Mideastwire.com

TODAY’S DAILY BRIEFING

07-Mar-2016

Egypt

Politics

“MB to “Egyptian regime”: Look for the killer of your prosecutor within your ranks” (Website, Middle East)

Judicial Affairs

On March 6, the official Turkish news agency Anadolu carried the following report by its correspondent in Cairo Rabih as-Sukkari: “Today on Sunday, the Muslim Brotherhood attacked the Egyptian authorities, after it was accused of being implicated in the assassination of former Public Prosecutor Hisham Barakat last year, saying to the regime: “Look for the killer of your prosecutor within your ranks.” In an official statement received by Anadolu in the evening, the group accused the authorities of “killing and fabricating cases against the oppositionists,” stressing its refusal to reconcile with the regime. The statement continued: “We say to Es-Sisi and Magdi Abdul Ghaffar (the interior minister): Look for the killer of your prosecutor within your ranks.” Earlier today, the Egyptian interior minister had announced in a press conference that the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) had trained and accompanied MB elements who participated in the assassination of the former public prosecutor… (Read More)

“Ayman Nour to Quds Arabi: Sisi relying on police state...” (Al-Quds al-Arabi, United Kingdom)

Democracy and Party Politics - Human Rights

On March 7, the Qatari-owned Al-Quds al-Arabi daily carried the following report by its correspondent in Istanbul Ismail Jamal: “Egyptian oppositionist Ayman Nour, the head of the Revolution’s Tomorrow Party, attacked Egyptian President Abdul Fattah es-Sisi, saying he was relying on a police state and that Egypt was going to witness a wide popular action for economic reasons, in light of the great deterioration of Egyptian economy and the difficult economic circumstances in the country. He added in exclusive statements to Al-Quds al-Arabi: “I believe that the economic situation is the weak link in the process launched since 7/3 until this day, and falls in the context of the clear deterioration of all the human rights and humanitarian indexes in Egypt.” He continued: “The regime is lacking at the level of regional and international relations, while the legitimacy is used to rely on is eroding in all sectors… (Read More)

Iraq

Opinion

“The Karbala meeting” (Al-Mada, Iraq)

Democracy and Party Politics

On March 8, the independent Al-Mada newspaper carried the following opinion piece by Adnan Hussein: “When reports came out the day before last about the National Alliance leaders’ meeting in Karbala City in the presence of the prime minister, we, who always have the best intentions, thought they had undertaken an important step to serve Iraq and the Iraqi people, and opted to agree over this step like the predecessors, in the presence of Imams Al-Hussein and Al-Abbas, over whom those leaders always make sure they are being photographed while weeping and slapping themselves on the chest on the Day of Ashoura among other occasions. Some of us even thought that the statement issued by the meeting will feature a confession of the mistakes (so as not to say the sins...), which they and their parties have committed against their public (Shi’i) firstly, and the Iraqis in general… (Read More)

Politics

“National Alliance supports Abadi reforms, rejects monopolization...” (Al-Mada, Iraq)

Democracy and Party Politics - Governmental Reform

On March 7, the independent Al-Mada newspaper carried the following report by its correspondent in Baghdad: “Yesterday, late at night, the leaders of the National Alliance held their first summit meeting at a hotel in Karbala City. And while the attendance at the previous meetings was limited to second-rank leaders in the Alliance, the one held in Karbala was attended by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, Muqtada as-Sadr, Ammar al-Hakim, Head of the National Alliance Ibrahim al-Jaafari, Secretary General of the Dawa Party – the Iraqi branch Khodair Al-Khozaei, leader in the State of Law Coalition Ali al-Allaq, representative of the Fadila Bloc Hashem al-Hashemi, representative of the Mustaqilloun Bloc Hussein ash-Shahrastani, and Deputy Secretary General of the Badr Organization Abdul Karim al-Ansar. Absent from the meeting were leader of the State of Law Coalition Nouri al-Maliki, and head of its parliamentary bloc Ali al-Adib… (Read More)

Jordan

Politics

“The [Islamic] State organization and the Jordanian street: Tribal and social opposition of...” (Al-Quds al-Arabi, United Kingdom)

Terrorism

On March 7, the Qatari-owned Al-Quds al-Arabi daily carried the following report by its Amman office Chief Bassam Bdareen: “Nowadays, the Jordanians have no greater issue on their mind... than the possibilities generated by the Irbid raids last week, which exposed the presence of “sleeper cells” for the enemy and public opponent this time around, i.e. the [Islamic] State organization in Iraq and Syria. And there is not one person in Jordan who does not sympathize with the martyr of the security duty Captain Rashed Zyoud, whose funerals were attended by hundreds of thousands of representatives from all the Jordanian tribes, clans, and sides... Even among those affected by the religious facts and adopting parts of ISIL’s media discourse regarding the confrontation with the Shi’is and Iran, one can detect the utter rejection of the attempts to transfer the security incidents to Jordan, and turn the country into a Jihadi arena… (Read More)

Lebanon

Politics

“Al-Mashnouk, Rifi occupying Tripoli. Where is Al-Hariri?” (Ad-Diyyar, Lebanon)

Democracy and Party Politics

On March 5, the anti-Future Movement Ad-Diyyar daily carried the following report by Doumou’ al-Asmar: “In the past few hours, Tripoli turned into a new mailbox, one that reflects the extent of the political conflict between the wings of the Future movement and the political heirs of Martyr Rafic al-Hariri, as well as the extent of the ongoing debate between the hawks and the doves of the blue movement. Eyes are turned to Tripoli these days as the features of this conflict emerged in the city’s streets and arenas where banners supporting the Interior Minister, Nouhad al-Mashnouk, and praising his positions were raised. Some parties in Tripoli deemed these positions as heroic… (Read More)

Middle East

Opinion

“What’s the future of the Arab League?” (Newspaper, Middle East)

Arab Diplomacy

On March 5, the Omani Al-Watan daily carried the following opinion piece by Zuheir Majed: “What did you do with the Arab League and what will you do? This question requires an answer, one that will be much difficult and embarrassing especially when we learn that the foreign minister of Hosni Mubarak, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, is now a candidate to head the League… (Read More)

On the Arab reactions to Hezbollah’s blacklisting (Website, Middle East)

On March 4, the Rai al-Youm electronic daily carried the following editorial: “The Arab governments have started to “shy away” from the statement of the Arab interior ministers that classified Hezbollah as a terrorist group thanks to Saudi and Gulf pressures. Algeria self-distanced from this decision and there goes the Tunisian foreign minister, Mr. Khamis al-Jehinawi, now who is insisting that the final statement does not reflect Tunisia’s position and has no binding nature… (Read More)

Palestine

Politics

“Gaza: Commotion and controversy after Israeli television aired report... from the Strip” (Al-Ayyam, Palestine)

Media

On March 6, the Palestinian Al-Ayyam newspaper carried the following report by its correspondent Fayez Abu Aoun: “As soon as the Israeli Channel 2 aired a video report about the Gaza Strip, which it said its special correspondent Enrique Zimmerman had prepared, many discussions broke out over how an “Israeli” journalist was allowed into Gaza where he conducted many interviews, at a time when Hamas is insisting on its boycotting of the Israeli media and its refusal to allow any Israeli journalists to enter the Strip. The report, which featured a number of interviews, namely with leader in Hamas and advisor of the prime minister of the ousted government Dr. Ahmad Youssef, provoked wide controversy in the various media outlets, particularly on social media..., pushing Youssef to post a clarification on his Facebook page, saying: “The interview was conducted by the correspondent of a Portuguese channel… (Read More)

Saudi Arabia

Opinion

“The Gulf oil sheikhdoms and the public alliance with Israel” (Website, Middle East)

Arab Diplomacy - Peace Process

On March 5, the website of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine carried the following opinion piece by Rassem Obeidat: “The fact that Gulf Arab-Israeli relations, and particularly the relations with the Saud family, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, went from being secret to becoming public, was neither surprising nor odd, considering that this shift in Arab Gulf-Israeli relations falls in the context of a normal course. Indeed, the secret love affair between these sheikhdoms and Israel has existed for dozens of years, but a series of developments made them become public, and completely exposed the sheikhdoms. Following the so-called Arab spring “revolutions,” Saudi Arabia moved the sectarian strife project (Sunni-Shi’i) from the official to the popular level, and tried to shift the Arab-“Israeli” conflict away from its bases, to turn it into an Arab-Iranian conflict… (Read More)

Sudan

Opinion

“Hassan at-Turabi and the “impossible state”” (Al-Quds al-Arabi, United Kingdom)

On March 7, the Qatari-owned Al-Quds al-Arabi daily carried the following lead editorial: “Head of the Sudanese Popular Congress Party Hassan at-Turabi played a prominent role in his country’s and the Arab region’s modern history. And his death on Saturday came to remind the Arabs and the Sudanese of his unforgettable political (and intellectual) impact on the project to enable the so-called political Islam movement to govern Sudan. Likewise, the condolatory cables that arrived from the Sudanese loyalist and opposition parties, as well as the movements engaged in armed conflict with the regime, confirmed the man’s great weight and charisma, which was also done by the large crowds that participated in his funerals from both the Popular Congress Party that he led until his death, and the ruling National Congress, the predicament for whose formation At-Turabi was intellectually and politically responsible… (Read More)

Syria

Opinion

“Moscow and the Syrian federal bomb” (An-Nahar, Lebanon)

On March 5, Samih Saab wrote the following piece in An-Nahar daily: “Because Russia realizes that the cessation of hostilities agreement alone will not suffice to transfer Syria from a state of war into the stage of looking for realistic political solutions to deal with a crisis that will be stepping into its sixth year in a few days, Moscow went all the way to declaring that it doesn’t mind the establishment of a “federal republic” in Syria if the Syrians were to decide on that… (Read More)

Politics

“Geneva’s bazar started early on…” (Al-Akhbar Lebanon, Lebanon)

Arab Diplomacy - Peace Process - USA Europe

On March 5, the Al-Akhbar daily newspaper carried the following report: “…Little by little, the Syrian opposition (including the political and armed wings) is moving to the other bank away from the western approach of the Syrian file. Except for the International Syria Forces and some other opposition forces that maintained open communication lines with Moscow, the tone of the different opposition groups – since the latest Geneva talks – indicates that these groups have placed all their “eggs” in the regional basket (Saudi Arabia primarily and Turkey to a lesser extent)… (Read More)

Society

“...Why has the Syrian revolutionary action failed in Suwayda?” (Al-Quds al-Arabi, United Kingdom)

Terrorism - Unrest

On March 8, the Qatari-owned Al-Quds al-Arabi daily carried the following report by its correspondent in Suwayda Hussein az-Zohbi: ““I am not seeking excuses and will not tolerate them.” It is with these words that Syrian oppositionist Jabr ash-Shufi replied to Al-Quds al-Arabi’s open question: Why has the Syrian revolutionary action failed in Suwayda? He stated: “The reality of the Syrian revolution and the reality of the opposition among other factors, pushed the majority of Suwayda’s Druze to have reservations over the revolution and its forces, or made them loyal to the regime.” According to Ash-Shufi, these factors include the “non-maturity of the objective and subjective components of the revolution, which was governed by spontaneity and a rural aspect since the beginning. Consequently, it was limited to a Sunni majority, which had a suppressed retaliation wish since the 60s and 80s, and a sectarian grudge against the Alawi authority… (Read More)

Tunisia

Politics

“Tunisia closes border with Libya after terrorist attacks that leave 54 dead...” (Al-Quds al-Arabi, United Kingdom)

Terrorism

On March 8, the Qatari-owned Al-Quds al-Arabi daily carried the following report by its correspondent in Tunis Hassan Salman: “Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi hinted to the possible adoption of exceptional measures in accordance with the constitution, in case the ones already announced are not enough to fight terrorism. He added in a short address to the people from the central operations room at the military base in El-Aouina in the capital: “The government has adopted measures against the backdrop of the terrorist operation staged at dawn in Ben Gardane City in southern Tunisia,” continuing: “The prime minister has informed me about these measures, which feature the closing of the border with the neighboring Libya and the imposition of a curfew in the city.” A fire exchange had erupted yesterday at dawn in Ben Gardane City near the border with Libya, between army and National Guard units, and armed groups that tried to concomitantly storm security and military positions in the area… (Read More)

Turkey

Opinion

“Turkey makes a turn: It wants the Iranians as allies and the exclusion of the Russians” (Website, Middle East)

On March 7, the independent En-Nashra news website carried the following exclusive opinion piece by Abbas Daher: “Had Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan known where the Syrian crisis will lead the entire region, he would have maintained his ties with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, controlled his country’s border, and prevented the terrorists from entering Syria through Turkey. In 2011, Ankara gradually started undermining its relations with Damascus. At the beginning of the Syrian events, this Turkish tactic relied on convincing Al-Assad to include the Muslim Brotherhood in power and introduce drastic constitutional and political amendments, which practically aimed to strip the regime in Syria of all its elements of strength, in favor of the MB oppositionists. But Al-Assad did not take the Turkish advice, aware of Erdogan’s goal… (Read More)

Yemen

Politics

“Yemen: Conflicting reports on deterioration of Saleh’s health...” (Al-Quds al-Arabi, United Kingdom)

On March 7, the Qatari-owned Al-Quds al-Arabi daily carried the following report by its correspondent in Taiz Khaled al-Hammadi: “Conflicting reports emerged about the critical health condition of former Yemeni President, a.k.a. the deposed, Ali Abdullah Saleh, without anyone being able to confirm his current state. A source close to former President Ali Saleh mentioned that his health had deteriorated and become unstable, but strongly denied nevertheless that he had passed away, as opposed to what had been mentioned by many local media outlets on Sunday night. The source said to Al-Quds al-Arabi: “The leader is still alive, but I will not conceal the fact that his health condition is unstable and deteriorating.” He continued: “There is no truth to the rumors spread by news sites and on social media. They fall in the context of the psychological war proceeding in parallel to military war in the country.”… (Read More)