LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
January 09/16

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

Bible Quotations For Today

‘If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who testifies on my behalf, and I know that his testimony to me is true
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 05/31-38: "‘If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who testifies on my behalf, and I know that his testimony to me is true. You sent messengers to John, and he testified to the truth. Not that I accept such human testimony, but I say these things so that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. But I have a testimony greater than John’s. The works that the Father has given me to complete, the very works that I am doing, testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself testified on my behalf. You have never heard his voice or seen his form, and you do not have his word abiding in you, because you do not believe him whom he has sent."

For through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing that counts is faith working through love.
Letter to the Galatians 05/02-15: "Listen! I, Paul, am telling you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you. Once again I testify to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obliged to obey the entire law. You who want to be justified by the law have cut yourselves off from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing that counts is faith working through love. You were running well; who prevented you from obeying the truth? Such persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. A little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough. I am confident about you in the Lord that you will not think otherwise. But whoever it is that is confusing you will pay the penalty.
But my friends, why am I still being persecuted if I am still preaching circumcision? In that case the offence of the cross has been removed. I wish those who unsettle you would castrate themselves!For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on january08-09.16.htm
On the death of a great man in Lebanon/Nayla Tueni/Al Arabiya/January 08/18
Saudi Arabia and the Iranian Schizophrenia/Amir Taheri/Asharq Al Awsat/January 08/16
Airports: Allocations and Dilemmas/Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al Awsat/January 08/16
Nimr al-Nimr, political violence, and Saudi Shiites’ future/Mansour Alnogaidan/Al Arabiya/January 08/18
Why Obama keeps indulging Iran/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al Arabiya/January 08/18
2016 a bad year for Muslims in Western countries/Mohamed Chebarro/Al Arabiya/January 08/18
Was Syria intervention worth it for Russia/Paul J. Saunders/Al-Monitor/January 08/16
What are the real goals of Riyadh’s new Islamic coalition/Ali Mamouri/Al-Monitor/January 08/16
What did Saudi Embassy attackers want/Arash Karami/Al-Monitor/January 08/16

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin for Lebanese Related News published on january08-09.16.htm
Salam Calls for Cabinet Session on Thursday
Human Rights Watch Says Lebanon 'Forcibly Returned' Over 100 Syrians from Beirut Airport
Report: First Round of Kataeb-Hizbullah Talks Next Week
Mashnouq: Franjieh Still Hariri's Candidate, Security Situation Very Good
Report: Berri, Mashnouq Exerting Efforts to Ensure Success of Mustaqbal-Hizbullah Dialogue
Bassil Reiterates Rejection of 'Naturalization' as Austria FM Vows Help on Refugees
IS Militants Murder ISF Intelligence Agent in Arsal
LF, FPM Sources Downplay Reports of Imminent Geagea-Aoun Presidential Deal
400 Syrians Stranded at Beirut Airport, Fail to Depart to Turkey
Syrians return to Damascus after Turkey introduces new air-travel visas
March 14 Denounces Madaya Siege, Says Hizbullah Involvement 'Shameful'
On the death of a great man in Lebanon

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on january08-09.16.htm
Kerry: Enacting Iran nuclear deal ‘days away’
Syria Jihadist Kills Mother after she Asked him to Leave IS
MSF: 23 Die of Starvation in Syria's Madaya
U.N. Envoy Arrives in Syria ahead of Peace Talks
Egypt minister suggests anniversary protests would violate Islamic law
IS Says It Attacked Israeli Tourist Bus in Cairo
Israel police says Tel Aviv gunman killed in police shootout
No war with Iran, says Saudi deputy crown prince
Anti-Saudi Protests in Iran as Row Worsens
Reports: Saudi to Try Iranian Accused of Spying
Turkey Summons Iran Envoy over Press Criticism of Erdogan
Iran Playing a Sectarian Note on the Strings of Social Communities
US Bill to Prevent Easing of Sanctions on Iran
US, Allies Launch 23 air strikes in Iraq, Three in Syria against IS
Syria Rebels Warns U.N. “Pressure” Will Prolong Syria War
French militants who visited Syria given 6, 10 years’ jail
Turkish Troops Kill 18 Jihadists after Attack on Iraq Camp
Dizengoff killer is dead. ISIS cell revealed

Links From Jihad Watch Site for january08-09.16.htm
Islamic State trapped Christians in coffins and set them aflame
Islamic State jihadi executes his mother
Islamic State plotters arrested in Sacramento, Houston, Milwaukee
Philly cop shooter: “I follow Allah. I pledge my allegiance to the Islamic State. That is why I did what I did.”
Philadelphia Mayor: Shooting of cop in name of Islam had “nothing to do with being a Muslim or following the Islamic faith”
New Year’s Eve Muslim sex assaults: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Finland
Finland: “Unprecedented” sexual harassment by Muslim migrants on New Year’s Eve
Robert Spencer in FrontPage: Cologne Mayor to Victims of Migrant Sex Assaults: You Asked For It
Philadelphia: Muslim who shot cop says he did it in the name of Islam
Cologne: Muslim arrested with German and Arabic translations: “I want to have sex with you,” “I’ll kill you” — is released
Robert Spencer in FrontPage: Reza Aslan Wants to See a Muslim “All in the Family”
Italy: Gun-wielding Muslims shoot pistol in air, ask teens if they believe in Allah
Berlin: Muslims hold memorial ceremony for jihad murderer Samir Kuntar
Robert Spencer in PJ Media: Good News: Muslim Yelling ‘Allahu Akbar’ While Driving Into Troops Not Charged with Terrorism

Salam Calls for Cabinet Session on Thursday
Naharnet/08 January/16/Prime Minister Tammam Salam called on Friday for cabinet to convene next week. The session will be held on Thursday with 140 articles on its agenda. Ministerial sources had told An Nahar daily earlier on Friday that Salam is seeking to hold a “productive” meeting that will tackle draft-laws and decrees that “are a priority” for the people. Media reports have said that he is seeking tackle “non-contentious” issues. Other ministerial sources meanwhile told al-Joumhouria newspaper that Salam has been advised against holding a government meeting “in order to reach an agreement over its decision-making mechanism.”The Free Patriotic Movement has refused on numerous occasions to participate in cabinet sessions before an agreement is reached on its decision-making mechanism in wake of the presidential vacuum. This has consequently led to the crippling of the government's work. Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of a successor. Ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps over a compromise candidate have thwarted the polls.

Human Rights Watch Says Lebanon 'Forcibly Returned' Over 100 Syrians from Beirut Airport
Naharnet/08 January/16/Lebanese authorities “forcibly returned” more than 100 Syrians to Syria on two separate flights from Beirut airport on Friday afternoon and approximately 100-150 Syrians are waiting to be “forcibly returned” on a 9:30 pm flight later tonight, Human Rights Watch said in a statement. “General Security should immediately halt the planned forcible return of Syrians from the Beirut airport to Syria later this evening,” said Haley Bobseine, Lebanon Researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Authorities should ensure that competent authorities individually examine the claims of any Syrian who fears return to Syria and not return anyone at risk,” Bobseine added. According to the human rights watchdog, hundreds of Syrians had arrived at the Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut on Thursday in transit to Turkey but were unable to complete their onward journey to Turkey due to the new visa regulations for Syrians entering Turkey. “The individuals are currently in the custody of Lebanese General Security at the Beirut airport in anticipation of their forcible return to Syria at 9:30pm this evening,” the HRW statement said. “The forcible return of anyone in danger of torture or inhuman or degrading treatment contravenes Lebanon’s obligations under the international Convention Against Torture,” it added. Under article 3 of the Convention against Torture, which Lebanon ratified in 2000, Lebanon cannot send anyone – including a convicted criminal – to a country where the person would face a real risk of torture, the statement said. “Forcibly returning someone at risk of inhuman treatment shows a total disregard for their rights and safety and is a violation of international law,” said Bobseine. Human Rights Watch reminded that it had previously documented “the forcible return (from Lebanon) of four Syrian nationals to Syria on August 1, 2012 and about three dozen Palestinians to Syria on May 4, 2014.” HRW also documented the forcible return of “a Syrian national to Syria in 2014 and the suspected return of two Syrian nationals that same year.”“The government should immediately halt this planned forcible return and make a public commitment to end all forcible returns,” Bobseine said. Earlier in the day, state-run National News Agency said 400 Syrian nationals were unable to travel to Turkey via Beirut's airport after two Turkish planes failed to arrive at the Rafik Hariri International Airport to transport the passengers to the destination. “Four hundred Syrians who arrived from Syria were supposed to depart to Turkey Thursday evening, but two Turkish planes that were supposed to fly them did not arrive at the RHIA,” NNA said. In December, Turkey's Foreign Ministry announced visa requirements for Syrians preventing them from entering Turkey without obtaining one. The move is designed to lower the influx of Syrians arriving in Turkey, and it comes after European officials criticized Ankara for not doing enough to limit the flow of migrants from the Middle East and North Africa trying to reach Europe. The chief of the Beirut airport security, General George Doumit, made contacts with the administrator of the Syrian Arab Airlines Samir Harb to take the necessary measures to return the 400 Syrians back to Syria, NNA said. NNA added that a Syrian plane had arrived at the airport at 1:30 pm and another two were expected at 5:00 and 9:00 pm.

Report: First Round of Kataeb-Hizbullah Talks Next Week
Naharnet/08 January/16/Next week will witness the first round of dialogue between the Kataeb Party and Hizbullah, revealed al-Joumhouria newspaper on Friday. Parliamentary sources said that Kataeb MP Elie Marouni and Loyalty to Resistance bloc MP Ali Fayyad had held talks on Thursday on the margins of the presidential elections session at parliament. Media reports on Wednesday spoke of efforts to hold such a meeting. The two parties have been holding occasional rounds of dialogue over the past few months. They were first revealed in the wake of MP Sami Gemayel's election as Kataeb president in June 2015. “There is dialogue between the Kataeb Party and Hizbullah and the sessions are being held every now and then,” Fayyad said at the time.

Mashnouq: Franjieh Still Hariri's Candidate, Security Situation Very Good
Naharnet/08 January/16/Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq noted Friday that al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri has not given up his nomination of Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the country's presidency, as he reassured that the security situation in Lebanon is very good.
“Communication over the presidential issue is still ongoing,” Mashnouq said after a visit to Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Beirut Elias Audi. “He is still holding onto the nomination of MP Suleiman Franjieh but this nomination is aimed at reaching an understanding with others, not confronting them,” he added. Asked whether Hariri's initiative has run into a dead end, Mashnouq said such a hypothesis is “premature and inaccurate,” while admitting that “the regional developments have delayed the elections.”“Let us wait and see. I'm not pessimistic over this issue and I believe that the storm we're facing will soon calm down, allowing the debate to return to normal,” the minister added. In remarks to al-Akhbar newspaper published Friday, Mashnouq had stressed that the security agencies have the security situation in Lebanon “under control.” He told the daily: “The security situation is very good.”“The agencies are performing their duties to the utmost,” he stressed in wake of the regional tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran. “It is natural for the regional circumstances to affect the security situation,” remarked Mashnouq. Tensions between the two countries spilled over on Saturday when the kingdom executed prominent Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr on “terrorism” charges. The dispute prompted both sides to sever diplomatic ties, while several Arab countries have followed suit by cutting ties with Iran.

Report: Berri, Mashnouq Exerting Efforts to Ensure Success of Mustaqbal-Hizbullah Dialogue
Naharnet/08 January/16/Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq held talks on Thursday with Speaker Nabih Berri on the latest developments and the upcoming dialogue between the Mustaqbal Movement and Hizbullah, reported the daily An Nahar on Friday. Prominent Mustaqbal sources told the daily that the two officials “sought to preserve the contacts over the dialogue and keep them away from the regional tensions” in wake of the dispute between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Contacts are also ongoing between Mustaqbal leader MP Saad Hariri and movement leaderships. These contacts are expected to intensify ahead of the weekend in order to reach an agreement by the Mustaqbal Movement over the agenda of the Hizbulllah dialogue, added An Nahar. The talks are scheduled for Monday under the sponsorship of Berri.

Bassil Reiterates Rejection of 'Naturalization' as Austria FM Vows Help on Refugees
Naharnet/08 January/16/Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil reiterated Friday Lebanon's rejection of any naturalization of Syrian refugees on its soil, following talks with visiting Austrian FM Sebastian Kurz. “Naturalization is prohibited in our Constitution,” said Bassil during a joint press conference with Kurz after their meeting at the Bustros Palace. “We insist on a safe return for the Syrian refugees to their country in order to resolve this crisis,” Bassil added. Turning to the tense situation in the region, the minister said: “We are concerned over the spread of sectarianism in the region, seeing as we are an example of coexistence and tolerance.” “We stress the need to preserve the unique Lebanese example of diversity,” he added. Kurz for his part pledged to exert major efforts to help Lebanon cope with the Syrian refugee crisis, noting that his country has earmarked five million euros for humanitarian relief in the region. On December 17, Prime Minister Tammam Salam stressed that the Syrian refugees will not be “naturalized” in Lebanon, as he launched the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan for 2016. “I say to whomever it might concern: the naturalization of the refugees is out of the question. It is not in our calculations or in the calculations of our Syrian brothers,” Salam said. A country of four million people, Lebanon is hosting more than 1.1 million Syrian refugees who have fled the nearly five-year war across the border.

IS Militants Murder ISF Intelligence Agent in Arsal
Naharnet/08 January/16/A member of the Internal Security Forces Intelligence Branch was assassinated Friday in the restive northeastern border town of Arsal, state-run National News Agency reported. “Syrian militants belonging a terrorist group shot dead ISF First Adjutant Zaher Ezzeddine outside his house in the Arsal area of al-Babain,” NNA said. Ezzeddine was in his car when the gunmen opened fire, the agency noted. LBCI television said the security agent was shot dead in front of his family. MTV meanwhile said the militants likely belong to the extremist Islamic State group. Lebanese security officials told The Associated Press that the attack was carried out by masked gunmen and that Ezzeddine's wife was wounded and rushed to hospital. The couple's daughter was unharmed. The sources said the motive for the shooting was not immediately clear. Militants from the IS and the Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front are entrenched in mountainous regions along the porous Lebanese-Syrian border. The Lebanese army regularly shells their positions and Hizbullah fighters have engaged in clashes with them on the Syrian side of the border.

LF, FPM Sources Downplay Reports of Imminent Geagea-Aoun Presidential Deal
Naharnet/08 January/16/Sources from both the Free Patriotic Movement and the Lebanese Forces on Friday played down reports of an imminent visit by FPM leader MP Michel Aoun to Maarab with the aim of striking a presidential deal with LF chief Samir Geagea. “There are no negotiations with the FPM as being reported, but rather ongoing talks ever since the Declaration of Intent was signed, and reports in this regard are exaggerated,” an LF source told MTV.An FPM source meanwhile told the TV network that “dialogue with the LF is still ongoing and reports limiting it to certain dates are inaccurate.” Quoting sources from both parties, MTV said “a visit by Aoun to Maarab is possible any moment but it is neither scheduled not imminent.” “This visit will not happen in the next few days but it might occur later, in light of the political developments in general and the presidential developments in particular,” the sources said, according to MTV. An Nahar daily had reported Thursday that successive contacts are taking place between senior LF and FPM officials to arrange for a meeting between the parties' heads. The meeting between Geagea and Aoun is set to take place in Maarab, added the daily. It said that Geagea is likely to support the nomination of Aoun if a session is scheduled to elect Marada leader MP Suleiman Franjieh as president. Geagea would prefer Aoun over Franjieh for the post of president, said the daily, because the two men "have something in common and had earlier signed a Declaration of Intent in a bid to ease tensions on the Christian and national scenes." Both Geagea and Aoun are candidates for the presidency. Their rivalry, in addition to other issues, have left Baabda Palace vacant since president Michel Suleiman's six-year tenure ended in May 2014. Mustaqbal Movement leader MP Saad Hariri had recently launched an initiative proposing the nomination of Franjieh for the presidency.The nomination has been met with reservations from the Kataeb Party, the FPM and the LF.

400 Syrians Stranded at Beirut Airport, Fail to Depart to Turkey
Naharnet/08 January/16/Four hundred Syrian nationals were unable to travel to Turkey via Beirut's airport after two Turkish planes failed to arrive at the Rafik Hariri International Airport to transport the passengers to the destination. Four hundred Syrians who arrived from Syria were supposed to depart to Turkey Thursday evening, but two Turkish planes that were supposed to fly them did not arrive at the RHIA , the state-run National News Agency reported . In December, Turkey's Foreign Ministry announced visa requirements for Syrians preventing them from entering Turkey without obtaining one. The move is designed to lower the influx of Syrians arriving in Turkey, and it comes after European officials criticized Ankara for not doing enough to limit the flow of migrants from the Middle East and North Africa trying to reach Europe. The chief of the airport security, General George Doumit made contacts with the administrator of the Syrian Arab Airlines Samir Harb to take the necessary measures to return the 400 Syrians back to Syria. NNA added that a Syrian plane had arrived at the airport at 1:30 pm and another two are expected at 5:00 and 9:00 pm.

Syrians return to Damascus after Turkey introduces new air-travel visas
Reuters, Ankara Friday, 8 January 2016/Turkey introduced visa requirements for Syrians arriving by air and sea on Friday, part of efforts to stem the flow of illegal migrants to Europe, forcing hundreds of Syrians to return to Damascus, officials said. Some 400 Syrians transiting through Beirut were unable to board two flights to Turkey late on Thursday as a result of the move and had to return to Damascus, an airport official said. When it announced the planned restrictions last week, the Turkish foreign ministry made clear its land border would remain open to migrants, a policy in place since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011. “Applying visas to those coming through air and land borders results from a need for an arrangement which can be seen in the framework of the struggle with illegal immigration,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic said on Dec. 30. Turkey is home to more than 2.2 million Syrians, the world’s largest refugee population. At great peril, hundreds of thousands of Syrians, Iraqis, Afghans and others have used Turkey as a stepping stone to reach Greece before travelling to other parts of Europe, creating the largest movement of people since World War Two. The European Union, which Turkey aspires to join, agreed in November to provide Ankara with 3 billion euros ($3.27 billion) in aid in exchange for Turkish moves to stem the flow of migrants leaving for Europe.

March 14 Denounces Madaya Siege, Says Hizbullah Involvement 'Shameful'
Naharnet/08 January/16/ The March 14 General Secretariat denounced on Friday what it described as a “starvation siege” in the Syrian town of Madaya, dubbing Hizbullah's role as “an act of shame.” “The Syrian town of Madaya is witnessing a siege of starvation that amounts to crimes of war and can be classified in the category of crimes against humanity,” a March 14 alliance statement said. “The Lebanese, who in principle refuse Hizbullah's participation in the war against the Syrian people, see that Hizbullah’s involvement in the siege and starvation is a shameful act that contradicts its 'political ethics' which the party claims to uphold,” added the statement. “The international community is required to take an immediate initiative to find ways to enter relief materials in order to save the inhabitants of this town,” it added. “The judicial parties and international human rights authorities must take the necessary measures to bring to justice all those responsible for this crime of the pillars of the Syrian regime, its allies and supporters,” added the statement. On Thursday, Syria's government gave permission for U.N. aid deliveries to three besieged towns of Fuaa, Kafraya and Madaya near Damascus where residents say people are starving to death. The three towns are part of a landmark six-month deal reached in September for an end to hostilities in those areas in exchange for humanitarian assistance. Madaya has last received humanitarian assistance in October but has since been inaccessible "despite numerous requests," according to a statement from the U.N.'s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Around 40,000 people, mostly civilians, live in Madaya in Damascus province, many of them displaced from the neighboring rebel stronghold of Zabadani. Reports have claimed lately that Hizbullah has a hand in the Madaya siege, which the party slammed in a report it issued on Thursday.Hizbullah has been fighting alongside the Syrian regime since the war erupted .

On the death of a great man in Lebanon
Nayla Tueni/Al Arabiya/January 08/18
Lebanese politician and former Foreign Minister Fouad Boutros passed away Sunday at the age of 95. I did not know him, but I knew a lot about him from my grandfather Ghassan Tueni as they were friends. Boutros and Tueni sought to establish institutions that suit Lebanon, and to solidify the principles of democracy, diversity and acceptance of others.It is through looking back at history, and through them, that we can recall this country’s beautiful old days. Only a few figures are left from this generation, such as former parliament speaker Hussein al-Husseini and former minister Michel Edde. Boutros was known as someone who was always pessimistic. He hoped that Lebanon would have a solid state, and when he was once asked about the sense of citizenship among the Lebanese people, he wondered how there can be citizenship without a state of institutions. He said in Lebanon “there’s a state everywhere,” but this does not mean there is a state as per legal terms. According to the right legal definition, the state is an entity that citizens unite around while agreeing on the necessity of its existence, and agreeing that it has the final say in affairs and an exclusive right to resort to power.
Unfulfilled dream
Boutros has left us while still dreaming of this state. It is unfortunate that generations succeed one another without achieving this dream. After the civil war, militiamen simply took off their military uniforms and dressed as civilians to continue performing their ill practises inside state institutions.
Among those whom we have also lost is former President Fouad Chehab. Not a single day passes without us mourning him - and others - as he was the one who built institutions. We hope young people from our generation and future generations succeed in altering the current situation and revealing Lebanon’s true face. With Boutros’s death, a great man has left us at a time when great men are rare.

Kerry: Enacting Iran nuclear deal ‘days away’
Reuters, Washington Friday, 8 January 2016/U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday the implementation of a nuclear deal agreed between Iran and six world powers was only days away, allowing tens of billions of dollars in sanctions against Iran to be lifted. There is no date set yet for “implementation day” of the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreed on July 14 in which Tehran agreed to shrink its nuclear program in exchange for some sanctions relief. Outlining foreign policy milestones of the past year, Kerry pointed to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action “from which we are days away from implementation, if all goes well.”He said he discussed implementation of the nuclear deal with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif during a phone call on Thursday. They also talked about tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia, he said. “The foreign minister made it clear to me they intend to complete their obligations with respect to implementation day as rapidly as possible,” said Kerry told reporters. “We are currently engaged ourselves in making certain that we’re prepared to move on that day. And I think it could come - without being specific - sooner rather than later.”Kerry said the United States would continue to ensure that Iran lives up to its commitments under the nuclear deal and press for the release of American prisoners “that have been unjustly detained” by Iran. Senior Iranian officials have dismissed speculation that Iran is considering a prisoner exchange with the United States. Among Americans held by Iran is Washington Post correspondent, Jason Rezaian, who was arrested in July 2014.Others include Christian pastor Saeed Abedini and Amir Hekmati, a former sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps. Robert Levinson, a private investigator, disappeared in Iran in 2007. Iran has claimed that the United States holds some 16 Iranians for bypassing sanctions and around 60 prisoners for other crimes.

Syria Jihadist Kills Mother after she Asked him to Leave IS
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/January 08/16/An Islamic State jihadist killed his mother in a public square in the Syrian city of Raqa who begged him to leave the organization, a monitor said Friday. Ali Saqr, 20, had reported his mother, Lina, to IS authorities in Raqa "because she tried to persuade him to leave IS and flee the city," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Authorities subsequently arrested the woman and accused her of apostasy, the monitoring group said. On Wednesday, she was shot to death by her son "in front of hundreds of people close to the mail service building in Raqa city," the Observatory added. Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said the woman, who was in her forties, was living in the nearby town of Tabaqa but worked in Raqa city. The incident was widely condemned online by social media users. Raqa is the de facto Syrian capital of IS's so-called "caliphate," the territories it controls in Syria and Iraq where it imposes its harsh interpretations of Islamic law. Among the crimes that warrant a death sentence in IS territories are homosexuality, "exposing jihadist genitalia," adultery and intercourse with animals, according to the Observatory. Other acts punishable by death range from blocking roads to "betraying Muslims" and working with anti-IS groups including the "crusader" U.S.-led coalition. Even capturing and torturing an anti-IS activist or fighter without proper authorization from jihadist authorities could be met with a death sentence.But in IS-held territories, using child soldiers and "owning slaves", which are typically sexually abused, are both legal.And the extremist group has been accused of carrying out mass killings, torture, rape and sexual slavery. A U.S.-led coalition has been striking the jihadists in Syria and Iraq for over a year. More than 260,000 people have been killed in Syria's war since it erupted in March 2011.

MSF: 23 Die of Starvation in Syria's Madaya
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/January 08/16/Twenty-three people have died of starvation in the besieged Syrian town of Madaya since December 1, Doctors Without Borders said Friday, as the United Nations prepared an aid delivery to the area. The U.N. said there were 40,000 people -- half of them children -- who needed immediate lifesaving assistance in Madaya, where access has been restricted by pro-regime forces. Damascus on Thursday gave permission for U.N. agencies to send relief to the town, following reports of starvation deaths among civilians, many of whom have been displaced from the neighboring rebel stronghold of Zabadani. Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym (MSF), said that of the 23 people who died of starvation, six were less than a year old, and five were above 60. The deaths occurred at the local MSF-supported health center, the charity said. Another 13 people who tried to escape in search of food have been killed when they stepped on landmines laid by regime forces or were shot by snipers, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitoring group. "This is a clear example of the consequences of using siege as a military strategy," MSF's operations director Brice de le Vingne said in a statement. Medics had been forced to feed children with medical syrups as the only available source of sugar and energy, he said, describing Madaya as "effectively an open air prison" for nearly half of its residents. "There is no way in or out, leaving the people to die."MSF welcomed the decision from Damascus to allow food supplies, but stressed that "an immediate life-saving delivery of medicine across the siege line should also be a priority."In Geneva, U.N. agencies said the aid convoy would head to Madaya in the coming days, although the specifics were still being finalized. "The situation is ghastly," said U.N. rights office spokesman Rupert Colville, indicating that details of the casualties and the extent of the suffering in Madaya were difficult to verify given the limited access. Despite numerous U.N. requests, Madaya last received humanitarian assistance in October.

U.N. Envoy Arrives in Syria ahead of Peace Talks
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/January 08/16/United Nations peace envoy Staffan de Mistura arrived in Damascus Friday to meet with Syria's foreign minister as part of efforts to end the country's nearly five-year war, an AFP photographer said. De Mistura will meet Walid Muallem Saturday to discuss preparations for talks between government and opposition figures later this month, a U.N. source in Damascus told AFP. The talks are the first step in an ambitious 18-month plan, endorsed by the U.N., to bring about a political transition in Syria. Before his visit, de Mistura met with opposition figures in Riyadh in a bid to confirm the talks' starting date as well as the composition of the opposition's delegation, an Arab source there said. He also met ambassadors of countries that were involved in discussions on Syria in Vienna in October and November, in which both Tehran and Riyadh took part, the source told AFP.
De Mistura is also set to visit Iran in the coming days for talks aimed at defusing tensions between it and Saudi Arabia, which each back opposite sides in Syria's war. De Mistura "believes that the crisis in Saudi-Iranian relations is a very worrisome development and stresses the need to ensure it does not cause a chain of adverse consequences in the region," said U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric. The envoy would "assess the implication" of the crisis on the Syria peace effort, Dujarric added. Syria's conflict erupted in 2011 with anti-government protests but quickly spiraled into a bloody multi-sided conflict that has left more than 260,000 people dead.

Egypt minister suggests anniversary protests would violate Islamic law
Reuters, Cairo Friday, 8 January 2016/Egypt’s minister of religious endowments has warned against holding protests during the anniversary of the uprising that ended President Hosni Mubarak’s rule, the state news agency said, and suggested any unrest would violate Islamic law. Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa said during a meeting with officials in his ministry that maintaining stability and security is a priority. He referred to a statement from Egypt’s Grand Mufti, the country’s highest religious authority, which said that any call for protests or destruction “is a full crime and illegal according to Islamic Sharia law,” said MENA state news agency. The uprising, which started on Jan. 25, 2011 and lasted 18 days, had raised hopes of a new era of democracy and greater economic opportunities in a country long dominated by men from the military and business and political elites who support them. Instead it triggered turmoil and instability which hurt the economy, and the political landscape resembles the past. Egypt has been cracking down hard on dissent since then army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi toppled the country's first freely elected president, Islamist Mohammed Mursi, following mass protests against his rule in 2013. Under Sisi’s rule, protesting without police permission is illegal. Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood, has called for mass protests against Sisi on Jan. 25, but it no longer seems capable of getting large numbers onto the streets. The Brotherhood says it is committed to peaceful activism.
Human rights groups have accused Sisi, who went on to be elected president, and his government of widespread abuses, including detentions of about 40,000 political prisoners and torture, allegations it denies. Egypt says the Brotherhood and other groups such as ISIS are an existential threat and decisive action is needed to defeat them. While the toughest crackdown on Islamists in Egypt’s history has weakened the Brotherhood, it has failed to break the back of militants waging an insurgency based in the Sinai Peninsula. Militants have stepped up attacks on soldiers and police since Mursi’s fall, killing hundreds in what authorities call acts of terrorism.

IS Says It Attacked Israeli Tourist Bus in Cairo
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/January 08/16/The Islamic State group claimed Friday to have staged an attack on an Israeli tourist bus in Cairo a day earlier which officials described as mere vandalism that caused no casualties. IS said a "security detachment" had targeted a "tourist bus carrying Jews" and that there were "killed and wounded in the ranks of the Jews and hotel security forces." But officials and witnesses said Thursday that a gang of youths hurled fireworks and fired birdshot at a bus and police guarding the hotel without hurting anyone. There was no reference to Jews, but to Arab Israelis, who were staying at the Three Pyramids Hotel. A security official said about 40 of them were inside waiting to board a bus when the attack occurred. The interior ministry said unknown assailants had gathered outside the hotel and targeted police guarding it, who fired back. It added that one of the attackers was arrested. Hotel employee Yasser Fakhreddin said the group "threw fireworks and fired birdshot at the glass facade of the hotel as well as the windows of an empty bus waiting to pick up the Arab Israeli tourists." An AFP photographer said bits of the facade and the bus' windows had been broken. The IS statement, published online, claimed the attack was in response to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's call "to target the Jews everywhere." In an audio message released on December 26, Baghdadi pledged to attack Israel, saying IS has "not forgotten Palestine for a single moment." Egypt, which has fought several wars with Israel, is one of only two Arab nations, along with Jordan, to have signed a peace treaty with Israel. The country has been roiled by mainly jihadist violence since the army ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. The attacks have largely focused on security forces in reprisal for a fierce crackdown on Morsi supporters.

Israel police says Tel Aviv gunman killed in police shootout
The Associated Press, Jerusalem Friday, 8 January 2016/An Arab gunman who killed three Israelis in a Tel Aviv bar last week was killed on Friday in a shootout with police, following a massive manhunt that put Israelis on edge while the killer was on the loose. Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the gunman “was found in a building” on Friday. She said he came out shooting at the special forces and “was then shot and killed.” The gunman was identified earlier as Nashat Milhem, an Arab from the northern Israel. He opened fire at a bar on a busy street in Tel Aviv last Friday, killing two people and wounding several others. He later also shot and killed an Arab taxi driver. The incident came amid more than three months of near-daily Palestinian attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers. Samri said Milhem had opened fire at the police with the same gun he used in the attacks in Tel Aviv. Police said Milhem was found near the Arab village of Arara in northern Israel where he is from. Hakim Younis told Channel 10 TV that he witnessed some of the incident from his home. “I was sitting on my balcony with my cousin ... when suddenly, shooting began, hundreds of bullets, like in a war,” Younis said, adding that he then went inside and didn’t see anything further. Israelis are used to quickly resuming their daily routines following attacks because assailants are usually swiftly captured or killed. But the Tel Aviv shootings left Israelis jittery because Milhem, who was considered armed and dangerous, was on the loose for a week. Milhelm’s relatives had said he was “traumatized” after a cousin was shot dead in a 2006 police arrest raid. At the time, police said they were searching for weapons and claimed the shooting was in self-defense. Milhelm served time in an Israeli prison after being convicted of attacking a soldier and trying to steal his weapon. But he was also described by residents of the upscale Tel Aviv neighborhood where he worked as a grocery store delivery man as being well-liked and trusted. Israeli Arabs, who make up a fifth of the country’s 8.4 million people, enjoy full rights but have long complained of unfair treatment in areas such as housing and employment opportunities. Many identify more with their Palestinian brethren in the West Bank and Gaza and with Palestinian nationalism rather than with Israel. The near-daily Palestinian attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers have killed 21 Israelis, mostly in stabbings, shootings and car-ramming assaults. At least 134 Palestinians died by Israeli fire, including 93 said by Israel to be attackers. The rest were killed in clashes with troops. These figures do not include Milhelm’s victims.

No war with Iran, says Saudi deputy crown prince
By Staff writer Al Arabiya News Friday, 8 January 2016/Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has said a war between his country and Iran would be the beginning of a catastrophe, and Riyadh will not allow it, British magazine The Economist reported on Thursday. "It is something that we do not foresee at all, and whoever is pushing towards that is somebody who is not in their right mind," it quoted him as saying in an interview. “It will reflect very strongly on the rest of the world. For sure we will not allow any such thing.”Prince Mohammed bin Salman speaking with the Economist journalists. (The Economist) Saudi Arabia also feared it would escalate issues with Iran further had there been further attacks and had it not taken the decision to withdraw its diplomatic mission to Tehran and Mashhad. "On the contrary, we fear that they will be further escalated. Imagine if any Saudi diplomat, or one of their families or children are attacked in Iran. Iran’s position then will be much more difficult," bin Salman told the Economist. Salman’s comments were made during a five-hour conversation with The Economist, marking his first on-the-record interview.

Anti-Saudi Protests in Iran as Row Worsens
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/January 08/16/Anti-Saudi protests were held in Iran on Friday against Riyadh's execution of a prominent Shiite cleric and after Tehran accused its regional rival of bombing its Yemen embassy. A week-long diplomatic crisis between the Middle East's leading Sunni and Shiite Muslim powers has raised fears of heightened sectarian tensions across the region. Around 1,000 protestors marched through Tehran on Friday chanting "death to Al-Saud" -- Riyadh's ruling family, according to an AFP photographer. Others shouted "death to America" and "death to Israel", frequent rallying cries at demonstrations in Iran. Some carried placards with the picture of Nimr al-Nimr, the Shiite cleric and activist executed in Saudi Arabia last week, whose death unleashed a wave of anger across the Shiite world. Relations between the longtime adversaries hit a fresh low on Thursday as Iran accused Saudi warplanes of deliberately targeting its embassy in Sanaa in raids that it said had damaged the property and wounded staff members. "During an air raid by Saudi Arabia against Sanaa, a rocket fell near our embassy and unfortunately one of our guards was seriously wounded," deputy foreign minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian was quoted as saying by the IRNA state news agency. "We will inform the Security Council of the details of this attack within several hours," he said, adding that "Saudi Arabia is responsible for the security of our diplomats and of our embassy in Sanaa". The Saudi-led coalition that has been bombing Iran-backed rebels in Yemen since March denied the claims, saying that Tehran's embassy in the rebel-controlled capital was "safe and has not been damaged". The Yemeni conflict, which pits the rebels known as Huthis against pro-government forces backed by Riyadh and other Gulf Arab states, is one of the main sources of dispute between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Iranian state television said demonstrations were held across the country on Friday. During weekly prayers in Tehran, influential cleric Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani told worshipers that Riyadh, along with Israel and the United States, was responsible for "all crimes committed against Muslims"."The Zionist regime plans, the US supports and Saudi Arabia sources the necessary funds," Kashani said, according to IRNA. Nimr was executed on Saturday along with 46 other prisoners that Riyadh said were "terrorists". In response, protesters in Iran stormed and set fire to the Saudi embassy in Tehran and consulate in the second city of Mashhad. Iran denounced those attacks, but the repercussions quickly rippled across the region with Saudi allies Bahrain, Sudan and Djibouti also cutting diplomatic ties with Tehran. Somalia followed suit Thursday, saying it had given Iranian diplomats 72 hours to leave. Among other Saudi allies, the United Arab Emirates has downgraded relations with Iran, while Kuwait and Qatar have recalled their ambassadors. Iran hit back Thursday by announcing a ban on imports from the kingdom, which will reportedly affect goods worth about $40 million (36.7 million euros). The latest crisis threatens a fragile U.N.-backed initiative to end the war in Yemen, where the world body says at least 2,795 civilians have been killed since March. The two countries also support opposing sides in Syria. Tehran is providing military assistance to close ally President Bashar Assad against rebel groups, some backed by Saudi Arabia. The growing tensions have heaped doubt on a U.N.-backed plan that foresees talks between the Syrian sides this month in a bid to end a war that has claimed more than a quarter of a million lives. The roadmap, adopted by the U.N. Security Council, calls for creation of a transitional government within six months and elections within 18 months.

Reports: Saudi to Try Iranian Accused of Spying
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/January 08/16/Four Iranians including an alleged spy will stand trial in Saudi Arabia, local media reported Friday as a diplomatic crisis festers between the regional rivals. The Arab News daily reported that the three were alleged "terrorists", but gave no details of the accusations and the Iranians were not identified. The Saudi Gazette said they were arrested in 2013 and 2014. The reports come after tensions escalated between Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia and its Shiite rival Iran. Riyadh severed diplomatic ties and air links with Tehran after crowds set fire to its embassy in the Iranian capital and its consulate in second city Mashhad last weekend. The protests were in response to Riyadh's execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, a driving force behind demonstrations in 2011 by the kingdom's Shiite minority, which has complained of marginalization.

Turkey Summons Iran Envoy over Press Criticism of Erdogan
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/January 08/16/Turkey said on Thursday it had summoned Iran's ambassador to protest attacks on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Iranian press in the wake of a diplomatic crisis between Tehran and Riyadh. Erdogan has refused to condemn Saudi Arabia's execution of prominent Shiite cleric and activist Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr this month. The execution sparked outrage in Shiite-majority areas of the Middle East, and protesters in Iran attacked two Saudi diplomatic missions, prompting Riyadh to sever diplomatic ties. "We strongly condemn our president being directly targeted in certain articles in Iranian outlets controlled by the Iranian authorities... and demand that these articles cease immediately," the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement. It added that attacks on the Saudi embassy in Tehran and the kingdom's consulate in Iran's second city Mashhad were "unacceptable and deplorable". Turkey formally abolished the death penalty in 2004 as part of its bid to join the EU. Erdogan on Wednesday said that Nimr's execution was an "internal legal matter" for Saudi Arabia, and ties between Ankara and Riyadh have improved in recent months. The Turkish leader visited Riyadh last month in a new sign of warming bilateral ties. Turkey and Saudi Arabia, both overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim powers, share the same vision over the conflict in Syria where they believe only the ousting of President Bashar Assad can bring an end to almost five years of civil war. Meanwhile, tensions have increased between Turkey and overwhelmingly Shiite Iran, which along with Russia is the key remaining ally of Assad.

Iran Playing a Sectarian Note on the Strings of Social Communities
Asharq Al Awsat/January 08/16/Iran’s persistent expansion into the Arabian world has been ongoing for 30 years, unceasingly provoking sectarian chaos between social communities in the Arab region. Moreover, Iran has exerted political efforts in the government arena, exhausted by international foreign policies, which proved to be their failure after the playground was all clear for Tehran to step in comfortably. Iranian proxies crept into communities, and nothing proves this more than the case of Nimir al-Nimir, which demonstrated Saudi Arabia stance against sectarian egging. Al-Nimir’s execution confused Iran which lost its proxy, one among many who was supposed to help the country realize its dream of establishing the Iranian Wilayat al Faqih (Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists) in Saudi Arabia. Even though Iran has tried to sneak into the Saudi community, it was faced by the harsh truth of Saudi Arabia, which enlisted Hezbollah-inspired militants in a black corner reserved for national criminals. Even proxies in Al-Awamiyah are now being brought to justice by the community who only serve national solidarity and are collaborating with security forces amid government efforts to relegate all threats to national security in the category of great treason. Even though the action of extinguishing terrorist organizations, al-Qaeda being the first on the list, from the country was taken by security forces, the Ministry of Interior acknowledged and always praised local citizens and residents helping in the fight through reporting crimes, an act that defines their ultimate commitment to the social values of security and unity that have always existed Saudi Arabia. Saudi social awareness has become a strong foundation on which its communities establish unity, despite sectarian differences. Social mediums are forever dedicated to keeping their nation safe and sound. The repetitive scenes of suicide attacks reflect nothing but the dark image extremists are trying to use to shake the security of society. All sects, including Sunni and Shiite across Saudi Arabia defend the sanctity of their homeland, and refuse to allow terrorist organizations to take advantage by provoking sectarian incitement. Several events have proven how deep the loyalty of Saudi citizens runs in their country, regardless to which sect they belong.

US Bill to Prevent Easing of Sanctions on Iran
Asharq Al Awsat/January 08/16/On Thursday, the House Foreign Affairs Committee endorsed a bill that would restrict easing sanctions on Iran and grant the congress the ability to better monitor the nuclear deal concluded by US, the world powers and Iran regarding its nuclear program. Congressman Steve Russell (OK-5) has authored – The Iran Terror Finance Transparency Act, which restricts lifting the sanctions imposed on figures, companies, and bodies involved in supporting Iran’s program on ballistic missles, which was imposed previously on Iran by US Treasury. The Republican-led House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee approved the measure by a voice vote, setting it up for consideration by the full House next week. However, the Democratic administration deplored what they characterized as an attempt by Republicans to violate terms of the nuclear deal with this new legislation, and the Obama administration viewed the bill as a direct attack on the Iran nuclear deal. Nevertheless, Congressional secretaries said they are expecting the administration to eventually impose new sanctions on Iran over the ballistic missile program. On the subject of sanctions, the United States also imposed sanctions on Thursday on Lebanese businessman Ali Youssef Charara and his telecommunications company, saying that he funded the militant group Hezbollah. The U.S. sanction will freeze all assets of Charara and his company that are in the United States or in the control of Americans, and prohibit Americans from engaging in transactions with them. What’s more is that the U.S. Treasury Department announced that Charara, chairman and general manager of Lebanon-based Spectrum Investment Group. Holding SAL, has received millions of dollars from Hezbollah to invest in commercial projects that support the group. Hezbollah, the political and military group backed by Syria and Iran that enjoys considerable power in Lebanon, has long been named as a terrorist organization by the United States.

US, Allies Launch 23 air strikes in Iraq, Three in Syria against IS
Asharq Al Awsat/January 08/16/The US and allies launched a barrage of airstrikes against ISIS. The U.S.-led coalition launched 23 air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and three in Syria on Thursday, the task force leading the operation said in a statement. The coalition said 22 of the strikes in Iraq were coordinated with and in support of the government of Iraq, while one air strike was in support of coalition operations. They included seven strikes in the Islamic State stronghold of Mosul and six in Ramadi, where Iraqi troops drove out most of the militants last week after a hard-fought offensive, the Combined Joint Task Force said in a statement on Friday. In Mosul, the strikes destroyed four Islamic State tactical units, six fighting positions, four assembly areas, a bunker and a tunnel. In Ramadi, they destroyed 16 fighting positions, 13 heavy machine guns, a dozen improvised explosive devices and denied militants access to terrain, the coalition said. Other strikes in Iraq hit near Al Qaim, Sinjar, Haditha, Irbil, Kisik, Qayyarah and Sultan Abdallah, it said. The coalition said air strikes in Syria included two near Ayn Isa, where they destroyed three fighting positions and suppressed a third, and near Manbij, where a strike destroyed three staging areas.- Reuters

Syria Rebels Warns U.N. “Pressure” Will Prolong Syria War
Asharq Al Awsat/January 08/16/BEIRUT, Jan 8 (Reuters) – Syrian rebels said President Bashar al-Assad’s opponents are under international pressure to make concessions that would prolong the conflict, underscoring their doubts about a new U.N.-led drive for peace talks planned to begin this month. An opposition council that met U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura this week was under pressure “to offer concessions that will prolong the suffering of our people and the spilling of their blood”, a statement signed by prominent rebel groups said. The opposition council of rebels and Assad’s political opponents was set up last month to oversee negotiations, which are envisaged as part of a new effort to settle the five-year-long war that has killed 250,000 people. The rebels, including groups represented in the council, said they would not accept any concessions that run counter to “the principles of our revolution” and condemned what it called international connivance “against the revolution”. Opposition leaders told de Mistura the government must take goodwill steps before any negotiations by halting bombardments of civilian areas, lifting blockades of rebel-held areas and releasing detainees. They are waiting to hear back from him. The diplomatic drive follows the Dec. 18 adoption of a U.N. Security Council resolution endorsing an international plan for a Syria peace process. The plan was backed by both the United States and Russia, which back opposing sides in the conflict. It includes a nationwide ceasefire and six months of talks beginning in January between Assad’s government and the opposition on forming a unity government. But the rebel statement underlines the opposition’s growing concern about the process, including the absence of any mention of Assad’s future – a major point of contention between countries on either side of the conflict. De Mistura, who plans to begin the talks on January 25, arrived in Damascus on Friday. An escalation in tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran has compounded doubts surrounding the diplomatic initiative. Tensions have risen since Saudi Arabia executed a Shi’ite cleric, Nimr al-Nimr. Iranian and Russian military support has been crucial to Assad, while Saudi Arabia is a main backer of the insurgents battling to topple him, including groups that signed the statement issued on Friday.

French militants who visited Syria given 6, 10 years’ jail
AFP, Paris Friday, 8 January 2016/A Paris court on Friday sentenced two French militants who travelled to Syria to six and 10 years in prison, although one was sentenced in absentia. Zakaria Chadili, 28, who visited Syria in 2014, was handed six years of prison while his friend Ziyeid Souied, 22, was sentenced in absentia to a 10-year jail term. An active member of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group, he is still in Syria. Chadili spent six months in Syria but had shown a “willingness to reinsert” himself into French society, the judge found, and his sentence could be commuted in the coming months. Souied was last known to be working in the ISIS’s police unit and assisting with the recruitment of foreign fighters.

Turkish Troops Kill 18 Jihadists after Attack on Iraq Camp
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/January 08/16/Turkish troops have killed 18 members of the Islamic State (IS) group after the jihadists launched an attack on a camp used to train Iraqi fighters outside the Iraqi city of Mosul, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday. Turkish forces have been using the Bashiqa camp, just outside Mosul, to train local Iraqi fighters to retake the city from IS. "Eighteen members of the Daesh terror organization who wanted to infiltrate Bashiqa were neutralized," Erdogan said in televised comments after Friday prayers in Istanbul, using another name for the IS group. "None of our soldiers were wounded," he added. It was not immediately clear what nature of attack the jihadists had launched but Erdogan said that the Turkish forces were ready to repel any kind of assault. "Our armed forces there, our officers providing the training, are prepared for any kind of attacks or raids, or anything that happens," said Erdogan. The presence of the Turkish troops, while welcomed by the local authorities in Iraqi Kurdistan, has become a bone of contention with the central Iraqi government which angrily called for the Turkish troops to leave. Turkey in December withdrew some of the troops after also coming under US pressure. But it is unclear how many remain at the camp. Erdogan said Friday the latest attack showed how right Turkey was to station armed forces at the camp to protect the Turkish officers who are providing the training for the Iraqis. "They are doing what needs to be done at the right time and will continue to do so," he said. Four Turkish soldiers were wounded on December 16 when IS jihadists fired mortars on the training camp, in an attack that also left two Iraqis dead.

Dizengoff killer is dead. ISIS cell revealed
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report January 8, 2016/Initial interrogation of the five detained accomplices of Natash Melhem, the triple Tel Aviv murderer who died in a gunfight Friday, Jan 8, revealed that they were part of an Islamic State cell. After he went to ground in his home town of Arara in the Wadi Ara district, they guarded him and saw to his needs. The special police force which ran him to earth told him to surrender and shot him dead when he opened fire. When he was cornered, Melhem opened fire on the police with the same Specter M4 Falcon submachine gun with which he murdered Alon Bakal and Shimon Revimi outside a Dizengoff café on New Years day and the cab driver Amin Sha’aban near the Mandarin hotel in north Tel Aviv an hour later.The Shin Bet issued a communiqué confirming the Dizengoff gunman’s death at the end of an intensive weeklong intelligence effort to discover his whereabouts. Details of the affair are still to come... debkafile’s counterterrorism sources report that the Shin Bet’s success was incomplete. This is because Melhem alive would have been a rare source of valuable intelligence on the background of his murderous attack in Tel Aviv. Shooting him to disable instead of kill would have promised information on what was clearly a meticulously planned terror attack, who ordered it and who were his masters and confederates. When he opened fire on the police, an effort should have been made to shoot to injure, rather than kill. The high level of preparedness for a terror attack in Tel Aviv was lifted Friday evening five hours after it was imposed.

Saudi Arabia and the Iranian Schizophrenia
Amir Taheri/Asharq Al Awsat/January 08/16
Anyone following the Iranian media in the wake of the Saudi decision to break diplomatic ties with Tehran is likely to be puzzled. While almost every media outlet blames Saudis for the crisis, there are significant differences in the narrative of events and the assessment of its impact. Some like Kayhan, reputed to express the views of “Supreme Guide” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and Fars news agency, controlled by the Revolutionary Guard, have actually welcomed the Saudi decision which they believe removes the last excuse for going full force against the Kingdom. Other outlets, for example the government-owned daily Iran or Sharq, a paper close to the faction led by former President Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, have expressed regret about the severance of diplomatic ties and came close to criticizing the mob that attacked the Saudi embassy in Tehran and consulate in Mash’had. While President Hassan Rouhani’s entourage have equivocated, fielding lower-ranking foreign ministry officials to make statements, senior ayatollahs and military commanders have seized the occasion to sharpen attacks on the Kingdom and the five other Muslim nations who have severed or lowered ties with Tehran.
Once again, the incident highlights the schizophrenia that Iran has suffered since the mullahs seized power in 1979. There are two Irans, one that sees itself as a vehicle for the Khomeinist revolution and the other which hopes to return to the international community as a nation-state. To the first Iran, attacking a foreign embassy is a heroic act designed to galvanize “revolutionary masses”. In fact, the Khomeinists really seized control of the revolution on the 4th of November 1979 when militants invaded and occupied the US Embassy in Tehran and held American diplomats hostage for 444 days. That day has become one of the most important dates in the history of the Khomeinist regime, marked by government-organized festivities organized with regime grandees attending ceremonies to burn the American flag and effigies of the US President.Attacking diplomatic missions became the regime’s favorite tactic when President Jimmy Carter decided to swallow the humiliation and appease the mullahs by sending flattering hand-written messages to Khomeini.
The ayatollah concluded that “America can’t do a damn thing!” That sent a signal to Khomeinists that they could ignore international law, including Vienna conventions on diplomatic missions, and attack, ransack and occupy any embassy or consulate they pleased. They indulged in the tactic on numerous occasions. The Islamic Republic became a global record-holder for the number of diplomatic disputes. Since 1979 no day has passed without the mullahs holding some foreign hostages, mostly Americans. Even now they hold six US hostages. In its first three decades, the Islamic Republic experienced severance of diplomatic relations with 17 countries, including Muslim nations such as Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco and Nigeria. Its militants raided numerous embassies and consulates including those of the United Kingdom, West Germany (as it was called then), France, Italy and South Korea. They seized numerous diplomats as hostages for varying lengths of time, including the French Ambassador Guy Georgy. At one point, all members of the European Union, except Greece, withdrew their ambassadors from Tehran. Under international law, attacking a foreign embassy is a causus belli (an act of war). Under the Iranian Penal Code, as amended in 1963, attacking a diplomatic mission is a crime punishable by up to three years imprisonment. Under the same Penal Code, holding hostages is also a crime, punishable by up to 15 years in jail, or if death is caused, by capital punishment. Yet, in schizophrenic Iran, attacking foreign embassies and holding hostages is rewarded with honor and high positions.
Today, several members of Rouhani’s administration are former hostage-holders, including the Defense Minister, the Chief Political Advisor and special aide for the environment. Rather than being in jail as the Iranian penal code requires, they are in top government positions. In successive election campaigns, including the current one, we saw candidates who mentioned attacking embassies and holding hostages as great achievements on their CVs. Perhaps without knowing it, by ignoring the rule of law, whether domestic or international, Khomeini and his successors were imitating Lenin. In his pamphlet “State and Revolution” Lenin insists that a revolution cannot abide by laws promulgated by a state or groups of states. “Revolution makes its own laws,” he states. However, when it came to foreign diplomatic missions, even Lenin did not go as far as the mullahs. As Soviet Commissar for External Affairs Trotsky published the secret documents of the Tsarist foreign ministry but did not allow Bolshevik militants to attack foreign embassies let alone pillaging them and holding diplomats hostage. There is another difference between Lenin and the mullahs. The Bolshevik leader wanted the revolution to transform itself into a state as soon as possible. He tried to speed up that process by publishing his famous New Economic Policy (NEP) in 1924. China’s Maoist revolution of 1949 transformed itself into a state in the 1980s when “strongman” Deng Xiaoping promulgated his version of the Leninist NEP. In both cases the state that emerged from the Russian and Chinese revolutions remained despotic and laggard in terms of human progress. Yet, both behaved as states, observing the broad outlines of international law.
The Khomeinist revolution, however, has not succeeded in transforming itself into a state. In a recent BBC interview former British Foreign Secretary William Hague sheds some light on Iran’s schizophrenia. He says that in 2011, after Khomeinist mobs attacked and pillaged the British Embassy in Tehran, the then Iranian Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi telephoned him to express “deep apologies”. “William, I’m truly sorry,” Salehi said. “I don’t know who these people are and who sent them to ransack your embassy.” Salehi may have been honest as to the identity of individual attackers, but he surely knew who sent them. Attacking embassies in the Islamic Republic has been and remains a fast-track to personal career advancement within the establishment. Over the past four decades no one has been prosecuted, let alone punished for attacking diplomatic missions and holding foreign diplomats hostage. The foreign powers that fell victims to this behavior are to blame because they never insisted on the perpetrators being brought to justice, any justice. Jimmy Carter simply brushed the whole thing under the carpet and other leaders, both from Europe and the Muslim world, imitated him, perpetuating the illusion that Khomeinists could do whatever they liked with impunity. In fact, by insisting that the attack on their diplomatic missions cannot simply be ignored, the Saudis may have rendered Iran a service by forcing it, once again, to contemplate the central problem of its life for four decades: is Iran a nation-sate abiding by domestic and international law, or a revolution that is free of all laws? The reaction to the current crisis shows that both versions of Iran are present even within the Khomeinist establishment. Those still drunk on the witches’ brew of “revolution” hope that the attack on the Saudi missions and the subsequent crisis would help them mobilize and win in the next series of the regime’s internal elections in February. In fact it is possible they planned the attacks for that very purpose as they had done in similar cases close to previous elections.
As long as schizophrenic Iran is not at peace with itself, it cannot be at peace with anyone else.

Airports: Allocations and Dilemmas
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al Awsat/January 08/16
He who travels a lot, suffers a lot. Millions of passengers who pass through Middle Eastern airports share the same feeling, including myself. However, we have recently noticed some developments in the airline industry and travel services. Although airline companies still tire out its passengers with delays, the limited improvement in airports has reduced complaints. Being a frequent passenger in Jeddah and Riyadh’s airports, I always felt that passing through was a test for the passengers’ and my patience because of the poor services and the long waiting periods. Despite the light renovations that were made in the structure of the two airports, the impact was great on the passengers. Until recently, these airports had no coffee shops, except for one that served detestable coffee, no restaurants, stores, waiting lounges, adequate toilets, currency exchange devices or kiosks. In addition, flight information screens were damaged, the voice calling for flights was unbearable, and the staff working in the security inspection and passport department leaves you horrified and feeling guilty. All that was at a time when there were few of the elite society relaxing in a corner of the airports, called the executive office, sitting on sofas with tea, coffee and juices served to them continuously. Today, things have changed. The airports look and serve better despite the increase in the number of flights and passengers. Most of the services have become available, and the passengers now feel good when entering the airports, even better than the VIP lounges. We nowadays get less angry when our flights are delayed, and we pay willingly for all these services.
Was this difficult to be implemented in the past? Never, no. This can identified as a gap between ignorant managers and competent ones who know their duties while serving their customers. There was no justification for the treatment of passengers with such negligence for many years except for indifference or ignorance. To cut a long story short, I would like to highlight the announcement made by the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) that decided to hand over the management of airports to eligible companies; a step that people often will be thankful for if it
works. Besides, it will generate a lot of money the CAA is worth of, in a country that has one of the most airports in the region, with the presence of millions of foreign workers, millions of pilgrims, and millions of Saudis addicted to travel on vacations. With money from these people, not from the government, an excellent travel industry can be achieved, when the CAA gives up the monopoly it practices over airport management. This can then be an encouraging example for the rest of the sectors, for government administrations have come to realize that controlling the service sector is an administrative and political failure.
Truth be told that the passport services and security inspections at airports have changed a lot. And what they offer, in general, still leads over the rest of the governmental sectors at the level of advanced electronic services, some of which are even faster than those in Dubai, which is exemplary in the quality of services. Growth of the management’s thinking, creativity in solutions, measuring results by independent bodies, and the adoption of accountability approach would achieve the desired transformation by eliminating bureaucratic backlogs and old concepts, and, finally, transitioning towards a modern society.

Nimr al-Nimr, political violence, and Saudi Shiites’ future
Mansour Alnogaidan/Al Arabiya/January 08/18
In 2010, I paid a visit to the city of Al-Qatif, in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, where the largest concentration of the country’s Shiite minority lives. An SMS message addressed to me arrived on the mobile phone of my friend Habib, who accompanied me on the trip. Habib is a Shiite cleric, donning the trademark symbols of piety of his sect, a turban and a robe. The text message was from another Shiite cleric, Nimr al-Nimr, with whom I had visited a year earlier at his home. We had tea together and ate Iranian cashews. The meeting was poignant—a roller coaster of emotions. Between his strident expressions of angst and pungent sense of humor, I found myself crying with him and for him, and crying as well from laughter.
Earlier this week, on January 2, Nimr al-Nimr was executed, together with 44 other Saudis (and two non-Saudi nationals), all indicted and convicted on charges related to the perpetration of lethal violence. Nimr’s flight from public view, and even from his closest relatives, stimulated the imagination of scores of Shiite youth—marginalized, neglected, unemployed, and influenced by Iranian government propaganda for years. In 2009, Al-Baqi’ cemetery—which is next to the Prophet’s Holy Mosque and final resting place in the sacred city of Medina—witnessed clashes among Shiite and Sunni pilgrims, arising from differences between the two sects concerning graveside rituals. Shiite Muslims frequent al-Baqi’, home to the graves of members of the Prophet’s family whom they revere. The clashes widened—and in their wake, Sheikh Nimr delivered a series of sermons in which he called for Shiite-majority areas to secede from the kingdom and establish a government based on the Iranian revolutionary model of “Wilayat al-Faqih” (“The Rule of the Jurist”). The sermons placed Nimr on a list of men “wanted” by Saudi police, and he went into hiding. In the SMS message that my friend received from Nimr, he requested a meeting to solicit my suggestions as to the best ways to solve his problem with the authorities. I considered the request, but declined to meet him: The government requires Saudi citizens to report any encounter with a wanted man, and I judged the value of any advice I could offer him to be less than the risks which our encounter would place upon him.
Nimr’s flight from public view, and even from his closest relatives, stimulated the imagination of scores of Shiite youth—marginalized, neglected, unemployed, and influenced by Iranian government propaganda for years. The legendary occultation of the Shiite “12th Imam,” a tenet of their faith, raises the perennial question of who the Imam is and where he is hiding, such that Nimr, in vanishing, enjoyed a near-mythic, elevated status. Controversy swelled in his absence, particularly after some members of the Nimr family began to assert that they were “Sayyids,” or descendants of the Prophet, revered by Shiiites everywhere. These claims led to schisms within his family. By the time al-Qatif’s violent clashes peaked in 2011, amid region-wide upheaval, Nimr, unseen, had attained an esteem surpassing that of traditional Shiite leaders who had enjoyed the highest respect among Shiites for decades.
By mid-2012, Al-Awamiya, the second largest township in al-Qatif, had seen a year and a half of protests and violent, sometimes lethal clashes between demonstrators and police, claiming lives on both sides, but mostly Saudi police. Security forces arrested Nimr after overtaking him in a car chase. Passengers in the car were armed and shooting at police.
On December 13, 2014, Tawfiq al-Sayf, a Saudi writer and intellectual who took off the clerical robe years ago and is one of the most prominent Shiite in the country, wrote a memorable comment on his Facebook page. He declared that Shiite al-Qatif is suffering from its own, Shiite equivalent of ISIS—native sons bearing arms who terrify anyone who differs with them or who proffers an alternative view of realities in the city. (He received numerous death threats from denizens of al-Qatif after posting the comment.) Sayf also asserted that during Nimr’s two years in hiding, he had been inciting, organizing, and steering the turbulence al-Qatif witnessed—causing not only the destruction of government property but also the murder of civilians and members of the security forces—by gunfire and explosions.
Nimr bears some resemblance to Sunni Islamists who begin by expressing reasonable-sounding demands but descend into guerrilla warfare. Nimr’s repeated call in his sermons to establish an Iran-like regime, and for the secession of Shiite areas from the kingdom—the latter, an inherently violent goal—constituted, in the eyes of many Saudis, treason, and also led to his exclusion from moderate Shiite circles. As Nimr moved toward radicalism and armed activity, his revolutionary approach proved appealing to young men in the area. His followers included the remnants of Hezbollah al-Hijaz, the Iranian-backed movement with which Nimr himself was firmly aligned, as well as other “true believers.” They also included drug dealers, wayward teens, and some among the ranks of the unemployed and disenfranchised. He goaded these youth to take up arms, burn government property, and commit murder. This wave of chaos, in providing simple and cheap answers to complex problems, siphoned away support from Shiite leaders and notables who have enjoyed considerable social and political esteem. The legacy of centuries of hate between Sunnis and Shiites cannot be erased in a short time. History moves slowly, and slower still amid civil strife. No one can overtake the flow of history. As is the norm in the history of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from the time of Nimr’s arrest in 2009 to the day of his execution, authorities took pains to tend to the needs of his family. His wife received extended treatment for her medical needs in one of America’s finest hospitals. His sons received full scholarships to American universities.
For many decades, Saudi Shiite have suffered from sectarian discrimination. They have not enjoyed the freedom to practice their rituals outside of their home regions and neighborhoods. The prevailing Salafi ideologies, embodied by many Saudi clerics, have regarded Shiite as having strayed from the “correct path,” and sometimes labeled them as non-Muslims. But meanwhile, paradoxically, the political leadership of the country has increasingly seen to Shiite advancement. Shiite hold some of the highest and most sensitive positions: at Saudi Aramco, the global oil juggernaut; in Saudi banks; and in various government institutions. In 2001, then-Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz initiated the “national dialogue,” aiming to ease tensions between Sunnis and Shiite and promote civil peace. From 2005 on, the late King Abdullah took many steps to advance this trend further. Shiite, who number between 10 and 11 percent of the population, constitute 40 percent of the students who travel abroad at the government’s expense to pursue higher education.
Promoting sectarian hatred
In the second half of 2014, three Shiite mosques were attacked by Saudi Sunni nationals identifying as members of ISIS. Shortly after King Salman took the throne on January 21, 2015, he became the first Saudi king ever to donate to rebuilding Shiite mosques—the three that had been attacked. The Crown Prince and other members of his family led delegations to convey personal condolences to the families who had lost their children and loved ones. For the first time in the history of the country, hundreds of Saudi Sunnis traveled from disparate provinces to give their own condolences to their fellow, Shiite nationals, widely covered in Saudi media and with encouragement from the political leadership. Moreover, King Salman is the first Saudi king under whose rule local establishment media and even Sunni clerics have described the Shiite victims of terrorism as martyrs—a sacred Islamic designation, as is well known. The king also recognized the sacrifice of young Shiite men who died in an effort to protect the mosques from the terrorists, referring to them as well as “martyrs” in a holy cause.
In 2015, the state established laws to punish anyone who promotes sectarian hatred. Saudi Sunnis were among those subsequently detained by authorities for having posted video clips expressing hostility toward Shiite. To anyone familiar with the history of the rule of the Al-Saud family and the heavy hand of Wahhabism and Salafism, these developments can only be seen as indicative of a significant shift.
But the legacy of centuries of hate between Sunnis and Shiites cannot be erased in a short time. History moves slowly, and slower still amid civil strife. No one can overtake the flow of history.
Since 2011, many Shiite moderates have received threats from armed individuals who participated in the violence in al-Qatif. The home and personal car of at least one prominent moderate Shiite intellectual has been attacked by gunfire. Shiite leaders Isam al-Shammasi, Shukri Shammasi, and Muhammad Ridha Nasrallah, among other notables in the area, routinely receive death threats from those armed Shiite groups which the intellectual Tawfiq al-Sayf described as the Shiite equivalent of ISIS.
Between a tragic legacy and new signs of hope, moderate Shiite today have an historic opportunity. They can refuse to be silent in the face of extremists in their midst. They can take the initiative—on their own terms—in pressing for their right to be treated as equals in their native land. They can work to protect their youth from descending into the nihilism of terrorism. They can take part in the even broader national project of reforms that is embraced by both sects, both genders, all intellectual and cultural streams, to continuously improve the country—day by day, year by year, and from one generation to the next.

Why Obama keeps indulging Iran
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al Arabiya/January 08/18
Iran keeps breaking international law and U.N. Security Council resolutions, while U.S. President Barack Obama continues to capitulate to Tehran’s demands. What did he do when it intensified its military involvement in Syria? He invited Tehran to a peace conference on the conflict. Iran imprisoned several U.S. citizens, but instead of pressuring Tehran Obama continued nuclear talks. Iran then arrested Dubai-based American businessman Siamak Namazi. Obama signs a nuclear deal with Tehran offering tremendous sanction relief, yet Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) immediately tests ballistic missiles several times, in violation of the nuclear deal and UNSC resolutions. His continuous carrot-but-no-stick policy toward Iran has led it to believe there will be no consequences to its aggression and unlawful acts. The Obama administration tells Congress that new sanctions will be imposed on 11 entities and individuals in Iran. However, after Tehran responds by saying it will expedite its ballistic missile program, Obama postpones sanctions “indefinitely” pending “further diplomatic action.” This week, after several regional countries downgraded or severed diplomatic ties with Tehran due to its violation of international obligations, defiant Iranian leaders unveiled and boasted about a new underground missile arsenal called Emad, which is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.In addition, the IRGC second-in-command, Brigadier General Hossein Salami, bragged about the number of missiles Iran has. Provocatively, Tehran also fired a rocket close to the U.S. aircraft carrier Harry Truman in the Straits of Hormuz. Iran keeps provoking, yet Obama and his Western allies keep looking the other way.
All carrot, no stick
His continuous carrot-but-no-stick policy toward Iran has led it to believe there will be no consequences to its aggression and unlawful acts. This defiance is shared by both moderates and hardliners. Obama views the nuclear deal as his crowning foreign policy and Middle East accomplishment. He avoids taking any actions that might undermine the deal. This has led to continuous appeasement of Tehran, which will have severe repercussions for national and regional security. Obama needs to realize that if one gives Tehran an inch, it takes a mile. Offering only carrots and rewards to Iran will not have the desired effect.
Obama does not recognize that Iran needs the nuclear deal more than the United States does, for economic reasons. He needs to realize that if one gives Tehran an inch, it takes a mile. Offering only carrots and rewards to Iran will not have the desired effect. Without an appropriate response from global powers and the international community toward Iran’s defiance, regional powers will feel forced to create a coalition to counterbalance its hegemonic ambitions. This will be a positive development as it will mark the emergence of solid regional leadership independent from global powers and their contradictory interests.
This does not mean that global powers will stop interfering in the region, but they will be more likely to calculate their policies more carefully - due to the independent regional coalition - before acting unilaterally.

2016 a bad year for Muslims in Western countries?
Mohamed Chebarro/Al Arabiya/January 08/18
If you are Muslim living and working in Europe, the United States, Canada or Australia, 2015 was a bad year, but it seems 2016 will be worse. Last year saw a surge of terror attacks targeting the western way of life. Random attacks on shopping centers, magazines, theaters, a nursing home, and football stadiums - all are examples showing the intent by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) to disrupt security and the free movement enjoyed by all in western democracies. The nature and barbarity of the attacks were also clearly aimed at driving a further wedge between law abiding peaceful Muslims and the wider societies..The attacks on the Bataclan theater in Paris, the knife attack in the London Underground system, the mass shooting at a special needs center in San Bernardino in the U.S. and before that the attacks on Charlie Hebdo magazine, and the Kosher grocery in Paris were all carried out by Muslims mostly born and bred in western countries. Either that or were people who arrived with or without their parents as refugees or as economic migrants from troubled countries.
Unlike the 9/11 attacks on the New York World Trade Center in 2001, which were carried out by people neither resident, nor native in the targeted communities, the more recent attacks were apparently carried out by fighters returning from Syria or Iraq. Another group were simply Muslim converts or dispossessed youths who pledged allegiance to a criminal organization ISIS - an organization bent on establishing a caliphate in Iraq and Syria whether the local population support the idea or not. But also this criminal band called ISIS seem bent on attacking western cities and citizens randomly in a bid to flex its muscle and win recruits, maybe for a cause that echoes specially with a minority of disenfranchised immigrants or second generation Muslims as well as recent converts.
However the draconian laws quickly past at the end of 2015 to confront the clear and present danger in western cities are likely to cause more challenges to those democracies.
Sorting the ‘good’ from the ‘bad’
Recent incidents such as the Muslim family of nine prevented from boarding a U.S.-bound plane at a British airport for a holiday at Disneyland in what has been described as an overreaction to the current threat to international security, are examples that many individuals and family groups that either look Muslim, or with Muslim names, will have to be ready for. More checks and possible schedule and travel delays, seem inevitable. Laws revoking European nationality from those with dual nationality, who were involved in ISIS activities, or propagating hate rhetoric and action, is another extreme response in an effort to separate the good Muslims from the bad.Crossing airport checks is again full of problems. The profiling of individuals is reminiscent of the processes carried out at U.S. airports in the days and weeks following the 9/11 attacks. It would seem that travelers through European airports cannot help but notice an increase of checks and cross checks for people with Muslim names.
Authorities across Europe are not shy from admitting the privacy of a few will potentially be invaded in the interest of saving many, as they strive to prevent any future attacks. Migrants, including those seeking asylum, who risked everything to find a safer and more peaceful life for their children to grow up in, are already bearing the brunt of such measures aimed at scrutinizing their past and future intentions.Intolerance is also starting to brew with the help of extreme right wing parties across Europe.
The new recruitment
France’s Marine Le Pen and her National Front Party is an example where success at local elections is only won thanks to Daesh (An Arabic acronym for ISIS). The attacks on Paris have brought out people’s fears, raising Islamophobia among the many who then voted for the extremists. Ironically these parties’ core supporters in my view are no different than Daesh in their intolerance, racism, and twisted interpretation of history, society, philosophy and theology. The far right in Europe and America, and their hateful rhetoric are proving a new recruitment catalyst, and worth. It seems that such groups share some common ground with Muslim radicals bent on destroying coexistence in an increasingly open and globalized world.
In 2016, Muslims in the west are again subjected to citizenship and loyalty tests in many parts of the world.
As the level of threats remain high in most western cities, the race is against the clock to vet citizens, mainly those returning from the wars in Syria and Iraq, to eliminate the current and future dangers. Security experts insist that several dozen radicalized European, and maybe non-European individuals, remain at large in various western cities, tasked with carrying out more attacks. Intelligence information suggests several such plots have been uncovered. Yet holes remain in the investigations and the search for those would be terrorists will not be carried out in the homes and neighborhoods of Christian white people.
The focus of law enforcement agencies everywhere in 2016 will unfortunately be another Asian Muslim community in North London, the kids from a Parisian suburb populated by second generation North African Muslims, or a housing estate of struggling working class families who once fled persecution in a faraway Muslim land. For all those reasons, and more, the year ahead will be a bad one for Muslims everywhere. But particularly bad for Muslims in western countries as cities there are on the edge after bloody and barbaric attacks in 2015, and we are told more are likely to come in 2016.

Was Syria intervention worth it for Russia?
Paul J. Saunders/Al-Monitor/January 08/16
Notwithstanding conventional arguments that Russia’s intervention in Syria has sharply increased its influence in the Middle East, Moscow may ultimately find that its gains do not outweigh its losses from the venture. Much will depend on whether, when and how Syria’s civil war ends.It is unsurprising that many would expect — or perhaps even fear — greater Russian influence in the region in the immediate aftermath of Moscow’s first attacks in Syria. After all, Russia’s airstrikes in Syria are its first combat deployment away from its borders in decades. President Vladimir Putin’s decision to assume a direct military role in defending the Syrian government was decisive and even bold. Nevertheless, history has often demonstrated that these initial reactions fail to consider real-world complexities and long-term consequences. The US invasion of Iraq in 2003 is a good example of this. After the “shock and awe” of Washington’s rapid defeat of Iraqi forces subsided, the challenges for US policy only grew and America’s regional reputation sagged.
So far, Russia’s intervention in Syria has had five principal benefits: shifting some domestic international attention from Ukraine to Syria; increasing the credibility of any potential future threats to use force; demonstrating Russia’s advanced military capabilities in a highly visible manner; strengthening Moscow’s leverage over the Syrian government in absolute terms and relative to Iran; and bolstering Russia’s claim to a major role in shaping a political settlement in Syria. These benefits are not inconsequential. Yet they are not overwhelming, either. Internationally, while Washington and some major European capitals are open to working with Moscow to end the fighting in Syria, none seems inclined to “trade” positions on Ukraine in the process. Domestically, Syria can be a successful distraction only so long as it is a successful war — something largely outside Russia’s control, since its forces are in a supporting rather than a leading role.Similarly, regional and global assessments of the credibility of Russia’s military forces and weapons systems will ultimately depend on the outcome of Russia’s intervention. The Syrian government’s inability to make significant gains so far does not help in this respect. Russia’s attractiveness as an arms supplier is less reliant on military victories, so long as its systems perform as advertised — but helping Bashar al-Assad's regime take back territory would likely produce more sales than facilitating a protracted stalemate.
Finally, Russia’s leverage in Syria — and its ability to shape a settlement — may not last indefinitely, particularly if the stalemate continues. This is in part because Moscow’s influence in Damascus depends heavily on what Syrian leaders expect from Russia in the future.
On the other side of the ledger, Russia is spending an estimated $2.4 million to $4 million per day (or about $720 million to $1.2 billion per month) on its operations, and its forces have incurred low but politically significant casualties. So far, there is little evidence to suggest that the operation is financially or politically unsustainable — but politics can change quickly.
In addition, Moscow’s military intervention appears to have provoked a retaliatory terrorist attack on a Metrojet passenger aircraft departing from Egypt, killing 224, most of whom were Russian tourists, though this appears to have stiffened public resolve rather than weakening it. In fact, while 82% of Russians are “definitely” or “probably” worried about terrorism in their country, only 3% said that Moscow should stop its military operations in Syria as a result of the Metrojet bombing and later terrorist killings in Paris. Still, it is unclear how the Russian public would react to the re-emergence of domestic terrorism.
Setting aside who is to blame for Turkey’s downing of a Russian Su-24 bomber — and there are good reasons to consider Ankara’s actions both disproportionate and dangerous — Moscow has lost not only a jet, a pilot and a soldier attempting to rescue the plane’s crew, but also an increasingly close relationship with Turkey developed after several years of determined effort. Worse for Russia, Turkey is not simply alienated from Moscow but is aligning more closely with NATO and Saudi Arabia. This complicates Russian policy in Ukraine as well as the Middle East.
Russia Beyond the Headlines, a paid news supplement published in several languages by the official government newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta, recently printed a prominent article arguing that “Ankara and Riyadh are united not only by the desire to change the government in Syria; they could have a common enemy in Russia.” Izvestia, a private newspaper sympathetic to the Kremlin, likewise prominently reported on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s statement before his recent trip to Riyadh that Turkish and Saudi positions are “identical.”
Taking into account that Moscow’s relationship with Saudi Arabia is already complex after Putin’s failed effort to secure Saudi participation in his anti-terrorist coalition, Saudi Arabia’s recent announcement of its own coalition, and regular official Russian criticism of Saudi Arabia’s “destabilizing” conduct in international oil markets, many in Russia are troubled by this potential alignment. Notably, however, Putin went out of his way to deflate these anxieties in his annual end-of-the-year press conference — in response to a leading question about Saudi Arabia’s “very dangerous” and “anti-Russian” alliance, the Russian leader stressed that while Turkey had “committed a hostile act,” his government did not consider Turkey to be a hostile country. Putin went further in referring to Saudi Arabia, stressing recent Russian-Saudi negotiations and his own meeting with King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud. The Russian president’s public response to these arguments is perhaps the clearest indication that a real debate is underway — otherwise, he would not need to express his view.
At a broader level, Russia’s deeper engagement in the Middle East following its intervention in Syria has already complicated its long-standing efforts to pursue a policy based on cooperation with everyone and on avoiding hard choices. Prior to its airstrikes in Syria, a serious dispute between Saudi Arabia and Iran would already have been challenging for Moscow to manage without appearing to take sides. Now that Russia is embroiled in the Syrian civil war as a de facto ally of Iran, it will be much harder to avoid the appearance of a Russian preference for Iran and its Shiite clients at the expense of relations with Sunni powers. This is only one of the unintended and unpredictable consequences of Moscow’s war in Syria. One final point about Russia’s influence in the Middle East after its intervention in Syria relates to the circumstances surrounding it. It is important to recall that Moscow resorted to unilateral military action after several months of unsuccessful efforts to secure regional and international support for its approach rather than as the successful culmination of a new regional diplomatic strategy. From this perspective, Russia’s solo military intervention was a sign of its limited regional role rather than any new strength. Moscow’s constructive participation in a political settlement in Syria could salvage this situation, but without a deal, Russia’s new influence seems likely to be temporary.

What are the real goals of Riyadh’s new Islamic coalition?
Ali Mamouri/Al-Monitor/January 08/16
Saudi Defense Minister and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced, in a surprising move, that an Islamic military coalition to combat terrorism was formed on Dec. 14. He mentioned Syria and Iraq at the top of the list of countries where the coalition aspires to combat terrorism.
On the same day, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir explained in a press statement that the coalition’s mission is to share information, and train and equip the forces for the fight against the Islamic State (IS). In regard to the possibility of sending troops to countries dealing with terrorism, he said that the coalition will discuss this, and that it depends on “needs” and “requests.” “Nothing is off the table,” Jubeir said when asked whether the initiative could include troops on the ground, noting that “it depends on the requests made, the needs and the willingness of countries to provide the necessary support.”
In this context, a question arises as to what are the Saudi motives behind the coalition. The coalition was designed to fight against IS, which is active in Iraq and Syria more than anywhere else. Yet Iraq and Syria have not been called to join the coalition, and until the coalition was announced, Iraq and Syria were not involved in the coordination talks with the coalition. Thus, how could this coalition be a unified front to fight against IS, while the countries that are at the front line in the battles against IS have not been called to join?
In the same context, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi was shocked at the Saudi announcement, and said in a press statement on Dec. 17, “We were shocked at the Islamic coalition [announcement] by Saudi Arabia. We were not consulted and there is a fundamental mistake: We learnt that the coalition was formed after its formation was announced. This is important particularly since Iraq is a country fighting against IS on the ground.”Abadi said it is strange that a coalition against terrorism is established while Iraq is excluded, without dealing with Syria, and with the majority of the member states lacking the potential and capacity to confront the violence due to their inexperience in fighting terrorism. Abadi questioned the coalition’s intentions, as the member states have never provided Iraq with actual assistance in facing terrorism. The fact that Iraq was not called to join the coalition or was involved in the talks is an important indication that the Saudi-led coalition has a plan beyond the fight against IS in Iraq. The issue is not just limited to driving IS out of Iraq, but it may also include a contribution in determining the future of IS-controlled Sunni areas in Iraq and Syria. This is backed by the fact that Jubeir told the press on Dec. 15 that countries taking part in the coalition — such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain — are currently discussing whether to “send special forces into Syria. These discussions continue to be held, and this option is on the table.”
Jubeir added, “[Syrian President Bashar] al-Assad's position is not tenable. … The war is not winnable for him.”The Democratic Arab Center for Strategic, Political and Economic Studies said in a report Dec. 17 that Saudi Arabia is studying “a plan to rescue Iraq,” headed by the Saudi-led coalition to send troops to the Sunni areas in Iraq. Another indication that the Saudi-led coalition has a sectarian perspective toward Iraq is that Saudi Arabia has excluded all Shiite forces in the region from the coalition. In addition, Iraq was not called to join the coalition, while Iran — which is contributing to the fight against IS in Iraq by sending military advisers, providing equipment and arms and even sending fighters to conflict areas in Iraq — was also excluded.
The same applies to Lebanon, where 35% of the population is Shiite. Shiites are also participating in the Lebanese government with Hezbollah and Amal being the two main Shiite parties in the government. However, Salman, said in his statement that Lebanon has joined it. Yet Hezbollah rejected it, and said on Dec. 18 that the decision to join the coalition is not legal at the Lebanese state institutional level. Decisions such as joining the Saudi coalition must be disclosed in the parliament or the Cabinet, but this has not happened. Strangely, there was no official announcement in this regard except for Hezbollah’s statement.
On Dec. 17, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter welcomed the formation of the Saudi-led coalition, and said, “It is very much in line with something we've been urging for quite some time, which is greater involvement in the campaign to combat IS.” Carter’s statement was made at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey, during a regional tour aimed at garnering support for the US-led campaign against IS.
Highlighting the sectarian aspect in the fight against terrorism in the region is a major strategic mistake in dealing with the Islamic problems around the globe, because linking the fight against terrorism to religious identities — be it indirectly through the Saudi exclusion of the Shiites from the coalition, or directly through Carter’s call for a greater role by the Sunni countries in combating terrorism — will promote sectarian division in IS-controlled areas, after their liberation. In turn, this will produce new foundations for a long-term conflict in the future. The sectarian perspective toward Iraq has been strongly present in US politics, especially after Iraq’s invasion in 2003. US Vice President Joe Biden’s well-known suggestion (in 2006) that Iraq be divided into Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish regions had been on the table to resolve the rise of sectarian violence in 2005 between Sunnis and Shiites.
The perspective of dealing with the region’s problems based on religious and sectarian divisions is still present among US politicians. In November, Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham suggested to send 100,000 fighters from Sunni countries in the region, including Saudi Arabia, to fight IS in Iraq and Syria.
In a similar context, Shiite forces in the region considered the formation of the Saudi-led coalition a threat to them. On Dec. 18, Hezbollah said in a statement, “Hezbollah is deeply suspicious at the motives and objectives behind Saudi Arabia announcing the formation of the Islamic military coalition to combat terrorism. It views the decision as a response by Saudi Arabia and other countries to a US decision designed to provide troops from particular regimes in the Arab and Islamic worlds, under the sectarian and confessional nomenclature, as an alternative for sending US ground troops into the region.”
Deputy Cmdr. of the Popular Mobilization Units, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, said in a statement on Dec. 20, “The Saudi-led coalition targets the Popular Mobilization Units.”It seems that the Saudi-led coalition was not formed just to fight IS. Rather, Saudi Arabia’s larger objective is to determine the future of the Sunni areas in conflict areas in Syria and Iraq.

What did Saudi Embassy attackers want?
Arash Karami/Al-Monitor/January 08/16
Despite over 40 arrests, no group in Iran has officially taken responsibility for the attack on Saudi Arabia’s embassy and consulate in Iran that resulted in Riyadh cutting commercial and diplomatic ties with Tehran. Iranian officials have unanimously condemned the attack on the embassy, while also condemning the execution of Shiite activist Nimr al-Nimr that prompted the protests in Tehran and Mashhad.Some media outlets and Iranian officials, including President Hassan Rouhani, have vaguely referred to “rogue elements,” a term usually reserved for groups unofficially linked to a government body that typically operate outside the law. An article in Reformist Arman Daily argued that the embassy attackers intended to create challenges for the administration's foreign policy goals of improving relations with foreign countries post-nuclear deal. Rouhani came into office promising better relations with the world. With sanctions set to be lifted in January, many foreign countries have been eager to improve ties with Iran and increase trade. The attack on an embassy sends a frightening message to these countries, perhaps what domestic opponents of the administration and the nuclear deal are hoping for.
In its coverage of Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif’s press conference with his Iraqi counterpart, Reformist newspaper Ghanoon reported, “After a week of unnecessary conflict, the control of diplomacy has returned back to the hands of the diplomatic organizations of the country.” The article stated that while Nimr’s execution was condemned by millions of people across the world, “A group of extremists inside the country not only took an irregular and costly action, but in their own opinion wanted to decide the future of diplomacy for the country.”
The article went on that extremists have conducted such “street diplomacy” whether they were in power or not. In 2011, under hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a group of protesters also stormed the British Embassy, causing the British to sever ties. The 1979 US Embassy attack was by leftist students, who mostly became Reformists a decade after the event. Ghanoon stated that storming an embassy is not a spontaneous act, nor is it a one-time event. Rather, “It is a calculated and old strategy that extremists use to distort the order within diplomatic affairs.” According to the article, the attackers desired to “portray the rotten logic of their small community as being the view of the general public.”
These extremists, reported Ghanoon, in one day caused a crisis threatening all the foreign policy efforts of the Rouhani administration in the last two years. In addition to harming the status of the Iranian people, the article argued that the extremists also damaged the standing of Iran’s allies in the region, including Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, and gave Saudi Arabia the opportunity to play the victim. In a Jan. 6 letter to the head of Iran’s judiciary, Rouhani asked that the attack be “immediately addressed and without delay.” Rouhani said that those responsible should be punished “so that it forever prevents this type of attack on national security and insult to the power and place” of Iran. He also asked his Intelligence Ministry and Interior Ministry to “decisively deal” with the officers who allowed the embassy attack to happen and prepare a public report about it. Some officials, including Gen. Hossein Ashtari, the head of Iran’s police force, suggested there could have been a conspiracy behind the attack. Ashtari said that the protest was natural, but the “attack was a suspicious situation” and that a "revolutionary" person would not do such a thing. The worsening of tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia seems to have no end in sight. After Saudi Arabia cut all commercial and diplomatic ties with Tehran, Iran blocked all Saudi goods from entering the country. Iran also said that its ban of the "umrah pilgrimage," a nonmandatory pilgrimage to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia, would continue in protest of the sexual assault of two Iranian boys in the Jeddah airport.