Monday, March 9, 2015

At an event last week focused on Afghanistan, we were reminded of the September 2013 possibly prescient column by Robin Wright: How 5 Countries Could Become 14 (map included w/link) in The New York Times.

 Afghanistan

Iran
Iran Deploys Afghan Shiite Force to Spread Its Control in Southern Syria - Col. (ret.) Dr. Jacques Neriah (Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)

Iraq
Who Are the Iranian-Backed Shiite Militias Fighting in Iraq? - Frud Bezhan (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

Partners for Peace?
PA and Fatah demonization: Israel worse than Islamic State terrorists - Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik (PMW)
Palestinian terrorists of the 60s - Palestinian heroes of today- Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik (PMW)

Qatar 

Saudi Arabia
Saudi Columnist: Netanyahu Is Right to Insist on Addressing Congress about Iran Deal(MEMRI)
The Saudis are playing a very subtle game on Iran – Bruce Reidel (Business Insider) There's speculation that the King wants assurances from Pakistan that if the Iran negotiations produce either a bad deal or no deal, Pakistan will live up to its longstanding commitment to Saudi security.

 Syria

 Turkey
Turkey is becoming more secular, not less – Mustafa Akyol (Almonitor)

United Kingdom

United States
Netanyahu to Congress: The Alternative to This Bad Iranian Deal Is a Much Better Deal (Prime Minister's Office)
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Friday, February 27, 2015

Iran
Iran's Shi'ite Militias Are Running Amok in Iraq - Ali Khedery (Foreign Policy) Iraq's battle-hardened militias are the new, much larger, much wealthier Hizbullah. They will haunt the world for decades to come.

Jordan

Partners for Peace?
Internal Unrest Threatens Gaza - Hazem Balousha (Al-Monitor) recent crimes were linked to organizational disagreements between the two Fatah currents
Abbas Rejects Western Push to Restore PA Rule over Gaza - Yasser Okbi (Maariv Hashavua-Jerusalem Post)
Survey: Palestinians Working for Israelis Earn Double Those in the West Bank and Triple Those in Gaza - Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik (Palestinian Media Watch

Saudi Arabia
Saudis Fear "Bad Deal" with Iran - Oded Eran and Yoel Guzansky (Ha'aretz)
Scandinavia
Norway's Muslims form protective human ring around synagogue - Balazs Koranyi (Reuters) This has happened in Oslo, Stockholm, and Trondheim!

Turkey
Hamas Using Turkey as Base for Recruitment and Training - Alex Fishman (Ynet News)  The killers of the three Israeli teenagers prior to the summer 2014 Gaza war were also deployed by the headquarters in Turkey. Moreover, a significant portion of the arms in the hands of Hamas in the West Bank were purchased and sent there by the headquarters in Istanbul. 
Turkey's Culture of Horror – Burak Bekdil (Gatestone Institute)

United States
Exposed: Secret Memo Reveals Pollard Sentence a Sham – Aaron Klein (WND) Declassified document hints Israel spy serving life for bogus reasons.
Arabs: Why is Obama Siding with Supporters of Terrorism? - Khaled Abu Toameh (Gatestone Institute)
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Last night, my discussion group topic was “The Syrian Refugee Crisis.” Reportedly, half the population of Syria has been displaced by the civil war. We discussed the impressive measures that Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey have taken to help these refugees. As Israel is also a neighbor of Syria, someone asked what Israel is doing to help the Syrians, even suggesting they take in refugees. As the Syrians and most of Israel's neighbors are committed to its destruction, this seemed like a stupid question to me. I knew Israel was discretely providing medical aide, which came as a surprise to some, but I didn't think they could do much more. Israel is a very small country and it has very real security concerns that are quite different from its neighbors. Thank goodness for stupid questions.

From October 2014
From April 2013 
Israel may be operating in Syria- Noga Tarnoplosky (The Jerusalem Post) While the Israeli forces may be operating in a non-military capacity, it would be the first time they have been known to set foot in Syria since the 1970s.
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Friday, February 20, 2015


Iran
Iran: "We Are Witnessing the Export of the Islamic Revolution Throughout the Region" - Kambiz Foroohar and Ladane Nasseri  (Bloomberg)  "Iran is advancing," said Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi commentator. Iran "has succeeded in Syria in maintaining Bashar al-Assad, succeeded in Iraq in having all the Shiites on its side, and it has expanded now to Yemen." 
Can the West Rely on Iran? - Dore Gold (Israel Hayom) Tehran's purpose since 1979 has been to reduce American influence in order to pave the way for its own military domination of the region.

Partners for Peace?
Abbas' Fatah Threatens Rocket Attacks and "the End of Israel" - Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik (Palestinian Media Watch)
Fatah glorifies Japanese and Palestinian terrorists - Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik (Palestinian Media Watch)
Hamas Warns Italy Not to Embark on Libyan "Crusade"   (ANSA-Italy)A senior member of the Palestinian Islamic group Hamas, Salah Bardawil, on Tuesday warned Italy not to embark on a military intervention in Libya, saying this would be considered "a new Crusade against Arab countries and Muslims."
 
United Kingdom
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Friday, February 13, 2015

Egypt

Iran
Death of Saudi King & Coup in Yemen: Signs in Iranian Prophecy – Ryan Mauro (Clarion Project) According to this end-of-days belief, all of these events lead up to the Iranian-led capturing of Jerusalem….


Jordan
Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan Refuses to Condemn the Islamic State for Killing Jordanian Pilot - Yoni Ben Menachem (Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)

Libya
Islamic State Advances in Libya (Washington Free Beacon)

Partners for Peace?
PM says Israel to demolish illegal EU structures in Area C - Shlomo Cesana and Israel Hayom Staff (Israel Hayom)

Syria
ISIS Barbarians Face Their Own Internal Reign of Terror - Jamie Dettmer (Daily Beast)
Internal quarrels over a range of issues point to a lot of trouble beneath the surface of the ISIS terror army.

United States
Obama is Pursuing Regime Change in Israel – Aaron David Miller (Foreign Policy)

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