A 3rd intifida could break out if progress isn’t made soon

With low expectations surrounding US Mideast envoy George Mitchell’s visit with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas on Friday, some warn a new intifada could break out if progress isn’t made soon.
“The Israelis are afraid of the popular protest model spreading,” said Jonathan Pollak, an Israeli peace activist who said the army has carried out 15 round-ups of anti-barrier protesters in the village of Niilin in a month. “They are terrified of this model gaining momentum, and are setting out to quash it.”
Mitchell met Abbas on Friday to try to break the diplomatic impasse . CSM

Hezbollah slams French FM statement

In a Friday statement Hezbollah slammed French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner’s statements regarding Israel following his yesterday’s meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri.
Kouchner has reportedly stated that Lebanon’s problem is with Hezbollah and not Israel, because the militant group could launch an attack against Israel to appease Iran.
“If there was a threat to Lebanon, it will only come from a military adventure carried out by Hezbollah in the best interest of Iran,” Kouchner warned.
Hezbollah accused Kouchner of being an accomplice to Israel and supporting the country in its aggression against Lebanon. The statement called on French authorities to be more responsible since they pretend to care about Lebanon’s sovereignty.

MTV: The draft on lowering voting age in lebanon may not pass

MTV has reported that the draft law on lowering voting age from 21 to 18 will not be passed by parliament Monday because most parties want to postpone the issue for the time being.
Change and Reform leader MP Michel Aoun questioned the timing of the parliamentary session to reduce the voting age noting that “there is a proposal to restore the citizenship which was approved by the concerned committees last April and yet the parliament did nothing about it . He wondered: “Why the rush to approve one and to defer the other “?

Abu Jamra critizes Aoun, calls for new FFM leadership

In an interview with Central News Agency CNA , Former Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister Issam Abu Jamra criticized the leadership of the Free patriotic movement party which is led by MP Michel Aoun.
Abu Jamra also criticized Aoun’s announcement on the formation of the FFM committees and said these committees are marginal at best .
Abu Jamra called for party reforms including the election of new leadership for FFM by the membership of the party

National Liberal party rejects Abou Moussa’s statements

Lebanon’s National Liberal party which is headed by MP Dori Chamoun issued a statement in which it rejected what it called ” Abou Moussa’s provocative statements “.
Abou Moussa, the leader of Fatah Al Intifada Palestinian militant group an ally of Syria has outraged the country last week when he announced that he refuses to disarm his Palestinian militants outside the refugee camps in Lebanon.

Fatah al Islam militants who fought the Lebanese army in 2007 are an offshoot of Fatah Al Intifada.
With reference to the Municipal elections, the party stated that it is willing to accept the postponement of municipal elections on condition that such delay will not lead to more delays in other areas .

Yemen rebels say their chief is unhurt

Yemeni rebels, operating in the north of the country, have posted a video of their leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, showing him in apparent good health.
Officials in Yemen had claimed Mr Houthi had been seriously injured in December and had appointed a successor.
Fighting between the rebels from the minority Shia Zaidi sect and the Yemeni government has occurred sporadically since 2004.
The rebels are also in conflict with neighboring Saudi Arabia. BBC

Bomb threat forces Turkey bound plane to land in north Greece

A passenger plane traveling from Germany to Turkey made a safe emergency landing in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki Friday after a bomb threat, Greek officials said.
“Someone called the pilot on his mobile phone and threatened him,” said a Greek civil aviation official who declined to be named. “The plane has landed safely.”
The SunExpress plane carried 69 passengers, the official said. Washington Post

Lebanon foils Fatah al Islam plan to assassinate a judge

The Lebanese judicial authorities have reportedly  foiled  a plot by Fatah al-Islam to assassinate a Lebanese judge , who is in charge of  probing  into the Fatah al-Islam cells.
Fatah al-Islam attackers    reportedly planned to  embark on their mission from the Ain el-Helweh Palestinian  refugee camp near the southern port city of Sidon.
According to al-Mustaqbal newspaper  Lebanese authorities plan to enforce stricter measures around the camp in order to    monitor all suspected militant activities .

Fatah al-Islam , an offshoot of Fatah al Intifada  fought the Lebanese army for 106 days in 2007 at the Nahr al Bared camp in north Lebanon

The US bill is not directed at freedom of expression in Lebanon

The U.S. Embassy said Friday that the bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives calling for punitive measures against Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV was not a measure taken against freedom of expression in Lebanon.

“This is a bill (meaning a draft-law) that was only passed by the House of Representatives. In order for it to become law, it has to be passed by the Senate and signed by the President,” The Embassy’s Public Affairs Officer, Ryan Gliha, told representatives of local news portals, including Naharnet.“This is not a question of freedom of speech,” he said during the meeting with the journalists at the U.S. Embassy compound in Awkar. “It is about al-Manar which is owned by Hezbollah.”

The U.S. government believes there is no difference between a terrorist organization and a media outlet run by it, Gliha said. The US considers Hezbollah a terrorist organization

Suleiman wants municipal elections on time

During an interview  with Al-Mustaqbal newspaper , Lebanese President Michel Suleiman said  ” dividing Beirut into three districts is not up for discussion”,  and denied that the issue was raised during the last cabinet meeting .

Suleiman also called for holding the municipal elections on time in order to preserve Lebanon’s democracy.

In reference to  the reports of a possible Israeli attack on Lebanon,  he said  ” it is unlikely, despite the ongoing presence of danger.”

The Lebanese people’s solidarity, our reliance on the Lebanese army and our support for the Resistance are the best means of safeguarding Lebanon against such an assault, Suleiman said.