ISRAELIS, PALESTINIANS AT ODDS OVER RECOGNITION OF JEWISH STATE
Arab leaders said this month that they will never recognize Israel as a Jewish state and that Israel is to blame for stalled progress in the Mideast peace talks. The statement at the Arab League summit in Kuwait went on to fervently reject the continuing Jewish settlement in the West Bank and the “Judaization” of Jerusalem. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry seems to have lost faith in resolving the two sides’ differences within the allotted timeframe for peace talks and is now looking to persuade them to extend talks beyond his original April deadline. This all comes after the Prague Forum, a newly formed group of Israeli and Palestinian politicians, called on the Arab League to renew a comprehensive peace offer to Israel in order to pressure negotiators to consider the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative. (Fox News March 26, 2014, The Washington Post March 24, 2014)
AQ MAY USE SYRIA AS LAUNCHING PAD FOR ATTACKS ON WEST
As dozens of militant fighters travel to Syria from Pakistan, American intelligence and counterterrorism officials fear they may establish a foundation for strikes against the Assad government as well as strikes against the West. It seems al Qaeda is using Syrian territory to recruit and train individuals, including American and European Muslims who can carry out attacks upon returning home from Syria. Intelligence assessments conclude that al Qaeda’s senior leadership in Pakistan is focusing on a long term strategy to create specific cells in Syria to recruit Westerners. Many of the militants from Afghanistan and Pakistan are concentrated in east and northwest Syria and the operatives have the potential to reconstruct Al Qaeda’s central command. For now, the U.S. intelligence community sees no immediate security threat but is closely monitoring the situation. (The New York Times March 25, 2014)
528 MORSI SUPPORTERS SENTENCED TO DEATH
A court in Egypt has sentenced 528 Muslim Brotherhood supporters of deposed Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi to death over charges of murdering a single policeman and attacking people and property during pro-Morsi riots in Minya last August. The defendants are expected to appeal the decision should it be accepted by Egypt’s supreme religious authority, the Grand Mufti. The sentence was handed down after just two court sessions, causing the defense lawyers to claim the trail was unfair and shocking the U.S. and much of the Egyptian public. The Brotherhood has denounced the court’s decision. The foreign ministry defended the ruling and said it was issued by an independent court "after careful study of the case.” The group is part of about 1,200 Muslim Brotherhood supporters on trial. (BBC News March 24, 2014, CNN March 25, 2014)
SAUDI SENTENCES SUSPECTS FOR AIDING EXTREMISTS
In an effort to help combat al Qaeda, a court in Saudi Arabia sentenced 13 men to up to 14 years in prison for security offenses, including providing material support to wanted Islamist militants, aiding terrorism, and helping young Saudis to go to Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan to join jihad there. Thousands of Saudi citizens have incurred similar prison sentences over the past decade since an al Qaeda-sponsored terror campaign between 2003 and 2006 left hundreds of Saudis dead. The expanding role of militants in Syria has prompted the kingdom to fear a new wave of radicalism among its own citizens and the government has handed out strict new penalties for fighting abroad and supporting extremist groups. (Reuters March 20, 2014)
IRAQ’S ELECTION COMMISSION RESIGNS; 29 DIE IN ATTACKS ON TUESDAY
The board of Iraq’s election commission (IHEC) resigned en masse to protest political and judicial interference in forthcoming elections. The board claimed it faced immense pressure due to a dispute over the interpretation of an electoral law. A clause approved last year allowed for the exclusion of candidates who did not have a “good reputation” from elections. It has effectively allowed Prime Minister Maliki to prevent political enemies from running for office. The parliament has since informed the commission that it must not bar any candidates unless they have criminal convictions. Meanwhile, 29 people were killed in Iraq last Tuesday in several separate incidents involving attacks on security and army posts, a commercial area, and the convoy of a Sunni lawmaker in Baghdad. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks, but they bear the marks of an al Qaeda breakaway group that has been carrying out attacks to undermine the public’s confidence in the government. (BBC News March 25, 2014, ABC News March 25, 2014)