرًا يَنْجَلي لِلأُمَم، ومَجْدًا لِشَعْبِكَ إِسْرَائِيل!.» وكانَ أَبُوهُ وأُمُّهُ يَتَعَجَّبَانِ مِمَّا يُقَالُ فِيه. وبَارَكَهُمَا سِمْعَان، وقَالَ لِمَرْيَمَ أُمِّهِ: «هَا إنَّ هذَا الطِّفْلَ قَدْ جُعِلَ لِسُقُوطِ ونُهُوضِ كَثِيرينَ في إِسْرَائِيل، وآيَةً لِلخِصَام. وأَنْتِ أَيْضًا، سَيَجُوزُ في نَفْسِكِ سَيْف، فتَنْجَلي خَفَايَا قُلُوبٍ كَثيرَة».

Presenting Jesus In The Temple & The Righteous-devout Simeon,
Luke 02/25-35/
Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss[d] your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”
The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

The post تقدمة يسوع في الهيكل وسمعان الشيخ/Presenting Jesus In The Temple & The Righteous-devout Simeon appeared first on Elias Bejjani News.

الإعتداء على رمزية عصام خليفة في زمن الثورة
انطوان الخوري طوق/03 كانون الثاني/2020

عصام خليفة ضمير الوطن ولن يقيده إدعاء او حكم جائر، ولا يمكن إلقاء القبض على الكلمة ولا على التاريخ. 

كنا ننتظر من القضاء اللبناني فتح ملفات النهب والهدر والتجويع والتهجير وملاحقة السارقين والمهربين والقتلة والداعرين السياسيين والنافخين في النيران المذهبية والطائفية، فإذا بالقضاء يصدر مذكرة إلقاء قبض بحق عصام خليفة وإحالته على محكمةالجنايات وكأننا أمام ملاحقة تاجر مخدرات او قواد او مجرم.

ألم يخجل من ادعى عليه من تاريخ عصام خليفة الأكاديمي الجامعي والنضالي والوطني؟

ألم يخجل من ادعى ومن أصدر الحكم من أعراس الكتاب في السنين العجاف ومن منصات الإحتفاء بالابداع اللبناني في انطلياس؟

ألم يخجلوا من آلاف الطلاب الذين تربوا على يديه، على الوضوح والجرأة والصدق والشجاعة في الشهادة للحق والنزاهة ونظافة الكف والقلب والعقل؟

هؤلاء الذين حولوا الجامعة الوطنية الى مزرعة للمحاصصة الطائفية والزبائنية والتبعية السياسية، هؤلاء ألم يخجلوا من ملاحقة عصام خليفة هذا الرحالة في المكتبات العالمية وأرشيفات وزارات الخارجية والمؤتمرات والأديرة والمحاكم الشرعية والدوائر العقارية والأوراق المنسية بحثا عن حق لبنان في حدوده ومياهه وكيانه وحريته وسيادته؟

ألم يخجلوا من عشرات الكتب والخرائط ومئات المقالات والأبحاث في تاريخ لبنان الاجتماعي والسياسي والثقافي بحثا عن تكوين ذاكرة لبنانية وطنية ديمقراطية علمانية جامعة؟

وكأننا لم نكتف بالأفلاس المالي والسياسي حتى دق الإفلاس الفكري والثقافي أبواب الجامعة اللبنانية، جامعتنا الأم التي تعرفنا فيها على أنفسنا ورفاقنا ومناطقنا والتي تربينا فيها على حق التعدد والتنوع والاختلاف وقبول الآخر، والتي كونت ثوابتنا الوطنية في الزمن الجميل والتي لم تقو الحروب الأهلية والنزاعات الطائفية على هزيمتها والتي حولتها المحاصصة الطائفية إلى كانتونات مذهبية وحزبية.

عصام خليفة هو زمن الجامعة الجميل، زمننا الجميل، وفي الإعتداء على رمزيته اعتداء علينا، على ذاكرتنا الثقافية، على ذاكرتنا الوطنية، على حريتنا في العبور من القبيلة والحزب والزعيم والطائفة والبلاطات المستجدة إلى زمن جديد، على حقنا في التفكير الحر والكتابة الابداعية، على حقنا في النقد والإصلاح والمساءلة والمحاسبة، ان قمع الجامعة لحرية المساءلة يحول لبنان إلى سجن كبير.

لا مكان لجامعة لبنانية تشبه ما قبل 17 تشرين فالشعب اللبناني الثائر على التحزب والتبعية والزبائنية لا يجوز أن يرضى بما يتعرض له أحد الرموز الفكرية المتخصصة المستقلة والوطنية .

فالمطلوب من أساتذة وطلاب الجامعة اللبنانية والمثقفين والاعلاميين ان يقفوا في وجه استباحة الرموز الوطنية.

ولتشرع ثورة 17 أبواب التجديد ولتعلن زمنا جامعيا لبنانيا جديدا بعيدا عن الطارئين على الحياة الأكاديمية واحتراما للمناضلين الذين بذلوا من فكرهم وحريق أعصابهم في سبيل تطوير الجامعة.

عصام خليفة ضمير الوطن ولن يقيده إدعاء او حكم جائر، ولا يمكن إلقاء القبض على الكلمة ولا على التاريخ.

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Analysis/By Assassinating Soleimani, U.S. Takes Another Step Toward War With Iran
Amos Harel/Haaretz/January 03/2020
عاموس هاريل/هآرتس: باغتيالها سليماني أميركا تأخذ خطوة متقدمة للحرب مع إيران

The violent Iranian response could last a long time on a number of fronts and rope in Israel, which is already threatened by Iran’s presence in Iraq.

The American assassination of Quds force chief Qassem Soleimani is like betting all you’ve got in the Middle East poker game.

The elimination of the commander of the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds force was an attack on the man whose symbolic and practical value to the Islamic regime was second only to that of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was Soleimani’s mentor.

A violent Iranian response is on the way – and it could last a long time and happen on a number of fronts. The assassination brings the United States and Iran closer to a war that neither really wants, a head-on collision that could also complicate things for Israel.

Soleimani was a terrorist with a great deal of blood on his hands. The old saying that the world became a slightly better place without him is justified.

His murderous role the region, and further afield, was no less than that of Osama bin Laden (killed by the Obama administration in 2011) or that of Islamic State chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (killed by the Trump administration in October).

In a long New Yorker article in September 2013, Soleimani was compared to Karla, the Soviet master spy in John le Carré’s novels. But Karla kept a much lower profile.

In the past few years, because of Iran’s successes – whose greatest achievement was guaranteeing the survival of the Assad regime in Syria – Soleimani became a sort of national hero, someone who operated on the main stage as well as behind the scenes.

Soleimani didn’t just give orders from far away, from the operations rooms and on the screens, he went out to the front with Iranian fighters and their partners – and made sure to publicize it.

Iran’s involvement in the fighting in Syria, Iraq and Yemen contributed to the deaths of tens of thousands of people. Soleimani was the spearhead of this effort.

His true importance was so much greater than his official titles. Some observers saw him as a potential leader of Iran. Western intelligence agencies and the international media had an intense interest in him, bordering on obsession. The political leadership, in Israel and elsewhere, wolfed down every profile written about him.

Over the years, a debate raged over whether to kill Soleimani. There were the good ramifications: a severe blow to Iranian objectives in the region, and the bad ones: Iranian acts of revenge, even as much as a war. In 2008, according to American media reports, Israel and the United States jointly killed Imad Mughniyeh, the man described as Hezbollah’s military chief.

Mughniyeh was killed in a car-bomb blast after he left a reception at the Iranian Embassy in Damascus. Soleimani escorted him to the car. According to U.S. media reports, at the last moment the Americans vetoed an Israeli proposal to kill them both.

Trump’s favorite kind of move
The snowballing events that led to the killing, which happened just a bit after midnight Friday morning, began a week ago. The Shi’ite militias in Iraq, which receive funding and orders from the Quds force, fired around 30 rockets at an Iraqi army base in Kirkuk in northern Iraq.

An American civilian, an employee of an American contractor, was killed – the first direct hit on an American in Iranian attacks that began in May and largely targeted oil-industry sites in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

In response, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered airstrikes on bases of the pro-Iranian Shi’ite militias in Iraq and Syria, killing at least 25 fighters. The Iranians then sent the militias to attack the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad in what was supposedly a spontaneous protest.

The chain of events has come to an end, for now, with the deaths of Soleimani and senior militia leaders who were killed when they arrived to greet Soleimani after his plane landed at Baghdad International Airport.

According to the Arab and other foreign media, Israel made its own contribution to increasing the friction with airstrikes against the Shi’ite militias last summer in western Iraq and eastern Syria. The attacks raised tensions between the Iraqi government and the United States, which still has some 5,000 troops in Iraq, the last remnant of the 2003 Iraq War.

An initiative in the Iraqi parliament to remove the American troops from Iraq was launched following these attacks. It’s likely that this will be debated once again now even more enthusiastically.

At the end of the year, Israeli military chief Aviv Kochavi said the chances of an Israeli-Iranian conflict this year in the north had risen. In his speech, Kochavi said a number of times that the developing threat stemmed from Iran’s actions in Iraq.

The first Iranian response is expected to come soon. The obvious battlefield will be Iraq and certainly American targets. Saudi Arabia too, as Tehran’s most immediate enemy, could see itself attacked.

The worrying question for Israel is whether Iran will try to involve it via revenge attacks. Last year, Soleimani tried to get Hezbollah to act against Israel.

It seems Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah wasn’t overly enthusiastic about the idea – and Soleimani was forced to base his efforts on the militias, some of them Lebanese, that the Iranians had sent to southern Syria. It’s likely that the Iranians will also respond with further violations of the nuclear agreement, a step they planned anyway – but now they’ll probably accelerate it.

In the next few days, the Iranians will also probably accuse Israel of involvement in the killing. Not a week passes without a senior Israeli official threatening Iran, or the Israeli media reporting new details on covert Israeli operations against Iranian interests in the region. In this case, Israeli politicians should forgo any unwarranted gloating. Israel has every reason to try to remain outside the developing conflict, though the regime in Tehran will try to involve Israel because of its ideological hatred of us.

Trump will receive a great deal of praise in Israel, as well as in other countries in the region – unlike the relative coolness with which the killing has been received by the Democrats. As with the killing of Baghdadi, the assassination of Soleimani was something Trump loves: a precise and resounding attack on someone Americans identify almost instinctively as the embodiment of evil.

But the administration hasn’t shown any continuity or planning in its foreign policy. Trump has changed his mind more than once; it’s doubtful he would have made Friday’s move if the Iranians hadn’t insisted on stretching the Americans’ patience to the breaking point.

After almost three years in the White House, Trump has met his first major crisis in foreign policy. With all due respect to Trump’s strike on the largest exporter of terrorism in the Middle East, it’s possible to say we’d sleep better if someone more stable and experienced were sitting in the Oval Office.

The post عاموس هاريل/هآرتس: باغتيالها سليماني أميركا تأخذ خطوة متقدمة للحرب مع إيران/Amos Harel/Haaretz: By Assassinating Soleimani, U.S. Takes Another Step Toward War With Iran appeared first on Elias Bejjani News.

U.S. Kills Qassem Soleimani/Donald Trump cuts off Iran’s terror arm in Iraq, while Israel braces for Iranian retaliation
Tony Badran/Tablet Magazine/January 03/2020
طوني بدران/أميركا تقتل قاسم سليماني..ترامب يقطع ذراع إيران الإرهابية في العراق في حين تستعد إسرائيل للإنتقام من إيران

The Pentagon has confirmed that, at the direction of President Donald Trump, the United States military struck a convoy near Baghdad airport killing Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the notorious commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps’ Quds force, and his Iraqi lieutenant, who is known by his nom de guerre Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

At one stroke, the U.S. president has decapitated the Iranian regime’s chief terror arm and its most prominent extension in Iraq, where the U.S. Embassy was set on fire last week. Strategically, the killing of Osama bin Laden and, more recently, of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, pale by comparison. In addition to being responsible for killing hundreds of U.S. soldiers during the Iraq War, Soleimani directed a larger state project, which has shaped the geopolitics of the region.

Soleimani, who arguably was the second most important man in the Iranian power hierarchy, led Iran’s military campaigns throughout the Middle East—campaigns that resulted in the lengthening of Iran’s shadow across Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. The armies, militias, and terrorist groups that Soleimani directed, supported, trained, and equipped have killed hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, devastated civilian infrastructure, and turned millions of people into refugees.

Soleimani’s main job was commanding a network of Shiite militias subordinate to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), which have served as the foot soldiers for his military campaigns. His subcommander in Iraq was al-Muhandis, an old Iranian asset who headed the Hezbollah Brigades and oversaw the so-called Popular Mobilization Units, the umbrella structure under which Iranian-controlled Iraqi militias were grouped. Over much of the previous decade, many of these militias were deployed in Syria, alongside the IRGC’s Lebanese unit, Hezbollah, to defend Iran’s interests there in support of the genocidal regime of the Syrian dictator Bashar Assad.

Soleimani’s militias, which are integrated formally into the Iraqi security apparatus, have long been the real power in Baghdad. They also have taken advantage of U.S. support, especially during the Obama years, as part of the anti-ISIS campaign, to take control of large sections of the Iraqi border with Syria, which allowed Soleimani to move missiles, personnel, and other materiel across the border and point them at Israel’s head. Recent Israeli strikes along the Iraqi-Syrian border and inside Iraq are testament to Iran’s use of Iraqi territory in its broader geopolitical play, which includes the positioning of missiles on Iraqi and Syrian soil after having turned Lebanon into a forward missile base.

Israel is hardly the only target. Soleimani also used Iraq as a forward base to target another U.S. ally, Saudi Arabia. This is the kind of strategic threat that only a state with large resources could pose, and which terror group leaders bin Laden and al-Baghdadi could only dream of while hiding in caves.

Despite the size of the threat Soleimani posed, two U.S. presidents shied from taking him out. Even as Soleimani was harvesting American soldiers in Iraq with antitank missiles and roadside IEDs, President George W. Bush and his military commanders were too afraid to pull the trigger. Gen. Stanley McChrystal revealed a year ago how, when he was serving as the head of the Joint Special Operations Command in 2007, he had an opportunity to kill Soleimani, and very good reason to do so: “At the time, Iranian-made roadside bombs built and deployed at his command were claiming the lives of U.S. troops across Iraq.” But he didn’t, in order “to avoid a firefight, and the contentious politics that would follow.”

A year later, another opportunity to kill Soleimani was wasted. During the operation to assassinate Hezbollah’s senior military commander, Imad Mughniyeh, in Damascus in 2008, Soleimani was present with Mughniyeh. “At one point, the two men were standing there, same place, same street. All they had to do was push the button,” a former U.S. official disclosed in 2015. “But the operatives didn’t have the legal authority to kill Soleimani … There had been no presidential finding to do so.”

Seemingly immune from U.S. retaliation, Soleimani spent the Obama years strutting around Iraq and Syria like a peacock in ’70s-style turtleneck sweaters and an array of tailored military style jackets like an IRGC version of Al Pacino in Scarface, while garnering admiring magazine profiles.

This nauseating treatment started at the top. Under President Obama, the U.S. was realigning with Iran, which meant providing its regime with billions of dollars, some of it hand delivered by U.S. officials in the form of large pallets of cash. The U.S. also provided direct military support to Soleimani’s Iraqi militias as part of the anti-ISIS campaign. It was important not to cross Iran’s red lines, administration officials regularly leaked at the time, so as not to jeopardize the safety of U.S. soldiers while they killed Iran’s enemies in Iraq and Syria–a strategy that was variously labeled as “counterterrorism” or “the fight against Al Qaeda” or “the war against ISIS,” and which invariably involved aligning with Iran to kill Sunni Arabs, who form the majority of the region’s population.

Taking the red-carpet treatment for granted, Iran appears to have badly miscalculated with President Trump. The Trump administration had made clear last week that it would hold Iran directly accountable for any attack by its assets that harmed American personnel. The president personally tweeted that “Iran will be held fully responsible for lives lost, or damage incurred, at any of our facilities. They will pay a very BIG PRICE! This is not a Warning, it is a Threat. Happy New Year!”

Not only did Iran and its militias kill an American in one such attack, but they then orchestrated an attack on the U.S. Embassy designed for maximum public humiliation. Al-Muhandis and other senior Iranian assets took part in the attack. Graffiti on the embassy walls declared Soleimani to be the attackers’ commander.

There were no pretenses as to who was responsible for the attack. Iran’s head of state, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is often pictured with Soleimani at his side, publicly mocked the U.S., declaring that “You can’t do anything.” The stage was set for a replay of the Iranian U.S. Embassy takeover of 1979 in Tehran.

Apparently, Khamenei, who according to Iranian regime doctrine exercises the authority of the missing 12th Shiite imam on earth, didn’t imagine what was coming next.

After 15 years of Iran spreading its power throughout the region while degrading the U.S. strategic architecture in the Middle East and killing tens of thousands of people with impunity, President Trump attempted to stop the merry-go-round by disentangling the U.S. from Obama’s deal and reimposing sanctions on Iran. But the administration left some waivers in place, and there have been some mixed signals about negotiating a new nuclear deal with Iran. Apparently, neither Khamenei nor Soleimani was impressed.

Now, Trump has shown that the U.S. is willing to strike back at Iran, and strike hard. What comes next is anyone’s guess, including possible Iranian strikes on Israel or on Saudi Arabia, Iranian strikes on U.S. troops in Iraq, anti-Iranian unrest inside Iraq, and anti-regime unrest within Iran itself, but one thing is already clear beyond any doubt: Iran can no longer expect to kill U.S. citizens and strike U.S. embassies with impunity.

*Tony Badran, Tablet magazine’s Levant analyst, is a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He tweets @AcrossTheBay.

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The Unthinkable: The Unthinkable: Soleimani Killed in Iraq
Seth Frantzman/The Jerusalem Post/January 03/2020
ما كان لا يمكن تصوره قد حدث وهو أن يُقتل قاسم سليماني في العراق
سيث فرانتمن سيث/الجيروساليم بوست

Qasem Soleimani, the “shadow commander,” Israel’s “most dangerous enemy,” has been killed in Iraq alongside his key disciple Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. An airstrike near or at Baghdad International Airport targeted a motorcade with the men in it just days after their followers stormed the US Embassy compound and scrawled “Soleimani is our leader” on its walls. US President Donald Trump approved the airstrike. The Pentagon confirmed the US killed the Iranian Quds Force leader. The US said Iran was responsible for killing 608 US troops during the Iraq war.

The unthinkable has happened. The man behind Iran’s drive for regional hegemony, who commanded the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has been targeted. This time, unlike all the previous times where he got away, he has met his end.

Reports emerged after four in the morning, Iraqi time. A mysterious airstrike near the airport had led to rumors of its closure hours earlier. Two flights were inbound at the time. A Pegasus and Iraq airways flight. Three or four rockets impacted near the airport. US helicopters were reported buzzing in the distance.

Soleimani was a key architect of Iran’s drive for regional hegemony.

It appears a cryptic tweet from US Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced the US policy to begin pre-emptive strikes against Iranian adversaries or their proxies. “To Iran and its proxy militias: We will not accept the continued attacks against our personnel and forces in the region. Attacks against us will be met with responses in the time, manner and place of our choosing. We urge the Iranian regime to end malign activities.”

It is not known if the US acted alone or who else may be responsible for the airstrike. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had called Middle East leaders in the last days to firm up support and discuss strategy. He called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in Saudi Arabia. He also phoned Iraqi leaders and Qatar. He warned Muhandis as well as Qais Khazali, a Shi’ite militia leader the US had sanctioned. He then warned the leaders of the Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Units, Hadi al-Amiri and Faleh al-Fayed.

Muhandis was responsible for the attack on US forces at K-1 on December 27 that resulted in a US contractor death. He has been responsible for attacks on Americans since the 1980s. Qais Khazali has also been responsible for attacks, and was held at Camp Cropper in 2007. But it is Muhandis who was always the head of the powerful Iranian support for a network of militias in the region that helped guide this policy. Muhandis was key to supporting Hezbollah and worked closely with Imad Mughniyeh of Hezbollah in the past. Mughniyeh was killed in 2008.

It is difficult to estimate Iran’s response but the regime will want to respond not only to this attack but also the initial US attack on December 29 that killed two dozen members of Kataib Hezbollah. That series of five airstrikes in Iraq and Syria is now overshadowed but it was important because it showed the US would act against Iran’s attacks. Since May of 2019, Iran has been attacking not only the US but also Israel, Saudi Arabia and oil tankers in the region. It downed a US drone and sent proxies inn Iraq to fire rockets at least 12 times at US bases. These rocket attacks targeted key facilities including the Green Zone, Camp Taji, Assad and Balad base and Qayarrah. Iran also fired rockets at Israel in January, September and November of 2019. It attacked Iran’s Abqaiq facility in September with a drone swarm. It also sent Kataib Hezbollah to attack Saudi Arabia in May and to establish bases and arms trafficking networks across Iraq. In Syria Iran built a new base called Imam Ali at the Syrian border with Iraq.

Iran’s foreign minister responded on Twitter.
In short: Iran’s activities in 2019 were accelerated and represented an increasing threat to Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, as well as a threat along 3,000 miles of frontline from the Lebanese border with Israel to the Gulf of Oman and Yemen. Soleimani was a key part of constructing Iran’s threats along this line. Muhandis was, as his name suggests, the engineer who helped to build up Iran’s role in Iraq and also into Syria.

These men, Soleimani, Muhandis and their network, were personally austere and frugal. They dressed in almost everyday clothing without chests festooned with a salad of medals. They went among the civilian populace and among their men as one of them. They were often mild in their manners. Videos of Muhandis show him relaxing, laying on the ground for to catch a few seconds nap and speaking softly. These men represented a dangerous threat not because of their boasts but because of their practicalities and decades honing their abilities.

Soleimani was born in 1957. Muhandis in 1954. They were in their twenties during the Iranian Islamic Revolution. That made it a formative moment in their lives and the revolution guided their lives from then on. For them the US and Israel were the main enemies. They were the “resistance.” Also, Saudi Arabia and other countries were their enemies. But they focused zeal towards removing Western powers and advancing Iran’s interests and the interests of a wider Iranian-aligned Shi’ite community.

In the 1980s, Muhandis and those like him supported terrorism against US diplomatic facilities from Kuwait to Lebanon. This was their field of operations. It took them a while but they built up franchises like Hezbollah in Lebanon and Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq. Only after 2010 could their dreams finally be realized. In the wake of the Arab spring and the chaos unleashed they mobilized men to confront the ISIS threat and filled its vacuum with their own bases and fighters. This is how Kataib Hezbollah of Iraq ended up in Syria with Hezbollah.

It was only in the last two years that their dream of a Middle East dominated by Iran was reached. They were arrogant. They had the kind of arrogance they accused the West of. No longer in the shadows those like Soleimani and Muhandis came into the open. They acted like the heads of state. Their militias in Iraq, called the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) appeared to dominant not only the security forces but also the parliament. They had the second largest party in Iraq and access to 300,000 men they had recruited. Most of these were just young Shi’ites who wanted to fight ISIS. A smaller cadre of men in PMU brigades were what mattered. They stockpiled munitions and since August 2018 moved Iranian ballistic missiles across Iraq to Syria. In Syria they built a network of bases from Imam Ali to T-2, T-4 and others. This network sought to move precision guided munitions to Hezbollah in Lebanon. It also sought to import air defense, the 3rd Khordad system, in April 2018. Israel carried out more than 1,000 airstrikes against Iranian entrenchment in Syria and Israel’s Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi said in December that Israel would act against Iranian entrenchment in Syria and Iraq.

Soleimani did not believe the US would respond decisively to Iranian provocations.
For Soleimani and Muhandis, all was well in December even as US rhetoric increased. They did not believe the US would decisively respond, as Pompeo threatened. They had seen national security adviser John Bolton and other Iran hawks go. They judged US President Donald Trump an isolationist. They tried to push the US, via attacks in the Gulf and against Saudi Arabia and then against US forces. The US said 11 attacks targeted bases since October.

Finally, after the killing and wounding of Americans on December 27 the US acted. Kataib Hezbollah responded on December 29 with the attack on the US embassy. Working with Badr Organization commander Hadi al-Amiri who plays a role in the PMU and parliament, they opened the gates to the Green Zone and PMU members in fatigues assaulted the embassy. They wrote “Soleimani is my leader” on the guardhouses. It was a symbol. They were saying Soliemani runs Iraq and Baghdad, not the US.

Forty-eight hours later Soleimani and Muhandis were targeted in an airstrike near the airport. It is a fitting end to men who believed there would be no response to provocations. It will be a blow to their organizations and network as killing Mughniyeh was a blow. But they still have cadres and loyalists. Qais Khazali, Hassan Nasrallah and Hadi al-Amiri are still in Iraq and Lebanon. Iran’s IRGC has powerful people in charge of it and it has developed new drone and missile technology. The US has sent a powerful message that killing Americans will not be forgotten or tolerated.

*Seth Frantzman, a Middle East Forum writing fellow, is the author of After ISIS: America, Iran and the Struggle for the Middle East (2019), op-ed editor of The Jerusalem Post, and founder of the Middle East Center for Reporting & Analysis.

The post الجيروساليم بوست/ما كان لا يمكن تصوره قد حدث وهو أن يُقتل قاسم سليماني في العراق/Seth Frantzman/The Jerusalem Post: The Unthinkable: The Unthinkable: Soleimani Killed in Iraq appeared first on Elias Bejjani News.

Detailed LCCC English News Bulletin For January 04/2020

Click Here to read the whole and detailed LCCC English News Bulletin for January 04/2020

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A Bundle Of English Reports, News and Editorials For January 03-04/2020 Addressing the On Going Mass Demonstrations & Sit In-ins In Iranian Occupied Lebanon in its 79th Day
Compiled By: Elias Bejjani
January 04/2020

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on January03- 04/2020
Soleimani Faced The righteous Justice/Elias Bejjani/January 03/2020
No For Arresting & Imprisoning Dr. Issam Khalefe/Elias Bejjani/January 03/2020
The Great Loss of the Journalist Najwa Kassiem /Elias Bejjani/January 03/2020
Aoun Condemns Soleimani Killing, Urges New Govt. ‘Next Week’
Foreign Ministry Urges Sparing Lebanon Any Fallout from Soleimani Killing
Nasrallah to Speak during Dahieh Rally Commemorating Soleimani
Hizbullah Denies Lebanese Killed in Airstrike in Iraq
Raad Says Up to Iran, Iraq Leaders to Decide How to Respond to Soleimani Killing
U.S. Embassy Urges Americans in Lebanon to be Highly Vigilan
Israel on Alert for Fallout after U.S. Killing of Soleimani
Tear Gas inside Halba Bank as Security Forces Clash with Protesters
Ghosn to Be Summoned by Lebanese Judiciary
Avenging Soleimani responsibility of ‘resistance’ worldwide: Hezbollah
Lebanon needs a $20-$25bn bailout, says former economy minister
Turkish Jet Firm Says Employee Falsified Ghosn Records
Ghosn’s last stop in Japan: a low-profile private airport lounge
Dramatic Case of Carlos Ghosn Continues to Unfold
Soleimani dead, shadows do bleed/ Makram Rabah/Al Arabiya/January 03/2020

Details Of The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on January 03-04/2020
Soleimani Faced The righteous Justice
Elias Bejjani/January 03/2020
Killing of Kassem Soleimani is actually the killing and exposure of the false, paper-based Mullah’s Military aura and prestige. Meanwhile the joy of the Arab people for Soleimani’s assassination demonstrates their deeply rooted hatred and contempt for the hostile terrorist and expansionist Mullah’s stone age oppressive regime.

No For Arresting & Imprisoning Dr. Issam Khalefe
Elias Bejjani/January 02/2020
The biased judiciary arrest verdict against Dr. Issam Khalefe is an insult and contempt for each and every sovereign, independent, honourable, and free Lebanese citizen. In summary the Lebanese regime officials from top to bottom are corrupt, The country is occupied, The politicians are mere puppets, and the Judiciary is biased and politicized

The Great Loss of the Journalist Najwa Kassiem
Elias Bejjani/January 02/2020
The sudden death of the distinguishable journalist and reporter, Najwa Kassim this morning was an extremely sad news. We pray for the eternal rest of her soul and offer our deeply felt condolences to her family and friends. Her death is a great loss of a truly distinguished media talent.

Aoun Condemns Soleimani Killing, Urges New Govt. ‘Next Week’
Naharnet/January 03/ 2020
President Michel Aoun on Friday condemned the U.S. strike that killed top Iranian commander General Qassem Soleimani and senior Iraqi paramilitary leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. Aoun’s condemnation came in cables that he sent to the presidents of Iran and Iraq. In his cable to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Aoun said he “painfully” learned of the news of the assassination of Soleimani and his companions, warning that the attack comes at a “very critical timing in the Middle East region.”“Lebanon condemns the crime that led to the death of Maj. Gen. Soleimani and his companions… and we hope God will grant you the wisdom to face the repercussions of this incident,” Aoun added, addressing Rouhani. He also wished “stability, peace, security and prosperity” for Iran and its people. Separately, Aoun hoped the formation of a new government in Lebanon will “enhance the positive atmosphere, especially with countries willing to help Lebanon.” He also hoped the government will be formed “next week,” saying its presence would “boost confidence inside and outside the country.”“Efforts are underway to form it of expert figures… and the McKinsey economic plan represents a realistic vision for developing the productive sectors in Lebanon and consequently creating jobs and slashing imports,” the president said. “We will immediately start working according to it,” Aoun announced.

Foreign Ministry Urges Sparing Lebanon Any Fallout from Soleimani Killing
Naharnet/January 03/ 2020
The Lebanese Foreign Ministry on Friday expressed concern over the killing of top Iranian commander General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad overnight, describing the U.S. strike that eliminated him along with a senior Iraqi paramilitary leader as “a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty and a dangerous escalation against Iran.”The attack “will aggravate tensions in the region,” the Ministry warned in a statement. “The Foreign Ministry stresses that Lebanon has always encouraged the approach of dialogue, restraint and wisdom to resolve problems instead of the use of force and violence,” the statement said. “It also calls for sparing the region the assassination’s repercussions and keeping Lebanon away from the fallout of this dangerous incident, because it direly needs security and political stability so that it can overcome its suffocating economic and financial crisis,” the statement added. The Ministry also extended condolences to Iran and Iraq over the deaths.

Nasrallah to Speak during Dahieh Rally Commemorating Soleimani
Naharnet/January 03/ 2020
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah will make a speech Sunday during a rally that will be held in Beirut’s southern suburbs to commemorate slain top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi paramilitary leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. Hizbullah’s al-Manar TV said the rally will be held at 2:30 pm. In a written statement issued earlier in the day, Nasrallah said that “meting out the appropriate punishment to these criminal assassins… will be the responsibility and task of all resistance fighters worldwide.””We will carry a flag on all battlefields and all fronts and we will step up the victories of the axis of resistance with the blessing of his pure blood,” Nasrallah added. Soleimani and al-Muhandis were killed late Thursday in a U.S. drone strike on Baghdad airport. Iran has warned of “severe revenge” and said arch-enemy the United States bore responsibility for the consequences.

Hizbullah Denies Lebanese Killed in Airstrike in Iraq
Naharnet/January 03/ 2020
Following the US strike in Iraq that killed an Iranian commander, Hizbullah slammed as “totally untrue” reports that Lebanese nationals were killed in the attack. “Rumors circulated in the media and social networks that Lebanese nationals were killed in the US criminal attack on Iraq. Hizbullah media relations office assures that these reports are only baseless rumors,” Hizbullah’s media relations office said in a statement. Iranian Gen. Qassim Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, has been killed in an airstrike at Baghdad’s international airport on Friday.The strike also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of Iran-backed militias known as the Popular Mobilization Forces.

Raad Says Up to Iran, Iraq Leaders to Decide How to Respond to Soleimani Killing
Naharnet/January 03/ 2020
The head of Hizbullah’s parliamentary bloc MP Mohammed Raad on Friday said the U.S. assassination of top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani and senior Iraqi militant Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis is a “cowardly attack” that “will not go unpunished.”
But he noted that “it is up to the leaderships of these two great figures to determine the level of the response.”“Although everyone who belongs to the axis of resistance sees himself concerned with taking part in the response, because they (Soleimani and al-Muhandis) don’t represent themselves but rather every drop of blood that runs in our veins,” Raad added. “The days are coming and war is several rounds and our nation shall be satisfied,” the lawmaker went on to say. Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has said that “meting out the appropriate punishment… will be the responsibility and task of all resistance fighters worldwide.” Soleimani and al-Muhandis were killed late Thursday in a U.S. drone strike on Baghdad airport. Iran has warned of “severe revenge” and said arch-enemy the United States bore responsibility for the consequences.

U.S. Embassy Urges Americans in Lebanon to be Highly Vigilant
Naharnet/January 03/ 2020
The U.S. Embassy in Beirut on Friday urged U.S. citizens in Lebanon to “maintain a high level of vigilance” after Iran vowed a “harsh retaliation” for a U.S. strike in Iraq that killed Qasem Soleimani, a top Iranian general who had been the architect of Iran’s interventions across the Middle East.
“Due to heightened tensions in Iraq and the region, the U.S. Embassy urges U.S. citizens in Lebanon to maintain a high level of vigilance and practice good situational awareness,” the Embassy said in a security alert published on its website. The Embassy urged Americans to monitor the website and local and international media for updates and to “stay alert in locations frequented by Westerners.”Iran’s top security body vowed Friday to retaliate to Soleimani’s killing in the “right place and time.””America should know that its criminal attack on General Soleimani has been the country’s biggest mistake in west Asia, and America will not avoid the consequences of this wrong calculation easily,” the Supreme National Security Council said in a statement. “These criminals will face severe vengeance… in the right place and time,” it added after holding an extraordinary meeting following Soleimani’s death.The council described Soleimani as a “glorious general” who was the “pride not only for Iranians but all Muslims and downtrodden… across the world.”

Israel on Alert for Fallout after U.S. Killing of Soleimani
Naharnet/January 03/ 2020
Israel held emergency security talks Friday and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut short a foreign visit as the Jewish state braced itself for fallout from the assassination of a top Iranian military commander in a U.S. air strike. Defense Minister Naftali Bennett chaired a meeting of security chiefs, including the heads of the army, the National Security Council and the Mossad intelligence agency, his office said. Netanyahu broke off an official visit to Greece and flew home, expressing support for the overnight U.S. strike that killed General Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad. “Just as Israel has the right of self-defense, the United States has exactly the same right,” Netanyahu said as he boarded his flight from Athens. “President (Donald) Trump deserves all the credit for acting swiftly, forcefully and decisively,” he said. “Israel stands with the United States in its just struggle for peace, security and self-defense.”
On the ground, the Israeli army closed Mount Hermon ski resort on the annexed Golan Heights, a disputed territory which borders Syria and Lebanon. Fighters of the Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite group Hizbullah, Israel’s bitter foe with which it fought a devastating war in 2006, are deployed on the other side of the armistice line. Although an Israeli military source said there were no new troop deployments, tanks and soldiers sealed off access to the Hermon site, while an AFP correspondent also spotted a battery of the Iron Dome missile defense system. The heightened state of alert came after Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed “severe revenge” for Soleimani’s killing, the biggest escalation yet in a feared proxy war between Iran and the U.S. on Iraqi soil. He was echoed by the leader of Lebanon’s Hizbullah. “Meting out the appropriate punishment to these criminal assassins… will be the responsibility and task of all resistance fighters worldwide,” Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said. Soleimani, head of the Quds Force in Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, had long also been in Israel’s sights for his alleged links to attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets worldwide. Among them, Israel’s Haaretz daily said, were the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires and an attack on an Israeli tour bus in Burgas, Bulgaria in 2012.
‘Hizbullah could act from Syria’
Yossi Mansharof, an expert on Iran and Shiite militias at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, said Hizbullah was unlikely to seek a showdown in Lebanon given the country’s current economic and political crisis. Hizbullah’s forces in Syria, however, could make a move, he said.
“Hizbullah can act against Israel from the Syrian side,” he told AFP. “They would not dare to drag Lebanon into a military escalation.”In addition to Hizbullah forces in Syria, the Quds Force and “many, many militias which Soleimani has fostered” are also stationed in the war-torn country, he pointed out.
He said Hizbullah had a worldwide network of operatives, and an attack on American officials, high-ranking military officers or other interests was also possible. The powerful organization has boasted in the past that it “can target New York and Washington,” Mansharof said.
In the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas which rules the territory condemned Soleimani’s killing but did not make any overt threat. “Hamas sends its condolences to the Iranian leadership and people,” it said in a statement. “Hamas condemns this American crime which raises tension in the region.” The leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said the Baghdad strike called for “a coordinated, comprehensive and continuous response from resistance forces” against “American and Zionist interests.”

Tear Gas inside Halba Bank as Security Forces Clash with Protesters
Naharnet/January 03/ 2020
Security forces on Friday used tear gas inside a bank in Akkar’s Halba in a bid to eject protesters following clashes, the National News Agency said. NNA said the bank and the area outside it witnessed scuffles, stone-throwing and gunshots that were fired in the air. An army force meanwhile arrived on the scene to assist riot police in containing the situation. The Federation of Syndicates of Banks Employees in Lebanon on Thursday warned that it might stage a new strike amid the ongoing protests in the country that have increasingly targeted banks in recent days. In a statement, the federation said “bank branches witnessed organized attacks in late 2019 by individuals claiming to represent the popular protest movement.”A grinding liquidity crunch has hit Lebanon, where unprecedented protests since October 17 have railed against the political class and a deepening economic crisis. Since September, banks have restricted the amount of dollars that can be withdrawn or transferred abroad. Although no formal policy is in place, most have arbitrarily capped withdrawals at around $1,000 a month, while others have imposed tighter restrictions. With ordinary depositors bearing the brunt of these measures, bank branches have transformed into arenas of conflict. Fistfights, shouting and tears are becoming more frequent, as cash-hungry clients haggle tellers to release money trapped under informal capital controls.

Ghosn to Be Summoned by Lebanese Judiciary
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January 03/ 2020
Former Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn, who skipped bail in Japan and fled to Beirut, is due to be summoned by Lebanon’s public prosecutor next week, an official said Friday. The Lebanese authorities have already stressed that Ghosn — who holds the French, Lebanese and Brazilian nationalities — had entered the country legally and that Beirut had no extradition agreement with Japan. An official speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity said a summons was expected to be handed to Ghosn next week, as a result of Interpol issuing a “red notice” against him. “The Lebanese judiciary is obliged to hear him. But it can still decide whether to arrest him or let him remain free,” the official said, adding that Ghosn could be heard on January 7 or 8. Ghosn, once Japan’s best paid corporate executive, was arrested in November 2018 and has been under house arrest since April, facing multiple charges of financial misconduct.
Claiming the Japanese judiciary was “rigged” and that he would not receive a fair trial, Ghosn skipped bail on December 30 and flew to Beirut on a private jet. The exact circumstances of his escape remain unclear. The 65-year-old is due to talk to the press in Beirut next week. “I have not fled justice — I have escaped injustice and political persecution,” said Ghosn in a December 31 statement. An Interpol ‘red notice’ is a request to law enforcement across the world to provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender or similar legal action. It is not an arrest warrant.
Japan is probing how Ghosn was able to slip out and Turkey has also detained seven individuals over Ghosn’s transit through Istanbul, where he changed private jets on his way to Lebanon. Ghosn, who was born in Brazil, is well connected in Lebanon, where he owns stakes in several major business ventures and firms.

Avenging Soleimani responsibility of ‘resistance’ worldwide: Hezbollah
AFP, Beirut/Friday, 3 January 2020
The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group called Friday for the death in a US strike of top Iranian commander Major General Qasem Soleimani to be avenged. “Meting out the appropriate punishment to these criminal assassins… will be the responsibility and task of all resistance fighters worldwide,” Hassan Nasrallah said in a statement. “We who stayed by his side will follow in his footsteps and strive day and night to accomplish his goals,” the leader said. “We will carry a flag on all battlefields and all fronts and we will step up the victories of the axis of resistance with the blessing of his pure blood,” Nasrallah said. The “axis of resistance” is a term that refers to an alliance formed by Iran, Syria and Hezbollah to fight against Israel and the Western military presence in the region. The heavily armed Hezbollah group controls whole neighborhoods in Beirut and most of the south of Lebanon, including the area bordering Israel. It also has fighters deployed in Syria and Iraq who were operating under Soleimani’s command.

Lebanon needs a $20-$25bn bailout, says former economy minister
Al Jazeera/January 03/2020
Lebanon needs a $20-$25bn bailout including International Monetary Fund (IMF) support to emerge from its financial crisis, former Minister of Economy Nasser Saidi told Reuters news agency on Friday. Lebanon’s crisis has shattered confidence in its banking system and stoked concerns among investors that a default could loom for one of the world’s most indebted countries, which has a $1.2bn eurobond due in March. Meanwhile, bank depositors and investors say that they have been kept in the dark about the country’s dire financial situation. President Michel Aoun said on Friday that he hoped a new government would be formed next week. But analysts say the cabinet to be led by Hassan Diab may struggle to win international support because he was nominated by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group and its allies. Saidi said time was running short, and that $11bn in previously pledged support from foreign donors was now roughly half of what was needed to mount an economic recovery.
“The danger of the current situation is we’re approaching economic collapse that can potentially reduce GDP [gross domestic product for 2020] by 10 percent,” Saidi said in an interview.Economists have said 2020 is likely to register Lebanon’s first economic contraction in 20 years, with some saying the economy will contract by two percent. Others have predicted a long depression unseen since independence from France in 1943 or during the 1975-90 civil war. Lebanese companies have laid off workers and business has ground to a halt. A hard currency crunch has prompted banks to restrict access to dollars and the Lebanese pound trades a third weaker on the parallel market, driving up prices. “Our policymakers are not willing to recognise the depth of the problems we have … They need the courage to tell the Lebanese population that difficult times are coming,” said Saidi. Credit-rating agencies have downgraded Lebanon’s sovereign rating and the ratings of its commercial banks on fears of default. Saidi said a $20-$25bn package could guarantee payment on some of the country’s public debt, enabling it to restructure in a way that would extend maturities and reduce interest rates. He said that would need support from the IMF, World Bank, and Western and Gulf states. Hariri last month discussed the possibility of technical assistance from the IMF and World Bank, but there has been no public mention of a financial package.

Turkish Jet Firm Says Employee Falsified Ghosn Records
Associated Press/Naharnet/January 03/ 2020
A Turkish airline company whose jets were used to fly former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn from Japan to Lebanon said an employee falsified records and that Ghosn’s name did not appear on any documentation related to the flights. Ghosn earlier this week jumped bail in Japan and fled to Lebanon rather than face trial on financial misconduct charges in a dramatic escape that has confounded and embarrassed authorities. How he was able to flee Japan, avoiding the tight surveillance he was under while free on 1.5 billion yen ($14 million) bail, is still a mystery, though Lebanese authorities have said he entered the country legally on a French passport. Ghosn’s daring escape spanned three continents and involved private planes, multiple passports and international intrigue. Turkey detained seven people Thursday as part of an investigation into how he passed through the country, and they were appearing in court Friday. The private DHA news agency reported that those detained were four pilots, a cargo company manager and two airport workers. Also Friday, Istanbul-based MNG Jet said it had filed a criminal complaint in Turkey concerning the illegal use of its jet charter services.
It did not say who the complaint was against, but it said one company employee, who was under investigation by the Turkish authorities, admitted to falsifying records and “confirmed that he acted in his individual capacity” without MNG Jet’s knowledge. The company said it had leased two separate private jets: one private jet from Dubai to Osaka , Japan, and Osaka to Istanbul and another private jet from Istanbul to Beirut. “The two leases were seemingly not connected to each other. The name of Mr Ghosn did not appear in the official documentation of any of the flights,” MNG Jet said in a statement. The statement did not say who the jets were leased to. On Thursday, Interpol issued a wanted notice for Ghosn. Lebanese Justice Minister Albert Serhan told The Associated Press in an interview that Lebanon “will carry out its duties,” suggesting for the first time that the automotive titan may be brought in for questioning. But he said Ghosn entered the country on a legal passport, and he appeared to cast doubt on the possibility Lebanon would hand Ghosn over to Japan.
Shortly after the Interpol notice, Ghosn issued a statement — his second this week — seeking to distance his Lebanese wife and family from any role in his escape. “The allegations in the media that my wife Carole and other members of my family played a role in my departure from Japan are false and misleading. I alone organized my departure. My family played no role,” he said. Ghosn, who is Lebanese and also holds French and Brazilian passports, was set to go on trial in Japan in April. He arrived in Lebanon on Monday via Turkey and hasn’t been seen in public since. In a statement Tuesday, he said he fled to avoid “political persecution” by a “rigged Japanese justice system.” His lawyer in France, Francois Zimeray, told Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV that he was in frequent contact with Ghosn since he arrived in Lebanon, and Ghosn appeared to be filled with “a fighting spirit.” Ghosn was eager to start clearing his name at the news conference next week, Zimeray said. Ghosn, who grew up in Beirut and frequently visited, is a national hero to many in this Mediterranean country with close ties to senior politicians and business stakes in a number of companies. People take special pride in the auto industry executive, who is credited with leading a spectacular turnaround at Nissan beginning in the late 1990s and rescuing the automaker from near-bankruptcy. Ghosn, who is charged in Japan with under-reporting his future compensation and breach of trust, has repeatedly asserted his innocence, saying authorities trumped up charges to prevent a possible fuller merger between Nissan Motor Co. and Renault.

Ghosn’s last stop in Japan: a low-profile private airport lounge
Al Jazeera/January 03/2020
Turkish firm MNG Jet said one of its workers admitted to not putting Ghosn on official documentation.
A quiet lounge in a corner of Japan’s third-largest airport was likely the last stop for Carlos Ghosn before he fled the country, transforming the former Nissan chairman into one of the world’s most famous fugitives. Ghosn departed on a private jet from Kansai International Airport in the western city of Osaka, the plane’s operator said, meaning he would have left from the small lounge area used exclusively for private flights. The aircraft operator, Turkish firm MNG Jet, said one of its employees has admitted falsifying records by not including Ghosn’s name in the official documentation.
Ghosn faces charges relating to alleged financial crimes in Japan and was able to orchestrate his departure despite being under strict surveillance by Japanese authorities, with his movements and communications curtailed. He denies the financial misconduct charges.
“He would have had to go through as a passenger; perhaps [he was] in disguise,” airport spokesman Kenji Takanishi told Reuters.
The slightly-built former Nissan boss has concealed his identity before: when first released on bail in March, he walked out of the detention centre disguised as a workman to avoid media attention. After landing in Turkey, Ghosn switched planes and flew on to his childhood home, Lebanon. His escape capped a year-old saga, which has gripped the global auto industry. Kansai airport spokesman Takanishi said privacy was a big attraction for wealthy travellers at the 300-square-metre Premium Gate Tamayura used for private jets (“tamayura” translates as “fleeting moment”).
Passenger in disguise?
Private jet owners pay 200,000 yen ($1,850) to use the private airport gate, where normal immigration and baggage procedures apply. Luggage too large for the X-ray scan is opened and examined, Takanishi said, meaning it was unlikely Ghosn could have been smuggled on board.
Yet immigration officials have no record of him leaving, public broadcaster NHK has reported. The former auto executive holds French, Brazilian and Lebanese citizenship. “I think I would recognise Ghosn if I took a good look at his face, but we don’t really look at people’s faces,” said a security guard at the private gate. “It would be harder to spot him if he was wearing a disguise or was in a group.”One airport official, who also declined to be identified, said airlines often outsource security and luggage checks to private security companies in Japan, unlike other countries where government or military officials usually perform these checks. Outside the terminal entrance, a dedicated car park stands less than 100 metres away, allowing a degree of privacy not afforded to commercial jet passengers.

Dramatic Case of Carlos Ghosn Continues to Unfold
Associated Press/Naharnet/January 03/ 2020
Former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn fled Japan while awaiting trial on financial misconduct charges. He escaped to Beirut, where he grew up and is considered a national hero by many. Here’s a look at the unfolding case of the fallen auto industry superstar:
WHERE IS GHOSN?
Ghosn, who is Lebanese and also holds French and Brazilian passports, arrived in Lebanon on Monday after a stop in Turkey. Lebanese caretaker Justice Minister Albert Serhan told The Associated Press that Ghosn entered the country with a legal passport. Ghosn, who has not appeared in public, issued a statement saying he left to avoid a “rigged Japanese justice system.” He issued a second statement saying his family members played no role in his escape and that he did it alone. He said he will talk to reporters next week. Serhan said Lebanese prosecutors will question Ghosn, but there are no charges pending against him in Lebanon.
ESCAPE DESPITE HEAVY SURVEILLANCE
Little is known about how Ghosn was able to leave Japan. He picked a time where security lapses are more likely — government offices are closed all week for New Year holidays. But his whereabouts were closely monitored, including by 24-hour security cameras, and his lawyers supposedly had all of his passports. He was able to use the internet only in his lawyer’s office, and he was forbidden from seeing his wife, Carole. They were recently allowed video calls, but only in the presence of his lawyer. Ghosn’s chief lawyer, Junichiro Hironaka, said he had no knowledge of the escape and was stunned by it.
HOW DID GHOSN GET OUT?
The dramatic disappearance has set off wild speculation, including that Ghosn was carted off inside a musical instrument case, though Japanese broadcaster NHK reported Friday that surveillance video showed him exiting his home alone shortly before he left Japan. A Turkish charter airline company said its jets were used in the escape and blamed an employee who falsified records. MNG Jet said Ghosn’s name did not appear on the official documentation for a flight from Dubai to Osaka and then on to Istanbul or another for a flight from Istanbul to Beirut. It’s not known how Ghosn might have traveled to Osaka to get on the flight.
GHOSN AS FUGITIVE
Interpol issued a wanted notice Thursday for Ghosn. Lebanon, which does not have an extradition treaty with Japan, must now decide how to respond. Expectations are low that Lebanon would hand over Ghosn. Interpol’s Red Notice is a non-binding request for law enforcement agencies to locate and provisionally arrest a fugitive. The notice is not an arrest warrant. Legal experts say Ghosn’s ability to travel will be restricted.
JAPAN’S RESPONSE
Japanese prosecutors, who had opposed Ghosn’s release on bail, raided his Tokyo home on Thursday. Turkey made several arrests as part of an investigation into how he passed through the country. Japanese government officials have not said anything publicly about Ghosn’s escape but they revoked the 1.5 billion yen ($14 million) bail. Trying someone in absentia is rare in Japan. A trial dealing with allegations against Nissan as a company and Greg Kelly, another Nissan executive, will continue. A date has not been set.
THE CHARGES
Ghosn, who was first arrested in November 2018, has repeatedly denied the charges against him. Part of the allegations center around his failure to report compensation that was promised to him. Ghosn has said those payments were never decided on. Nissan filed additional papers concerning the compensation after his arrest. Other charges of breach of trust involve Nissan money allegedly diverted to Ghosn for personal gain, including payments in Oman and Saudi Arabia. Ghosn has said those payments were for legitimate services. Prosecutors have released few specifics, saying they will do so at the trial. If convicted on all counts, Ghosn could face the maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. The conviction rate in Japan is higher than 99%.
GHOSN AS STAR
Ghosn built a stellar reputation for his managerial acumen in transforming Nissan over the last two decades from near-bankruptcy to one of the biggest global auto brands. Several of his books on management were translated in Japanese, and one depicts him as a manga comic book character. Especially in his early years, he was cheered as a celebrity, admired for his hard work, and dubbed “7-11” after the convenience-store chain for the hours he kept. He still has close ties to senior politicians in Lebanon. After his arrest, he has become a symbol of protest against Japan’s so-called “hostage justice” system, which human rights advocates have long criticized as unfair and too reliant on confessions. Ghosn was held in detention for 130 days before posting bail.
OTHER TWISTS
Two Lebanese lawyers have submitted a report to the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Beirut against Ghosn, saying he violated Lebanese law by visiting Israel. The two countries are in a state of war. Ghosn visited Israel in 2008 to launch electric cars, and met with the prime minister and the president. Journalists, including those from Japan, have flocked to Ghosn’s rose-colored residence in Beirut’s affluent neighborhood of Ashrafieh. A Lebanese lawyer who said he worked for Nissan told reporters the building belongs to Nissan, which Ghosn also confirmed. Nissan officials have pointed to Ghosn’s extravagant lifestyle, including expensive chandeliers and a sarcophagus buried beneath transparent walkways at the Beirut residence.
NISSAN’S FUTURE
Nissan’s brand has been seriously tarnished, and its sales and profits are tumbling. Ghosn was such a key figure for the brand in Japan, where foreign executives are still relatively rare, that it would be a challenge for anyone to fill his shoes. His successor, Hiroto Saikawa, resigned in September after financial misconduct allegations related to a dubious income surfaced against him. Nissan picked Makoto Uchida, who used to head its China business, as its new chief executive.
What happens to Nissan’s alliance with Renault SA of France, engineered by Ghosn, is a bigger question. Experts say the alliance is irreversible because so much is shared between the automakers, including model development, manufacturing sites and vehicle parts. Ghosn has said his arrest was prompted by those who opposed a fuller merger between Nissan and Renault. Renault owns 44% of Nissan, but in recent years, until Ghosn’s downfall, Nissan had grown more profitable than Renault. Nissan has been historically closely associated with Japanese pride. Uchida has affirmed the importance of the alliance and promised to restore Nissan’s credibility.

Soleimani dead, shadows do bleed
Makram Rabah/Al Arabiya/January 03/2020
Donald Trump has been branded by many as a mere Twitter tiger who roars but never turns his often absurd and impetuous statements into actions. Despite adopting a hawkish demeanor, Trump has always dragged his feet when it came to authorizing military action against the traditional enemies of the United States, particularly Iran and its many subsidiaries – Hezbollah, the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) militias or any of their fellow travelers.
This perception was shattered on the early hours of Friday January 3 when news broke out that the Iranian commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) – Quds Force Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi PMU militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes were assassinated as they made their way from Baghdad International Airport.
The US drone strike against this valuable and infamous target is not really much of surprise as Soleimani and his breed of men with their elaborate killing careers are not destined to die in their beds, but rather perish as he did gruesomely and dramatically.
However, the real surprise was the timing of the attack and Trump’s decision to authorize lethal action against one of the US’s most notorious enemies – one that former Presidents such as Bush and Obama both decided to spare so as to avoid the spillover of such a perilous but needed act. The definite consequences of Soleimani’s slaying did not deter Trump as the Pentagon blatantly announced that the operation was a preemptive strike against an enemy combatant who was planning future strikes against US targets in the region.
For the numerous opponents of Iran, Soleimani’s assassination was met with a mix of fearful joy and dread as everyone was trying to predict Iran’s reaction to losing one of its most effective and lethal assets, and one whose death is a direct blow to his immediate superior, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. While Soleimani’s killing might come as a clear act of war against Iran, the latter’s retaliation will take on an asymmetric shape which will surely avoid taking on the United States in an open and guaranteed losing battle.
Accordingly, all eyes have now turned towards Iran’s prime operator in the region: Hezbollah, who are expected to avenge their field marshal and try to repair what remains of Iran’s shattered stature.
Allegedly, the drone attack this morning also targeted three other Lebanese nationals who are reported as Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem, Muhammad al-Kawtharani, head of Hezbollah Iraqi file, and Samer Abdallah, head of external operations and the son-in-law of the infamous Imad Mughniyeh.
While the three Hezbollah senior members have not yet been confirmed dead, their presence at Soleimani’s side is much expected, and their role in Iran’s regional expansionist project is beyond pivotal and thus the expectancy of their eminent retaliation grows higher.
The question remains, will Hezbollah punch back using Lebanon and implicate the region in a war with Israel, or will it lay dormant and wait for the right moment to attack one of the many targets on their own kill list?
As it stands Hezbollah, like many of Iran’s proxies, are stretched out and under tremendous pressures locally – be it in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. While Hezbollah has proven its might in sabotage and military operations, its unheeded activities and overreaching has exposed its host body to US financial sanctions which has exasperated and augmented the already existing system of corruption in these respective states and thus pushed their economy into the abyss.
As for Iran’s other assets, particularly the PMU militias, the Iraqi popular uprising and resolute stand of the Iraqi people have proven that Iran has no real Shi’ite supporters in Iraq but mere followers, and thus any type of retaliation against American positions will not be tolerated by local US allies.
Soleimani was not only a seasoned military leader but was the quasi Iranian High Commissioner who would make unannounced visits to politicians across the region and sweet-talk, convince, and even bully them to into accepting the terms of Iran even if it came at the expense of their own people.
The sight of his riddled and mutilated body on the tarmac in Baghdad cannot be swept away by any theatrical military operation from Hezbollah or its junior partners, and shows that Iran’s self-perception of being a mighty empire and its weak economic and military reality do not gel.
Soleimani’s killing is a watershed moment in America’s war against Iran as the drone and its missiles did not only end the life of two people but it also marked the end of an appeasement policy that successive US administrations have followed by distinguishing the so-called Sunni brand of terrorism from the Shia one.Above all, the recent events in Lebanon and Iraq, and the popular uprisings that followed, exposed the weakness of Iran and its various militias who still think that the Obama doctrine and the unwillingness of Trump to go to war protects them from harm.
Soleimani’s fame was not only acquired on the battlefield, but also through clueless promotion by western media who drew him as a heroic/villainous figure and termed him as Iran’s “shadow commander.” While he might have indeed been a shadow to Khamenei, recent events have proved that shadows do bleed and eventually can be killed.

The post A Bundle Of English Reports, News and Editorials For January 04/2020 Addressing the On Going Mass Demonstrations & Sit In-ins In Iranian Occupied Lebanon in its 79th Day appeared first on Elias Bejjani News.

نشرة أخبار المنسقية العامة للمؤسسات اللبنانية الكندية باللغة العربية ليوم 04 كانون الثاني/2020

اضغط هنا لقراءة نشرة أخبار المنسقية العامة المفصلة، اللبنانية والعربية ليوم 04 كانون الثاني/2020

ارشيف نشرات أخبار موقعنا اليومية/عربية وانكليزية منذ العام 2006/اضغط هنا لدخول صفحة الأرشيف

عناوين أقسام نشرة المنسقية باللغة العربية
الزوادة الإيمانية لليوم
تعليقات الياس بجاني وخلفياتها
الأخبار اللبنانية
المتفرقات اللبنانية
الأخبار الإقليمية والدولية
المقالات والتعليقات والتحاليل السياسية الشاملة
المؤتمرات والندوات والبيانات والمقابلات والمناسبات الخاصة والردود وغيره

The post نشرة أخبار المنسقية العامة للمؤسسات اللبنانية الكندية باللغة العربية ليوم 04 كانون الثاني/2020 appeared first on Elias Bejjani News.

سنةٌ بفصلٍ واحد: التغيير
سجعان قزي/جريدةُ النهار/03 كانون الثاني 2020

2020 هي أوّلُ سنةٍ “جديدةٍ” منذ سنةِ 1992. ما خلا سنتَي 2000 (انسحابُ إسرائيل) و2005 (انسحابُ سوريا)، تشابَهت السنواتُ الثلاثون المنصرِمةُ في الانحرافِ السياسيِّ والانحطاطِ الحضاريّ واقْتبسَت الرقـمَ ذاتَه. وما لم تكن سنةُ 2020 مختلفةً، فلا داعي لأن تأخذَ رقمًا جديدًا وتَــهُلَّ علينا.

السنةُ الجديدةُ بدأت هذه المرّةَ في 17 تشرين الأوّل الماضي ولا نعلم متى ستَنتهي. ثارَ الشعبُ في أواخِر السنةِ ويُتابع ثورتَه ولا نعلم أيضًا متى وكيف ستَنتهي. قيمةُ الزمنِ في مضمونِه التغييريِّ لا في تعاقُبِه الروتيني، وقيمة المكان (الوطن) في تواصُله مع العالمِ لا في انغلاقِه.

في فرنسا سَمّوا الثلاثينَ المجيدةَ (les Trente Glorieuses) ما بين 1945 و 1975، إذ ساد الازدهارُ والاستقرارُ والنموُّ والبحبوحةُ وارتَفعت القدرةُ الشِرائيّة. وتوازَت تلك المرحلةُ الفرنسيّةُ مع ثلاثين سنةً مجيدةً في لبنان أيضًا، فكانت سنواتُ الاستقلالِ والاستقرارِ والإشعاعِ والحضارةِ والرجالاتِ الكبار.

كان لبنانُ “ذهبيَّ الشَعرِ شرقيَّ السِمات، عريسَ البحرِ وحلمَ الخَيال”. كان “كأسًا يَشتهي الكرمُ خمرَه، وحبيبًا يتمنّى الكأسُ ثغرَه”… أين من عيونِ أجيالِنا الجديدةِ “هاتيكَ المجالي” (بتصرّفٍ من قصيدةِ “الجندول” للشاعرِ المِصريِّ علي محمود طه والتي لـحَّنها وغنّاها محمد عبد الوهاب).

وفيما استَكمَلت فرنسا نَهضتها، دَخل لبنانُ في سنواتِ البؤسِ الوطنيّ حتّى وَقَع الآنَ في “الثلاثةِ المجيدة” (les Trois Glorieuses) نسبةً إلى الأيّامِ الثوّريّةِ الثلاثة: 27 و28 و29 تموز 1830 حين ثار الشعبُ الفرنسيُّ مرَةً ثانيةً بعد ثورةِ 1789، وافترَش الساحاتِ والطرقاتِ واقتَحم المؤسَّساتِ، فهربَ الملكُ شارل العاشر من باريس، وتولّى الملكُ لويس فيليب العرش. الثورةُ اللبنانيّةُ أسقطَت عرشَ الحكومةِ في “ثلاثةِ أيّامٍ مجيدةٍ” كذلك (27 و28 و29 تشرين الأول 2019).

لكنَّ الثورةَ الآنَ مُحتارةٌ كيف تُكمِلُ المسيرة. إنها تَمْضَغُ مطالبَها من دونِ أن تُحوِّلَها واقعًا، فيما السلطةُ تسعى إلى خَرقِها ونَعيها. انتصرت الثورةُ في الطرحِ الاجتماعيِّ وأَخفقت في التغيير السياسيّ. تأقْلَمت مع ذاتِها من دونِ أن تَتأقلمَ مع الأحداث. نَجحت في صَقْلِ شعبٍ وفَشِلت في إبرازِ قيادة.

التغييرُ في لبنان إشكاليّةٌ مزدوجةٌ: عدا أنَّ حدودَه هي الثوابتُ اللبنانيّةُ التاريخيّة، إذ إنَّ لبنانَ هو وسيبقى بلدَ التعدديّةِ الطائفيّةِ والحضاريّة، التغييرُ مَدعوٌّ أيضًا لأن يواكِبَ التحوّلاتِ العالميّةَ المعقّدَة. فلبنان يقومُ على الانفتاحِ والتعاونِ الدوليَّ، كما أن غالِبيّةَ مصادرِ نموّه مرتبطةٌ بالنظامِ العالميِّ من خلال اللبنانيّين العاملين في الخارج والمغتربين والنظامِ المصرِفيِّ وحركةِ التجارةِ والسياحةِ وشبكاتِ التكنولوجيا والمعلوماتيّة ومنظومةِ التسلّحِ والقراراتِ الدوليّةِ والقوّاتِ الدوليّة.

وهنا يواجه التغييرُ إشكاليّةً مزدوجة أخرى: الثوابتُ اللبنانيّةُ التاريخيّةُ اعتراها تعديلٌ حضاريٌّ وديمغرافيٌّ ودينيٌّ ولم تَستقِر على نظامٍ دستوريٍّ نهائي. والتحوّلاتُ العالميّةُ بدورِها في ضياعٍ استراتيجيٍّ وأخلاقيٍّ ولم تَستقِر بعدُ على نظام عالميٍّ ثابت.

لبنان في أزمةِ الميثاقيّةِ بأبعادِها الوطنيّةِ والدستوريّة. الميثاقيّةُ التي ابتَدَعْناها لحمايةِ صيغةِ تعايُشِنا، صارت خطرًا على نظامِنا الديمقراطي. والميثاقيّةُ التي طَعّمنا بها الدستورَ لتعزيزِ مناعتِه الوطنيّة، صارت سلاحًا ضِدَّ الدستورِ والوطنيّة.

باستثناءِ المكوّنِ السُنّيِ الـمُسْتكفي بدستورِ الطائف، سائرُ المكوّناتِ تُفكّرُ في التغييرِ ولا تجرؤُ على طرحِ البديل لأن البديلَ هو دستورُ هيمنةٍ أو دستورٌ اتّحاديّ.

وإحدى معضلاتِ الثورةِ هي أنّها تريدُ تَخطّي الميثاقيّةِ باسمِ العَلمانيّةِ من دونِ التسلُّحِ بالدستورِ القائم، ومن دونِ التَحقُّقِ من فُرصِ العَلمنة، فبات التغييرُ في لبنان حلًا مختلَفًا عليه. والاختلافُ في دولةٍ مركزيّةٍ وتعدديّةٍ وميثاقيّةٍ يُجمِّدُ مشروعَ الثورةِ كما جمّدَ مشروعَ الدولة. هكذا يَتبيّنُ أنَّ أيَّ مشروعِ تغييرٍ نوعيٍّ يَمرُّ بثابتٍ هو النظامُ كـمُجَسَّمٍ ديمقراطيٍّ، وبمتغيِّرٍ هو الوِحدةُ المركزيّةُ بما هي حاضِنةُ التعدديّة وقابلةُ التعديلِ نحو الاتحاديّةِ أو اللامركزيّةِ الموسَّعة.

والعالمُ من جهته يجتاز ثلاثَ أزماتٍ مصيريّةٍ على الأقل: الأولى أزمةُ نظامٍ وطنيٍّ/اجتماعيٍّ تَطال الدولَ الكبيرةَ قَبْلَ الصغيرة، والمتقدِّمةَ قبلَ النامية. انتقَل العالمُ من الدولةِ ــ الأمّةِ بعد الحربِ الأولى 1918، إلى الدولةِ ـــ الراعيةِ بعد الحربِ الثانيةِ 1945، فإلى الدولةِ العاجزةِ بعد العولمةِ في الثمانيناتِ الماضيةِ، وما أعقَبها من أزَماتٍ ماليّةٍ واجتماعيّة.

الثانيةُ أزمةُ نظامٍ استراتيجيٍّ/أمنيٍّ، فالعالم خَرج دوليًّا من الحربِ الباردةِ لكنّه أَحْياها إقليميًّا في أكثر من منطقة، وتعاطى مع الأحداثِ باعتباطيّةٍ من دونِ معاييرَ موحَّدَةٍ وقواعدَ ثابتة. تَقلّصَت الأحَديّةُ الأميركيّةُ الشاردةُ لحسابِ ثنائيّةٍ أميركيّةٍ/روسيّةٍ غيرِ متوازِنة، وأخرى أميركيّةٍ/صينيّةٍ غيرِ مستقِرّة. رافَقت فوضويّةَ هذه الأنظمةِ العالميّةِ قيدَ الإعداد تحالفاتٌ هجينةٌ وعداواتٌ عشوائيّة: تَحالَف العدوُّ مع عدوِّه وتنازعَ الحليفُ مع حليفِه (أميركا وأوروبا، إيران وتركيا، تركيا وروسيا، كوريا الشمالية وأميركا، دول الخليج وقطر، إلخ…).

في ظلِّ الفوضى العالميّةِ وَقعت حروبٌ عبثيّةٌ ومأسويّة، وثارَت شعوبٌ، سلميًّا في الدولِ المتقدِّمةِ وعنفيًّا في الدولِ المتخلِّفةِ، علّها تغيّرُ نظامًا أو حدودًا أو تُقرِّرُ مصيرَها الذاتيّ.

والثالثةُ هي أزمةُ الديمقراطيّة/النيوليبراليّة. انتقل العالمُ من نظامِ الأحزابِ العقائديّةِ إلى نظامِ الأحزابِ السياسيّةِ ومن نظامِ الأحزابِ الاجتماعيّةِ إلى نظامٍ مُقـنَّـعٍ هو سلطةُ المؤسساتِ المالية. وفيما تَحرّرَ المواطنُ من الالتزامِ الحزبيِّ المرصوصِ، وَقع تحت سيطرةِ القرارِ الماليِّ الذي يُحرّك مراكزَ القرارِ السياسيّ، فصارت الديمقراطيّةُ رهينةَ النيوليبراليّة عِوض أن تكونَ صوتَ الشعب.

النيوليبراليّةُ جعلت النظامَ الدوليِّ نظامَ الــ 5% من العالم. حصل ذلك والدولُ تنتقلُ من قيادةِ الشخصِ الواحدِ إلى قيادةِ الزعامات الكبيرةِ فقيادةِ الشخصيّاتِ السياسية وصولًا إلى قيادةِ التكنوقراط. وإذ نَجح التكنوقراط في تنظيمِ الإداراتِ فَهُم فَشِلوا في قيادةِ الشعوبِ وفي السياساتِ الخارجيّةِ والأمنيّةِ والدفاعيّة.

اختلفوا مع العظمةِ وتَحالفوا مع الأرقامِ فتَحجَّمت الشعوبُ والدول. العالمُ يحتاجُ إلى زعاماتٍ كبيرة، ولو على حسابِ قليلٍ من الديمقراطيّة ليستعيدَ توازنَه وحلمَه ومجدَه.

ليس لبنانُ وحدَه مَن يَمرُّ في نظامِ وجودٍ قيدَ الإعداد، بل العالمُ أيضًا.

هذا يعني أنَّ “الفوضى البنّاءة” ليست فوضى فقط، بل فرصةٌ أمامَ الشعوبِ لتَصنعَ مصيرَها وتُقدّمَه للعالمِ كجزءٍ من نظامِه الجديد.

هل يعي لبنانُ، الدولةُ والثورةُ، هذا الواقعَ التاريخيَّ فيَصنعُ نفسَه ويُساهمُ في صناعةِ النظامِ العالميِّ الجديد؟ هذا هو التغييرُ الحقيقيّ، وهذا دورُ لبنان.

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النَبِيَّةٌ حَنَّةُ بِنْتُ فَنُوئِيل تبارك الطفل يسوع في الهيكل وتشكر الرب
إنجيل القدّيس لوقا02/من36حتى40: كَانَتْ هُنَاكَ (في أُرشليم) نَبِيَّةٌ طَاعِنَةٌ جِدًّا في أَيَّامِهَا، هِيَ حَنَّةُ بِنْتُ فَنُوئِيل، مِنْ سِبْطِ أَشِير، عَاشَتْ مَعَ زَوْجِهَا سَبْعَ سَنَوَاتٍ مُنْذُ بَكَارَتِهَا، ثُمَّ بَقِيَتْ أَرْمَلةً حتَّى الرَّابِعَةِ والثَّمَانِينَ مِنْ عُمْرِهَا، لا تُفَارِقُ الهَيْكَلَ مُتَعَبِّدَةً بِالصَّوْمِ والصَّلاةِ لَيْلَ نَهَار.فَحَضَرَتْ في تِلْكَ السَّاعَة، وأَخَذَتْ تُسَبِّحُ الرَّبّ، وتُحَدِّثُ عنِ الطِّفْلِ جَمِيعَ المُنْتَظِرينَ فِدَاءَ أُورَشَلِيم. ولَمَّا أَتَمَّ يُوسُفُ ومَريَمُ كُلَّ ما تَقتَضِيهِ شَرِيعَةُ الرَّبّ، عَادَا بِيَسُوعَ إِلى الجَلِيل، إِلى النَّاصِرَةِ مَدِينَتِهِم.وكانَ الطِّفْلُ يَكْبُرُ ويَتَقَوَّى ويَمْتَلِئُ حِكْمَة. وكَانَتْ نِعْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْه.

موعظة القدّيس إقليمنضُس الإسكندريّ (150- نحو 215)، لاهوتيّ
“بروترِبتيكوس” أو الإرشاد لليونانيّين 1: 6-8
التسبيحة الجديدة: «فحَضَرَت حَنّة في تِلكَ السَّاعَة، وأَخَذَت تَحمَدُ الله»
بما أنّ الكلمة، كلمة الله، كان من العُلى، فقد كان وسيبقى البداية الإلهيّة لكلّ شيء. لكن بعد أن تلقّى اسم “من تمّ اختياره” أي المسيح، أَطلقتُ عليه اسم “التسبيحة الجديدة” (راجع مز34[33]، مز145[144]، مز 150[149] إلخ…). لقد أوجَدَنا الكلمة منذ فترة طويلة، لأنّه كان في الله؛ وبواسطته، أصبح وجودنا صالحًا. لقد ظهر الكلمة للتو للبشر، هو الله والإنسان؛ إنّه أصل الخيرات كلّها بالنسبة إلينا. بعد أن تعلّمنا منه كيف نعيش حياة صالحة، تمّ إدخالنا بواسطته إلى الحياة الأبديّة. وفقًا لرسول الرّب “فقَد ظَهَرَت نِعمَةُ الله، يَنبوعُ الخَلاصِ لِجَميعِ الناس، وهي تُعَلِّمُنا أن نَنبِذَ الكُفرَ وشَهَواتِ الدنيا لِنَعيشَ في هذا الدَّهرِ بِرَزانةٍ وعَدلٍ وتَقوى، مُنتَظِرينَ السعادَةَ المَرجُوَّة وتَجَلّيَ مَجدِ إلهِنا العَظيم ومُخَلِّصِنا يسوعَ المسيحِ (تي 2: 11-13). هذه هي التسبيحة الجديدة: ظهور الكلمة الذي كان منذ البدء والّذي أشرق للتوّ بيننا… لأنّ ذاك الذي كان المخلّص منذ البدء قد ظهر للتوّ؛ ذاك الذي هو الله ظهر كمعلّم؛ ظهر الكلمة الذي به كان كلّ شيء (يو 1: 10). كخالق، كان يعطي الحياة في البدء؛ والآن، بعد أن ظهر كمعلّم، أخذ يعلّمنا كيف نعيش حياة صالحة، بحيث سوف يمنحنا ذات يوم الحياة الأبديّة بصفته الله. اليوم ليس المرّة الأولى التي يشفق فيها علينا بسبب ضياعنا؛ فقد كان يفعل ذلك منذ البداية.

Prophet, Anna, Blesses The Child Jesus In The Temple
Luke 02/36-40/There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.

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لبنان … الأسير الأعظم
ادمون الشدياق/04 كانون الثاني/2020

لبنان هو الأسير الأعظم.
نعم لبنان هو الأسير الأعظم لأنه وأن كان لكل من أبنائه جوزاً واحد من الأغلال فللبنان أغلال كثيرة لا تعد أقساها واخطرها ثلاثة:
1-أول أغلال لبنان الأسير هو فئة كبيرة من أبنائه. فبالرغم من أن الكثير من اللبنانيين قدموا دمائهم وحريتهم على محراب وطنهم، فأن هناك فئة كبيرة أخرى تتعامل مع وطنها من منطلقات ومسلمات مختلفة تماماً.
هذه الفئة (وهي بالمناسبة ليست تابعة لطائفة أو مجموعة معينة) تقسم إلى قسمين:
القسم الأول متعربن، متفرس، متسورن عينه دائماً على الخارج. لا يؤمن أصلاً بوجود لبنان كدولة مستقلة قائمة بحد ذاتها، غير منعوتة إلا بذاتها، ذات تراث مميز، فاعل وأصيل.
ولذلك فهو في حركة دائمة لضم لبنان إلى حضارة ما أو دولة ما أو أمة ما. فتطالعك أسماء وأسماء (حضارة عربية، أمة عربية، سوريـة كبرى، سوريـة صغرى، هـلال خصيب، جمهوريـة عربيـة متحدة، جمهوريـة إسلامية، ولاية فقيه، دولة الملالي … الخ )
القسم الثاني بلا اخلاق وصولي انبطاحي يتعامل مع لبنان وكأنه سهم من أسهم البورصة فإذا كان سعره مرتفع وبداء بالهبوط يبيعونه وأن كان سعره منخفض وبداء بالارتفاع يشترونه.
فالولاء الوطني تتحكم به حركة السوق.
والسوق عرض وطلب.
والشاطر بشطارته.
ومين اخد امي بيصير عمي.
ومتسلط دمشق شهبندر التجار، وباش بزق الضاحية قائد الإنكشارية، وصراف قريطم حارس بيت المال، ونرفوز بعبدا باش كاتب الديوان.
2- ثاني أغلال لبنان الأسير هو محيطه. فبينما نجد بأن الله حبا لبنان بطبيعة خلابة وينابيع فوارة وتاريخ مديد وإنجازات حضارية فريدة، لكن ابتلاه بمحيط جاف، قاسي تعبق منه روائح نتانة التطرف والتخلف والقبلية والجاهلية.
محيط لا يعترف إلا بحضارة البلنكو والأسيد وأعقاب السجائر وصعقات الكهرباء.
محيط لا يحكم فيه إلا الجلاد، ولا حرية فيه حتى للموالاة، ولا نظام فيه إلا نظام التقية.
محيط أصبح مقبرة للتاريخ وللحضارة وليس من علامة للحياة فيه سوى زهرة بخور مريم واحدة اسمها لبنان تختنق من نتانة الجيف.
3- ثالث أغلال لبنان الأسير هو النظام العالمي النتن.
هذا النظام المتحكم برقاب الشعوب ومصائرها. يأطرها ويكودرها طبقاً لحسابات ربحه وخسارته.
نظام نرسيسي يؤله صورته ومثاله، كلما ماثلة هذه الصورة كلما رضي عنك وأعتبرك خليقاً بالحياة.
وعنده أقوى جيوش الأرض في حال أن تقارير جمعياته لم تقنعك بما فيه الكفاية.ينادي بحقوق الشعوب والإنسان وحتى الحيوان ويرفع راية الحرية،.
وبذات الوقت يتآمر مع إسرائيل، يساوم مع سورية.
يماليء مع ابومازن ويناور مع ايران والملالي والثمن أمنك وأرضك ومن ثم تتنادى جمعيات حقوق إنسانه لتحصي على الذين يحتلون ارضك والمعتدين عليك خروقاتهم.
ممثلي الشرق يتناهشون ويتكالبون ويقترعون على رداء وطنك، وممثلي الغرب يتأمرون ويدونون ويبوبون ولبنان يقبع في زنزانته بجسم منهوش وأغلال كثيرة تحز على معصميه حتى العظم ينتظر الفرج ويتطلع إلى البعيد إلى أقدام جليلي ناصري مصلوب ينتظر القيامة.

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