Excerpts: ISIS recruits more educated. Former US attorney general slams
JASTA law. Saudi using apache helicopters. White House masked threat
accompanys accusation of 'betraying trust'. Jordan cracks down on social
media hate speech. October 06, 2016

+++SOURCE:Al Arabiya News 6 Oct.’15:”ISIS recruits ‘more educated than
others’: Study”,by Agence France Presse

SUBJECT:ISIS recruits more educated

QUOTE:”Men, who according to the Iraqi security forces are suspected ISIS
militants, walk in a line during a presentation to the media at Iraqi
military intelligence directorate in Baghdad. (Reuters)

FULL TEXT:Recruits into the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group are
better educated than their average countryman, contrary to popular belief,
according to a new World Bank study.

Moreover, those offering to become suicide bombers ranked on average in the
more educated group, said the newly released study titled “Economic and
Social Inclusion to Prevent Violent Extremism”.

The study, which aimed to identify socio-economic traits that might explain
why some are drawn to the Syria-based extremist group, made clear that
poverty and deprivation were not at the root of support for the group.

Almost without exception, fighters joining ISIS in Syria and Iraq-based
forces had several more years of education in their home countries – whether
in Europe, Africa or elsewhere in the Middle East – than the average
citizen.

The data shows clearly, the report said, that “poverty is not a driver of
radicalization into violent extremism.”

Out of 331 recruits described in a leaked ISIS database, only 17 percent did
not finish high school, while a quarter had university-level educations.

Only those from Eastern Europe were below the average, and only marginally
so, according to the study.

“Foreign recruits from the Middle East, North Africa and South and East Asia
are significantly more educated than what is typical in their region,” the
Bank report said.

+++SOURCE:Al Arabiya News 6 Oct.’16:”Former US attorney general slams JASTA
law”,by Abeer Tayel
SUBJECT:Former US attorney general slams JESTA law

QUOTE:”Michael Mukasey said there was no evidence linking the Saudi
government in any way to the 9/11 attacks.” (AP)

FULL TEXT:Former US Attorney General Michael Mukasey has slammed the
congress override of President Obama’s veto of the Justice Against Sponsors
of Terrorism Act (JASTA) bill.

“JASTA would hurt the United States a lot more than it helps any of the
families of 9/11 victims,” Mukasey said in comments to Fox News on
Wednesday.[6 Oct]

If passed, JASTA would allow US citizens to sue Saudi Arabia over the Sept.
11 terrorist attacks. Fifteen out of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals.
Riyadh has always dismissed suspicions that it backed the attackers, who
killed nearly 3,000 people under the banner of militant group al-Qaeda.

Riyadh is one of Washington's longest-standing and most important allies in
the Middle East and part of a US-led coalition fighting ISIS militants in
Iraq and Syria.

The Saudi government lobbied strongly against JASTA, which stands for the
Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, in the run-up to the vote, and
warned it would undermine the principle of sovereign immunity.

Mukasey said there was no evidence linking the Saudi government in any way
to the 9/11 attacks.

“We have had investigations by our intelligence agencies, by Congress, and
by the 9/11 Commission. They found no evidence of Saudi government
involvement or the involvement of any senior Saudi officials. And so, there
is no reason for this (bill),” he said.

*A full version of this article was first published on AlArabiya.net.


+++SOURCE:Al Arabiya News 6 Oct/’16:”Saudi apache helicopters hit militias
near Jazan”byStaff Writer
SUBJECT: Saudi using apache helicopters
QUOTE:”Saudi Arabia has been ramping up counter-attacks in recent days after
militias launched several cross border rocket attacks.” (AFP)

FULL TEXTSaudi Arabia’s apache helicopters targeted militia in a border
attack across Jazan and recorded direct hits, an Al Arabiya News
correspondent reported.

Saudi Arabia has been ramping up counter-attacks in recent days after
militias launched several cross border rocket attacks.

The apache attacks come after a Houthi rocket landed on Wednesday[5 Oct] in
Jazan and injured a Yemeni resident in al-Tawal village.

Major Setbacks:A year and a half into Yemen’s ongoing war between the
internationally recognized government of Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and Houthi
militias have caused several loses on both sides, however recent months have
seen the Houthi movement suffer major setbacks after the deaths of senior
militia leaders.

Military analysts consider the formation of a national salvation government
by the militias as a response to the crisis caused by their losses,
AlArabiya.net reported.

+++SOURCE:Naharnet(Lebanon)6 Oct.’16:”White House Accuses Israel of
Betraying Trust”,by Agence France Presse
SUBJECT:White House masked threat accompanys accusation of ‘betraying trust’

FULL TEXT:The White House accused Israel of a betrayal of trust Wednesday[5
Oct., in an unusually sharp rebuke over its plans to build hundreds of new
settlement homes deep in the West Bank.

Days after President Barack Obama approved a $38 billion Israeli military
aid package and attended former president Shimon Peres's funeral in
Jerusalem, the White House railed at the construction of 300 housing units
on land "far closer to Jordan than Israel."

Warning that the decision jeopardizes the already distant prospect of Middle
East peace as well as Israel's own security, press secretary Josh Earnest
said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's word had been called into question.

"We did receive public assurances from the Israeli government that
contradict this announcement," he said.

"I guess when we're talking about how good friends treat one another, that's
a source of serious concern as well."

The sharper-than-normal comments come as the White House weighs a last-ditch
effort to get the peace process back on its feet before Obama leaves office
in January.

While serious talks seem unlikely, US officials are weighing the possibility
of a major speech outlining the parameters for peace.

Peace efforts have been comatose since a US-led initiative collapsed in
April 2014.

A sharper tone over settlements now could help put Israel on notice that
future ties are at risk and give Washington more credibility with
Palestinians and their Arab allies.

- 'Perpetual occupation' -In a similarly strong-worded statement, the State
Department said building the units "is another step toward cementing a
one-state reality of perpetual occupation."

The plan not only undermines hopes for peace with the Palestinians but "is
fundamentally inconsistent with Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic
state," spokesman Mark Toner said.

Washington has long opposed Israel's policy of building Jewish settlements
on land in the West Bank that would be claimed by the Palestinians in any
negotiated two-state peace deal.

US officials have adopted a more forceful tone with Netanyahu's government
in recent weeks, accusing it of recklessly accelerating construction despite
international concern.

The Middle East Quartet -- a contact group comprising the United States,
Russia, the European Union and the United Nations -- issued a report in July
calling on Israel to halt settlement building.

But the practice has only accelerated since then, Washington says, with new
housing blocks being approved, local administrative boundaries moved and
unauthorised outposts retroactively approved.

The 300 units the White House was referring to would constitute a new
settlement in the heart of the West Bank, roughly halfway between the
Palestinian cities of Ramallah and Nablus, according to settlement watchdog
Peace Now.

Plans for 98 of the 300 units have so far been advanced, the group said.

The Israeli foreign ministry denied that the planned units amounted to a new
settlement, insisting they were to be located in an existing one, although
Peace Now said the site was around a kilometre (more than half a mile) away.

"Israel remains committed to a solution of two states for two peoples, in
which a demilitarized Palestinian state recognizes the Jewish state of
Israel," the ministry said.

Washington has condemned a recent deadly wave of Palestinian attacks on
Israeli civilians and police, urging Palestinian leaders to refrain from
incitement or provocative language.

Obama and Netanyahu have had an extremely difficult relationship during the
last eight years.

The White House was apoplectic when the Israeli leader agreed to address the
Republican-controlled Congress to lobby against Obama's signature nuclear
deal with Iran.

There were fresh tensions when Netanyahu -- seeking reelection at the
time -- said that Palestinians would never get their own state on his watch.

Some considered that pandering to right-wing voters, others said it was
Netanyahu showing his true colors.

At last week's funeral for Peres, Obama pointedly spoke of the "unfinished
business of peace."

"He believed that the Zionist idea would be best protected when
Palestinians, too, had a state of their own," he said of the Nobel Peace
Prize winner.

"Of course, we gather here in the knowledge that Shimon never saw his dream
of peace fulfilled."



+++SOURCE:Jordan Times 6 Oct.’16:”Police arrest 16 in crackdown on hate
speech”,by Rana Husseini

SUBJECT:Jordan cracks down on social media hate speech

AMMAN — Police on Wednesday[5 Oct] announced the arrest of 16 people
suspected of using social media to issue threats or to spread sectarianism
and hate speech.

“As part of our ongoing campaign, we arrested 16 individuals, including some
who sent threats and hate mail and statements following the murder of
Jordanian writer Nahed Hattar,” the Public Security Department (PSD) said in
a statement.

The individuals were all referred to the prosecutor for further
investigation and indictment.

Hattar was gunned down on September 25 on the steps of the Palace of Justice
allegedly by Riad Abdullah, 49, a resident of east Amman.

The writer, facing trial for sharing a caricature that was considered
insulting to religious beliefs, was apparently on his way to attend a court
hearing.

Abdullah was charged with Hattar’s murder and referred to the State Security
Court for further prosecution.

In his initial confession to police, Abdullah said he “targeted Hattar after
hearing that he posted an offensive caricature on his Facebook page and
decided to kill him”, a judicial source said in previous remarks to The
Jordan Times.

The suspect confessed to buying a gun one week before the incident, and on
the day of the crime, he headed to the Palace of Justice and shot Hattar
“the minute he saw him”, the source added.

Some individuals used social media to praise Abdullah’s alleged crime, while
others set up a Facebook page calling for the suspect’s release.

The government announced that it would not tolerate any attempts by
individuals to use social media to spread hate speech or instigate
sectarianism and unrest online.

Anyone found committing such acts will be arrested and their social media
accounts will be closed, a government official told The Jordan Times late
last month.

The PSD warned that its Electronic Crime Division will continue to monitor
social media and will detain anyone who posts statements that do “not fit
our culture, tradition, values and religious fabric”.

The police urged citizens to “use the media in a responsible manner and to
avoid sharing any content deemed harmful to national unity or spreading hate
speech”.

Security sources said the suspected killer was known for his extremist
thoughts and behavior.
=================
Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA