Haley's remarks underscored deepening tensions between Washington and Ramallah, as well as the increasing difficulty that Trump faces in his stated mission to mediate a peace deal between the Israelis and Palestinians.
Those tensions soared in December, after Trump formally recognized [a united] Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a move that reversed decades of U.S. policy and prompted anger throughout the Arab and Muslim worlds.
The Trump administration has sought in recent weeks to bring the Palestinians back to the negotiating table with the Israelis, threatening steep aid cuts if Ramallah continued to reject the U.S. as a mediator for talks.
Earlier this month, the State Department announced that it would withhold $65 million in funding to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, the organization charged with assisting Palestinian refugees. That amounts to more than half of a planned $125 million tranche of funding to the agency.
Speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday, Trump suggested that more funding cuts for the Palestinians could come soon if they do not return to peace talks.
"That money is on the table and that money is not going to them unless they sit down and negotiate peace," Trump said.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for Abbas, told CNN on Thursday, however, that the Palestinians would not recognize the U.S. as a mediator in any negotiations with Israel. "If Jerusalem is off the table, then America is off the table as well," he said.

Syria managed to retain its sovereignty,
says Russia's UN ambassador
TASS Russian News Agency, January 25, 2018

Syria has remained a sovereign state, and a peace settlement of the conflict under UN auspices has begun, Russian UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya told a session of the UN Security Council on Thursday.
"Due to a decisive role of the Russian Aerospace Troops, the government forces have cleansed the country of gunmen from the terrorist group IS [Islamic State, outlawed in Russia]," the Russian permanent representative said.
"Syria has kept its sovereignty as a state, conditions have been created for the return of refugees and internally displaced persons, a political settlement of the crisis has begun under UN auspices," he went on to say.
The Russian diplomat said the Syrian National Dialogue Congress, due in Russia’s Sochi on January 29-30, will contribute to the settlement. Nebenzya said Moscow expects the forum to "give a new impetus to the Geneva process".
Around 1,500 participants representing various Syrian political forces are expected to take part in the event. The forum will focus on the development of a new Syrian constitution and holding of a UN-supported election based on it.

Syrian Opposition to Boycott National Dialogue Congress in Sochi
Sputnik News, 27-1-2018

Syria’s main opposition group, the Syrian Negotiation Commission, will skip this month’s National Dialogue Congress in the Russian city of Sochi, the opposition's umbrella organization, the High Negotiations Committee, said Saturday.
The Sochi peace conference is scheduled for January 30. Russia has invited more than 1,500 representatives of the Syrian society to take part in the event. The United Nations and several regional and international organizations have been offered observer roles.
The goal of the gathering is to bring together opposition and pro-government forces as well as representatives of Syria's numerous ethnic and religious groups. The congress lets the participators discuss their vision of Syria's future in a bid to advance the peace process.
Meanwhile, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said that he had inquired about UN presence at the peace conference with UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Moscow said it expects the UN chief to respond positively to observer role at the congress.

Act now on Iran, Saudi Arabia tells UN
Arab News, Saturday 27 January 2018

Saudi Arabia has told the UN Security Council that any recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel will only increase tension in the Middle East, weakening hopes of reaching a comprehensive and lasting two-state solution.
In the Kingdom’s speech on Thursday during an open debate on “the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question,” Riyadh’s ambassador to the UN, Abdallah Al-Mouallimi, also urged the UN to take a firm stance on Iran and show that the international community would not tolerate the terrorist practices destabilizing international and regional peace. “It is also time to deal seriously with Hezbollah and detect its terrorist operations in Syria, Lebanon and other parts of the world,” he said...
He warned that Iran continued to blatantly interfere in the internal affairs of Arab countries, including Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, spreading and supporting terrorism.
Iran was the main supporter of the terrorist Hezbollah group and supported the Houthi rebels in Yemen, smuggling missiles that were targeted against Saudi Arabia. About 90 missiles had been launched against Saudi cities.
He said Saudi Arabia has sought to unite the Syrian opposition and encourage it to speak with one voice.
Al-Mouallimi said the suffering in Syria would continue while the country’s ruling regime, backed by Iran’s military and Hezbollah terrorist forces, worked to destroy the Syrian people.

Saudi Arabia sentences human rights activists to prison
Reuters, 27-1-2018

A Saudi court has sentenced human rights activists Mohammad al-Otaibi and Abdullah al-Attawi to 14 and seven years in prison respectively, rights group Amnesty International reported on Thursday. The Saudi activists had faced charges including setting up an independent organisation and making statements harmful to the kingdom.
Amnesty said Otaibi and Attawi were the first human rights defenders sentenced under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman.
Otaibi was arrested at Doha airport and deported from Qatar to Saudi Arabia in May after he tried to fly with his wife to Norway where he had been granted political asylum.
Amnesty said the list of charges against them included setting up an organisation before receiving authorization, spreading chaos, inciting public opinion and publishing statements harmful to the kingdom and its institutions.
“The harsh sentencing of Mohammad al-Otaibi and Abdullah al-Attawi, who should never have been prosecuted in the first place, confirms our fears that the new leadership of Mohamed Bin Salman is determined to silence civil society and human rights defenders in the Kingdom,” Amnesty’s Middle East director Samah Hadid said in a statement.
Crown Prince Mohammed has taken power in Western-allied Saudi Arabia, pushing a reform agenda aimed at weaning the country off oil wealth and introducing social changes.
Since the 2011 Arab Spring, Saudi authorities have stepped up efforts to curb dissent with tough new cybercrime laws, sentencing offenders to prison terms for online posts deemed insulting to the kingdom or threatening to public order.
An absolute monarchy, Saudi Arabia bans political parties and public forms of protest and has sentenced members of a civil rights organisation who campaigned for a constitutional monarchy to decades in prison.

Saudi Arabia: Authorities continue
systematic targeting of human rights defenders
Gulf Center for Human Rights, 26-1-2018

The Gulf Center for Human Rights (GCHR) condemns in the strongest terms the authorities in Saudi Arabia for continuing to systematically target human rights defenders.
We believe that it is a shame that a member state of the UN Human Rights Council has imprisoned two just and courageous human rights defenders for setting up a human rights organisation that operates peacefully according to local and international laws. GCHR calls upon the UN and its member states to remove Saudi Arabia from the Human Rights Council because its presence on this body is a travesty.
GCHR calls on the authorities in Saudi Arabia to: Immediately and unconditionally revoke the sentences against Mohammed Abdullah Al-Otaibi and Abdullah Madhi Al-Attawi and drop all charges against them; and immediately release Mohammed Abdullah Al-Otaibi, as well as all human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience in Saudi Arabia whose detention relates only to the peaceful and legitimate work in the promotion and protection of human rights.

Background: Mohammad al-Otaibi and Abdullah al-Attawi were brought to trial before the SCC in October 2016.
They were presented with a list of charges that include, among other things, “participating in setting up an organization and announcing it before getting an authorization”, “dividing national unity, spreading chaos and inciting public opinion by preparing, drafting and publishing statements that are harmful to the reputation of the Kingdom and its judicial and security institutions”, and “publishing information about their interrogations despite signing pledges to refrain from doing so. (www.amnesty.org)

Life Slowly Returns to Aleppo, Shattered By Syrian Civil War
By Bassem Mroue, AINA News, 27-1-2018

With a prewar population of 2.3 million, Aleppo not only was Syria's largest city but also its commercial center. More than that, it had a culture all of its own within Syria. Aleppans take enormous pride in their own accent of Syrian Arabic and their city's famed cuisine of roast meats and mezze appetizers. Its history spans millennia, and tourists were drawn by its historic citadel, Ummayad Mosque and covered bazaar.
But it became one of the most vicious battlegrounds of Syria's still ongoing war. In July 2012, rebels stormed eastern parts of the city, where they were welcomed by many of its poorer residents.
In 2016, government forces backed by Russian airstrikes surrounded the enclave... In December 2016, the rebels surrendered. They were sent to opposition territory elsewhere..

Most of the factories in Aleppo's 15 industrial districts are still closed, damaged either by looting or from bombardment by government forces. Despite the relative peace, insurgents on Aleppo's western outskirts fire shells occasionally. That has slowed the return of production at Lairamoun, an industrial district only few hundred meters (yards) from rebel positions.
Ghassan Nazi, owner of a textile factory in Lairamoun, said that once the rebels are pushed back, he will reopen his business. Touring the now-silent factory, he said it was used as a prison by an Islamist rebel faction called the Badr Martyrs. He said he's suffered some $5 million in losses.
He blames "neighboring countries" that he said plotted to destroy Aleppo as an economic engine. He didn't identify the countries but many government supporters use the phrase to refer to opposition-backer Turkey. "They simply want to turn us from producers to consumers," he said.

In western Aleppo, where damage was lighter, there's a feeling of liberation from life under warfare. Power comes several hours a day and will soon run around the clock. Sand berms that were set up on many streets have been removed, and security checkpoints have been pulled from the heart of the city to its entrances, freeing traffic.
Im el-Nour, a 51-year-old woman who drives a taxi -- the only female cab driver in the city, she says -- has seen a boost in work. She can now operate in the east, where conservative women call her for their errands to avoid riding with a male driver. El-Nour also works as a DJ at women-only parties or weddings, which have become more frequent now with the relative peace.
Between her two jobs, el-Nour -- who is divorced and whose son was killed while fighting in Assad's army -- makes more than $100 a month, a bit more than a typical civil servant. "Aleppo will again become the jewel of the Middle East," she boasted.

The Dirty War on Syria
by Professor Tim Anderson, Global Research, 13-6-2017

In the Dirty War on Syria, western culture in general abandoned its better traditions of reason, the maintenance of ethical principle and the search for independent evidence at times of conflict; in favour of its worst traditions: the ‘imperial prerogative’ for intervention, backed by deep racial prejudice and poor reflection on the histories of their own cultures.

That weakness was reinforced by a ferocious campaign of war propaganda. After the demonisation of Syrian leader Bashar al Assad began, a virtual information blockade was constructed against anything which might undermine the wartime storyline. Very few sensible western perspectives on Syria emerged after 2011, as critical voices were effectively blacklisted.
In that context I came to write my book. It is a defence of Syria, not primarily addressed to those who are immersed the western myths but to others who engage with them. This is therefore a resource book and a contribution to the history of the Syrian conflict.
The western stories have become self-indulgent and I believe it is wasteful to indulge them too much. Best, I think, to speak of current events as they are, then address the smokescreens later. I do not ignore the western myths, in fact this book documents many of them.

Western mythology relies on the idea of imperial prerogatives, asking what must ‘we’ do about the problems of another people; an approach which has no basis in international law or human rights.
The next steps involve a series of fabrications about the pretexts, character and events of the war. The first pretext over Syria was that the NATO states and the Gulf monarchies were supporting a secular and democratic revolution.
When that seemed implausible the second story was that they were saving the oppressed majority ‘Sunni Muslim’ population from a sectarian ‘Alawite regime’.
Then, when sectarian atrocities by anti-government forces attracted greater public attention, the pretext became a claim that there was a shadow war: ‘moderate rebels’ were said to be actually fighting the extremist groups. Western intervention was therefore needed to bolster these ‘moderate rebels’ against the ‘new’ extremist group that had mysteriously arisen and posed a threat to the world. That was the ‘B’ story. No doubt Hollywood will make movies based on this meta-script, for years to come.

However this book leads with the ‘A’ story. Proxy armies of Islamists, armed by US regional allies (mainly Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey), infiltrate a political reform movement and snipe at police and civilians. They blame this on the government and spark an insurrection, seeking the overthrow of the Syrian government and its secular-pluralist state.
This follows the openly declared ambition of the US to create a ‘New Middle East’, subordinating every country of the region, by reform, unilateral disarmament or direct overthrow. Syria was next in line, after Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya.
In Syria, the proxy armies would come from the combined forces of the Muslim Brotherhood and Saudi Arabia’s Wahhabi fanatics. Despite occasional power struggles between these groups and their sponsors, they share much the same Salafist ideology, opposing secular or nationalist regimes and seeking the establishment of a religious state.
However in Syria Washington’s Islamists confronted a disciplined national army which did not disintegrate along religious lines, despite many provocations. The Syrian state also had strong allies in Russia and Iran. Syria was not to be Libya Take Two...

In a hoped-for ‘end game’ the big powers sought overthrow of the Syrian state or, failing that, the creation of a dysfunctional state or dismembering into sectarian statelets, thus breaking the axis of independent regional states.
That axis comprises Hezbollah in south Lebanon and the Palestinian resistance, alongside Syria and Iran, the only states in the region without US military bases.
More recently Iraq – still traumatised from western invasion, massacres and occupation – has begun to align itself with this axis. Russia too has begun to play an important counter-weight role. Recent history and conduct demonstrate that neither Russia nor Iran harbour any imperial ambitions...

From the point of view of the ‘Axis of Resistance’, defeat of the dirty war on Syria means that the region can begin closing ranks against the big powers. Syria’s successful resistance would mean the beginning of the end for Washington’s ‘New Middle East’.

Wikipedia info: The term Axis of Resistance was used by the Libyan daily newspaper Al-Zahf Al-Akhdar in response to American president George W. Bush's claim that Iran, Iraq and North Korea formed an "axis of evil." In an article titled "Axis of evil or axis of resistance," the paper wrote in 2002 that "the only common denominator among Iran, Iraq and North Korea is their resistance to US hegemony."

Abadi: Citizens Are Equal
All Iraqis are citizens of the first degree
National Iraqi News Agency, 27/01/2018

BAGHDAD / NINA / - Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said there were those who wanted us not to win, but the steadfastness and the will of the Iraqis and their unity wasted it and achieved victory and liberated our territories.
"In Iraq there is great freedom for the media and the press, and we want to preserve that," he said in a speech at the inauguration of 'Baghdad, capital of Arab media'.
He added, "We want the media to exercise the control unit and the freedom of media cannot be exploited to spread corruption and harm the media itself,"
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi stressed that citizens are equal: "Citizens are equal and the state does not look at their affiliations and beliefs, and all Iraqis are citizens of the first degree," Abadi said.
Abadi said that the mythic state (Daesh) wanted to raise the banner of expansion and terrorism, but we got rid of it and we defeat it in Iraq.
"The misuse of power and the post is also corruption," he added. "We have to stand with the weak and the oppressed and we are all responsible for fighting corruption.
He said, "The media and the press are primarily responsible to present the truth and show the bright side of it, because some want to erase it absolutely".
Abadi praised the martyrs and the wounded of the media and all those who gave their lives to convey the truth.

On July 12, 2017 the Council of Arab Information Ministers chose the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, as the Capital of Arab Media for 2018.
This decision came at the conclusion of the 48th ordinary session of the Council of Arab Information Ministers which was held at the headquarter of the General Secretariat of the Arab League in Cairo and which was chaired by Tunisia.
The Capital of Arab Media is to raise the efficiency of media and media professionals in the Arab countries through training and workshops as well as discussions and dialogue on a range of issues.
Last year, the Executive Council of Arab Information Ministers chose Jerusalem as the Arab Media Capital for 2017, before the Council announced in November of the same year that the city itself would be a permanent capital of Arab media in support of the Palestinian cause. (Middle East Monitor)

Iraqi PM Abadi on elections, corruption and Kurdistan
By Turki Aldakhil, Al-Arabiya, 29-1-2018

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has insisted that the general elections will go ahead as planned, calling it a “constitutional commitment” that should be fulfilled.
Abadi, speaking on the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for May, “regardless of the results, our goal is to form a professional team” away from the quota system, which defines the ethnic representation in the Iraqi governance system.
In an exclusive interview with Al Arabiya’s General Manager Turki al-Dakhil, the prime minister said the political process should rely “on the basis of citizenship,” pointing to the ongoing political change happening in Iraq, and how its influencing Iraqis to reject the “sectarian logic”.
Abadi also spoke of his relationship with his predecessor, Nouri al-Maliki, and the impact it had on the Islamic Dawa party.
He said during the interview that the recent differences between the Dawa Party was because of al-Maliki’s refusal of Abadi running for elections on the party’s list, resulting with the party being left of the list of those participating in the upcoming vote. “The majority of the Dawa Party supported me, but Maliki wanted the party to be with him,” Abadi said.

On the topic of corruption, the Iraqi leader said that the biggest challenge in the coming period lies in tackling the “waste of resources, poor planning and seizing the state’s money”. “Corruption is costing billions of dollars to Iraq,” Abadi said. “Corrupt individuals want the state to remain weak to ensure their survival.”
Speaking of the Kurdistan region, the prime minister explained that “the government is required to pay salaries to the Kurdistan region,” and that “the technical committees are working on it.” But at the same time, he questioned where the oil revenues of the region are being allocated, saying: “We asked about the fate of the oil revenues in Kurdistan and couldn’t find an answer.”
On the war against ISIS, Abadi said that Iraq today is stronger after its recent victories against the extremist group, “which attempted to eliminate the minorities in Iraq and divide the people.” “In order to prevail we must tolerate, and ensure the return of minorities and clans.”

Step forward’ from Geneva talks
Syrian democratic party praises Sochi Congress
By Al-Masdar News Desk, 30/01/2018

Leader of the Law–Citizenship–Rights Movement political party, Haytham Manna, praised the opportunity for all involved parties to finally hold direct talks at the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi on Monday.
Manna stressed that, “Any breakthrough that can be carried out for the sake of strengthening the political solution, we view as a move forward.” He went on to say that the congress is “a step forward that was not implemented in Geneva”, for it has given the opportunity for all involved parties to communicate face-to-face. Manna said, “We sit in front of each other, arguing with each other, shouting at each other, talking well with each other, talking frankly.”
The Law–Citizenship–Rights Movement (QMH) is a democratic political party founded in 2015 in northern Syria.
The Syrian National Dialogue Congress is taking place between January 29 and 30. Around 1,600 delegates representing the entire spectrum of Syria’s political, civil and ethno-confessional forces have been invited to participate in the congress.
More than 1,300 people from Syria are reportedly attending the congress, including representatives of the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party and the National Progressive Front.
Representatives of the internal opposition from Damascus are reportedly also in attendance. Some 300 members of the external opposition are reportedly participating, including the ‘Moscow Platform’ and ‘Astana Platform.’ A special group of the so-called ‘reconciled’ illegal armed groups has also been invited to the congress.

Saddam penned a romantic novel
Shafaq News (Iraq), Friday, 26 January 2018

Saddam Hussein, Iraq’s former dictator, penned the 204-page book “Zabiba and the King” using the generic Arabic pen name “He Who Writes,” the Irish Sun reported.
The story, which takes place in Saddam’s hometown, Tikrit, centers on the ruler of medieval Iraq and a beautiful commoner named Zabiba, who’s married to a cruel and unloving husband who forces himself on her against her will.
The story — which became required reading for Iraqi schoolchildren — is believed to be an allegory for the United States’ invasion of Iraq, with Zabiba symbolizing the Iraqi people, her husband symbolizing the United States and the ruler symbolizing Saddam.
The book, available online in English for about $11, was a bestseller in Iraq and was even turned into a musical, the outlet reported.

Syrian National Dialogue Congress participants adopt statement on country's future. The Syrian people shall determine the future of their country through the ballot box
TASS Russian News Agency, January 31, 2018

Participants of the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Russia’s Sochi on Tuesday adopted a 12-point statement outlining the Syrians’ view on their country’s future.
The document says that Syria should preserve its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and its future can be determined only by the people of Syria in elections. The Syrians also requested the UN Secretary General to assist in organizing the work of the constitutional committee, whose mandate will be outlined as part of the Geneva reconciliation process.

-- The participants of the congress have expressed their respect and full commitment for the "sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and unity" of Syria in the first point of the 12-point document: "In this regard no part of the national territory shall be ceded. The people of Syria remain committed to the recovery of the occupied Syrian Golan by all lawful means in accordance with the UN Charter and international law," the document reads.
-- The second point stresses "respect of and full commitment to Syria’s national sovereign equality and rights regarding non-intervention." "Syria shall take its full role in the international community and the region, including as part of the Arab world, in conformity with the UN Charter, and its purposes and principles," it says.
-- In line with the third provision of the final statement, only the people of Syria can decide on their country’s future: "The Syrian people alone shall determine the future of their country by democratic means, through the ballot box, and shall have the exclusive right to choose their own political, economic and social system without external pressure or interference...
-- The participants of the congress believe that Syria should be "a democratic and non-sectarian state based on political pluralism and equal citizenship irrespective of religion, ethnicity and gender."
It should also ensure "full respect for and protection of the rule of law, the separation of powers, judicial independence, the full equality of all citizens, the cultural diversity of the Syrian society, and public freedoms, including freedom of belief...

syria, elections 2012, 2014, 2016

-- Under the seventh point, Syria should have a "strong, unified, meritocratic and national army that carries out its duties in accordance with the constitution and the highest standards." The use of force shall be the exclusive prerogative of competent state institutions," the document reads.
-- In the eighth point, the participants of the congress have declared their "unqualified rejection of terrorism, fanaticism, extremism and sectarianism in all its forms and to tackle conditions conducive to their spread."
- The tenth point notes the "high value placed on Syria’s society and national identity, its history of diversity and the contributions and values that all religions, civilizations and traditions have brought to Syria, including the coexistence among its various components, along with the protection of the national cultural heritage of the nation and its diverse cultures."

Rouhani says Iran must learn from 1979 revolution
Middle East Online, 31-1-2018

TEHRAN - President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday that Iran must listen to protesters behind a recent wave of unrest, hinting that it risked another revolution if their demands are ignored.

The culture of light: The Lion and Sun was the ancient symbol of kingship in Persia. When the Shah would be seated on the throne, he symbolised the lion, with the sun symbol behind his back. The last Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi carried the title Aryamehr (Light of the Aryans), which was another connotation for the sun.

Days of angry protests hit dozens of towns and cities over the new year, leaving at least 25 people dead and hundreds in detention.
Recent days have also seen unprecedented protests by a handful of women, posing in public without their headscarves to show their rejection of mandatory Islamic clothing rules.
Rouhani has allied himself with reformists and called for greater civil liberties, including the release of political prisoners, but has achieved little against an entrenched conservative elite that sees protests as subversive attacks orchestrated by foreign enemies.
The shah's regime "did not hear the voice of reformers, advisors, scholars, elites, and the educated," said Rouhani. "It only heard the voice of revolution... and by then, it was too late."
His comments echoed the sharp criticism a day earlier from jailed reformist Mehdi Karroubi, who has been under house arrest for the past seven years for leading protests in 2009. Karroubi lashed out at Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an open letter, saying major reforms were needed "before it is too late".

"We are tired of a two-headed administration"
Assyrian Woman Speaks At Syria Peace Conference in Sochi
By Bar Daisan, AINA News, 2018-01-31

Sochi, Russia (AINA) -- Antonetta Ardish, an Assyrian woman from Hasakah - Syria, represented the Assyrian and Armenian people of the city and spoke on behalf various organizations at the Syrian Peace Conference in Sochi.
Ardish stressed the demand for unity of the country and denounced the current situation of a second administrative structure, created by the Kurdish PYD in northern Syria, which parallels the Syrian government institutions.
The effect is that there are two city councils (governement and YPD) that recruit -- even by force - young people to the military, two tax systems, and two security organizations for the region. This puts undue pressure on the people living in the region.

In an interview with Le Vif/L'Express in Belgium, the Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church highlighted the same problem, saying "a number of Christians who live in the north-east of the country, which is under the rule of Kurds, are also in a difficult situation because of the unilateral management of these regions by the local powers.
These Christian communities are also under pressure concerning military service and school education. For example, Kurds try to impose their school programs in our private schools."
The Patriarch also said "we believe in a unified Syria with both a strong government and a strong army to protect us all. Kurds are a small minority in the north-east of the country. Even in Qamishly and Hasakah, two big cities in the region, they only constitute a minority: merely 30% of the population. This is why we do not believe there is a future for a federal state in Syria."

The following is a translation of Antonette Ardish's speech from Arabic:
"Good evening. Firstly, I salute Syria, the friendly Russian people and its government. We are glad that the Syrian parties are gathered here. We are representatives of the city of Al-Hasakah and speak on behalf of the Assyrians and Armenians as well as their churches, political parties and organizations. We are supporting Syria's territorial integrity, its independent sovereignty and decision-making..."
"Let us speak in the language of the people of Cezire [the Al-Hasakah governorate]: We, the Syrians from Cezire, want Syrian Arab Republic rule over the entire territory of Syria. We are tired of the two-headed administration. We want only one government which all the community components agree on. Thank you."

Putin and Erdogan hail results of Syrian National Dialogue Congress
TASS Russian News Agency, January 31, 2018

Russian and Turkish Presidents, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said in a phone conversation on Wednesday they were satisfied by the results of the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi and stressed the importance of fulfilling the agreements, the Kremlin’s press service said.
"The heads of state welcomed the outcome of the January 30 Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi. They stressed the importance of implementing the agreements reached, which are aimed at the effective progress of the Syrian political settlement based on the UN Security Council’s Resolution 2254," the statement said.
Putin and Erdogan also discussed further coordination of Russian-Turkish efforts on ensuring sustained operation of Syria's de-escalation zones and also cooperation in the "Astana format," the press service said. During the conversation, the sides also exchanged views on vital issues of the successfully developing bilateral trade and economic cooperation.

SNC opposition will work with Sochi proposal under U.N. auspices
Reuters, 2-2-2018

Tawheed in Arabic means attributing Oneness to Allaah and describing Him as being One and Unique, with no partner or peer in His Essence and Attributes. The Arabs say waahid, ahad and waheed, all meaning one. Whoever does not acknowledge Allaah in these terms and does not describe Him as being One with no partner or associate does not believe in Tawheed.

Damascus welcomed the results of the Sochi meeting:
“The final statement of the conference confirmed the consensus of Syrians on ... preserving the sovereignty and unity of Syrian territory and people, and the exclusive right of the Syrian people to choose their own political and economic system,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Four years of on-off United Nations-mediated peace talks have yielded little progress toward ending the seven-year war, but De Mistura has pressed ahead with efforts for a political solution.
Staffan de Mistura said on Tuesday the constitutional committee agreed in Sochi “will become a reality in Geneva”, where most of the U.N.-led Syria peace talks have been held. De Mistura also said he would decide the criteria for committee members and select about 50 people - from government, opposition and independent groups.

"We fail if armed groups are allowed to mobilise the youth"
The slow death of al-Qaeda in Algeria
Middle East Eye, Thursday 1 February 2018

Bilel Kobi, the special envoy of Abdelmalek Droukdel [the "emir" of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb], and Bashir Ben Neji, emir of a group in Tunisia, were shot dead by the Tunisian military in January.
In Algeria this week, Abu Rouaha al-Qassantini - real name Adel Seghiri - was killed by the Algerian army in Jijel, about 400km from Algiers.
He was the propaganda chief of AQIM (al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb), creator of the "al-Andalus" magazine and mastermind of the propaganda forum "Ifriquya al-Islamiyah" (Islamic Africa), which acted as message board between groups in the region and al-Qaeda in the Middle East.

By law, Algerian military officials are forbidden to speak to the media and Middle East Eye is unable to quote them by name. But all those who spoke have said the fight against al-Qaeda and its allies, after several years of setback, has swung decisively in the favour of the Algerian state.
AQIM has failed to carry out major attacks in Algeria for several months. The Algerian army says it eliminates an average of 200 militants each year and armed groups are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain their numbers.
According to a retired Algerian major general, the state is "reaping the benefits of an anti-terrorism policy it has been pursuing for more than 20 years".
"This terrorism, we have always understood as both a security problem but also psychological, economic and cultural," he said. Military operations, he said, were being run in tandem with efforts to marginalise armed groups' influence on the population.
As a result, "an almost complete absence of support inside" is now manifest.
This was evident in 2015, when Madani Merzag, the former "emir" of a group known as the Islamic Salvation Army, a group notorious in the 1990s for a series of massacres, tried to form a political party. His attempt was roundly rejected by Algerians.
"There is no a secret recipe," said the retired general.
"Eliminating a terrorist is not a victory if, at the same time, a recruit rises to take their place." "We fail if [armed groups] are allowed to mobilise the youth. Draining terrorist financing can be an endless thing if you do not target their support networks.

Poll: Lowest number of Labor MKs ever elected to the Knesset
David Rosenberg, Arutz Sheva, 02/02/2018

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s Likud government would be easily reelected if new elections were held today, a new poll shows, giving Netanyahu his fifth term as premier.
The poll, published by the Hebrew daily Yisrael Hayom, shows the six coalition factions making a net gain of 3 seats over their present 66 mandates, and a net gain of 2 over the 67 they won in the 2015 election. A minimum of 61 seats are required to form a coalition government.
According to the poll, the Likud would retain the 30 seats it won in 2015 – a decline of 1 mandate from the previous Geocartography poll, which in January showed the party winning 31 seats.
The Jewish Home party, led by Education Minister Naftali Bennett, would become the second largest coalition faction with 12 seats, compared to the 8 it currently holds. Last month’s poll showed the party also with 12 seats.
Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon’s Kulanu party, which campaigned in 2015 as a “center” or “center-right” faction, would fall from 10 seats to 7 according to the latest poll, a decline of 1 mandate since last month’s poll.
Among the haredi parties, United Torah Judaism would gain one seat, rising to seven mandates – identical to last month’s poll – while Shas would fall from seven to five seats – one seat better than the party’s performance in January’s poll.
Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu party would win eight seats if elections were held today...

The four opposition parties would lose a net total of two seats according to the poll, winning a combined 51 mandates.
The Zionist Union, a joint list of the Labor and Hatnua parties, would fall from 24 mandates to just 13, similar to last month’s poll results. That would result in the lowest number of Labor MKs ever elected to the Knesset, with a delegation of just 11 members. Two of the 13 Zionist Union MKs would come from the Hatnua faction.
Former Finance Minister Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party would rise to a record high of 24, compared to its present 11 seats.
The far-left Meretz faction would gain one seat if new elections were held today, rising to six mandates, while the predominantly Arab Joint List party would plummet to just eight mandates. The Joint List party won 13 seats in 2015, but has declined in strength according to recent polls.

Latest Iran poll suggests Trump rhetoric benefits hard-liners
Barbara Slavin, Al-Monitor, February 2, 2018

More than two-thirds of Iranians are dissatisfied with their country's economic situation and most blame corruption and mismanagement, according to the first major poll of Iranian public opinion conducted since large-scale demonstrations broke out in late December.
Economic slogans predominated during the protests, which spread to more than 100 provincial cities and towns, although chants against Iran’s leaders and Islamic system were also prevalent.
A near-unanimous 96% of those surveyed in the new poll said the current government should do more to combat financial and bureaucratic corruption, while about 16% said Iran needs fundamental political change.
The telephone survey of 1,002 Iranians, by the Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland (CISSM) and IranPoll.com, was conducted Jan. 16-24, only a few days after the demonstrations subsided. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1%.

When the protests erupted, some in the West saw the beginning of a new revolution that would overturn Iran's theocratic system. However, the new poll suggests change could just as well head in another direction — toward more hard-line policies.
Indeed, the survey shows that Qasem Soleimani — the head of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and a man under US sanctions — remains the most popular figure among regime stalwarts. According to the poll, he is gaining in popularity with an 83% approval rating now compared to 73% two years ago.
President Hassan Rouhani, meanwhile, has seen a noticeable slide, from 82% approval two years ago to just over 65% now. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif's numbers have also gone south, with 68% approval now versus 78% in 2016.

As in previous surveys, Iranians are most concerned about the economy and are clearly disappointed with the lack of tangible benefits from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
Asked to state the most serious challenge Iran faces from among a list of economic, political and societal woes, a plurality of 40% chose unemployment. More than 85% said that subsidies for gasoline and other necessities should not be cut as the government had planned. Parliament has since rejected the cuts and the budget for the new fiscal year that begins in March is being revised.
Iranians also shared deep anxiety about environmental degradation, with more than 94% saying that climate change is a serious problem. Lack of water has become a major issue in Iran and has forced many farmers to abandon their land and move to provincial cities, which were a center of unrest during the recent protests.
Continuing a trend that began before US President Donald Trump's election, fewer Iranians expressed support for the nuclear deal negotiated by his predecessor..
Most ominously, 67% said the "JCPOA experience shows that it is not worthwhile for Iran to make concessions, because Iran cannot have confidence that if it makes a concession world powers will honor their side of an agreement."
When the nuclear agreement was reached, many Iranians hoped it would presage an overall improvement in bilateral relations with the United States, which have been strained since the 1979 Islamic revolution. That has not happened.

Among foreign nations, Germany, with nearly 62% approval, is Iranians' favorite, followed by Russia (58%), France (56%) and China (54%). Only 18% had a favorable view of the United States, a sharp drop from 31% in August 2015. Even views of the American people, traditionally high in Iran, have slumped from 53% in January 2016 to just shy of 41% now.

Saddam's eldest daughter Raghad on most wanted list
Al-Jazeera, 4-2-2018

The Iraqi government has placed the name of late Saddam Hussein's daughter, Raghad, on the most wanted list, together with 59 other individuals. The 60 people are wanted on suspicion of belonging to the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS), al-Qaeda or the Baath Party.
The list, seen by AFP, includes the name of Saddam's daughter, Raghad, who lives in Jordan.
It also features 28 suspected ISIL fighters, 12 from Al-Qaeda and 20 from the Baath party, giving details of the roles they allegedly play in their organisations, the alleged crimes of which they are suspected, and, in most cases, photographs.
The name of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIL, is absent from the list. A senior security official contacted by AFP declined to explain why.
"These are the terrorists most wanted by the judicial authorities and the security services," the official said. "This is the first time we publish these names which, until now, were secret.

Daily Sabah (Turkey), 22-12-2016: Speaking in a CNN interview, 48-year-old Raghad Hussein blamed the U.S. for the chaos that unraveled in Iraq, saying Daesh and other groups would not have been able to enter had her father still been alive.
"People (who consider him a dictator) are free to use whatever labels they want but for me he is a hero, courageous, nationalistic, a symbol to millions of people," Raghad said.
She said most of the media coverage about the Hussein family is made up. "Yes, there was brutality, sometimes a lot of it and I can't support brutality. But Iraq is a country that is difficult to rule and it's only now that people are realizing it," she said.

In Turkey, soaring support for Syrian offensive and rising anti-Americanism
By Erin Cunningham, Washington Post, 4-2-2018

Since the offensive began last month in the Afrin enclave just over the border, Turkish media and public opinion have rallied around the government, stirring nationalist sentiment and giving a boost to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is up for reelection by next year.
On newsstands, headlines have blared support, and imams in mosques throughout the country have prayed for a military victory. Authorities have detained hundreds of people — including doctors and writers — for criticizing the assault. Even opposition leaders have fallen in line.
Erdogan has deftly framed the Afrin battle as an extension of Turkey’s war with Kurdish insurgents at home, tapping into years of public anger with the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which is linked to the Kurdish fighters in northern Syria.
In waging what has been dubbed “Operation Olive Branch,” he is also exploiting a surge of anti-Americanism among Turks, arising in part from U.S. military support for the Syrian Kurds. The Syrian Kurdish militia, called the YPG, or People’s Protection Units, has been a crucial American ally in the campaign to oust the Islamic State from Syria.
Since the operation began, public opinion polls have shown a large majority of Turks supporting the offensive. One poll, conducted by Turkey’s MAK research company and cited widely by pro-government media, said 82 percent of respondents believed that the operation will succeed. Ninety percent said the United States is “behind” the PKK and YPG.
That broad distrust of the United States comes at a time when, Turkish commentators say, relations between the two longtime allies have sunk to their lowest point since Turkey joined NATO in 1952.

The Turkish offensive, including air and ground operations, aims to establish a buffer zone inside northern Syria enforced by Turkish-backed forces. The YPG was initially formed to protect Kurdish populations amid the chaos of the Syrian civil war.
In a phone call with Erdogan on Jan. 24, President Trump urged Turkey to “de-escalate, limit its military actions, and avoid civilian casualties,” according to a White House account. Gen. Joseph Votel, commander of the U.S. Central Command, told CNN recently that withdrawing from Manbij was “not something we’re looking into.”

Turkish Opposition Calls for Contacts With Damascus
Sputnik News, 5-2-2018

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the Turkish main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) on Sunday called on the country’s authorities to re-establish contacts with Damascus for ensuring peace and stabilization of the situation in Syria amid the ongoing Turkish military operation in Afrin.
"Those in power are trying to represent the Turkish Armed Forces’ operation in Afrin as a solution taken by their [ruling] party. But it is a fight for Turkey, not for them.
They must immediately contact the Syrian government in order to guarantee the territorial integrity of Syria and stop the bloodshed," Kilicdaroglu said at his party’s congress after he was re-elected as the party’s president.
This time Kilicdaroglu reiterated his stance, as he has already expressed his readiness to establish direct contacts with the Syrian government on January 29.

Explaining its decision to start the Turkish military offensive in Kurdish-dominated Afrin, Ankara asserted that the advance was aimed at clearing the country's border with Syria from the terrorist presence, referring to the Kurdish formations operating in the area.
Turkish operation was primarily targeting the People's Protection Units (YPG), consisting a part of the opposition Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). the latter is designated as a terrorist organization in Turkey.
Damascus has expressed its opposition to the Turkish operation, saying that such actions violated Syrian sovereignty.
A few months before the offensive, in November, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared that he did not rule out future cooperation with Damascus against the Kurdish authorities in northern Syria. However, no corresponding talks or meeting have been announced so far.

Ryabkov: US negative stance towards settling crisis in Syria
proves its unwillingness to achieve positive outcomes
Syrian Arab News Agency, 5 February 2018

Moscow, SANA - Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Sergei Ryabkov, stressed that the US negative stance towards the efforts of solving the crisis in Syria, the latest of which the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi, poses evidence on Washington’s unwillingness to work for achieving positive outcomes in this regard.
In an interview with Russian the Izvestia newspaper, Ryabkov answered a question on the participation of the American side in the efforts of settling the crisis in Syria by saying that “the US side had been invited to attend the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi on Jan. 30th, but they sent a delegate to the Congress, not as an observer and this is their business.”
“We along with other participants in the Congress reached somehow good outcomes, and this is what bothered Washington,” he added.
Ryabkov affirmed that despite the US stance, “we don’t cut off communications with it, and dialogue with the Americans on Syria is very intensive as we will continue to explain to them the essence of what is taking place, and we will try to push them to a more objective interaction according to Security Council’s resolution no. 2254 and the joint Russian-US statement on Syria which had been approved by the Russian and US presidents in Da Nang.”
He indicated that members of the Constitutional Committee which was approved at Sochi Congress were specified in general.
On Jan. 30th, participants in the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi agreed on establishing a Constitutional Committee that embraces 150 persons.