News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
- Russia Launches Airstrikes Against Islamic State's Syrian Stronghold - Gordon Lubold
U.S. defense officials said Tuesday that Russia had begun an aggressive air campaign using sea-launched cruise missiles and long-range bombers against sites in Raqqa, the Islamic State's stronghold in Syria, following Moscow's confirmation that a bomb downed a Russian airliner over Egypt last month. In a televised war room briefing led by President Vladimir Putin, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the number of Russian airstrikes had been doubled Tuesday, destroying 140 "terrorist" facilities in Syria.
(Wall Street Journal)
- Two Attack Suspects Dead after French Police Raid North of Paris - Anthony Faiola
More than 100 French police and army troops laid siege to an apartment in the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis on Wednesday where there were terror suspects involved in Friday's deadly attacks in Paris. The operation left several police officers wounded and at least two suspects dead including a woman who blew herself up. A public radio station said seven people had been arrested.
(Washington Post)
- Intelligence Changes, Public Awareness Needed to Prevent Paris-Like Attack in U.S. - Ron Kampeas
The key takeaway from Friday's ISIS attacks in Paris is that the plotters managed to organize the terror wave undetected by Western intelligence, said John Cohen, who until 2014 was a top intelligence official at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. "As robust as they are, our intelligence community is not picking up on threats," said Cohen, now the senior adviser at the Rutgers University Institute for Emergency Preparedness and Homeland Security. Cohen identified an element common to both the U.S. and Europe: the radicalization of indigenous Muslims. Perpetrators of recent mass attacks in the U.S. were immigrants of long standing. (JTA)
See also
American Security Officials Tour Israel
Security officials from five North American cities and a senior official of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security are on a weeklong trip to Israel to examine Israeli methods of increasing public awareness of a security threat. The tour was organized by Secure Community Network (SCN), the security arm of the national Jewish community, affiliated with the Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. (JTA)
- Abbas Admits He Turned Down Israeli Peace Offer in 2008
PA President Mahmoud Abbas has publicly confirmed for the first time that he turned down a peace offer by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in 2008 that would have provided for an independent Palestinian state containing all of the Gaza Strip, much of the West Bank (with land swaps), and a tunnel connecting the two areas.
In an interview on Israel Channel 10, reporter Raviv Drucker asked Abbas: "In the map that Olmert presented you, Israel would annex 6.3% [of the West Bank] and compensate the Palestinians with 5.8% [taken from pre-1967 Israel]. What did you propose in return?"
"I did not agree," Abbas replied. "I rejected it out of hand."
(The Tower)
See also Palestinian Leader Confirms He Turned Down Israeli Peace Offer - Mark Lavie (Broken Spring)
- Film Pulled from Cinemas after Paris Attacks - Fiachra Gibbons
"Made in France," a film about a wave of jihadist attacks on Paris due out Wednesday, has been pulled from cinemas in France. (AFP)
News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:
- IDF Troops Come Under Fire in West Bank, One Attacker Killed - Yoav Zitun and Elisha Ben Kimon
Three Palestinian gunmen opened fire at IDF troops near Turmus Ayya in the West Bank on Tuesday. The soldiers returned fire, killing Mohammed Munir Hassan Salah, 24. Two others were arrested.
(Ynet News-Ha'aretz)
- Israeli Forces Block Stabbing Attack
A 16-year-old Palestinian who suspiciously approached Israeli security forces with a knife in his hand near the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron on Wednesday morning was subdued without incident.
(Jerusalem Post)
- South African Police Deny Issuing Arrest Warrants for Israeli Generals
South African police denied on Tuesday that they had issued arrest warrants for four former Israel Defense Forces generals in connection with the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident. (Ha'aretz)
- Beijing to Host Major China-Israel Investment Event
A China-Israel Investment Summit will be held in Beijing on 4-6 January 2016, hosting more than 1,000 entrepreneurs, businesspeople, and investors from the two countries, as well as senior Chinese and Israeli government officials. The objective is to encourage collaboration in technology, innovation, and investment. Infinity Israel-China Fund managing director Eyal Rosenthal said, "We expect, as a result of the meetings that will be held at the China-Israel Investment Summit, the signing of NIS 1 billion in deals in a range of fields." (Globes)
Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis (Best of U.S., UK, and Israel):
- The Slaughter in Paris: Motives and Implications - Oded Eran and Adam Hoffman
In executing and taking responsibility for the Nov. 13, 2015, terrorist attacks in Paris, the Islamic State has three objectives: revenge against France for its military involvement in the international coalition to eliminate the Islamic State; an undermined sense of security in France and evidence to the Western world that the struggle with the Islamic State is not restricted to Iraq and Syria; and aid to the Islamic State in its efforts to attract new recruits.
While some may hope that the events in Paris will add to Europe's understanding of the constraints involved in coping with Palestinian terrorism, and help mitigate the criticism of Israel voiced by various EU institutions and member states, similar events in the past indicate that this will not occur, and that no significant change in the European attitude on this question can be expected.
Dr. Oded Eran served as Israel's ambassador to the EU and Jordan. Adam Hoffman is a research associate in the INSS Terrorism and Low Intensity Conflict Program who studies the use of social media by jihad organizations.
(Institute for National Security Studies)
- Envisioning How Global Powers Can Smash ISIS - Tim Arango
"To beat ISIS, you need the enlistment of the Sunni forces that won't happen as long as Assad remains in power in Damascus," said Ehud Yaari, an Israel-based fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "The shortest and most effective way to deal with ISIS is for the United States and Russia to come to an agreement about the removal of Assad, and they will get support from others. Then the Sunni forces, the rebels, can deal with ISIS on the ground." (New York Times)
- Will the West Now Adopt Israel's Anti-Terror Strategies? - David Horovitz
In the month of March 2002, Palestinian terrorists killed 120 Israeli civilians as bombers and gunmen targeted our buses, shopping malls, hotels, colleges and restaurants. The following month, Israel did two things that France, the U.S. and the rest of the free world will have to do if they want to defeat this Islamist terror. We learned how to reduce our vulnerability to terrorism, and we tackled the killers in their centers of operation.
Israel launched a major West Bank military operation to destroy the "infrastructure" of terrorism.
Then-president George W. Bush insisted that we stop and get out. But we didn't. And that's why, in 2015, when the current Palestinian political, spiritual and media leadership is stirring up its people to again kill the Jews, we've been enduring murderous stabbers and car-rammers, rather than mass-murderous suicide bombers. (Times of Israel)
- The Islamic State and the Palestinians - Rhetoric vs. Reality - R. Green
Despite the Islamic State's "Slaughter the Jews" campaign on social media, which has been aimed primarily at the Palestinians, it should be stressed that the Palestinian cause is not a major issue to ISIS. ISIS' top priority is fighting Islam's internal enemies - the Shi'ites and the secular regimes. It sees conquering Baghdad, Damascus, Cairo, and Mecca as taking precedence over liberating Jerusalem. Additionally, the idea of a Palestinian state goes completely against ISIS' religious and ideological vision, based on the establishment of a caliphate under which there is no place for separate states. (MEMRI)
Observations:
From Jerusalem to Paris: Sharing Lessons of Hope and Resilience - Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat (Times of Israel)
- As the people of France grapple with the aftermath of the Paris attacks and attempt to comprehend their new reality moving forward, I would like to humbly share some advice based on our own experiences in Jerusalem:
- Routine, routine, routine.
Immediately following terror attacks in Jerusalem, we reinstate routine in the city as quickly as possible. By restoring routine, we demonstrate the resilience of our residents and send a strong message: we will not succumb.
- Empower your residents.
Many terror attacks in Jerusalem have been thwarted or neutralized by alert and responsible residents who took initiative and alerted security forces. Jerusalem is a large city, yet when necessary, we know how to function as an embracing community that takes responsibility for one another. Cities must encourage residents to be alert and on guard; teach citizens how to act quickly and proactively in the face of threats or attacks.
- Be good with the good guys and bad with the bad guys.
Sharp moral clarity is critical to ensuring the safety and security of our citizens. Make a very clear distinction between residents peacefully going about their day-to-day lives and coexisting alongside the diverse populations in the city and those who aim to wreak havoc and bloodshed. The peaceful residents are our partners; we work closely with community leaders to build bridges for opportunity and advancement. However, those who cause destruction and harm, fomenting hatred and breeding incitement, will be punished with the full force of the law.
- Swift engagement to decrease the human toll.
In Jerusalem, we have set a goal of enabling security forces to arrive at any location in the city within two minutes. This ability dramatically decreases the human toll in emergency situations. We also work to build an offensive strategy with smart solutions for combating terrorism.
- Terrorism is not just a Paris or Jerusalem problem.
Terrorism in Paris, Jerusalem and around the globe is fueled by the same murderous hatred and extremist ideology that aims to abolish our civilization and our values. Our fight is a global one and we must stand united in this battle.
- Jerusalemites and Parisians share the same spirit of resilience. We mourn and feel the pain of the families who lost their loved ones, care for and support our wounded, stand tall and move forward. This must always be our answer to terrorism. Our thoughts and prayers are with you, the French nation, as you navigate these difficult waters. When we stand united and strong, we are invincible.
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