New Page 5

News Bulletin Achieves Since 2006
Click Here to go to the LCCC Daily English/Arabic News Buletins Archieves Since 2006

Bible Quotation For Today/Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 15,03-07: "Jesus told them this parable: ‘Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbours, saying to them, "Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost." Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.

Bible Quotation For Today/The city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb
Book of Revelation 21,22-27.22,01-05: "I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. Its gates will never be shut by day and there will be no night there. People will bring into it the glory and the honour of the nations. But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practises abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign for ever and ever.

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on October 16-17/15
Before Voting Remember that Politicians who appease & Cajole Terrorism & Terrorists Are more dangerous than ISIS & Al Qaeda & All Their Likes/Elias Bejjani/October 16/15
Banning bank tellers from wearing niqabs-Why the government might have a case for it/Howard Levitt/National Post/October 16/15
Mother of Saudi man sentenced to crucifixion begs Obama to intervene/Shiv Malik, Mona Mahmood and Laurence Topham/The Guardian/October 16/15
Palestinian and Western Leaders: Blood on Their Hands/Richard Kemp/Gatestone Institute/October 16/15
Canadian Elections/Political Islam is the enemy, not Muslims/By Farzana Hassan/Canada/Ontario/Toronto Sun/October16/15
Gregg Roman: Mahmoud Abbas Must Stop 'Turning Attackers into Martyrs'/Al-Jazeera America/October16/15
Yemeni leaders’ media war/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/October 16/15
New Saudi anti-unemployment body is long overdue/Afshin Molavi/Al Arabiya/October 16/15
Securing Saudi Arabia’s future in a competitive global economy/Andrew Bowen/Al Arabiya/October 16/15
The 'intifada of knives': A fire with no fuel/Yaron Friedman /Ynetnews/October 16/15

Before Voting Remember that Politicians who appease & Cajole Terrorism & Terrorists Are more dangerous than ISIS & Al Qaeda & All Their Likes
Elias Bejjani/16.10.15Canadian Federal Parliamentary Elections:
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2015/10/15/elias-bejjani-before-voting-remember-that-politicians-who-appease-cajole-terrorism-terrorists-are-more-dangerous-than-isis-al-qaeda-all-their-likes-2/
What Canadians need to understand thoroughly, wisely and without any false concepts or illusions is that terrorism’s devastating criminal threats and dangerous acts do not come only from ISIS, Al Qaeda or from militarized militias, organizations, gangs and thugs of their likes who are currently causing unprecedented chaos and destruction in many middle east and African countries, but much more serious threats actually emerge from the irresponsible acts, education of hatred, fanaticism and isolation mentality that are adopted by many that might be living among us including politicians who for mere personal gains and agendas could irresponsibly appease and cajole terrorism and terrorists. It our patriotic and conscientious duty as Canadian Citizens not to vote for such politicians.
Our votes are ought to go for politicians and political parties who openly, courageously and practically honour and advocate for Canada’s distinguishable historic values and convictions of peace, freedom, democracy tolerance, multi-culturalism, law, order, and human rights.
In this same context, we strongly believe that PM, Mr. Harper and his Conservative party are fully aware of all these local and global threats and are encountering them with courage, patriotism, wisdom and fairness.
That is why we need to give Mr. Harper and his government a respectable majority on Monday in a bid to enable them complete the great achievements that were initiated through many means during the past years, among which was Bill C-51, The Anti-terrorism Act.
There is no more room or time for any kind of hesitation or procrastination because we are almost there; three days only are left before Monday.
We call on each and every Canadian to vote wisely and support Mr. Harper and his Conservative Party.
We call on each and every Canadian who longs and is steadfast for keeping Canada a safe, prosperous, free, and democratic country to get out on Monday and vote for Mr. Harper and the Blues.
Actually, there is no more important or crucial time than now.
We strongly believe that Mr. Harper is the only political party leader that has Canadians’ safety, welfare, prosperity, future and interests in both mind and conscious, when making any decision concerning any issue or matter, big or small, local or global.
Meanwhile, we have many reasons to believe that A vote for Mr. Trudeau and his Liberal Party and in accordance with their official declared platform could be:
A vote for dire risks regarding family unity, ties, and values.
A vote for making marijuana and other similar addictive substances legal.
A vote for the Legalization of the Niqab.
A Vote for the Legalization of Prostitution.
A vote for A Canadian weak Government that sides openly with Iran on its Atomic Bomb acquisition.
A Vote for cajoling and appeasing Terrorism and Terrorists.
A vote for Irresponsible Immigration open door policies.
A Vote for keeping convicted terrorists who have dual citizenship in Canada and not revoking their citizenship.
In conclusion, Yes, 100%, and with full trust, hope, pride and conviction, all the way with Mr. Harper and his Conservative Party
*Elias Bejjani
Canadian-Lebanese Human Rights activist, journalist and political commentator
Email phoenicia@hotmail.com
Web sites http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com & http://www.10452lccc.com & http://www.clhrf.com
Tweets on https://twitter.com/phoeniciaelias
Face Book https://www.facebook.com/groups/128479277182033 & https://www.facebook.com/elias.y.bejjani

Syria regime, Hezbollah on the march in Quneitra
Now Lebanon/October 16/15/BEIRUT – The Syrian army backed by Hezbollah troops has reversed a rebel offensive in northern Quneitra and seized ground in the province that lies along the border with Israel. On Thursday, pro-regime forces swept in to the Amal Farms following fierce fighting, the latest in a series of successes in the past week. Regime troops reportedly supported by a sizeable Hezbollah contingent had seized the strategic Tel Ahmar height on October 12, two days after they took back a mountaintop known as the UN Hill. Following the government successes, a member of the Free Syrian Army-affiliated Saif al-Sham Brigade’s press office told All4Syria that regime forces had been able to recapture “several locations because of the entry of Hezbollah members in large numbers.”Raed Tohmeh also said that “rebels were slow to shore up the defensive line at those positions because they were areas that had been recently captured.”A number of other reports claimed that Lebanon’s Hezbollah was involved in the withdrawal of rebels from recently taken positions in the north of Syria’s Quneitra. Syrian opposition outlet Rozana Net reported on Tuesday that regime forces had recaptured the strategic Tel Ahmar position and cited anti-government activist claims that Hezbollah was involved in the fighting. According to the activists, government forces, supported by the Lebanese militia, attacked the position on Tuesday morning with intense covering fire from the Syrian air force and artillery units housed in the nearby Brigade 90 Base and smaller surrounding military installations.In turn, Lebanon Files claimed that Hezbollah had been involved, but unlike Rozana Net the online outlet said the militia had played a leading rather than a supporting role. “Hezbollah succeeded, with support from the Syrian army, in taking control of Tel al-Qaba’a, which is also known as UN Hill, in northern rural Quneitra.”The report added that “a large number of fighters were killed in the ranks of the militants.”The regime’s successful counteroffensive comes after rebels launched the And Give Good Tidings to the Patient battle on September 25 in a bid to open a supply route through Syria’s Quneitra province to Damascus’s western Ghouta area. In the ensuing two weeks, the rebels managed to take over the Amal Farms as well as the Tel Ahmar and UN .However, reports quickly emerged that Hezbollah and the Syrian regime were mustering their fighters for a counteroffensive in northern Quneitra following the rebel gains.
“A number of regime forces officers and commanders in the Hezbollah militia are meeting in the headquarters of Quneitra’s 90th Brigade base,” a source told All4Syria in an article published October 6 shortly after rebels made advances near the strategic installation. “Over 40 vehicles bearing Hezbollah flags have arrived at the base, and most of them are there for the launch of the battle which is expected to begin tomorrow,” the source said.
Strategic importance of Tel Ahmar
The spokesperson for the Saif al-Sham Brigades, another rebel group fighting in the area, told Qatari-owned Alaraby Aljadeed that control of Tel Ahmar was important for several reasons. “The importance of controlling Tel Ahmar lies in the besiegement of the Quneitra town of Al-Baath, prevention of movement by regime forces inside the town and prevention of supplies reaching them,” Abu Ghaith al-Shami said. Tel Ahmar “was a base containing regime artillery and tanks that were shelling liberated villages in Quneitra and our positions in the battle,” he explained. Rebel offensives aiming to link Quneitra with Damascus’s western Ghouta area were launched as early as June, but as Alaraby Aljadeed’s report pointed out “as soon as the confrontations achieved a tangible advance they dropped off somewhat.” According to the daily, this was due to “the strength of regime fortifications and firepower in those areas, not to mention its intensified use of the air force.”

Report: New Proposal to End Presidential Deadlock Receives Regional, International Backing
Naharnet/October 16/15/A new proposal aimed at ending the protracted presidential impasse is being discussed and has reportedly received the support of a number of influential foreign powers, said the daily An Nahar on Friday. It said that the suggestion called for the election of one of the current presidential candidates for a two-year term. During this time, a new parliamentary electoral law would be approved and the polls would then be held in order to reshuffle state institutions, reported An Nahar. The plan has received the support of Russia, Syria, and Saudi Arabia, it added. Moscow has reportedly pledged to carry out talks with Tehran and Damascus, who will both prepare the conditions among their Lebanese allies to support the plan to elect a new president, it said. Riyadh will meanwhile carry out contacts with Arab and international powers to garner their support, explained An Nahar. Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of a successor. Ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps over a compromise candidate have thwarted the polls.

5 IS Militants Killed as Hizbullah, Army Shell Ras Baalbek Outskirts
Associated Press/Naharnet/October 16/15/Hizbullah fighters shelled Friday positions of the jihadist Islamic State group in an area near the Syrian border, killing five militants, Hizbullah's al-Manar TV said.
The shelling occurred on the outskirts of the Lebanese border town of Ras Baalbek, where IS fighters and Syria's al-Qaida affiliate, known as al-Nusra Front, are active. Meanwhile, state-run National News Agency said the Lebanese army opened heavy artillery fire at IS gatherings in Ras Baalbek's outskirts inflicting casualties. The army frequently shells the militants' positions in the border area, while Hizbullah fighters have confronted them on the Syrian side. In August 2014, IS and Nusra Front militants seized some 20 Lebanese soldiers and police officers during a brief cross-border raid on the border town of Arsal. The extremists have executed four of them and are still holding the rest.

Iran's Boroujerdi in Lebanon for Talks with Senior Officials
Naharnet/October 16/15/Chairman of Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Alaeddin Boroujerdi arrived in Lebanon Friday for a brief visit to hold talks with top officials. He met during his trip with Prime Minister Tammam Salam, Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, and earlier Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.Discussions tackled latest local and regional developments. He said after talks with Salam: “We hope that next time we come to Lebanon, we would be able to visit the Baabda palace.” “We expressed to Salam Iran's support for the political and national dialogue among all parties and hope that it will achieve its goals for the sake of the high national interest,” he added. Following talks with Bassil, he revealed that the foreign minister will travel to Iran on Saturday where he will hold a series of meetings. Al-Joumhouria newspaper had reported on Friday that the Iranian official will meet with Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil and MP Mohammed Raad, head of Hizbullah's Loyalty to the Resistance bloc. Boroujerdi arrived in Lebanon from Syria where he met with President Bashar Assad. The Iranian official had last visited Lebanon in January where he held talks with Speaker Nabih Berri, Salam, and Nasrallah.

Report: Jumblat Presents Hariri with 'Comprehensive' Deal over Political Impasse
Naharnet/October 16/15/Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat presented Mustaqbal Movement chief MP Saad Hariri during his recent trip to Saudi Arabia with a “comprehensive” deal over the presidential deadlock and the garbage disposal crisis, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Friday. Informed sources told the daily that his proposal calls for reaching an agreement over a new president and understandings over a new government and parliamentary electoral. The gatherers agreed however that the initiative “needs more time” to be adopted in order to garner more support for it, said al-Joumhouria. “An agreement on such a deal will not be easy and the time is not ripe for it given that some sides' stances are hinging on regional and international developments,” it added. Jumblat had paid a visit to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday where he held talks with Hariri and a number of Saudi officials, including King Salman and Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir. The monarch had renewed his support for Lebanon's constitutional institutions, especially the army and security forces. He stressed that the kingdom is keen on the election of a new president “seeing as it is the first step to restoring normalcy at constitutional institutions.”He called for an agreement over a head of state “who appeases the majority of the Lebanese.” Health Minister Wael Abou Faour, who accompanied Jumblat on his trip, told the daily An Nahar Friday: “The visit was very positive.” “Jumblat sensed the kingdom's keenness on Lebanon's stability, security, and national unity,” he added. The MP returned to Lebanon on Thursday. Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of a successor. Ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps over a compromise candidate have thwarted the polls.

Report: Efforts to Be Renewed to Hold Cabinet Session on Trash Crisis
Naharnet/October 16/15/Efforts will soon be exerted to hold a cabinet session in order to avert its “complete paralysis,” reported the daily An Nahar on Friday. It said that these efforts will be held next week and that a government session, should it be scheduled, will address the waste disposal crisis. Ministerial sources hoped to the daily that the session would be held on Tuesday. They revealed that an agreement had been reached during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Tammam Salam on Thursday to establish a landfill in the Bekaa after conducting the necessary environmental study. It will be used as a landfill along with the Srar dump in the northern region of Akkar. The sources said that the cabinet will approve during its next session the mechanism to implement the garbage plan that was set by Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayyeb.Lebanon was plunged in a trash disposal crisis after the closure of the Naameh landfill on July 17. The closure led to the pile up of waste throughout the country as politicians scrambled to come up with new landfill sites. These efforts have been met however by refusals from various regions to host dumpsites in their areas.

Protester Burns Himself after Judge Keeps 2 Activists in Detention
Naharnet/October 16/15/A protester set himself ablaze Friday at a sit-in outside the Military Court in Beirut after a judge decided to remand two civil society activists in custody.The protester, identified as Mohammed Hirz, was rushed to hospital by Red Cross medics, state-run National News Agency said. Media reports said he suffered moderate to severe burn injuries. An online video shows another protester running with flames engulfing his clothes. It was not immediately clear whether he intentionally set himself on fire. Earlier in the day, First Military Examining Magistrate Judge Riad Abou Ghida ordered the release of three civil society activists from custody, but kept two others detained in connection with last week's downtown Beirut protest. Fayez Yassin, Rami Mahfouz and Hussein Ibrahim were released on a LL100,000 bail each. Abou Ghida rejected the release requests of Pierre Hashash and Waref Suleiman who are still detained. “There is no justice in keeping Suleiman and Hashash confined. There are political pressures in this file,” civil society lawyers objected. The civil society demonstrators briefly blocked the road by the Military Court afterwards protesting the ongoing detention of the activists. The civil society protest movement has called for a 6:00 pm sit-in outside the tribunal. On Monday, Abou Ghida interrogated the detained activists, releasing five and keeping five others in custody. Around 62 activists were arrested last week when a civil society protest in downtown Beirut took a violent turn. Civil society protests first began with the closure of the Naameh landfill in July that sparked a waste disposal crisis in Lebanon that persists to this day. The demonstrations, which had been staged to protest the crisis, soon developed into a movement against political corruption in Lebanon.

Mashnouq Says Mustaqbal May Leave Govt., Dialogue if Impasse Persists
Naharnet/October 16/15/Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq warned Friday that al-Mustaqbal movement might quit the government and the ongoing dialogue if the political deadlock continues in the country. “The persistence of the current situation would represent the first step towards leaving the government and the dialogue,” Mashnouq said at a ceremony commemorating slain Maj. Gen. Wissam al-Hassan, who was the head of the Internal Security Forces Intelligence Branch when he was assassinated in 2012. “Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri will not accept turning the 'suspension of conflict' (with Hizbullah) in the cabinet into a suspension of patriotism, conscience and voices,” Mashnouq added. The minister noted that Mustaqbal had joined the government “on the basis of postponing the major issues on the hope of achieving success in the minor issues,” lamenting “the return to the square of paralysis and the hijacking of state institutions.”“A year ago, I asked Hizbullah to end its sponsorship of security chaos in the Bekaa region in order to implement a security plan, but the Bekaa security plan is still 'ink on paper' and empty promises,” Mashnouq decried. Stressing the need to appoint a new army commander to replace General Jean Qahwaji whose term was extended due to political disputes, the minister underlined that “the priority is for the election of a new president.” “Until a president is elected, we will maintain our confidence in Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji and ISF chief Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Basbous,” Mashnouq went on to say. Addressing Change and Reform bloc chief MP Michel Aoun, the minister pointed out that “the doors of the Lebanese political system cannot be opened through 'the approach of storming and smashing'.” The thorny issue of military and security appointments is one of the main points of contention paralyzing the cabinet's work. Aoun had been lobbying for the appointment of outgoing Commando Regiment chief Brig. Gen. Chamel Roukoz, his son-in-law, as army commander. But Roukoz reached the age of retirement on Thursday after the failure of a proposed settlement that would have kept him in the military and made him eligible to lead the institution in the future.

A voluntary resignation leading Lebanon to the unknown
Nayla Tueni/Al Arabiya/October 16/15/The death of former Lebanese Member of Parliament Elias Skaff, who was Beqaa’s most truly prominent leader, reminds us of our current political reality where there’s lots of talk about the people, but no respect for their choices and no empathy with them regarding their pains and suffering. Skaff called his political gathering The Popular Bloc. Skaff was close to people and he submitted to their will. He remained influential even after losing his parliamentary seat. He actually thanked his people for standing with him even though he lost the elections - maybe because he was unlucky or because certain alliances contributed to his failure. He thanked people and promised them to resume his public work, hence, he was always present. Lebanon misses him today especially amid politicians’ denial of citizens’ rights and treatment of the latter like they’re some electoral tool they can use every four years when parliamentary elections are held. Truth be told, the government has appeared to be greatly incapable of assuming its responsibilities and this has become difficult to overlook. This makes us look at the civil activity we’re currently witnessing in Lebanon. This activity objects to certain governmental practices and over chronic negligence. We disagree with riots and the sabotage of public and private property during these protests - though such acts may happen in many other countries. However, we should note that the reality of our economy and security is not helped by such activities. It also does not tolerate unknown parties getting involved in these activities and causing the country to deviate off its path. If these livelihood demands are right, then bad behavior may harm them as it subjects them to a polemic which resembles what is currently happening between the authority and the protestors and which also resembles political parties' attempts to exchange blame for the ongoing chaos.
Inefficient government
Truth be told, the government has appeared to be greatly incapable of assuming its responsibilities and this has become difficult to overlook. The government is incapable of managing any of its affairs as no president has been elected. This is in addition to the fact that the government is not efficiently functioning and no legislative work is being carried out in parliament. The trash crisis is worsening as garbage continues to pile up in the streets. Politicians are also exchanging accusations of stealing tens of millions of dollars. All that and no one clarifies any of this or declares the truth to the people. Amid this crisis, protests have attracted more people who have become tired of the politicians’ lies and bickering - which may be futile and which sole purpose may just be to fool people and cause them to believe that everything has been done to reach a solution. But then what? Are those aware of the gravity of the phase we’re going through? Or have they given up because of their inability to reach solutions, due to their adherence to stances which conflict with the country’s interests? This is a voluntary resignation that may lead us to the unknown. Does anyone realize this?'

Casualties as Gunman Opens Fire on Saudi Shiite Mosque
Naharnet/October 16/15/A gunman opened fire at a Shiite gathering in eastern Saudi Arabia on Friday, wounding four people before being killed himself, state TV said. "A man who opened fire at a hussainiya in Saihat was killed," Al-Ekhbariya news channel reported, without saying how he died. A hussainiya is a Shiite hall used for commemorations."Four wounded, including a woman, in the shooting," the channel said, adding that the attacker was 20 years old and his motives were unknown. The shooting, in the Qatif area of Eastern Province, came two days after the start of commemorations of Ashura, one of the holiest occasions of the Shiite faith. During Ashura last year, gunmen killed seven Shiite worshipers, including children, in the eastern town of al-Dalwa.The interior ministry said the suspects in the unprecedented attack were linked to the Islamic State jihadist group.

Responsibility for 'incitement' falls on both Netanyahu and Abbas, Obama says
J.Post/October 16/15/WASHINGTON - Both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas are responsible for rhetoric stoking a wave of violence between their peoples, US President Barack Obama said on Friday, in his first comments on the crisis. "We condemn in the strongest possible terms violence directed against innocent people, and believe Israel has a right to maintain basic law and order," Obama said. "We're very concerned about the outbreak of violence." In a bloody two weeks for Israel and the Palestinians, scores have been wounded and over 39 have died, including eight Israeli citizens and several of their attackers. "We also believe that its important," Obama said, for both Netanyahu and Abbas "to try to tamp down rhetoric that may feed violence or anger, or misunderstanding." While the US State Department has characterized the recent wave of attacks against Israelis as "terrorism"– as well as an attack in Dimona by an Israeli Jew against his fellow Arab citizens - Obama declined to use the term on Friday, speaking at a press conference with the president of South Korea at the White House. He rejected criticism of his secretary of state, John Kerry, for comments he made at Harvard University earlier in the week, which suggested a linkage between Israel's settlement activity in the West Bank and the current terror wave. "What's happening is that, unless we get going, a two-state solution could conceivably be stolen from everybody," Kerry said. "And there's been a massive increase in settlements over the course of the last years, and now you have this violence because there's a frustration that is growing." Responding to a query on the matter, Obama said reports on the quote mischaracterized the secretary's words. "I don't think that's what Secretary Kerry said," Obama argued. What Kerry meant, the president said, is that the current atmosphere among Israelis and Palestinians "creates the potential for more misunderstanding and triggers, and that's something that has been true now for decades."
"There's not a direct causation here," he added. Kerry will meet with Netanyahu in Germany next week to discuss the crisis, State Department officials confirmed on Friday. He will then travel to the region to meet separately with Palestinian leadership. In an interview with NPR News published earlier in the day, Kerry said there was no justification for the attacks. "No amount of frustration is appropriate to license any violence anywhere at any time. No violence should occur. And the Palestinians need to understand,” Kerry said. "President Abbas has been committed to non-violence," Kerry continued. "He needs to be condemning this, loudly and clearly. And he needs to not engage in some of the incitement that his voice has sometimes been heard to encourage. So that has to stop." Netanyahu said on Thursday he is willing to meet with Abbas, and called on the PA leader to condemn the violence as terrorism. Abbas has yet to do so, accusing Netanyahu of seeking to change the status quo arrangement on the Temple Mount (Haram al-Sharif) and Israeli security forces of conducting extrajudicial executions of innocent Palestinians.
The Israeli government says that both claims are lies that are inciting Palestinians to violence. Israeli officials are privately seeking public US reassurances that it recognizes the continuance of the status quo on the Temple Mount, where non-Muslims are not allowed to formally pray. Confusion over Israel's policy on the holy site appears to have been a spark of the recent uptick in violence. But US officials are hesitant to issue that line, after a series of comments from Netanyahu throughout the month of September suggested, to their ears, that Israel may have been reconsidering its policy. In his press availability, Obama said that "the status quo that allowed shared worship in and around these places needed to be maintained." He did not comment on whether he believed the status quo had been breached or otherwise violated. "We recognize that it is being maintained and we welcome the efforts by both Israel and Jordan to continue the maintenance of it," State Department spokesman John Kirby said on Thursday. He was clarifying a statement the day before, when he said that the status quo had to be "restored." Israel's ambassador to the United States, Ron Dermer, praised Kerry for his comments directed toward Abbas on Friday, and called on other international leaders to follow suit. "Follow Secretary Kerry's lead," Dermer said, "pushing back on President Abbas and saying, 'you have to condemn these terror acts.'" He also said thanked the United States for its "very clear" position on Israel's commitment to the status quo on the Temple Mount. "The truth of the matter is, Israel is the guarantor of those sacred sites," Dermer said. He noted that Joseph's Tomb, a site holy to many Jews and Christians, was torched by Palestinian protesters the night before in the West Bank city of Nablus.

Three Palestinians killed in clashes with Israeli forces
By Staff writer, Al Arabiya News/Friday, 16 October 2015
Three Palestinians were killed on Friday during clashes in the Occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, medics reported. Israeli fire killed one Palestinian during clashes in Beit Furik near Nablus in the occupied West Bank and wounded five others, Palestinian medics said, as protests erupted in various areas. AFP said Ehab Hanani, 19, was the 37th Palestinian killed since an upsurge in violence began at the start of the month. Meanwhile, two Palestinian died after being shot by the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip, the enclave’s health ministry said, the latest such incidents in more than two weeks of clashes and attacks. Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra told AFP that Abdul Qadir Farhat, 19, died "after he was shot directly in the head by the military in clashes close to the Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing" in northern Gaza. Mahmud Homaida, 22, was confirmed dead later in the day in clashes along the border.
The health ministry reported 98 others wounded, including those shot or exposed to tear gas. The Gaza clashes occurred during what Palestinians called a “Friday of revolution” against Israel.Violent protests that first began in annexed east Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank have spread to Gaza in recent days. The series of attacks and violent protests have raised fears of a full-scale Palestinian uprising. The continued violence also have led the U.N. Security Council to hold an emergency meeting. During the meeting, the Palestinian U.N. envoy Riyadh Mansour urged the Security Council to end Israeli aggression and requested protection for his people. Mansour also accused Israel of turning the struggle into a “religious conflict.” “When will this occupation end, when will Palestinians have their own state,” Mansour told the U.N., urging its members for a two-state solution. Meanwhile, the Israeli U.N. envoy accused the Palestinians to launching “terrorist attacks” and a stabbing wave targeting civilians. Both the assistant for the Secretary General and Jordan’s envoy said continued violence in Palestinian territories will heighten tension in Mideast.(With Reuters, AFP)

Obama 'Very Concerned' by Outbreak of Palestinian-Israeli Violence
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 16/15/U.S. President Barack Obama expressed concern Friday about the outbreak of violence centered in Jerusalem and called on Israeli and Palestinian leaders to tamp down inflammatory rhetoric. "We are very concerned about the outbreak of violence," Obama said at a news conference with visiting South Korean President Park Geun-Hye. "We condemn in the strongest possible terms violence directed against innocent people, and believe that Israel has a right to maintain basic law and order and protect its citizens from knife attacks, and violence on the streets," he added. "We also believe that it's important for both Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu and Israeli elected officials, and President Abbas and other people in positions of power, to try to tamp down rhetoric that may feed violence or anger or misunderstanding," he said. Seven Israelis have been killed and dozens wounded in the violence so far, while 37 Palestinians have died, including alleged attackers, and hundreds more have been wounded in clashes. Fresh protests erupted Friday after Palestinians torched Joseph's Tomb, a site revered by Jews in the West Bank city of Nablus. The arson came as Palestinians called for a "Friday of revolution" against Israel, and police barred men under 40 from attending the main weekly prayers at the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, seeking to keep young protesters away. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was planning to meet with Netanyahu in Berlin next week, Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer told CNN. "Over time, the only way that Israel is going to be truly secure, and the only way the Palestinians will be able to meet the aspirations of their people, is if they are two states living side by side in peace and security," Obama said. But right now, he said, "everybody needs to focus on making sure that innocent people aren't being killed."

Israel Says Won't Accept Int'l Presence in East Jerusalem
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 16/15/Israel on Friday rejected Palestinian calls for a protection force to be deployed in east Jerusalem to quell violence around the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque. "Let me be crystal clear -- Israel will not agree to any international presence on the Temple Mount. Such a presence would be a change in the status quo," Israeli Deputy Ambassador David Roet told the U.N. Security Council. The 15-member council met in an emergency session to discuss weeks of escalating violence between Israel and the Palestinians in Jerusalem and the territories. On Friday, Palestinians torched a Jewish holy site in the West Bank as they staged a "Friday of revolution" against Israel and a man posing as a news photographer stabbed an Israeli soldier before he was shot dead. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the "reprehensible" attack at Joseph's Tomb in the city of Nablus and called for those responsible to be brought to justice. Two weeks of violence have left 39 Palestinians dead and hundreds more wounded in clashes with Israeli forces. Seven Israelis have been killed and dozens wounded. The surge in violence has raised fears that a third Palestinian intifada, or uprising, might erupt.
International protection
Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour urged the council to "urgently intervene to end this aggression against our defenseless Palestinian people" and called for "international protection."Mansour said Israeli security forces must withdraw from "contact points" with the Palestinians, in particular in east Jerusalem. There have been repeated clashes at east Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound, the third-holiest site in Islam and the most sacred for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount. Muslims fear Israel will seek to change rules governing the site, which allow Jews to visit but not pray so as to avoid provoking tensions. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said repeatedly he is committed to the status quo. No draft resolution was presented to council members on Friday but French Ambassador Francois Delattre said he will circulate a draft statement appealing for calm. In a bid to dispel fears, the council statement would also call for maintaining the status quo at the Al-Aqsa compound. The council is to hold a ministerial-level debate on the Israeli-Palestinian crisis on Thursday to try to press for a de-escalation. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to the region "at the appropriate moment" to try to help restore calm, said U.S. ambassador Samantha Power.

Palestinian Dressed as Newsman Stabs Soldier, Jewish Shrine Torched Overnight
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 16/15/Palestinians torched a site revered by Jews in the West Bank in an incident that threatened to further inflame two weeks of deadly unrest, as fresh protests erupted Friday. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, under pressure over recent comments that some have labeled incitement, quickly condemned the fire at Joseph's Tomb, in the northern city of Nablus. Video showed what looked like an extensive blaze, and the Israeli army called it "a despicable act" of desecration. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the arson attack at the opening of an emergency session of the Security Council called to discuss the escalating violence. The arson came as Palestinians called for a "Friday of revolution" against Israel, and police barred men under 40 from attending the main weekly prayers at the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque, seeking to keep young protesters away. Israeli fire killed two Palestinians and wounded 98 others in clashes along the border in the Gaza Strip. Another Palestinian died in clashes in Beit Furik near Nablus, while protests also broke out in Bethlehem and Hebron. Outside the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba, a Palestinian disguised as a news photographer stabbed and wounded a soldier before being shot dead. Israeli security forces have deployed massively in Jerusalem after two weeks of Palestinian attacks in the city and across Israel. Beginning Sunday, some 300 soldiers will reinforce police, stretched thin by the unrest. On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his willingness to meet Abbas, while accusing him of inciting and encouraging violence. "It's time that president Abbas stops not only justifying it, but also calling for it," Netanyahu told reporters. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who plans to travel to the region "in the coming days", also warned the Palestinian leader against incitement. Abbas has called for peaceful protest, but not explicitly condemned any attacks in the recent wave of unrest until Friday's statement on the holy site. He said the arson "offends our culture and our religion and our morals", and that the damage would be repaired. The Palestinian leader has faced heavy criticism over a statement Wednesday in which he claimed a Palestinian youth had been executed. Israel has released photos and videos which they say show the 13-year-old, accused of taking part in two stabbing attacks, recovering in hospital.
'Burning and desecration'
Joseph's Tomb, inside a compound in the Palestinian refugee camp of Balata in Nablus, has been the scene of recurring violence between Israelis and Palestinians. Many Jews believe it to be the final resting place of the biblical patriarch Joseph, while Muslims believe an Islamic cleric, Sheikh Yussef (Joseph) Dawiqat was buried there two centuries ago. The shrine is under Palestinian control and off-limits to Israelis except on escorted trips organized by the army. The Israeli military said it would make the repairs to allow visits to continue and "take all measures to bring the perpetrators of this despicable act to justice."
There were warnings that the fire could worsen the unrest. "Burning Joseph's Tomb is a dangerous attempt to exacerbate an already tense environment," Nickolay Mladenov, U.N. special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, said on Twitter. Seven Israelis have been killed and dozens wounded in the violence so far, while 37 Palestinians have died, including alleged attackers, and hundreds more been wounded in clashes. In the intifadas of 1987-1993 and 2000-2005, thousands of people were killed and many more wounded in near daily violence.
Stabbings defy security crackdown
On Wednesday, police began setting up checkpoints in parts of annexed east Jerusalem, including a neighborhood home to three Palestinians who carried out gun, knife and car-ramming attacks this week. The move followed a decision by Netanyahu's security cabinet authorizing police to seal off or impose a curfew on parts of Jerusalem. Netanyahu has come under immense pressure to halt the violence. The attackers seem to be mostly acting on their own, with no mastermind for security forces to pursue. While the attacks have fanned Israeli anger and fear, online video footage of security forces shooting dead alleged assailants has fed Palestinian anger, with protesters seeing some of the killings as unjustified. The violence began on October 1, when a suspected cell of the Islamist movement Hamas murdered a Jewish settler couple in the West Bank in front of their children. Those killings followed repeated clashes at east Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound in September between Israeli forces and Palestinian youths.

Russia claims 380 ‘ISIS targets’ in Syria since start of bombing
AFP, Moscow/Friday, 16 October 2015/Russia has hit more than 380 “ISIS targets” since launching its bombing campaign in Syria on September 30, a senior military official said on Friday. “Since the start of the operation we conducted more than 600 sorties and bombed more than 380 ISIS targets,” Colonel General Andrei Kartapolov, a senior Russian General Staff official, told Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda. Russia launched a bombing campaign in Syria late last month in support of forces loyal to its longstanding ally President Bashar al-Assad. Moscow’s military has almost uniformly claimed its strikes have hit “ISIS” targets despite the fact that many of the sites struck seem to fall outside territory held by the group. The U.S. and other members of a rival coalition targeting ISIS say Moscow has focused the bulk of its firepower on other rebel groups battling Assad. Kartapolov slammed the U.S.-led coalition, saying the U.S. had not responded to Russia's invitation to cooperate in the fight against ISIS. “They consider it humiliating to admit that they cannot fulfil a task they had set out for themselves one year ago without Russia,” Kartapolov said, adding that the coalition's year-long bombing campaign was “window-dressing.”“They are in fact unlikely to have the necessary amount of information about ISIS targets, which the results of their strikes reflects,” he said. Kartapolov also accused the coalition of bombing infrastructure essential to a ground operation by the Syrian army. “It [coalition bombing] does not complicate the activities of ISIL (ISIS) as much as that of the government forces of President Assad,” he said. Speaking at a regional summit in Kazakhstan on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the more than two-week-old campaign, saying the strikes had “destroyed dozens of command posts, munitions depots, hundreds of terrorists and a large amount of military hardware.”The Russian defence ministry said Friday that the latest Russian air strikes had created “favorable conditions” for a Syrian ground offensive and destroyed two ISIS command posts in the Aleppo province, among other targets.
Kartapolov said that Russia -- which already has a naval facility in the port city of Tartus and uses an airfield in Latakia -- could build a full-fledged Russian military base in the country.

More than 250,000 people killed in Syria war
By AFP | Beirut/Friday, 16 October 2015/More than a quarter of a million people have been killed in Syria’s brutal conflict since it began with anti-government protests over four years ago, a monitoring group said Friday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it has documented the deaths of 250,124 people, including at least 74,426 civilians. The civilian toll includes 12,517 children and 8,062 women. Compiled by the British-based Observatory, which relies on a network of sources on the ground in Syria, the toll is an increase from the 240,000 figure it announced in August. It puts the toll for rebel fighters at 43,752, and the number of foreign militants killed at 37,010. At least 91,678 pro-government forces, among them 52,077 regime soldiers and other allied Syrian and non-Syrian fighters, have also been killed. Syria’s army is backed by local pro-government militias but also fighters from Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon’s Shiite Hezbollah militia. The monitor said it had recorded the deaths of 971 Hezbollah fighters in Syria. The Observatory also documented the deaths of 3,258 people who could not be identified. Its toll does not include some 30,000 people missing in Syria, among them 20,000 said to be held in Syrian jails. It also does not include thousands of loyalist forces held by rebel factions or by the ISIS militant group. The Syrian conflict began with anti-government protests in March 2011 before spiraling into a multi-front war across the country after a brutal regime crackdown.
At least four million Syrians have been forced to flee the violence to neighboring countries, and millions more are displaced inside the war-torn country.

Tripoli confirms two new Lockerbie suspects, including Qaddafi spy chief
By Reuters | Tunis/Friday, 16 October 2015/The two new Libyan suspects in the Lockerbie bombing probe are Abdullah al-Senussi, the former spy chief of ousted leader Muammar Qaddafi, and a second man, Muhammad Abu Ejaila, a spokesman for the government in Tripoli said on Friday. Senussi is currently being held in a jail in Tripoli after he was sentenced for his role in the deaths of protesters during the 2011 uprising against Qaddafi. No details were immediately available on the second suspect in the 1988 airline bombing. Jamal Zubia, director of the media office of the Tripoli government, sent a message to journalists confirming the names but saying the Libyan attorney general’s office had not been officially informed about the two suspects.

Russia planes ‘safe’ after Turkey downs aircraft
By Agencies | Ankara/Friday, 16 October 2015/The Turkish military on Friday said it had downed an “air vehicle” of unknown origin which had violated its air space close to the Syrian border with a U.S. official suspecting it was of Russian origin. The army said that the craft had been warned three times by Turkish planes but had maintained course. It was then “downed by fire from our aircraft on patrol, according to the rules of engagement.”The statement did not say if the downed aircraft was manned or a drone. It warned the air force would “decisively” implement Turkey’s rules of engagement.
Meanwhile, a U.S. official told Reuters that Washington suspected it was a Russian drone, but said the information was still preliminary and declined to give any more details.
Russian reaction
However, the Russian defence ministry said on Friday all its planes in Syria had safely returned to base and all its drones were operating “as planned” after Turkish warplanes shot down a drone near the Syrian border, the RIA Novosti news agency reported. “All the Russian planes in Syria have returned to the Hmeimim air base after completing their tasks. Russian unmanned aerial vehicles monitoring the situation on the territory of Syria and carrying out air reconnaissance are working as normal,” defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told Russian news agencies. On Friday, Russia said it has agreed all technical questions for Syria flight safety with the United States after Turkey downing the plane. Turkey's NTV television, without citing its sources, said the object was a drone, and it had fallen three kilometers (1.85 miles) inside Turkish territory. Television pictures showed the military examining the crash site. The location was not specified. Turkey had earlier this month bitterly complained about two violations of its air space by Russian warplanes operating in Syria. Russia’s air strikes in Syria mean that Russian and NATO planes are now flying combat missions in the same air space for the first time since World War Two, heightening concern that the Cold War enemies could fire on each other. The Russian air force officially informed the Turkish military on Thursday about the violations by Russian jets earlier this month, and about steps it would take to prevent a repetition. Turkey has also reported unidentified aircraft and Syria-based missile air defence systems harassing its warplanes several times in recent months.(With Reuters and AFP)

Northeast Nigeria Hit again as Army Warns on Boko Haram
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 16/15/At least 34 people were killed in a wave of suicide bomb attacks in northeast Nigeria, as the military on Friday warned Boko Haram militants threaten the country's sovereignty. Thirty died in a double bombing on a mosque in Molai on Thursday night, Mohammed Kanar, from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said. Three female bombers blew themselves up and killed four others in nearby Umarari early Friday, he added. Locals, however, said the death toll was higher from both incidents and that more than 60 may have been killed in total.
Both areas are on the outskirts of the Borno state capital of Maiduguri, which has been increasingly targeted by coordinated bomb and suicide attacks in recent weeks. The attacks came just days after Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari said he was "fully confident" of ending the six-year insurgency by the end of this year. The military was "well-positioned to meet the December deadline which they have been given", he said in a statement on Wednesday. But with Maiduguri having been attacked four times this month alone, fresh questions will be asked about security in the city, where Boko Haram, which is allied to the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq, was founded in 2002. One area of the city, Ajilari Cross, has been hit three times in a month, killing more than 120. There have also been suicide attacks near the capital, Abuja. Overall, some 1,350 people have been killed since Buhari came to power at the end of May, according to an AFP tally. Buhari said on Wednesday that Boko Haram's "ability to attack, seize, ravage and hold any Nigerian territory will have been completely obliterated" by December. This week, he met the head of the U.S. Africa Command, General David Rodriguez, as Washington announced the deployment of up to 300 military personnel to northern Cameroon. The U.S. military will provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance expertise, the White House said, after similar multiple suicide attacks in Cameroon, Chad and Niger. Guerrilla-style tactics against "soft" civilian targets such as mosques, markets and bus stations have increased. Last week, 41 people were killed in triple explosions in Baga Sola, on the Chadian side of Lake Chad, where Nigeria meets Niger, Chad and Cameroon. On Friday, Nigeria's most senior army officer, Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, told troops "the next few days will be crucial" in the counter-insurgency.
"It is also crucial to our country, Nigeria. Our sovereignty as a nation is threatened. The Nigerian Army and indeed the military as the symbol of our nationhood is being challenged. "Our ability to stand and defeat the Boko Haram terrorists in the next few weeks will determine the future of our country. We cannot afford to lose the fight," he said.The greater sense of urgency may be attributed to fears of a resumption of attacks in hard-to-reach rural areas of northeast Nigeria once the rainy season ends. Should that happen, troops attempting to secure towns and cities would face overstretch to tackle the Islamists in the countryside.The repeated attacks on Maiduguri, however, demonstrated the difficulties in combating the threat to urban areas. In Mulai, NEMA's Kanar and witnesses said the bombers appeared to have slipped into the mosque disguised as worshipers before evening prayers at 6:30 pm (1730 GMT). "When rescuers and sympathizers gathered in front of the place, the second one went off, killing many of them," said Amadu Marte, a civilian vigilante assisting the army. Marte said he and colleagues counted 42 bodies at the scene. Friday's attack in Umarari, a village of mainly poor farmers and laborers some seven kilometers (4.5 miles) west of Maiduguri, also happened at a mosque shortly after 5:00 am. Witness Dawud Baana said worshipers were preparing for morning prayers at the time. Street vendor Saratu Garba said she heard the blast as she was carrying firewood out of her house and that 19 were killed.
Boko Haram has a track record of attacking mosques, considering places of worship that do not share its radical interpretation of Islam as a legitimate target.

Obama Warns Russia Cannot Bomb its Way to Syria Peace
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 16/15/U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday warned Russia they could not "bomb their way" to a peaceful solution in Syria, reiterating his view that propping up President Bashar Assad will fail. Speaking after U.S. and Russian militaries reached a tentative deal to prevent mid-air clashes over Syria, Obama said there had been "no meeting of the minds in terms of strategy.""They are not going to be able to bomb their way to a peaceful situation inside of Syria," Obama told a joint press conference with visiting South Korean President Park Geun-Hye. His comments come as Russia steps up its bombing campaign in support of Assad and U.S. officials say as many as 2,000 Iranian and Iranian-backed forces are helping regime troops in an offensive near Aleppo. Obama said Iran was "just doing more of what they have been doing for the last five years, as is Russia."
"Their basic theory on how to solve Syria has not worked and will not work.""Their preference originally was -- we will simply send arms and money to Assad and he will be able to clamp down on dissent, and when that didn't work, they directed Hizbullah to come in and prop them up and sent in some of their own military advisers, and that did not work," he said. "Now the Russians have come in and Iran is going to send more people in, but it's also not going to work because they are trying to support a regime that in the eyes of the overwhelming majority of the Syrian people is not legitimate."

Syrian army attacks rebels with Iranian support
By Mariam Karouny | Reuters, Beirut/Friday, 16 October 2015/Syrian troops backed by Hezbollah and Iranian fighters launched an offensive south of Aleppo on Friday, expanding the army’s counter-attack against rebels across western Syria with support from Russian air strikes.
The assault means the army is now pressing insurgents on several fronts near Syria’s main cities in the west, control of which would secure President Bashar al-Assad's hold on power even if the east of the country is still held by ISIS. Aleppo, a commercial and industrial hub near the border with Turkey, was Syria’s largest city before its four-year civil war, which grew out of protests against Assad's rule.Control of the city, still home to two million people, is divided between the government and rebels. “This is the promised battle,” a senior military source in Syria said of the offensive backed by hundreds of Hezbollah and Iranian forces which he said had made some gains on the ground. It was the first time Iranian fighters had taken part on such a scale in the Syrian conflict, he said, although their numbers were modest compared to the army force. “The main core is the Syrian army,” the source said. Hezbollah, which has supported Assad in several battles during the civil war, said the army was carrying out a “broad military operation,” with support from Russian and Syrian jets, across a front at least 10 miles (15 km) wide from the southwest to southeast of Aleppo. It made no mention of Hezbollah fighters in its statement. Two senior regional sources said this week that Iran sent thousands of troops to Syria to bolster an offensive already underway in Hama province and ahead of the Aleppo attack. Iran says it has sent weapons and military advisers to support its ally Assad, but has denied providing troops. In the last week Iranian media have reported the deaths in Syria of three senior officers from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps. Hossein Hamedani, a corps deputy commander, was killed near Aleppo and two other officers have also died fighting ISIS forces in Syria, Iran’s Tasnim news agency said.
Two senior Hezbollah officers have also been killed in Syria in the last week, a Lebanese security source said.
Army retakes villages
Rami Abdulrahman, director of UK-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said there were heavy clashes near the Jebel Azzan region, about 12 km (8 miles) south of Aleppo city. The area that the army and Russian jets were targeting was close to a main road heading south towards the capital Damascus, Abdulrahman said. The army had recaptured the village of Abtin from rebel fighters, he said, as well as a tank battalion base close to Sabiqiya village. Both villages lie close to Jebel Azzan. Rebels had hit one army tank with a U.S.-made TOW anti-tank missile. The military source said the rebel fighters were mainly from the Islamist group Ahrar al-Sham and al-Qaeda’s Syrian wing, the Nusra Front, as well as the Suqour al-Sham and Failaq al-Sham insurgent groups. The head of another rebel brigade Fursan al Haq, which is backed by Assad’s foreign opponents and operates under the umbrella of the Free Syrian Army, said his fighters had sent more TOW missiles to the Aleppo area to try to stem the attack. “The battle is ongoing, and the resistance is stronger than the attack,” Fares al Bayoush, told Reuters. Since Russia launched air strikes on Sept. 30 in support of Assad, the army has waged offensives against several insurgent-held regions in western Syria, starting with areas of Hama, Idlib and Latakia provinces taken by the rebels over the summer. Moscow says its air campaign has targeted ISIS fighters in Syria, much like the U.S.-led international coalition that has been separately striking the ultra-hardline Islamist group in Syria and neighboring Iraq for over a year. But most of the Russian air strikes appear to have targeted rival, foreign-backed insurgents whose advances in recent months, helped by supplies of the U.S.-made TOW missiles, had threatened Assad's grip on power. On Thursday the army targeted a long-held rebel enclave north of the city of Homs, with coordinated air strikes, artillery bombardment and ground assaults. The Observatory said on Friday the death toll from the fighting there had risen to 60, including 30 women and children. Responding to the reports of civilian deaths on Thursday, a Syrian military source quoted by state media said Russian jets and Syrian forces do not target civilian areas. Assad’s opponents say Syrian forces have killed many thousands of civilians in the course of the war, particularly with the use of untargeted “barrel bombs” dropped from helicopters above rebel-held cities.

Obama and Erdogan vow to step up ISIS fight
By AFP | Washington/Friday, 16 October 2015/U.S. President Barack Obama and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday vowed to step up the fight against ISIS and strengthen Syria’s moderate opposition. Speaking by telephone in the wake of Saturday’s bomb attack in Ankara that killed 99 people, and weeks before Obama travels to Turkey for a G20 summit, they discussed sometimes difficult cooperation on countering ISIS in Syria. Both countries have vowed to fight the extremists, but Turkish air strikes have largely focused on targeting Kurdish militia group the PKK. Obama and Erdogan stressed the “urgent need for an end to PKK attacks in Turkey,” the White House said, while Obama “offered condolences as well as U.S solidarity in the face of the security threats Turkey faces.”“The two leaders reaffirmed their shared goal of stepping up military pressure on ISIL (ISIS) and strengthening moderate opposition elements in Syria to create conditions for a negotiated solution to the conflict, including a political transition.” Those efforts in Syria have been complicated by Russia and Iran’s support for President Bashar al-Assad and Moscow’s aerial bombardments of his foes, many of whom are not linked to ISIS.

Saudi forces kill gunman after Shiite site attack
By Staff writer | Al Arabiya News/Friday, 16 October 2015/Five people were killed after a gunman opened fire on a Shiite Muslim meeting hall on Friday in the Eastern city of Saihat, Al Arabiya News Channel correspondent reported. Shortly after the attack, in which five people were also wounded, Saudi security forces said they killed the attacker and arrested two suspects linked with the incident. Meanwhile, the Saudi-owned television channel Al Ekhbariya TV had quoted sources as saying that the “person who opened fire on a husseiniya was killed, and the attacker was in his twenties.”The channel said the motive remained unclear. A resident reached by telephone told Reuters that an attacker approached the meeting hall in a taxi but was stopped at a checkpoint. Police arrived and a gun battle broke out, which the resident said injured several people and left the attacker dead. This is not the first time a Shiite site was targeted in the kingdom this year. In August, a suicide bomber killed at least 15 people in an attack on a mosque used by members of a local security force in southwest Saudi Arabia. In May, a suicide bomber blew himself up during Friday prayers at a mosque in the village of al-Qadeeh in eastern Saudi Arabia, killing at least 21 and wounding 81 others. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militant group claimed responsibility for both attacks. Since the attacks, volunteer security guards have sprung up around holy sites in the largely Shiite Eastern province of the kingdom, whose rulers follow a strict version of Sunni Islam. The militant group has also targeted Shiite mosques and places in other regional countries such as Kuwait and Iraq. You can also read: Timeline: Al-Qaeda and ISIS attacks in Saudi Arabia

ISIS pays recruiters $10,000 per person: U.N.
By AFP | Brussels/Friday, 16 October 2015/The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is paying supporters up to $10,000 for each person that they recruit to wage jihad in Syria and Iraq, UN experts said Friday after a visit to Belgium, one of the main countries of origin for so-called foreign fighters. Elzbieta Karska, who chairs a UN group studying the issue, said ISIS is using social media and informal networks of friends and family, with many of them in Syria, to recruit new jihadists in Belgium. The UN experts learned from Belgian contacts that 500 foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria originated in Belgium, the highest per capita of any EU country, she added. "We have heard... about situations where recruiters were paid from two, three thousand to 10,000 dollars depending on... who was recruited," Karska told a press conference in Brussels, adding the findings were preliminary. "If somebody was well educated like computer specialists or doctors, they were paid more," the Polish human rights lawyer added. Her colleague Patricia Arias, a Chilean lawyer, added "they are paid by Daesh," the Arabic acronym for Islamic State. The Belgian-based extremist group Sharia4Belgium enlisted the first wave of recruits for Syria in 2010, according to Karska's UN body, which was set up by the Geneva-based UN Commission on Human Rights. With Sharia4Belgium now broken up and many of its members jailed, recruiting has changed. In the last year, "the key method of recruitment is reportedly through informal networks of friends and family, and through social media," Karska said. "A significant degree of recruitment currently occurs through friends and family in Syria, who are also paid on the basis of the number of persons they recruit and on whether the recruits subsequently marry," she said. Karska and Arias said an increasing number of women or girls is leaving Belgium to marry jihadists or care for those who are ill or wounded, but some may actually fight. They had no figures on how many women had left Belgium, but said the number of boys and men departing for jihad had declined from about 10 per month three years ago to about four or five per month today. Their average age is 23 years old and declining, Karska said. The working group led a fact-finding visit to Tunisia a few months ago and plans a third trip in March to Ukraine, where the Western-backed government in Kiev is fighting pro-Russian rebels in the east. The final report is due next year.

U.S. envoy says Iran tested nuclear-capable missile, violating U.N.
By Louis Charbonneau, Reuters | United Nations/Friday, 16 October 2015ظThe United States has confirmed that Iran tested a medium-range missile capable of delivering a nuclear weapon in "clear violation" of a United Nations Security Council ban on ballistic missile tests, a senior U.S. official said on Friday. "The United States is deeply concerned about Iran's recent ballistic missile launch," U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power said in a statement. "After reviewing the available information, we can confirm that Iran launched on Oct. 10 a medium-range ballistic missile "This was a clear violation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1929."

Russia agrees all technical questions for Syria flight safety with U.S.
Reuters, MoscowظFriday, 16 October 2015/The Russian defence ministry said on Friday it had agreed all the necessary technical questions needed to seal an agreement with the United States on flight safety over Syria and that a final memorandum would be signed in the near future. “All technical matters have already been agreed upon, with Russian and U.S. lawyers now cross checking the text of the document,” said Colonel-General Andrei Kartapolov, according to the Interfax news agency. “We hope this document will be signed in the very near future,” he said, saying Moscow still wanted broader cooperation with the United States and other countries when it came to Syria. Russia’s entry into Syria’s civil war has stoked concerns about an accident between U.S. and Russia jets. The Pentagon has cited cases in which Russia aircraft came within miles of drones and piloted U.S. fighter jets.
A U.S. official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity earlier this week, said the U.S. and Russian militaries were finalizing a memorandum of understanding that set out basic air safety procedures in the skies above Syria.

Bulgaria denies airspace access to Syria-bound Russian aid plane
Reuters, Sofia/Friday, 16 October 2015/
Bulgaria has denied access to its airspace to a Russian plane carrying humanitarian aid for Syria, as Moscow failed to file an application on time, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman said. “We have denied access because legal terms were not followed. We have received a request for a flight to take place today in the afternoon of Oct 14. Such request needs to be filed at least five days ahead,” spokeswoman Betina Zhoteva said.

Iraqi forces gain more significant ground in Baiji
AFP, Baiji/Friday, 16 October 2015/Iraqi forces defused booby traps and hunted down holdout jihadists in the strategic Baiji area Friday as part of their biggest advance against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group in months. Baiji lies at a crossroads between several frontlines and control of the area is seen as the key to progress in other regions, including Anbar province where forces were also closing in on ISIS strongholds.Iraq’s army, police and counter-terrorism services, as well as thousands of fighters from the Popular Mobilization (Hashed al-Shaabi), continued to gain significant ground in and around Baiji, officers said. “Iraqi forces are moving deep into Baiji, they have retaken the industrial area and several other neighborhoods,” an army colonel told AFP. “We control about 60 percent of the city, there are not so many Daesh fighters left and they are trapped,” he said, using an Arabic acronym for ISIS. After retaking most of the refinery to the north of the city, security forces were sweeping the sprawling complex for bombs and die-hard jihadists. “Inside the refinery, our forces are defusing booby traps and looking for the last Daesh terrorists we believe are still holed up in some buildings,” he said. The refinery, which once produced 300,000 barrels per day of refined products meeting half of Iraq's needs, is said to have been damaged beyond repair and to no longer be of huge strategic interest. At least six anti-ISIS fighters were killed at the refinery on Thursday, several officers said. The bodies of at least 15 ISIS fighters were also found there and large numbers of wounded jihadists are reported to have been evacuated to the nearby ISIS strongholds of Hawijah and Sharqat. The same officer also said that Iraqi forces had completely surrounded Sinniya, a town west of Baiji on the road leading to Anbar. “We are firing large numbers of rockets and missiles, while Iraqi warplanes are also striking. This will prepare the ground for an operation to cleanse Sinniya,” he said. The operation launched this week to secure Baiji, which has seen almost uninterrupted fighting since IS swept across Iraq’s Sunni Arab heartland in June 2014, appears to be spearheaded by the Hashed. Hadi al-Ameri, the most visible commander of the Hashed and a leading member of the Tehran-backed Shiite militia Badr, has been omnipresent on the Baiji frontlines. Qassem Soleimani, commander of the foreign wing of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, was also reported in Iraqi media to have played a key role. The U.S.-led coalition, which is more active on the Anbar front, said Friday it had carried out two strikes in the Baiji area the previous day. It also said it had destroyed parts of another refinery, in Qayyarah between Baiji and main northern city of Mosul, that “was used by Daesh to produce oil for the black market to fund their terrorist activities.”

Banning bank tellers from wearing niqabs? Why the government might have a case for it
Howard Levitt/National Post/October 15,
http://business.financialpost.com/executive/management-hr/banning-bank-tellers-from-wearing-niqabs-why-the-government-might-have-a-case-for-it
Should Canadians be required to deal with veiled bank tellers, airline flight attendants, police officers or even judges?
A major debate in this election has been about legislating the prohibition of face coverings, for citizenship oaths and working in the federal government. But the government could, as easily, ban face coverings in federally regulated industries, such as banks, airlines, the RCMP — or your local cable or telephone provider — taking the same position, as with the public sector, that Canadians should be able to see the faces of the tellers, airline check-in clerks or service workers with whom they have to interact. Even if such a law impacted upon only those employees who deal directly with the public.
It’s true that such a restriction could violate the provisions of the religious-discrimination protections in the Canadian Human Rights Act. And while that act could be amended, a ban would possibly then be violative of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which has greater legal impact in government workplaces than in private ones. It’s possible that the entire niqab debate, revolving now around the right to take a citizenship oath while veiled, is premised on a religious fiction. The federal government could avoid that too by invoking the “notwithstanding” clause of the Charter. But governments, at all levels, have been historically loath to invoke that clause, the battering ram of constitutional litigation, viewing its very use as a political symbol — an expression of a readiness to override what Canadians believe have become their implicit and unmodifiable human rights. So it’s not likely that the government will invoke that clause. Therefore the ultimate decision of the legality of such a ban will be premised upon whether it is a bona fide religious requirement in the first instance. And that depends on whether there is an actual religious tenet at stake — one that is more than a mere symbol — to invoke the protection of human rights legislation. Wearing a face cover, even in the workplace, must be found to be a mandatory requirement of the religious sect of the employee in question. But it’s possible that the entire niqab debate, revolving now around the right to take a citizenship oath while veiled, is premised on a religious fiction.
In Saudi Arabia, the most radical Wahhabist state in the world, where full-length chadors with niqabs are de rigueur, women have their passport photos taken — in every case, showing their full face. How then could anyone legitimately claim that they cannot remove it to become a Canadian citizen?
Given that over one million Muslims have become citizens without complaint, has the demand to wear a niqab when swearing a citizenship oath become a political statement, rather than a religious requirement? There is not even any reference in the Qur’an to covering a woman’s head or face.
And it’s reported that only two women to date have protested being asked to remove their niqab during their swearing-in ceremonies. Are these two women the only genuine adherents to the Muslim faith? The niqab issue has already been decided on the other side of the Atlantic. Where the governments of both France and Belgium banned face coverings, challenges were made to the European Court of Human Rights which ruled, just last year, that those governments’ desire to promote “vivre ensemble” — i.e., living together in a socially integrated way — overrides a woman’s right to “disappear.” This judgment will influence the thinking both of parliamentarians and our courts when it comes to a challenge to any face cover ban in employment. This debate seems less about religion than about a clash of values. Most Canadians believe that they should be able to interact with others without a face veil, since so much of communication in our society is visual. A person is obviously free to cover their face in their non-working life or in contexts that are not customer-facing, but whose values should be paramount in the workplace? To what extent are employees free to impose an individual preference, if it is not genuinely a religious requirement, upon others? That’s where the real debate lies, and it shouldn’t be silenced by religious-freedom arguments that may not even be genuine.

Mother of Saudi man sentenced to crucifixion begs Obama to intervene
Shiv Malik, Mona Mahmood and Laurence Topham
The Guardian/October 15/15
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/14/mother-of-saudi-man-sentenced-to-crucifixion-begs-obama-to-intervene?CMP=EMCNEWEML6619I2
The mother of a Saudi protester sentenced to death by beheading and crucifixion has begged Barack Obama to intervene to save her son’s life.
In her first interview with foreign media, Nusra al-Ahmed, the mother of Ali Mohammed al-Nimr, whose case has made headlines around the world, described the intended punishment as savage and “backwards in the extreme”.
Human rights groups including Amnesty International and Reprieve, the US talkshow host Bill Maher and the British prime minister, David Cameron, have all weighed in with calls for clemency to stop Nimr, who was 17 at the time of his arrest, from being beheaded and then crucified.
If you haven't used up all your heroism on the clock kid, try hashtagging #AliMohammedAlNimr http://t.co/yVRNgkNdNz
The oil-rich state is facing increasing diplomatic scrutiny over the severity of its penal system as it takes over the chair of the UN human rights council.
Asked how she was coping knowing that at any moment her son could be put to death following the Saudi supreme court’s rejection of his appeal, Ahmed said: “For other people every hour is composed of 60 minutes, but for me every hour is 60 beats of pain.”
She said her son had been detained sometime after joining Shia demonstrators in the eastern coastal city of Qatif seeking equal religious rights in the Sunni-majority country.
Father of Saudi man sentenced to death says UK intervention could save him
The official charges levelled against Nimr included attending a protest, using his phone to encourage further support for the demonstrations and possessing a gun, an accusation which the family strongly denies.
“They were peaceful and civilised and legitimate and so my fear was, I was afraid for my son, but inside I agreed with them in principle.”
She said that before his arrest Nimr was a quick learner who loved swimming, football and photography, and also a devoted son. “At home when he saw me cooking … he would offer to help me cook, cut the onion or slice the potatoes. This was his temperament completely.”
Visiting after his arrest, she alleged he had been tortured. “When I visited my son for the first time I didn’t recognise him. I didn’t know whether this really was my son Ali or not. I could clearly see a wound on his forehead. Another wound in his nose. They disfigured it. Even his body, he was too thin.”
“[When] I started talking to him [he told me that] during the interrogation [he was] being kicked, slapped, of course his teeth fell out … For a month he was peeing blood. He said he felt like a mass of pain, his body was no more.”
She still had hope her son could be saved from his punishment imposed under Saudi’s sharia penal system and described the sentence – which would involve him being beheaded before his decapitated body is hung from a cross in public – as having been plucked out of the dark ages.
“I feel that one’s very being is repelled at such a ruling … It’s backwards in the extreme. No sane and normal human being would rule against a child of 17 years old using such a sentence. And why? He didn’t shed any blood, he didn’t steal any property. Where did they get it [this sentence]? From the dark ages?
She believes the sentence was intended to punish her son for his Shia faith. “I don’t expect that anyone normal and sane has heard of such a thing, [no] normal person who is not sectarian would find such a thing acceptable. That’s why you find that always it’s sectarian people who are happy with such things because he’s a Shia.”
Calling on the US president to intervene she said: “He is the head of this world and he can, he can interfere and rescue my son … To rescue someone from harm, there is nothing greater than that. I mean my son and I are simple people and we don’t carry any significance in this world but despite that, if he [Obama] carried out this act, I feel it would raise his esteem in the eyes of the world. He would be rescuing us from a great tragedy.”
On Tuesday the UK government said it would be withdrawing its bid for a £5.9m contract to deliver training for Saudi prisons. That move came on the same day that Cameron said he would write to Riyadh to implore Saudi authorities not to carry out a punishment of 360 lashes on a British pensioner caught transporting homemade wine in his car. Last week Cameron appealed to the newly crowned king not to carry out the death sentence on Nimr.
Speaking on BBC’s Newsnight on Friday the Saudi ambassador to the UN, Abdallah al-Mouallimi, said he would not talk about Nimr’s case because the “legal process has not been exhausted”, but said the matter was one for Saudi Arabia alone.
“We respectfully request the world to respect our systems and our judicial processes, and our laws and regulations, and not to interfere in the internal affairs of a sovereign state.”
Mouallimi said the kingdom would uphold the UN charter on human rights. “The application of sharia law as far as human rights is concerned is the highest form of human rights,” he said, adding: “We believe that we are holding ourselves to the highest standards. If that doesn’t please someone here or there, that’s their problem not ours.”The Saudi UK embassy has said it rejects “any form of interference in its internal affairs”.

Palestinian and Western Leaders: Blood on Their Hands
Richard Kemp/Gatestone Institute/October 16/15
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/6703/palestinian-blood-hands
Secretary Kerry's comments will encourage the continuation of violence and lead to further deaths of both Israelis and Palestinians. His explanation for the widespread knifings, suicide bombings, shootings, arson, firebombings, vehicle attacks and lethal rock-throwing is either naive or mendacious; perhaps both.
Kerry asserts that the frustrations of Israeli settlement activity are responsible for the Palestinians' murderous behaviour. The reality is that this new wave of killings is a continuation of the aggression against Jews that has been going on in the territory of Palestine for many decades -- since long before 1948 and pre-dating the first Israeli settlements in the West Bank that Kerry falsely brands as illegal.
The violence is motivated by the same racist and sectarian zeal that drives the Islamic State and numerous Arab governments and jihadist groups that have sought to eradicate the presence of "infidels," whether Jews, Christians or Yazidis, from land that they consider the exclusive preserve of Muslims.
Palestinian children are taught that Jews are descended from apes and pigs and must be killed before their "filthy feet" desecrate the holy places of Islam -- in the words of President Abbas.
Secretary Kerry, the UN, and the EU should be discouraging further violence by condemnation and by meaningful threats of sanction against the Palestinian Authority leadership. The international community has encouraged Hamas's illegal use of human shields and berated Israel for defending itself and for inflicting civilian casualties, which were in reality the unavoidable consequence of Hamas's unprovoked aggression and its way of fighting from within private houses, schools, hospitals and mosques.
This encouragement of Hamas violence, especially the effectiveness of its human shield strategy, did not go unnoticed by other Islamist terrorist groups. That is also what Hizballah wants: the wholesale deaths of their own people as a trigger for unbearable international pressure against Israel.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has shockingly justified the latest Palestinian murder campaign in Israel. His comments this week at Harvard University will encourage the continuation of violence and lead to further deaths of both Israelis and Palestinians.
Secretary Kerry's remarks are particularly troubling because it is unimaginable that he would provide such justification other than for the killing of Israelis. His explanation for the widespread knifings, suicide bombings, shootings, arson, firebombings, vehicle attacks and lethal rock-throwing is either naive or mendacious; perhaps both. He asserts that the frustrations of Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank are responsible for the Palestinians' murderous behaviour. Of course this is nonsense.
The reality is that this new wave of killings is a continuation of the aggression against Jews that has been going on in the territory of Palestine for many decades -- since long before the re-establishment of the Jewish state in 1948 and pre-dating the first Israeli settlements in the West Bank that Secretary Kerry falsely brands as illegal. The violence is motivated by the same racist and sectarian zeal that drives the Islamic State and numerous Arab governments and jihadist groups that have sought to eradicate the presence of "infidels," whether Jews, Christians or Yazidis, from land that they consider the exclusive preserve of Muslims.
For years, the Palestinian people have been betrayed by their weak, divided and jaundiced leadership who have consistently rejected every opportunity to make peace with their Israeli neighbours. Seeking to divert attention from their gross failures, the immediate trigger for the current murder campaign was the unfounded accusations of Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmud Abbas and other rabble-rousers that the Israeli government was planning to change the status of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem -- a holy place for both Jews and Muslims.
But what made it possible to conjure up widespread violence so rapidly and to such devastating effect were the years of incitement to hatred against Jews by the Palestinian leadership, including President Abbas. In propaganda that would have impressed Nazi Germany's Dr. Josef Goebbels himself, Palestinian children are indoctrinated with hatred for Jews and the Jewish State from the very earliest stages of their learning. In schoolbooks, on the TV and in the mosques, they are taught that the whole of the land of Israel, Gaza and the West Bank is Arab territory, stolen from them by the Jews. They are taught that Jews are descended from apes and pigs and must be knifed, blasted and stoned to death before their "filthy feet" are allowed to desecrate the holy places of Islam -- in the words of President Abbas.
It is this type of sustained, government-sponsored incitement to hate, reducing the objects of their venom to subhuman status, which made it so easy for ordinary Germans to indulge readily in the orgy of violence that enabled the most efficient genocide in the history of the world.
Although the Palestinian leadership must bear the brunt of responsibility for their incitement to murder, Western leaders also have blood on their hands. Much of the material of hate that inspires Palestinian children is funded by the U.S., Europe and other Western as well as Arab nations.
Rather than seeking to appease the perpetrators by blaming the victims for their fate, Secretary Kerry should be discouraging further violence by outright condemnation and by meaningful threats of sanction against the Palestinian Authority leadership. Instead, he adopts a morally relativistic stance that has the darkest consequences. Understanding that, as so often in the past, the U.S. and the West sympathizes with their fascistic barbarity against a Western democratic state, the Palestinians will step up their violence.
This is the same moral failure that has encouraged three wars in Gaza since Israel withdrew in 2005. Western governments, international bodies such as the UN and the EU and human rights groups consistently refused to condemn salvo after salvo of Hamas rocket attacks against Israeli civilians. Only when Israel has been forced to strike back in self-defence have they bestirred themselves. Then, more often than not, it has only been to justify Hamas's terrorist aggression, as Secretary Kerry has justified Palestinian violence this week. Emboldened first by a lack of international interest and then by international condemnation of Israel's defensive response, Hamas and their fellow Gaza terrorists continued, repeatedly, to attack Israel. There is little doubt that this will happen again in the future.
In each of the Gaza wars, the international community encouraged Hamas's illegal use of human shields that resulted in so much death and suffering in Gaza and Israel. At best with only token criticism of Hamas's war crimes, international leaders vigorously berated Israel for defending itself and for inflicting civilian casualties which were in reality the unavoidable consequence of Hamas's unprovoked aggression and its way of fighting from within private houses, schools, hospitals and mosques.
This encouragement of Hamas violence, especially the effectiveness of its human shield strategy, did not go unnoticed by other Islamist terrorist groups. Lebanese Hizballah, for example, has embedded 100,000 rockets -- all pointed at Israel -- among the towns and villages of southern Lebanon. Many houses have a kitchen, sitting room and rocket room. Should Israel need to defend itself against these missiles, which threaten their civilian population, many hundreds -- perhaps thousands -- of Lebanese civilians will inevitably be killed in the process. As with Hamas, that is what Hizballah wants: the wholesale deaths of their own people as a trigger for unbearable international pressure against Israel.
It is here that Secretary Kerry should be focusing his energies -- on the removal of this threat, which is certain to materialize if international action is not taken. But of course, he will not. Because those missiles are under the control of Iran. Indeed, today Iran is intent on strengthening and reinforcing Hizballah's offensive capability against Israel. And Secretary Kerry and President Obama have invested too much political capital in their nuclear deal with Iran. Itself catastrophic for the region and the world, the deal is nevertheless their proud legacy, and they cannot afford to upset the ayatollahs and risk them walking away.
Neither will the UN nor the EU lift a finger to prevent the inevitable future conflict and death in southern Lebanon or in Gaza. Like Secretary Kerry, they and the international human rights industry will continue to justify and encourage anti-Israel aggression, reserving their efforts for the repudiation of the Jewish State and perpetuating current and future waves of violence and death.
Colonel Richard Kemp spent most his 30-year career in the British Army commanding front-line troops in fighting terrorism and insurgency in hotspots including Iraq, the Balkans, South Asia and Northern Ireland. He was Commander of British Forces in Afghanistan in 2003. From 2002 - 2006 he heading the international terrorism team at the Joint Intelligence Committee of the British Prime Minister's Office.

Canadian Elections/Political Islam is the enemy, not Muslims
By Farzana Hassan/Canada/Ontario/Toronto Sun
Thursday, October 15, 2015
http://www.torontosun.com/2015/10/15/political-islam-is-the-enemy-not-muslims?token=63b3ababba2b5a9eb2039369c8774c97
Many accuse the Conservative government of stoking anti-Muslim sentiment in this election campaign. They say the government has raised issues that are trivial and even racist. They believe the Conservatives have avoided discussing more meaningful issues, such as the environment and the weak economy, because they have neither the understanding nor the desire to formulate proper policies. An article in The Economist entitled “Veiled Attack” summed up this narrative as follows: “The (niqab) fuss is a godsend for Stephen Harper, who hopes voters will re-elect him for a fourth term as Prime Minister — despite their fatigue with his ten-year rule and a weak economy ... Canada’s one million Muslims are dismayed.” In fact, it is the Islamists and their supporters who are rubbing their hands in satisfaction. A crucial distinction needs to be made here. Debates on the niqab, ISIS and citizenship are not about Muslims, but about Islamists. The difference is often ignored, sometimes for political gain, sometimes out of sheer ignorance. Any democratic government should have an agenda to fight all the lethal brands of Islamism.
Why should this be perceived as anti-Muslim?
Combating Islamism is — and must be — a legitimate election issue.
Whether it is opposition to the niqab or the fight against ISIS, it is crucial that responsible political parties construct and publicize a clear manifesto opposing the Islamist forces that seriously threaten everything Canadians value. Take the niqab controversy. Its supporters constantly claim it is a non-issue because only a small number of women wear it. But what the niqab represents is much larger than the garment itself. It is about political Islam spreading its patriarchal agenda and expanding its territory into public spaces that would otherwise be platforms for openness and equality. Such as Canadian citizenship ceremonies.It is not about one or one thousand niqabs, but the fact Islamists are using the issue as a test of our national resolve. Other issues work in a similar way. For example, revoking the Canadian citizenship of dual citizens convicted of terrorism is necessary. It sends a strong message to those who engage in terrorist violence they cannot be so arrogant as to assume they will remain Canadians, if caught. Being a citizen should inspire a sense of loyalty to one’s country. Those who conspire to commit acts of terror and treason, while espousing allegiance to hostile states or non-state entities, do not deserve Canadian citizenship. This leads us to ISIS. Informed politicians know the threat ISIS poses to the Western world is serious. This terrorist organization is hard to defeat, but it must be contained or it will continue to spread and threaten Canada’s allies in the region. Once again, the ideology that inspires outfits like ISIS is larger than the organization itself. It exists in our midst. The entire Western world must grapple with it, yet NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair has told us, “This is not our fight.” Both he and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau would end our combat mission against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Islamism is alive and kicking in Canada. The fight against it is not a fight against Muslims but against a vicious brand of political Islam that condones violence in the name of religion, justifies wife battery and believes in the apocalyptic supremacy of Islam. Why would anyone doubt that fighting Islamism is and must be a genuine election issue?

Gregg Roman: Mahmoud Abbas Must Stop 'Turning Attackers into Martyrs'
Al-Jazeera America
October 16, 2015
Middle East Forum director Gregg Roman appeared on Al-Jazeera America on October 13 to discuss the recent wave of Palestinian stabbing attacks against Israelis. Is your sense that the violence is random, not organized? I think that it's not just the violence that we have to focus on, but [also] what I would call the serialization of terrorism. Essentially these individuals have taken viral incitement that has been broadcast from the Palestinian territories, whether it be Gaza or the West Bank. It's effectively the export of ISIS-brand terrorism that's now affecting innocent Israelis, west and east of the Green Line.
Now, this evening the government reportedly announced that it will seal off some Arab neighborhoods in East Jerusalem in order to try and prevent some of these attacks. Is there not the danger that taking that kind of action will inflame things further? I think that the situation has already boiled [beyond] where it's supposed to go. ... This isn't crisis resolution mode for the Israeli government right now. This is about crisis management. Until there is an acceptable Palestinian leadership that's willing to sit at the table with Israel, condemn this terror wave, and basically manage their own people, there's only going to be harsher Israeli security measures. And the result of that might be tepid for the Israeli populace, but at the same time we have to realize that there's not many other options that they have. On the leadership levels, there are many issues on both sides. Beyond the ugliness of the attacks themselves, we're seeing Israelis egging on security forces to kill attackers after they've been restrained. But, on the other hand, we've seen Palestinian leaders, including [Palestinian Authority President] Mahmoud Abbas, turning attackers into martyrs. Reactions like those on both sides have got to worry you if you're hoping for a solution.
Gaza cleric Muhammad Sallah calls on Palestinians to carry out stabbing attacks against Jews on October 9. You just gave the perfect analysis. In one place, you have a populist response by minor groups within Israeli society that are reacting to violence in the now. On the other hand, you have the Palestinian leadership ... stamping their seal of approval, continuing this by calling them martyrs. ...You see the Israeli government trying to stop conflict and trying to mitigate conflict, while at the same time you see the Palestinian leadership trying to egg it on. But on the other hand, you have some fairly impartial observers. Terje Roed-Larsen, who is one of the architects of the Oslo Accords, argues that Israel needs to stop building settlements in the West Bank if we're going to see an improvement in the region. And also Palestinians are saying that they're fed up because they don't see the peace process going anywhere. Do they not have a point? I think that these young Palestinians do have a point. But the root of the problem is that the Oslo Accords that the Norwegians tried to pen together 23 years ago have effectively become a failed agreement. There needs to be a new paradigm for peace within the framework of Palestinians working with Israelis. I think the Israelis have demonstrated they've been ready to make peace 18 or 19 times. But ... in the wake of all these attacks—7 dead Israelis and 93 more injured later—there's only going to be increased security concerns and a destabilized security situation.

Yemeni leaders’ media war
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/October 16/15
After being banned by three main Arabic news channels, former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh had to deliver his speech through Al-Mayadeen channel. Similarly, his partner in the insurgency, Abdul-Malak al-Houthi, leader of the Ansar Allah militia, was on Al-Massira channel. Legitimate President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi delivered a written speech to the Yemen News Agency. That evening was part of the inter-Yemeni media war. Meanwhile, Hadi’s forces, and those of their Saudi and Emirati allies, have made huge gains in Aden, Marib, Taiz and the strategic Bab al-Mandab areas. They are now moving toward Jawf province. Houthi forces and Saleh militias are holed up in regions such as the capital Sanaa, which is ringed by mines in anticipation of the promised attack. The media war reflects efforts by the conflicting parties to win support from the forces and tribes that are not yet involved in the war, or are willing to change allegiance.Yemeni public opinion might not have significant influence on the war because the disputants have resorted to arms. However, they do seek to justify their positions, and the rebels are now in need of public support given their battlefield setbacks. The media war reflects efforts by the conflicting parties to win support from the forces and tribes that are not yet involved in the war, or are willing to change allegiance.
Saleh’s intransigence
After listening to Saleh’s interview, I am more convinced than ever that he is determined to fight until the end, contrary to recent rumors that he is willing to compromise by leaving Yemen. He has killed the closest people to him in order to consolidate his control. This is how he remained in power for 40 years, through his brutality and intelligence, not through the achievements of his government, whose sole task was to prevent challenges against him. Countries such as Saudi Arabia knew that trying to support change in Yemen, or challenging Saleh’s rule, would be expensive and unsuccessful. That is why they did not interfere until the Arab Spring uprising in Yemen in 2011. These countries urged Saleh to resign and hand over power to the Yemeni people. He did not accept until he was nearly killed in an explosion. Saleh will never accept the legitimacy of the current government, contrary to what he said on TV about making concessions in order to stop the war. He has always been known as a liar, so legitimate Yemeni forces and their allies will be forced to plan a longer and stronger war. Saleh has ruined Yemen’s future. This is much worse than the harm he caused by his alliance with Houthi militias, and his subversion against the transitional government that was writing a new constitution and planning elections under U.N. supervision. This two-year period was paving the way for a historic shift in Yemen, which would give the country the first real opportunity to build institutions that manage the state. The Yemeni people were eager to get out of poverty, ignorance and chaos.

New Saudi anti-unemployment body is long overdue
Afshin Molavi/Al Arabiya/October 16/15
Among the many challenges Saudi Arabia faces, a jobs shortage should be at or near the top of the list. The Kingdom has one of the youngest populations in the world: two-thirds of all Saudis are under the age of 30 and more than one-third are under the age of 14. By some estimates, Saudi Arabia will need to create nearly 2 million jobs over the next decade to meet the demands of its young population. With youth unemployment in the Kingdom hovering near 30%, the creation of jobs represents a policy challenge of the highest order. On October 12, the Saudi Cabinet approved the creation of a new federal body aimed at tackling this challenge – the Commission for Job Generation and Anti-Unemployment. This is a long overdue initiative. Notably, the Commission will be linked organizationally with the Council on Economic and Development Affairs (CEDA), another new federal body launched in January 2015 and tasked with streamlining government decision-making on economic development issues, which have often been mired in bureaucracy or competing ministerial agendas.
Underperforming in its economic potential
Indeed, the creation of an organizing entity like CEDA is also long overdue because Saudi Arabia had fallen into the trap of creating too many “supreme councils” for this or “special commissions” for that, and CEDA, it seems, has the potential to clean up this alphabet soup of agencies that I believe were slowing down the development process, while coordinating ministerial plans under a single, overarching vision. Today’s Saudi population – especially its young – are the most wired, most connected, and best-educated population in Saudi history. On a regular basis, ministers responsible for economy and development issues meet to discuss coordinated strategies. The establishment of the new Jobs Commission likely emerged from CEDA. After all, in any Saudi public policy economy discussion, it does not take long before the jobs issues rises to the center of debate. At the end of the day, Saudi Arabia – not unlike other emerging economies -- is underperforming its economic potential. True, the Kingdom has made great strides from just a few decades ago when things like mass education, mass literacy, and country-wide healthcare were just the stuff of reformer dreams, but Saudi Arabia is not the only country in the world that has made strides in building roads, schools, universities, hospitals, and the like. Today, to compete in the 21st century, the Kingdom will need a 21st century economic vision of growth and 21st century productivity from its citizens. That’s where the Jobs Commission comes in – or at least should come in. A young population that is significantly unemployed or under-employed represents not only a drag on the economy, but also a drag on society. There is nothing more tragic than witnessing the squandered potential of unemployed and under-employed youth anywhere in the world. Saudi Arabia’s demographics can be either a burden or a gift. If channeled properly, young populations can drive growth and job creation as they did across East Asia in the 1980s with similar demographic portfolios. Saudi Arabia is not alone in facing a jobs challenge for its youth. In a recently launched report by the International Labor Organization, the Geneva-based body reported a total of 73.3 million unemployed youth worldwide. The report, entitled “Global Employment Trends for Youth 2015” and launched last week, noted that while some regions improved their youth employment prospects, the large emerging market regions of East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East and North Africa saw an increase in youth unemployment between 2012-14. But is the answer another federal agency? It all depends on what the new commission chooses to focus on. Michael Klein, the former chief economist of the World Bank’s private sector development arm, the International Finance Corporation, rightly notes that the basics such as savings, investment, education, resources, and new technology are “fairly easy to obtain.” On the other hand, he also rightly notes that “what is hard to obtain are the institutions that allow these factors of production to be combined and translated into productive job creation.” The key factor, Klein argues, is the growth and competition of companies that are “key vehicles that spread best practices and productive jobs.” Thus, “it is necessary that new firms can enter markets, that substandard firms are allowed to fail, and that good firms face few barriers to growth. This is the definition of competition, and competition is what selects good firms and thus drives the spread of best practice and productive jobs. Governments need to provide the framework in which capable firms can emerge.”
Buzzwords
This is a good overarching philosophy for any economy seeking to create sustainable jobs. The buzzwords these days around discussion of job creation center on entrepreneurship, innovation and small and medium-sized enterprises. These are certainly important pieces of a job-creating ecosystem, but one should not forget the power of large corporate players in innovating or creating jobs – or nurturing the ecosystem of entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized businesses. The new Jobs Commission would do well to consult a report produced by the World Economic Forum in 2012 that focuses on the role of large employers in driving job creation in the Arab world. The report noted that “Large employers can play a decisive and central role in fostering the development of skilled national workforces.” The report further noted that “These employers, whether state-owned enterprises (SOEs) or private family-owned conglomerates, dominate the national economies. The combined workforce of firms such as Office Chérifien des Phosphates (OCP) in Morocco, Sonatrach in Algeria, and Saudi Aramco, the Olayan Group and the Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) in Saudi Arabia is approximately a quarter-million strong. Their size, in local and international markets, gives them important skills development capabilities.” The report outlined a number of initiatives that these large employers should pursue, including greater collaboration with educational institutions, government ministries tasked with labor, expanded training opportunities, and targeted outreach to local firms. Of course, much of this happens organically. Some of the leading small and medium-sized businesses in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern province have grown on the back of regular Aramco contracts. Saudi Aramco is also the gold standard in staff training: the company spends about a $1 million a day on executive and staff training. Indeed, it does not take long to spot the difference between a Saudi Aramco employee and a Saudi government staffer in terms of efficiency, skills, and management practices. It was no surprise then that when the late King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz wanted to build a world-class science and technology university (now known as the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology), he tapped Aramco to do the job, not the bureaucrats at the Education Ministry. Many Saudi government ministers and top-level deputies are highly competent, with broad experience, relevant education (often PhDs from the West), and globalized outlooks. Deeper down in the ministries, however, I believe skill levels and work ethic are often sub-standard, but this is partly the fault of those same globe-trotting ministers who fail to invest in their staffs. Ministries should take a page from Saudi Aramco and begin developing training and executive management programs to bring staff in line with the needs of 21st century government. Saudi Arabia faces a unique moment in its history: Today’s Saudi population – especially its young – are the most wired, most connected, and best-educated population in Saudi history. They also face tough global economic headwinds arising from a slow-down in China, declining oil prices, a sputtering Eurozone economy, and a still uncertain recovery in the United States. The relative success of education, healthcare, and industrialization initiatives over the past few decades has created a Saudi society that is overwhelmingly middle-class – with rising middle-class expectations and a heavily consumerist culture.
Those rising expectations will need to be met. Widespread joblessness threatens the future of a country that remains a pivotal power in the world.

Securing Saudi Arabia’s future in a competitive global economy
Andrew Bowen/Al Arabiya/October 16/15
With low oil prices, public expenditure pressures, deepening foreign expenditure commitments, and structural risks, King Salman’s government moved this week to address a critical challenge exacerbated by this unfavorable regional economic climate: youth unemployment. Prior to the recent economic slowdown, the unemployment rate in the Kingdom for youth between the ages of 15 and 25 was 29.43% in 2013 and almost 1.9 million Saudis under the age of 14 will enter the job market by 2025. With over two-thirds of the Saudi population under 30, youth unemployment cannot be ignored.
A new initiative
The Saudi Cabinet, chaired by King Salman on October 12, importantly established a new Commission for Job Generation and Anti-Unemployment to be under the supervision of Prince Mohammad bin Salman, the Deputy Crown Prince and President of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs (CEDA), which oversees the Kingdom’s economy, energy policy, and finances. This initiative underwrites the Kingdom’s future by ensuring that Saudi youth are given better training, new jobs, and more opportunities. Falling in line with CEDA’s goals to reduce bureaucratic red tape and deepen inter-agency cooperation to more effectively support the sustained prosperity of the Kingdom, the Cabinet is optimistic that this initiative will address this important challenge at a time of increasing economic pressures. Importantly, as well, this new Commission is under the supervision and support of Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. As the architect of this new initiative, Prince Mohammad has shown both vision and leadership in pro-actively addressing the challenges the labor market faces in creating new jobs at a time when Saudi Arabia’s public expenditures are being tightened due to declining government revenues linked to lower oil prices. Organizationally, as well, the Deputy Crown Prince has brought focus to this challenge by empowering one agency to take the governmental lead to both formulate policies and at the same time, to coordinate with the other governmental agencies -- which partially address this issue separately -- to effectively implement these initiatives.
An important mandate
As a new cornerstone of CEDA’s work, the Cabinet has mandated the Commission to formulate and introduce economic policies, reforms, and programs to increase employment through creating jobs, with a large emphasis on addressing youth unemployment. The Commission will importantly focus on supporting the economic and industrial sectors that can generate the most new job growth. Beyond creating new jobs, Prince Mohammad has tasked the Commission with expanding the number of Saudis in the work force and increasing their productivity. King Salman’s government hopes that such initiatives will increase economic growth, deepen competition in the Saudi economy, and lead to higher salaries at a time when subsidies are being curtailed and standard of living costs are rising. Recognizing the important link between the public and private sectors, the Commission’s Board of Directors will consist of both government and non-governmental members and will coordinate with the private sector in rejuvenating the labor market and in encouraging economic growth.
A public and private partnership
The initiative is an important step forward to create a vibrant and sustainable labor market which addresses socioeconomic disparities and responds to the changing economic environment. This initiative also underwrites the Kingdom’s future by ensuring that Saudi youth are given better training, new jobs, and more opportunities. By partnering with non-governmental organizations and the private sector, this Commission enables the Saudi government to be pro-active in preparing Saudi youth entering the job market in the next decade to have the skills to succeed in an increasingly competitive global economy.
At a time when global oil prices are changing the global economic landscape, CEDA has better positioned the Kingdom to address these challenges with innovative economic initiatives.

The 'intifada of knives': A fire with no fuel
Yaron Friedman /Ynetnews/October 16/15
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2015/10/16/yaron-friedman-ynetnews-the-intifada-of-knives-a-fire-with-no-fuel/
Analysis: Palestinians committing violence are mainly interested in being hailed as heroes online; Arab world surmises that without support from Fatah and Hamas, the 'knife intifada' won't devolve into anarchy. The first intifada in 1987 was called “the intifada of stones,” the second in 2000 “the al-Aqsa intifada.” The security establishment has nicknamed October’s series of attacks “the rising wave of terror” but the Arab world has already defined it “the intifada of knives” or “the intifada of stabbings.” It’s also being nicknamed “the intifada of the young.” Why then, despite the gravity of the events and their non-stop momentum, do most commentators in the Arab world feel that there is little chance of their succeeding or effecting change? It seems that every 13–15 years, a new generation of Palestinians arrives that has been schooled on the values of the struggle against the “Zionist occupation” but has forgotten the tremendous damage and death this battle has caused. The reasons for the outbreak of each uprising change – for example the economic crunch at the end of the ‘80s, or the Palestinians’ refusal to accept the outcomes of the Oslo Accords at the end of the ‘90s. The two-stage withdrawal from Lebanon, each one preceded by an intifada, served as an example to Palestinians of the effectiveness of a guerilla war.The first intifada was a popular uprising, which the Palestinian Liberation Organization and Hamas gradually took over. The second intifada was planned and initiated by both organizations, therefore making use of the PA’s police weapons and Hamas’s suicide bombers. The current intifada is a popular initiative like the first, except without the management of any of the Palestinian organizations. Why is that?
Fatah is scared of Hamas, Hamas is scared of Islamic Jihad
The situation has changed and does not resemble that of the ‘80s or ‘90s. The leadership has been silenced by the rift between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, between Fatah and Hamas. The Palestinian Authority fears that the spread of unrest through the West Bank could undermine its power and allow Hamas to take over. Hamas, for its part, is worried about a confrontation with Israel at this time, too close to last summer’s conflict. The “hudna” (ceasefire) agreed with Israel was supposed to give the organization time to regroup for the next round, but Hamas is still some way from completing its preparations. Furthermore, Hamas is currently supported by Qatar rather than Iran and the Gulf state is not currently encouraging them to start firing. Hamas hopes to win aid from Saudi Arabia as well, in order to rebuild the Gaza Strip. The organization is worried that its current weakness will strengthen rival organizations in the Strip such as Islamic Jihad and the Sinai branch of the Islamic State.
No faith in the leadership
Support for the “intifada of knives” from the governments in Gaza and the West Bank is, therefore, verbal only. The present uprising has sprung from teenagers – youths who despaired of the chances of Fatah and Hamas achieving national goals. Youngsters surf internet sites that influence them far more than their education at home. Adults recoil from the disturbances out of fear of the repercussions of supporting them. The atmosphere in the Middle East radiates from every screen in every young Palestinian’s home – young protesters coming out against the regime in many of the region’s countries, serious violence on the part of Islamist organizations fighting this or that, civil wars and explosions. The web is full of violent videos from Iraq and Syria that one does not see in the rest of the world. Many youngsters are influenced by this atmosphere and want to become martyrs for the ultimate religious goal. The security establishment needs to shut down dangerous websites and educators need to try and understand why it is so easy to incite youth in East Jerusalem and elsewhere.
Online propaganda
Propaganda on the internet is distributed by the Islamic Movement in Israel, whose northern branch is behind much of Israeli Arabs’ involvement in the current intifada. Unofficial and anonymous organizations are active online, among them the “Al-Aqsa Media Center” that spreads propaganda under the mantle of a news network on its website and Facebook page and “The Third Intifada in Jerusalem.” The website administrators have doctored a Facebook “like” button that shows the hand grasping a knife. While it’s difficult to go after the websites’ creators, most of them criticize the Egyptian regime, which informs us that Hamas and Islamic Jihad are behind them. As we know, the regime of Egyptian President Abel Fattah al-Sisi puts a great deal of effort into fighting the Muslim Brotherhood. The youngsters working on their own are not trying to reignite the stalled political process or persuade Israel to return to the negotiating table. They want to be hailed as heroes on the internet, because for their generation there is no separation between the real and virtual worlds.
They use knives and cars, and attempt to snatch weapons because they don’t have any in reach as they did during the second intifada. They are presented as heroes worthy of emulation, martyrs who sacrifice themselves for the Palestinian homeland and who will reach paradise after their death.
The program of incitement that focuses on what the Palestinians are calling “al-Aqsa in danger” is propaganda that the Islamic Movement has been disseminating in mosques in Israel and throughout the Arab world for years. The websites that influence youngsters include a list of alleged Jewish plots to harm the mosque, starting with the plan to set it on fire in August 1969. This plan was actually put together by a mentally ill Christian from Australia. The websites also list alleged plots to change the current status quo. There is also real information interwoven with propaganda, foremost regarding burning of the house of the Dawabsheh family in the Palestinian village of Duma, a crime that set off riots in Jerusalem. Websites post photographs of Jews in kippahs ascending the Temple Mount escorted by Border Police, under the headline "Al-Aqsa incursion." All these events are subject to distortion and incomplete coverage which changes their meaning.
For example, Palestinian protesters holed themselves up inside al-Aqsa Mosque several months ago, armed with Molotov cocktails and fireworks. This was not mentioned at all; only the entry of police into the mosque, which was in fact in response to their activities, was covered - under the heading of "desecration of our holy ground." The insane actions of the stabbers of recent weeks are also disconnected from the responses of the public and security forces. The web is flooded with pictures of the bodies of terrorists after they have been taken out and are presented as free of criminal guilt. The goal is thus achieved: dead and injured young Palestinians splayed out on the ground, with "al-Yahood" (the Jews) to blame.
A fire without coal
But Arab commentators are pessimistic about the "knife intifada" surviving. They think that it is fire with a lot of matches but no coal. Without support from Fatah or Hamas, the chances of it spreading or having any real longevity are slim. The Arab world also only offers verbal support. Most commentators blame Israel for exploiting the disruption across the Arab world during the past few years in order to continue the momentum of building in the settlements. There are also claims that Israel took advantage of the US applying less pressure regarding settlement-building during the Iran talks. Middle East media networks primarily deal with the principal concerns of the Arab world: Russia's arrival on the scene, the threat from Islamic State and Iran's involvement. From the Palestinians' perspective, the "intifada" erupted at a bad time. They have no real internal or external support (financial or weapons-wise) and it broke out at a time when the nightmare of all the Arab world's leaders is the social protests turning into anarchy.

News Bulletin Achieves Since 2006 Click Here to go to the LCCC Daily English/Arabic News Buletins Archieves Since 2006

News Bulletin Achieves Since 2006
Click Here to go to the LCCC Daily English/Arabic News Buletins Archieves Since 2006