Excerpts: Egypt security closes Rafah crossing. French ISIS members seek
home terror attacks. Iran fails to provide explanations. Saudi asks Egypt to
back Gulf accord. Iran's firm 'no' re key Arak reactor. Jordan re terrorist
use of media November 20, 2014

+++SOURCE: Al Arabiya News 20 Nov.’14:”Closing (by Egypt) of Egypt’s Rafah
crossing leaves thousands of Gazans stranded”,by Nidal al-Mughrabi, Reuters
SUBJECT: Egypt security closes Rafah crossing
QUOTE;”One of the unintended consequences of the security clampdown is that
some 6,000 Palestinians are now stuck in Egypt or third countries”.

FULL TEXT:Egypt’s decision to shut its border with the Gaza Strip has
stranded thousands of Palestinians on the Egyptian side of the border while
around a thousand people in Gaza are desperate to get out for medical
treatment in Egypt, officials in Gaza say.

Egypt closed Rafah, the only crossing point between Egypt and the
Palestinian territory, on Oct. 25 after attacks by Islamist militants which
killed 33 Egyptian soldiers, an assault that prompted Cairo to declare a
state of emergency in the area.

It is also pressing ahead with a 1-km buffer zone with Gaza, partly to clamp
down on the smuggling of arms and other goods across the border, a business
that helps finance Hamas, the Islamist group that dominates the enclave.

One of the unintended consequences of the security clampdown is that some
6,000 Palestinians are now stuck in Egypt or third countries waiting to get
back into Gaza.

Another 1,000 people suffering from medical problems including kidney
failure, cancer and blood-related diseases seek urgent treatment or further
diagnosis in Egypt, said Ashraf al-Qidra, a spokesman for the Gaza health
ministry.

“If the closure continues, their health conditions will deteriorate and we
may start to witness some deaths,” he said.

Israel often takes in urgent cases from Gaza, but Qidra said people are
increasingly reluctant to go to Israel because they fear they will be
interrogated or asked to become an informant for the government about events
in Gaza.

Egypt is keen to regain full control in Sinai, where Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, a
militant group allied to Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), is gaining
influence, but also to put pressure on Hamas, which has long had ties to the
Muslim Brotherhood ousted from power in July 2013.

Cairo has destroyed scores of tunnels running from Gaza into Egypt, some up
to a kilometer long, that are used to shift everything from weapons to
medical equipment, building supplies and consumer goods. All the trade is
taxed by Hamas, providing a steady income.

Analysts said while Egypt’s moves might well hurt Hamas in the short term,
it would not resolve problems in Sinai.

“The security crackdown in Sinai may complicate things for Hamas and other
factions in Gaza who bring in weapons to fight Israel,” said Hamza Abu
Shanab, an expert in Islamist groups.

“It may complicate it, but it will not stop it,” he said.

“The army’s crackdown is fuelling hatred among residents of Sinai.
Unfortunately, the impact is being felt in Gaza, whose people are paying the
price for an internal struggle.”

Eyad al-Bozom, a spokesman for the Gaza interior ministry run by officials
loyal to Hamas, said: “Internal incidents in Egypt are an internal Egyptian
affair that has nothing to do with Gaza. It is illogical to make our people
pay the price for these incidents or be the victim of Egyptian security
measures.”


+++SOURCE: Al Arabiya News 20 Nov.’14:”French ISIS fighters call for terror
at home”,
SUBJECT: French ISIS fighters seek home terror attacks
QUOTE:“You will even fear travelling to the market,” one fighter says”The
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militant group has released a video
showing several French-speaking fighters calling on Muslims in France to
launch a terror campaign at home.”
FULL TEXT:The video, which according to the Guardian was released by ISIS’
media wing Al Hayat Media Department, shows a group of unmasked fighters
around a fire in a wooded area, burning what appear to be their French
passports.

One of the masked men can be heard saying: “We disbelieve in you and your
passports, and if you come here we will fight you.”

France is a member of the international coalition fighting the militant
group, although it has restricted its operation to Iraq, one of the two
countries ISIS has managed to gain a foothold in. On Wednesday[19 Nov.],
Paris said it had increased the number of warplanes involved in the
campaign.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls says that “close to 50” French citizens
have been killed fighting alongside Islamist militants in Syria.

Around 1,000 French nationals are thought to have taken part in the conflict
in Syria and Iraq, with 375 currently there, the government has said.

French ISIS fighters have been implicated in the recent beheading of a group
of Syrians that the group posted in a video online.

According to the Guardian, one of the fighters in the video identified as
Abu Osama al-Faranci castigates French Muslims for not emigrating to ISIS’
so-called state.

A second fighter identified as Abu Maryam al-Faranci says the “mujahideen”
will not hesitate to chop the heads of the “enemies of Islam,” the daily
reported.

“You will even fear travelling to the market,” he said.

Abu Salman al-Faranci, another fighter, suggests that those who cannot join
ISIS abroad “should “operate within France.”

“Terrorize them and do not allow them to sleep due to fear and horror,” he
added.

“Do whatever you can to humiliate them,” he said.

ISIS has released similar propaganda videos aimed at recruiting Muslims from
different parts of the world, including Europe and Australia.

Earlier this week, French President Francois Hollande voiced concern about
the phenomena of Westerners joining ISIS, which has proclaimed a “caliphate”
stretching parts of Iraq and Syria, and slammed how the recruits had been
“brainwashed

+++SOURCE: Al Arabiya News 20 Nov.’14:”Iran still not backing up nuclear
claims:watchdog”, Staff Writer with Reuters
SUBJECT: Iran fails to provide explanations

QUOTE:”The head of the U.N. nuclear agency said on Thursday [20 Nov] that
Iran had failed to provide explanations about suspected atom bomb research”

FULL TEXT:The head of the U.N. nuclear agency said on Thursday[20 Nov.] that
Iran had failed to provide explanations about suspected atomic bomb
research, as a deadline looms for a comprehensive deal between Iran and six
world powers to end the long-running controversy.

Iran is currently holding negotiations with the United States, France,
Germany, Britain, Russia and China in Vienna, in a push to reach an
agreement by the Nov. 24 deadline.

The final deal is intended to set limits on Iran’s nuclear program in return
for an end to international sanctions on the country.

Western officials say Iran must stop stonewalling the International Atomic
Energy Agency’s (IAEA) 12-year-old investigation into allegations that Iran
may have worked on designing an atomic bomb.

However, IAEA director general Yukiya Amano made clear the agency was still
far from satisfied.

“Iran has not provided any explanations that enable the agency to clarify
the outstanding practical measures,” he told a meeting of the U.N. agency’s
35-nation board of governors.

He was referring to two steps that Iran had agreed to carry out by late
August, by providing information to the IAEA concerning allegations of
explosives tests and other activity that could be used to develop nuclear
bombs.

“I call upon Iran to increase its cooperation with the agency and to provide
timely access to all relevant information, documentation, sites, material
and personnel,” Amano said.

Iran denies any intention of seeking atomic weapons, saying its nuclear
program is aimed at generating electricity.

(With Reuters)


+++SOURCE: Saudi Gazette 20 Nov.’14:”King asks Egypt to back Gulf Accord”,Saudi
Gazette
SUBJECT: Saudi asks Egypt to back Gulf Accord

QUOTE:” Saudi :relations between the neighbors are back to normal:

FULL TEXT:RIYADH — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah called on
Egypt on Wednesday [19 Nov.to back an agreement between Gulf Arab states
reached in Riyadh on Sunday[14 Nov.].

In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency, the King appealed to the
leadership and people of Egypt to “work with us for the success of this step
in the march of Arab solidarity.”

“We praise Allah Almighty Who enabled us and our brothers in the United Arab
Emirates, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Kuwait and the State of Qatar
to reach the Riyadh Supplementary Agreement on Sunday[14 Nov.] in which we
and my brothers, the leaders, have been keen to end all differences and
begin a new chapter to advance the process of joint work for the benefit of
the people of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as well as for the benefit of
the people of Arab and Islamic nations,” King Abdullah said in the
statement, urging the media to support them in achieving good and preventing
the evil.

The King said: “In this agreement, we have been keen to develop a
comprehensive framework for unity, harmony and renounce dispute in the face
of the challenges facing the Arab and Islamic nations.

“In this framework and in association with the great role being played by
the sisterly Arab Republic of Egypt, we have stressed all our support for it
and our hope for the start of a new phase of consensus among the brethren.

“With this in mind, I appeal to the people and leadership of Egypt to seek
with us the success of this step for Arab solidarity.

“I am sure that the leaders and the media in our countries will seek to
achieve this convergence from which we aim to end all disagreements,
whatever their causes might be.

“As we ask Allah Almighty to help and guide our work, we pray Him to
maintain the Arab and Islamic security and stability in these circumstances
and challenges that require all brethren to stand as one renouncing any
disagreement.”

The Sunday[14 Nov.] meeting was called by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
King Abdullah and was attended by GCC leaders. It comes ahead of the annual
Gulf summit set to take place in Doha on Dec. 9 and 10. Based on the
agreement, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain decided to return their
ambassadors to Doha. The three GCC countries withdrew their ambassadors to
Doha in March.

After resuming his duties in Doha, Saudi Ambassador to Qatar Abdullah
Al-Aifan told the daily Asharq Al-Awsat that he was “back in Doha, in the
presence of all the Saudi diplomatic staff,” adding that relations between
the neighbors are “back to normal



+++SOURCE: Naharnet (Lebanon) 20 Nov.’14:”Iran refuses to Give Ground on Key
Arak Reactor”, Agence France Presse
SUBJECT:Iran’s firm ‘no’ re Key Arak reactor
FULL TEXT:Iran sees "no more room" for negotiations on the design of its
Arak reactor, Tehran's nuclear chief said, refusing to give ground on a key
issue in international negotiations.

Western nations fear the unfinished reactor could provide Iran with
weapons-grade plutonium, but Tehran insists it is solely for research
purposes.

Iran has already said it will make some modifications to the heavy water
reactor, located 240 kilometers (145 miles) southwest of Tehran, and limit
plutonium output.

The United States has proposed transforming Arak into a light water reactor
so that it produces far less plutonium, but Tehran has refused.

"On Arak, we have said we were ready to design it so that the concerns are
lifted. This matter is settled to some extent on the technical aspect and
there is no more room for further negotiations," Ali Akbar Salehi was quoted
Thursday by media as saying.

The future of the site is one of the main focuses of talks between Iran and
six world powers under way in Vienna aimed at striking a deal over Tehran's
nuclear program by a November 24 deadline.

Iran denies seeking to build an atomic bomb and says it wants to expand its
nuclear program in order to generate electricity and help cancer patients.

SourceAgence France Presse




+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 20 Nov,’14:”Jordan to launch initiative to curb
terrorist groups media practices”, Petra

SUBJECT: Jordan re terrorist use of media

FULL TEXT:NEW YORK — Jordan is going to launch a regional initiative to curb
terrorists’ increasing use of telecommunications and media technologies.

During the UN Security Council (UNSC) session on international cooperation
in combating terrorism, which convened on Wednesday[19 Nov.], Dina Kawar,
Jordan’s representative to the UNSC said Jordan intends to launch the
initiative in Amman with the participation of international experts,
community representatives, and concerned entities to shed light on the use
of communications and information technologies by terrorist groups to
disseminate their radical and terrorist ideologies.

It is hoped that the initiative will yield a blueprint, comprising a
comprehensive media plan to combat misleading practices exercised by the
terrorist groups and to raise communities’ awareness on the dangers of
terrorism, in general, she noted.
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Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA