LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
January 24/16

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

Bible Quotations For Today
So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 13/13-17:"You call me Teacher and Lord and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them."

Appoint elders in every town, as I directed you: someone who is blameless, married only once, whose children are believers, not accused of debauchery and not rebellious.
Letter to Titus 01/01-09: "Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that is in accordance with godliness, in the hope of eternal life that God, who never lies, promised before the ages began in due time he revealed his word through the proclamation with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Saviour, To Titus, my loyal child in the faith we share: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Saviour. I left you behind in Crete for this reason, that you should put in order what remained to be done, and should appoint elders in every town, as I directed you: someone who is blameless, married only once, whose children are believers, not accused of debauchery and not rebellious. For a bishop, as God’s steward, must be blameless; he must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or addicted to wine or violent or greedy for gain; but he must be hospitable, a lover of goodness, prudent, upright, devout, and self-controlled. He must have a firm grasp of the word that is trustworthy in accordance with the teaching, so that he may be able both to preach with sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict it.

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on january 23-24/16
Aoun is a mere Iranian puppet and mouthpiece/Elias Bejjani/January 23/16
Davos: With the Saudis absent, Zarif’s fairy tales prevailed/Faisal J. Abbas/Al Arabiya/January 23/16
Price of Syrian refugee crisis increasing/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/January 23/16
King Salman’s ambitious foreign policy leads the way/Dr. Theodore Karasik/Al Arabiya/January 23/16
An undecided Tehran is bad for Iran/Mohamed Chebarro/Al Arabiya/January 23/16
Canada/Can Canadian, MP, Omar Alghabra be trusted in shaping Canada’s policy towards terrorism/Jonathan D. Halevi /CIJ News/January 23, 2016

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin for Lebanese Related News published on january 23-24/16
Aoun is a mere Iranian puppet and mouthpiece
Kerry: most of Hezbollah’s arms come from Ira
Kerry: most of Hezbollah’s arms come from Iran
Report: Lebanese Presidential Impasse Tied to Regional Changes Despite Promising Local Efforts
Lebanese Foreign Ministry Says OIC Abstention 'Didn't Breach Any Consensus'
Egyptian Tourist Drowns in Jeita Grotto
Rahi Meets Pope Francis at Vatican, Presidential File a Focal Point
Hariri Receives Phone Call from Aoun over Presidency
Lebanese Man Released in Arsal without Ransom
Man Sustaining Gunshot Wound Found in Dinnieh

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on january 23-24/16
Remote Canadian Community Mourns after Four Shot Dead
Syria, Iran Top Agenda as Kerry Meets Wary Arabs in Saudi
Biden: PKK is terror group ‘plain and simple,’ threat to Turkey like ISIS
Rocket fire from Syria ‘wounds two’ in Turkey: reports
Turkish PM Davutoglu says Turkey respects Iraq's territorial integrity
Rebels: Assad, Russia to blame if peace talks fail
U.S. ‘prepared’ for military solution in Syria, says VP
U.N. urges regular aid access to Yemen’s Taez
U.S. forces setting up airbase in northeast Syria: sources
Palestinian girl, 13, shot dead after trying to stab Israeli guard
Report: UK, U.S., Russian troops in Libya
Tunisia PM holds crunch cabinet talks over unrest
U.S.: Turkey can do more to fight ISIS
Yemeni Guantanamo Bay inmate refuses to leave
Iranian, Chinese presidents agree to expand ties
King Salman marks one year in power

Links From Jihad Watch Site for january 23-24/16
Iran funding recruitment of Pakistani Shias to battle the Islamic State
Seattle: “Strict Muslim” who killed 4 was on terrorism watch list
Islamic State “expanding to Kashmir to fight the cow-worshipping Hindus”
UK: Muslim-owned gas station convenience store chain stops selling alcohol
Premature detonation: “Palestinian” jihadi killed by his own bomb
Germany: Muslim migrants defecate in pool, invade girls’ changing rooms
Biden: US & Turkey prepared for “military solution” to take out the Islamic State
American Muslima: “Alhamdulilah finally got my Hizam [suicide belt] today…to kill the kuffars”
Bishop of London: Christian clergymen should grow beards to reach out to Muslims
Muslim group says Germany must ban alcohol if they want to prevent further sex attacks
Video: CNN says Islamic State imitating Vikings, Vlad the Impaler
Islamic State to Spain: “We will recover our land from the invaders”
France: Convert to Islam arrested for recruiting girlfriend to jihad
Germans lose track of 600,000 asylum seekers

Aoun is a mere Iranian puppet and mouthpiece
Elias Bejjani/January 23/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/01/22/elias-bejjani-aoun-is-a-mere-iranian-puppet-and-mouthpiece/
What happened in Mehrab, the main Lebanese Forces party headquarter, last Monday was totally theatrical, deceiving, unethical and not only odd by all standards, but a bold national and Christian disaster and sin.
In this same context of condemnation, we strongly support the reconciliation part of the camouflaging show that was announced between the FPM and the LF parties.
This reconciliation in case it was actually genuine is definitely overdue and should have occurred long time ago.
Meanwhile, all logic, intelligence, discretion, dignity, respect to the martyrs, knowledge and patriotism does not allow any Lebanese citizen who is free, respects himself and can differentiate between what is right and what is wrong to blindly hail, accept, or welcome Dr. Geagea’s impulsive and apparently vindictive nomination of MP, Michael Aoun for the presidency post..
This nomination, as we see it, is evil, and in reality contradicts totally all Dr. Geagea’s declared and documented respect of all national, patriotic, and Christian vows and convictions.
In reality, Micheal Aoun is an Iranian mere puppet, mouthpiece, and a narcist who has been since 2006 serving his Persian masters all the way against every thing that is Lebanese, convictions, education, common living,  independence, sovereignty, freedom, rights and democracy.
Simply and in conclusion Dr. Geagea’s nomination of Aoun means overtly putting Hezbollah’s Leader, Hassan Nasrallah and his Iranian mullahs in charge of the presidential palace and all Lebanese affairs no more no less.
Meanwhile, we feel sorry for all those who are affiliated to all the Lebanese so called parties because sadly they hail no Lebanese cause, but worship the owner of the party and walk behind him blindly like sheep. Accordingly they have no free or wise opinion in the party’s owner conduct, but blessings and parroting rhetoric for all his acts no matter what.

Kerry: most of Hezbollah’s arms come from Iran
By Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Saturday, 23 January 2016/U.S. Secretary of State Johan Kerry expressed his concerns about Iran’s military support to the Shiite Lebanese Movement of Hezbollah in a joint press conference with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir on Saturday. Kerry said most of Hezbollah’s arms come from Iran through Syria to Lebanon and that the movement – also a political party - has about 80 thousand missiles. Hezbollah, which has long been listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, has offered key support to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
The United States and Saudi Arabia have both criticized and denounced Hezbollah’s support to Assad’s regime after protests erupted in Syria against the embattled leader’s rule in 2011 but turned into a civil war. From his part, Jubeir said the Gulf states are working with Washington to face Iranian interference in the region and emphasized that the region’s stability requires Tehran stopping its aggression. Saudi Arabia and its Gulf counterparts repeatedly denounced Iranian interference in their internal affairs. Jubeir also said that Saudi Arabia does not see a “coming together” of Iran and the United States, which is well aware of Tehran’s regional “mischief.” “No, I don’t see a coming together of the United States and Iran. Iran remains the world’s chief sponsor of terrorism,” he said. “Overall I think the United States is very aware of the danger of Iran’s mischief and nefarious activities... I don't believe the United States is under any illusion as to what type of government Iran is,” he said. Meanwhile, Kerry also said after talks with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states in Saudi Arabia that he was confident Syria peace talks would proceed. “We are confident that with good initiative in the next day or so those talks can get going and that the U.N. representative special envoy Staffan De Mistura will be convening people in an appropriate manner for the proximity talks that will be the first meeting in Geneva,” he told reporters in Riyadh. Kerry also said there was agreement that immediately after the first round of talks the International Support Group on Syria would convene. Kerry began a stop in Riyadh by meeting with representatives of the six nations of the GCC, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. He is also due to have talks with Riad Hijab, chair of the Syrian opposition's High Negotiations Committee, which was formed in Saudi Arabia last month, amid uncertainty about whether Syrian peace talks slated to start next week in Geneva will take place. The Saudi-backed Syrian opposition ruled out even indirect negotiations with Damascus before preconditions are met, including a halt to Russian air strikes, contradicting Kerry's hopes for talks to start next week.(With Reuters, AFP)

Kerry Cites Arms Transfer, Says U.S. Concerned about Iran-Hizbullah Ties
Associated Press/Naharnet/January 23/16/Secretary of State John Kerry shied away on Saturday from making a blunt criticism of Iran but stressed that the U.S. shares concerns about Iran's behavior, including its support for Hizbullah. "The United States remains concerned about some of the activities that Iran is engaged in other countries," Kerry told reporters in Riyadh, citing as an example Iran's "support for terrorist groups like Hizbullah.”Washington considers Hizbullah a terrorist organization. Kerry also said most of Hizbullah’s arms come from Iran through Syria and that the party has about 80,000 missiles. Kerry met with foreign ministers from the Gulf Cooperation Council in an attempt to ease their concerns about warming U.S.-Iranian ties. The talks also aimed at seeking consensus on which Syrian opposition groups should be represented at upcoming peace talks. Kerry said the U.S. will act against Iran when necessary, including imposing new sanctions as it did last week in response to Iranian ballistic missile tests. Shiite-led Iran and Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia are longtime regional rivals who support opposite sides in the wars in Syria and Yemen. Relations plunged to a new low when Saudi Arabia executed a prominent Shiite opposition cleric earlier this month, drawing outrage from Shiites across the region and igniting mob attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran. Saudi Arabia and some of its allies responded to those attacks by cutting diplomatic ties with Tehran, and accusing Tehran of being behind numerous terrorist attacks around the world over the past three decades.

Report: Lebanese Presidential Impasse Tied to Regional Changes Despite Promising Local Efforts
Naharnet/January 23/16/Despite the strenuous political efforts exerted lately to end the 20-month presidential deadlock, hopes seem to be dim in that regard in light of the regional developments casting their shadow over Lebanon.
“Nothing is expected in the near future regarding the presidential entitlement,” diplomatic sources told the daily al-Joumhouria on Saturday. “The regional arenas, Syria, Iraq and Yemen, still have the final word. As long as these arenas are still complex and far from a solution, the presidential election deadlock in Lebanon will stay in the freezer,” they added on condition of anonymity. “The latest initiatives that have been put forward may seem appeasing in shape but they are actually more complicated in content. Many prefer to wage the presidential race away from competition or having to face two or more candidates. The majority of political figures prefer to agree on a consensual candidate instead.”“A parliamentary session set to elect a president where MPs Michel Aoun and Marada leader chief Suleiman Franjieh are competing is impossible to convene. The constitutional quorum will not be complete unless one of them is consensually agreed upon, which seems impossible at the time,” the diplomatic sources concluded. The latest move aiming at solving the presidential impasse came on Monday when Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea pulled out of the presidential race in favor of Change and Reform bloc chief Aoun, in an attempt to close Christian ranks and resolve the country's 20-month political deadlock. Observers saw the nomination as a response to al-Mustaqbal Movement leader MP Saad Hariri's nomination of Franjieh as president which was met with reservation by the LF, Kataeb party and the Free Patriotic Movement.

 Lebanese Foreign Ministry Says OIC Abstention 'Didn't Breach Any Consensus'
Naharnet/January 23/16/Lebanon's Foreign Ministry stressed Friday that its decision to abstain from voting on a statement condemning Iran during a meeting for the world's top Muslim body was in line with Lebanon's dissociation policy as well as with the stances that were voiced during the last national dialogue session. “Prior to the meeting, the ministry instructed Lebanon's ambassador to the organization to take the same stance that had been taken at the Arab League should the closing statement contain the same implications,” it said in a communique. This decision was taken “out of commitment to the government's policy on dissociating Lebanon from such issues ... and in line with the consensus that was clearly reflected during the national dialogue session when the foreign minister explained the circumstances that had necessitated the Lebanese stance” that was taken at the Arab League, the ministry added. Its clarifications come after al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri and Mustaqbal bloc chief MP Fouad Saniora strongly criticized the decision to abstain from voting and described it as a breach of Arab consensus on supporting Saudi Arabia. The Lebanese stance “is one that preserves national unity through its adherence to the ministerial Policy Statement and the national unity government's policy,” the ministry stressed on Friday. Reiterating its condemnation of the attacks on Saudi Arabia's missions in Iran, the ministry noted that “Lebanon's decision to abstain from voting did not breach any consensus, seeing as it was an abstention and not an objection.” It also noted that the closing statement was met with an objection and an abstention from two other countries. The statement issued at the end of an OIC meeting Thursday at its headquarters in the Saudi city of Jeddah said the organization "condemns the aggressions against the missions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Tehran and Mashhad." It followed an extraordinary meeting requested by Saudi Arabia after protesters in Iran in early January set fire to the embassy in Tehran and a consulate in the second city of Mashhad. The violence against Riyadh's missions occurred after Saudi Arabia executed prominent dissident Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, a driving force behind anti-government protests in the kingdom.

Egyptian Tourist Drowns in Jeita Grotto
Naharnet/January 23/16/An Egyptian tourist drowned on Saturday in the Lower Grotto of Jeita that lies in Kesrouan district around 20 kilometers north of Beirut. Nabil Haddad, the general-manager of the company which runs the grotto, told LBCI TV that Mina Ashraf Wadih fell in the water and was swept away by the current. The company said the facility will be closed on Sunday. The tourism ministry launched an investigation into the tourist’s death after Civil Defense rescuers were able to pull his body from the water. Civil Defense said it took divers more than 90 minutes to find the body, which was at a depth of eight meters in the freezing water. Jeita has the Upper Grotto where visitors make walking tours to explore the stalactites and stalagmites and the Lower Grotto where people can make small cruises in rowboats.

Rahi Meets Pope Francis at Vatican, Presidential File a Focal Point
Naharnet/January 23/16/Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi met on Saturday with Pope Francis at the Vatican where the problematic presidential issue was the focus of talks, the state-run National News Agency said.The meeting between the two men lasted for over an hour. Afterwards, al-Rahi met with the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. Reports have said earlier that al-Rahi was to carry the Lebanese issue in all its complexities and hurdles that have prevented the election of a president to the Vatican where he is set to hold talks with Pope Francis, according to An Nahar daily. He was set to discuss the developments and the efforts that have been exerted lately in order to unite the Christian position over a candidate for the top state post after 20-month of political deadlock, added An Nahar. The meetings held in Bkirki with several figures have paid off and led to reconciliation and appeasement in the Christian circles, it added. On Monday, Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea officially endorsed from Maarab the candidacy of his long-time rival Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun. Geagea, who is himself a candidate, pulled out of the presidential race in favor of Aoun, in an attempt to close Christian ranks and resolve the country's 20-month political deadlock. The Patriarch is said to ask the Vatican for additional efforts in order to overcome the internal and external hurdles preventing the election of a president. Lebanon has been without a head of state since the term of President Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014. Conflicts between the rival March 8 and March 14 camps have thwarted all efforts to elect a successor.

Hariri Receives Phone Call from Aoun over Presidency
Naharnet/January 23/16/Mustaqbal movement chief Saad Hariri received a telephone call from Change and Reform bloc head MP Michel Aoun where he reiterated the need to attend the parliamentary session on Feb. 8 to elect a president. “Hariri received the call from Aoun (founder of the Free Patriotic Movement). He welcomed the latest initiative between the FPM and the Lebanese Forces in Maarab,” Hariri's media office said. “We welcome the reconciliation which we have repeatedly urged the LF and the FPM to take,” said Hariri. Furthermore, the Mustaqbal chief pointed to his own initiative that he lately launched and that saw the nomination of Marada chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the post. He reiterated “the need to attend the parliamentary sessions to end the vacuum.”In a different phone call, Hariri reassessed with Franjieh the latest developments and efforts aiming to reactivate the work of the state and its institutions. Aoun's call came following his endorsement on Monday by LF chief Samir Geagea for the post. His move came after Hariri clinched a deal with Franjieh late last year to back him for the presidency in return for Hariri to return to the Grand Serail. Despite Geagea's support for Aoun, Hariri is sticking to his decision to back Franjieh. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of President Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014.

Lebanese Man Released in Arsal without Ransom
Naharnet/January 23/16/A Lebanese national, Mohammed Mahmoud al-Hujairi, was released on Saturday in the northeastern border town of Arsal without the payment of a ransom. Al-Hujairi was kidnapped late Thursday and the abductors demanded a ransom worth $250,000 to free him, the state-run National News Agency said. According to NNA, a group known as Abou el-Foz has coordinated efforts with another Islamic State group composed of Abou Bakr, Abou Abdul Salam and Ahmed Ammoun in Arsal to kidnap al-Hujairi aka Mohammed Khan. The abductee used to work at a gas station that belongs to his father in the al-Manaqaa area in the town.

Man Sustaining Gunshot Wound Found in Dinnieh
Naharnet/January 23/16/A young man who sustained a gunshot wound in his abdomen was found late on Friday in Tripoli's town of al-Dinnieh, the state-run National News Agency said on Saturday. The man who was acknowledge as Mahmoud Z. from the town of Bqaasafrin in the north was found with a pistol near him. He was rushed to the hospital for treatment. Investigations were opened into the case.

Remote Canadian Community Mourns after Four Shot Dead
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January 23/16/A small aboriginal community in western Canada was in mourning on Saturday after a high school student shot dead four people, including a teacher, and left several others wounded.
Friday's shooting occurred at a high school in remote La Loche, in Saskatchewan province, Canadian police say. Unlike in the United States, mass shootings are rare in Canada, where firearms are more regulated than south of the border. It was the deadliest school shooting in the country in more than a quarter-century. Prime Minster Justin Trudeau called it "every parent's worst nightmare." The suspected shooter, who has not been named, was taken into custody after police received an emergency call about "a person discharging a weapon in the community," RCMP superintendent Maureen Levy told reporters. The acting mayor of La Loche, Kevin Janvier, later told CTV News that the alleged shooter was a young man under 21 and a student at the school. He was being questioned on Saturday. Investigators were pursuing their probe both at the school and at a nearby residence. Candles burned all night outside La Loche Community School and on Friday night hundreds of people held a vigil in memory of the victims. Authorities were yet to name all the dead and the exact number wounded, but among them was a young female teacher. Janvier said the victims were "students and employees" of the school. Tributes poured in for the teacher from her devastated family.
"My cousin Marie was among those murdered in La Loche today. She was a charming, sweet young woman and I loved her so much," Patrick Wagenaar wrote on Facebook. "My thoughts go out to my family and those affected by this tragedy. I'm so sorry."Also on Facebook, Cinta Jay Janvier wrote: "My heart is broken. No one deserves this, especially you Marie."I'm sorry that this happened to you, how could anyone would wanna hurt you in any way how could anyone would wanna hurt someone who is so sweet and joyful... I was hoping that nothing happened to anyone."In Australia, Canadian tennis player Milos Raonic dedicated his Australian Open win to the victims. "Today's victory was for that community and a quick recovery. All of Canada, and I'm sure the world, is behind you," Raonic told the crowd. - 'Lots of screaming' -Located deep in Canada's northern boreal forest, 600 kilometers (375 miles) north of Saskatoon, La Loche has about 3,000 inhabitants. Because it is so isolated, authorities had to send in police reinforcements and dispatch a medical helicopter to airlift some victims to a hospital. It was Canada's deadliest school shooting in 26 years. On December 6, 1989, a 25-year-old man opened fire at the Polytechnic School in Montreal, killing 14 people, including 10 female students. La Loche students said they heard six or seven shots ring out at around 1:00 pm (1900 GMT).Pupils described how they fled, terrified for their lives. "I ran outside the school," Noel Desjarlais, a Grade 10 student at the school, told public broadcaster CBC. "There was lots of screaming. There was about six, seven shots before I got outside. I believe there was more shots by the time I did get out."Trudeau was in Davos, Switzerland, where he was attending the World Economic Forum, at the time of the shooting. The new prime minister said his Liberal government would have to reflect on Canada's current gun laws in the coming weeks and months in light of the shooting. The previous Tory government had scrapped a short-lived national registry of rifles and shotguns. Many Canadians living in rural areas own long guns like the one that appears to have been used in the shooting, and led a strong opposition to the registry they said wrongly targeted farmers and hunters.

Syria, Iran Top Agenda as Kerry Meets Wary Arabs in Saudi
Associated Press/Naharnet/January 23/16/U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with Gulf Arab officials on Saturday to ease their concerns about warming U.S.-Iranian ties and seek consensus on which Syrian opposition groups should be represented at upcoming peace talks. Speaking after meeting in Riyadh with foreign ministers from the Gulf Cooperation Council who have sided with Saudi Arabia in its spat with Iran and who back the rebels fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad, a key Iranian ally, Kerry and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir presented a united front. They said the U.S. and the GCC agreed on the need to confront destabilizing Iranian activities in the region and on an unspecified "understanding" that will allow the U.N.-led Syria negotiations to begin next week as planned. "Let me assure everybody that the relationship between the United States and the GCC nations is one that is built on mutual interest, on mutual defense and I think there is no doubt whatsoever in the minds of the countries that make up the GCC that the United States will stand with them against any external threat," Kerry said.Al-Jubeir denounced Iran for its "hostile and aggressive stance" against Arab nations. But he said he did not believe that Washington would act rashly in dealing with Tehran because of the nuclear deal, which was implemented earlier this month and has given Tehran access to billions in formerly frozen assets. "'Overall, the United States is very aware of the mischief that Iran's nefarious activities can do in the region," Jubeir said. "I don't believe the United States is under any illusion as to what type of government Iran is." He criticized Iran for briefly taking 10 U.S. sailors captive in early January, saying "normal countries do not act like this." He also took a swipe at Iran by noting that in the prisoner swap that resulted in the release of four imprisoned Americans in Iran, none of the seven Iranians cleared of charges in the United States opted to return to Iran. It "tells you what a great country Iran is that no one wanted to return to it," he said. Kerry avoided such blunt criticism of Iran but stressed that the U.S. shares concerns about Iran's behavior and will act against it when necessary, including imposing new sanctions, as it did last week in response to Iranian ballistic missile tests. Shiite-led Iran and Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia are longtime regional rivals that support opposite sides in the wars in Syria and Yemen. Relations plunged to a new low when Saudi Arabia executed a prominent Shiite opposition cleric earlier this month, drawing outrage from Shiites across the region and igniting mob attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran.
Saudi Arabia and some of its allies responded to those attacks by cutting diplomatic ties with Tehran, and accusing Tehran of being behind numerous terrorist attacks around the world over the past three decades. Although both Riyadh and Tehran have said the mutual animosity won't affect the Syria talks, there are still serious disagreements over who can represent the opposition at the negotiations, which were initially supposed to begin on Monday but are likely to be delayed for several days. Kerry, who was also meeting in Riyadh with Saudi King Salman, the Saudi deputy crown prince and the chief negotiator for the Saudi-backed Syrian opposition, said that despite ongoing disagreements over who should attend, an "understanding" had been reached on how to begin the talks. He did not elaborate but said the more than 20 nations and groups that make up the International Syria Support Group would meet almost immediately after the first round of peace negotiations to address any issues that arise in Geneva. "We are quite confident that there is a way to invite the various interested stakeholders that provides for cohesion and the ability to make the process move forward," Kerry said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry meanwhile said Kerry and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke Saturday at Kerry's request. "Particular attention was paid to the need to form a truly representative delegation of the opposition and ensure compliance with the requirements of the negotiating agenda of the U.N. Security Council Resolution 2254, including the fight against ISIS and other terrorist groups, as well as respect for the right of Syrians themselves to determine the fate of their country," the ministry said in a statement.Russia is a close ally of the Syrian government, and began carrying out airstrikes in Syria last year. Moscow says it is targeting the IS group and other extremists, but the airstrikes have also hit Western-backed rebels. Kerry is in Saudi Arabia on the second leg of his latest round-the-world diplomatic mission, which began in Switzerland and will also take him to Laos, Cambodia and China.

Biden: PKK is terror group ‘plain and simple,’ threat to Turkey like ISIS
AFP, Istanbul Saturday, 23 January 2016/U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Saturday said that the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) is a threat to Turkey like ISIS, condemning the Kurdish militants as “a terror group plain and simple.”ISIS “is not the only existential threat to the people of Turkey, the PKK is equally a threat and we are aware of that.. it is a terror group plain and simple and what they continue to do is absolutely outrageous,” Biden said after talks with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Istanbul.

Rocket fire from Syria ‘wounds two’ in Turkey: reports
AFP, Istanbul Saturday, 23 January 2016/A rocket fired from Syria on Saturday slammed into the town of Kilis on the Turkish side of the border, wounding two people, reports said, quoting the local governorate. The rocket hit a street causing an explosion that damaged nearby buildings and wounded an 18-year-old youth and a 14-year-old Syrian refugee girl, the Anatolia news agency said. Local governor Suleyman Tapsiz said that the rocket had been “fired from Syria” but did not specify who by. The Dogan news agency described the rocket as Katyusha-type. The incident comes after one person was killed and one more seriously wounded Monday when a rocket fired from a militant-controlled area in Syria slammed into a schoolyard in Kilis. According to Turkish media reports, the army had ascertained that the January 18 attack was carried out by Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and responded by destroying their positions. Kilis, a town of just under 100,000, lies just north of the Syrian border, some 10 kilometers from the Syrian town of Azaz. Turkish officials have said it is the only town in the country with a majority of Syrians, some of the estimated 2.2 million living in Turkey who have fled the civil war at home. That area of northern Syria south of Kilis has in the last months been the scene of fierce clashes involving ISIS militants who have seized swathes of northern Syria.

Turkish PM Davutoglu says Turkey respects Iraq's territorial integrity
Reuters, Istanbul Saturday, 23 January 2016/Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Saturday the Turkish military was in Iraq to ward off Islamic state of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), reiterating that Ankara respects Iraqi territorial unity. At a news conference following a meeting with U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden, Davutoglu said only the legitimate Syrian opposition should be involved with negotiations over Syria. Davutoglu thanked Biden for visiting Cyprus, adding that the United States will have an important role in Cyprus peace talks.

Rebels: Assad, Russia to blame if peace talks fail
Agencies Saturday, 23 January 2016/Syrian armed rebel groups said on Saturday they held the Syrian government and Russia responsible for any failure of peace talks to end the country’s civil war, even before negotiations due to start in Geneva next week. Syria’s opposition has demanded an end to government sieges and a halt to Russian air raids as goodwill measures before they will attend talks set for Jan. 25. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry insists the talks must go ahead next week. “We hold the Assad regime and its Russian ally responsible for any failure of the political process due to their continued war crimes” including sieges and bombardment of civilian areas, a joint statement from dozens of rebel factions said. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Saturday after talks with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states in Saudi Arabia that he was confident Syria peace talks would proceed. Earlier, opposition officials said Friday there was no agreement on a delegation as a new wave of air raids in eastern Syria killed at least 40 people. The U.N. special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, has the final say on the delegation and who will receive invitations to attend the talks.
U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq indicated Friday that the talks probably will not start on Monday, telling reporters that the U.N. envoy would hold a news conference in Geneva that afternoon to talk about next steps. Others have said the talks may be delayed by a few days. “Where we stand on this right now is that Staffan de Mistura, expects to at least roll out the process a bit on Monday,” Haq said. “How that happens will become more clear on that date.” At the Geneva news conference, he said de Mistura will “give some more details on what will happen next.”Many in the opposition say Russia wants to add names to the delegation that opposition groups backed by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar announced this week by the Saudis. Abdul-Basit Sieda of the Saudi-backed opposition said they reject Russia’s desire to add names to the opposition list. One senior Kurdish official denounced the negotiating team announced in Saudi Arabia as a “delegation of jihadis.” Another opposition official said Moscow wants to add to the delegation among others, Qadri Jamil, a former Syrian deputy prime minister, as well as Saleh Muslim, the co-president of the largest Kurdish group, the Democratic Union Party or PYD. Turkey, which has its own large and restive Kurdish population, strongly opposes any PYD participation. The PYD’S military wing has been instrumental in the fight against ISIS in northern Syria. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to reveal details about the talks. “The PYD wants to hijack the Kurdish cause in Syria,” said Sieda, himself a Kurd, but an opponent of the PYD.

U.S. ‘prepared’ for military solution in Syria, says VP
Reuters/Saturday, 23 January 2016/U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said that the U.S. was prepared for a military solution in Syria if a political solution was not possible. “We do know it would better if we can reach a political solution but we are prepared ..., if that’s not possible, to have a military solution to this operation and taking out Daesh,” Biden said at a news conference, using an Arabic term for the militant group, which controls large swathes of Iraq and Syria. The suggestion comes as Washington appears to be ramping up its rhetoric on ending the civil war, which has dragged on for over four years, and has claimed the lives of over 200,000. The vice president reaffirmed the U.S. government’s designation of the Kurdish militia group PKK, is a terror group “plain and simple,” equally a threat to Turkey as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Biden is currently in Turkey, where he was set to holds talks with Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said following a meeting with Biden that the Turkish military was in Iraq to ward off ISIS, reiterating that Ankara respects Iraqi territorial unity.
Davutoglu thanked Biden for visiting Cyprus, adding that the United States will have an important role in Cyprus peace talks. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry also said after talks with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states in Saudi Arabia that he was confident Syria peace talks would proceed.
“We are confident that with good initiative in the next day or so those talks can get going and that the U.N. representative special envoy Staffan De Mistura will be convening people in an appropriate manner for the proximity talks that will be the first meeting in Geneva,” he told reporters in Riyadh.

U.N. urges regular aid access to Yemen’s Taez
AFP, Sanaa Saturday, 23 January 2016/The U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Yemen called Saturday for regular humanitarian access to parts of the battleground city of Taez that are besieged by Iran-backed militias. Jamie McGoldrick said he saw some food, cooking gas and other commodities being brought into the city where pro-government forces are holed up. “I appeal to authorities and groups to work with the United Nations to establish a mechanism that will allow regular and sustained access of these goods and more into the city,” he said in a statement. He said access to three districts of the southwestern city had been difficult for months and the U.N. is seeking “mechanisms with parties on the ground to ensure sustained, unfettered and unconditional access.” Shiite Houthi rebels and allied fighters loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh have laid siege to Yemen’s third city for months. The insurgents overran the capital Sanaa unopposed in September 2014 and expanded their control across several regions. Loyalists backed by a Saudi-led coalition have recaptured Aden and four other southern provinces since July, as well as most of Marib province, east of the capital. McGoldrick said basic services are scarce in Taez, while hospitals are short of medical supplies. “Everywhere I went I saw the trauma the conflict is causing to the women, men and children,” he said. U.N. children’s fund (UNICEF) representative Julien Harneis, who also went to Taez, told reporters that the conditions of displaced people in areas near the city were “absolutely terrible”. More than 5,800 people have been killed in Yemen since the Saudi-led bombing campaign against rebels began in March, about half of them civilians, according to the United Nations.

U.S. forces setting up airbase in northeast Syria: sources
AFP, Beirut Saturday, 23 January 2016/U.S. special forces and experts are setting up an airbase in northeast Syria as part of the battle against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group, Syrian military and security sources said Saturday. They told AFP work was underway to expand an airfield in Rmeilan, in Hasakeh province, from where aircraft used to take off to spray pesticides on crops before Syria’s war started five years ago. A Syrian military source said nearly 100 “American experts,” alongside forces from the anti-ISIS Kurdish People’s Protection Units had widened the landing strip and refurbished some infrastructure. “The airbase will be used for helicopters and cargo planes. Its strip is now 2,700 metres (yards) long and is ready to be used by planes that will transport equipment and ammunition,” the source added. The Pentagon did not confirm the reports but said the U.S. military had not taken control of any airfield in Syria. “There has been no change to the size of mission of the U.S. presence in Syria,” added U.S. Central Command spokesman Colonel Pat Ryder. “That being said, U.S. forces in Syria are consistently looking at ways to increase efficiency for logistics and personnel recovery support,” he said. At the end of October, US President Barack Obama authorized the deployment of up to 50 special operations troops to Syria to advise local ground forces battling ISIS. The military source told AFP that U.S forces have been working on the Rmeilan airfield “for more than three months.”A security source in northeast Syria said “American special forces and advisors are using the Rmeilan airport as a base, from where helicopters are taking off towards the fronts.”The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the airstrip has been widened and “is nearly ready for us by American planes”.The U.S. is supporting a Kurdish-Arab alliance called the Syrian Democratic Forces against ISIS in northern Syria, providing it with air cover as part of a broad coalition battling ISIS. SDF spokesman Talal Sello denied that U.S. forces had taken over the Rmeilan, describing it as “an agricultural airport.” The U.S.-led coalition began bombing ISIS targets in Syria in September 2014, expanding their mission from neighboring Iraq.

Palestinian girl, 13, shot dead after trying to stab Israeli guard
Reuters, Jerusalem Saturday, 23 January 2016
A 13-year-old Palestinian girl was shot dead by an Israeli security guard she tried to stab at a settlement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Israeli police said on Saturday. It was the latest fatality in an almost four-month-long surge of violence that has raised concern of wider escalation, a decade after the last Palestinian uprising subsided, and it followed two stabbings this week inside settlements carried out by Palestinian teenagers, according to Israeli authorities. Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said initial investigations showed the teenager “had fought with her family and left her home with a knife and intending to die”. Holding a knife, she ran toward the security guard at the entrance to Anatot settlement and he opened fire at her, Samri said. Her father arrived at the scene shortly after the incident and was arrested, she added. Eight seconds of security camera footage published on Israeli Channel Two News’s website showed the armed guard running through the settlement gate and a young woman running after him with an object, possibly a knife, in her hand. The family of the teenager, Ruqayya Abu Eid, confirmed her death. Her mother, Reeda Abu Eid, said there had been no trouble before her daughter left the family home, a tent in the Palestinian village Anata. “Her father works in a farm and Ruqayya used to go to him. I didn’t see her when she left so I expected she had gone to her father,” she said. “Ruqayya is a small girl, how could she stab someone?”Since the start of October, Israeli forces have killed at least 149 Palestinians, 95 of them assailants according to authorities. Most of the others have died in violent protests. Almost daily stabbings, shootings and car-ramming attacks by Palestinians have killed 25 Israelis and a U.S. citizen.
Many of the Palestinian assailants have been teenagers.
On Sunday, an Israeli mother of six was stabbed to death at her home in a West Bank settlement and a 15-year-old Palestinian was arrested for the attack. On Monday, Israeli troops shot and wounded a 17-year-old Palestinian who had stabbed and wounded a pregnant Israeli woman in a settlement.
The bloodshed has been fueled by various factors including frustration over the 2014 collapse of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and the growth of Jewish settlements on land Palestinians seek for an independent state. Palestinian leaders have said that with no breakthrough on the horizon, desperate youngsters see no future ahead. Israel says young Palestinians are being incited to violence by their leaders and Islamist groups that call for Israel’s destruction.

Report: UK, U.S., Russian troops in Libya
Staff writer, Al Arabiya News Saturday, 23 January 2016/Dozens of British, Russia and American troops have arrived in Libya in support for the weak internationally-recognized government in Tobruk, London-based daily Asharq al-Awsat reported. The daily also said French troops are expected to arrive soon for the same purpose. The officers and soldiers are currently stationed in Jamal Abdulnasir military base south of Tobruk where the parliament is holding its sessions in the city. Witnesses in the base, meanwhile, said the number of foreign troops mounts to 500 troops in the past three weeks, but a security official, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said they are just dozens. However, a small group of Americans have arrived west of Tripoli, where the opposing government is. On Friday, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford said a decisive military action is needed to halt the spread of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Libya, saying the group wanted to use the north African nation as a platform to coordinate activity across the continent. A spokesman for Libya’s recognized government in the east told AFP it was requesting a “limited intervention by the international community to "protect oil fields from ISIS attacks.”Hatem el-Ouraybi said the government wanted “air strikes against ISIS positions” in Libya. The government has previously called for an air campaign against ISIS, like in Iraq and Syria, but world powers are first waiting for rival sides to endorse the unity administration.

Tunisia PM holds crunch cabinet talks over unrest
AFP, Tunis Saturday, 23 January 2016/Tunisia’s Prime Minister Habib Essid held an emergency cabinet meeting Saturday, after authorities declared a nighttime curfew nationwide following the worst outbreak of social unrest since the 2011 revolution. Essid met his defence and interior ministers before the cabinet session, as AFP journalists reported relative calm in towns rocked by clashes between protesters and police in recent days. “Security-wise, it has started to stabilise,” interior ministry spokesman Walid Louguini told AFP, echoing Essid’s comments on Friday that the situation had been brought “under control”. Five years after the overthrow of longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, street demonstrations against unemployment and poverty have again shaken the North African nation. In a televised address to the nation on Friday, President Beji Caid Essebsi expressed understanding for the frustrations vented in impoverished regions of central Tunisia. But he warned against “ill-intentioned hands” exploiting the legitimate grievances of demonstrators. Anger erupted over the death on January 16 of Ridha Yahyaoui, a 28-year-old unemployed man who was electrocuted when he climbed a power pole while protesting in the central town of Kasserine. The unrest spread around the country, including to Tunis where shops were burnt and looted in one suburb, prompting the interior ministry on Friday to impose an 8:00 pm to 5:00 am curfew. Calm returned to Kasserine on Saturday morning, an AFP journalist said, after a day of clashes.In the nearby town of Sidi Bouzid -- the cradle of the 2011 uprising -- teenagers set fire to tyres but the situation was relatively calm, an AFP journalist said. Authorities arrested 261 people over the unrest and 84 for violating the curfew on Friday, the interior ministry said. France on Friday pledged $1.1 billion in development aid to Tunisia over the next five years, after Essid held talks with French President Francois Hollande. While Tunisia is considered a rare success story of the Arab Spring uprisings, the authorities have failed to resolve the problems of social exclusion and regional inequalities.
Tunisia also faces militant violence that has devastated its vital tourism industry.

U.S.: Turkey can do more to fight ISIS
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Saturday, 23 January 2016/The U.S. secretary of defense on Saturday called on Turkey to expand its efforts to fight the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, saying that its long borders with Syria and Iraq were “porous to foreign fighters.”While Ashton Carter stressed that “Turkey is a long-time friend of ours, he added that he thought “the Turks can do more to fight ISIL,” using another acronym for the militant group. The secretary of defense, speaking at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss town of Davos, said on Friday that several members of the U.S.-led coalition striking ISIS are doing “nothing at all” to help fight the militants. His comments mark a departure from the Pentagon's typical depiction of the 65-member coalition, which carries the slogan “One mission, many nations,” and is frequently touted to highlight global resolve in the predominantly U.S. to defeat ISIS.
“Many of them are not doing enough, or are doing nothing at all,” Carter said in an interview with CNBC in Davox. “We can do a lot ourselves ... (but) we are looking for other people to play their part.”In a separate interview with Bloomberg TV, Carter called the anti-ISIS alliance a “so-called” coalition, highlighting frustrations the Pentagon has with partners. “We need others to carry their weight, there should be no free riders,” he said. The defeat of ISIS “needs to occur, it will occur … first and foremost in Syria and Iraq,” he said adding that he shares the ambition of Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to defeat the militants by the end of this year. The coalition has been bombing the militants since August 2014 but despite killing thousands of their fighters and reclaiming large areas they once held, the ISIS group is still launching attacks around the world, including in Jakarta, Afghanistan and Paris.

Yemeni Guantanamo Bay inmate refuses to leave
AFP, Washington Saturday, 23 January 2016/A Yemeni prisoner who had been cleared to leave Guantanamo Bay after nearly 14 years has opted to stay in the military prison for now, a Pentagon spokesman said Friday. Mohammed Ali Abdullah Bwazir had been due to be transferred on Wednesday, but changed his mind at the last minute, Lieutenant Commander Gary Ross said. “We cannot discuss the details of a detainee’s decision not to accept resettlement in a third country, other than to note that he declined to accept the offer for resettlement,” he added. The detainee remained on the Pentagon’s list of men approved for transfer, and officials would continue trying to move him, according to Ross. “We are starting again with trying to negotiate with different countries to try to accept him,” he said. The Pentagon did not disclose to which country Bwazir had declined to go.
Life outside captivity
Bwazir’s lawyer, John Chandler, told the Miami Herald that his client had become like a character in the prison movie The Shawshank Redemption, who couldn’t handle life outside of captivity. “He’s been in Guantanamo so long that he was terrified about going to a country other than one where he had family,” Chandler said. A defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Bwazir had wanted to go to an Arabic-speaking country. According to his leaked prison files, Bwazir allegedly fought in Osama Bin Laden’s 55th Arab Brigade. He had previously participated in hunger strikes to protest his lengthy imprisonment, the Herald reported. The Pentagon on Thursday announced the transfer of another two inmates from Guantanamo Bay, bringing the facility’s remaining population down to 91. Of them, 34 have been approved for release. The rest face ongoing, indefinite detention.

Iranian, Chinese presidents agree to expand ties
Reuters, Dubai Saturday, 23 January 2016/Iran and China agreed to expand bilateral ties to form a comprehensive strategic partnership, President Hassan Rouhani and visiting Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping said on Saturday, calling it a “new season” in bilateral relations. The Chinese president is the first leader to visit Iran since international sanctions on the Islamic Republic were lifted on Jan. 16 after it struck a deal with six major powers to limit its nuclear programme. China was one of the six. “We are happy that President Xi visited Iran after the lifting of sanctions ... Iran and China have agreed to increase trade to $600 billion in the next 10 years,” Rouhani said at the news conference with Xi broadcast live on state television. “Iran and China have agreed on forming strategic relations (as) reflected in a 25-year comprehensive document,” he said. Both countries signed 17 accords on Saturday, including agreements on a revival of the ancient Silk Road trade route and cooperation in peaceful nuclear energy. Rouhani said the two countries had also agreed to cooperate closely to resolve the issue of “terrorism and extremism in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Yemen”. Xi is the first Chinese president to visit Iran in 14 years, according to the Iranian state news agency IRNA. He has visited Saudi Arabia and Egypt as well during a Middle East tour that began on Jan. 19. He was to meet Iran’s most powerful figure, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, later in the day.

King Salman marks one year in power
Staff writer, Al Arabiya News Saturday, 23 January 2016/King Salman bin Abdulaziz marks one year in power since becoming the ruler of Saudi Arabia after the death of his half-brother, the late King Abdullah. Salman was crowned as the new King following the death of King Abdullah who passed away on Jan. 23 last year. After his crowning, in a televised speech, King Salman said: “We will continue to hold on to the strong path on which Saudi Arabia has walked on since King Abdulaziz.”Before being crowned king, Salman was appointed Minister of Defense in 2011. He was also named the Crown Prince in 2012 following the death of his brother Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia delivers a speech to the Saudi Shura Council, or advisory assembly, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011. (File photo: AP) King Salman’s one year ascension to the throne was commemorated by Saudi media earlier this month, using the basis of the Islamic Hijri calendar. Held on Jan. 13, the commemoration was 10 days early, duo to the Islamic Hijri calendar that is based on the moon’s cycle, and not the sun as is with the internationally-used Georgian calendar. King Salman is the 25th son of the founder of Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz al-Saud.

Davos: With the Saudis absent, Zarif’s fairy tales prevailed
Faisal J. Abbas/Al Arabiya/January 23/16
Iranian Foreign Secretary Mohammad Javad Zarif certainly got a free ride at this year’s World Economic Forum. His views on the region went completely unchallenged in the absence of a counter-argument, and due to the format of his session, members of the audience were not able to ask questions or intervene.
However, one must admit that Zarif’s ability to twist facts is phenomenal! Indeed, had there been an award at Davos for “Spin Doctor of the Year,” then he would have won it... hands down! Iran’s FM made it seem like Tehran was the region’s cuddly teddy bear who has been desperately trying to reconcile with Saudi Arabia, which he naturally portrayed as the “big bad wolf.” Iran’s FM made it seem like Tehran was the region’s cuddly teddy bear who has been desperately trying to reconcile with Saudi Arabia, which he naturally portrayed as the “big bad wolf.” Frankly, I wasn’t sure if Zarif was being serious or joking when he stressed in front of the WEF audience of global movers and shakers that his country is a firm believer in diplomacy as a means of resolving conflicts. If this is the case, then what on earth is the Iranian Quds Force (or paramilitary terrorist groups affiliated to it) doing in Iraq and Syria? In fact, this elite Revolutionary Guard Unit is so focused on destabilizing Iran's Arab neighbors that I honestly suggest it should be renamed the “Anywhere-but-Quds Brigade.”Furthermore, if the Iranian regime is truly such a peace-loving dove, then perhaps it should consider withdrawing from the three UAE islands it still occupies, stop supporting the murderous Assad regime which has overseen the killing of 200 thousand people and stop backing Yemen’s Houthi militias which staged a coup against the legitimate government of President Hadi.
Infographic: Iran's funding to terrorist groups all over the region.
Of course, this was a fair comment as the Saudi participation was perceived to be mostly business-oriented. The delegation - which consisted of a few ministers, government officials and prominent businessmen, as well as a number of princes and individuals coming in their personal capacity - wasn't seen by many to reflect the size, prominence and change happening in the kingdom. Excuse me? How was Riyadh supposed to act when - on top of all the aggression mentioned above - the Iranian regime sat back and watched its thugs attack and set fire to the Saudi embassy in Tehran? Zarif went on to stress that this attack was officially condemned and that the perpetrators will be prosecuted. However, he - unsurprisingly - didn't dwell much into how this attack was allowed to happen in the first place under a regime which otherwise wouldn't allow a mosquito to freely move without permission! Zarif also dwelled on how Saudi Arabia's defense expenditure is far greater than Iran's - yet he failed to recognize that this is a natural result of Tehran meddling with the region left, right and center. At the end of the day, Saudi Arabia would also prefer to spend more of its money on development - however with Houthi missiles coming in from the south and Iran bragging from the north about becoming an empire and occupying Arab cities, what else could Riyadh have done? Naturally, not everyone in Davos bought the Iranian narrative, however almost everyone I met said one thing: “we wish the Saudis were here to be able to tell their side of the story.” Naturally, not everyone in Davos bought the Iranian narrative, however almost everyone I met said one thing: “we wish the Saudis were here.” Of course, this was a fair comment as the Saudi participation was indeed low key compared to size, prominence and change happening in the kingdom: a few ministers, government officials and prominent businessmen, as well as a number of princes and individuals coming in their personal capacity. However, I understand that behind closed doors FM Zarif was taken to task on his country's shameful stance on Syria by a former senior Saudi official. Unfortunately, only a handful of people - and no media - saw that. Now, the kingdom is not without its faults and certainly not above criticism. However, until it is fairly represented and publicly present at such important global events, this will only mean that Iran can continue getting away with spinning the truth and Zarif's politically incorrect fairy tales will prevail.

Price of Syrian refugee crisis increasing
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/January 23/16
Any refugee living on only $13 a month, as is the case for many Syrians in Lebanon, would want to immigrate to Europe, former UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband said at the World Economic Forum in Davos. He added that the solution to the Syrian refugee crisis was not to increase aid to refugees, but to find a permanent solution to help them go back home. The price of this tragedy is greater than money - whole societies and political systems are involved. The enormous sums spent on security and care of Syrian refugees worldwide could have been saved if the international community had intervened against the Syrian regime in the last five bloody years . Unless massacres are stopped, millions of Syrians will keep looking for safe havens. They are escaping murder, hunger and cold. Lives are suspended in inhuman refugee camps. This will not be solved soon because some politicians have concocted a solution satisfying Iran and Russia in Vienna and Geneva.
International inaction
The enormous sums spent on security and care of Syrian refugees worldwide could have been saved if the international community had intervened against the Syrian regime in the last five bloody years. Every time we criticize the international community’s inaction, some think we are calling for Western troops in Syria, but our sole demand has been to let Syrians buy defensive weapons to counter fighter jets. The international community has rejected military intervention and the provision of such weapons. With such a weak stand, it is normal that the crisis expanded regionally and even into Europe, which is separated from Syria only by Turkey.Millions of Syrians are scattered across the region and beyond, and millions more displaced inside their country. The mishandling of the Syrian tragedy led to the rise of ISIS. There is currently no hope for a political solution despite all the talk of diplomacy.

King Salman’s ambitious foreign policy leads the way
Dr. Theodore Karasik/Al Arabiya/January 23/16
The impressive major Saudi foreign policy initiatives and military action over the past year speaks volumes about King Salman’s acumen to lead the Kingdom down a new path to be a leader on a regional and global scale in its own right. Of course, King Salman’s first year on the throne honed in on the fight against terrorism, extremism and taking the lead on determining the outcome of Middle East conflicts in favor of Riyadh’s world view. King Salman’s approach, known as the Salman Doctrine, is based on the concept that Saudi interests come first and that the Kingdom cannot link its fate to its alliance with the United States or any other country that doubts the Kingdom’s outlook and intentions. The doctrine also embraces Saudi Arabia’s more recent “alliance with its brothers and friends from the Arab and Muslim world.”
A forward-leaning leadership
The Saudi-led anti-Houthi coalition continues to be a major force that seeks not only to settle the Yemeni civil war in a formidable way, but to bring peaceful results. Both Operation Decisive Storm and the ongoing Operation Restore Hope represent two phases of the multi-nation operation that intends to degrade and destroy Houthi capabilities. This campaign will continue until a peaceful resolution is found through diplomatic negotiations no matter the length of time; Saudi Arabia’s desire to shape Yemen’s future is absolute.
Towards the end of 2015, King Salman’s resolve became more stunning and forward-leaning in terms of leadership of the Arab and Muslim world.
The Kingdom is rising strongly to counter extremism and terrorism in all forms and uniting the Islamic world
The Riyadh Summit of Syrian opposition groups held in December illustrated Saudi Arabia’s requirement for a Syrian settlement. From the kingdom's perspective, the gathering of more than 100 different groups and individuals from the Syrian opposition signaled a robust attempt to make sure all Syrians are represented in any future Syrian political settlement no matter how the outside world sees them. Clearly, the Kingdom sees a wide-range of oppositionists to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and wants to gather international momentum to recognize them as all part of the settlement process. The bold move sent signals to other countries involved in the Syrian Civil War that Riyadh’s viewpoint is not to be ignored.
Defeating extremism
Simultaneously, Saudi Arabia’s announcement of an Islamic military alliance illustrated that King intends to unite like-minded countries to defeat extremism in any form in the Middle East and beyond. The Islamic credentials of the Kingdom are at the forefront where the “Muslim faith forbids corruption and destruction in the world and that terrorism constitutes a serious violation of human dignity and rights, especially the right to life and the right to security.” By adding the hefty weight of Islamic creed to Saudi foreign policy in this new form and format, the Kingdom is showing the world its prowess.
Here, the Salman Doctrine is growing again in a forceful way beyond Yemen and the Levant. King Salman and Saudi officials are launching the next phase of Riyadh's assertiveness by demonstrating unity and decisiveness in the region and to international actors who have interests in the Middle East. In other words, the Kingdom is rising strongly to counter extremism and terrorism in all forms and uniting the Islamic world against those who seek to upend Islamic religious values and political goals.
On the cusp of the first anniversary of King Salman’s accession to the throne, Saudi Arabia made clear its intention to expose Iran and its perfidious behavior not only in Arab lands but also, in the long term, throughout the world. The meeting of the Jeddah-based Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) this past week exemplifies King Salman’s intent to uncover Tehran’s perfidy as a major foreign policy priority into his second year on the throne.
The 57-nation OIC released a final communique condemning Iran's mischievous actions following an emergency meeting attended by 24 foreign ministers from across the Muslim world, including Turkey, Malaysia, Pakistan and Indonesia. It should be noted that the signatories to the OIC communique make up the bulk of the new Saudi-led Islamic military alliance.
Overall, King Salman is setting Saudi Arabia onto a course where the Kingdom’s interests are a national and sacred duty that extends far beyond the borders of Saudi Arabia and its immediate neighbors. It has been a truly remarkable and unprecedented year for King Salman’s foreign policy.

An undecided Tehran is bad for Iran
Mohamed Chebarro/Al Arabiya/January 23/16
With Iran taking a major step toward normalizing its relations with the world, Tehran’s leadership has to decide, in the interest of its people, culture and economy, whether it is a state or a revolutionary entity. The milestone review by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on January 16 found that Iran has complied with the nuclear deal reached with the international community in June last year and dismantled its secretive nuclear program paving the way for lifting sanctions. This accomplishment constitutes only a slither of what await the Iranian government and its people.
Undoing its nuclear facilities, shipping tons of low-enriched uranium to Russia and stopping its ballistic missile program will allow Iran access to ship its oil and for its banks to operate internationally. This will allow the removal of some travel and import bans shackling its economy and its people.
Yet the real hurdles remain. Tehran’s leadership must decide whether Iran is a state or a revolutionary entity and whether it is ready to uphold international transparent practices in pursuit of its interests.
Tehran’s leadership has to decide whether it is a state or a revolutionary entity
The nuclear deal ends one of several sanction packages imposed on Iran by various international bodies resulting from its human rights record and support for terrorism and terror groups. Among those are sanctions imposed by the U.S. three and a half decades ago at the onset of the revolution when Tehran’s new leaders decided to hold employees of the American embassy in Iran as hostages. Other similar sanctions have been imposed on Iran by the European Union and the U.N. due to Tehran’s involvement in terror activities or its poor record in upholding human rights.
The nuclear deal and its aftermath might be a good beginning for Iran but its leadership has a long list of grueling tasks to achieve if they want to re-harmonize Iran as a player on the international stage. Iran’s revolutionary tone bent on the belligerent must be turned down.
Incidents such as the capture of U.S. navy boat, after it drifted into Gulf waters, is not likely to win Iran friends especially considering the way they were paraded on national and international Iranian channels. The same is applicable to encouraging people to storm and burn down embassies such as the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad recently.
Curbing proxies
Iran’s many proxy wars in the Arab region and beyond is another problem which Tehran leaders must work with the international community to resolve. The statements made by leaders of the elite Revolutionary Guards, claiming that Iran controls four Arab capitals, is not conducive to eliminating the lack of trust over Iranian intentions for 30 years.
Those same leaders have on other occasions boasted that the Islamic Revolution of Iran has trained and equipped 200,000 young men from various countries, including Afghanistan and Pakistan. Indeed such acts will not help restore the calm and prosperity a nation needs to rebuild its economy and international trust after 37 years as a pariah state.
Iran in a post nuclear era must review relations with its neighbors, mainly Gulf states, and cooperate to ensure stability in the region instead of continuing with this game of destabilizing states through sectarian divisions in countries such as Bahrain, Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq and Syria. Iran should take a strategic review on whether it is still beneficial to fan the fires of sectarianism in the 21st century, whether it is useful today to re-awaken the Shia-Sunni tussle or to settle centuries old Arab-Persian rivalry.
Iran must reconsider whether its efforts to derail the Palestinian-Israeli peace process in the 90s benefited the Palestinian cause or buried for good any hope of a two-state solution, which the Palestinian people desperately needed.
The missile test related sanctions announced by President Obama immediately after the prisoner exchange with Iran, and the removal of nuclear deal related sanctions imposed 10 years ago, should serve as reminder to Tehran and its smart playing politicians. They must chose, as the Saudi foreign minister said last week, whether they are a state or a revolutionary entity.

Canada/Can Canadian, MP, Omar Alghabra be trusted in shaping Canada’s policy towards terrorism?
Posted by: Jonathan D. Halevi /CIJ News/January 23, 2016
http://en.cijnews.com/?p=22570
Omar Alghabra (MP Mississauga Centre) who was appointed on December 2, 2015 by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Consular Affairs), believes that Arabs and Muslims should be recruited to the RCMP as they have better qualifications to identify terrorists.
In his testimony in Parliament on September 20, 2005, Omar Alghabra explained that Arab and Muslim Police officers, have an inherent advantage over others because of their cultural background.
Omar Alghabra said: “First of all, on the reasons why we’re asking for Arabs and Muslims to be within the police force, they’re going to identify who the terrorists are, and because a lot of these practices are a result of ignorance of the tradition and culture of Arabs and Muslims, the only way to sensitize the agencies is by diversifying them.” To read Alghabra’s entire testimony click here.
Based to his argument, Omar Alghabra has the two aforementioned advantages in identifying terrorists because of his Arab background (born in Saudi Arabia) and being a Muslim. To read Alghabra’s position on Hezbollah click here.
On September 17, 2004, Omar Alghabra, then (2004-5) the President of the Canadian Arab Federation, slammed the “biased reporting” approach espoused by CanWest. As a glaring example to the “biased approach” the statement noted that CanWest described al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades a “terrorist” organization.
“CanWest, one of the largest media conglomerates in Canada, is failing its responsibility towards all Canadians, not just Arabs and Muslims,” said Omar Alghabra, CAF president. “The media has moral and ethical obligations to report the facts when it comes to news reporting, not the opinions of their editors.”
Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade (AAMB) was designated in 2003 by Canada as a terrorist organization and its status was reaffirmed in November 2014.
According to Public Safety Canada, “The Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade (AAMB) emerged at the outset of the 2000 Palestinian al-Aqsa intifada and consists of loose cells of Palestinian militants loyal to, but not under the direct control of, the secular-nationalist Fatah party. The AAMB attacks Israeli military targets and Israeli settlers, aiming to expel Israeli presence from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and to establish an independent and sovereign Palestinian state there. The AAMB has conducted armed, suicide and rocket attacks to achieve its objectives.”
The terrorist record of Fatah’s al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades
The book “The Military Operations of the Palestinian Resistance”, co-authored by the Palestinian researchers Islamil al-Ashqar and Mu’min Basisu provides a comprehensive database and statistics about the Palestinian armed struggle against Israel during the second intifada known as al-Aqsa Intifada.
According to the Palestinian researchers, from September 28, 2000 to December 31, 2004, Fatah’s al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades carried out hundreds of attacks in which 184 people were killed and 1,388 injured.
The following is a partial list of the attacks carried out by Fatah’s al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades during al-Aqsa Intifada and BEFORE Alghabra’s statement on September 19, 2004 in which he criticized CanWest for portraying al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades as a “terrorist” organization.
October 19, 2000 – Shooting attack north of Nablus, an Israeli civilian dead, others injured.
October 30, 2000 – Shooting attack in Jerusalem, an Israeli guard dead, other injured.
December 8, 2000 – Shooting attack near Jericho, an Israeli civilian dead, other injured.
January 15, 2001 – Shooting attack in the village of Salem, an Israeli civilian was seriously injured.
January 17, 2001 – An Israeli teenager was tempted by Fatah operative to visit Ramallah where he was
was kidnapped and executed.
January 23, 2001 – Shooting attack in the area of Tulkarem, 2 Israeli civilians dead.
January 25, 2001 – Shooting attack north of Jerusalem, an Israeli civilian dead.
February 25, 2001 – Shooting attack in the area of Ramallah, 2 Israeli civilians injured.
April 27, 2001 – Shooting attack at a vehicle near Umm al-Fahem, an Israeli dead and 4 others injured.
May 8, 2001 – Shooting and stabbing attack near Itamar, an Israeli civilian dead.
May 18, 2001 – Shooting attack near Ramallah, an Israeli officer dead and his mother seriously injured.
May 28, 2001 – Shooting attack near Nablus, 2 Israeli civilians injured.
May 29, 2001 – Shooting attack near Nablus, an Israeli civilian dead.
May 29, 2001 – Shooting attack south of Jerusalem, 2 Israeli civilians dead and 4 others injured.
June 12, 2001 – Shooting attack near Nablus, an Israeli civilian injured.
June 14, 2001 – Shooing attack near Bethlehem, an Israeli Intelligence officer dead.
June 17, 2001 – bombing attack in the area of Ramallah, 3 Israeli civilians injured.
June 18, 2001 – Shooting attack near Nablus, an Israeli civilian dead and another injured.
June 18, 2001 – Shooting attack near Tulkarem, an Israeli civilian dead.
June 21, 2001 – Shooting attack in the area of Tulkarem, an Israeli civilian injured.
June 28, 2001 – Shooting attack near Jenin, an Israeli civilian dead.
June 28, 2001 – Shooting attack in the area of Tulkarem, an Israeli civilian dead.
July 9, 2001 – Bombing attack south of Hebron, an Israeli officer dead and another injured.
July 30, 2001 – Shooting attack near Tulkarem, 3 soldiers injured.
July 31, 2001 – Shooting attack near Ramallah, 5 Israeli civilians injured.
July 31, 2001 – Shooting attack near Ramallah, 7 Israeli civilians injured.
July 31, 2001 – Shooting attack near Tulkarem, 2 Israeli soldiers injured.
August 5, 2001 – Shooting attack near Qalqilia, an Israeli woman dead and 3 others injured.
Auguat 8, 2001 – Shooting attack near Nablus, 2 Israeli soldiers injured.
August 9, 2001 – Shooting attack near Jenin, an Israeli woman dead and 3 others injured.
August 25, 2001 – Shooting attack near Ramallah, 3 Israeli civilians dead.
August 26, 2001 – Shooting attack near Tulkarem, an Israeli civilian dead.
August 29, 2001 – Shooting attack near Nablus, an Israeli civilian dead.
September 6, 2001 – Shooting attack near Tulkarem, an Israeli soldier dead and a female soldier injured.
September 11, 2001 – Shooting attack north of Tulkarem, 2 Israeli soldiers dead.
September 15, 2001 – Shooting attack in Jerusalem, an Israeli civilian dead.
September 20, 2001 – Shooting attack east of Bethlehem, an Israeli woman dead and another Israeli injured.
October 4, 2001 – Shooting attack in Afula, 3 Israeli civilians dead and 13 injured.
October 28, 2001 – Shooting attack near Baqa al-Gharbiya, an Israeli civilian dead.
November 9, 2001 – Shooting attack near in the area of Jenin, an Israeli woman dead.
November 9, 2001 – Shooting attack near Tel Aviv, an Israeli officer dead.
November 24, 2001 – Shooting attack near the village of Azzun, an Israeli soldier seriously injured.
November 27, 2001 – Shooting attack in Afula, 2 Israelis dead and 50 injured. (joint Fatah – Islamic Jihad attack)
December 3, 2001 – Shooting attack, an Israeli civilian injured.
December 24, 2001 – Shooting attack near Nablus, an Israeli civilian injured.
January 14, 2002 – Shooting attack near Nablus, an Israeli officer dead.
January 15, 2002 – Shooting attack near Jerusalem, an Israeli woman dead and another woman injured.
January 15, 2002 – An Israeli civilian was murdered. His body was found near Beit Sahour.
January 15, 2002 – Shooting attack in Hadera, 6 Israeli civilians dead and 35 injured.
January 22, 2002 – Shooting attack in Jerusalem, 2 Israeli civilians dead and 40 injured.
January 25, 2002 – Suicide attack in Tel Aviv. 45 Israeli civilians injured. (Joint Fatah – Islamic Jihad attack)
January 27, 2002 – Suicide bombing attack in Jerusalem, an Israeli civilian dead and 150 injured.
January 28, 2002 – Ramming and shooting attack, an Israeli soldier injured.
February 5, 2002 – Shooting attack near Hawara, an Israeli civilian injured.
February 15, 2002 – Shooting attack near Ramallah, an Israeli soldier dead.
February 17, 2002 – Attempt to commit a suicide attack in Hadera, 5 Israeli civilians injured.
February 18, 2002 – Two separate shooting attacks in Jerusalem and Gush Katif, 4 Israelis dead.
February 25, 2002 – Shooting attack east of Bethlehem, 2 Israeli civilians dead.
February 25, 2002 – Shooting attack in Jerusalem, an Israeli civilian dead and 8 others injured.
February 27, 2002 – Shooting attack in Jerusalem, an Israeli civilian dead.
February 27, 2002 – Suicide bombing attack near Modi’in, 3 Policemen injured.
February 28, 2002 – Launching mortar shell at Gilo neighbourhood in Jerusalem, an Israeli child injured.
March 2, 2002 – Suicide bombing attack in Jerusalem, 11 Israelis dead and 50 injured.
March 2, 2002 – Shooting attack near Bethlehem, an Israeli officer dead.
March 3, 2002 – Shooting attack near Khan Yunis, an Israeli soldier dead and 4 other injured (joint Fatah – Islamic Jihad attack).
March 5, 2002 – Shooting attack in Tel Aviv, 3 Israelis dead and 25 injured.
March 5, 2002 – Shooting attack near Bethlehem, an Israeli woman dead and her husband injured (joint Fatah – Hamas attack).
March 9, 2002 – Shooting attack in Natanya, 2 Israeli civilians dead and 50 injured.
March 9, 2002 – Attempt to commit a suicide attack in Jerusalem.
March 10, 2002 – Shooting attack in near Ramallah, an Israeli civilian injured.
March 10, 2002 – Shooting attack in Ashdod, an Israeli civilian seriously injured.
March 12, 2002 – Shooting attack in near Kiryar Sefer, an Israeli civilian dead and another injured.
March 14, 2002 – Detonating anti tank mine, 3 Israeli soldiers dead (joint Fatah – PRC attack).
March 17, 2002 – Shooting attack in Kefar Sava, an Israeli civilian dead and 16 injured.
March 18, 2002 – Shooting attack aimed at an Israeli bus near Kissufum checkpoint.
March 19, 2002 – Shooting attack near Beit Shemesh, 2 Israeli soldiers injured.
March 21, 2002 – Suicide attack in Jerusalem, 3 Israelis dead and 86 injured.
March 23, 2002 – Shooting attack aimed at Netzer Hazani.
March 24, 2002 – Shooting attack aimed at an Israeli bus, an Israeli civilian dead.
March 26, 2002 – Shooting attack near Kissufim checkpoint, 2 Israeli soldiers injured.
March 29, 2002 – Suicide bombing attack in Jerusalem, 2 Israelis dead and 28 injured.
March 30, 2002 – Shooting attack near Baqa al-Gharbiya, an Israeli soldier dead.
March 30, 2002 – Suicide bombing attack in Tel Aviv, an Israeli civilian dead and 30 injured.
March 31, 2002 – Suicide bombing attack in Haifa, 15 Israelis dead and 40 injured.
April 1, 2002 – Shooting attack east of Jerusalem, an Israeli soldier dead.
April 1, 2002 – Suicide bombing attack in Jerusalem, an Israeli policeman dead and 2 others injured.
April 1, 2002 – Shooting attack at an Israeli community near Jenin.
April 3, 2002 – Suicide bombing attack at an Israeli checkpoint near Baqa al-Gharbiya.
April 4, 2002 – Shooting attack in Hebron, an Israeli officer dead.
April 13, 2002 – Suicide bombing attack in Jerusalem, 4 Israelis dead and 104 injured.
April 20, 2002 – Shooting attack at Beit Hanoun Crossing, an Israeli soldier dead.
May 12, 2002 – Shooting attack at an Israeli community in the Gaza Strip, an Israeli woman dead.
May 22, 2002 – Suicide bombing attack in Rishon Lezion, 2 Israeli civilians dead and more than 40 injured.
May 24, 2002 – Shooting attack in Tulkarem, an Israeli soldier dead.
May 24, 2002 – Suicide bombing attack in Tel Aviv, 5 Israelis injured.
May 27, 2002 – Suicide bombing attack in Petah Tikvah, 2 Israelis dead and 37 injured.
May 28, 2002 – Shooting attack in Ofra, an Israeli civilian dead and another injured.
May 31, 2002 – Shooting attack at Shavi Shomron.
June 6, 2002 – Shooting attack north of Ramallah, an Israeli civilian dead.
June 11, 2002 – Suicide bombing attack in Herzelia, an Israeli civilian dead and 15 injured.
June 12, 2002 – Joint Fatah – DFLP shooting attack aimed at Netzarim.
June 17, 2002 – Suicide bombing attack north of Tulkarem.
June 19, 2002 – Suicide bombing attack in Jerusalem, 7 Israelis dead and 50 injured.
July 7, 2002 – Shooting attack aimed at the community of Elle Sinai, an Israeli soldier injured.
July 8, 2002 – Shooting attack near Jenin, an Israeli civilian injured.
July 10, 2002 – Shooting attack near Rafah, an Israeli officer dead.
July 17, 2002 – Twin suicide bombing attack in Tel Aviv, 2 Israeli civilians dead and 40 injured.
July 23, 2002 – Shooting attack in Jenin, 2 Israeli soldiers injured.
July 25, 2002 – Shooting attack near Aleh Zahav, an Israeli civilian dead.
July 26, 2002 – Shooting attack near Hebron, 4 Israeli civilians dead and 2 injured.
July 30, 2002 – Shooting attack near Nablus, 2 Israeli civilians dead.
July 30, 2002 – Suicide bombing attack in Jerusalem, 4 Israelis injured.
August 1, 2002 – Shooting attack west of Tulkarem, an Israeli civilian dead.
August 4, 2002 – Shooting attack south of Nablus, 2 Israeli civilians dead.
August 7, 2002 – Shooting attack in Jenin, 2 Israeli soldiers injured.
August 10, 2002 – Shooting attack in Mekhora, an Israeli woman dead and her husband injured.
August 11, 2002 – Shooting attack in Jenin, 2 Israeli soldiers injured (joint Fatah – Hamas – Islamic Jihad attack).
August 15, 2002 – Shooting attack near Kissufim Crossing (Joint Fatah – Hamas attack).
August 16, 2002 – Shooting attack in Jenin, 3 Israeli soldiers injured (joint Fatah – Hamas – Islamic Jihad attack).
August 20, 2002 – Shooting attack in Jenin, 2 Israeli soldiers injured (joint Fatah – Hamas – Islamic Jihad attack).
August 23, 2002 – Shooting attack at Kfar Darom, an Israeli soldier injured.
August 25, 2002 – Shooting attacks in Jenin and Nablus, an Israeli officer and a soldier injured (joint Fatha – Islamic Jihad attack).
August 30, 2002 – Shooting attack in Jenin, 3 Israeli soldiers injured (joint Fatah – Hamas attack).
September 2, 2002 – Shooting attack near Kissufim Crossing, an Israeli soldier injured (joint Fatah – DFLP attack).
September 3, 2002 – Shooting attack north of Ramallah, an Israeli civilan injured.
September 5, 2002 – Shooting attack in area of Elle Sinai, an Israeli officer dead and another injured.
September 11, 2002 – Shooting attack in Nablus, an Israeli soldier injured.
September 12, 2002 – Shooting attack in Tulkarem, an Israeli officer and a civilian injured.
September 12, 2002 – Shooting attack in Tulkarem, an Israeli woman injured.
September 12, 2002 – Shooting attack near Jenin, an Israeli civilian dead.
September 26, 2002 – Shooting attack in the area of Elle Sinai, 3 Israeli soldiers dead.
October 13, 2002 – Shooting attack near Yagel, 2 Israeli soldiers injured.
October 20, 2002 – Shooting attack at an IDF outpost in Khan Yunis, 2 Israeli soldiers injured.
October 29, 2002 – Shooting attack at the community of Hermesh, 3 Israeli civilians dead.
October 31, 2002 – Shooting attack in Ramallah, an Israeli officer injured.
November 10, 2002 – Shooting attack at Metzer, 5 Israelis dead and 10 injured.
November 18, 2002 – Shooting attack in Nablus, 2 Israeli soldirs injured.
November 28, 2002 – Suicide bombing attack in Beit Shean, 6 Isralei civilians dead and 40 injured.
November 29, 2002 – Shooting attack in Bdolah, 6 Israelis and 2 Tai workers injured.
December 8, 2002 – Detonating a mine at a military vehicle, an Israeli officer dead (joint Fatah – Islamic Jihad attack).
December 31, 2002 – Shooting attack aimed at IDF outpost in Rafah, 3 Israelis soldiers injured.
January 2, 2003 – Shooting attack at the community of Maor.
January 2, 2003 – Kidnapping and killing an Israeli civilian at the community of Menahamia.
January 4, 2003 – Shooting attack in Jenin, 5 Israeli soldiers injured.
January 5, 2003 – Twin suicide attacks in Tel Aviv, 15 Israelis killed and 120 injured.
January 15, 2003 – Shooting attack, 2 Israeli soldiers injured.
January 17, 2003 – Shooting attack in Jenin, 3 Israeli soldiers injured (joint attack to Fatah, Islamic Jihad and the Palestinian Popular Resistance.
January 28, 2003 – Shooting attack in Jenin, 3 Israeli soldiers injured (joint Fatah – Islamic Jihad attack).
February 5, 2003 – Shooting attack in Nablus, 2 Israeli soldiers dead (joint Fatah – PFLP attack.
February 23, 2003 – Shooting attack at Natzarim.
March 9, 2003 – Shooting attack in Gush Katif, an Israeli officer injured.
March 13, 2003 – Placing mines close to the community of Kfar Darom.
March 13, 2003 – Shooting attack in Jenin, 3 Israeli soldiers injured (joint Fatah – Hamas attack).
March 19, 2003 – Shooting attack near Jenin, an Israeli civilian dead.
April 10, 2004 – Shooting attack at IDF base in the Jordan Valley, 2 Israeli soldiers dead.
April 15, 2004 – Shooting attack in Nablus, an Israeli officer dead and another injured.
April 24, 2003 – Shooting attack in Kfar Sava, 2 Israeli civilians dead and 13 injured (joint Fatah – PFLP attack).
April 27, 2003 – Shooting attack at a vehicle near Imanuel, an Israeli woman dead (joint Fatah – PFLP attack).
April 28, 2003 – Shooting attack in Nablus, 2 Israeli soldiers injured (joint Fatah – PFLP attack).
April 28, 2003 – Shooting attack in Nablus, an Israeli soldier injured (joint Fatah – Hamas attack).
May 1, 2003 – Shooting attack at Halamish.
May 8, 2013 – Suicide bombing attack (booby-trapped car) at Kfar Darom.
May 17, 2003 – Shooting attack at Sha’arei Tikvah, 2 Israeli civilians injured (joint Fatah – PFLP attack).
May 19, 2003 – Suicide bombing attack in Afula, 3 Israelis dead and 70 injured.
May 26, 2003 – Shooting attack south to Dir al-Balah, an Israeli soldier injured.
May 29, 2003 – Attempt to place a mine close to Gush Katif.
June 8, 2003 – Shooting attack at Erez military base, 4 Israeli soldiers and 4 others injured (joint attack to Fatah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad).
June 8, 2003 – Shooting attack aimed at Israeli vehicles near Kissufim (joint Fatah – DFLP attack).
June 13, 2003 – Shooting attack near Jenin, an Israeli soldier dead.
June 13, 2003 – Shooting attack west of Ramallah, 2 Israeli civilians injured.
June 17, 2003 – Shooting attack near Qalqilia, an Israeli child dead and 3 others injured (joint Fatah – General Command attack).
June 17, 2003 – Launching mortar shells at Gush Katif, an Israeli civilian and a soldier injured.
June 18, 2003 – Shooting attack aimed at corp duster (joint Fatah – Islamic Jihad attack).
June 22, 2003 – Attempt to place a mine in the area Beit Hanoun (joint Fatah – PFLP).
June 26, 2003 – Shooting attack in Baqa al-Gharbiya, an Israeli civilian dead.
July 1, 2003 – Shooting attack near Jenin, Bulgarian worker dead.
July 2, 2003 – Shooting attack near Tulkarem, an Israeli dead.
August 3, 2003 – Shooting attack near Gilo, 5 Israeli civilians injured.
August 8, 2003 – Shooting attack at IDF forces in Jenin.
August 12, 2003 – Suicide attack in Rosh Ha-Ai’n, an Israeli dead and 9 injured.
September 4, 2003 – Shooting attack, an Israeli soldier dead (joint Fatah – Islamic Jihad attack).
September 17, 2003 – Shooting attack in Nablus, an Israeli soldier injured.
October 9, 2003 – Suicide attack at the DCO in Tulkarem, 2 Israeli soldiers injured.
October 26, 2003 – Shooting attack at Kissufim Crossing.
October 29, 2003 – Shooting attack at a vehicle near Qadim, an Israeli married couple injured.
October 29, 2003 – Shooting attack at a vehicle near Ganim, 2 Israelis injured.
November 3, 2003 – Suicide attack in the area of Shave Shomron.
November 5, 2003 – Shooting attack in Kfar Darom, an Israeli injured.
November 7, 2003 – Detonating an explosive charge at an Israeli military vehicle.
November 12, 2003 – Detonating an explosive charge at an Israeli military vehicle, an Israeli injured.
November 16, 2003 – Detonating an explosive charge at an Israeli military vehicle, 4 Israeli soldiers injured (joint Fatah – Islamic Jihad attack).
November 18, 2003 – Shooting attack in Rafah, 3 Israeli soldiers injured (joint Fatah – Islamic Jihad attack).
November 19, 2003 – Detonating an explosive charge at an Israeli military vehicle, an Israeli injured.
November 22, 2003 – Shooting attack in Jerusalem, 2 Israeli dead.
December 12, 2003 – Shooting attack near Nablus, 7 Israeli civilians injured (joint attack to Fatah, PFLP and Islamic Jihad).
December 22, 2003 – Shooting attack near Kissufim, 2 Israeli officers dead and another injured (Fatah – Islamic Jihad).
January 13, 2004 – Shooting attack at a vehicle near Talmon, an Israeli civilian dead and 3 injured.
January 14, 2004 – Suicide bombing attack at Erez Crossing, 4 Israelis dead and 10 injured (joint Fatah – Hamas attack).
January 30, 2004 – Placing explosive charges near Dugit.
February 8, 2004 – Launching anti tank rockets at a miliatry convoy in Rafah, 2 Israeli soldiers injured (joint Fatah – PRC attack).
February 9, 2004 – Shooting attack at an Israeli outpost in the Gaza Strip (joint Fatah – Islamic Jihad attack).
February 20, 2004 – Suicide bombing attack in a bus in Jerusalem, 8 Israelis dead and 60 injured.
February 26, 2004 – Shooting attack at Erez Crossing, an Israeli soldier dead and 2 ijured.
February 26, 2004 – Shooting attack at a vehicle near Lehavim, 2 Israeli civilians dead (joint Fatah PFLP attack).
March 6, 2004 – Shooting attack at Erez Crossing (Joint attack to Fatah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad).
March 10, 2004 – Shooting attack near Jenin.
March 13, 2004 – Shooting attack at Nahal Oz outpost (joint Fatah – Hamas attack).
March 14, 2004 – Suicide attack in Ashdod, 10 Israelis dead and 16 injured (joint Fatah – Hamas attack).
March 21, 2004 – Shooting attack near Gush Katif (joint Fatah – Islamic Jihad attack).
March 31, 2014 – Shooting attack at Neve Dekalim.
April 4, 2004 – Shooting attack at Qadim, an Israeli soldier injured.
April 4, 2004 – Shooting attack at Natzarim military outpost (joint attack to Fatah, Islamic Jihad and Fatah)
April 17, 2004 – Suicide attack at Erez Crossing, an Israeli soldier dead and 3 injured (joint Fatha – Hamas attack).
April 20, 2004 – Shooting attack in Jerusalem, an Israeli civilian injured.
April 21, 2004 – Shooting attack at IDF forces in Beit Lahiya (joint attack to Fatah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad).
April 22, 2004 – Launching anti tank rockets at IDF position north of Kfar Darom, 2 Israeli soldiers injured.
April 22, 2004 – Shooting attack at IDF forces in Tulkarem (joint Fatah – Hamas attack).
May 5, 2004 – Detonating explosive charges at military vehicles in the Gaza Strip (joint Fatah – Hamas attack).
May 13, 2004 – Attacking and injuring an Israeli soldier with a metal rod.
May 16, 2004 – Shooting attack near Karni Crossing.
May 19, 2004 – Shooting attack at IDF forces in Jenin.
May 28, 2004 – Suicide bombing attack (booby trapped car), 2 Israeli soldiers injured (joint attack to Fatah, Hamas and PRC).
May 29, 2004 – Shooting attack in Nablus, an Israeli officer dead.
May 31, 2004 – Shooting attack near Rafah, 3 Israeli soldiers injured (joint Fatah – PRC attack).
June 8, 2004 – Launching anti tank rockets at IDF outpost near Kfar Darom, 2 Israeli soldiers injured (joint Fatah – Islamic Jihad attack).
June 22, 2004 – Shooting attack at IDF forces in Beit Hanoun.
June 24, 2004 – Shooting attack at Dugit (joint Fatah – Islamic Jihad attack).
June 29, 2004 – Shooting attack at a vehicle neat Beit Rima, an Israeli civilian dead.
July 4, 2004 – Shooting attack at a vehiclr near Jenin, an Israeli civilian dead and his wife injured.
July 5, 2004 – Shooting attack at IDF forces in Jenin.
July 7, 2004 – Shooting attack at the community of Tel Katif, 3 Israeli soldiers injured (joint Fatah – Islamic Jihad attack).
July 8, 2004 – Shooting attack at IDF forces in Beit Hanoun (joint Fatah – Islamic Jihad attack).
July 11, 2004 – Detonating an explosive charge at a bus in Tel Aviv, an Israeli female soldier dead and 33 injured.
July 19, 2004 – Shooting attack at IDF forces in Tulkarem.
July 23, 2004 – Shooting attack at Shave Shomron, an Israeli soldier injured.
July 29, 2004 – Shooting attack at Netzer Hazani (joint Fatah – Islamic Jihad attack).
August 1, 2004 – Shooting attack near Neve Dekalim, an Israeli soldier injured.
August 2, 2004 – Shooting attack near Elle Sinai (joint Fatah – Islamic Jihad attack).
August 6, 2004 – Placing an explosive charge near Morag.
August 11, 2004 – Detonating an explosive charge at Qalandia checkpoint, 10 Israelis injured.
August 13, 2004 – Shooting attack near Itamar, an Israeli civilian dead.
Auguat 16, 2004 – Launching rockets at Israeli communities.
August 17, 2004 – Placing explosives charges in Gush Katif.
September 9, 2004 – Detonating a booby trapped vehicle in Baqa al-Gharbiya.
September 15, 2004 – Shooting attack at IDF forces in Nablus (joint Fatah – DFLP attack).