Excerpts: ISIS celebrates, lampoons Hagel's departure. Impact of nuclear
talks extention. S. rabbis,immam, try to bridge divide. Jordan acts against
Israeli envoy. Saudi growing concern re IS. Jordan jails IS supporter 3
years November 25, 2014
+++SOURCE: Al Arabiya News 25 Nov.’14:”ISIS celebrates, lampoons Hagel’s
departure on Twitter”, by Staff Writer
SUBJECT:ISIS celebrates, lampoons Hagel’s departure
QUOTE:”Following the announcement of Hagel’s resignation, the militant group
sent self-congratulatory messages to its supporters and created an Arabic
hashtag.”
FULL TEXT:The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has turned to social
media to celebrate the departure of U.S. Defense Minister Chuck Hagel on
Twitter.
Following the announcement of Hagel’s resignation, the militant group sent
self-congratulatory messages to its supporters and created an Arabic
hashtag, “The Islamic State topples the American Defense Minister.”
Responding to the hashtag, one twitter user wrote: “[President Barack]
Obama: You failed,” while another one said “The resignation of U.S.
Secretary of War has shaken the thrones of tyrants everywhere.”
On Monday, Hagel stepped down after criticism of the U.S. campaigns in
Afghanistan and against the ISIS which is in control of swathes of territory
in Iraq and Syria.
+++SOURCE: Al Arabya Newsc25 Nov.’14:”Extended Iran nuclear talks leave bomb
investigation in limbo”, by Fredrik Dahl, Reuters
SUBJECT:Impact of nuclear talks extention
QUOTE: Extended Iran nuclear talks leave bomb investigation in limbo”
FULL TEXT:A stalled U.N. watchdog investigation into allegations Iran
conducted atomic bomb research looks unlikely to be revived by the decision
to extend wider nuclear talks, diplomats and experts say.
While negotiations continue on a deal to curb Iran’s uranium enrichment
capacity -- to lengthen the time needed should Tehran ever decide to
assemble nuclear weapons -- the International Atomic Energy Agency is still
trying to conduct a separate, but related, inquiry into weapons research
suspicions.
Western diplomats who accuse Iran of stonewalling the IAEA say full
cooperation with the U.N. agency should be a condition for sanctions relief
under the broader nuclear deal.
But when talks between Iran and six world powers were extended on Monday[24
Nov.], there was no indication that there was any new requirement for Iran
to engage with the IAEA before a possible comprehensive settlement is
reached.
“Can Iran now stall with impunity until July 1, 2015?” asked one Western
diplomat, referring to the talks’ new deadline.
The IAEA has for years sought access to sites and officials in Iran to
clarify intelligence reports, contained in its 2011 report, indicating
activities with possible relevance to atomic bombs, mostly happening until
about a decade ago but some of which, the agency said, might be ongoing.
Iran denies any plan to develop nuclear weapons and says the accusations
were forged by its enemies. It has declined to give IAEA inspectors free
rein.
Leverage
A senior U.S. official said the possible military dimensions -- or PMD in
diplomats’ jargon -- of the nuclear program must be addressed for there to
be a deal to lift the sanctions that have crippled Iran’s economy.
“We’ve always said that any agreement must resolve the issue to our
satisfaction,” the official said last week.
Another diplomat said: “The leverage is the sanctions.”
But many experts say the historical allegations may never be clarified and
efforts should focus on ensuring that weapons development, if it happened,
has been halted.
Cliff Kupchan, of risk consultancy Eurasia Group, predicted “more deadlock”
for the IAEA investigation.
“The best we can hope for on PMD is no future activity. I just don’t think
they’ll talk about the past to a meaningful extent,” Kupchan said.
Ali Vaez, of think-tank International Crisis Group, said it would be in Iran’s
interest to cooperate more closely with the IAEA probe, to blunt criticism
by sceptics who say Iran is just using the diplomacy to play for time:
“If the extension has provided more time for the detractors to scuttle the
diplomatic process, Iran’s lack of cooperation with the agency will provide
them with more ammunition.”
There may still be some progress in the inquiry in coming months but Iran
will only really open up to the IAEA after a political accord with the
United States, France, Germany, Britain, Russia and China, Vaez said.
+++SOURCE: Al Arabiya News 25 Nov.’14:”Rabbis,Imams try to bridge divide at
N.Y.meeting” by Staff Writer
SUBJECT:U.S. rabbis,immams try to bridge divide
QUOTE:”Amid high tensions between Jews and Muslims, a group of 60 rabbis and
imams gathered in New York to bridge a gap between the two communities”
FULL TEXT:Amid high tensions between Jews and Muslims, a group of 60 rabbis
and imams gathered in New York to bridge the gap between the two
communities, the Washington Post reported Monday[24 Nov.].
The leaders, who met during the “2014 Summit of Washington Area Imams and
Rabbis,” enjoyed a kosher-halal lunch at a Washington synagogue.
At the gathering, the participants discussed joint projects that included
the feeding of homeless people, basketball games between Muslim and Jewish
teens, Judaism 101 courses for Muslims and Islam 101 for Jews.
“There is something about a Jewish-Muslim rapprochement that is very
important for the rest of the world,” the daily quoted Rabbi Gerry Serotta
as saying.
“The perception is that Jews and Muslims are irreconcilable and when people
see that we’re not, it gives them hope.”
The event was held at the Washington Hebrew Congregation on Monday[24 Nov.].
+++Jordan Times 25 Nov.’14:”House speaker urges gov’t to take action against
Israeli envoy”
by JT | Nov 24, 2014 | 23:23
AMMAN — The government on Monday said that it would verify “provocative”
remarks attributed to Israeli Ambassador in Amman Daniel Nevo, threatening
“not to remain silent” if they were verified.
Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Mohammad Momani, who
is acting Foreign Minister and government spokesperson, said the government
was following up on the reports, which quoted Nevo as harshly crticising the
Lower House for a perceived anti-Israel stand.
Momani’s statement, which he said was ordered by Prime Minister Abdullah
Ensour, came hours after Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh called on the
executive authority to take action against what he described as
"nonsensical" statements by the ambassador.
In a statement run by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Tarawneh said the
government is the party that should respond to the diplomat's "abusive"
comments against Parliament, which is “a national constitutional
institution”.
Nevo reportedly slammed lawmakers in an interview with Israel Army Radio
after the MPs recited the Koran as a gesture of tribute to the two
Palestinian youths who recently attacked a Jerusalem synagogue and were
killed in the process.
He was also quoted as saying that Jordanians believe that MPs are "only
concerned with trivial things and concerned about their personal interests",
adding that the message the deputies wanted to send by their act was not
only directed to Israel, but to the Royal Court to show they have a
different stance than the state towards Israel.
Tarawneh told Petra that “the government should make an apt response to the
diplomat's remarks”, which he said are deemed "flagrant" interference in
Jordan’s affairs.
Momani expected the ministry to make a decision Tuesday and deal with the
envoy accordingly after his return to Jordan from abroad, according to a
statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times.
If true, Nevo’s statements constitute a “blatant violation of diplomatic
norms”, stressing that diplomatic missions must respect the institutions of
the country where they serve, stressing that any insult to the legislative
branch is an insult to the government, “which we will not tolerate”.
Tarawneh accused Israel of creating a problem to influence the course of the
crisis caused by its frequent attacks against Palestinians and the holy
sites in Jerusalem and to distract attention from its “procrastination”
regarding the peace process.
He called on the government to bear its political, legal and diplomatic
responsibilities and take measures to respond to Israeli “extremism”.
Tarawneh noted that the government’s “reluctance” in taking the right
response after the Israeli army’s killing of a Jordanian judge earlier in
the year, the aggression on Gaza and attacks on the holy sites is the reason
behind the “arrogance” exhibited by Nevo
+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 25 Nov.’14:”Saudi Arabia says attackers behind
Shiite killings linked to IS”, Agence France Press
SUBJECT:”Saudi growing concern re IS
FULL TEXT:RIYADH — Saudi Arabia said Monday[24 Nov.]the assailants behind
Shiite killings earlier this month are linked to the Islamic State (IS)
jihadist group, including many jailed previously over suspected extremist
ties.
The interior ministry said it had broken up the "criminal network" behind
the attack in Eastern Province, adding that the group's "head had links with
Daesh", the Arabic name for IS.
Gunmen killed seven Shiites, including children, in the eastern town of Al
Dalwa on November 3 during the commemoration of Ashura, one of the holiest
occasions of their faith.Four men carried out the attack after killing a man
from a neighbouring village and stealing his car to use it in the Al Dalwa
shootings, the interior ministry said.
Security forces had since arrested 73 Saudis and four foreigners "linked" to
the attack, it said in a statement carried by SPA state news agency.The
ministry said that three of the four assailants had served jail terms over
links to the "deviant group”, a term usually used to refer to Al Qaeda. In
total, 32 of those arrested had been previously jailed.Security forces
seized during raids documents and electronic equipment that "revealed
contact between this terrorist organisation and Daesh abroad”, the ministry
said.
'Target has shifted'
Although Sunni extremists attacked Westerners and government targets in the
kingdom between 2003 and 2006, there had not been a major militant assault
against Shiites before this month's shootings.The killings followed the
declaration of a "caliphate" in parts of Iraq and Syria by the IS group,
which considers Shiites heretics.
Saudi Arabia and its Sunni Gulf neighbours have joined a US-led military
coalition bombing IS in Syria, raising concerns about possible retaliation
in the kingdom.
The Al Dalwa attack "shows that Sunni extremists have shifted their target
set beyond the regime toward Shiites — perhaps in a bid to provoke civil
strife”, said Frederic Wehrey, a Gulf expert at the US-based Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace.
Most of Saudi Arabia's minority Shiites live in the east, where the vast
majority of the kingdom's oil reserves lie but where Shiites have long
complained of marginalisation.Since 2011, protests and sporadic attacks on
security forces have occurred in Shiite areas, leaving about 20 Shiite youth
dead.
The Al Dalwa killings led to expressions of solidarity and widespread
condemnation by Saudi Arabia's Sunni leaders, which analysts have said could
help to bridge the divide with Shiites.Along with expressions of sympathy
and the security dragnet, authorities have taken further steps since the
killings.
Culture and Information Minister Abdulaziz Khoja was dismissed. The reasons
for his firing were unclear but it followed Shiite calls for action against
hate speech in the media.The deputy governor of Eastern Province was also
transferred out of the region, without explanation.
At a Cabinet meeting on Monday[24 Nov.], ministers approved the
establishment of a supreme body, led by the governor and with its own
budget, for development of the eastern region and providing it with public
facilities and services, SPA said.
+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 25 Nov.’14:”Islamic State supporter sentenced to
three year jail term:”, by Taylor Luck
SUBJECT:Jordan jails IS supporter 3 years
QUOTE:”over 130 citizens have been arrested since the launch of the US
coalition”
FULL TEXT:AMMAN — The State Security Court (SSC) on Monday[24 Nov.]
sentenced Ahmad Abdul Shafi Nofal to a three-year prison term for publishing
pro-Islamic State (IS) propaganda and “promoting terrorist ideology” in
violation of articles 3 and 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Law.
In a previous court session, the defendant had admitted to disseminating
pro-IS statements via the social networking site Facebook.
Upon hearing the verdict, Nofal requested the court to allow him to see his
brother, who he embraced shortly before being escorted out of the courtroom.
His mother broke down as he left the courtroom, calling out: “My son, my
son”, as guards restrained her.
In a separate decision, the SSC ordered the release of a Zarqa resident who
spent more than 30 days in detention on terror charges.
In a session presided over by Samih Majali, the court cleared Abdel Rahman
Abul Samen of charges of spreading pro-IS propaganda via social networking
websites.
Abul Samen was initially surprised at the verdict and requested the court to
repeat its ruling twice to ensure he had heard it correctly.
“That's it? I get to leave?” he asked the court.
“That's it. You are free to go,” Majali replied.
Also on Monday[24 Nov.], the SSC postponed to December 1 the trial of six
Jordanians suspected of ties to the IS terrorist group.
The court has sentenced 15 Jordanians to jail terms ranging between three
and five years for posting pro-IS statements and videos on the Internet over
the past month.
The sentences come amid an ongoing crackdown against suspected IS
supporters, under which over 130 citizens have been arrested since the
launch of the US-led coalition against the jihadist group in mid-September.
=============
Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA
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