Wednesday’s “News in Review” Round-Up

MEDIA-OCRITY OF THE WEEK: “While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dealt a grievous blow to a negotiated peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, for baldly political reasons, the idea of two states living side by side in that region remains the best alternative to violent confrontation and should not be allowed to die… Since negotiations seem impossible, President Obama has told Mr. Netanyahu that the United States would have to “reassess our options.” Obama administration officials say that could mean support for a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a sovereign Palestine along the pre-1967 lines that divided Israel from the West Bank and Gaza. At a minimum, the administration should not veto a resolution that is expected to be proposed by France and other permanent council members,” New York Times editorial. (New York Times, Mar. 24, 2015)

Obama’s Mideast Realignment: Max Boot, Wall Street Journal, Mar. 25, 2015

Obama’s Iran Initiative: Conrad Black, National Review, Apr. 1, 2015
Yemen Runs Through My Veins, And I Fear For its Future: Kamal Al-Solaylee, Globe & Mail, Mar. 27, 2015

Inside Canada’s New War: Michael Petrou, Maclean’s, Nov. 3, 2014

WEEKLY QUOTES

“The dangerous accord which is being negotiated in Lausanne (Switzerland) confirms our concerns and even worse…Even as meetings proceed on this dangerous agreement, Iran’s proxies in Yemen are overrunning large sections of that country and are attempting to seize control of the strategic Bab-el-Mandeb straits which would affect the naval balance and the global oil supply. After the Beirut-Damascus-Baghdad axis, Iran is carrying out a pincers movement in the south as well in order to take over and conquer the entire Middle East. The Iran-Lausanne-Yemen axis is very dangerous for humanity and needs to be stopped,” —Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Arutz Sheva, Mar. 29, 2015) 

“The U.S. negotiating team are mainly there to speak on Iran’s behalf with other members of the 5+1 countries and convince them of a deal,” —Amir Hossein Motaghi, after defecting from the Iranian delegation while abroad for the nuclear talks between the P5 + 1 (U.S., U.K., Russia, China, France, plus Germany) and Iran. Motaghi, a close media aide to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, has sought political asylum in Switzerland after travelling to Lausanne to cover the nuclear talks between Tehran and the West. “There are a number of people attending on the Iranian side at the negotiations who are said to be journalists reporting on the negotiations…But they are not journalists and their main job is to make sure that all the news fed back to Iran goes through their channels. My conscience would not allow me to carry out my profession in this manner any more,” Motaghi explained. (Weekly Standard, Mar. 28, 2015)

“[W]hen I look from the parameters which I know, it looks to me that if there are 6,500 centrifuges remaining…installed and in operation – it might be difficult to get it to one year or longer, the breakout time. It will be clearly below. And then we have to add all the uncertainties, the unknowns,” —Olli Heinonen, the former Deputy Director-General for Safeguards at the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency). Heinonen is convinced that Iran’s breakout time to a nuclear weapon under the current deal being negotiated by the P5+1 powers “will be clearly below” the one year goal. One of the administration’s main selling points on the deal has been that it would provide a one-year warning period between the time Iran decided to violate the deal and the time it would have assembled a fully functioning nuclear warhead. (Algemeiner, Mar. 31, 2015)

“We’re not going to allow our objections to the Assad regime to give [Islamic State] a safe haven in a part of the country that it controls uncontested by the Syrian government…If we want to continue to degrade this organization so that they can no longer have this bizarre caliphate, so they can no longer radicalize and recruit Canadians and people from around the world, we have to hit them where they have their strongest assets,” —Canadian Defence Minister Jason Kenney. The Conservative government is poised to push through a continuation of Canada’s military operations in Iraq and extend them into Syria, saying the air attacks are necessary to deny the Islamic State a safe haven from which to conduct terrorist activities. The Harper government insists it can expand the fight to Syria against the Islamic State and avoid being dragged into the civil war in which the extremist Sunni faction and other opposition groups are attempting to overthrow the brutal Bashar al-Assad regime, or indeed into the widening war between Sunnis and Shiites. (Globe & Mail, Mar. 29, 2015)

“Let’s go to dialogue and ballot boxes,” —Yemen’s former leader, Ali Abdullah Saleh, in an address broadcast on Yemeni television. Under pressure from a Saudi Arabian-led campaign of airstrikes, Saleh, who is backing the group that has seized the country’s largest cities said that he was pleading for a truce, urging negotiations, but standing by demands for the ouster of his Saudi-backed successor. Coming on the third day of airstrikes against his forces and his allies, the Houthi movement, Saleh’s speech appeared intended to deflect blame for the bombing and to rally public anger against it. (New York Times, Mar .28, 2015)

“Iran seeks hegemony, and the Arabs can’t tolerate this…This is a message that enough is enough. Sowing chaos across the Arab world is not acceptable and we can no longer accept this humiliation and fragmentation of our society,” —Amr Moussa, a former Egyptian foreign minister. Sunnis across the Middle East greeted the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen as an overdue opportunity to reverse the tide of Iranian-led Shiite influence, an enthusiasm that contrasted starkly with the difficulty the U.S. faced in persuading Arab allies to join a coalition against Sunni extremist group Islamic State. Saudi Arabia assembled a coalition of Sunni states to battle Iranian-linked Houthi rebels in Yemen, inflaming the region’s already festering sectarian divides. Nevertheless, it drew an instant outpouring of support from ordinary Sunnis, their political leaders and clerics, and the range of Sunni radical groups. (Wall Street Journal, Mar. 27, 2015)

“The way most Arabs are rejoicing…gives you an idea of the level of rancor in our hearts against the policy of Iran and its proxies in the region. It’s the first time in a long time we see a unified and decisive stance from our Arab and Muslim countries. What’s important is for them to finish the job,” —Mohammed, a Syrian physician. (Wall Street Journal, Mar. 27, 2015)

“Secretary Clinton thinks we need to all work together to return the special U.S.-Israel relationship to constructive footing, to get back to basic shared concerns and interests, including a two-state solution pursued through direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians…We must ensure that Israel never becomes a partisan issue,” — Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice- chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, quoted former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as saying. Clinton’s comments contrasted in tone from recent remarks by members of the Obama administration, who have publicly criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel amid tensions over a nuclear deal with Iran and comments Netanyahu made in the final days of his re-election campaign this month. (New York Times, Mar. 29, 2015)

“The president of the United States is lashing out at Israel just like Haman lashed out at the Jews…I’m not making a political statement, I’m making a Jewish statement,” — Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, chief rabbi of Efrat. Speaking at the Jerusalem Great Synagogue, the American-born Riskin said that he could not understand what was going through Obama’s mind. Riskin compared President Obama to Haman and Netanyahu to Mordechai. When a woman in the audience shouted out that he was being disrespectful to the US president, she was booed by the crowd. Riskin said he didn’t need any help from the audience. “I am being disrespectful because the president of the United States was disrespectful to my prime minister, to my country, to my future and to the future of the world.” (Jerusalem Post, Mar. 29, 2015)

“I think the animosity exhibited by our administration toward the prime minister of Israel is reprehensible,” — Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner. After a controversial speech to a joint session of Congress and recent comments made by Netanyahu during the Israeli elections, in which he said he would prevent a Palestinian state from being established, only to reverse himself after winning re-election, ties between Washington and Jerusalem have become strained. Boehner did not appear to be concerned with Netayahu’s back-tracking on the Palestinian issue: “He doesn’t have a partner. How do you have a two-state solution when you don’t have a partner in that solution, when you don’t have a partner for peace, when the other state has vowed to wipe you off the face of the Earth…so until there’s a willing partner, willing to sit down and have peace talks, I think it’s irrelevant whether we’re talking about a two-state solution.” (Jerusalem Post, Mar. 29, 2015)  

“It’s like, here we go again, we’re right back where we were [before the Holocaust]…We just can’t take it anymore [from] these crazy bastards,” — Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. Weinstein, who was accepting the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Humanitarian Award, said that the way to combat the new wave of antisemitism is to “stand up and kick these guys in the ass…I think it’s time that we, as Jews, get together with the Muslims who are honorable and peaceful, but we also have to go and protect ourselves,” he said. “There’s a quote from Kurt Vonnegut’s book The Sirens of Titan and it always was the motto of Miramax and now the Weinstein Co. It says, ‘Good can triumph over evil if the angels are as organized as the mafia.’” (Jerusalem Post, Mar. 26, 2015)

SHORT TAKES

IRAN TALKS TO BE EXTENDED ANOTHER DAY (Lausanne) — U.S. negotiators will continue talks with Iran until at least Thursday morning, the State Department said Wednesday, as the two sides sought to salvage an effort to curb Iran’s nuclear program in return for relief from sanctions. Earlier Wednesday, the negotiations appeared to be on shaky ground, as the White House said it had received no commitments from Iran about its nuclear program. German Foreign Minister Steinmeier said that new proposals would be considered as the talks continue into the night, but Iran and the P5+1 with it are still far apart. (Washington Post, Apr. 1, 2015)

PA CANCELS ICC MOVES AGAINST ISRAEL IN EXCHANGE FOR TAX FUNDS (The Hague) — The Palestinian Authority will formally join the International Criminal Court (ICC) on April 1, but following Israel’s decision to release its frozen tax revenues – the PA is not expected at this time to take steps against Israel in the ICC regarding settlement construction. The report adds that while the ICC prosecutor has – at the PA’s request – opened an inquiry into alleged Israeli war crimes carried out during Operation Protective Edge, the PA is not expected at this time to take additional legal steps in the ICC regarding last summer’s Gaza war. Also as a result of Israel’s decision to free up the tax funds, the PA does not intend to stop its security cooperation with Israel. (Arutz Sheva, Mar. 29, 2015)

FRANCE PREPARING DRAFT FOR UN RESOLUTION ON PALESTINE (Paris) — France sees a window of opportunity after Israel’s elections to get the U.S. on board with a new push for Mideast peace, and is preparing a draft UN Security Council resolution, according to French officials. The draft would define the pre-1967 frontier as a reference point for border talks but allow room for exchanges of territory, designate Jerusalem as capital of both Israel and a Palestinian state and call for a fair solution for Palestinian refugees. While the substance of the French draft may not differ much from past failed efforts to revive Mideast peace talks, France is hoping this time to avoid a US veto at the UN because of increasing US frustration with Prime Minister Netanyahu. (Times of Israel, Mar. 31, 2015)

ARAB LEAGUE TO CREATE JOINT MILITARY FORCE (Cairo) — Leaders of the 22 countries that make up the Arab League are vowing to defeat Iranian-backed Shiite rebels in Yemen, and other countries, by creating a joint Arab military force that is setting the stage for potential Middle East clashes between U.S.-allied Arab nations and Tehran. Members of the Arab League met in Egypt to discuss the growing threat to the region’s Arab identity by what they called moves by “foreign” or “outside parties” who have stoked sectarian, ethnic or religious rivalries in Arab states. The Arab League is made up of 22 independent Arab states — including Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Saudi Arabia. Much of the rhetoric was aimed at Iran, which has consolidated its hold in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and, most recently, Yemen. (Fox News, Mar. 30, 2015)

YEMEN HOUTHI FIGHTERS BACKED BY TANKS REACH CENTRAL ADEN (Aden) — A unit of Houthi rebels and allies backed by tanks pushed into central Aden, the main foothold of fighters loyal to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, witnesses said on Wednesday, despite a week of air strikes by Saudi-led coalition forces. The alliance of mainly Sunni Gulf Arab states has also attacked the northern Shi’ite Houthis from the sea but their advance towards the southern port city has been relentless. Aden residents said they saw groups of fighters carrying rocket propelled grenades and accompanied by four tanks and three armoured vehicles in the Khor Maksar district – part of a neck of land linking central Aden to the rest of the city. (Daily Mail, Apr. 1, 2015)

AID FOR YEMEN DWINDLES AS NEED RISES AMID CHAOS (Aden) —The UN human rights chief warned that Yemen was on the brink of collapse, as health officials in the southern port city of Aden described a medical system failing after weeks of urban warfare that had left scores dead and hospitals overflowing with bodies. The warning from the human rights chief came as a Saudi-led military offensive against the Houthis, a militia group from northern Yemen that Saudi officials have accused of serving as a proxy force for Iran, threatened to burst into a broader conflict. The Houthis  have been able to extend their offensive despite intensifying airstrikes by Saudi warplanes across Yemen. (New York Times, Mar. 31, 2015)

I.S. CAPTURES PALESTINIAN REFUGEE CAMP IN DAMASCUS (Damascus) —  I.S. have reportedly taken over large parts of a Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus on Wednesday, and are fighting with a group inside the camp. This is the deepest incursion yet by ISIS militants into the Syrian capital. If they gain control of the Yarmouk camp, they can threaten President Bashar Assad’s seat of power. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said I.S. was in control of a “large part” of the camp after fighting with Palestinian groups also opposed to President Assad. The Observatory said clashes broke out in Yarmouk between I.S. fighters and members of the Palestinian faction called Aknaf Beit al-Maqdis. Yarmouk was once home to 160,000 Palestinian refugees and Syrians but has been caught up in the country’s fighting and besieged by regime forces for more than a year. Only about 18,000 residents are estimated to remain in the camp after many fled the fighting. (Ynet, Apr. 1, 2015)

IRAQ RECAPTURES TIKRIT FROM I.S. (Baghdad) —  Iraq’s leader said his forces recaptured the strategic city of Tikrit from I.S. The fight pitted tens of thousands of Iraqi soldiers and Iranian-backed Shiite militias against a few hundred I.S. fighters. Iraq began its attack without alerting the U.S.-led coalition that had been launching airstrikes against I.S. Instead, Iran played a leading role, commanding Shiite militias and providing weapons. After a rapid initial advance, the militias stalled inside Tikrit, where I.S. fighters were holed up in one of Saddam Hussein’s former palaces. The pause prompted the Iraqi government to request U.S. aerial support. Washington agreed to launch airstrikes only if the Iranian-backed militias were sidelined. (Wall Street Journal, Mar. 31, 2015)

UN MORE THAN DOUBLES ITS COUNT OF BESIEGED IN SYRIA: 440,000 (Damascus) —  The U.N. has more than doubled its estimate of Syrians who are living in besieged areas — and risk death by starvation, dehydration and the lack of medical care — to roughly 440,000. U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos announced the new number while briefing the Security Council on what she called the “breathtaking levels of savagery” that continue as Syria’s civil war enters its fifth year. “Time is running out,” Amos told the council. “More people will die.” Syria’s conflict started in March 2011 with protests against President Assad. More than 220,000 people have been killed and almost 4 million people have fled the country since then. (ABC News, Mar. 26, 2015)

NIGERIA ELECTION: MUHAMMADU BUHARI WINS PRESIDENCY (Lagos) — Muhammadu Buhari briefly ruled Nigeria in the mid-1980s after a military coup. The former general will get a second chance as president through the ballot box. In a political milestone for Africa’s most populous country, the 72-year-old Buhari and his opposition All Peoples Congress swept to victory, ousting incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan in what will be Nigeria’s first peaceful transition of power from one party to another in its modern history. Buhari faces major challenges managing the country’s political divide, boosting the economy in the face of falling global oil prices, and dealing with the brutal jihadi Boko Haram, which is still very active in the north. (Washington Times, Mar. 31, 2015)

SIEGE AT SOMALI HOTEL ENDS, 24 DEAD (Mogadishu) — Blood spattered utensils and bullet-pocked walls mark the reception area of a prominent hotel in the Somali capital after an attack by Islamic extremists that killed at least 24, including six terrorists. Somali special forces stood over three bloodied bodies of the alleged attackers after officials declared they have full control of the Maka Al-Mukarramah Hotel on Saturday, more than 12 hours after gunmen from the Islamist group al-Shabab stormed into the hotel. Al-Shabab claimed some of the gunmen involved in the attack escaped. The group vowed to carry out more attacks. (Wall Street Journal, Mar. 28, 2015)

KNIFE ATTACK KILLS BANGLADESH BLOGGER (Dhaka) — A blogger has been hacked to death in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, a month after a prominent atheist writer was killed in a similar attack. Washiqur Rahman was attacked close to his home in Dhaka’s Begunbari area. Two students at an Islamic seminary have reportedly been arrested. Last month, Avijit Roy, a US-based writer who had criticised religious intolerance, was killed in a machete attack while he was visiting Dhaka. His death sparked fresh concerns for freedom of speech in Bangladesh, where several secular-minded writers have been targeted by Islamists. (BBC, Mar. 30, 2015)

HEZBOLLAH COULD FIRE UP TO 1,500 ROCKETS PER DAY: ISRAELI AUTHORITIES (Jerusalem) — The Lebanese terror group Hezbollah could fire between 1,000 and 1,500 rockets per day in its next full-scale conflict against Israel, according to the latest estimates from the Israeli Home Front Command. Last summer’s Gaza war saw about 4,500 rockets and other projectiles hit Israel in fifty days of fighting. Home Front Command noted that Hezbollah has been rapidly upgrading its rocket arsenal for more accurate rockets that can target both military installations and civilian areas. IDF Col. Hasson said that Iran is converting the Zilzal unguided rockets into guided M-600 projectiles by upgrading their warheads and shipping them to Hezbollah. (Algemeiner, Mar. 31, 2015)

DAVID’S SLING INTERCEPTOR PASSES LATEST TRIAL (Jerusalem) — Israel announced Wednesday that its latest missile interceptor system, David’s Sling, had successfully completed a series of tests ahead of its final trial. David’s Sling was created to provide an additional layer of defense from short and medium range missiles and rockets while providing the Arrow system another interception opportunity. The missile defense system will be declared operational in the coming months, once it passes the final set of challenges set by its engineers. The system was intended to provide an answer to the precise missiles held by Hezbollah, while a future version will be capable of intercepting unmanned aerial vehicles. (Ynet, Apr. 1, 2015)

SPAIN CLOSE TO GRANTING CITIZENSHIP TO RELATIVES OF EXPELLED JEWS (Madrid) —Spain is on the cusp of passing a law that would grant citizenship to the descendents of Jews expelled from the country in 1492. Spanish parliament has approved the law and it will go for a second vote in the Spanish senate. If passed, the application process would begin at the end of 2015. Around 300,000 Jews lived in Spain before the Catholic monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand ordered Jews and Muslims to either convert to the Catholic faith or leave the country. The government of Spain estimated that around 90,000 people will apply for citizenship, which would also grant them a passport allowing free access to live, work and travel throughout the EU.(Jerusalem Post, Mar. 26, 2015)