This is Part 1 of a 5 part series available now at www.stratfor.com

Gauging the Jihadist Movement, Part 1: The Goals of the Jihadists - Scott Stewart (Security Weekly, Stratfor)

Iran

Iran Spy Chief Runs Military Ops in Syria, Lebanon, Yemen(Kuwait Times)

Partners for Peace?

For first time, Palestinians back framework peace agreement -AP(Times of Israel)

Palestinian Red Line - Efraim Inbar (Israel Hayom)The Palestinians leaked a letter to the media that PA President Mahmoud Abbas sent to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry reiterating Abbas' complete opposition to recognizing "Israel as a Jewish state," declaring it a "red line" that the Palestinians would not cross.

Abbas: Don't Boycott Israel- Yoel Goldman (Times of Israel)

Hamas Condemns Red Sea-Dead Sea Agreement (Al-Qassam Brigades-Gaza) Hamas has expressed its total rejection of the agreement by Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority linking the Red Sea with the Dead Sea via a water pipeline, considering it a step toward normalization and legalization with Israel. Hamas stressed that the PA is not entitled to give up or compromise on any inch of Palestinian land or water resources and called on the PA not to take unilateral decisions. 

PA promotes murder as positive act at cultural event - Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik (Palestinian Media Watch)

Israel Serious in Its Intention to Reach Agreement with Palestinians (Jerusalem Post)

Syria

As per FP: Syria's chemical weapons will be transported on Russian trucks and then shipped to a U.S. Navy vessel, where they will be destroyed.

In Syria, the Children of Al-Qaeda - Joby Warrick (Washington Post)  The video of a training camp posted by al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria shows hooded recruits in camouflage shooting at targets or marching in formation under the black flag of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.  But look closer and the "fighters" appear quite small. The tallest are barely chest-high to their instructors. A photo of the recruits without their hoods confirms that all of them are young boys.  They are "Zarqawi's Cubs," the youth brigade of Syria's most fearsome Islamist rebel group. In the soundtrack, Arab voices sing: "Oh mother, don't be saddened by my leaving," explaining that the boys are going to fight "for the sake of defeating the Jews." 

Meanwhile, there are reports of Syrian refugees overwhelming Jordan.

Tunisia

The Arab Spring’s first, atypical sign of calm - Avi Issacharoff (Times o Israel) In Tunisia, an unpopular government is ceding power in the interests of stability. As events in Syria and Lebanon underline, that’s the exception

. 

Partners for Peace?

Peri: ‘We have a partner, but not an easy one' - Haviv Rettig Gur (Times of Israel) 
Defense Minister Ya'alon: We Have No Partner for Two-State Solution - Yaakov Lappin (Jerusalem Post)

West Bank Security Arrangements Suggested by Americans Are Irrelevant in Salafi Era - Guy Bechor  (Ynet News) A new force is growing in the territories, the Salafi movement. They hate the Palestinian Authority more than they hate Israel, and they hate Hamas too. Their proclaimed aspiration is to establish an Islamic caliphate all across the Middle East.

Al Jazeera Fires Reporter Who Questioned Objectivity of Arafat Coverage - Alana Goodman (Washington Free Beacon)

Syria

In Syria, Hunger And Humiliation As Weapons Of Mass Destruction - Omar Kaddour (SUDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG /Worldcrunch)

United Nations

UN Job Application Has Anti-Israel Slant- Hillel Neuer (Times of Israel) This headline is an understatement!

United States

Council On American-Islamic Relations: Its Use Of Lawfare And Intimidation (Citizens for National Security) A new study by Citizens for National Security documents almost 150 instances where the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a U.S. Muslim Brotherhood entity, used a tactic known as “lawfare” to intimidate its opponents. Read about CAIR's new splinter group, Egypt Freedom Foundation, here.

The Middle East Now Has Three Alliances: None Are With the U.S. - Ryan Mauro (Clarion Project)

1. The Shiite bloc consisting of Iran, Hezbollah, Iraq and the Syrian regime. 

2. The pro-Muslim Brotherhood Sunni bloc, consisting of Turkey, Qatar, Tunisia, Hamas and some Syrian rebels. 

3. The anti-Iran/anti-Brotherhood Sunni bloc consisting of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, other Syrian rebels and other Arab countries.

Afghanistan

Although Withdrawn, Stoning Proposal Shows Afghanistan's "Living Hell" - (IPT News)

Iran

Six Reasons to Worry About the Iranian Nuclear Deal - Jeffrey Goldberg (Bloomberg) Including nothing was actually signed, the U.S. has already conceded that Iran is going to end up with the right to enrich, there is no promise by Iran in this interim deal to abstain from pursuing work on ballistic missiles or on weaponization...

‘US freed top Iranian scientist as part of secret talks ahead of Geneva deal - Mitch Ginsburg (Times of Israel)

Woe to U.S. Allies - Charles Krauthammer (Washington Post) The Israelis are now trapped by an agreement designed less to stop the Iranian nuclear program than to prevent the Israeli Air Force from stopping the Iranian nuclear program.

Syria 

On Tuesday, I attended Syria in the Crosshairs a panel discussion at Fordham.  Click here to read the full story.  This was a great discussion. It got heated at times, but the audience and speakers remained dignified. For me, the most fascinating thing about the panel discussion was how Massad spouted unsubstantiated rumors and was strongly challenged with facts by Hanna. The most disturbing thing about the discussion was that Massad was presented as a distinguished intellectual instead of the hate monger he usually is. As this was a discussion of Syria and touched on Egypt, I was relieved and surprised that Israel and the Palestinians were barely mentioned. Kizenko added an interesting perspective from Russia. The bottom line for her is that Russia doesn't have much to offer except for rhetoric. While Putin would like to be portrayed as the protector of Christians in the Middle East, Russia has in fact denied asylum to those Christians that have requested it.

Partners for Peace?

Palestinians Reject U.S. Security Ideas for Peace with Israel - David Brunnstrom (Reuters)

Kerry's Plan to Invest $4 Billion in Palestinian Economy is Nonsense - Khaled Abu Toameh (Gatestone Institite) 

The U.S. Plan for Israel's Safety - Ron Ben-Yishai (Ynet News) Only thanks to Israeli control over the border crossings between the West Bank and Jordan has it been possible to prevent a massive spillover of al-Qaeda activists and explosive devices into the West Bank and Israel. Israel also notes that the attempt to place European inspectors at the border crossings between Gaza and Egypt failed miserably, and that following the Hamas coup in 2007 the supervisors ran for their lives.Palestinians Seek to Cancel Half of Debt Owed to Israel Electric Corp. - Avi Bar-Eli (Ha'aretz)

USA

Incoming NYC Mayor Taps Pro-Censorship Imam for Transition - (IPT News)

Jihadists, Salafists, Militants, Terrorists.... What do you make of these headlines? The Long War Journal states: Israeli forces kill at least 3 Salafi jihadists near Hebron, while Foriegn Policy forwards this headline: Israeli forces killed three Palestinian militants in the West Bank who Israel said were planning to carry out an attack, with a link to the actual BBC News story: Palestinian militants killed in Israeli West Bank raid. 

Iran

Dem to Obama: Don't fix Iran's airplanes - Julian Pecquet (The Hill) A little-noticed provision of the deal paves the way for U.S. companies such as Boeing and General Electric to inspect and repair Iran's American-made planes inside Iran.
‘Why is America ignoring us on Iran?’  - Elahanan Miller (Times of Israel) Arab columnists cannot figure out why the Obama administration is willingly going along with Iran’s game of deception  

Canada "Deeply Skeptical" Iran Will Follow Through on Nuclear Deal - Barrie McKenna (Globe and Mail-Canada)

Saudi Prince: "The Threat Is from Persia, Not from Israel" - Jeffrey Goldberg  (Bloomberg)

Iran, North Korea Secretly Developing New Long-Range Rocket Booster for ICBMs - Bill Gertz (Washington Free Beacon)

A reminder from the Simon Wiesenthal Center -  ten years ago, the Allies suspected that Iran was trying to acquire nuclear weapons. They began engaging them in talks demanding that Iran cease its nuclear weapons program. When the talks began, Iran had less than 160 centrifuges. Then that miracle or ‘unusual event’ occurred, and instead of acting, the world leaders, including the United States, kept talking and talking and talking. Suddenly, a miracle occurred and those 160 centrifuges turned into 18,000. 

NPR Host Obstructs Balanced Discussion on Iran  (CAMERA) 

Libya

Ansar al Sharia battles security forces in Benghazi - Thomas Joscelyn  (The Long War Journal) For the past few days, Ansar al Sharia has been battling Libyan security forces in the city of Benghazi. More than one year after the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack on the US mission, the al Qaeda-linked Ansar al Sharia remains a potent force.

Partners for Peace?

Fatah publicizes threats to kidnap, kill, and bomb Israelis  - Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik (PMW) 

Israel Calls for Symmetrical Concessions in Peace Talks  (AFP)

EAST JERUSALEM: Setting the Record Straight  (CAMERA)

Syria

Syria Conflict: Children "Targeted by Snipers" - Lyse Doucet (BBC News) Of the victims aged 17 and under, 389 were killed by sniper fire. 764 were summarily executed, and more than 100 - including infants - were tortured, the report says. 

Chechen-led group swears allegiance to head of Islamic State of Iraq and Sham - Thomas Joscelyn (The Long War Journal)

USA

FBI Stats Again Belie Islamophobia Myth - Jonathan S. Tobin (Commentary)

CAIR's Ayloush Gives Dishonest, Bullying Answer to Hamas Question  (IPT News)