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Bible Quotation For Today/I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice
John 10/11-16: "‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

Bible Quotation For Today/Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance,
Letter to the Hebrews 09/15-23: "For this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, because a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant. Where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. Hence not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood.
For when every commandment had been told to all the people by Moses in accordance with the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the scroll itself and all the people, saying, ‘This is the blood of the covenant that God has ordained for you.’And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. Thus it was necessary for the sketches of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves need better sacrifices than these.

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on November 10-11/15
What happened to the groups protesting in Beirut/Myra Abdullah/Now Lebanon/November 11/15
Shadowy group calls on Arsal residents to attack Hezbollah/Now Lebanon/November 11/15
When Will Obama and the West Listen to Hamas/Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/November 10/15
FOLLOWING IS POEM FROM ONE OF MY READERS /Amir Taheri/November 10/15
Is Congress paving the way for a Christian safe zone in Iraq/Julian Pecquet/Al-Monitor/November 10/15
Netanyahu finds chilly welcome on US visit/Ben Caspit/Al-Monitor/November 10/15
Pro-Assad Press On Vienna Conference: Kerry Acted As A Mediator, Blocked Discussion Of Assad's Removal; Iranian FM Zarif Was Conference's Dominant Player/MEMRI/November 10/15
ISIS In Sinai Increases Military, Propaganda Pressure On Egypt/By: R. Green/MEMRI/November 10/15

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin for Lebanese Related News published on November 10-11/15
Suleiman Franjieh Meets Gemayel: Marada MPs Will Attend Legislative Session
Mustaqbal Stresses 'Utmost Importance' of Legislative Session Draft Laws
Banks Association Receives 'Reassurances' from Geagea as He Warns against 'Manipulating' Taef
Christian Parties Step Up Contacts, Mull Demos as Tashnag Urges Berri to Postpone Session
Aoun Vows 'Strong Measures' over Electoral Law, Warns of 'Dangerous' Legislative Session
Salam Heads to Saudi, Says 'Costly' Trash Export May be a 'Temporary Solution'
Saqr Refers 3 People on Charges of Spying for Israel
Report: Street Action Not Ruled out to Confront Legislative Session Deadlock
Ibrahim: General Security is Confronting Takfiri and Israeli Terrorist Threats
Report: Hariri to Return to Lebanon within Weeks
What happened to the groups protesting in Beirut?
Shadowy group calls on Arsal residents to attack Hezbollah

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 10-11/15
Bahrain Jails Eight for Attacks on Police
At Least 22 Dead, 62 Hurt in Attack on Syria Regime Bastion Latakia
Cameron Lays out Demands for Britain to Stay in EU
ICRC Says Yemen Hospitals 'Deliberately' Attacked
Syrian Army Breaks IS Siege of Key Aleppo Air Base
France Strikes IS Oil Sites in Syria
Dramatic Rescue of Syrian Jews Ends in Visa Dispute
Germany Says Syria Talks Offer Hope to End 'Spiral of Violence'

Suleiman Franjieh Meets Gemayel: Marada MPs Will Attend Legislative Session
Naharnet/November 10/15/Head of the Marada Movement MP Suleiman Franjieh stressed on Tuesday the importance of approving a number of financial draft-laws during the upcoming legislative session, saying that he understands the position of the Kataeb Party regarding boycotting the meeting. He said after holding talks with Kataeb chief MP Sami Gemayel: “We will attend the session because there are pressing financial issues that we need to address.” He added that the Kataeb's boycott of the legislative session is a “matter of principle.”“I support any initiative aimed at resolving the dispute over the meeting,” Franjieh continued from Bikfaya. “We support efforts that will revitalize state institutions,” he added. “We support the rights of Christians, but oppose placing a draft-law that does not enjoy consensus on the session's agenda. There are pressing financial issues that need to be resolved.,” he declared. The Lebanese Forces and Free Patriotic Movement are leaning towards boycotting the session over the failure to include the parliamentary electoral law on its agenda. “I understand Gemayel's position on the legislative session, but I believe creating disputes over the failure to add a draft-law on the legislative session are not worth it, ” Franjieh said. “I have always followed my convictions,” he stated in response to a question on the discrepancy between the Marada movement stance and other Christian parties on the legislative session. For his part, Gemayel reiterated the stand of the Kataeb on the session, underlining the need to elect a new president. “We hope to reach, through cooperation, an initiative that would end the deadlock over the presidency,” he remarked. Franjieh had been exerting efforts regarding the upcoming legislative session by holding talks with numerous officials. He had held to that end a meeting on Saturday night with Free Patriotic Movement chief Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper Tuesday. The legislative session is scheduled for November 12 and 13 amid a boycott of the Kataeb Party over the ongoing presidential vacuum. The Lebanese Forces and FPM are unlikely to attend either over the failure to include the parliamentary electoral law on the session's agenda.

Mustaqbal Stresses 'Utmost Importance' of Legislative Session Draft Laws
Naharnet/November 10/15/Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc noted Tuesday that draft laws that are of “utmost importance” are on the agenda of the legislative session scheduled for Thursday and Friday, urging all political forces to “preserve both economic security and national unity.” “The approval of these draft laws would spare Lebanon and the Lebanese a bitter cup,” said the bloc in a statement issued after its weekly meeting. “These draft laws are part of the legislation of necessity because they are aimed at preserving the financial and monetary stability,” the bloc noted, saying it will support “all efforts aimed at finding a solution that would secure holding a session on Thursday.”Accordingly, Mustaqbal called on all political forces to “exert the necessary efforts to safeguard citizens' economic and financial security and national unity in a simultaneous manner.”Controversy is shrouding the legislative session and its constitutionality as it is poised to be held amid an expected boycott by the country's main Christian blocs. The Kataeb Party says it will not attend any parliamentary session before the election of a new president while the Free Patriotic Movement and the Lebanese Forces have cited Speaker Nabih Berri's failure to include the electoral law in the agenda. Mustaqbal reiterated on Tuesday that “the election of a president is the certain gateway for resolving the current crises in Lebanon,” calling on Hizbullah and the FPM to end their “obstruction.”The two blocs and some of their allies have been boycotting electoral sessions aimed at choosing a new president for more than a year now. They are demanding that political parties agree on a candidate before heading to parliament for a vote.

Banks Association Receives 'Reassurances' from Geagea as He Warns against 'Manipulating' Taef
Naharnet/November 10/15/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea warned Tuesday against “manipulating” the Taef Accord, the country's post-civil war constitution, amid controversy over the constitutionality of a legislative session that is poised to be held amid an expected boycott by the main Christian blocs. Speaking after a meeting in Maarab with a delegation from the Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL), Geagea noted that the banking sector “has always been a main staple of Lebanon's economy, especially in recent years.”“I briefed them on our real stance on the importance of the financial laws that are of concern to them … We support these laws and I promised them that we will pass them within the deadlines later this year,” Geagea said. Urging Speaker Nabih Berri to “take into consideration all the proposed bills so that we can decide on them in the Nov. 12-13 legislative session,” Geagea warned that “the issue of respecting the National Pact of coexistence is very critical, and any manipulation of this pact implies a manipulation of the Taef Accord.” “This should not happen under the excuse that we don't have an alternative at the moment,” Geagea cautioned, hoping al-Mustaqbal movement and its leader ex-PM Saad Hariri will play “a key conciliatory role” in this regard. ABL chief Joseph Tarabay meanwhile said the Maarab visit was part of a series of meetings that the association intends to hold with political leaders. He noted that Geagea gave the delegation “enough reassurances that the financial laws that the international community is demanding will be approved before the end of the year.”“We want these laws to be issued in a session respecting the National Pact, not to become an excuse to disregard the National Pact,” Tarabay added. The 1943 National Pact is an unwritten agreement that set the basis for the political system in Lebanon, which is based on a sectarian distribution of power. The ideas of the National Pact provided the basis of the Taef Accord that stipulated, among other things, equal power-sharing between Christians and Muslims. The legislative session is scheduled for November 12 and 13 amid a boycott of the Kataeb Party over the ongoing presidential vacuum. The Lebanese Forces and the Free Patriotic Movement are unlikely to attend either over the failure to include the parliamentary electoral law on the session's agenda.

Christian Parties Step Up Contacts, Mull Demos as Tashnag Urges Berri to Postpone Session
Naharnet/November 10/15/The country's main Christian parties intensified their consultations on Tuesday to coordinate stances ahead of a controversial legislative session that is scheduled to be held on Thursday and Friday. “We cannot overlook the absence of the electoral law from the session's agenda,” Change and Reform bloc secretary MP Ibrahim Kanaan said after meeting Kataeb Party chief MP Sami Gemayel in Saifi. Kanaan was accompanied by Lebanese Forces media officer Melhem Riachi. “Our demands must be taken into consideration and the discussions were constructive with MP Sami Gemayel on the issue of the electoral law,” Kanaan added. “We agreed that the session must not be held in the absence of main blocs and we will announce our measures in the right time,” he said. Later on Tuesday, LBCI television quoted “LF, FPM and Kataeb sources” as saying that “the possibility of staging demos on Thursday in protest at the legislative session has been put on the front burner.”The final stance “might be declared tomorrow in a joint statement,” the source said. MP Hagop Pakradounian meanwhile told LBCI that the Tashnag Party hopes Speaker Nabih Berri “will postpone the session to allow further consultations and secure the attendance of the biggest number of blocs, especially Christian ones.”“If the session does not get postponed, we will announce our stance tomorrow evening,” he added. A prominent figure had told An Nahar newspaper in remarks published Tuesday that the situation has reached such a point that “street action is not ruled out over the possible absence of Christian blocs from the session.”The protests may take place on Thursday before, after, or while the session is underway, the source said. The legislative session is scheduled for November 12 and 13 amid a boycott of the Kataeb Party over the ongoing presidential vacuum. The FPM and the LF have meanwhile cited Berri's failure to include the electoral law in the agenda as a reason for their possible boycott.

Aoun Vows 'Strong Measures' over Electoral Law, Warns of 'Dangerous' Legislative Session
Naharnet/November 10/15/Change and Reform bloc chief MP Michel Aoun stressed Tuesday that the electoral law must be put on the agenda of the upcoming legislative session, warning that his bloc will take “strong and decisive measures” Wednesday over the issue. “The agenda is not limited to financial legislation, contrary to the agreement that we made when we discussed the legislation of necessity,” said Aoun after the bloc's weekly meeting, referring to the legislative session that will be held on Thursday and Friday. “We insist that the electoral law must be place on the session's agenda and no one can prevent us from including it,” Aoun underlined. Warning that the session would be unconstitutional without the attendance of the country's main Christian parties, Aoun noted that legislation must be limited to “the formation of authorities” in the absence of a president. “A year and five months have passed and I don't see real measures aimed at approving a new electoral law,” Aoun lamented, noting that his bloc's promised measures will become known “by noon tomorrow.”“A session without us would be a dangerous precedent,” the Change and Reform chief cautioned. "Those claiming that they will represent Christians in the legislative session only represent a few thousand voters," he warned. Aoun also reminded of his proposal on devising an electoral law based on proportional representation, noting that it would be “the first step on the track of abolishing sectarianism.”The legislative session is scheduled for November 12 and 13 amid a declared boycott by the Kataeb Party over the ongoing presidential vacuum. The Lebanese Forces and Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement are unlikely to attend either over the failure to include the parliamentary electoral law on the session's agenda. Aoun also noted Tuesday that his alliance with Hizbullah will not be affected by the current political controversy. "Our stance on the resistance and the anti-terror fight is not part of the political conflicts and it is 'firmer than the Baalbek citadel,'" he said.

Salam Heads to Saudi, Says 'Costly' Trash Export May be a 'Temporary Solution'
Naharnet/November 10/15/Prime Minister Tammam Salam hinted Tuesday that the exportation of garbage has become the only solution to the growing trash disposal crisis as he traveled to Saudi Arabia to attend an Arab-South American summit. “The cost of exportation might be high and its technical requirements might not be easy, but should we manage to do it, the temporary step would only span a year and a half … pending the approval of a permanent plan,” Salam told reporters aboard the plane that carried him to Riyadh. A new committee headed by Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayyeb was formed on Thursday to tackle the controversial trash crisis and to study the proposals presented by some companies to export Lebanon's waste abroad, al-Mustaqbal daily reported on Friday. The committee is comprised of members representing the Environment Ministry and the Council for Development and Reconstruction in addition to a judge who would study the legal aspects of the offers put forward, unnamed ministerial sources told the daily. Lebanon has been suffering from an unprecedented trash disposal crisis since July with the closure of the Naameh landfill. Politicians have failed to find an alternative to the landfill, which has resulted in the pile up of garbage on the streets of the country and in random sites. There are fears that the accumulating garbage, coupled with the rain season, could spread diseases such as cholera among the population. Separately, Salam said he supports holding a legislative session on Thursday and Friday, noting that “the country needs an activation of the work of parliament and cabinet in order to address citizens' vital affairs away from the political disputes that have so far prevented the election of a president.”As for the topics he intends to discuss in Riyadh, Salam said his talks will tackle the Syrian refugee crisis and the fight against terrorism. Media reports in recent weeks said that Salam would hold talks with a number of Saudi officials during the trip.

Saqr Refers 3 People on Charges of Spying for Israel
Naharnet/November 10/15/Military Prosecutor Judge Saqr Saqr charged three people with cooperating with Israel, two of them are in custody and one is at large, the state-run National News Agency said on Tuesday. Two of the suspects are in custody while the third one is currently residing in the Palestinian territories. Saqr has charged the suspects with collaborating with Israel, monitoring the movements of political, religious and military figures in a bid to carry out terrorist attacks. He referred their case to First Military Investigation Judge Riyad Abu Ghida. On Sunday, the General Security arrested a spy network comprised of a Syrian, his wife and a Lebanese working for Israel. They confessed to gathering information on various security and military figures for the purpose of assassination. They said they photographed roads and other “sensitive” areas in the South, and the images and films were then sent to their superiors.

Report: Street Action Not Ruled out to Confront Legislative Session Deadlock
Naharnet/November 10/15/Political tensions have increased in recent days over the upcoming legislative session as various parties struggle to agree on its agenda and gather the required quorum to hold it, reported daily An Nahar on Tuesday. A prominent figure told the daily that the situation has reached such a point that “street action has not been ruled out over the possible absence of Christian blocs from the session.” The protests may take place on Thursday before, after, or while the session is underway. Christian parliamentary sources are counting on Mustaqbal Movement chief MP Saad Hariri to create a breakthrough in the dispute, reported An Nahar. The legislative session is scheduled for November 12 and 13 amid a boycott of the Christian Kataeb Party over the ongoing presidential vacuum. The Christian LF and FPM parties are unlikely to attend either over the failure to include the parliamentary electoral law on the session's agenda.

Ibrahim: General Security is Confronting Takfiri and Israeli Terrorist Threats
Naharnet/November 10/15/General Security chief Abbas Ibrahim stressed that the security forces' pursuit of takfiri threats has not distracted it from confronting agents who are collaborating with Israel, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Tuesday. He told the daily: “The General Security is combating terrorism, through its takfiri and Israeli guises.” “Combating these two dangers will protect the country,” he added. “This is part of our duty and we will confront everything that jeopardizes Lebanon,” declared Ibrahim. He stated that more spy networks will be revealed in upcoming days, stressing that the General Security serves Lebanon's security. The agency announced on Sunday that it had arrested a spy network working for Israel. It detained a Syrian, his Lebanese wife, and another Lebanese national. The network was monitoring security and military officials and relaying the information to its employers.

Report: Hariri to Return to Lebanon within Weeks
Naharnet/November 10/15/Head of the Mustaqbal Movement MP Saad Hariri is expected to make a much-anticipated return to Lebanon soon, reported As Safir newspaper on Tuesday. It said that Hariri will return to the country “within five weeks at most.” He may resort to a similar surprise visit like the one he did over a year ago, it added. Hariri left Lebanon in early 2011, months after the collapse of his national unity cabinet. He has repeatedly claimed that security reasons were preventing his return to Beirut. He last paid a visit to his country in August 2014.

What happened to the groups protesting in Beirut?
Myra Abdullah/Now Lebanon/November 11/15
Mountains of trash in central neighborhoods, foul smells, rats and an invasion of flies raising fears of an epidemic. Months since the government decided to close down Beirut’s overflowing main waste dump in Naameh, the Lebanese cabinet still has no viable solution as civil society is getting ready for a new anti-corruption march scheduled for 22 November, Lebanon’s Independence Day. But managing a social movement in Lebanon has proven to be as difficult as forming a government, many activists say. The uncollected trash brought thousands of Lebanese to the streets under the slogan #YouStink in August, when citizens demanded a sustainable, permanent solution to the crisis. You Stink was a social movement umbrella that gathered bloggers and civil society activists who congregated in front of the Lebanese government building in Riad El-Solh Square and staged sit-ins. The activists launched a social media campaign encouraging people to join the movement. The protests turned violent at the end of August and beginning of September, with security forces cracking down on protesters with water cannons, rubber bullets and tear gas.
Not much happened at the governmental level despite the massive protests, but the social movement itself has gone through many changes, with several groups leaving the initial umbrella because of disagreements over how political their goals should be. Moreover, while some activists were leaving the movement, several NOGs, such as the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections, Offre Joie and Legal Agenda, joined the initiative and set up a Coordination Committee. But that also was to undergo changes. “The two main groups — We want Accountability and You Stink, in particular — preferred to work independently,” activist Mark Daou told NOW, adding that the two groups do not share the same objectives. “We Want Accountability were not active participants in the Coordination Committee since it was created. Therefore, You Stink organizers considered that they made sacrifices to help the Coordination Committee — since they started participating in the committee’s meetings, they had to adopt many political slogans. They wanted every group working independently and coordinating with other groups only when needed; therefore, they also decided not to be part of the committee anymore.”
How things changed in the social movement
The Coordination Committee is the organizational group that still comprises NGOs and other activists representing several groups such as The People Want, Change is coming, Leave us alone, The youth of August 22, Legal Agenda, LADE, Offre Joie, Akkar is not a dump and other, smaller groups. According to activists NOW spoke to, You Stink left the Coordination Committee because they wanted to focus more on pressuring the Lebanese state to solve the garbage crisis as a first step towards reform. We Want Accountability left because they have political objectives such as changes in the electoral law and accountability. “The non-governmental organizations, especially LADE, Civil Society Movement and Legal Agenda, were the force behind the establishment of the Coordination Committee. These organizations are not political and they monitor all the debates. Therefore, they have credibility and experience in doing social work,” Daou told NOW. Civil society organizations have played a significant role in the movement. Legal Agenda and collaborating lawyers, for example, took voluntarily charge of the defense of the activists arrested during several protests. Offre Joie took the initiative of cleaning up the streets and removing the trash blocking the roads.
Activists say that both You Stink and We Want Accountability did collaborate with the Coordination Committee in the beginning, but that lately it’s clear that they don’t communicate anymore. “Many groups are facing problems in cooperating with We Want Accountability,” said activist Ali Sleem, who is part of You Stink. “We were part of the Coordination Committee before we decided to withdraw; We Want Accountability never participated. They never wanted to cooperate with the other groups.”The disagreements, he says, were mostly over political demands. “For example, we chose the slogan 'All of them means all of them' because we think that every politician — directly or indirectly — is somehow related to corruption,” said Sleem. “That includes politicians who did not expose corruption during their terms. We Want Accountability did not agree to this slogan because they wanted to exclude some politicians from this equation, and this became a major problem.”
Neamat Badreddine, who is part of We Want Accountability, told NOW that the group never stopped cooperating with anyone. “We called people to participate in the You Stink march and we participated in their protests,” she told NOW. “We are not a political group. We are a group of independent individuals who are working in politics. Our movement aims to push for reform in the garbage crisis, electricity, water, V.A.T. and different problems in Lebanon. We think that we should tackle different problems at the same time.”
The Independence Day march
All groups agree that something has to be done on Independence Day. They only disagree on who came up with the idea.
In fact, according to activists NOW spoke to, Leave us alone (Hello Anna) is the group that came up with the plan to organize a national march on Independence Day. All groups agreed: a march on this day would make an important statement and all groups should participate. We Want Accountability activists, however, say the idea came from their group. “We took the initiative of organizing a march on 22 November and we will be communicating with different groups,” said Badreddine. “This march has a national aspect and we want to involve different sectors — syndicates, regions, student movements, university professors. The goal behind this march is to give Independence Day in Lebanon its value back, especially after the last two years when there were no celebrations taking place.” You Stink activists say they were the initiators. “We want to organize one march. However, We Want Accountability took the initiative of organizing an activity on their own; a different march,” Sleem said. “We are like an ant that is fighting a whale that is holding tight to all political and economic institutions. Therefore, we need to be more united than that. We can’t ask politicians to agree on a solution for the garbage crisis when we, as activists and social groups, are unable to agree with each other.”Activists from other groups are worried that these disagreements might affect the presence of supporters at the rally. Many of the activists NOW spoke to voiced concerns over the fact that politics is making its way into the movement. “We’re protesting against the trash crisis, political interests,” an activist who wanted to remain anonymous told NOW. “If we can succeed in the trash crisis, people will be able to trust us in fighting for other rights.”
Myra Abdallah tweets @myraabdallah

Shadowy group calls on Arsal residents to attack Hezbollah
Now Lebanon/November 11/15
BEIRUT – A shadowy group with Sunni Islamist rhetoric has called on Arsal residents to attack Hezbollah and accused the party of being linked to the two bombing attacks that rocked the northeastern border town last week. The Lebanese Sunni Resistance Committee on Monday claimed that individuals recruited by Hezbollah’s auxiliary Resistance Brigades had been behind the deadly explosion Thursday that targeted a gathering of Sunni clerics as well as the IED blast the next day that hit a Lebanese Armed Forces convoy. “We in the Lebanese Sunni Resistance Committees call on Arsal residents to go after these [Resistance] Brigades cells and prevent their activity,” read a statement on the group’s Twitter account. “They are the worst enemy [of Arsal’s residents] and seek most eagerly, at Hezbollah’s order, to strike at their town’s stability and bring down the Lebanese army on their necks and the necks of the displaced Syrians.”The Lebanese Sunni Resistance Committee first publicly announced its existence on October 5 with a statement claiming responsibility for an IED attack against a van transporting Hezbollah members in east Lebanon’s Chtaura. No other group claimed responsibility for the mysterious attack, which Lebanon’s state National News Agency said caused no injuries. In a follow up statement the next day, the Lebanese Sunni Resistance Committee said it was formed to confront what it described as Hezbollah “aggressions” against the country’s Sunni Muslims. “We will continue the resistance and operations, Allah willing, and we call for the unification of efforts and closing ranks to resist Hezbollah’s aggression with full force using bullets, IEDs, words, statements, sit-ins and demonstrations,” the second statement said.
“Rise O ye Sunni youth in Tripoli, Sidon, Beirut and Bekaa to resist and confront this criminal party even if you have to use a knife and Molotov cocktails.” Arsal has borne the brunt of the spillover from Syria’s conflict into Lebanon, with a number of violent attacks rocking the border town that hosts more refugees than Lebanese nationals. In late May, Hezbollah launched military operations in the mountainous outskirts of the town a little over a week after Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said his party would move into the area if the Lebanese army failed to do so. However, Hezbollah’s campaign outside Arsal was limited in nature, while Lebanon’s Armed Forces continued to serve as the main force responsible for security in the flashpoint border town. Hezbollah’s late spring offensive came amid the party’s larger campaign in Syria’s Qalamoun, which saw it sweep through a series of strategic mountaintops along the Lebanese border and push rebels back to two small pockets of territory outside Arsal and the Syrian town of Qara. In past years, Syrian helicopters have conducted a number of airstrikes on the outskirts of Arsal, which has also been hit by rocket attacks. Militants have also conducted ambushes against the Lebanese army in the area. LAF troops in the town were targeted by IED explosions on three previous occasions last year, killing 5 soldiers and injuring a number of others. The most serious violence to beset Arsal came in August 2014, when Syrian Islamists conducted a cross-border raid, capturing dozens of security personnel during 5-days of fierce battles.

Bahrain Jails Eight for Attacks on Police
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 10/15/A Bahrain court on Tuesday sentenced eight people to between three and 10 years in prison for attacking police in the Gulf state, the official BNA news agency reported. Six defendants were given 10-year sentences and two were jailed for three years, BNA said, citing the prosecutor in "terrorist" cases, Ahmed al-Hammadi. The eight went on trial for their alleged involvement in incidents in April last year in the village of Saar, west of the capital Manama. They were accused of setting tires alight, placing fake bombs in the streets and being involved in a petrol bomb attack on security forces, Hammadi said. The Sunni-ruled kingdom, home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet, has witnessed unrest since the repression of a protest movement launched in 2011 by members of the Shiite majority demanding political reforms.

At Least 22 Dead, 62 Hurt in Attack on Syria Regime Bastion Latakia
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 10/15/At least 22 people were killed in mortar fire Tuesday on Syria's coastal city of Latakia, in one of the bloodiest shellings there since the country's war began, state media reported. The toll rose to "22 people killed and 62 wounded" in the attack on eastern neighborhoods of the regime bastion, state television said. Earlier, state news agency SANA had said 12 people died and 57 were hurt when two mortar rounds struck residential neighborhoods. Latakia lies in the heartland of the minority Alawite sect to which Syria's ruling clan belongs and has been largely spared attacks during four and a half years of civil war. A rare car bombing in September killed 10 people and wounded dozens in Hamam Square in the provincial capital. Rebels and jihadists, including al-Qaida's Syria affiliate, have long targeted the region, in part for its symbolic value as a regime stronghold. According to a Syrian security source, Tuesday's attack took place near Latakia's Tishreen University, "where many students were gathered." Abir Selman, a 24-year old literature student at the university, said she was waiting for the bus when the mortars struck. "I saw blood everywhere and people running in every direction," she told AFP. "I passed by a corpse that had nothing left except for its legs... We wait at this bus stop every day," Selman added. Syrian state television broadcast video footage of blood-stained streets littered with broken class and mangled cars. Meanwhile, one person was killed and five wounded in a mortar attack on residential areas of Damascus, state television said. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights at least 10 mortar rounds struck various neighborhoods of the capital. The Britain-based Observatory said another four people, including a child, were killed in government rocket fire on the flashpoint town of Douma, east of Damascus. The toll was likely to rise as some of those wounded were in critical condition, the monitoring group said. Douma lies in the opposition bastion of Eastern Ghouta, which is regularly bombarded by regime forces. Suspected Russian strikes on the town last week killed at least 23 civilians. More than 250,000 people have been killed in Syria's conflict, which began in March 2011 with anti-government protests but spiraled into a civil war after a brutal crackdown by government security forces.

Cameron Lays out Demands for Britain to Stay in EU
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 10/15/Prime Minister David Cameron warned Tuesday that Britain could leave the EU if it does not get the reforms it wants before a "once-in-a-generation" referendum to settle its troubled relationship with Europe. In a major speech outlining Britain's demands for change following pressure from EU leaders, Cameron warned he was ready to "think again" about Britain's membership if he could not strike a deal with Brussels and the bloc's 27 other member states. But in a sign of the British premier's looming tussle, the European Commission immediately responded, saying it deemed parts of Cameron's EU renegotiation objectives "highly problematic". Cameron's comments came as he sends a long-awaited letter to EU president Donald Tusk laying out Britain's shopping list for change to avert a "Brexit" in a vote due to be held by 2017 at the latest. "The referendum... will be a once-in-a-generation choice," Cameron said. "This is a huge decision for our country -- perhaps the biggest we'll make in our lifetime."He said he had "every confidence" of securing an agreement but added that he would not rule out campaigning for a "Brexit". "If we can't reach an agreement and if Britain's concerns were to be met with a deaf ear, which I do not believe will happen, then we will have to think again about whether this European Union is right for us," he said. "I rule nothing out." The speech came nearly three years after Cameron first pledged a referendum on whether Britain should remain in the EU under pressure from euroskeptics in his Conservative Party and the anti-EU UK Independence Party. Britain's turbulent ties with Brussels go back far further than the Cameron era, though. The country joined what was then the European Economic Community in 1973 but has remained removed from the heart of Europe under successive prime ministers. One of Cameron's Conservative predecessors, Margaret Thatcher, became an icon for euroskeptics in 1984 by securing an annual budget rebate for Britain, banging the table and demanding: "I want my money back".
Britain also notably stayed out of the euro when it was launched in 2002.
After Cameron won May's general election, his promise of a referendum became reality. Senior Conservatives and experts predict it will actually be held as early as next year. Next month sees a crunch European summit in Brussels at which Britain's demands will be discussed but Cameron's Europe Minister David Lidington has played down the likelihood of getting a deal at that stage. Cameron has said he will campaign to stay in the EU unless he cannot secure a deal which meets his demands. Ruling out a second referendum if Britain does vote to leave the EU, he said this would be the country's "final decision" on the issue. While Cameron's speech did not contain substantial new details about Britain's demands, it is his clearest statement yet of what he is likely to push hardest on during the negotiations. He has long identified four broad areas where he wants to see reforms. These include improving competitiveness, greater "fairness" between eurozone and non-eurozone nations and sovereignty issues including an exemption from the aspiration of ever-closer union. Most controversial is the demand to ban EU migrants to Britain from claiming some state benefits for four years after arriving. In the speech, Cameron explicitly spoke against the central European tenet of ever-closer union, saying it was "not a commitment that should apply any longer to Britain". He stressed that he would not be pushing for individual national parliaments to be able to veto EU measures but wants groups of national parliaments to be able to club together to do so. On his push to restrict benefits for EU migrants for the first four years of their time in Britain, he insisted he did not want to "destroy" the principle of freedom of movement which is at the heart of the European project. Downing Street has highlighted figures which show that 43 per cent of EU migrants rely on the support of Britain's benefits system during their first four years in the country. Cameron's speech was greeted with skepticism by those who want Britain to leave the EU. UKIP leader Nigel Farage said it was "clear that Mr. Cameron is not aiming for any substantial renegotiation."
He added: "His speech was an attempt to portray a new 'third way' relationship with Brussels that is simply not on offer."

ICRC Says Yemen Hospitals 'Deliberately' Attacked
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 10/15/The International Committee of the Red Cross on Monday said hospitals in Yemen have been repeatedly and "deliberately" attacked, and urged warring factions to respect the sanctity of health facilities. It said in a statement that al-Thawra hospital in third city Taez was shelled on Sunday, weeks after a hospital run by medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres was hit in the north. "Al-Thawra hospital, one of the main health care facilities in Taez which is providing treatment for about 50 injured people every day, was reportedly shelled several times on Sunday," it said. "The shelling endangered the lives of patients and staff on site," said the ICRC deputy head in Yemen, Kedir Awol Omar. The Red Cross said there have been "close to a hundred similar" accidents reported since March, when a Saudi-led coalition launched an air war on opponents of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi. "Health facilities are deliberately attacked and surgical and medical supplies are also being blocked from reaching hospitals in areas under siege," said Omar. In October, air strikes hit the Hayadeen hospital run near the rebel-held city of Saada in northern Yemen, with MSF posting pictures on its Twitter account showing a collapsed roof and rubble. MSF said there were no deaths, but rights group Amnesty International reported at the time that seven staff members were wounded. U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon later denounced the air strikes which he said were carried out by warplanes of the Saudi-led coalition. The ICRC said attacks on health facilities are "a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law", and deplored the health situation in Taez. The city in central Yemen has seen heavy fighting in recent weeks between pro-Hadi forces and Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels who are also allied with troops loyal to ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh. Loyalist forces are inside Taez, while the rebels control the main roads leading into the city. The ICRC said it was been trying to deliver medical supplies to Taez for nearly two months, "but to no avail."The rebels seized the capital Sanaa last year and then advanced south to second city Aden, forcing Hadi to flee to Saudi Arabia. The United Nations says that around 5,000 people have been killed in the Yemen conflict since March. It is hoping to announce soon a date for talks between the government and the rebels.

Syrian Army Breaks IS Siege of Key Aleppo Air Base
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 10/15/Syrian regime troops on Tuesday broke a more than year-long siege by the Islamic State jihadist group at a major military air base in the northern province of Aleppo. A group of soldiers broke through IS lines west of the Kweyris airport and reached government troops inside the base, an AFP photographer at the scene said. Troops fired into the air in celebration, he said. State television also reported the breakthrough and broadcast live from outside the airport, hailing the advance as a victory. It said a "large number of IS terrorists" were killed. Kweyris has been besieged by IS since spring 2014, but was surrounded by rebel groups before that. IS fighters are still present in other areas around the base.

France Strikes IS Oil Sites in Syria
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 10/15/The French army has stepped up its bombing campaign against the Islamic State group's oil infrastructure with two new strikes in eastern Syria, Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Tuesday. "We struck again twice last night in the Deir Ezzor region, firstly on an oil distribution station and secondly on a gas separation plant," Le Drian told journalists on the sidelines of a forum on African peace and security in Dakar, Senegal. It was France's fourth wave of strikes in Syria since President Francois Hollande decided in September to join the campaign there against IS, and the second in as many days. On Monday, Le Drian announced a strike on an oil supply center near Deir Ezzor, on the border between Iraq and Syria.The two previous waves targeted training camps for foreign jihadists who were suspected of preparing attacks in France. Hollande said on Thursday last week operations would be expanded to include "all those sites from which terrorists could threaten our territory." The president also said France would deploy its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier -- the flagship of the French navy -- to boost operations against IS in Syria and Iraq.

Dramatic Rescue of Syrian Jews Ends in Visa Dispute
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 10/15/Two of the last Jews in Syria have been spirited out of the country in a dramatic operation, but a third woman has returned to the war-torn nation after Israel rejected her visa, the rescue organizer said Tuesday. The operation, organized by Israeli-American entrepreneur Moti Kahana, took place earlier this year but has only now come to light due to the visa dispute with Israel. It involved Kahana's Syrian allies driving into the frontline city of Aleppo and picking up three Jewish Syrians -- a woman in her 70s and her two daughters -- along with one of their families, for a total of seven people, according to the entrepreneur. They managed to narrowly escape and make their way to Turkey, passing through a checkpoint managed by the Syrian al-Qaida affiliate, he said. But once in Turkey, only two of the women were given Israeli visas. The third, who had converted to Islam after marrying a Muslim man some years earlier, eventually returned to Syria along with her family. Kahana, who has links to Syrian rebels and has organized previous rescues, said he acted after a request from one of the women's sons, who lives in New York. "We acted to get them out as soon as possible because things were shifting on the ground. They lost water, they lost electricity -- it became the front line," he told AFP by telephone from the U.S. state of New Jersey. He said the family did not want to leave, as they had not been informed of the rescue beforehand and were unclear on who was behind it. He said it was "necessary" to scare them into getting in a minibus. "I think outside the box," Kahana said. Once they arrived in Turkey, he realized it would be too difficult to get visas to the United States to be reunited with their families and instead focused on Israel. Under Israeli law, any Jew across the globe can seek citizenship. However those who convert to other religions are not immediately eligible. Kahana criticized the Jewish Agency, which oversees Jewish immigration to Israel, for allowing her to return to a war zone. He said the woman had not fully converted. Yigal Palmor, a spokesman for the Jewish Agency, confirmed the third woman was deemed ineligible and did not dispute Kahana's account of the rescue, but said the law must be followed. "If Mr. Kahana has issues with Israeli laws he should lobby Israeli legislators rather than blame those who implement them," he said.
'Self-appointed freelancer'. Kahana stressed that he tried to work with authorities but became frustrated. "If I feel someone is in danger and there is too much bureaucracy to help then (I act)," he said. Palmor accused Kahana of being a "self-appointed freelancer." "The Jewish Agency will keep on rescuing Jews in dangerous places who wish to come to Israel and we will continue to do that discreetly as these situations command," he said. "Obviously any unnecessary exhibitionism on this matter, with the purpose of aggrandizing certain self-appointed freelancers, can only harm the interests of the people concerned." Aleppo was once Syria's economic hub and a cosmopolitan city home to Syrians from a variety of sects and ethnicities. But it has been ravaged by fighting that began there in mid-2012, and is divided between government control in the west and rebel control in the east. The army regularly carries out devastating air strikes and barrel bomb attacks in the east, while rebel forces often fire crude and indiscriminate rockets into the west of the city. At the time of Israel's establishment in 1948, there were believed to be around 30,000 Jews in the country, but they left in waves over the years. The Jamaliya district of Aleppo was traditionally home to one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world. A U.S. State Department religious freedom report on Syria in 2014 put the number of Jews in the country at fewer than 20. Syria's conflict has raged for more than four years and left over 250,000 dead.

Germany Says Syria Talks Offer Hope to End 'Spiral of Violence'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 10/15/Germany's foreign minister said Tuesday that Vienna talks on Syria are a first "serious attempt to break the spiral of increasing violence and chaos", but dampened hopes for quick solutions. "In Syria, after five years of civil war and more than 250,000 dead, there are finally first steps in the search for a solution," said Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin. He stressed, ahead of international talks in the Austrian capital Saturday, that "there is no reason for optimism, let alone euphoria". But Steinmeier also recalled that only weeks ago, the idea of getting regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia to sit at the same table had seemed elusive. "This shows us that to at least make a serious attempt to break the spiral of increasing violence and chaos is worthwhile," he said in a speech to political institute the Koerber Foundation. He cautioned that "the meeting certainly won't bring peace to Syria tomorrow", but added that first steps had been taken toward a partial de-escalation of the conflict. "Of course, all this is just a start," he said. "But it is hopefully the start of an effective process that can finally curb the cynical dynamics of the proxy rivalries."U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will join Saturday's meeting, as will representatives from Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. But neither President Bashar al-Assad's regime nor the Syrian opposition are expected to attend at this stage, U.S. officials said.The talks' goal is to agree on a framework for setting up a ceasefire and a transitional government, which would free up the Syrian factions and their foreign backers to concentrate on the Islamic State jihadist group and organise elections overseen by the UN. Washington and its Arab allies want Assad to step aside, while Moscow and Tehran insist their ally's fate is a matter for his own electorate.

When Will Obama and the West Listen to Hamas?
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/November 10/15
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/6850/listen-to-hamas
What senior Hamas figure Musa Abu Marzouk and other Hamas leaders are saying is very clear: Even if a Palestinian state is established in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, Hamas and other Palestinians will continue to fight until Israel is completely destroyed.
Hamas is openly stating that it will use any future Palestinian state as a launching pad to attack and eliminate Israel.
Hamas is not a small opposition party in the Palestinian territories that can be dismissed as a minor player. Hamas is a large Islamist movement, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood that controls the entire Gaza Strip with its population of 1.8 million Palestinians. Hamas, not much different from Islamic State and Al-Qaeda, has its own security forces, militias, weapons and government institutions.
The Obama Administration and Western governments can talk as much as they like about the two-state solution. Even if President Abbas agrees to a Palestinian state, he will never be able to persuade Hamas, Islamic Jihad and many other Palestinians to recognize Israel's right to exist.
Under the current circumstances, where Hamas and other Palestinians continue to dream about the destruction of Israel, any talk about a two-state solution is nothing but a joke.
As President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were talking about the two-state solution during their meeting in the White House yesterday, the Palestinian Hamas movement reiterated its intention to destroy Israel.
Hamas's announcement shows that the two-state solution is not a recipe for peace between Israel and the Palestinians. The announcement also shows that all those who have been talking about a change in Hamas's position towards Israel continue to live in an illusion.
As the Obama-Netanyahu meeting was underway, senior Hamas figure Musa Abu Marzouk issued a statement in which he declared: "We will never negotiate with the Zionist entity and we will never recognize its right to exist. We will continue to resist the Zionist entity until it vanishes, whether they like it or not. The soldiers of the Qassam [Hamas's armed wing] were founded to liberate Palestine, even if some have recognized Israel. We want a state from the (Jordan) river to the [Mediterranean] sea." As U.S. President Barack Obama met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday (left), senior Hamas official Musa Abu Marzouk (at far right, holding rifle) reiterated his organization's commitment to eliminate Israel. Abu Marzouk's remarks came in response to statements made by Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas during a meeting with Egyptian journalists in Cairo on Sunday night.
Abbas was quoted as telling the Egyptian journalists that Hamas and Israel were conducting "direct negotiations" to establish a Palestinian state in the Gaza Strip and parts of the Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. Abbas claimed that ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi had offered to annex 1000 square kilometers of Sinai to the Gaza Strip – an offer he (Abbas) had categorically rejected. Abu Marzouk's latest threats to eliminate Israel are not only directed against Abbas, but also towards President Obama and those in the international community who continue to support the idea of establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel. What he and other Hamas leaders are saying is very clear: Even if a Palestinian state is established in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, Hamas and other Palestinians will continue to fight until Israel is completely destroyed.
In other words, Hamas is openly stating that it will use any future Palestinian state as a launching pad to attack and eliminate Israel. But Hamas's message has obviously not reached the White House and other Western governments, where decision-makers continue to bury their heads in the sand, refusing to see or hear what some Palestinians are saying. Hamas and many other Palestinians are completely opposed to a two-state solution: they believe that Israel has no right to exist -- period -- in this part of the world. The only solution they are prepared to accept is one that sees Israel wiped off the face of the earth.
Hamas is not a small opposition party in the Palestinian territories that could be dismissed as a minor player. Hamas is a large Islamist movement, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood that controls the entire Gaza Strip with its population of 1.8 million Palestinians. Hamas has its own security forces, militias, weapons and government institutions.
Since its violent takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007, Hamas and its political allies have turned the coastal area into a semi-independent Islamist emirate. Since then, Hamas has used the Gaza Strip as a launching pad to attack Israel with tens of thousands of rockets and missiles. And Hamas leaders have repeatedly stated that their chief goal is to "liberate" not only the West Bank and east Jerusalem, but "all of Palestine." In short, Hamas wants to replace Israel with an Islamist empire where non-Muslims would be permitted to live as a minority. Hamas considers all Jews as "settlers" and "colonialists" who live in "settlements" such as Beersheba, Rishon Lezion, Ashdod and Bat Yam. Hamas does not differentiate between a Jew living in Ma'aleh Adumim or Gush Etzion (on the West Bank) and Tel Aviv, Haifa and Ramat Gan. That is why the Hamas media and leaders refer to Beersheba and Ra'anana, well within the "pre-1967 borders," as "occupied" cities.
The Obama Administration and Western governments can talk as much as they like about the two-state solution. But so long as they refuse to listen to what Hamas and other Palestinians are saying, they will continue to engage in self-deception and hallucination. Even if President Abbas agrees to a Palestinian state on the pre-1967 lines, he will never be able to persuade Hamas, Islamic Jihad and many other Palestinians to recognize Israel's right to exist. Under the current circumstances, where Hamas and other Palestinians continue to dream about the destruction of Israel, any talk about a two-state solution is nothing but a joke. The Obama Administration and the rest of the international community also need to understand that that the two-state solution has already been realized. In the end, the Palestinians got two states of their own: one in the Gaza Strip and another in the West Bank. The one in the Gaza Strip is run by folks are not much different from Islamic State and Al-Qaeda, while that in the West Bank is controlled by a president who has entered the 11th year of his four-year-term in office and as such is not even seen by his people as a "rightful" leader. This is a reality that the world, including Israel, will have to live with for many years to come. It is time for the world to stop listening only to President Abbas and Saeb Erekat, and start paying attention to what many other Palestinians such as Hamas are saying, day and night, regarding their commitment to destroy Israel.

FOLLOWING IS POEM FROM ONE OF MY READERS
ADDRESSED TO THE MULLAHS IN TEHRAN IN RESPONSE TO THE JAILING OF POETS:
Amir Taheri
My poem to the Iranian Mullahs:
Reader comment on: Iran: Poets Face 99 Lashes and Prison
Submitted by Dean, Nov 9, 2015 07:00
Mullah, Mullah, in the darkness
I see you killing Sa'id Sultanpour
I see you hanging all your youth
I see you hiding because you fear
The truth of your vicious spear
You cannot hide behind the UN, Obama and Putin
You cannot hide your nuclear designs
You cannot hide your murderous intentions
You cannot hide your hate for mankind
Exposed to a world that is now blind
Helps you to carry out your evil plan
Helps you to make your religion a vendetta
Against the good, the loving and the free
We will not be taken down by your darkness
We will fight your lies and abuse
We will show a weary world
That your expanding reign is a longstanding curse

Is Congress paving the way for a Christian safe zone in Iraq?
Can the US Congress help save Middle East Christians from extinction?
Julian Pecquet/Al-Monitor/November 10/15
Christian activists are making the unlikely gamble as their yearslong exodus from Syria and Iraq has turned into an outright stampede under the Islamic State (IS). They’re launching a lobbying blitz to get the United States to label their plight a genocide — and create pressure for the subsequent creation of a Christian safe haven in Iraq. “We are forming a lobby team and trying to raise some money to hire [a] very respected diplomat so we can get more countries involved in this issue,” said Loay Mikhael, head of the Foreign Relations Committee at the Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council.
“What we are trying to do right here, right now, is we’re trying to push this genocide resolution to be passed by the House or Senate,” he told Al-Monitor. “If that passes, then we can go and speak to people and tell them, OK, the Christians and other minorities face genocide and it’s recognized by the Congress. That means they face atrocities and crimes against humanity, so it’s time to do something for them.”
The genocide measure’s chief sponsor says that’s exactly its purpose.
“The first goal is to elevate international consciousness of the problem,” Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb., told Al-Monitor. “You then create the gateway for a fuller discussion about security concerns, economic and political integration. One of the ideas out there is safety zones guaranteeing security of religious minorities in certain areas." The resolution, introduced exactly two months ago, had garnered 146 cosponsors as of Nov. 9. It had the support of former House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and has been co-sponsored by Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., whose House Foreign Affairs panel is now reviewing the resolution. The resolution does not spell out a plan for helping the Christians and other minorities, but calls on other countries and the United Nations to follow the US lead and call their slaughter a genocide. It says the world should “collaborate on measures to prevent further war crimes” and prosecute the perpetrators of violence, particularly the forced displacement from the Ninevah Plain, “a historic heartland of Christianity.” For Mikhael, that means helping the Christians expel IS from the 80 percent of the Ninevah Plain it still occupies. “If they decided they want to save that area, then OK, train our people, train the Kurds, give them more equipment — or liberate Ninevah Plain for us, and we will protect it,” he said. “Without a safe haven — without international protection for the Ninevah Plain — there will be no Christians living in Iraq anymore.”
The latest effort comes as the number of Christians in Iraq has dwindled from 1.5 million before the US invasion to fewer than 500,000 today. The UN human-rights panel concluded in March that IS actions against Christians and other minorities “may constitute genocide” and Pope Francis used the g-word during his July 10 trip to Bolivia. "Today we are dismayed to see how in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world many of our brothers and sisters are persecuted, tortured and killed for their faith in Jesus," Francis said. "In this third world war, waged piecemeal, which we are now experiencing, a form of genocide is taking place, and it must end." The campaign for a safe zone for Syrian and Iraqi Christians is being spearheaded by several rights groups, including A Demand for Action and In Defense of Christians working with coalitions of Christian churches in the Middle East. The proposal for the creation of an autonomous province in the ancient Christian Assyrian homeland in the Ninevah Plain dates back at least five years, but has gained new traction as various Christian denominations have come together in the face of the IS threat.
“We do hope to see some kind of means by which these communities would have international protection in the region — most likely in Iraq,” said Kristina Olney, head of government relations for IDC. “We are in the process of consulting with our contacts in the region, in Iraq in particular, to come up with a concrete proposal.” At its first summit last year in Washington, IDC brought together all the Eastern rite patriarchs — in the flesh or represented by their bishops — for the first time since the Council of Florence in the 15th century. Bringing Iraqi leaders together on the ground is proving just as challenging.
In a blow to advocates of an autonomous Christian zone, the leader of the Assyrian Democratic Movement in Iraq denounced the idea in an interview last week with Al-Monitor. Yonadam Kanna, who is also a member of the Iraqi parliament, said the Council of Ministers’ decision in January 2014 to split the existing Ninevah province in two — since put on hold by the IS onslaught — was not a precursor to autonomy for the Ninevah Plain area. “Those who made such demands are people outside of Iraq, while we — who work hard in parliament — espouse the principles prescribed in Iraq’s constitution and proclaim the importance of living as part of a single homeland that unites Iraqis of all ilk,” Kanna told Al-Monitor. “We further think that calls for the establishment of an autonomous region are racist in nature and serve to isolate us from one another.”
And the governor of Kirkuk, Najmaldin Karim, warned just days later that such a zone could create a “big target” on the backs of Christians. “I’m telling you, the Christian community is leaving,” Karim told Al-Monitor. “Creating a safe haven — what are you going to create? Those areas are all mixed.”
Mikhael said Kanna’s remarks were disheartening but underscored the need for concerted international action and fresh ideas. “When we say we want a province or an autonomous region for the Christians in Ninevah Plain, that means we will have our own parliament, a percentage from the Iraqi budget, Christian police forces that can control the area and secure the area,” he said. “We don’t want to be isolated from the other people. We don’t want an independent country.” Part of the problem, said resolution co-sponsor Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., is that the Ninevah Plain itself is disputed. While Christians rely on the Kurds to fight IS and take care of their displaced people in neighboring Iraqi Kurdistan, the Kurds themselves may be unwilling to give up their claims — further complicating any plans for a safe haven. “Yes, this is the goal of some people — I understand it very well. But it’s a very complicated undertaking,” said Eshoo, the only member of Congress of Assyrian descent. “This is not our land. We have to deal with a sovereign government, as stretched and as limited and as troubled as it is. It’s like if someone came to our country and said, you make a 51st state.”
Those concerns may help explain the US government’s apparent reluctance to get involved in the issue. Congress has passed several laws since 2008 have called on the State Department to assist religious and ethnic minority groups in Iraq, but a 2012 Government Accountability Office report found they were sometimes ignored. Last year’s defense bill also urged the Department of Defense to include local security forces protecting Ninevah Plain minorities when allocating assistance under the $1.6 billion Iraq Train and Equip Fund.
Lawmakers vowed to double down. “We have to do something,” said Fortenberry. “People are dying. Christianity in the Middle East is shattered.”

Netanyahu finds chilly welcome on US visit
Ben Caspit/Al-Monitor/November 10/15
Just days before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set off for an important meeting with US President Barack Obama, when it seemed there was no way to further aggravate the foul relationship between the White House and the prime minister’s office, the name of Ran Baratz popped up. Baratz, a conservative Israeli journalist, was appointed last week as the head of Israel’s public diplomacy campaign in the prime minister’s office, a position that effectively makes him Israel’s national spokesman. It took just seconds for a collection of his learned opinions on the issues of the day to begin making the rounds of the Israeli media. He likened Obama to the “modern face of anti-Semitism” and suggested that Secretary of State John Kerry take up a career as a standup comic. The only consolation for senior American officials was that this was nothing compared to his comments about Israeli President Reuven Rivlin (“I think he could be sent in a paraglider to the Syrian Golan [Heights] controlled by [the Islamic State]”). As could only be expected, the appointment set off a scandal, which reached its climax in a blunt statement by US Vice President Joe Biden to the Union for Reform Judaism meeting in Florida on Nov. 8. He said, “There is no excuse, there should be no tolerance for any member or employee of the Israeli administration referring to the president of the United States in derogatory terms. Period. Period. Period.”
Netanyahu, who is an internationally acclaimed expert in creating international embarrassments, decided to leave Baratz in Israel instead of including him on the trip to Washington. On the other hand, Netanyahu did not announce that he was withdrawing the appointment or even reconsidering it. A political fight over Baratz’ appointment is already brewing in the Likud, while to the right of the Likud, HaBayit HaYehudi is adding fuel to the fire. Its leader, Education Minister Naftali Bennett, insisted that only Israel can decide who its national spokesperson should be.
Just a few years ago, an incident like this would have been over in half an hour. All it would have taken was the slightest hint from Washington to show Baratz the door. But Netanyahu shifted this balance of power. No matter how upset the president was, he sent a new ambassador who was persona non grata in Washington. Then he declared war on Obama over the Iran nuclear deal, refusing to put his guns down even when the battle was lost. Now he is going to Washington after a highly publicized yearlong disconnect from the most powerful man in the world, without even withdrawing the appointment of someone who ridiculed him.
It is time to revisit the question that President Bill Clinton asked his advisers after his first meeting with Netanyahu as a newly elected prime minister back in 1996: Who’s the leader of a superpower?
All of this is taking place right before what Jerusalem calls a critical meeting to determine what happens on the day after Iran signs the nuclear agreement with the superpowers to stabilize the toxic relationship between the US president and the Israeli prime minister.
As the meeting approached, the Americans lowered expectations, almost brutally. Briefing diplomatic correspondents, American officials stated that there is no chance of the peace process being revived or a Palestinian state being established during Obama’s term. An alleged Israeli request to increase military aid from $3 billion to $5 billion was leaked to The New York Times. Meanwhile, Israeli daily Haaretz reported that for the first time ever, American officials are openly discussing the possibility that the two-state solution is dying and pondering what Israel’s plans are if a “single state for all its citizens” is the only option left. Another assessment leaked to the press predicted that the compensation package that Israel will receive from the United States will not be as big as it would have been had Netanyahu responded to all the appeals and laid down his arms after the signing of the agreement with Iran. Instead he gave the White House the runaround in a fight that lasted many long months, up until the congressional recess, all the way to the bitter end.
Another very clear signal sent by the administration was that while the visit is described as “official,” the Israeli delegation was not invited to stay in Blair House, the president's official guesthouse. They will have to make do with a Washington hotel instead. Official Israeli sources claim to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that “Blair House is undergoing repairs,” but a cursory Google search shows that the president of South Korea stayed there just two weeks ago, while the president of China stayed there two weeks before that. If repairs are really underway, they were scheduled to coincide with Netanyahu’s visit.
What really does need urgent repairs, however, is the relationship between Israel and its closest and most important friend. It is already too late to repair the personal relationship between Netanyahu and Obama.
Despite all this, it is impossible to overstate the importance of the two leaders’ meeting this week. When push comes to shove, they both have countries and policies to manage, strategic interests to advance and needs to fulfill. There is military aid (which is estimated to increase to nearly $4 billion per year), and there is the glittery shopping list that Netanyahu is bringing with him, including another stealth flight squadron, precision armaments, bunker blasters, aid for the development of the Arrow 3 missile system. Beyond that, however, there are also several sensitive issues that must be discussed and resolved.
There is, for example, a summation or even a written agreement over policies toward Iran on the day after the agreement is signed. Israel will try to reach an agreement over joint efforts to supervise and identify Iranian violations of the agreement. It will try to restore intelligence coordination and cooperation to earlier levels and attempt to reach an agreement over a list of actions to be taken in the event that Iran is caught violating the agreement. The freely distributed Israel Hayom newspaper, which is Netanyahu’s personal message board, mentions the possibility of signing a unilateral defense agreement that would grant Israel freedom of action. Israel would not be required to report on its military operations in advance to the United States, but will still be protected by the American umbrella. And all of this comes before we even mention the terrorist activities that Iran is exporting even more vigorously throughout the Middle East.
The current assessment is that Netanyahu will return to Jerusalem empty handed. It is now clear that the greatest failing of American foreign policy during the Obama presidency was its handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in general and Netanyahu in particular. Obama is usually noted for his level-headedness. He is considered a cold fish, devoid of any expressions of anger or even petty settling of accounts. He looks to the future rather than raging about the past. According to all indications, his attitude toward Netanyahu is an outlier. Obama will do everything he can to make Netanyahu pay for (what Obama sees as) his humiliation of the institution of the presidency and for his antics over the past six and a half years. Now that Biden has announced that he will not be running for president, Obama has less of an obligation to improve relations with Jerusalem during the election year. He will not be flipping tables, but won’t be giving Netanyahu any reason to smile, either.
**Ben Caspit is a columnist for Al-Monitor's Israel Pulse. He is also a senior columnist and political analyst for Israeli newspapers, and has a daily radio show and regular TV shows on politics and Israel.

Pro-Assad Press On Vienna Conference: Kerry Acted As A Mediator, Blocked Discussion Of Assad's Removal; Iranian FM Zarif Was Conference's Dominant Player
MEMRI/November 10, 2015 Special Dispatch No.6214
The October 30, 2015 Vienna conference dedicated to finding a solution to the Syria crisis was attended by 17 countries, including the US, Russia, Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, and culminated in the issuing of a joint declaration. Following the conference, the official regime Syrian press, as well as the pro-Syrian Lebanese press, published reports and articles presenting their perspective on what had transpired at the talks and the disagreements that had surfaced in them. These articles contend that Russia and the US presented similar positions at the conference, and that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry acted as a mediator rather than siding with the Saudi and Turkish foreign ministers, his presumed allies, and even silenced them on more than one occasion. They also claim that Kerry made efforts to "smooth the rough edges" and bridge the differences between the parties, and prevented a discussion of Assad's removal and of military action to achieve this purpose.
According to the reports, the Saudi and Turkish representatives were left frustrated by the talks and by Kerry’s position; conversely, the Iranians seemed pleased and Iran's representative was “the dominant player” at the conference.
The articles claim that the main point of contention at the conference was the issue of Assad's future. According to them, there were bitter exchanges between the Saudi and Iranian representatives on this matter, and the Iranian foreign minister blocked any attempt to set a timetable for Assad's departure from office and even stung his Saudi counterpart by remarking that Assad, unlike the Saudi king, had been elected by his people.
Below are excerpts from some of the accounts of the conference in the official Syrian and the pro-Syrian Lebanese press.
The Vienna Conference (image: Al-Quds Al-Arabi, London, October 31, 2015)
Kerry Acted As A Mediator And Silenced The Turkish And Saudi Representatives; The Turkish Representative Went Berserk
In his October 31, 2015 column in the Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar, journalist Jean 'Aziz stressed that the American side had acted as a mediator in the conference rather than as a side in the debate: "The American Secretary of State John Kerry was careful throughout the day to play the role of mediator and nothing more. Not for a minute did he appear to side with the hawkish opponents of the Damascus regime. Thus Saudi Arabia and Turkey were left almost alone in their inflexibility...While Kerry smoothed out the rough edges and bridged [differences in] opinion..."
'Aziz claimed that, on several occasions Kerry even silenced his Saudi and Turkish counterparts and prevented them from initiating a discussion on Assad's ouster. For example, when discussions reached the problematic issue of the transition stage and the elections, Kerry "seemed to supervise the position of his allies [Saudi Arabia and Turkey]. On the issue of Assad's fate, he sufficed with a simple summary [remark, saying:] This is an issue that we have agreed to disagree on, so let's move on to another issue!"
'Aziz added that, when the discussion turned to the military developments and the situation on the ground, the gap between Kerry and "his presumed allies," the Saudi and Turkish FMs, widened even further. In fact, the Turkish representative seemed on edge and even "partly lost his mind" as he tried to persuade the others that military activity in Syria must also be directed against the Assad regime. However, "Kerry's position was clear: ‘We are fighting in Syria only against ISIS'..."
'Aziz assessed that the Turkish representative appeared to be the biggest loser of the conference, followed by the Saudi representative, "whose program, limited to Assad's ouster, appeared isolated and sterile… And thus for hours the Saudi [foreign minister] sufficed with a constant repetition of the boring and tiresome refrain about Assad's ouster..."
The Iranians Sat Smiling And Calm
'Aziz added: "Facing the American mediator and the edgy Turkish and Saudi representatives [sat] the Iranian [foreign minister], smiling and calm, as though saying to everyone: 'There is no substitute for my presence at this table'...The Iranian [representative] was attending [the talks on Syria] for the first time, yet he appeared to be the strongest player [there]… When the [various] options [for a solution in Syria] were raised, he was prepared for each of them, and even challenged them [by saying]: You want a transition stage? Let us proceed immediately to the transition stage culminating in free, fair and just elections according to any Western or international democratic logic. He appeared confident in his ally's [i.e., Assad’s] victory. You want war against terror? We are ready for this as well, so let us all collaborate in this matter, for the issue of terror and terrorists is known and familiar: there is one side that fights [terror], and a number of parties that are financing and arming [it]… You want war only against Assad? We are prepared for this as well, as we were four and a half years ago [when the Syrian crisis began]. Let each party [shoulder] its own responsibility and let the strongest one win!"[1]
The daily Al-Safir reported, citing Western diplomatic sources in Beirut, that at the Vienna conference "harmony prevailed between the American and Russian parties, to the extent that the Americans were compelled on more than one occasion to cut off one of the representatives of the Arab states opposed to Damascus, urging them not to go back to the outdated terms of 2011."[2]
Iranian FM To His Saudi Counterpart: 'President Assad Was Elected By A Majority Of The Syrian People. Who Elected Your King?'
The papers also reported sharp exchanges between the Saudi and Iranian representatives. An article in the Syrian daily Al-Watan, which is close to the Assad regime, stated that "the direct verbal confrontation between Iranian Foreign Minister Mohamad Javad Zarif and Saudi Foreign Minister 'Adel Al-Jubeir during the Vienna conference constituted the climax of the acute political tension between the sides." Describing this confrontation, the article claimed that, in response to the Saudi FM's assertion that it was necessary to set a definite timetable for a transition stage culminating in Assad's departure, the Iranian FM said that the conference was not intended lay down timetables or to determine Assad's future, because it was the exclusive right of the Syrian people to determine this via elections. Zarif even turned to his Saudi counterpart, saying: "President Assad was elected by a majority of the Syrian people. Who elected your king? [3]
Deputy Iranian Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian described this tense exchange between the Saudi and Iranian foreign ministers, saying: "At the Vienna conference the Iranian delegation tried not to provoke Saudi Arabia and to concentrate on [finding] a way to a diplomatic solution to the Syrian issue, but Saudi Foreign Minister 'Adel Al-Jubeir made unbalanced and baseless remarks and behaved in a way unbefitting a country's foreign minister, which caused Minister Zarif to respond sharply."[4]
The Conference Was Protracted Due To Lengthy Debates On Setting A Timetable For Assad's Departure And The Division Of Prerogatives
The daily Al-Safir reported that arguments over Assad’s future caused the conference to last several hours longer than planned. The daily stated further that "attempts by Damascus' opponents to set a timetable for Assad's departure met with firm opposition from Damascus' allies." It quoted a senior official who attended the conference as saying that "Damascus' opponents suggested setting a six-month period for formulating a constitution and an 18-month period until the elections," but that Assad's allies rejected this outright because they viewed it as an unacceptable attempt to set out "a definite time limit for the [Assad] regime." According to the report, disagreements also arose regarding the proposed unity government and its prerogatives, vis-à-vis the prerogatives of President Assad.
In addition, Al-Safir noted that the Qatari delegation, headed by Foreign Minister Khalid Al-'Attiyah, "left the hotel during the deliberations, apparently to consult with Doha... and returned after half an hour.[5]
Endnotes:
[1] Al-Akhbar (Lebanon) October 31, 2015.
[2] Al-Safir(Lebanon), November 4, 2015
[3] Al-Watan (Syria), November 3, 2015.
[4] Champress.net, November 1, 2015. The London-based Qatari daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi reported that Saudi Foreign Minister Al-Jubeir sat as far as possible from his counterpart Zarif. Al-Quds Al-Arabi (London), October 30, 2015.
[5] Al-Safir (Syria), November 2, 2015.

ISIS In Sinai Increases Military, Propaganda Pressure On Egypt
By: R. Green*
November 8, 2015 Inquiry & Analysis Series Report No.1201/MEMRI
This report, offered as a complimentary sample from MEMRI’s Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM), reviews the activity of the Islamic State’s (ISIS) Sinai Province. It discusses the importance of Sinai to ISIS; the increase in terror activity in the peninsula since the Sinai-based jihad group Ansar Bait Al-Maqdis officially joined ISIS; and the improvement in its military, propaganda and cyber tactics; and the growing pressure exerted by ISIS on the Egyptian government.
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Introduction
The deposing of Egyptian president Muhammad Mursi in July 2013 was a turning point for the Salafi-jihadi organizations operating in Sinai. Following his ouster, these organizations launched an all-out war against the Egyptian government and army, acting in a variety of ways to destabilize the country.[1] Especially conspicuous was the activity of the northern Sinai-based organization Ansar Bait Al-Maqdis, which managed to form an effective fighting force that carried out high-profile operations in the peninsula and also gained support among parts of the local population. In November 2014, the organization joined the Islamic State (ISIS) and pledged allegiance to its leader, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi. This development, and the establishment of a “Sinai Province” of ISIS, marked a significant escalation in the war of the Salafi-jihadi stream against the Egyptian government.
The “Sinai Province” (Wilayat Sinaa) is of primary importance for ISIS and its leaders, and the organization is evidently investing great efforts in honing its activists’ abilities and encouraging their activity there. In their speeches, ISIS spokesmen make a point of praising the Sinai fighters and exhort them to maintain and intensify their efforts. The organization acts in Sinai ceaselessly, employing a variety of methods to destabilize the region and undermine the Egyptian authorities’ control there, using means that proved effective in its war in Iraq. It also seems to have adopted a strategy reminiscent of the Idarat Al-Tawahush (“Management of Savagery”) strategy, familiar among global jihad organizations (on which more below).
Graduates of ISIS Sinai training camp swear fealty to Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi
The upgrading of ISIS’s abilities in Sinai is evident in every domain. First, there has been an improvement in its military capabilities, especially following the adoption of tactics used in Iraq. The fighters’ weaponry has been upgraded, and number and effectiveness of attacks has increased. ISIS’s Sinai affiliate also makes intensive use of the internet for propaganda and recruitment purposes. Being part of the larger ISIS organization, it now has access to the resources and expertise of ISIS’s media apparatuses. With their help it has increased its pressure on the Egyptian army using various methods of psychological warfare. In addition, it engages in hacking operations, termed “electronic jihad”. On the civilian level, the organization is acting to cultivate ties with the local population.
ISIS’s activities in Sinai came to a head recently when it apparently downed the Russian Metrojet flight 9268. ISIS’s Sinai province claimed responsibility for the crash on October 31, mere hours after it happened, and reiterated its claim in an audio statement released on November 4, 2015 (see ISIS Claims Responsibility For Downing Russian Passenger Jet Over Sinai and ISIS In Sinai: We Will Disclose How We Downed The Russian Plane When We See Fit).
This report addresses the importance of Sinai for ISIS and the strategy it employs there. It also reviews the advancement in ISIS’s operations and the methods it uses to pressure Egypt, including its propaganda campaign and cyber warfare.
Sinai – A Region Of Prime Importance For ISIS
The ISIS leadership attributes great importance to Sinai and directs considerable resources there, due to the many advantages the region holds for the organization. First, Sinai is part of Egypt, which is the largest and most populous Arab state and has the largest Arab army; at the same time, Egypt’s control over Sinai has historically been weak. Second, Sinai is adjacent to Israel, a historic target of jihad, as well as to the Gaza Strip, a major jihadi hotspot. Additionally, the strict Salafi-jihadi ideology that ISIS espouses has been popular in Sinai for years and has many adherents among the local population. Moreover, unlike in other arenas such as Syria, Yemen and Libya, where Al-Qaeda affiliates operate alongside ISIS affiliates, Sinai is free of other Salafi and global jihad organizations that could compete with ISIS. It should be noted that the first issue of Dabiq, ISIS’s English-language magazine, presented Sinai as a ideal region for jihad activity.[2]
Attack on Egyptian navy frigate
In an audio tape distributed on November 13, 2014, ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi acknowledged the oaths of fealty sworn by several jihad groups outside of the group’s core territory in Iraq and Syria, and declared that he had appointed “governors” on his behalf in those countries. Among the countries Al-Baghdadi mentioned was Egypt, following the oath of fealty sworn by the Sinai-based group Ansar Bait Al-Maqdis, which had joined ISIS. The identity of the governor Al-Baghdadi appointed for Sinai is unknown, but presumably he is similar in his background to the governor Al-Baghdadi appointed for Libya – an Iraqi with military and/or intelligence expertise, quite possibly a former official in Saddam Hussein’s security forces and a veteran of ISIS in Iraq, who gained Al-Baghdadi’s trust.[3]
Addressing his new troops in Sinai, Al-Baghdadi said: “Oh faithful men of beloved Sinai, congratulations and greetings unto you, blessed men. Congratulations to you for carrying out the duty of jihad against the tyrants of Egypt. Congratulations to you for terrorizing the Jews. What [more] can we say to you, for you have broken your sheaths, burned your ships,[4] marched through the rock, showing patience in the face of hardship and grasping the embers [i.e. remaining faithful to Islam]. Stand fast and rejoice, for Allah will grant you victory.”[5]
In Al-Baghdadi’s most recent speech, released in May 2015, he addressed all of ISIS’s regional affiliates one by one. Sinai was mentioned immediately following Iraq, indicating its importance in his eyes. Al-Baghdadi praised the Sinai Province, saying: “I commend the lions of the Caliphate, the monotheists of the Sinai Peninsula, the mighty and defiant [fighters] who disbelieved in peaceful means and treaded the path of honor, dignity, and manliness. They refused humiliation and subservience and offered their blood and lives for their religion. How good you are! How good you are! We consider you amongst those whom the Exalted Lord described as ‘men who are true to what they promised Allah’ [Koran 33:23]; we consider you such, and Allah is your judge. We ask Allah the Glorified to allow us to see you in Bait Al-Maqdis [Jerusalem] very soon. Terrorizing the Jews and keeping sleep from their eyes is enough to ensure your reward from Allah.”[6]
Additionally, the Ajnad production company, which produces official ISIS songs, distributed a special hymn dedicated to the Sinai Province, using typical Bedouin melodies and style, which praises ISIS and its fighters in Sinai, and their war against the Egyptian army and Israel. The lyrics of the song are:
“Forward, oh soldiers of Allah, remove the damned apostasy,
“O soldiers of Allah, we have built a bastion for monotheism,
“In Sinai we live, and we reject all that is not Islam.
“We defend the banner of religion, and cry for the wound of Islam…
“We have detonated the gas agreement [between Egypt and Israel],[7] we ask for Allah’s help,
“We beheaded the spy,[8] we attacked the tyrant’s army,
“O traitorous Jews, be patient – you will not know safety for a single day.”
ISIS Imports Iraq Strategy, Methods To Sinai
The strategy employed by ISIS in Iraq, even in its previous incarnations under Abu Mus’ab Al-Zarqawi as the Al-Tawhid Wal-Jihad group and Al-Qaeda in Iraq,[9] comprised three stages, as outlined in the book Management of Savagery, which serves as a guide for jihad groups everywhere. The book, which was posted on the internet in 2004, was written by Abu Bakr Naji, likely a pen name for Al-Qaeda strategist Muhammad Khalil Al-Hakaymah. According to the theory outlined in the book, the first stage in the operation of a jihad group focuses on a war of attrition against security forces and the creation of chaos in order to take hold of territory that the government is unable to control. In jihadi parlance, this stage is called the nikayah war – meaning sporadic attacks meant to harm and damage the enemy. These attacks are meant to cause the army to lose control of rural areas and barricade itself in the cities, which gives jihadi groups room to maneuver. The second stage involves increasing pressure on security forces to the point of complete chaos in large areas. The third stage involves the jihad group establishing itself as a kind of state in the areas it controls, and managing them exclusively.
Preparing explosive barrels for a truck bomb. From the film “The Assaults of the Ansar”
Using this strategy, Al-Qaeda in Iraq initially found refuge in remote tribal areas and Sunni strongholds, from which it launched attacks in cities and towns against the security forces, its opponents in the Sunni population, and Shi’ites. (Sinai lacks the Sunni-Shi’ite dimension that has been effectively exploited by ISIS in Iraq). Later it increased attacks and bombings to weaken the control of the central regime in major cities. Growing stronger, the organization exploited the fighting in Syria and the increasing anarchy in Iraq to take control of cities and widespread territory in northern, central, and western Iraq.
Similarly, over the past decade, jihadi elements in Sinai have established themselves in remote areas, from which they launched attacks on sensitive targets in the peninsula. More recently, and especially since Ansar Bait Al-Maqdis joined ISIS and the “Sinai Province” was established, attacks have escalated and are now aimed at destabilizing northern Sinai in particular and Egypt in general. In light of the July 1, 2015 attack on Sheikh Zuweid (see below), it seems that ISIS is determined to transition from the stage of sporadic attacks to the one of controlling its own territory – in this case the Al-’Arish-Sheikh Zuwaid-Rafah triangle in northern Sinai. This territory will constitute a bridgehead for further expansion and a base for the struggle against Egypt and Israel.
ISIS fighter firing a MANPAD rocket at an Apache helicopter
Imroved Military And Operational Capabilities
At this stage, the strategy dictates a focus on the Egyptian army, as indeed expressed by the targets selected for the organization’s attacks. This activity has escalated in recent months, with attacks growing more daring, large-scale and lethal, and thus having greater military and propaganda impact on the Egyptian security forces. The improvement of ISIS’s military capabilities in Sinai is reflected in several ways:
Focus On Military Targets
In the past, Salafi-jihadi elements in Sinai operated against civilian and Western targets, as well as against Israel. (operations included attacks on tourist sites in Taba, Sharm Al-Sheikh and Dahab in 2004 and 2006; the attacks on the Israeli border in 2011 and 2012; the siege of the Multinational Force Mission base;[10] the gas pipeline attacks, and more). As mentioned, since July 2013 and more intensively since November 2014, ISIS has focused its attacks almost exclusively on the Egyptian military and authorities. Two noted exceptions that should be mentioned are the killing of a U.S. citizen,[11] and the kidnapping and killing of a Croatian citizen.[12]
One of the car bombs used in the attack on Sheikh Zuweid (Source: Youtube.com, July 3, 2015)
Magnitude Of Attacks
ISIS in Sinai has recently upgraded the quality of its attacks, which have become larger and more operationally complex, inter alia by utilizing methods that were successful in Iraq. On July 1, 2015, ISIS executed a large-scale coordinated attack on several Egyptian army targets in northern Sinai. The attack centered around the town of Sheikh Zuweid, one of the strongholds of Salafi-jihadis in the region located between Egyptian Rafah and Al-’Arish. It involved ISIS fighters besieging the town’s police headquarters and inflicting heavy losses on military forces.[13] This operation is reminiscent of similar ISIS attacks on Iraqi cities and towns. The fact that ISIS forces were close to taking over Sheikh Zuweid, forcing the army to call in air support to beat them back, shows the significant improvement of its offensive capabilities.
Striking Quality Targets
Another notable operation took place on July 16, when ISIS managed to hit an Egyptian navy frigate off the Rafah coast with a guided anti-tank missile.[14] ISIS supporters celebrated the event and called it “the Islamic State’s first naval assault.” ISIS has also recently managed to destroy a substantial number of Egyptian army tanks using these missiles.
M60 tank destroyed by ISIS
Increase In Frequency Of Attacks
ISIS attacks military and security forces positions and checkpoints on a daily basis. In April-June 2015 the media office of ISIS’s Sinai Province reported more than 20 operations a month, including ambushes, sniper attacks, IEDs, mortar fire, car bombs (including trucks and tankers), anti-tank fire on APCs and tanks, assassinations, and more.[15]
Increased Training
On June 2, 2015, the Sinai Province posted still photos from a training camp featuring a class of new recruits, showing several dozen fighters in uniform training with weapons and conducting military parades. The images do not provide much information on the nature of the training or the recruits. The Sinai Province has yet to publish video of the training camp, as is common with other provinces.[16]
Improved Means
In its attacks on the Egyptian military, ISIS uses improved methods and more sophisticated and effective means. Thus, in the attack on Sheikh Zuweid, ISIS used a car bomb reinforced with metal plates – a method adopted from ISIS attacks in Iraq. ISIS also claimed it had shot down an Egyptian air force Apache helicopter with a shoulder-mounted rocket, and even posted pictures of a fighter firing the rocket and of the helicopter wreckage.[17]
Targeted Attacks On Law Enforcement
As part of the efforts to conduct a war of attrition against security forces, ISIS has focused on police forces as one of its main targets. It routinely assassinates officers and places bombs in their homes. In recent weeks, the homes of dozens of police officers in Al-’Arish have been bombed.[18] Another target marked by ISIS is members of the judiciary. On May 16, ISIS members shot and killed three judges who were driving in Al-’Arish.[19] On June 29, 2015, the Sinai Province posted a 3-minute video showing the shooting, carried out from a passing vehicle, and contrasts the so-called “corrupt” Egyptian judiciary, which operates under a “tyrannical” regime, with the just Islamic State judiciary, which is based on Islam.[20] The narrator in the video explains the justification for killing the judges: “After the Caliphate was established and the banner of jihad was raised, the mujahideen could no long let these tyrants live on safely while passing judgement using laws that are not the laws of Allah.”
Upgrading Propaganda Efforts
Propaganda efforts play an important part in ISIS’s battle against the Egyptian regime. These efforts have several goals:
a. Bringing the Sinai population – both Bedouin tribes and residents of the northern Sinai cities of Rafah, Sheikh Zuweid and Al-’Arish – closer to ISIS and distancing them from the regime. This goal is attained through ISIS propaganda portraying the Egyptian military as criminals who harm and abuse the civilian population, and ISIS as a defense force that is an inseparable part of the people.
b. Bringing Islamist circles such as the Salafis, extremist Muslim Brotherhood supporters and others closer to ISIS.
c. Deterring the population from cooperation with the military. This goal is attained by assassinating people suspected as collaborators, publishing leaflets warning the population, defacing the businesses of collaborators, and more.
d. Demoralizing soldiers and police officers by posting videos showing attacks on and executions of their colleagues. This method has proven to be effective in Iraq. Video series such as Salil Al-Sawarim and others played a substantial part in ISIS terrorism there and contributed to the collapse of the army prior to the capturing of Mosul and other cities.
e. Demoralizing the regime and the public at large.
Propaganda Methods
The propaganda methods used by ISIS to achieve its goals include:
Assassination Videos
One of the main kinds of material produced by ISIS Sinai is videos showing the group “settling the score” with soldiers and security forces personnel in order to demoralize the military and police and deter them from confronting ISIS. These videos are well-known from ISIS productions in Iraq, especially the Salil Al-Sawarim series. The fact that entire Iraqi army units retreated from ISIS forces that besieged Mosul in June 2014 suggests that these films indeed have an impact. The videos Sawlat Al-Ansar [Assaults of the Ansar] and Sawlat Al-Ansar 2, produced by ISIS Sinai, document operations against the Egyptian army, suicide bombings, IEDs attacks, executions of collaborators and more. The videos feature fast-paced editing and are accompanied by famous ISIS battle songs.
On January 26, 2015, the media office of the Sinai Province published a video titled “We Swear Revenge” documenting the abduction of a police officer at an improvised roadblock and his execution by gunshot.[21] The killing is described as revenge for the abuse inflicted by Egyptian security forces on innocent civilians, especially women.
Social media are also used by ISIS supporters to pressure members of the military. Activists recently posted a banner calling on soldiers to take off their uniforms before ISIS slaughters them. The banner was posted with popular Egyptian hashtags, and also exploited a Muslim Brotherhood campaign calling on soldiers to abandon their posts and refuse conscription.
Banner posted on social media: “Remove your uniform, flee before you are beheaded with your back to the sea” (Source: Twitter.com/senainmyheart, July 2, 2015)
Egyptian soldier captured by ISIS, before his execution (Source: Mnbr.info, April 11, 2015)
Videos Documenting Regime Crimes
As part of its efforts to tarnish the image of the Egyptian regime among the Sinai population, ISIS published a series of four videos titled “Documenting the Crimes of the Egyptian-Zionist Coalition against the People of Sinai” and “Documenting the Crimes of the Apostasy Army and the Jews against Our Men in Sinai.” The graphic videos show the aftermath of Egyptian airstrikes: Destroyed homes, mutilated corpses, demolished mosques, women crying. The videos also include testimony by Sinai residents who complain about these operations, which they say targeted innocent people.[22]
Tracking Down And Eliminating Spies, Collaborators
Even prior to joining ISIS, Ansar Bait Al-Maqdis was already boasting of its ability to locate agents, spies, and collaborators with the security forces. The series of videos titled “Beware of Him, He is the Enemy” show organization members placing roadblocks throughout Sinai to locate collaborators using computerized databases, raiding the homes of collaborators, eliminating collaborators, and more.
Similarly, the video War of Minds showed how ISIS activists thwarted an attempt to plant an agent in their midst and later executing him. The video shows the agent being arrested upon his arrival to a meeting point, and later a senior fighter, likely a member of ISIS internal security apparatus, guiding the agent as his speaks to his handlers on the phone.[23]
ISIS fighter guiding agent speaking to his handler
Propaganda In The Form Of Satirical Facebook Accounts
Propaganda efforts meant to harm Egyptian public morale also include satirical ISIS Facebook accounts that mock the Egyptian government, President Al-Sisi, security forces, and ISIS’s Islamist rivals, and praise the organization. The page “5elafa [Caliphate] Sarcasm Society” posts memes and cartoons in Egyptian dialect, as well as materials taken from Egyptian popular culture. Thus, for example, following the July 1 attack on Sheikh Zuweid, the page posted a cartoon of an exploding APC with soldier bodies flying out of it.[24]
The “5elafa Sarcasm Society” Facebook page
Ties To Local Population
ISIS is aware of the importance of the tribes in its areas of operation, and therefore cultivates ties with them and makes sure its propaganda stresses that it works for the benefit of Sinai residents and acts to defend them against the Egyptian army, etc. This is another lesson learned from years of operating in Iraq, where the tribes sometimes allied themselves with jihad groups and at other times were their bitter enemies. However, ISIS in Sinai has yet to receive an oath of fealty from any local tribe. The organization still treats local Bedouins with suspicion, and does not hesitate to use violence against them and threaten them if they seem to pose a danger.
Welfare Activity
To promote its image as working for the benefit of the population, ISIS propaganda showcases the organization’s welfare activity for needy residents. For example, this summer, before Eid Al-Fitr, the organization posted pictures showing activists distributing food packages and other items to needy families in an unnamed Sinai village.[25] The organization posted other pictures of activists handing out food to residents under the title “Distributing Aid Packages to Muslims in Areas Besieged by the Apostasy Army.”[26]
ISIS distributing food to Sinai residents
To improve relations with the local population, ISIS has even said that it distributes money to residents whose homes were damaged in Egyptian airstrikes, and posted pictures showing activists handing out envelopes of cash. A statement by the organization read: “In the shadow of the fierce attack on Islam and the Muslims by the apostasy army, which bombs and destroying Muslims homes and terrorizes them in preparation for their expulsion… jihad fighters in Sinai Province beat back the aggression of the apostasy army and do all they can to compensate the oppressed and support them. Your brothers in the Sinai Province conducted a campaign to compensate those harmed as much as possible. This is an effort for the poor and a right [granted to impoverished people] in Islam.”[27]
Sinai resident holding cash envelope
Threatening Sinai Bedouins
On April 17, 2015, ISIS published a leaflet warning the Bedouin tribes that anyone assisting the Egyptian army would be killed just like the soldiers themselves. The leaflet was distributed in areas inhabited by the Tarabin and other tribes. The leaflet states: “Your sons in the Sinai Province renew their threat and warning to anyone aiding the apostate army in any way, whether by supplying water, food, fuel or building materials, or even by carrying a brick to build a structure, or assisting with words, opinions, advice or knowledge that will harm Muslims in general and the mujahideen in particular. Anyone proven to have been involved in any of these [actions] or in causing them [should know] that our swords are pointed and sharp, and will not distinguish between an apostate and his helper. We will have no mercy or compassion for anyone who is proven to be involved… We renew the call on agents of the apostasy army to return to Allah and repent before the mujahideen as soon as possible. We call on Muslims to stay away from the security headquarters of the police or apostasy army, for they are legitimate targets for us.”[28]
In other cases, the organization uses softer language out of an attempt to grow closer to the tribes. Recently, it distributed leaflets in northern Sinai asking farmers to coordinate with ISIS so that they would not be hurt by IEDs planted in the area.[29]
ISIS activists hands out leaflets to Tarabin tribesmen warning against collaborating with the army
Media Upgrades
ISIS information and propaganda organs make efforts to unify the look and the message of the materials produced by the various “provinces,” in order to strengthen to impression that, despite the geographic separation, this is a real state with centralized management that can control large territories. Therefore, in addition to upgrading its military capabilities, ISIS in Sinai works tirelessly to improve its media and communications array.
It is possible that even prior to joining ISIS, Ansar Bait Al-Maqdis received guidance and help in this field from ISIS media activists, but recently there have been marked improvements. ISIS established a media office for the Sinai Province that operates according to the standards accepted in other provinces. The office has its own logo, like the others, and it distributes official leaflets carrying this logo and featuring visual motifs similar to those used in other ISIS provinces. Furthermore, it frequently posts photos and videos documenting its activity, which are likewise visually similar to other ISIS materials. The videos’ level of production has improved and is on par with the work of other ISIS media companies. Every video opens with a black screen with the phrase “In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate,” followed by the logo of the Sinai Province accompanied by visual effects, as is common in videos by other ISIS provinces. The uniformity indicates close ties between media activists in Sinai and experienced ISIS media experts. The quality of videos made in Sinai – including some made prior to the official establishment of the Sinai Province – suggest that raw footage may have been sent to be edited and polished by central media organs in Syria or Iraq.
Increased Social Media Presence
Joining ISIS also provided Sinai jihadis access to the distribution network of the organization and its supporters on social media. ISIS supporters on Twitter use the Sinai Province hashtag, along with other ISIS hashtags, to give material wider reach. In fact, the Sinai Province media array uses Twitter as a main distribution tool for publications, videos, and propaganda. The province’s media activists operate an official Twitter account that posts news on events in the province and in other provinces as well. The account, called Rahala Al-Gharib, states that its location is “Sinai – the gateway to Bait Al-Maqdis [Jerusalem],” although it may well operate from elsewhere. The account is shut down often and reopens with a slightly different address. Upon the opening of a new account, ISIS supporters on Twitter spread the new address to enable the greatest possible exposure to its postings.[30]
Alongside the official account, there are also semi-official ISIS Sinai accounts that function as part of its information apparatus. These are the “Sinai Today” and “Egypt Today” accounts, which post updates on ISIS operations and military counter-operations, news from Egypt and Sinai, and ISIS propaganda regarding Egypt and other places as well.[31] The Sinai Today account defines itself as “an independent news page dealing with the events in Sinai in particular, and in Egypt in general.” Its location is given as “the land of secret discourse” – a unique ISIS nickname for Sinai.
ISIS Sinai members, or possibly sympathizers who identify online as members, run additional Twitter accounts. During the attack on Sheikh Zuweid, several of these activists posted tweets featuring live updates on the fighting, including images of car bomb detonations – indicating that they are indeed close to events, or at least are in close contact with people who are. In addition to accounts run by individuals, there are news sites, such as Sinai 24, which reports around the clock on security events in northern Sinai and is openly hostile to security forces and sympathetic towards ISIS.[32]
Sinai Province Twitter account
As stated, being part of ISIS means the Sinai Province benefits from the organization’s general distribution network on social media. For instance, on July 15, 2015, a prominent media activist in Iraq known as Abu Maria Al-Iraqi launched a campaign to distribute Sinai Province videos by using popular Egyptian hashtags, with the help of ISIS supporters around the world. He tweeted: “We are uploading the Sinai Province videos. Please spread them by using Egyptian hashtags. Retweet so that they reach the largest number of supports.” The post was retweeted 61 times. Later he posted a series of tweets linking to the videos, which were also retweeted dozens of times by ISIS supporters.[33]
Image from Sheikh Zuweid battle, tweeted in real time by ISIS activist (Source:Twitter.com/JeneralSinai, July 1, 2015)
Cyber Warfare
The ISIS Sinai Province uses cyber warfare for both intelligence purposes and as part of its propaganda efforts. Hackers associated with the province are highly active in breaching websites, tapping phones, and taking over Twitter and Facebook accounts, and often publish their successes with video on social media. This cyber activity is unique for ISIS Sinai and it is the only province that boasts of its successes on this front. It is likely that its activists receive external assistance in this domain as well.
ISIS hacking attacks are carried out by the “Islamic Intelligence Services” (Al-Mukhabarat Al-Islamiyya). Members of the group include Al-Qursan Al-Sinawi (“Sinai Pirate”) aka Al-Qursan Al-Suwairki (“Pirate of the [Sinai-based] Al-Sawariki Tribe”)[34] (Twitter.com/SinaiPirate), Abu Khudhaifa Al-Sinawi (Twitter.com/abohz11), who claims to be a software expert and former Muslim Brotherhood member, and Khawla Al-Sinawiyya (Twitter.com/skw008), who says she is a resident of northern Sinai.
Twitter account of female hacker Khawla Al-Sinawiyya
In January, the group hackers posted a video showing the penetration of Facebook accounts, personal computers and smart phones of dozens of Egyptian soldiers and publishing confidential information about them.[35] The hackers also created several fake Facebook accounts for soldiers and police officers in an attempt to gather sensitive information.[36]
In April, the hackers took over popular Egyptian Facebook and Twitter accounts, including those of the popular newspaper Tahya Misr, which has millions of subscribers, and the Twitter accounts of Nugoum Radio and MBC TV, which have hundreds of thousands of followers. The hackers took over the accounts for several hours, changed their profile pictures to ISIS flags, and published dozens of tweets featuring propaganda videos. The Nugoum Radio account also featured a image (apparently previously unpublished) of ISIS Sinai official Shadi Al-Mani’i, whom Egyptian authorities claimed had been killed. Beyond antagonizing Egyptian security forces, this also indicates close ties between ISIS activists on the ground and their supportive hacker groups.[37]
On July 19, the Islamic Intelligence Services group published the second video in its “Electronic Attacks” video series, featuring additional activity by the group. The video documented the defacing of Egyptian websites, the takeover of Facebook accounts, and the recording of phone conversations by Egyptian soldiers whose phones were tapped by hackers.[38] The video stressed the importance of cyber warfare: “The field of electronic jihad is one of the important forms of jihad, and we advise Muslims in general, especially those who abstain from it [i.e. from military jihad], not to delay in preparing their electronic ammo, and to declare a fierce war against the countries that aggress against Islam and the Muslims, and that fight jihad and the mujahideen.”[39]
Tweet sent by ISIS from hacked Nugoum Radio account: “First appearance of the commander Shadi Al-Mani’i after interior minister announced his death last year.”
ISIS hackers take over MBC TV Twitter account (Source: MBC.net, July 10, 2015)
In yet another attack, the activists hacked the website of the Egyptian ministry of agriculture and planted a ISIS video there. The hackers identified themselves as ISIS soldiers and left a message that read: “This hack was done by the Caliphate soldiers in the Sinai Province. Do not think that the war on the ground will cause us to abandon the electronic war against you; on the contrary, you are in our sights. You will [not] have peace on a single server. The future will be even more bitter.”[40]
ISIS hack of the ministry of agriculture website
* R. Green is a research fellow at MEMRI
[1] See MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis No. 999, Salafi-Jihadis In Sinai Call For Jihad Against Egyptian Military, July 24, 2013.
[2] Dabiq 1, p. 36.
[3] Al-Baghdadi’s appointee in Libya, the late Wissam ‘Abd Zaid Al-Zubeidi, aka Abu Nabil Al-Iraqi, had been a member of the organization since the days of Abu Mus’ab Al-Zarqawi and led many ISIS operations and campaigns. Al-Zubeidi was captured and killed in Derna in June 2015 by a local rival jihadi group. Al-Quds Al-Arabi (London), February 19, 2015; Al-Hayat (London), June 12, 2015; The Daily Beast (U.S.), July 19, 2015; Raialyoum.com, July 22, 2015.
[4] Perhaps referencing the attack on Egyptian navy ships on November 12, 2014. Alternatively, Al-Baghdadi may have been praising the courage of the Sinai fighters by comparing them to the Muslim soldiers who conquered the Iberian Peninsula. According to Muslim tradition, their commander, Tariq bin Ziyad, ordered his men to burn the ships they had used to cross the Mediterranean from North Africa.
[5] For Al-Baghdadi’s declaration of Sinai’s annexation to the Islamic State, see MEMRI JTTM, Islamic State Caliph Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi Says ‘The March Of The Mujahideen Will Continue Until They Reach Rome’; Welcomes Pledges Of Allegiance From Saudi Arabia, Yemen, North Africa, Announces New Provinces And Governors There, November 13, 2014; for more on Ansar Bait Al-Maqdis joining ISIS, see MEMRI JTTM, Changing Dynamics In The Global Jihad Movement: Egyptian Group Ansar Bait Al-Maqdis Leaves Al-Qaeda, Joins Islamic State, November 3, 2014, and MEMRI JTTM, Sinai-Based Jihadi Group Ansar Bait Al-Maqdis Officially Joins Islamic State, Pledges Allegiance To Abu Bakr Al-Baghdad, November 9, 2014.
[6] See MEMRI JTTM, In New Audio Speech, Islamic State (ISIS) Leader Al-Baghdadi Issues Call To Arms To All Muslims, May 14, 2015.
[7] Reference to a series of blasts along the Egypt-Israel gas pipeline in 2011-2012.
[8] Reference to a video which showed the beheading of a man suspected of spying for Israel and aiding in the assassination of the leader of Ansar Bait Al-Maqdis. See MEMRI JTTM, Sinai Based Jihadi Group Accuses Israel Of Killing Its Leader, Executes ‘Spy’, November 8, 2012.
[9] Abu Mus’ab Al-Zarqawi began operating in Iraq under the name Al-Tawhid Wal-Jihad in 2003. In 2004 he swore fealty to Osama bin Laden and established Al-Qaeda in the Land of the Two Rivers aka Al-Qaeda in Iraq. After his death in 2006, the organization was dismantled, and Al-Zarqawi’s successor, Abu ‘Omar Al-Baghdadi, established the Islamic State of Iraq. In 2013, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi announced the organization’s name and area of operation were changing, giving birth to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). On June 2014 the organization declared itself to be the Caliphate and Al-Baghdadi as the caliph.
[10] See MEMRI JTTM, New Video Documents Siege by Bedouin on Multinational Force Mission in Sinai, Indicates Links to Salafi-Jihadis in Gaza, March 19, 2012.
[11] See MEMRI JTTM, ‘ISIS – Sinai Governorate’ Takes Responsibility For Assassinating American Oil Expert William Henderson, December 1, 2014.
[12] At first ISIS released a video showing the Croatian hostage, Tomislav Salopek, crouching in front of a knife-wielding, masked ISIS fighter. He read a message in which ISIS demanded that the Egyptian government release female prisoners in return for Salopek. However, on August 7 the group hinted that he had been killed. Twitter.com/gareb_117, August 7, 2015.
[13] The Twitter account for the Sinai province spokesman issued a communique claiming responsibility for the attack, which ISIS dubbed “The Abu Suhaib Al-Ansari Raid.” Twitter.com/gareb_06, July 3, 2015.
[14] See MEMRI JTTM, ISIS Takes Responsibility For Attack On Egyptian Military Frigate In Mediterranean Sea, July 16, 2015.
[15] Shamikh1.info, April 23, 2014, May 23, 2015, June 23, 2015. This, compared to the two previous months, which had 11 and 9 attacks respectively. Shamikh1.info, December 29, 2014, March 24, 2015.
[16] Isdarat.tv, June 2, 2015.
[17] Even before joining ISIS, Ansar Bait Al-Maqdis was in possession of shoulder-mounted anti-aircraft munitions and the proven ability to shoot down helicopters. See MEMRI JTTM report, “Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis In Sinai Posts Video Documenting Its Downing Of Egyptian Army Helicopter,” January 28, 2014.
[18] A pro-ISIS Twitter account also reported dozens of shootings and bombings targeting the homes of police officers. Twitter.com/siinai24, July 5-6, 2015.
[19] Masrawy.com, May 16, 2015.
[20] Shamikh1.info, June 29, 2015.
[21] Mnbr.info, January 26, 2015.
[22] Isdarat.tv, February 10, 2015; Shamikh1.info, December 23, 2014; Mnbr.info, December 6, 2014; Isdarat.tv, November 11, 2014.
[23] Shamikh1.info, June 8, 2015.
[24] See MEMRI JTTM, ISIS Supporters On Facebook Use Humor, Sarcasm To Propagate ISIS Message, June 18, 2015.
[25] Shamikh1.info, July 16, 2015.
[26] Isdarat.tv, June 2, 2015.
[27] Mnbr.info, August 1, 2015.
[28] Shamikh1.info, July 14, 2015.
[29] Twitter.com/marezogy, June 10, 2015.
[30] As of this writing, the account’s address is Twitter.com/GAREB_115.
[31] Twitter.com/seena_today; Twitter.com/egypty_today10.
[32] Twitter.com/Sinai24.
[33] Twitter.com/ofhig3, July 15, 2015. The account was subsequently shut down, but Abu Maria Al-Iraqi is still active on Twitter under other accounts.
[34] Currently at Twitter.com/SinaiPirateS.
[35] See MEMRI JTTM, Pro-Islamic State Hacker Groups Target ‘Apostates’ In Egypt And Sinai, Claim Data Gathered Will Be Useful For The Mujahideen, January 7, 2015.
[36] Klmty.net, September 17, 2015.
[37] See MEMRI JTTM, ISIS Hackers Take Over Popular Egyptian Radio Station’s Twitter page, April 15, 2015, and MEMRI JTTM, Pro-ISIS Hacker Targets Egyptian Newspaper’s Facebook Page, April 16, 2015. MBC.net, July 10, 2015.
[38] Twitter.com/abohhz11, July 20, 2015.
[39] See MEMRI JTTM, Pro-ISIS Hackers Document Attacks On Egyptian Targets, Urge Muslims To Join ‘Electronic Jihad’, July 20, 2015.
[40] Cairoportal.com, June 14, 2015.

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