DAILY SCOPE: Christian Détente in Lebanon, Arsal Terrorists Leverage Card?

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NEWSPAPERS HEADLINES

AS-SAFIR

MAJOR "Israeli" Maneuver: The Resistance Occupies the North!
Paris Conference Exploits Daesh Advance: Pressure on Iraq, Distancing it from Syrian Front

AL-AKHBAR

Manifesto Aoun-Geagea

AL-BINAA

Saudi Arabia Surrenders of Yemeni ‘Ramadan' Truce, Iran Assures Unconditional Support to al-Assad

AD-DIYAR

Geagea Pays Sudden Visit to Aoun,, Statements Differ

AL-LIWAA

Obama: "Israel" Risks Losing its Credibility on Two-State Solution

At the time Lebanese newspapers still shed light on the regional crises sweeping across Arab countries, it focused on the Christian-Christian détente in Lebanon, which could be a card that saves the country from more troubles in light of the difficult situation. Meanwhile, papers shed light on the use of extremists as a leverage card in Arsal, in an attempt to exploit the matter and turn it into a sectarian issue.

Future Says Terrorists Part of Arsal?! ---AL-BINAA

March 8 sources told al-Binaa newspaper on Wednesday that the Future party started levying on the case of Arsal, noting that the party wants to benefit from the presence of the terrorist armed groups in the region as a pretext to claim that the resistance is aiming at sowing sectarian strife.

The sources expressed their surprise to how the Future party promoted the terrorist groups as an integral part of the Arsal people, trying to raise the ‘red sectarian card' and turn the matter into sectarian in face of the resistance.
Furthermore, the source stressed that "Hizbullah will not allow such exploitation and will stand in face of attempts to sow strife before it is even born."

Christian Détente in Lebanon? --- AL-AKHBAR

Al-Akhbar newspaper on Wednesday said that the meeting between head of the Free Patriotic movement Michel Aoun and the Lebanese Forces Samir Geagea, which lasted for three hours and had ‘very positive atmosphere', resulted in a declaration of intent that constitutes a future project and a political vision for Lebanon.

A source close to the Free patriotic movement Head Michel Aoun told the newspaper that the timing of the meeting matters a lot. "The meeting could have been a bit late if it were not for a number of reasons which made it inevitable for the two sides to meet. The meeting took place in light of the ongoing attacks of the March 14 camp with all its members against Aoun, the insistence of the Christian Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai to the fact that electing a president means returning to the constitution and last but not least the inititive of head of the Reform and Change bloc for dialogue."

Aoun and Geagea signed a landmark declaration of intent on Tuesday, in a move aimed at ending around 30 years of animosity between the two Christian parties.

Losing Credibility?! --- AL-LIWAA

US President Barack Obama said in an interview broadcast Tuesday that "Israel" risks losing "credibility" over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's stance on the creation of a Palestinian state, al-Liwaa newspaper quoted sources.
Obama made the comments to an "Israeli" television station in response to a question about Netanyahu's comments regarding the establishment of a Palestinian state before and after the March elections.

"... The danger here is that "Israel" as a whole loses credibility," Obama said in the interview with "Israel's" channel 2.
"Already, the international community does not believe that "Israel" is serious about a two-state solution."

Netanyahu had sparked international concern when he ruled out the establishment of a Palestinian state while campaigning for the March 17 general election but later backtracked on the comments.

Obama said Netanyahu's statements on the subject after the election have had "so many caveats, so many conditions, that it is not realistic to think that those conditions would be met any time in the near future."

Asked about a continued US veto at the United Nations on resolutions condemning Israel, Obama said that a lack of progress in peace efforts would make such a policy more "difficult."

"...If, in fact, there's no prospect of an actual peace process, if nobody believes there's a peace process, then it becomes more difficult to argue with those who are concerned about settlement construction, those who are concerned about the current situation..."

Medical Care Shortage in Yemen --- THE GUARDIAN

Two months of war have devastated Yemen's health sector, aggravating a humanitarian crisis by depriving millions of urgent medical care and threatening outbreaks of diseases like polio and measles, according to doctors and aid organisations.

Medicines, vaccines and basic medical supplies are running desperately low, while hospitals are scaling back services or closing, they say. Increasingly, they note, medical facilities are being attacked by al-Qaeda militias and bombed by a Saudi Arabian-led coalition, which launched an air war against the revolutionary people including the Houthis and popular gatherings, in late March. "Yemen's health system is nearing collapse," said Marie-Elisabeth Ingres, who heads Yemen operations for Médecins sans Frontières.

The nation of more than 25 million people already struggled with grinding poverty and lack of access to basic healthcare before the start of the air campaign.
Though aid workers are unable to obtain precise data because of the fighting, Ingres noted that the crisis has produced an unspecified, but probably increasing, number of preventable deaths. This includes a four-year-old boy in a northern province who was unable to receive medical treatment for tonsillitis, Ingres said. "We are quite sure people are left to die in their homes because they aren't able to receive treatment," she said.

Source: al-Ahed news