LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
November 25/15

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletins05/english.november25.15.htm 

Bible Quotations For Today

Prophets are not without honour except in their own country and in their own house
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 13/54-58: "Jesus came to his home town and began to teach the people in their synagogue, so that they were astounded and said, ‘Where did this man get this wisdom and these deeds of power? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?’ And they took offence at him. But Jesus said to them, ‘Prophets are not without honour except in their own country and in their own house.’And he did not do many deeds of power there, because of their unbelief."

There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus
Letter to the Galatians 03/23-29: "Before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise."

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on November 24-25/15
To Defeat ISIS, Create a Sunni State/John Bolton/The New York Times/November 24/15
Will gay Christian refugees be allowed to come to Canada/Arthur Weinreb/Canada Free press/November 24/15
Will downing of Russia warplane thwart France’s efforts for broader anti-IS coalition/Laura Rozen/Al-Monitor/November 24/15
Do Iranian hard-liners really want to stop foreign investment/Alireza Ramezani/Al-Monitor/November 24/15
Why do some Turks approve of Islamic State terrorism/Kadri Gursel/Al-Monitor/November 24/15
Opposed to Mass Migration are "Free to Leave"/Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/November 24/15
Who brought foreign fighters into Syria/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/November/15
Paris attacks: Our victims, and their victims/Diana Moukalled/Al Arabiya/November/15
Europe is scared, and so are we/Jamal Khashoggi/Al Arabiya/November/15
France’s doomed efforts to take the fight to ISIS/Dr. John C. Hulsman/Al Arabiya/November/15

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin for Lebanese Related News published on November 24-25/15
Obama Urges Lebanese Leaders to 'Act in National Interest, Elect President'
Salam Won't Call Cabinet to Session 'until Clarifications Made in Exporting Waste
Hariri, Gemayel Agree on Need to 'Exert Every Possible Effort' to End Presidential Void
Report: Aoun to Agree to Franjieh's Presidential Bid if He Garners Enough Votes
Army Arrests IS Fugitive who Plotted Attacks in Tripoli
Bassil Urges 'Truly Representative' President, 'Balanced' Govt., Fair Electoral Law
Two Rockets Fired from Syria Land in Akkar
Report: Saniora Visits Hariri in Riyadh to Discuss Franjieh Meeting

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 24-25/15
Tensions Flare as Turkey Shoots Down Russian Warplane on Syria Border
Putin Slams 'Stab in Back' after Warplane Downing as Turkey Says Had 'Duty' to Act
Syria Rebels Down Russian Helicopter, Claim Killing Warplane Pilot
NATO Urges 'Calm, De-escalation' after Russian Warplane Downed
U.S., France Warn against Escalation after Russia Jet Downing
Germany Urges Russia, Turkey to Show 'Prudence, Common Sense'
U.N. Chief Urges De-escalation after Russian Warplane Downed
U.S. Says Turkey Pilots Warned Russian Jet 10 Times before Shoot-Down
Syria Says Turkey Downing of Russia Jet was 'Flagrant Aggression'
Shaaban Says Muallem to Meet Lavrov in Moscow on Friday
Rebels Blow Up Bridges to Hamper Advance by Yemen Loyalists
IS Frees 10 Kidnapped Syrian Christians
State of Emergency after Blast Kills 12 Tunisia Presidential Guards
IS Attack on Sinai Hotel Kills Judge, 3 Others
Kerry Condemns Palestinian Attacks as he Meets Israel PM
Prosecutor Says Paris Ringleader Planned Suicide Attack in Business District
Iran Expects Nuclear Deal to Enter into Force Early January
Hollande and Obama Vow unity against IS, Say Assad Must Go
Vatican Court Throws Out Objections to Trial of Journalists

Links From Jihad Watch Site for November 24-25/15
Turkey shoots down Russian warplane on Syria border.
CNN: Parisians shaken because this time not Jews, but “just people” targeted.
Muslim feminist “diversity officer” in the UK sends rape threat to Pamela Geller.
Video: Robert Spencer on the theological aspects of Islam that lead to jihad.
Tunisia: Islamic jihadists murder at least 12 with bomb on bus full of presidential guards.
Islamic State video threatens Georgians with beheadings, caliphate.
Spencer, PJM: CNN’s Amanpour Shames US for Not Taking Unvettable Refugees…Then Fails to Vet Her Muslim Guest.
Roman Catholic bishop Robert Barron advocates strategy of submission to the Islamic State.
Video: U.S.-backed Syrian “moderates” scream “Allahu akbar” over body of downed Russian pilot.
Robert Spencer’s biography of Muhammad tops bestseller list, topping Karen Armstrong and Tariq Ramadan.
Joyce Carol Oates: “Is there nothing celebratory & joyous” about ISIS?.
MSNBC’s ‘No-Fly List Is Islamophobia’ poster boy arrested as part of ISIS cell.

Obama Urges Lebanese Leaders to 'Act in National Interest, Elect President'
Naharnet/November 24/15/U.S. President Barack Obama has called on Lebanese leaders to exert urgent efforts to put an end to the ongoing presidential vacuum, in a letter he sent to Prime Minister Tammam Salam on the occasion of Lebanon's Independence Day. “For the sake of Lebanon's stability and security, now is the time for Lebanese leaders to act in the national interest and elect a president,” said Obama in the letter that was distributed by the U.S. embassy on Tuesday. “It is with regret ... that I note this is the second consecutive National Independence Day without an elected President of the Lebanese Republic,” he said. Obama also extended his “deepest condolences” over the deadly Bourj al-Barajneh bombings. “This horrific attack highlights the critical challenges you face and why the United States will continue to support Lebanon's state security institutions,” he said. “The United States has long supported Lebanon in its quest to achieve full sovereignty, security, and independence. Our countries' close ties are never more apparent than when Lebanon is in need, as it is now, due to the spillover effects from the Syria conflict,” the U.S. leader added. He stressed that Washington remains “committed to Lebanon's stability” as emonstrated by its “unwavering support and assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces,” as well as its “ongoing humanitarian and development assistance.” “We are proud to be your partner in addressing Lebanon's security, humanitarian, and development challenges, and we will remain by your side in these endeavors,” Obama added. Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of a successor. Ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps over a compromise candidate have thwarted the polls.

Salam Won't Call Cabinet to Session 'until Clarifications Made in Exporting Waste'
Naharnet/November 24/15/Prime Minister Tammam Salam revealed that contacts are ongoing to reach an agreement over exporting trash from Lebanon, reported An Nahar daily on Tuesday. He told the daily: “Several questions remain and clarifications need to be made with the companies seeking to export the waste.” “I will not call cabinet to session until all aspects of a solution to the crisis are clear,” he stressed. The premier added that Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayyeb is following up on this issue with him closely, “especially since we are pressed for time and it is no longer acceptable to delay a solution.” An Nahar meanwhile said that clarifications are focusing on reaching the cheapest way to export the garbage, a process that may take two to three weeks at least. The trash will likely be exported to Europe or Africa, it added. Lebanon was plunged in trash disposal crisis with the closure of the Naameh landfill in July.
Officials failed to find an alternative to the dump, resulting in garbage piling up on the streets of the country as experts warned of the environmental and health hazards of the crisis.

Hariri, Gemayel Agree on Need to 'Exert Every Possible Effort' to End Presidential Void
Naharnet/November 24/15/Al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri met Kataeb Party chief MP Sami Gemayel in Paris and the two men agreed on the need to "exert every possible effort to end the presidential void," Hariri's office said on Tuesday.
Talks tackled “the developments in Lebanon and means to confront the looming challenges,” the press office said. Hariri and Gemayel agreed on the importance of “strengthening the atmosphere of national dialogue and focusing every possible effort on ending the void in the presidential post and regularizing the work of state institutions,” the statement added. “Hariri left Paris for Riyadh after the meeting,” the press office said. In a statement issued by Kataeb's politburo later on Tuesday, the party said "the presidential issue's return to the top of the country's priorities" is a "positive" development. All parties must "abide by the Constitution and respect the democratic system in Lebanon, which requires everyone to head to parliament and elect a new president for the republic," the party added. The Hariri-Gemayel talks come a day after Hariri met Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat in Paris and several days after he met with Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh. Media reports have said that Franjieh's chances to reach the Baabda Palace have surged due to attempts by the rival camps to find a so-called political settlement. Hariri has also held meetings in Riyadh with top officials of his Mustaqbal movement. Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of a successor. Ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps over a compromise candidate have thwarted the polls.

Report: Aoun to Agree to Franjieh's Presidential Bid if He Garners Enough Votes
Naharnet/November 24/15/Head of the Change and Reform bloc MP Michel Aoun noted that Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh has the needed characteristics to become president, adding that he is willing to back his bid for the presidency, reported As Safir newspaper on Tuesday. His visitors told the daily that the lawmaker is “willing to give his blessing to Franjieh's candidacy if he garners the necessary votes at parliament.” “Congratulations to him if he pulls it off and some sides are delusional in believing that I would sabotage his bid,” he was quoted as saying.
Aoun is a presidential candidate along with his rival head of the Lebanese Forces Samir Geagea. Franjieh has in recent days emerged as a potential presidential candidate amid reports that he had held talks last week with Mustaqbal Movement leader MP Saad Hariri. The Marada chief's visitors quoted him as saying: “I will not confirm or deny whether I had met Hariri in Paris.” “There can be no presidential election without the approval of Saudi Arabia and its blessing to the candidates,” he remarked according to al-Akhbar newspaper Tuesday. Furthermore, he said: “The positive atmosphere at the dialogue talks on the presidency persuades me to continue on supporting the candidacy of Aoun.”“As long as he is a candidate, then I cannot run for presidency,” he declared according to his visitors. “Should we reach a point where we are forced to chose an alternative, then I will chose myself,” explained Franjieh. “I cannot compare my popularity to that of Aoun's even if I enjoy the support of the Shiite community,” he added. Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of a successor. Ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps over a compromise candidate have thwarted the polls.

Army Arrests IS Fugitive who Plotted Attacks in Tripoli
Naharnet/November 24/15/The army announced Tuesday the arrest of a fugitive belonging to the extremist Islamic State group who had plotted to stage suicide attacks on military posts in the northern city of Tripoli. “The Intelligence Directorate has arrested the fugitive Mazen Ahmed al-Hajj Hussein, aka Abou Ahmed and Saeed, on charges of belonging to the terrorist IS group and plotting acts of sabotage,” the army said in a statement. The detainee participated in the deadly 2014 clashes in Tripoli between the army and Islamist militants, the statement added. He fought “alongside the group led by now detained militant Mohammed Asaad al-Ayyoubi and later alongside the group led by now detained militant Ahmed Salim Miqati,” the army said. “After calm returned to Tripoli, the detainee started receiving his orders from the fugitive Mohammed Omar al-Iaali, who asked him to recruit new militants and promised him that the IS group would provide all the requirements for creating cells in Tripoli,” the army added. Iaali also asked him to prepare to target army posts with “suicide bombers.” After that, al-Hajj Hussein managed to recruit a number of would-be suicide bombers and he waited to receive “money and arms” from the IS, the army added. “When the army tightened the noose on his group and after Ziad al-Rifai was arrested, al-Hajj Hussein decided to travel to (IS' 'capital' in Syria's) Raqa,” the army said. The military's statement did not say where the man was arrested or if he had ties to the IS cell that was recently busted in connection with the Bourj al-Barajneh twin suicide blasts. The bombings, among the worst in years, killed 43 people and wounded 239 others.

Bassil Urges 'Truly Representative' President, 'Balanced' Govt., Fair Electoral Law
Naharnet/November 24/15/Free Patriotic Movement chief Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil announced Tuesday that the Change and Reform bloc wants a president who would “truly” represent Christians in power, also urging a “balanced” government and a “fair” electoral law. “The stance of the Change and Reform bloc is firm: political authority must stem from real popular will,” said Bassil after the bloc's weekly meeting in Rabieh. “This would allow electing a parliament under a fair and just electoral law and forming a government that respects equal power-sharing (between Christians and Muslims) and that would ensure balance in governance,” he added. Turning to the protracting presidential void, Bassil underlined that the new president must be “truly representative of his people.” The FPM chief also called for holding parliamentary elections as soon as possible and staging the upcoming municipal polls on time.
Bassil's remarks come several days after al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri met in Paris with Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh, who is allied with the Change and Reform bloc. Media reports have said that Franjieh's chances to reach the Baabda Palace have surged due to attempts by the rival camps to find a so-called political settlement. Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of a successor. Earlier in the day, Bassil stressed that military action alone will not be able to defeat terrorism that has spread throughout the world. He said in a speech before several diplomats on the occasion of Independence Day: “We cannot celebrate independence until we defeat terrorism.” “Takfiri and Islamic State-linked terrorism will not defeat us and neither will Israel,” he vowed. “We have long demanded the establishment of an international coalition to confront terrorism,” Bassil stressed. “Should we wait for attacks against more sects to be able to unite in words and action in a movement against terrorists?” he wondered. “On the occasion of Independence Day, we salute the army and its efforts in fighting terrorists along the border,” added the minister. The army frequently shells the positions of gunmen that are stationed in border areas with Syria, most notably on the outskirts of Arsal and Ras Baalbek. Bassil continued: “We will celebrate our independence once we decide to adhere to the voice of the people and reject foreign meddling.” “We will be able to celebrate our independence when we liberate ourselves from foreign conditions,” he stated. “We will be able to celebrate our independence when we will be allowed to exploit our offshore gas and oil wealth,” he declared. “We celebrate on Independence Day the harboring of nearly 2 million refugees,” he added. “We will continue our efforts to preserve diversity in the Middle East,” he remarked. “Lebanon has demonstrated its ability to persevere,” the foreign minister continued.Lebanon celebrated Independence Day on Monday.

Two Rockets Fired from Syria Land in Akkar
Naharnet/November 24/15/Two rockets fired from the Syrian side of the border landed in the northern region of Akkar on Tuesday, reported the National News Agency. It said that the rockets landed on the banks of the Kabir River in the border town of al-Dababiyeh. Gunshots were also heard in the area. Rockets used in the ongoing conflict in Syria frequently land in border areas in Lebanon. On Monday, three rockets fired from the eastern mountain range landed in the Hermel area in the east. No one was injured in Monday or Tuesday's incidents.

Report: Saniora Visits Hariri in Riyadh to Discuss Franjieh Meeting
Naharnet/November 24/15/Head of the Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc MP Fouad Saniora held talks in Riyadh with Mustaqbal Movement chief MP Saad Hariri on his meeting with MP Suleiman Franjieh last week, reported the daily An Nahar Tuesday. The talks focused on recent claims that Franjieh may be a new presidential candidate, who may break the deadlock in the dispute that has left the country's top post vacant since May 2014. A prominent March 14 source told the daily that Hariri “is not focusing on the presidential elections, but on means to revitalize government and parliament work.” “The Hariri-Franjieh meeting has reignited attention regarding the presidential elections, but they did not delve into the practical details of the polls, contrary to the exaggerated media and political reports on the issue,” it continued. Ministerial sources told An Nahar that the Hariri-Franjieh meeting took place at the latter's request to address the presidential elections. A settlement over the elections “is not ready yet” because the March 14 camp is not prepared to abandon the candidacy of Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea and the Kataeb Party is not willing to abandon the candidacy of its former chief Amin Gemayel, who is also a former president. The March 8 camp has also not let go of its nomination of Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun, said the sources. They remarked however that the Hariri-Franjieh meeting had “created a new dynamic during a phase that is witnessing changes in Syria.” “This does not mean that the path towards electing a president has been launched in Lebanon,” they noted without elaborating. Media reports had in recent days spoken of the potential nomination of Franjieh for the presidency in light of his meeting with Hariri. Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of a successor. Ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps over a compromise candidate have thwarted the polls.

Tensions Flare as Turkey Shoots Down Russian Warplane on Syria Border
Agence France Presse/Associated Press/Naharnet/November 24/15/NATO member Turkey on Tuesday shot down a Russian warplane on the Syrian border, an act President Vladimir Putin said would have "serious consequences" for ties between two key protagonists in the Syria war. The Turkish army said the plane was shot down by two F-16s after violating Turkish airspace 10 times within a five-minute period, an account challenged by Moscow which said it was over Syria. Turkish television pictures showed the jet exploding and crashing in a ball of flames into a Syrian mountain. Turkish media said one pilot had been captured by rebel forces in Syria after both ejected by parachute while Syrian opposition sources said one was dead and another missing. One of the two pilots was killed by fire from the ground after he ejected from the craft, the Russian military said, citing preliminary information. Military spokesman General Sergei Rudskoi said a Russian soldier had also been killed in a failed bid to rescue the pilots. Rudskoi said Russia would cease all military contact with Turkey, as international concerns grow that the incident could snowball into a major conflict. The general said the Su-24 "fell in Syrian territory, four kilometers (2.5 miles) from the border." "The crew ejected," the general said. "According to preliminary information, one of the pilots died after being fired upon from the ground." The fate of the second pilot was not immediately known. In a statement published on the defense ministry's website, Rudskoi said a Russian soldier had been killed when his Mi-8 helicopter was "damaged by gunfire and had to land" during a search-and-rescue operation to retrieve the pair.
Two helicopters were used in the operation.
The rest of the crew onboard the stricken Mi-8 were evacuated to the Hmeimim air base in Syria's northern Latakia province, Rudskoi said, adding that the helicopter was hit by mortar fire coming from territory under rebel control. Rudskoi insisted the Su-24 had not strayed within Turkish airspace, and denied that the Turkish army had tried to make either radio or visual contact with its pilots before shooting it down. He said the plane was shot down within Syrian airspace and condemned it as a "flagrant violation of international law" that would have "the gravest consequences."He said that Russia's Moskva guided missile cruiser would be stationed near Latakia. "All targets representing a potential threat to us will be destroyed," he warned. Russian bombers, which launched strikes on Syria in defense of President Bashar Assad on September 30, will now be escorted by fighters, Rudskoi announced, adding that operations to retrieve the two pilots were continuing. NATO called an emergency meeting over the incident, the first of its kind since Russia launched air strikes in Syria in September, to the consternation of the West. The presence of military aircraft from Russia, the United States, France, Turkey and a clutch of Gulf states in Syrian skies had long raised fears of an incident that could quickly escalate into a major diplomatic and military crisis.
With a major diplomatic crisis looming between two states on opposing sides in the Syria conflict, Russia angrily insisted its jet never had entered Turkish airspace. The shooting down of the plane was "a stab in the back committed by accomplices of terrorists," Putin said at a meeting with Jordanian King Abdullah II in Moscow. The Turkish army said the downing took place over the Yayladagi district of Turkey's Hatay province on the border with Syria. "The plane violated Turkish air space 10 times in five minutes despite warnings," the army said in a statement, adding it was shot down at 0724 GMT "according to the rules of engagement."Russia summoned the Turkish military attache in Moscow while Ankara summoned Moscow's charge d'affaires to the foreign ministry. "Everyone must know that it is our international right and national duty to take any measure against whoever violates our air or land borders," Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said.
'Pilots ejected'
Reports said two pilots had ejected from the plane and Turkish television pictures showed two white parachutes descending to the ground. CNN-Turk said Syrian Turkmen forces fighting the Russian-backed regime of President Bashar Assad had captured one pilot. Syrian opposition sources meanwhile told AFP one pilot was dead, the second missing. Turkey's Dogan news agency broadcast footage of what it said was Russian helicopters flying over Syrian territory in an apparent search for the lost men. The incident came as Russian and Syrian jets are waging a heavy bombing campaign against targets in northern Syria while the U.S.-led coalition continues its own air strikes. Turkey has expressed anger at the operation, saying it is aimed at buttressing the Syrian regime and has displaced thousands of Turkmen Syrians, an ethnic minority in the area and strong allies of Ankara. Russia however insists its air strikes are aimed against Islamic State jihadists, who are also being targeted by the U.S.-led coalition.
NATO calls meeting
At Ankara's request, NATO allies held an "extraordinary" meeting at 1600 GMT to discuss the incident. In an apparent sign of caution, Turkey did not request the meeting under NATO's Article Four, under which a member declares that its territorial integrity, political independence or security is under threat. Ankara did invoke NATO's Article Four back in October to call just such an emergency meeting after Russian planes violated its airspace several times following the start of Moscow's air campaign against Syrian rebels. On that occasion, the North Atlantic Council warned of "the extreme danger of such irresponsible behavior" by Russian aircraft. All 28 NATO members pledge a one-for-all, all-for-one response to any military threat if a member invokes what is known as Article Five when it comes under attack. The only time Article Five has been invoked was by the United States after the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington. Turkey, the second largest military power in NATO after the United States, has invoked Article Four several times as the Syrian conflict has spilled over the border. In response, NATO deployed Patriot missiles which can shoot down both aircraft and incoming missiles, in the south but they were due to be withdrawn at the end of this year. NATO said previously the Patriot deployment was being reviewed. Russian fighter jets entered Turkish airspace in two separate incidents in October, prompting Ankara to summon the Russian ambassador twice in protest.
Turkey and Russia have long been at loggerheads over the Syrian conflict, with Ankara seeking Assad's overthrow while Moscow does everything to keep him in power. The Turkish military in October also shot down a Russian-made drone that had entered its airspace. But Moscow denied the drone belonged to its forces. Along with Saudi Arabia and the United States, Turkey and Russia are taking part in talks in Vienna that aim to narrow differences on the Syria conflict and have taken on an extra importance after the Paris attacks.

Putin Slams 'Stab in Back' after Warplane Downing as Turkey Says Had 'Duty' to Act
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 24/15/Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Ankara on Tuesday that Turkey's downing of a Russian warplane on the Syrian border would have "serious consequences" for bilateral ties, as Turkey's premier described the act as a national "duty."Speaking at a meeting with Jordanian King Abdullah II in Sochi, a tense-looking Putin branded the shooting down of the aircraft a "stab in the back" by "accomplices of terrorists. "I cannot call what happened today anything else." "Today's tragic event will have serious consequences for Russian-Turkish relations," Putin said. "We will of course carefully analyze everything that happened," he added. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu meanwhile said that Turkey had a duty to act against anyone violating its borders. "Everyone must know that it is our international right and national duty to take any measure against whoever violates our air or land borders," Davutoglu said in Ankara. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meanwhile said that "everyone must respect the right of Turkey to protect its borders," in his first official reaction to the incident. The fighter jet was shot down Tuesday on the Syrian border by two Turkish F-16s warplanes. Ankara claimed it had violated Turkish airspace 10 times within a five-minute period. Moscow said the fate of the aircraft's two pilots was still unclear, while Syrian opposition sources said one pilot was dead and another missing. Putin rejected the accusations that the Russian plane running sorties in Syria had violated Turkish airspace, saying it did not pose any threat to Turkey. "Our plane was shot down over the territory of Syria by an air-to-air missile from a Turkish F-16 jet. It fell in Syrian territory four kilometers from the border with Turkey," Putin said. "Our pilots and our plane did not in any way threaten Turkey." Putin stressed that NATO-member Turkey, which is a member of a U.S.-lead coalition bombing the Islamic State group, shot down the plane despite Moscow's existing agreement with the United States to avoid such incidents. "We will never tolerate such crimes," Putin said.
"Of course we expect the global community to find the strength to unite against common evil."The ministry in Moscow summoned the Turkish military attache over the incident, the Turkish embassy in the Russian capital told AFP.

Syria Rebels Down Russian Helicopter, Claim Killing Warplane Pilot
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 24/15/One Russian pilot of a warplane downed by Turkey over Syria on Tuesday was killed by rebels and the second is missing after they both parachuted, rebel and opposition sources said. A Russian helicopter was also blown up by rebels following an emergency landing in government-held territory after it was damaged by rebel fire, but its crew was able to escape, a monitor said. The sources told AFP that the first pilot of the downed warplane was killed by opposition forces who shot at him as he landed after ejecting. Several videos circulating online and shared on opposition social media sites purported to show the dead pilot surrounded by rebels from different factions. Fadi Ahmed, a spokesman for the First Coastal Front rebel group, said "the Russian pilot was killed by gunfire as he fell with his parachute" in the Jabal Turkman area of Latakia province on the coast. "The 10th Brigade (rebel group) transferred the body of the dead Russian to the local rebel joint operations room," added Omar Jablawi, a media activist working with rebels in the area. He declined to specify exactly where the joint operations room was located.The sources said rebels were still searching for the second Russian pilot of the Su-24 aircraft, which Ankara said was downed by Turkish forces after violating its territory. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Russian helicopters were combing the area between Jabal Turkman and government-held Kassab on the Turkish border searching for the second Russian. Nearby, the monitor said rebels fired on a Russian helicopter, damaging it and forcing it to make an emergency landing in government-held territory. The crew was able to flee but rebels blew up the helicopter shortly afterwards with a TOW anti-tank missile, the monitor said. A video circulating online purported to show the helicopter on the ground being blown up. U.S.-made TOW missiles have been supplied by Washington and other rebel backers to several opposition groups in Syria. Also online, opposition and rebel accounts on Twitter and Facebook circulated several videos depicting from several angles the man said to be the dead Russian pilot.
Bloodied face
In them, a man can been seen in military uniform with straps across his chest and blood on his face. Rebels refer to the man as a "Russian pilot" and "Russian pig", but the location of the footage was not specified and it was impossible to verify the videos. Russia began an air campaign in Syria on September 30, saying it was targeting the Islamic State jihadist group and other "terrorists."But Syria's rebel groups and their backers accuse Moscow of focusing on Islamist and moderate opposition fighters rather than jihadists. Fierce battles have raged for the past several days between rebel groups, not including IS, and regime forces backed by Russian air power in parts of northern Latakia province. The regime has made some advances, though the frontline has shifted in both directions, according to the Observatory.

NATO Urges 'Calm, De-escalation' after Russian Warplane Downed
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 24/15/NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday that the military alliance stands by key ally Turkey after it shot down a Russia fighter jet on the Syrian border but urged both sides to try to calm the crisis. "As we have repeatedly made clear, we stand in solidarity with Turkey and support the territorial integrity of our NATO ally, Turkey," Stoltenberg said after an emergency meeting of all 28 members requested by Ankara. "I look forward to further contacts between Ankara and Moscow and call for calm and de-escalation. Diplomacy and de-escalation are important to resolve this situation," he said. Ankara said two of its F16 fighters shot down a Russian Su-24 after it violated Turkish airspace 10 times within five minutes along the Syrian border. Russia insisted its aircraft was in Syrian airspace. Stoltenberg said he had warned repeatedly of the dangers posed by Russia's massive air campaign against rebels seeking to oust long-time ally, Syrian President Bashar Assad. "This highlights the importance of having and respecting arrangements to avoid such incidents in the future," he said. A NATO diplomat said there was strong support for Turkey at the meeting but also calls "for a measured response to ensure this does not happen again.""This was a serious incident and we don't want it to derail progress made in building a common front against Islamic State," said the diplomat, who asked not to be named. Turkey is a key NATO member, with the second largest military in the alliance after the United States, and has several times called on its allies for support. In response, NATO in 2012 deployed Patriot anti-missile batteries in the south but they were due to be withdrawn at the end of this year. NATO said previously the Patriot deployment was being reviewed.

U.S., France Warn against Escalation after Russia Jet Downing
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 24/15/France and the United States joined NATO and the United Nations in calling for a de-escalation of tensions Tuesday after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane over its volatile border with Syria. Ankara has said its jets shot down the Russian aircraft after it violated Turkish airspace 10 times within a five-minute period, a move that Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced as a "stab in the back" by another key player in Syria's brutal civil war. U.S. President Barack Obama, shortly after meeting with his French counterpart Francois Hollande at the White House, urged calm and said diplomacy should be allowed to work. "I think it is very important for us to right now make sure that both the Russians and the Turks are talking to each other and find out exactly what happened, and take measures to discourage any kind of escalation," Obama told reporters.
"Turkey, like every country, has a right to defend its territory and airspace," he said. But Obama said his top priority "is going to be to ensure that this does not escalate.""Hopefully, this is a moment in which all parties can step back and make a determination as to how their interests are best served."Moscow has insisted that the jet had stayed inside Syrian territory. The shoot-down was the first incident of its kind since Russia launched air strikes in Syria in September in support of President Bashar Assad's regime. The Russian warplanes have been pounding Syrian rebels and Islamic State fighters, and they have raised western concerns about a possible clash with U.S.-led coalition planes also flying missions over Syria. Hollande called the air clash "serious" and regrettable, and said Turkey was providing relevant information to NATO in order to help determine what happened. "But we must prevent an escalation. That would be extremely damaging," Hollande said. "We must find a solution to this Syrian crisis, because we can see what the risks are otherwise." U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for urgent measures to de-escalate the tensions, saying a "credible and thorough review" of the incident would help clarify what happened and prevent a repeat. Despite the spike in tensions, there was no immediate request for an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting. British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft, whose country chairs the council this month, said a meeting could be held if requested and that the incident was not raised during a morning session.NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg made similar appeals for calm. "As we have repeatedly made clear, we stand in solidarity with Turkey and support the territorial integrity of our NATO ally, Turkey," Stoltenberg said after an emergency meeting of all 28 members requested by Ankara. "I look forward to further contacts between Ankara and Moscow and call for calm and de-escalation. Diplomacy and de-escalation are important to resolve this situation," he said.

Germany Urges Russia, Turkey to Show 'Prudence, Common Sense'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 24/15/German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Tuesday called on Moscow and Ankara to show "prudence and common sense" after Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet on the Syrian border. "This could mean that we not only experience a setback, but that the glimmer of hope which we had only just achieved is being destroyed," he said. "I hope that prudence and common sense prevail in both capitals to enable us to continue on the path that has been started in the two Vienna talks." Top diplomats from 17 countries, including Turkey and Russia, met in Vienna last Saturday to discuss a way out of Syria's nearly five-year conflict, which has killed more than 250,000 people. Steinmeier said that "much now depends on what the reactions in Moscow and Ankara look like."

U.N. Chief Urges De-escalation after Russian Warplane Downed
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 24/15/U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday called for urgent measures to de-escalate tensions after Turkey shot down a Russian fighter plane on the Syrian border. Ban said a "credible and thorough review" of the incident would help clarify what happened and prevent a repeat. The Russia SU-24 attack plane was shot down earlier Tuesday by two Turkish F-16s after it violated Turkish airspace 10 times within a five-minute period, the Turkish army said. Russia insisted that the fighter jet was inside Syrian territory and President Vladimir Putin warned of "serious consequences" for Russian-Turkish relations. "The secretary-general urges all relevant parties to take urgent measures with a view to de-escalate the tensions," said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric. Turkey's Ambassador to the United Nations, Halit Cevik, said in a letter to the Security Council that his government was determined to defend its sovereignty, security and borders. "Our rules of engagement are well known and are reiterated to all parties on numerous occasions," wrote Cevik. "Turkey will not hesitate to exercise its rights emanating from international law to protect the security of its citizens and borders." Russian warplanes have been pounding Syrian rebels and Islamic State fighters, backing government forces at the request of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Turkey has sided with the U.S.-led coalition that launched air strikes last year to defeat the Islamic State group. Despite the spike in tensions, there was no immediate request for an emergency Security Council meeting. British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft, whose country chairs the council this month, said a meeting could be held if requested and that the incident was not raised during a morning session. Rycroft said he was "extremely concerned" and stressed the importance of "deconfliction" measures to prevent clashes in the air campaigns being waged by Russia and the U.S.-led coalition in Syria. In his letter to the council, the Turkish ambassador repeated the army's assertion that the Russian plane had been warned 10 times in five minutes via an emergency channel to change its headings south immediately. Ban said the "worrying developments" underscored the need to find a political solution to end the nearly five-year war in Syria that has left 250,000 dead.

U.S. Says Turkey Pilots Warned Russian Jet 10 Times before Shoot-Down
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 24/15/The U.S. military on Tuesday backed up Turkey's claim that Turkish pilots had warned a Russian jet 10 times -- but failed to get a response -- before shooting it down. "We were able to hear everything that was going on, these (communications) were on open channels," Baghdad-based military spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said in a video call with reporters. Asked if he could confirm reports 10 warnings were issued by Turkish pilots without response, Warren said: "I can confirm that, yes." He added it was not immediately clear on which side of the Turkish-Syrian border the Russian jet had been flying, and it would take some time to analyze data before arriving at that determination. The Pentagon says no U.S. forces were involved in the Turkish downing of the Russian jet. The United States has a strong presence in Turkey and regularly flies warplanes out of the air base in Incirlik as it conducts bombing runs against Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq. Pentagon officials have previously condemned the actions and tactics of Russian pilots after Russian jets violated Turkish airspace last month. In Tuesday's incident, the Turkish army said the plane was shot down by two Turkish F-16s after violating Turkish airspace 10 times within a five-minute period. Russia insists the jet was inside Syrian airspace and condemned the downing as "a very serious incident."

Syria Says Turkey Downing of Russia Jet was 'Flagrant Aggression'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 24/15/Syria denounced Turkey's downing of a Russian jet over its territory Tuesday as a "flagrant aggression against Syrian sovereignty" and a show of support for "terrorists," state media reported. "In a flagrant aggression against Syrian sovereignty, the Turkish side this morning brought down a friendly Russian plan on Syrian territory on its return from a combat mission against Daesh," state news agency SANA cited a military source as saying, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State. The incident "demonstrates without a doubt that the Turkish government takes the side of terrorism and gives its support to terrorist groups that have began to collapse under the blows of the Syrian army," the source added. "These desperate acts of aggression will only reinforce our determination to pursue the war against terrorist organizations with the support and help of our friends, chief among them Russia."Ankara acknowledged Tuesday it had downed a Russian jet participating in an aerial campaign in Syria that began on September 30, saying the plane violated its territory in the border area.

Shaaban Says Muallem to Meet Lavrov in Moscow on Friday
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 24/15/Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem will meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov for talks in Moscow on Friday, an adviser to Syria's president said. "We will have an exchange of views on the Vienna meeting and the current situation," said Buthaina Shaaban, who will be part of the Syrian delegation arriving in Moscow on Wednesday. Those talks follow an agreement among world powers in Vienna on an 18-month plan for Syria to create a transitional government, adopt a new constitution and hold elections. The Vienna discussions were held without any representatives from the Syrian regime and opposition, but backers of both sides took part. Shaaban said her government's allies Russia and Iran were working in the best interests of the Syrian people. "Russia and Iran are trying their best to bring the West in to understand what's going on in Syria but the West doesn't have the Syrian people as its top priority," she told AFP. "The Russians definitively understand what's going on in Syria. They are definitively serious and honest. When they say something they implement it." Moscow has been a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad since the outset of the uprising against his government, which began with demonstrations in March 2011. It launched air strikes in support of his forces on September 30. Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet on the Syrian border on Tuesday, saying the plane violated its airspace and had been warned.
'Too little, too late'
Shaaban also accused the West of doing "too little, too late" to combat "terrorism", saying France's President Francois Hollande only acted after the Paris attacks claimed by the Islamic State group. "I hope that international powers will get together and get rid of this cancer, but the reaction of the West is too little, too late, always, from our point of view. "Only when it struck Paris did President Hollande start to think" about joining an alliance with countries including Russia to combat IS, Shaaban added. "I hope that President Hollande will succeed in making an alliance with Russia, the U.S. and other countries against IS," she said. Hollande is set for a week of international diplomacy including talks with U.S. President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The talks are expected to focus on the fight against IS as well as a bid to end the Syrian conflict, despite lingering tensions between backers of the Syrian regime and its opponents over the fate of Assad. Shaaban accused the West of only caring about its own citizens and ignoring the plight of Syrians. "What about our citizens who have been killed for the last four years? We were screaming to the world of this terrorism," she said. "If the West wants to be respectable it should show leadership and it should evaluate each human life as a precious life." Shaaban, who is close to Assad, also threw cold water on what described as excessive optimism by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry about the prospects of a major transition in Syria soon. "What Kerry said was over optimistic. I am not very optimistic," she said.

Rebels Blow Up Bridges to Hamper Advance by Yemen Loyalists
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 24/15/Iran-backed rebels in Yemen have blown up several bridges in the mountainous southwestern Taez province to hamper the advance of pro-government forces, military sources said Tuesday. Government forces backed by air and ground support from a Saudi-led coalition launched an all-out offensive last week to push the rebels out of Taez and break the siege of loyalists in its provincial capital. Taez is seen as crucial for the recapture of other central provinces and for opening the way to the rebel-controlled capital Sanaa farther north. It is also important for securing the south, where loyalists have retaken five provinces since July, including Aden, seat of the provisional government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi. The Shiite Huthi rebels on Monday "blew up several bridges leading to Rahida to prevent the advance" of loyalist forces, said one of the sources in a reference to the province's second-largest city. Military officials said this week that landmines planted by the rebels have already been hampering the progress of government forces and had caused casualties. Loyalist forces are now stationed 12 kilometers (seven miles) away from Rahida after they regained several positions in clashes that lasted until early Tuesday and left five rebels and two pro-government fighters dead, according to the military sources. In the neighboring Lahj province, farther south, Hadi visited al-Anad airbase, where Yemeni and coalition commanders are deployed to supervise the Taez offensive, a presidency source said. "The visit is to oversee the military preparations to liberate Taez," the source told AFP. Hadi returned from exile in Saudi Arabia on November 18, two days after the offensive to retake Taez began. The United Nations says more than 5,700 people have been killed since the Saudi-led intervention began in March, nearly half of them civilians.

IS Frees 10 Kidnapped Syrian Christians
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 24/15/The Islamic State group has released 10 Assyrian Christians nine months after kidnapping them in northeastern Syria, two monitoring groups said on Tuesday. The Assyrian Monitor for Human Rights said the 10, who include five women, were released "as the result of the tireless efforts and negotiations by the Assyrian Church of the East." The group are among more than 200 members of the Christian minority who were seized by the jihadists as they swept through the Khabur region in Hasakeh in February. Around 140-150 of the hostages are believed to still be held by the group, which has periodically released a handful of the captured at a time. The release was also reported by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor. Assyrians numbered about 30,000 among Syria's 1.2 million Christians before the country's conflict began. They lived mostly in 35 villages in Hasakeh. In February, IS overran many of the villages, but Kurdish forces later expelled the jihadists from all the places it had seized. IS has captured hundreds of hostages, including Christians from different sects, in territory in Syria and Iraq.
More than 250,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began with anti-government demonstrations in March 2011.

State of Emergency after Blast Kills 12 Tunisia Presidential Guards
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 24/15/A bomb attack on a bus carrying presidential guards Tuesday killed at least 12 officers in the heart of the capital of Tunisia, the target of jihadist violence since the 2011 revolution. A security source at the site of the attack said "most of the agents who were on the bus are dead." The explosion, described as a "attack" by presidential spokesman Moez Sinaoui, struck on the capital's Mohamed V Avenue, a ministry official told AFP. Twenty people were wounded. President Beji Caid Essebsi, who canceled a trip to Switzerland for Wednesday,declared a state of emergency throughout the country and curfew in the capital. "As a result of this painful event, this great tragedy... I proclaim a state of emergency for 30 days under the terms of law, and a curfew in greater Tunis from 9:00 pm (2000 GMT) until 5:00 am tomorrow," he said in brief a televised address.
The bombing, which has still not been claimed, took place as this year's 26th Carthage Film Festival was in full swing. Festival director Brahim Letaief had already canceled the night's screenings, saying he hoped the showcase for African and Arab film-makers could resume on Wednesday. "That is the only way to respond to these barbaric acts," he told AFP. Prime Minister Habib Essid and Interior Minister Najem Gharsalli went to the scene of the blast. An AFP journalist reported seeing the partly burnt-out shell of the bus, with police, ambulances and fire trucks at the scene. Many people were in tears.
A bank employee working nearby reported hearing a large explosion and seeing the bus on fire.
IS attacks on foreigners
While there was no immediate claim of responsibility, Tunisia has been plagued by Islamist violence since the 2011 overthrow of longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, and dozens of members of the security forces have also been killed. Two attacks this year claimed by the Islamic State group targeted foreigners -- at the National Bardo Museum in March, killing 21 tourists and a policeman, and at a resort hotel in Sousse in June, killing 38 tourists. On Sunday, a jihadist group claimed the beheading of a young Tunisian shepherd on behalf of IS, accusing him of having informed the army about their movements in the central province of Sidi Bouzid. The killing of 16-year-old Mabrouk Soltani on November 13 sparked anger in Tunisia. His killers ordered a 14-year-old who was working with him to bring the victim's head wrapped in plastic to his family. The video in which the claim was made, whose authenticity could not be confirmed, claimed the young shepherd gave information on "the soldiers of the Islamic State" to the Tunisian army. That was denied by the government.The interior ministry regularly announces the arrest of suspected jihadists. Seven women were recently detained for engaging in pro-IS propaganda, while 20 people were arrested on suspicion of planning attacks on hotels and security facilities. Thousands of Tunisia citizens are fighting in neighboring Libya, as well as in Iraq and Syria on the side of jihadists.

IS Attack on Sinai Hotel Kills Judge, 3 Others
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 24/15/Islamic State group suicide bombers killed four people, including a judge, in an assault Tuesday on a North Sinai hotel hosting judges overseeing Egypt's parliamentary polls, the government and jihadists said. The interior ministry said a judge, two policemen and a civilian were killed in the blasts at the Swiss Inn hotel in the town of El-Arish, the provincial capital of North Sinai where Islamist militants are waging an insurgency. The Islamic State group's Egypt affiliate claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted online. The first blast was triggered by a suicide car bomber followed by a militant who set off an explosive vest, the ministry said in a statement. A third attacker sneaked inside a hotel room and shot dead the judge, the military said. It said both bombers set off their explosives when police confronted them and traded shots with the attacker wearing the explosives vest. The IS statement said only two attackers, whose pictures it published, took part in the assault, adding one of them used an automatic rifle inside the hotel before blowing himself up. Two judges, eight officers and conscripts and two civilians were wounded in the blasts, the interior ministry said. The military said 12 people were wounded, including soldiers and policemen. State television aired footage of shattered hotel windows and a charred limb, and car parts flung into a hotel terrace by the blast. Egypt held its second round of parliamentary elections on Sunday and Monday, its first legislative vote since the military overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.Morsi's ouster unleashed a deadly police crackdown on his followers, and fueled an Islamist insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula. Jihadists in the Sinai who have pledged allegiance to IS have killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers. They have also claimed responsibility for bombing a Russian passenger plane after it left the south Sinai resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on October 31, killing all 224 people on board. Unlike the north of the peninsula, which has become a jihadist stronghold and is off-limits to tourists, south Sinai is dotted with heavily secured Red Sea resorts.

Kerry Condemns Palestinian Attacks as he Meets Israel PM
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 24/15/U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry condemned a wave of Palestinian attacks as he met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday in his latest bid to ease nearly two months of violence. Arriving with scant hopes for a major breakthrough, Kerry said he would discuss with Netanyahu and later Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas in Ramallah ways of calming tensions. "Clearly, no people anywhere should live with daily violence, with attacks in the streets, with knives, with scissors, cars," Kerry told reporters at Netanyahu's office ahead of talks with the Israeli prime minister. "And it is very clear to us that terrorism, these acts of terrorism, deserve the condemnation that they are receiving and today I express my complete condemnation for any act of terror that takes innocent lives."
Kerry also mentioned American victims of the attacks, with at least three U.S. citizens -- two with dual citizenship -- killed in the wave of violence that began on October 1.
After meeting Netanyahu, Kerry will hold talks with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin while in Jerusalem, then separately with Abbas. The violence has left 92 Palestinians dead, including one Arab Israeli, as well as 17 Israelis -- including the two Israeli-Americans -- one American and an Eritrean. Many of the Palestinians killed have been alleged attackers, while others were shot during demonstrations and clashes with Israeli security forces. The violence continued as Kerry arrived on Tuesday, when a Palestinian rammed a vehicle into Israeli troops at a junction south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, wounding four before being shot. Three Palestinian attackers -- including a teenage girl -- and an Israeli soldier died in violence on Monday. The stabbings, shootings and car rammings have mainly been carried out by so-called "lone wolf" attackers who have defied Abbas's calls for peaceful resistance to Israel's occupation.
Many of them have been young people, including teenagers, reflecting anger and lost hope over Israel's occupation, the Palestinians' fractured leadership and the complete lack of progress in peace efforts, some analysts say. Kerry said he was "here today to talk to the prime minister about ways we can work together, all of us in the international community, to push back against terrorism, to push back against senseless violence".
He said he wanted "to find a way forward to restore calm and to begin to provide opportunities that most reasonable people in every part of the world are seeking for themselves and their families."Netanyahu has come under pressure to tighten security and on Monday he announced stricter controls on Palestinian vehicles and an increase in so-called "bypass roads," which create separate routes for Palestinians and Israeli settlers. During a visit on Monday to a West Bank settlement that has been the scene of numerous attacks, he also said work permits would be withdrawn for families of alleged attackers and pledged there would be "no limits" on the powers of Israeli soldiers in the West Bank.Israel has already adopted the controversial policy of demolishing the homes of attackers, which it says acts as a deterrent. Kerry has repeatedly called for both sides to take "concrete steps" to reduce tension and end provocative rhetoric, but his words have had little impact on the ground. There is also little optimism he will be able to convince the Palestinian and Israeli leaders to resume peace talks, which broke down more than 18 months ago. "There's no agreement to be reached between the parties right now," one senior U.S. official said. On Monday, an Israeli soldier was stabbed to death while another was seriously wounded in the same attack at a petrol station on the edge of the occupied West Bank. The assailant was shot dead at the scene. Earlier in the day, two teenage girls attacked an elderly man in Jerusalem and were shot by security forces, police said, the first stabbing in the city for nearly two weeks. Security camera footage appeared to show the girls -- apparently cousins aged 14 and 16 -- in school uniform chasing a man with scissors. One of the girls was killed and another seriously wounded. The man they targeted was identified as a 70-year-old Palestinian, possibly confused for an Israeli Jew, who suffered light injuries. In another attack, a 16-year-old Palestinian was shot dead when trying to stab an Israeli soldier near Huwara south of Nablus. An 18-year-old Palestinian woman, identified by medical sources as Samah Abdullah, was shot and severely wounded in the same attack, apparently by accident.

Prosecutor Says Paris Ringleader Planned Suicide Attack in Business District
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 24/15/The suspected ringleader of the deadly Paris attacks and an accomplice planned to carry out a suicide attack on the city's La Defense business district the following week, the chief prosecutor said Tuesday. Revealing the latest findings of the vast investigation into the attacks, Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said Abdelhamid Abaaoud had aimed to target the area in the west of the capital where many major French companies have their headquarters. Belgian national Abaaoud was killed with his female cousin and another man in a ferocious shootout with police at an apartment in northern Paris five days after the series of shootings and suicide bombings on November 13 in which 130 people were killed. "The two terrorists, Abaaoud and the man found next to him, were planning an attack which involved blowing themselves up on Wednesday 18 November or Thursday 19 November, at La Defense," Molins said. The man killed in the apartment siege who has not yet been identified "is perhaps" the third assailant spotted by witnesses, who sprayed cafe terraces and restaurants with gunfire on November 13, killing dozens, the prosecutor said. Abaaoud's female cousin, Hasna Aitboulahcen, had helped to organize the hideout in Saint-Denis which was attacked in the ferocious shootout with police, the prosecutor said."She was absolutely aware of her cousin's implication in the November 13 attacks," he said.
Key Belgian suspect
She was first believed to have blown herself up, but the prosecutor said it is now thought she was asphyxiated when another man -- the unidentified individual -- detonated his explosive vest as police closed in. Investigators have fingerprints and DNA samples from the man, "but they do not match any records in France," Molins said. They have been matched to those on a Kalashnikov rifle found in a car thought to have been used in the attacks. Meanwhile in Belgium, prosecutors issued an international arrest warrant for a "dangerous" man seen driving a car with key Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam two days before the atrocities. Mohamed Abrini, 30, was filmed along with Abdeslam at a motorway petrol station in Ressons, north of Paris, in a Renault Clio later used in the attacks, Belgium's federal prosecutor said in a statement. Abdeslam remains at large, 11 days after the carnage in Paris. In the French capital, prosecutor Molins revealed that an explosives vest found Monday in a bag of rubbish in the suburb of Montrouge was "exactly the same construction as the others" used by the suicide bombers in the attacks. Returning to Abaaoud, thought to be an Islamic State operative who had planned other attacks in Europe, the prosecutor said telephone analysis showed he had returned to the scene of the Paris atrocities while the bloody siege at the Bataclan concert venue was still under way. The Bataclan was the scene of the worst violence -- 90 people were killed by three assailants as they attended a rock concert. The analysis "leads us to believe that Abaaoud returned to the scene of the crimes after the attack carried out on the people sitting at tables at restaurants and while the BRI (elite police) was intervening at the Bataclan", the prosecutor said. Abaaoud had also been in contact by phone with Bilal Hadfi, one of the suicide bombers who detonated his explosives outside the Stade de France stadium, the prosecutor said.

Iran Expects Nuclear Deal to Enter into Force Early January
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 24/15/Iran expects July's landmark nuclear deal with major powers to enter into force in early January, when Tehran will have implemented its commitments, Iran's deputy foreign minister said Tuesday. "We expect it will be in early January," Abbas Araghchi told reporters in Vienna after meeting the head of the U.N. atomic watchdog, which is tasked with verifying the accord. Under the July 14 deal with six powers that ended a potentially dangerous decade-long standoff, Iran undertook to dramatically scale back its nuclear program. This includes reducing by two-thirds the number of centrifuges which purify or "enrich" uranium, making it suitable for nuclear power generation but also for a nuclear bomb.  In addition Iran agreed to reduce its stockpile of uranium and modify a new reactor it is building at Arak. In exchange, the six world powers -- the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany -- will lift painful sanctions. An IAEA report last week showed that Tehran still has a way to go to fulfill its commitments under the nuclear deal. The report said that Iran has so far removed around 4,500 centrifuges, meaning that it still has to take close down another 10,000. The report also showed that so far, no changes have taken place at Arak and Iran's stock of enriched uranium has even grown slightly. Under the July deal Iran has to reduce this stock by some eight tonnes. Araghchi said that talks with Russia on buying this material in exchange for raw uranium have been completed. "Discussions have already been concluded between Iran and Russia and the deal (should take place) soon," he said. He added though that the uranium would only go to Russia once the U.N. watchdog has completed its probe into the so-called "possible military dimensions" (PMD) of Iran's nuclear program and once this has been approved by the watchdog's board. This probe concerns allegations, rejected by Iran, that at least until 2003 Tehran conducted research into making nuclear weapons. Tehran has always denied pursuing a nuclear weapon. The International Atomic Energy Agency is expected to release a final report on its investigation next week, diplomats say, ahead of a December 15 meeting of the IAEA board. "As you know the shipment of our stockpile of enriched uranium out of Iran can only be done after the closure of PMD by the board," Araghchi said. He added that he had held "wrap up" talks on Tuesday with the IAEA on the probe and that it was headed "in a good direction."

Hollande and Obama Vow unity against IS, Say Assad Must Go
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 24/15/France and the United States pledged Tuesday to step up the fight against the Islamic State group, urging Russia to throw its weight behind global efforts to resolve the four-year Syria conflict. President Francois Hollande met his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama at the White House as the Turkey's downing of a Russian warplane dealt a severe blow to efforts to coordinate the fight against IS. Speaking 11 days after jihadists killed 130 people in the French capital, Hollande urged an "implacable" joint response to crush the group in Syria and Iraq. At a joint press conference, Obama pledged America's full support in the wake of the November 13 carnage, switching into Hollande's language to tell him, "We are all French." "We are here to declare that the United States and France stand united in total solidarity to deliver justice to terrorists and those who sent them, and to defend our nations," Obama said. "Americans will not be terrorized," he said. Washington and Paris have both stepped up their fight against IS in Syria, with France launching its first strikes from the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean on Monday and the U.S. calling for more international cooperation against the jihadist group. Hollande said he and Obama had agreed to "scale up our strikes both in Syria and in Iraq to broaden our scope to strengthen our intelligence sharing regarding the targets." Both said they would boost support for forces battling IS on the ground -- while both continuing to rule out any ground intervention. "France will not intervene militarily on the ground," Hollande said. "It is for the local forces to do so."
Influence on Assad
The leaders' talks in Washington came as Turkey's downing of a Russian warplane at the Syrian border threatened to dramatically fan tensions in the volatile region. The most serious incident involving Russian forces since they entered the conflict in support of President Bashar Assad -- the downing drew a furious response from President Vladimir Putin who accused NATO-member Turkey of "a stab in the back." Obama and Hollande joined UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in warning against any escalation."I think it is very important for us to right now make sure that both the Russians and the Turks are talking to each other and find out exactly what happened, and take measures to discourage any kind of escalation," Obama told reporters. The U.S. military has backed up Turkey's claim that Turkish pilots warned the Russian jet 10 times -- but failed to get a response -- before shooting it down. Obama said NATO ally Turkey had a right to defend its airspace -- but he also appealed to Russia to engage at the side of the 65 countries battling to repel IS in Syria. "Given Russia's military capabilities and the influence they have on the Assad regime, them cooperating would be enormously helpful in bringing about resolution of the civil war in Syria," Obama said."If and when they do, it will make it easier for us to go after ISIL," he said.
Shuttle diplomacy
Hollande was in Washington as part of a frantic week of shuttle diplomacy as he tries to rally global support for increased strikes against IS, which claimed the Paris attacks. Both Hollande and Obama reiterated their determination to see Assad step down in order to give Syria a chance for peace, with Hollande saying "it should be as soon as possible." The French leader will hold talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Paris on Wednesday and with Putin in Moscow on Thursday, before dining with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the French capital on Sunday. Acting on a French resolution, the U.N. Security Council last week authorized "all necessary measures" to fight IS. But the delicate diplomacy around the conflict -- in which both Moscow and Ankara are key players -- was thrown brutally off course by the fighter jet downing, as Putin warned of "serious consequences for Russian-Turkish relations."
Manhunt
The U.S. government has issued a worldwide travel alert warning American citizens of "increased terrorist threats" in the wake of Islamist attacks in Paris, Mali, Turkey and elsewhere. Police in France said they were analyzing what is thought to be a suicide belt similar to those used in the Paris attacks, found without its detonator in a dustbin outside the capital. Telephone data placed key suspect Salah Abdeslam in the area the night of the attacks. Across the border in Belgium, Brussels entered a fourth day of lockdown over fears of an "imminent" terror strike as the manhunt continued for the Belgian-born Abdeslam. As the search intensified for the 26-year-old suspect, authorities said a fourth person has been charged in connection with the bloodshed in Paris.Two others -- Mohammed Amri, 27, and Hamza Attou, 20 -- were charged on Monday on suspicion of helping Abdeslam escape to Brussels after the attacks, while a third unnamed person faces charges of aiding him. France has launched a major security crackdown since the attacks with police searching more than 1,200 premises, arresting 165 people and seizing 230 weapons -- including what the interior minister called "weapons of war."

Vatican Court Throws Out Objections to Trial of Journalists
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 24/15/A controversial trial of two investigative journalists and three others involved in the latest Vatican leaks scandal began Tuesday with judges rejecting an appeal for the charges against one of the reporters to be dismissed. Addressing the opening hearing in a rarely-used Vatican courtroom, journalist Emiliano Fittipaldi said he was "incredulous" at finding himself in the city state's court on charges that do not exist in Italy."I did not write anything false or defamatory," he told the court, arguing that his right to publish news based on material obtained from secret sources was protected by the Italian constitution and international human rights conventions. Fellow journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi described the trial, in which all five defendants face up to eight years in prison, as "Kafkaesque and absurd."Nuzzi, who was instrumental in breaking the first big Vatican leaks story in 2012, said that he had only met his court-appointed lawyer for the first time one hour before the trial began and had not had time to even read the indictment documents. Fittipaldi said the charges against him were framed so vaguely it was impossible to know what he was actually supposed to have done. Replying for the prosecution, Roberto Zannotti said the case was "not one about the freedom of the press" but rather about the way the journalists put pressure on the three other defendants to feed them classified material. "The charges clearly describe conduct involving the use of pressure to obtain documents and information illicitly," the prosecutor said. The judges threw out Fittipaldi's objection after a 45-minute adjournment. The case was then adjourned until Monday, when Spanish priest Lucio Angel Vallejo Balda, currently being held in a Vatican cell, will take the stand. The priest arrived at court in a police car, meeting his lawyer for the first time at the entrance. By then, Nicola Maio, Vallejo Balda's assistant, was already inside the courtroom, pacing up and down nervously. Their co-accused, PR expert Francesca Chaouqui, meanwhile was poring over a document which appeared to contain transcripts of WhatsApp conversations between Fittipaldi and Vallejo Balda.
'Ridiculous charges'
All five accused have been charged with obtaining and disclosing confidential papers "concerning the fundamental interests of the Vatican State", under punitive legislation introduced in 2013 and being used for the first time. Vallejo Balda, Chaouqui and Maio are additionally charged with organized criminal association in order to obtain the documents they allegedly leaked to the journalists. The law was enacted a year after Pope Benedict XVI's butler leaked damaging information about Vatican in-fighting which plunged the Holy See into crisis and, it is widely believed, contributed to the pontiff's decision to retire. Nuzzi and Fittipaldi used the material they obtained as the basis for books depicting financial irregularities and uncontrolled spending in the Holy See. Nuzzi's book also contains a transcript of secret recordings of Pope Francis vociferously complaining about the Vatican throwing money away through poor financial management. Both books suggest Church money raised through donations intended for charitable operations was diverted to help pay for lavish renovations of senior clergy's grace-and-favor apartments. The Vatican has not denied the veracity of the recording of Francis venting his fury, or the authenticity of the documents. Instead, officials have framed the revelations as old news based on problems which Francis has already addressed through his reforms, a clampdown on profligacy and a clean-up of the Vatican bank.The Italian journalists could have declined to attend the trial and forced the Vatican to initiate what would have been complex, potentially embarrassing, extradition proceedings. But they both said they had decided to appear to expose the draconian nature of their prosecution. "To have not come would have given the impression I was hiding from charges that I don't accept," Fittipaldi told AFP during a break in the proceedings. "I find them ridiculous and I wanted to come here to defend myself." Nuzzi added: "I've done nothing wrong. I have nothing to hide and I wanted to have the possibility of seeing what I am charged with."
 

To Defeat ISIS, Create a Sunni State
John Bolton/The New York Times/November 24/15
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2015/11/24/john-boltonthe-new-york-times-to-defeat-isis-create-a-sunni-state/
America is debating how to respond to the terrorist attacks in Paris. Unfortunately, both President Obama’s current policy and other recent proposals lack a strategic vision for the Middle East once the Islamic State, or ISIS, is actually defeated. There are no answers, or only outmoded ones, to the basic question: What comes after the Islamic State? Before transforming Mr. Obama’s ineffective efforts into a vigorous military campaign to destroy the Islamic State, we need a clear view, shared with NATO allies and others, about what will replace it. It is critical to resolve this issue before considering any operational plans. Strategy does not come from the ground up; instead, tactics flow deductively once we’ve defined the ultimate objectives. Today’s reality is that Iraq and Syria as we have known them are gone. The Islamic State has carved out a new entity from the post-Ottoman Empire settlement, mobilizing Sunni opposition to the regime of President Bashar al-Assad and the Iran-dominated government of Iraq. Also emerging, after years of effort, is a de facto independent Kurdistan.
If, in this context, defeating the Islamic State means restoring to power Mr. Assad in Syria and Iran’s puppets in Iraq, that outcome is neither feasible nor desirable. Rather than striving to recreate the post-World War I map, Washington should recognize the new geopolitics. The best alternative to the Islamic State in northeastern Syria and western Iraq is a new, independent Sunni state. This “Sunni-stan” has economic potential as an oil producer (subject to negotiation with the Kurds, to be sure), and could be a bulwark against both Mr. Assad and Iran-allied Baghdad. The rulers of the Arab Gulf states, who should by now have learned the risk to their own security of funding Islamist extremism, could provide significant financing. And Turkey — still a NATO ally, don’t forget — would enjoy greater stability on its southern border, making the existence of a new state at least tolerable. The functional independence of Kurdistan reinforces this approach. The Kurds have finally become too big a force in the region for Baghdad or Damascus to push them around. They will not be cajoled or coerced into relinquishing territory they now control to Mr. Assad in Syria or to Iraq’s Shiite militias.
The Kurds still face enormous challenges, with dangerously uncertain borders, especially with Turkey. But an independent Kurdistan that has international recognition could work in America’s favor.
Make no mistake, this new Sunni state’s government is unlikely to be a Jeffersonian democracy for many years. But this is a region where alternatives to secular military or semi-authoritarian governments are scarce. Security and stability are sufficient ambitions. As we did in Iraq with the 2006 “Anbar Awakening,” the counterinsurgency operation that dislodged Al Qaeda from its stronghold in that Iraqi province, we and our allies must empower viable Sunni leaders, including tribal authorities who prize their existing social structures. No doubt, this will involve former Iraqi and Syrian Baath Party officials; and there may still be some moderate Syrian opposition leaders. All are preferable to the Islamist extremists. The Arab monarchies like Saudi Arabia must not only fund much of the new state’s early needs, but also ensure its stability and resistance to radical forces. Once, we might have declared a Jordanian “protectorate” in an American “sphere of influence”; for now, a new state will do.
This Sunni state proposal differs sharply from the vision of the Russian-Iranian axis and its proxies (Hezbollah, Mr. Assad and Tehran-backed Baghdad). Their aim of restoring Iraqi and Syrian governments to their former borders is a goal fundamentally contrary to American, Israeli and friendly Arab state interests. Notions, therefore, of an American-Russian coalition against the Islamic State are as undesirable as they are glib. In Syria, Moscow wants to dominate the regime (with or without Mr. Assad) and safeguard Russia’s Tartus naval base and its new Latakia air base. Tehran wants a continuing Alawite supremacy, with full protection for Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria. As for Iraq, Russia and Iran want the Sunni territories returned to Baghdad’s control, reinforcing Iran’s regional influence. They may wish for the same in Kurdistan, but they lack the capability there.
Sunnis today support the Islamic State for many of the same reasons they once supported Al Qaeda in Iraq — as a bulwark against being ruled by Tehran via Baghdad. Telling these Sunni people that their reward for rising against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq will be to put them back in thrall to Mr. Assad and his ilk, or to Shiite-dominated Baghdad, will simply intensify their support for the jihadists. Why would they switch sides?
This is why, after destroying the Islamic State, America should pursue the far-reaching goal of creating a new Sunni state. Though difficult in the near term, over time this is more conducive to regional order and stability. Creating an American-led anti-Islamic State alliance instead of Moscow’s proposed coalition will require considerable diplomatic and political effort. American ground combat forces will have to be deployed to provide cohesion and leadership. But this would be necessary to defeat the Islamic State even if the objective were simply to recreate the status quo ante. The Anbar Awakening and the American military’s 2007 “surge” provide the model, as do Kurdish successes against the Islamic State. Local fighters armed, trained and advised by the United States would combine with Arab and American conventional forces. The military operation is not the hardest part of this post-Islamic State vision. It will also require sustained American attention and commitment. We cannot walk away from this situation as we did from Iraq in 2011.The new “Sunni-stan” may not be Switzerland. This is not a democracy initiative, but cold power politics. It is consistent with the strategic objective of obliterating the Islamic State that we share with our allies, and it is achievable.
***John R. Bolton, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, was the United States ambassador to the United Nations from August 2005 to December 2006.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/25/opinion/john-bolton-to-defeat-isis-create-a-sunni-state.html

Will gay Christian refugees be allowed to come to Canada?
Arthur Weinreb/Canada Free press/ November 24/15
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2015/11/24/arthur-weinrebcanada-free-press-will-gay-christian-refugees-be-allowed-to-come-to-canada/
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is sticking to his plan not only to bring 25,000 Syrian “refugees” into Canada but to have them arrive in the country before December 31.
A lot of people, including security experts and those involved in helping refugees, said it cannot be done. But of course it can. With sufficient aircraft available and an unlimited supply of other people’s money, the proposal is absolutely attainable. The government plans to fly 900 refugees a day into Montreal and another 900 to Toronto every day beginning December 1. That is more than enough time to meet Junior’s arbitrary deadline. Instead of taking sufficient time to do security checks, they will be vetted only as much as they can in order to meet Trudeau’s artificial deadline. In a recent poll, more than 60% of those surveyed were opposed to bringing so many refugees into Canada without sufficient time to vet them. A sensible leader would have simply extended the unrealistic deadline to properly address security concerns but no one will ever accuse Lil PET of being sensible. It is difficult to see how extending the deadline would meet any serious opposition.
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Facing criticism, the government has now announced the first wave of “refugees” will not include single or unaccompanied males. This should solve all our security concerns because we know that just like the Catholic clergy, Islamic terrorists cannot be married or have children. And since it is physically impossible for a woman to be a terrorist, everything is good. NDP leader Tom Mulcair has been relatively silent since the October 19 election when his party returned to its natural place in the order of things and finished a distant third. But he recently surfaced to give his thoughts on, of all things, discrimination against men.
Mulcair said it was wrong to exclude all accompanied males. While acknowledging the security risk young men bring, he gave gay men, young men whose parents have been killed and widowers whose families have been killed as examples of single men who should be allowed to enter Canada.
While progressives pretend to care about minorities and special interest groups, there is a hierarchy of concern.
Yesterday, the Ottawa Citizen reported it learned gay men will now be included in refugees allowed to come to Canada unaccompanied because gays are subject to persecution. Special: The Two Most Impressive Credit Cards for Excellent or Good CreditAs proof positive the Trudeau government does not have a clue about what it is doing, in a short few days, they have gone from just 25,000 people to no unaccompanied males to no unaccompanied males except gays. Trudeau, like Barack Obama. has no use for Christians despite the fact they are at greater risk of real persecution because of their religion. The government refuses to say anything about Yazidis, other Christians, or even members of minority Muslim sects. Not only do Christians face persecution but they are at a greater risk from violence from Muslims while in the refugee camps where Justin’s beloved 25,000 will come from.
While worrying their pretty little empty heads about gays, Trudeau and Mulcair do not have a word to say about Christians who, just like gays, are singled out for persecution in Muslim countries.
While progressives pretend to care about minorities and special interest groups, there is a hierarchy of concern. For example, those that decry violence against women, have little to say about this violence when perpetrated by Muslims. And Muslims throwing gays off buildings is not worth mentioning to those who think not being willing to go to a gay pride parade is homophobic. Obviously gays trump (apologies to Donald) Christians to the politically correct left. But will gay Christian men be allowed to come to Canada as unaccompanied males? Probably not. Christians don’t count. Of course a strategy has been set to deal with anyone who opposes what the Trudeau government is doing. Anyone who has security concerns about the inability of the government to do proper security checks will be labelled a xenophobe and a racist. And if anyone objects to the fact unaccompanied males are being allowed in only if they are gay, they will of course be called homophobic. If what is happening was not so serious in terms of what is happening to real refugees and the security of Canada, what the government is doing would be funny. It would make a good sitcom.
****Arthur Weinreb is an author, columnist and Associate Editor of Canada Free Press. Arthur’s latest book, Ford Nation: Why hundreds of thousands of Torontonians supported their conservative crack-smoking mayor is available at Amazon. Racism and the Death of Trayvon Martin is also available at Smashwords. His work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com. Arthur can be reached at: aweinreb@rogers.com
http://canadafreepress.com/article/77023?utm_source=CFP+Mailout&utm_campaign=b7f31aa372-5_20_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d8f503f036-b7f31aa372-291119657

Will downing of Russia warplane thwart France’s efforts for broader anti-IS coalition?
Laura Rozen/Al-Monitor/November 24/15
WASHINGTON — As French President Francois Hollande arrived in Washington to meet with President Barack Obama in the wake of the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris, Turkey’s downing of a Russian warplane near the Syrian border Nov. 24 further complicated his efforts to nudge its chief Western ally into closer cooperation with Moscow to combat the Islamic State and advance a Syrian peace plan. Even in advance of Hollande’s visit, the Obama administration had found itself in the somewhat dismaying position of having to defend the 65-nation, US-led global coalition targeting IS in the face of an allied member’s apparent request for a grand coalition that might include Russia. “The fact is, taking a look at all of the resources that has gone into this is to understand that there is a comprehensive strategy that is being implemented by the United States and the 64 other members of our coalition,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest had said Nov. 23. “And I think that is a testament to the priority that the President places on this issue. It's also a testament to the American leadership that's at work here.”
The United States is “pulling more than our weight” in the anti-IS coalition, Earnest also said. “And we believe that there is more that can be done if countries are willing to contribute additional resources.” Turkey said it had shot down the Russian Sukhoi SU-24 warplane only after numerous warnings not to violate Turkish airspace. “The aircraft entered Turkish airspace over the town of Yaylidag, in the southeastern Hatay province,” the Turkish government said in a statement. “The plane was warned 10 times in the space of 5 minutes before it was taken down.” The two Russian pilots reportedly ejected from the burning plane with their parachutes. Syrian rebel groups on the ground offered conflicting reports about the circumstances under which one or both pilots were said to have died.
A visibly angry Russian President Vladimir Putin, meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah in Sochi, lashed out at Turkey, calling the downing of the plane a “stab in our back delivered by accomplices of the terrorists.” Putin also said he found it suspicious that Turkey had called for an emergency meeting of NATO after the incident, as if a Turkish plane had been downed instead of one of Russia’s. NATO was due to hold an emergency meeting at 11 a.m. EST Nov. 24. Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed the downed Sukhoi had not entered Turkish territory. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, scheduled to travel to Turkey Nov. 25, canceled his trip and urged Russians not to travel to Turkey for the time being, according to reports citing the Foreign Ministry.
In advance of Hollande’s arrival in Washington, US officials had briefed journalists and met with coalition ambassadors on plans to intensify efforts to combat IS on the ground in Syria and Iraq and to boost joint efforts to combat IS militants globally. “I think we have an opportunity now in the wake of Paris to really galvanize the entire coalition and intensify our pressure across the board,” Brett McGurk, US special envoy to the coalition combating IS, had said at a State Department press briefing Nov. 20. “We’re going to suffocate the core, which is in Iraq and Syria, and we’re going to suffocate the global networks.”
McGurk said an estimated 30,000 foreign fighters from 100 countries had joined jihadi militants in Iraq and Syria, a daunting figure that he said was roughly double the number of mujahedeen who traveled to Afghanistan in the 1980s. Reducing the territory IS holds is critical to removing the mystique of IS' proclaimed caliphate that attracts foreign fighters to the IS cause, he said. “What’s driving a lot of these young men and women to join this fight … is this phony notion of the caliphate that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi announced in the summer of 2014,” said McGurk. “And his core driving philosophy … is this expanding state that they claim to be trying to create, this war of flags of constant expansion. So one of our core focus areas, therefore, in suffocating the core is shrinking that area. And that is happening.”
US and French officials have also said that advancing a diplomatic process to try to end the Syrian civil war is another critical component of the effort to combat IS. Some 20 nations meeting in Vienna in October and November issued a communique calling for Syrian regime and opposition parties to hold talks under UN auspices by Jan. 1, for a new Syrian Constitution to be written in six months and new Syrian presidential elections to be held within 18 months. Concurrent with the political track, the Vienna communique calls for working toward a cease-fire. “[The] conflict will not wind down unless we have a credible process for a political transition,” McGurk said. “So there is some convergence of views … as we’re focused on [IS] and suffocating the networks, we are focused very intensively on the diplomatic track because many of these things are linked.”
A diplomatic source briefed on the Vienna consultations, speaking not for attribution, told Al-Monitor, “The dynamic is very complicated.” Among the complications, he said, is that of the 20 countries and international entities comprising the International Syrian Support Group, three of them, including Iran and Russia, believe Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should remain in power, and 17 believe he should leave.
The countries also have diverging views about which groups operating in Syria, beyond IS and the al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra, should be considered eligible to represent the opposition at future talks or should alternately be designated terror organizations. The Putin consultations with Jordan’s King Abdullah in Sochi were supposed to discuss the latter issue. The source briefed on recent consultations said that one idea circulating in Washington is if a group agrees to accept the future peace plan, it can come to the talks, but if it rejects the plan, it will be put on the bad list. “Many groups are in the gray position,” the source said. The International Syrian Support Group — comprised of the 20 countries and entities that have met twice on Syria in Vienna in recent weeks — is next due to meet in Paris in December, on the sidelines of climate talks. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is expected to host a meeting of Syrian opposition groups in mid-December to try to unify them and draft a list of common principles.
France’s Hollande, after meeting Obama in Washington, is due to travel to Germany to meet Chancellor Angela Merkel Nov. 25 and then to Russia to meet Putin Nov. 26. It remains to be seen whether Hollande will be able to convince Putin to hit IS more than other rebel targets in Syria and to show more flexibility in the diplomatic process in regard to Assad's fate.“The view of French authorities now is that no defeat of Daesh [IS] is possible without a political solution in Syria,” French diplomat Olivier Decottignies told a conference at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy Nov. 23. “The French view is that Bashar al-Assad cannot be the outcome of that political process … That is why engaging Russia is important.”
“One question is whether the Russians can deliver the Iranians [on Syria] or not,” Decottignies said. “Putin will have interesting things to say,” following his visit to Iran Nov. 22, his first in eight years.
Testing whether there are openings to nudge the parties closer together even modestly over time could bolster international efforts against IS, said French diplomat Simond de Galbert. “The extent of Russia’s willingness to support French and U.S. objectives in Syria is unclear,” Galbert, currently on detail to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, wrote in the Wall Street Journal Nov. 23. “But strategic uncertainty should not prevent France from testing the potential for tactical cooperation against [IS] as long as it doesn’t come at the expense of a political transition in Syria.”
**Laura Rozen reports on foreign policy from Washington, DC, for Al-Monitor's Back Channel. She has written for Yahoo! News, Politico and Foreign Policy.
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/11/russia-plane-downing-france-syria-turkey-isis-hollande.html?utm_source=Al-Monitor+Newsletter+[English]&utm_campaign=29961e3c0b-November_24_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_28264b27a0-29961e3c0b-102494681

Do Iranian hard-liners really want to stop foreign investment?
Alireza Ramezani/Al-Monitor/November 24/15
TEHRAN, Iran — Ultraconservatives in Iran are stepping up their crackdown on civil liberties in a move to send a message to the West — and the United States in particular — that the July 14 nuclear deal with six world powers does not mean that Tehran will liberalize its political system. To this end, they are using, or as moderate President Hassan Rouhani has noted, “playing with,” remarks made by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on likely US political and cultural infiltration of Iranian society.
Infiltration — a term generally referring to the actions of the United States or figures in Iran who seek to repair bilateral relations — has remained a major concern for Iranian ultraconservatives decades after the Islamic Revolution, which led to a split between the once allied countries. But the economic dimension of this matter seems to have long been neglected, and that is seemingly because Iranian conservative leaders see economic infiltration as less dangerous than foreign political and cultural influence.
Many activists and economists believe that economic infiltration has already occurred in Iran, particularly after crippling Western sanctions cut off the country’s ties with the outside world, pushing the Iranian market to meet its needs through the few countries that maintained significant economic relations, such as China and India. Indeed, amid the rising US pressure on the Iranian economy, the two Asian countries remained as major consumers of Iranian crude oil, but were barred from using banking channels to transfer dollars as payment. As a result, billions of dollars of low-quality goods were exported to Iran in exchange for oil in the past few years. In the Iranian calendar year ending March 20 alone, Iran’s imports from China and India stood at $12.73 billion and $3.82 billion, respectively, according to Iran’s Customs Administration.
China and India made large profits in the absence of a normalized relationship between Iran and the outside world. Both policy and economic experts over the past decade constantly complained about the low quality of these imported goods, especially those arriving from China, but their criticisms fell on deaf ears.
Indeed, the big picture is that cheap Chinese products had come to dominate the Iranian market even before the external pressures on Iran escalated. Between 2005 and 2013, when former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was in office, China exported more than $80 billion worth of goods to Iran, through official and unofficial gateways. This trajectory had winners in the Iranian market; that is, certain state-linked companies made astronomical profits at the expense of the public interest.
The chair of the Iranian parliament’s budget and planning committee has pointed out the closed nature of the Iranian market as the cause for this economic infiltration, which has ruined the economy. In an interview with leading business magazine Tejarat-e Farda, Gholam Reza Tajgardoun said the monopolistic behavior and lack of financial transparency — as immediate consequences of a closed state economy — should be addressed in the post-sanctions era, when the Iranian economy will become more open. In Tajgardoun’s view, economic infiltration occurs when the national economy is weakened under external pressure. “When the economy is open and strong enough, market players will have more options to deal with and competitiveness will improve under transparent regulations,” said the lawmaker, who is close to moderate groups. However, how open will the Iranian economy really be after the lifting of sanctions?
In October, the supreme leader called on citizens to “be watchful about irregular imports” and “avoid importing consumer goods from the United States.” Soon afterward, Minister of Industry, Mines and Trade Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh announced that imports of American goods will be blocked. His ministry’s directive, however, did not clarify what will be considered as consumer goods. Wheat, for instance, is categorized as a semi-industrial product by the ministry. The case of Coca-Cola, a well-known American brand, is also striking. The firm is already registered in Iran, and its local factory employs hundreds of Iranians. Yet experts say it is unlikely that the new regulations will have any impact on Coca-Cola’s business in Iran, as the local factory is owned by Iranians who only pay a premium to the American license holder.
Whatever the description of consumer goods will be, the directive of the supreme leader — and subsequently the minister of industry, mines and trade — is said to be more political than economic in nature. One prominent Tehran-based trader has even argued that such directives have no impact on US policies, since the US government has no need to eye Iran’s market. Hamid Hosseini, a member of the Iran Chamber of Commerce, argues that the Iranian market has little attractiveness for the United States, which imported roughly $2.8 trillion worth of goods in 2013 alone. To infiltrate Iran, he said, “The US government may consider security options rather than economic ones. … So the ministry [of industry, mines and trade] directive has only political significance.”
It is apparent that for post-nuclear deal Iran, national security rather than the economy will remain as the top priority. Therefore, it is important to bear in mind that all economic, financial and trade policies are adopted within a context that is heavily influenced by political considerations. Yet these political considerations are complex. Indeed, realities on the ground are likely to soon make Iranian hard-liners, who have harshly criticized the nuclear deal as a gateway that might be abused by the United States and its allies to infiltrate the Islamic Republic, think twice. The Iranian market has to embrace multinational investors as its savior, because any political establishment would be at risk if the economy collapses as a result of corruption, isolation from global markets, the looming credit crunch and a generally inefficient economic system.
**Alireza Ramezani has a masters degree in Journalism Studies from Cardiff University, UK. He has worked for media organizations and business firms in Iran since 1999.
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/11/iran-hardliners-economic-infiltration-aftermath-nuclear-deal.html?utm_source=Al-Monitor+Newsletter+[English]&utm_campaign=29961e3c0b-November_24_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_28264b27a0-29961e3c0b-102494681

Why do some Turks approve of Islamic State terrorism?
Kadri Gursel/Al-Monitor/November 24/15
On Nov. 17 at a friendly soccer match between Turkey and Greece, a group of Turkish spectators interrupted a minute of silence honoring the victims of the Nov. 13 Islamic State (IS) attacks in Paris, whistling, chanting slogans and shouting “Allahu Akbar.” There are three important reasons why this incident, at Istanbul’s Basaksehir Stadium, cannot be dismissed as an ordinary act of hooliganism.First, the protest illustrates that a segment of Turkish society clearly approves of IS terrorism. Second, it reflects an alarming sense of estrangement from the victims and the communities to which they belong. This lack of empathy could well stem from the callousness of excluding “the other” (and possibly lead to one’s own sense of exclusion being transformed into radical hostility expressed in violent action). Third, the whistles and chants, which continued during the Greek national anthem, demonstrate how Turkey’s political culture has changed since President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in 2002.
For 13 years, large segments of Turkish society have been under the strong influence of a multifaceted project promoting Islamic conservatism, which the AKP has pushed systematically through its political leadership, the police and judiciary, the education system, the media, social networks and local administrations. The drive has markedly intensified since 2011, a milestone year during which the AKP won general elections with 50% of the vote, weeded out Kemalists in the military and embarked on a regional policy aimed at toppling the Bashar al-Assad regime in neighboring Syria.
The AKP government, which has evolved into the “Erdogan regime,” has sought through social engineering campaigns to permanently reshape Turkey and consolidate its power. Islamist radicalization has been one of the by-products of this political culture, which can generally be described as Islamist, pro-Sunni and Ottomanist. The whistles and chants of “Allahu Akbar” during the moment of silence in the Basaksehir district, an AKP stronghold, were the very reflection of this radicalization.
According to Cumhuriyet, members of the AKP’s youth branch, attending free of charge, had set off the disruption, which then spread among others in the stands. In other words, the daily's reporting traced the source of the disturbance to the government. The following day, Nov. 18, Erdogan criticized the incident, but the manner in which he did so pointed to the same source, albeit in a different way.
Remarkably, Erdogan focused on the booing of the Greek national anthem and ignored the disrespect for the minute of silence. In a live television interview, he said, “There was a minute of silence, after which the national anthems were played. And then those irresponsible people, probably a few hundred of them, started to boo. This is incomprehensible. We are not a nation incapable of tolerating even the national anthem of another country. That’s not in the genes of this nation. How would we feel if someone else did the same to us? One is supposed to listen through it quietly, and that’s it.”
Should one view Erdogan’s failure to condemn the disrespect shown for the Paris victims as an incidental omission? If so, then what about his failure to condemn the booing during the minute of silence held at an earlier international game to honor the Turkish citizens killed in the Oct. 10 suicide bombings in Ankara attributed to IS? Just a coincidence? Yes, within a month's time, Turkish football fans twice disrupted moments of silence held for victims of IS terror attacks. The first incident had occurred on Oct. 13, during a 2016 Euro qualifier between Turkey and Iceland in Konya, in central Turkey. A large group of spectators hurled boos and whistles during the minute of silence honoring the 102 people slain in Ankara three days earlier. Erdogan's lack of condemnation for this disruption is not the only thing the two stadium incidents have in common.
Given that the minute of silence in Istanbul was intended to honor Westerners, one could argue that mounting anti-Western sentiment in Turkey, the result of the regime’s social engineering, had played a part. This, however, would be an incomplete theory, because it fails to explain the incident in Konya, where the minute of silence was meant to honor Turkish citizens — mostly Kurds and Alevis — not Westerners. Rather, both incidents that Erdogan has declined to denounce constitute a reluctance to condemn IS and its terrorism. One can argue the episodes were separate expressions of hostility stemming from the identities of the victims in Paris and Ankara, but the minimal prerequisite for such reckless expression is the absence of any disapproval of IS. No doubt, the sympathy for IS and hostility toward the West and Alevis evident in Turkey today nurture each other, creating a cause-and-effect relationship.
Pollsters are yet to conduct a credible survey assessing how much sympathy IS continues to enjoy among Turks now that 134 of their compatriots — 102 in Ankara and 32 in a suicide attack in Suruc on July 20 — have been killed in attacks attributed to the group. An earlier survey, however, might provide an idea of its extent. The Marshall Fund’s Turkish Perception Survey, consisting of face-to-face interviews of 1,018 respondents in 16 provinces on July 4-13, found that 6.6% of Turks believe IS is not a terrorist organization, and another 15.6% said IS does not constitute a threat to Turkey. These figures are troubling figures for a majority Sunni country of 75 million people.Furthermore, Turkish nationals have emerged as the perpetrators in all the bombings attributed to IS in the country thus far, indicating that people are being recruited from among the local populace. Hence, the link is established between the suicide bombings and the show of sympathy for IS in the bleachers. Yet, Erdogan insists the West is the source of the problem.
In the Nov. 18 interview, he blamed the West for the flow of international jihadists to Syria via Turkey, stating, “We don’t claim there are no Daesh [IS] militants in Turkey today. Foreign fighters have gone to Syria from France, Britain and Germany … They couldn’t have crossed from Turkey to Syria if we had received certain information [from the said countries]. What can we do if we don’t get information? Are we supposed to stop tourist entries and exits? They would then start screaming that Turkey has banned freedom of travel.”True, “Daesh militants” are present in Turkey, as Erdogan says, but most of them are apparently Turkish nationals. The country’s IS problem today is a combined outcome of the government’s domestic politics and its Syria policy, which have enabled IS to organize and recruit fighters in Turkey.
**Kadri Gursel is a columnist for Al-Monitor's Turkey Pulse. He wrote a column for the Turkish daily Milliyet between 2007 and July 2015. He focuses primarily on Turkish foreign policy, international affairs and Turkey’s Kurdish question, as well as Turkey’s evolving political Islam.
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/11/turkey-syria-turkish-sympathy-for-isis-is-serious.html?utm_source=Al-Monitor+Newsletter+[English]&utm_campaign=29961e3c0b-November_24_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_28264b27a0-29961e3c0b-102494681

Opposed to Mass Migration are "Free to Leave"
Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/November 24/15
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/6944/germans-oppose-mass-migration
After factoring in family reunifications, the actual number of migrants could exceed 10 million, and some believe that Germany's Muslim population is on track to nearly quadruple to an astonishing 20 million by 2020.
N24 television news reports that up to 50% of the asylum seekers arriving in Germany have gone into hiding and their whereabouts are unknown by German authorities.
"It cannot be that offenders continue to fill the police files, hurt us physically... and there are no consequences. ... We are losing control of the streets." — Tania Kambouri, a German police officer.
"We are not excluding anyone, we are just trying to run a business. If we ignore the complaints of our female guests, we have to expect that many of our regular customers will stay away.... Financially, we do not know how long can we cope with this." — Thomas Greil, manager of the discotheque "Brucklyn," Bad Tölz, Bavaria.
"We are reproducing faster and faster. You Germans are not getting any children. In the best case you get two children. We make seven to eight children. Okay mate? And then we take four wives each, then we have 22 children. Maybe you Germans have one child and a dog. Huh? And that's it." — Video showing a Muslim threatening a German man openly on the street.
In Berlin, lawmakers are considering emergency legislation that would allow local authorities to seize private residences to accommodate asylum seekers. The proposal was kept secret from the public until November 9, when the leader of the Free Democrats (FDP) in Berlin warned the measure would violate the German Constitution. Berlin Mayor Michael Müller now wants to expand the scope for warrantless inspections to include "preventing homelessness."
"The same empathy we show for refugees we must show to our own people, the host society." — Mayor Ulrich Maly, Nuremberg.
Asylum seekers from Africa, Asia and the Middle East are continuing to pour into Germany in record numbers, despite freezing temperatures and snow.
More than 180,000 migrants arrived during the first three weeks of November, on track to surpass the previous monthly record of 181,000 migrants recorded in October.
With 300 newcomers now arriving every hour, Germany is expected to receive more than one million asylum seekers in 2015, and at least as many in 2016. After factoring in family reunifications, the actual number of migrants could exceed 10 million, and some believe that Germany's Muslim population is on track to nearly quadruple to an astonishing 20 million by 2020. German voters are beginning to wake up to the true cost — financial, social and otherwise — of the migration crisis, but they apparently do not have much say about the future direction of their country. According to Walter Lübcke, the district president of Kassel, a city in state of Hesse, citizens who disagree with the government's open-door immigration policy are "free to leave Germany."
What follows is a brief round-up of recent developments, which offer a glimpse into Germany's future: Matthias Lücke, senior researcher at the Kiel Institute of the World Economy (Institut für Weltwirtschaft, IfW), estimates that the migrant crisis will end up costing German taxpayers at least 45 billion euros a year, or more than four times the 10 billion euros forecast by the federal government. Lücke says tax increases are the only way to pay for this expenditure. Gabriel Felbermayr, director of the Munich-based Center for International Economics (Ifo Zentrum für Außenwirtschaft), estimates that the migrant crisis will cost German taxpayers 21.1 billion euros this year alone. "This includes costs for housing, food, day care centers, schools, German language courses, training and administration," he said in an interview with Der Spiegel. N24 television news reports that up to 50% of the asylum seekers arriving in Germany have gone into hiding and their whereabouts are unknown by German authorities. They presumably involve economic migrants and others who are trying to avoid deportation if or when their asylum applications are rejected. In a bestselling new book, Tania Kambouri, a German police officer, describes the deteriorating security situation in Germany due to migrants who have no respect for law and order. In an interview with Deutschlandfunk radio, she said:
"For weeks, months and years I have noticed that Muslims, mostly young men, do not have even a minimum level of respect for the police. When we are out patrolling the streets, we are verbally abused by young Muslims. There is the body language, and insults like 'sh** cop' when passing by. If we make a traffic stop, the aggression increases ever further, this is overwhelmingly the case with migrants. "I wish these problems were recognized and clearly addressed. If necessary, laws need to be strengthened. It is also very important that the judiciary, that the judges issue effective rulings. It cannot be that offenders continue to fill the police files, hurt us physically, insult us, whatever, and there are no consequences. Many cases are closed or offenders are released on probation or whatever. Yes, what is happening in the courts today is a joke. "The growing disrespect, the increasing violence against police... We are losing control of the streets."A video showing a Muslim threatening a German man openly on the street was posted on YouTube. The Muslim can be heard saying:"I am telling you honestly, Islam will come to Germany, whether you like it or not. Your daughter will wear a headscarf (hijab). Your son will wear a beard. Okay. And your daughter will marry a bearded man. "We are reproducing faster and faster. You Germans are not getting any children. In the best case you get two children. We make seven to eight children. Okay mate? And then we take four wives each, then we have 22 children. Maybe you Germans have one child and a dog. Huh? And that's it. "Mate. This is not our fault, it is your fault. If you exploited our countries, colonized our countries, so that you can drive a Mercedes and use your digital camera, huh? "So Allah (blessed be his name), the Almighty God, will make it so that we will conquer you. Not with war, here in Germany, but with birth rates, first and foremost. Secondly, we will marry your daughters. And your daughter will wear a Muslim headscarf. That is how it is. Now you can get really mad. I can see the hate in your eyes."
Another video shows hundreds of Muslims, some carrying the black flag of jihad, marching through the streets of downtown Hannover.
Amid a growing sense of insecurity, Germans are increasingly taking measures to protect themselves. Sales of pepper spray have skyrocketed by 600% during the past two months and stores across Germany are all sold out, according to the German newsmagazine Focus. Manufacturers say additional supplies will not be available for another six or seven weeks. "Manufacturers and distributors say the huge influx of foreigners in recent weeks has apparently frightened many people," according to Focus. Wolfgang Wehrend, chairman of the Military Reserve Association (Reservistenverbandes) in North Rhine-Westphalia, called on the government to reinstate compulsory military service for all men and women in Germany aged 18 and over. "It is about the security of our country," he told the Rheinische Post. Germany formally ended conscription in July 2011. Wehrend said conscription could also be a way to promote integration:
"When young people work together as a matter of course in the army, the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (Technischen Hilfswerk), the fire brigades, the relief and care services, people from different ethnic groups and religions may grow closer. At least there is a chance."
Meanwhile, the guardians of German multiculturalism unleashed a firestorm of criticism against Jürgen Mannke, director of the Teacher's Association of Saxony-Anhalt (Philologenverbandes Sachsen-Anhalt, PhVSA), after he advised underage female students to guard against "superficial sexual adventures" with Muslim asylum seekers. In the group's quarterly membership magazine, Mannke wrote:"An immigrant invasion is inundating Germany. Many citizens are ambivalent about this. There is no doubt that it is our human duty to help people who are facing existential distress due to war and political persecution. But it is extremely difficult to distinguish these people from those who come to our country for purely economic or even criminal motives. "If one examines the current images of the waves of refugees, one cannot overlook that many young, strong, mostly Muslim men have chosen to apply for asylum in Germany, because they find ideal conditions here, or so they think. "Many of the men come here without their families or wives, and certainly not always with the most honest of intentions. From our ethical and moral perspective, women are not treated equally in Muslim countries and often are not treated with dignity. It is only natural that these young, often uneducated men also have a need for sex. "Against the backdrop of their ideas about the role of women in their Muslim cultures, the question remains: how can they live out their sexuality or seek relationships in Germany without conflicting with the norms of our society?
"Already, we hear from conversations with acquaintances in many places about sexual harassment in their daily lives, especially on public transportation and in supermarkets. As responsible educators, we ask ourselves: How can we enlighten our young girls aged 12 and up so that they do not engage in superficial sexual adventures with often certainly attractive Muslim men?"Mannke later apologized for his politically incorrect choice of words: "I hereby declare that I never intended to defame people of other religions, nations and cultures or to foment fear to serve nationalistic stereotypes or to generalize."
In Bad Tölz, a town in Bavaria, local politicians and the media branded the managers of the "Brucklyn" discotheque as "Nazis" and "racists" after they banned male migrants from the premises. German women had complained that the men were harassing them, even following them into the female restroom.
The club's manager, Thomas Greil, said he had no other option: he was concerned about the wellbeing of the female patrons. He said that after a group of 30 or 40 migrants arrived, native Germans left the club in droves.
In a statement, Greil said: "We are not excluding anyone, we are just trying to run a business. If we ignore the complaints of our female guests, we have to expect that many of our regular customers will stay away for the short or long term, and we will incur a loss of sales. We have monthly costs of a five figure sum. Financially, we do not know how long can we cope with this. We are overwhelmed." The culture-oriented radio station of the German national Deutschlandradio service, Deutschlandradio Kultur, interviewed Frank Künster, who has been a nightclub bouncer for more than 20 years. He said:
"It sounds racist, but groups of men from immigrant backgrounds just behave differently, especially towards women, and that is harmful to the club. You have to give the women space to feel comfortable. This is not the case when there are only men, many of whom want to grope female bums." In Berlin, lawmakers are considering emergency legislation that would allow local authorities to seize private residences to accommodate asylum seekers. The proposal — which would effectively suspend Germany's constitutional guarantee of private property — would authorize police forcibly to enter private homes and apartments without a warrant to determine their suitability as housing for refugees and migrants. The legislation, proposed by Berlin Mayor Michael Müller of the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), would amend Section 36 of Berlin's Public Order and Safety Law (Allgemeine Gesetz zum Schutz der öffentlichen Sicherheit und Ordnung, ASOG), which currently allows police to enter private residences only in extreme instances, to "avert acute threats," that is, to fight serious crime. Müller now wants to expand the scope for warrantless inspections to include "preventing homelessness."
The proposal was kept secret from the public until November 9, when the leader of the Free Democrats (FDP) in Berlin, Sebastian Czaja, warned the measure would violate the German Constitution. He said:"The plans of the Berlin Senate to requisition residential and commercial property without the consent of the owner to accommodate refugees is an open breach of the constitution. The attempt by the Senate to undermine the constitutional right to property and the inviolability of the home must be resolutely opposed." Since then, both the mayor's office and the Senate have remained silent about their plans. Gunnar Schupelius, a columnist with the Berlin newspaper BZ, has investigated further. In a November 10 article, he wrote:"A strange report made the rounds at the weekend: The Senate would authorize the police to enter private homes to house refugees, even against the will of the owner. I thought it was only satire, then a misunderstanding, because the Basic Law, Article 13, states: 'The home is inviolable.'"So I went on a search for the source of this strange report and found it. There is a 'proposal' which the Senate Chancellery (Senatskanzlei) has apparently circulated among the senators. The Senate Chancellery is another name for the mayor's office. The permanent secretary is Björn Böhning (SPD)..."The proposal is clear: The police can enter private property without a court order in order to search for housing for refugees when these are threatened with homelessness. You can do that 'without the consent of the owner.' And not only should the police be allowed to do this, but also the regulatory agencies. "This delicate 'proposal' attracted little public attention. Only Berlin FDP General Secretary Sebastian Czaja spoke up and warned of an 'open preparation for breach of the constitution.' Internally, there should have been protests. The 'proposal' suddenly disappeared from the table. Is it completely gone or will it return? "If the need is really this great, then Governing Mayor Michael Müller should come clean rather than prepare for secret and surreptitious intrusions into private homes.
"But Michael Müller is conspicuous by his absence. He has not addressed the crisis in the Senate. He also refuses to meet with citizens. Nor is he personally visiting the refugee shelters. He has gone into seclusion, from where he has declared that accommodating the refugees is his top priority."
Meanwhile, the German government wants to bring in even more migrants. Speaking at a meeting of the Social Democrats (SPD) in Berlin on November 12, German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel argued that Germany should bring in a "large contingent" of migrants in order to prevent human traffickers from profiting from the migrant crisis. Gabriel apparently wants to airlift tens of thousands of migrants to Germany. "No one should die on the way to Europe, which must be our goal," he said. If other European countries refuse to participate in the plan, he said, "Germany should take the lead."
According to Gabriel, "What matters is not the number of people who come to Germany, but the speed at which they come." He added that the federal government should double the budget for building new housing for migrants.
Nuremberg Mayor Ulrich Maly countered: "The same empathy we show for refugees we must show to our own people, the host society."German Chancellor Angela Merkel continues to double down on her open-door asylum policy. In a November 13 interview with the public broadcaster ZDF, Merkel responded to critics: "The Chancellor has the situation under control. I have my vision. I will fight for it."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel (left): "The Chancellor has the situation under control. I Have My Vision. I Will Fight For It."Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute. He is also Senior Fellow for European Politics at the Madrid-based Grupo de Estudios Estratégicos / Strategic Studies Group. Follow him on Facebook and on Twitter. His first book, Global Fire, will be out in early 2016.
© 2015 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Who brought foreign fighters into Syria?
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/November/15
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani once defended his country's intervention in Syria by stating that they only intervened after fighters were “200 meters” away from Damascus. However, my topic today is not about Iran's intervention as its aims are widely known, but is instead about Syrian rebels who arrived in Damascus long before extremists entered Syria. Around two years ago, there were only a few hundred extremist fighters in Syria and most of them were present in southern areas close to Iraq. It is known that the oppositional Free Syrian Army (FSA) was created in 2011, following peaceful protests in Daraa and Damascus, for the purpose of confronting the brutality of the Syrian regime. The FSA quickly expanded in Aleppo, Hama and other governorates but it did not raise sectarian or religious slogans. Its demands were purely patriotic. Most of those who joined it were citizens from different social classes. Their motive was to get rid of terrifying security institutions and to end the practices of the inside circle linked to the president which resorted to thuggery and persecution. Two years later, the FSA had seized several areas. However, during this phase, media campaigns were launched against it and against those who supported it. These campaigns doubted the FSA's patriotic intentions and raised questions over its loyalty to Western countries, as well as the funding it received and its leaders. Truth be told, the arming and support of the FSA was carried out under the knowledge of the international community and supervision from several parties in what was known as "military rooms" in which representatives of Western countries were also involved. But unfortunately, as the FSA progressed, two significant developments changed the power struggle.
Creating an opposition
Competitive motives, narrow interests and the idea that Damascus' fall was near, lead to increased competition. This is why some countries attempted to create an opposition that was loyal to them. They therefore supported the establishment of local extremist organizations and encouraged foreign extremists to enter Syria to fight. Meanwhile, when Iran saw the FSA fighting around Damascus, it did the same thing and sent Hezbollah militias there. It also assigned generals from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards to establish similar extremist groups from Iraqi and Afghan organizations, among others, and sent them to Syria. This is how Syria became the arena for the biggest war among terrorists in the region. Fear of regionally reviving organizations like al-Qaeda does not only threaten Syria but it also threatens countries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Any cooperation with extremist groups in the confrontation against Assad’s regime thugs and Iran's militias was a huge mistake, because ISIS had already considered all parties to be its enemy and it even fought the FSA more fiercely than it fought Assad's forces. Those who supported extremist groups thought that ISIS and al-Nusra Front were a useful, destructive weapon against Assad and a convenient means to follow the FSA to Damascus.
Unfortunately, this strategy is being repeated in Libya where extremists were depended on for the same reason. The result is one and the same: riding on the back of the beast does not make beast obedient. Other political parties who sympathize with the Syrian people were alarmed at an early phase and voiced their concerns about the FSA and the leadership of Syrian National Coalition, which includes all sects and ethnicities. Fear of regionally reviving organizations like al-Qaeda does not only threaten Syria but it also threatens countries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. A Saudi source told me that Riyadh has issued warnings to citizens traveling to Syria, adding that high-ranking Muslim scholars were asked to cancel calls regarding the obligation of "jihad" for Muslims. He added that concerns have reached the extent of Saudi Arabia informing Turk officials that they can arrest any Saudi citizen who crosses the 36th parallel north circle of latitude, as there are no touristic or commercial areas there, and those who cross that point most probably want to sneak into northern Syria. Saving and rehabilitating the Assad regime is impossible and has become a faraway prospect; however, the regime has succeeded at one thing, which is to destroy the post-Assad era in Syria. The Syrian regime is not the only party to blame. Those who were dragged behind misconceptions and behind unrealistic and illogical theorists and visionaries are also to blame.

Paris attacks: Our victims, and their victims
Diana Moukalled/Al Arabiya/November/15
A Twitter user recently sent me a message criticizing my grief over the victims of the recent Paris attacks. He wrote: "These are infidels who we do not pray for to rest in peace regardless of whether it's permissible to kill them or not." Of course, I did not feel any desire to engage in a discussion with him or to respond to such logic. Unfortunately, this logic has been manifested in many reactions around us and has reflected confusion regarding shifts in emotions and sympathy based on countries, religion, sect and race. The situation certainly seems disappointing, especially when we feel surrounded by all this pain and bloodshed in the region to the extent where we've become deprived of basic primitive feelings, such as rejecting the murder of civilians even at a time when many civilians from our own countries often become murder victims.
The belief is, those who are slain overseas are not our victims, and those who are slain here are not their victims.Barely anyone was spared from being criticized for voicing solidarity with the victims of the terrorist attacks committed by ISIS. Most people took to social media and posted comments, images and flags of the countries targeted by ISIS in order to condemn all their attacks, particularly the Paris attacks. Facebook introduced a tool to add the French flag filter to profile photos, and many users used that tool to voice solidarity with the victims. However many were angered and confused by this move. Some created a similar tool to include the Lebanese flag filter and criticized how France received more global solidarity than Beirut, which had witnessed ISIS suicide bombings a day before the Paris attacks.
Then, the series of bids for solidarity escalated.
The Paris attacks were met with campaigns of solidarity and grief in western countries. However in our Arab world, they mainly stood out as points of controversy and dispute - which seem to be the only thing we are good at. Sympathy among us seemed to be conditional and many well-known media outlets were at some point directly involved in reinforcing these reservations, by adopting a malicious approach towards the event, its victims and perpetrators. Since absurdity has no limits, many fell into the trap of circulating the news of the murder of 147 students in Kenya and commented on the news with a demand that those sympathizing with the Paris attacks not to ignore Africa. Of course, it was clear that those who circulated this news on Kenya did not double check their information as the news had happened seven months ago. Unfortunately, only a few people bother to double check information amid this social media storm. Perhaps those who are concerned the most here are the Syrians, who cannot feel that any pain matches theirs, and the Lebanese people who've become used to explosions. The Iraqis have also gotten used to bombings for over a decade now. Meanwhile the Yemenis struggle to end the negligence towards their victims. Of course we're not placing all these groups in one category according to identity or nationality. However there's certainly a frantic state of dispute regarding reactions to their crises. This implies we have not learned much from the abundant death tolls which have exhausted us as countries, individuals and societies. The belief is, those who are slain overseas are not our victims, and those who are slain here are not their victims. We are incapable of agreeing that a victim is a victim regardless of his/her nationality. Within our bias towards those victims is our declaration that their murderer is one and that we, too, are his victims.

Europe is scared, and so are we
Jamal Khashoggi/Al Arabiya/November/15
Europe is scared, worried, apprehensive and looking for a solution to its crisis with ISIS which can strike anywhere. And we are also worried and scared. For as much as ISIS poses a threat to Europe and the world, it threatens us too. Just like its moral sense has completely collapsed and it has started attacking soft targets that are impossible to protect around the clock, it is doing the same thing in our world and attacking mosques. Just as it targeted civilians in Stade De France because they voted for their government and are hence partners with it in the war, it would target civilians in Jawharah Stadium because the Saudi people support their government against ISIS. It is the same logic and it is just a matter of time. To have access to weapons and explosives and to manage to be overlooked by security; once these two conditions are met, the bombing will happen.
ISIS is not Baghdadi
Yet while Europe fears only ISIS, we fear – along with it – that the state of chaos and collapse that our world is experiencing will reach us. Our victims in the Middle East are greater in number. We can draw many pictures with their images just like the French media did with the images of the Paris attack’s victims. Our victims are more; their murderers more diverse – not just ISIS. They also include the oppressive regimes whom ISIS claims it has come out to avenge. The endless list of our victims stirs in us a fear of the future, but this fear is a fuel for the extremists among us who use it to recruit new supporters under the banner of revenge.
ISIS is not Baghdadi. They have a good stock of bearded men who memorize a few Quranic verses and Prophetic sayings and are ready to climb the podium and declare themselves the Caliph of the Caliph. This is why there has to be a European alliance with the countries of the region not only for the war on ISIS but also for the war on the prevailing state of chaos which will continue to secrete more ISIS unless we stop it. But Europe, particularly French President François Holland, is still focused on the direct apparent enemy, ISIS – headquartered in Raqqa and cells spread around Europe, and wishes that the U.S. and Russia would put aside their disagreements and unite to face the organization. It is clear that under the shock of the attacks, President François is leaning towards adopting the Russian interpretation of the crisis: “fight ISIS”, and this is why there is a need for a different approach that is broader and more comprehensive. One that aims to fight the causes that produced ISIS in the Middle East and not just an extremist speech that can be handled by eliminating a school curriculum, preventing a “scholar” from visiting France or even by a raid that destroys the “Caliph” Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. There is no doubt that the latter would make amazing headlines for a French newspaper, followed by a speech in which Hollande – waving his hands – says, “we won.” But ISIS is not Baghdadi. They have a good stock of bearded men who memorize a few Quranic verses and Prophetic sayings and are ready to climb the podium and declare themselves the Caliph of the Caliph.
ISIS is the state of chaos, failure and political and social collapse that the Middle East is experiencing extending as far west as Libya. It is the regime of Bashar al-Assad who has been killing his own people for four years and whom Hollande has declared, on more than one occasion, to have lost his legitimacy but did nothing to stop him. It is the regime’s explosive tanks that are falling on the Syrians in their markets and destroyed neighborhoods. It is the sectarian militia from outside Syria that came to fight sons of the majority who are rejecting the rule of the minority. It is Iraq’s Sunnis who fear that Baghdad’s sectarian government and its extremist crowd will expand, control their areas, humiliate them and attack them. It is the prisons that contain tens of thousands of detainees. It is the abolition of civil rights. It is the shooting of the peaceful demonstrators. It is the deceit of the media that converts the judiciary system from a refuge for the oppressed to a tool for tyranny and oppression. In short, it is the confiscation of the hopes of the Arab people that arose in the Arab Spring four years ago wanting democracy, justice and decent living. Yes, ISIS does not want democracy nor freedom, but it is the only alternative for some angry men seeking “good governance” and who imagine it to exist in ISIS after they were denied all other alternatives and had their options limited to tyranny, detention, immigration to Europe on a death boat or ISIS – which doesn’t deserve to be an option for an Arab Muslim. It is an abhorrent idea that will remain with us in its different “Salafist Jihadi” forms but must not spread with this force nor enjoy all this gravity which is only happening due to the state of chaos and descent of our world.
Terrorists and refugees
Europe made the modern Middle East – which is now crumbling – a hundred years ago. It is time for it to go back to it and collaborate with the powers that are in a position to fix it, not because it is responsible for it which is no longer the case and no one wants a return of the twentieth century imperialist, but because the Middle East is the one that is turning to it in two forms it does not desire: terrorists and refugees. There are two powers in the Levant that are capable of the required comprehensive reform: Saudi Arabia and Turkey. But they are suffering from “American hesitation” just like Europe. Forming an alliance between these three powers can guarantee ending the American hesitation and bringing the U.S. to a global plan to eradicate ISIS – one that starts with an accurate reading of history and is based on respecting the people’s desire for freedom, security and political participation. This will entail ceasing to protect a minority oppressive regime like that of Bashar Al-Assad and helping the Syrian people in forming a national government whose men will be the power needed to destroy ISIS on the Syrian territory without the need to send French or European soldiers to the Syrian lands against their wish. It will also save France the cost of air raids on ISIS’s fortress which will not terminate it but could rather kill innocent victims whose tragedy will be used by ISIS to fuel another cycle of violence in the streets of Paris. Saudi Arabia has called for democratic secular ruling and elections in Syria which seems strange to some since Saudi, from their point of view, is neither democratic nor secular. However, the problem is not in Saudi Arabia but in Syria. The Kingdom realizes that a pluralistic country whose people have revolted for freedom will not accept a Salafist Islamic government which some groups are calling for there, nor will the people accept a minority oppressive ruling. Both are recipes for a state of instability as the rest of the components of the population will reject this narrow factional vision. The solution is in a pluralistic democratic government which everyone can find a place in. Syria and the rest of the Levant deserve better alternatives than Bashar and ISIS. Europeans must realize that their and our real enemy is not ISIS but the state of chaos and breakdown in the Levant.

France’s doomed efforts to take the fight to ISIS
Dr. John C. Hulsman/Al Arabiya/November/15
French President Francois Hollande’s shaky term in office has been characterized by economic cluelessness and the country’s diminution in power, certainly compared with neighboring Germany. However, following the Paris attacks that killed 129 people, he unexpectedly found his voice.Despite his obvious desolation as to what had just happened to his people, Hollande bravely made clear that France would honor its commitment to take in 30,000 refugees, stressing that they were victims of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) rather than its members. He also said his country would fight back against barbarism, and that the French way of life would prevail. This was stirring stuff, but can France, as Hollande promised, take the war to ISIS? If his rhetoric and resilience seemed new, his policy approach to the Syrian crisis remains all too formulaic. It is a prime example of atrophied Cold War thinking that Hollande’s first instincts were to marshal great powers from outside the Middle East - Russia and the United States - as the key components of his hoped-for coalition against ISIS, rather than regional and local forces. Without local leadership, success is highly unlikely.
Reasons for failure
There are four reasons Hollande’s policy approach is doomed to fail. First, without local legitimacy in taking on ISIS, outside powers must commit to a long-term military and political occupation. Neither an economically hard-pressed Moscow nor an obviously skittish Washington has the wherewithal or the stomach for another open-ended commitment in the Middle East. By allying itself so publicly with Moscow - a close ally of Shiite Tehran and Damascus - France’s hoped-for alliance will alienate the Sunni majority in Syria. Second, great-power involvement is not what it used to be. After the Paris attacks, Washington and Moscow committed to redouble their efforts against ISIS, including restarting bilateral talks over Syria. Both ruled out the use of ground troops in the country, but without infantry it will be impossible to eradicate the group. As U.S. airstrikes in Iraq have made clear, air power can stem ISIS’s advance, but only boots on the ground will allow the tide to be turned. If neither France, the United States or Russia are prepared to put infantry in Syria and Iraq, the new grand coalition is just the same hollow shell as the old anti-ISIS configurations.
Third, each Western great power lacks a strategic component. France, given its limited resources, cannot fight ISIS on its own. From Paris’s perspective, Russia is fighting the wrong people, overwhelmingly focusing on preserving the Syrian regime by bombing anti-ISIS rebels. The White House seems to want to fight as few people as possible, spending most of its energies avoiding being sucked into an open-ended morass in Syria. These three glaring strategic weaknesses call into question the effectiveness of France’s coalition even before it is formed. Finally, by latching onto Russia as the key lynchpin of its new anti-ISIS strategy, Paris may be forestalling the one possible coalition that may actually have the local legitimacy and wherewithal to destroy ISIS. By allying itself so publicly with Moscow - a close ally of Shiite Tehran and Damascus - France’s hoped-for alliance will alienate the Sunni majority in Syria, which looks to regional powers Turkey and Saudi Arabia. If the West is seen as decisively turning to the Shiite pole of power in the Middle East - at the expense of the majority Sunnis - even if ISIS is somehow eradicated, Sunni restiveness in Syria and Iraq is bound to flare up again, fuelled by the West’s short-sighted sectarian choice. Only a West allied with regional Sunni powers - Turkey and the Gulf states, endowed with local legitimacy and able to put boots on the ground - can form a coalition capable of fighting ISIS and, critically, winning the peace afterward. Hollande’s depressing reversion to the usual Western patterns will not stop the cancer that is ISIS.