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Africa North

Intro to Wilayet Sinai (ISIS group operating against Egypt)

2023-12-25

Key Bits:

[GreyDynamics] 1.0 INTRODUCTION
ISIS-Sinai Province (Wilayat Sinai) is the most active and capable jihadist terrorist group operating in Egypt. Since 2014, the group has committed over 500 attacks in the Sinai region, mostly against Egyptian security forces. The group is based primarily in northern Sinai, Egypt. The US State Department designated ISIS-Sinai as a foreign terrorist organisation.

As of early 2023, Wilayat Sinai remains largely inactive after several intensive operations against it by the Egyptian Armed Forces (EAF) and Sinai Tribes Union. However, the Israel-Hamas conflict threatens the group’s revival as thousands of displaced Palestinians flee into the Sinai via the Rafah crossing.

2.1 HISTORY
In 2011, ISIS-Sinai first formed under the name Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (ABM, أنصار بيت المقدس), variously translated as Ansar Jerusalem, Supporters of Jerusalem, Champions of Jerusalem, Supporters of the Holy House. ABM had ties to al-Qa’ida and conducted attacks against Israel and its interests. In 2013, the Egyptian military removed former President Muhammad Mursi from office, and the ABM escalated its attacks on Egyptian government and military targets. In 2014, the group formally pledged its alliance to ISIS and changed its name to ISIS-Sinai. [source]

EAF has pursued a containment strategy rather than eradication in addressing insurgency in North Sinai, leading to a prolonged conflict without definitive success. Despite declarations to “end terrorism,” the EAF’s actions suggest a focus on containment due to political and institutional challenges. The military’s centralised decision-making structure and reluctance to address root causes hinder effective counterinsurgency efforts. While the current strategy has contained the threat since its peak in 2015, ongoing attacks highlight its persistence. [source]

3.1 PLACE WITHIN BROADER GOVERNMENT, TERRORIST, OR OTHER STRUCTURES
Unlike other militant organisations, Wilayat Sinai does not enjoy formal state support or a large diaspora. Instead, it depends on local mobilisation and neighbouring collaboration, from groups like Hamas in Gaza.

3.2 FINANCING
When the ABM pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and became known as Wilayat Sinai, it acquired enhanced capabilities to carry out high-profile attacks and coordinated strikes. Receiving funds and guidance from the Islamic State’s central authority in Syria and Iraq, Wilayat Sinai attacks became deadlier and more frequent than its predecessors in the ABM. [source]

In early 2023, the U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on Brukan al-Khatuni, an Iraqi residing in Turkey, for funding ISIS activities. He formerly held the position of head of foreign financing Wilayat Sinai from Iraq. [source]

3.3 BUSINESS STRUCTURE
Wilayat Sinai shares similarities with the broader ISIS organisation, but specific details might vary based on the local context. Wilayah Sinai is believed to rely on a combination of local extortion, criminal activities, and external financial support from sympathisers. Overall, ISIS primarily derives its funding from a diverse range of sources, including:

Smuggling of goods: Wilayat Sinai militants actively smuggled goods through an extensive tunnel network that connected Sinai to Gaza. This included drugs and weapons trafficking. [source]

Kidnapping for Ransom: Illegal prisoner camps near the Israeli border in Sinai held women. The source indicates that perpetrators tortured women to coerce their families into paying ransom for their release. [source]

Donations: Some sympathisers and individuals sympathetic to ISIS’s ideology have provided financial support through donations. Donors likely came from those associated with Burkan al-Khatuni. [source] [source]

3.6 CONNECTIONS WITH HAMAS
For many years, militant groups like Hamas and Wilayat Sinai relied on transactional collaboration. Their geographic proximity and isolated safe havens nurtured intimate ties between the militant groups. Additionally, the groups had mutual enemies: Egypt and Israel. For Hamas, Wilayat Sinai was vital in cross-smuggling networks. According to Israeli intelligence, Hamas once transferred tens of thousands of dollars a month into Sinai to secure arms shipments. [source] [source]

In February 2016, a member of Wilayat Sinai penned a letter to Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the central leader of the Islamic State, advocating for the prohibition of ties with Hamas. The argument put forth was based on the perception that Hamas is considered an apostate group by the leadership of the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

From 2017-2018, Hamas cultivated closer relations with Cairo which eased border restrictions with Gaza to allow essential supplies in. In turn, Hamas adopted harsher measures to crack down on IS-affiliated fights in Gaza and around the border with Sinai. [source]

In January 2018, a video released by Wilayat Sinai showed member Muhammad al-Dajani executing fellow IS member Musa Abu Zamat. Abu Zamat had been facing accusations of smuggling weapons to Hamas, where al-Dajani had defected from before joining Wilayat Sinai. In the same video, Wilayat Sinai militants called for attacks against Hamas.

5.1 OPERATIONS
The majority of the group’s operations have taken place in North Sinai, but it has also claimed attacks in greater Cairo, Daqhalia, South Sinai, Matruh, Qalyubia, New Valley, and Ismailia. Since 2022, the group has been mostly inactive.

Downing of Russian Metrojet Flight 9268
Wilayat Sinai claimed responsibility for bringing down Russian aircraft Metrojet Flight 9268, en route to Saint Petersburg from Sharm el-Sheikh. On 31 October 2015, a suspected bomb attack on board occurred over Hasna, Egypt. All 224 passengers were killed. On 17 November 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed that a bomb attack had caused the flight to crash. [source]

El Barth Base Attack
On 7 July 2017, Wilayat Sinai militants encircled and ambushed an Egyptian military base in Rafah known as el Barth, killing 23 Egyptian troops and wounding 26 in northern Sinai. 40 Wilayat Sinai militants were killed and 6 vehicles were destroyed. [source]

Al-Rawda Massacre
On November 24, a coordinated attack by approximately 25-30 gunmen targeted the Al Rawdah mosque in Bir al Abed, northern Sinai, resulting in the deadliest terrorist incident in Egypt’s modern history, claiming at least 305 lives. The attackers drove to the mosque in five vehicles displaying IS flags, detonating bombs inside and shooting worshippers both within and outside.

The assault, part of a surge in attacks totalling over 338 in 2017, underscores the increased activities of regional affiliates like the Sinai Province SP following the Islamic State’s territorial losses in Syria and Iraq. Reports indicate SP may have warned residents beforehand and sought to demonstrate its continued lethality, aligning with a broader trend of internal competition among extremist factions. [source]

2022 Water Lifting Station Attack Along Suez Canal
On 7 May 2022, Wilayat Sinai attacked a water-lifting station along the bank of the Suez Canal. At least 11 Egyptian security forces members were killed, including 1 officer, and 5 were injured. The military says they were killed as they tried to foil a Wilayat Sinai attack. [source]

5.3 PERSONNEL SIZE
In 2016, ISIS-Sinai had an estimated 1,500 fighters. According to the National Counterterrorism Center in 2022, ISIS-Sinai had fewer than 1,000 personnel. Sources now indicate that Wilayat Sinai has declined further to 100-500 personnel. [source] [source] [source]

Very good news. We’ve been following them since they were Ansar Bayt al Maqdis — here’s hoping they continue fading away. Yes, they may recover with an infusion of fleeing Hamasniks after the current excitement in Gaza, but hopefully that will just be a bump on their way to oblivion.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

After pressing Jerusalem for Ramadan calm, US lauds Israeli handling of holiday rows

2023-04-27

[IsraelTimes] Police raid of al-Aqsa on holy month’s second week nearly sparked regional conflict; Israeli conduct — pushed by US, UAE and Jordan — helped calm hostility, but concern remains

The Biden administration has expressed its satisfaction to Israel over the latter’s handling of security tensions during the holy Islamic month of Ramadan, an Israeli and a US official told The Times of Israel on Tuesday.

The appreciation was conveyed during several conversations Biden officials have held with their Israeli counterparts over the past week, the senior Israeli official said.

The message represented a rare nod of approval from the US to the four-month-old, hardline government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose efforts to overhaul the judiciary and expand Israel’s presence in the West Bank have led to an intense rebuke from US President Joe The Big Guy Biden
Joe <q>The Big Guy</q> Biden

...46th president of the U.S. We hold these truths to be self-evident. All men and women created ... by the — you know — you know, the thing...
himself as well as the summoning of Israel’s ambassador in Washington for a private dress-down.

A senior US official said the Netanyahu government’s conduct had the Biden administration particularly apprehensive as Ramadan approached, given that the holy month in and of itself adds an extra layer of tensions between Israelis and Paleostinians and that 2023 once again featured a confluence of Jewish, Moslem and Christian holidays that further complicated matters.

Thursday brought a close to a relatively calm Ramadan, save for the spike in violence in early April due to intense festivities between Israeli police and Paleostinians inside Jerusalem’s flashpoint al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount.

Israel says its security forces were left with no choice but to raid the mosque before dawn on April 5 after several hundred Paleostinians barricaded themselves inside with weapons and explosives that they planned to use to target Israeli police and civilians.

But footage of police brutally beating the Paleostinians, some already apprehended, sparked massive uproar and served as a rallying call for Israel’s adversaries across the region.

In the hours and days that followed, dozens of projectiles were fired at Israel from Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamaswith about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
, Syria and Leb
...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...
. The barrage of 34 rockets from Lebanon was the largest since 2006.

Several other terror attacks targeting Israelis also occurred that week, including a shooting in the West Bank that took the lives of a mother and her two daughters as well as a suspected car-ramming in Tel Aviv that killed an Italian tourist.

On 10 April, a 15-year-old Paleostinian was shot and killed by the IDF during an arrest operation near Jericho. While eyewitnesses said the boy was a bystander, the Israeli army insisted that its troops returned fire after being shot at.

As the casualty count climbed, the Biden administration — along with the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Jordan — intensified their engagement with Israeli officials, privately urging them to exercise restraint, a senior Middle Eastern diplomat told The Times of Israel.

Particular emphasis was placed on preventing scenes similar to the ones from the April 5 raid of the al-Aqsa Mosque, the diplomat said.

On the morning of April 9, a similar dynamic began to unfold, with police saying that a large group of Paleostinians had barricaded themselves inside. However,
the difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits...
Israel said forces ultimately decided against entering the mosque upon receiving intelligence that those inside were not planning to instigate festivities.

The senior Middle East diplomat laughed at the Israeli explanation and said the police decision to stand down had actually been the result of marathon phone calls by Biden officials, including on the day of the nearly repeated clash.

Two days later, Netanyahu announced that non-Moslems would be barred from entering the Temple Mount for the remainder of Ramadan.

While the decision was in line with longstanding Israeli policy, the days leading up to the announcement saw increased speculation that Netanyahu might change course amid pressure from his far-right coalition partners.

On this issue as well, Biden officials held regular calls with their Israeli counterparts, urging them to stay the course of previous governments.

Israel also advanced a series of small measures aimed at financially boosting the cash-strapped Paleostinian Authority, a senior National Security Council official told The Times of Israel last week.

"Things could’ve been a lot worse and we got pretty close to a regional war," said a second US official who highlighted the "dangerous confluence" of Paleostinian youth at the Temple Mount and terror groups looking to instigate and exploit tensions there along with some members of Netanyahu’s coalition who have shown a willingness to further escalate hostilities.

While the Biden administration has indicated growing concern over Netanyahu’s ability to reign in his hardline political partners, his conduct over the past several weeks "proved that he can calm things down when he wants to," the second US official told The Times of Israel.

The prime minister’s handling of the last several weeks could well create the momentum necessary for the reconvening of the Negev Forum, which has been dormant since January amid growing regional dissatisfaction with the Israeli government.

No date has been set for the second-ever ministerial gathering of the Negev Forum but initial talks on the matter have resumed, the Israeli official said.

The senior Middle East diplomat speculated that Israel holding another regional summit with the Paleostinian Authority, the US, Egypt and Jordan would expedite the scheduling of the next Negev Forum confab.

Netanyahu’s government has already participated in two such gatherings in Aqaba, Jordan and Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt where the sides committed to temporarily refrain from unilateral measures opposed by the other side. They had also committed to reconvening for a third time in April, but the two US and Israeli officials acknowledged that this would be unlikely by the end of the month given that a date has not yet been set.

However,
the difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits...
there apparently remains a limit to Netanyahu’s ability to steer the direction of his government as it pertains to the Paleostinians:

Earlier this week, the government submitted an opinion to the High Court of Justice in which it expressed its intention to raze the Paleostinian hamlet of Khan al-Ahmar while indicating that it would not do so in the foreseeable future.

The Israel Hayom daily revealed that an initial draft of the opinion included the government’s commitment to refrain from harming the "Sharm process" where the sides agreed to "pursue confidence-building measures, enhance mutual trust, create political horizon, and address outstanding issues through direct dialogue."

However,
the difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits...
references to the Israeli-Paleostinian regional summits were removed from the final version of the government’s High Court opinion following pressure from Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

Their influence on Netanyahu’s decisions will likely impact how the premier decides to handle next month’s Jerusalem Day flag march of religious nationalists. The US in the last several years has pushed Israel to change the traditional route of the rally in order to avoid the Damascus Gate and the Moslem Quarter of the Old City, which is widely seen as a provocation, given that bully boy participants have used their time there in recent years to chant racist slogans against Arabs and Paleostinians.

But Smotrich and Ben Gvir have been among the most prominent participants of the flag march and will likely insist that Netanyahu maintain the traditional route. The senior US official acknowledged that this issue is already on the Biden administration’s radar.

Meanwhile,
...back at the shouting match, the spittle had reached unprecedented levels...
substantive talks regarding a long-coveted White House visit for Netanyahu have yet to take place, the Israeli official said, speculating that the US is still seeking more clarity regarding the future of the government’s judicial overhaul effort before moving forward.

Netanyahu agreed to pause the legislative blitz to radically curb the High Court of Justice’s power last month in order to allow for compromise negotiations with the opposition. Those talks have been held several times at President Isaac Herzog’s residence in recent weeks, but they have yet to reach a breakthrough and the coalition may well decide to move forward with parts of the overhaul next month or in June.

Biden’s Tuesday announcement that he’ll be seeking re-election will likely further complicate efforts to schedule a Netanyahu visit to the US, with domestic political considerations playing an even larger role in foreign policy decisions as November 2024 approaches.

The White House and the Prime Minister’s Office declined requests for comment on this story.

Link

Africa North

Egypt waging ‘battle for development’ in Sinai after liberation from occupation and terrorism: Sisi

2023-04-27

Well, they did get the Israel-developed resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, and a few small oil wells, but the rest of it is the hidden homes of smugglers snd jihadis — some prize Egypt negotiated after losing the Yom Kippur War, including the encirclement of Egypt’s Third Army and Ariel Sharon’s group driving within 40 miles of Cairo while Israeli tanks got to 10 miles of Damascus.

[AlAhram] In a televised speech to commemorate the 41st anniversary of Sinai Liberation Day on Tuesday, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said that Egypt is now waging a "battle for the development of Sinai" following its liberation from occupation and terrorism.

Development is a good thing, and long overdue...

"The 25th of April will remain a remarkable day each year in the history of our nation, representing a result we are proud of for the glorious October War, the grinding of the peace processor, and the long diplomatic journey, embodying the will of a people who refused to live in defeat," the Egyptian President said.

"On this day, we extend our sincere respect and admiration, on behalf of Egypt and its people, to the heroic President Mohammed Anwar El-Sadat, the leader of war and peace, who made the toughest decisions in the most critical times and in the darkest days," El-Sisi said as he paid tribute to the late president.

The late president El-Sadat gave the order to attack on 6 October 1973 to liberate Sinai from Israeli occupation. He then embarked in 1977 on a peace initiative to end the decades-old wars between Egypt and Israel that led to the signing of the historic Camp David Peace Accords between the two countries in 1979.

Sinai Liberation Day is an annual holiday that marks the anniversary of the final withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Sinai Peninsula in 1982, as per the peace accords.

And Egypt has accepted lotsa money since to continue not going to war against Israel. They do this kind of thing instead.

El-Sisi also spoke of the difficulties posed by the war on terrorism in Sinai over the past decade.

"Extremists from all over flocked to [Sinai], seeking to separate it from the homeland by spreading terror and fear, thinking that they could terrorise the Egyptian army and police."

However,
a woman is only as old as she admits...
they ignored "the fact that this great army and brave coppers are fierce fighters who fear no death in the way of God and the homeland," he said, adding that the Egyptian people stood behind the Egyptian army and police in those years.

The Egyptian president said that the sacrifices and heroism made by the Armed Forces and civilian police during the war on terrorism will be talked about with pride and dignity for generations to come.

"We will continue to work towards enhancing and protecting [Sinai]. We have embarked on a battle for the development of Sinai that requires enormous efforts, sincerity of intention and patience in work," El-Sisi said in his speech.

The aim of the Egyptian state in Sinai is now to provide a new reality that befits the sacrifices of Egyptians from Sinai and every corner of the country.

These comments come on the heel of El-Sisi’s visit last month to Ismailia, where he said the defeat of terrorism in Sinai has paved the way for the reconstruction of the peninsula.

Earlier Tuesday, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi laid wreathes on the tombs of the unknown soldier and the late President Mohammed Anwar El-Sadat at the Unknown Soldier Memorial in Cairo's Nasr City.

He was accompanied by Minister of Defence and Military Production General Mohammed Zaki and Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Lieutenant-General Osama Askar.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Israel, PA renew vow to curb violence and halt unilateral moves at Egypt summit

2023-03-20

[IsraelTimes] Joint statement from follow-up regional meeting includes new recognition of Ramallah’s ’legal right’ to security control over Area A, where IDF has been operating regularly.

Israeli and Paleostinian Authority delegations reconvened Sunday for a relatively rare, albeit low-stakes regional summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, where they recommitted to de-escalating tensions days before the start of the holy Moslem month of Ramadan.

Sunday’s meeting with accompanying delegations from the United States, Jordan and Egypt was a follow-up to a similar gathering held in Aqaba, Jordan last month — the first such high-level confab of Israeli and Paleostinian leaders in years. The sides have also agreed to meet for a third time next month.

The Sharm el-Sheikh summit, like the one in Aqaba, was marred by a terror attack that unfolded in the Paleostinian town of Huwara. Sunday’s shooting on an Israeli-owned vehicle traveling through the northern West Bank town left a settler seriously injured.

Two Israeli brothers were killed in the attack last month. One Paleostinian was killed during a settler rampage through Huwara hours later.

The attacks further highlighted the limited impact that such meetings are having in actually de-escalating tensions when the most hardline government in Israeli history is coupled with a historically weakened PA, alongside an ever-frustrated Paleostinian public disillusioned over poor governance out of Ramallah and continued Israeli military rule.

Israeli and Paleostinian leaders agreed to meet Sunday amid significant pressure from the US, Egypt and Jordan, which are aiming to lower tensions before the start of Ramadan, which in recent years has set the stage for further violence between the sides.

Since the start of the year alone, 14 people have been killed in Paleostinian attacks. Over 80 Paleostinians have been killed during that same period — most of them in festivities with Israeli troops, but others in more questionable circumstances.

Most of the recent violence has unfolded in the West Bank, but Ramadan poses the risk of the violence spreading further into East Jerusalem, where tens of thousands of Paleostinians will gather daily at the Temple Mount/Noble Sanctuary, potentially adding a religious element to the tensions.

As they did after the Aqaba meeting, the sides issued a joint communiqué on Sunday in which they committed to the "prevention of further violence."

The communiqué highlighted the "legal right" of the PA to exercise its security responsibility over Area A of the West Bank.

That territory with predominantly Paleostinian contiguity makes up roughly 20 percent of the West Bank and was placed under PA security and civilian control in the 1995 Oslo II Agreement.

The IDF regularly enters Area A, however, and such incursions have increased significantly over the past year as Israel seeks to combat an ongoing terror wave stemming largely from the northern West Bank, where the PA has lost significant control.

In the previous regional summit last month in Aqaba, Israel urged the PA to do more to regain control over the northern West Bank, telling participants that the more Ramallah acts against gangs in the region, the less the IDF will have to enter Area A for raids that have become particularly lethal in recent months, an Israeli official told The Times of Israel at the time.

The PA has countered that the IDF raids further harm its legitimacy. While the clamping down on gangs is in Ramallah’s interest as many of them oppose its rule, the PA has argued that cooperating with Israel on this front without parallel steps by Jerusalem to boost Paleostinian illusory sovereignty only further weakens it in the eyes of the Paleostinian public, which has been highly critical of Sunday’s summit with the hardline government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Despite Israel’s assertion at the Aqaba summit that the PA security forces play a more active role in the West Bank, the issue was not included in the joint communiqué that was issued after that meeting. The decision to include it in the release after the Sharm el-Sheikh summit indicated a degree of progress on the issue.

"The two sides reaffirmed... their unwavering commitment to all previous agreements between them, in particular, the legal right of the Paleostinian National Authority to carry out the security responsibilities in Area A of the West Bank, in accordance with existing agreements, and will work together toward realizing this objective," the Sharm el-Sheikh communiqué stated, putting the onus on the PA to act in Area A while subtly acknowledging by omission that Israel doesn’t have the legal right to operate there.

The Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement after the Sunday summit saying that the Israeli delegation "emphasized that in order to prevent an escalation during Ramadan and after [the parties] must act decisively against terrorism without compromise."

The joint communiqué said Israel and the PA also agreed to establish a "mechanism to curb and counter violence, incitement and inflammatory statements and actions," which will report back to fellow Sharm el-Sheikh participant countries the US, Egypt and Jordan when the sides reconvene for a third session in the Sinai resort town next month.

Israel and the PA also agreed to "establish a mechanism" to improve the economic conditions of the Paleostinian people as well as the financial situation of the cash-strapped PA. That mechanism will also report back to representatives from the US, Egypt and Jordan at the April follow-up meeting.

The communiqué did not elaborate further on the nature of the "mechanisms," but a senior Biden administration (aka the Wilmington comorra)

Biden administration (aka the Wilmington comorra)

...knaves, footpads, and adjusters employed by the Biden Crime Family. They leave a trail of havoc everywhere they turn their attention, be it the nation's borders, the Keystone XL Pipeline, or epidemics, sometimes on purpose, most times through sheer arrogant ineptitude. They learnt this stuff in college, you know...
official briefing news hounds later in the day said a series of measures aimed at improving the "financial viability" of the PA were discussed in addition to several measures aimed at boosting the PA’s security presence in the West Bank.

PA Civil Affairs Minister Hussein al-Sheikh, who led the Paleostinian delegation, told The Times of Israel earlier this month that Israel committed at the Aqaba summit to release millions of dollars in tax revenues that it has withheld from the PA.

The rest of the communiqué reiterated agreements reached at the Aqaba meeting, including a commitment by both sides to refrain from unilateral measures for three to six months. For Israel, this means no advancing settlement plans for four months and no advancing the legalization of West Bank outposts for six months.

These commitments were quickly dismissed after last month’s summit by Netanyahu, who noted that the Defense Ministry body that authorizes settlement construction only convenes on a quarterly basis anyway. The panel also green-lit the largest-ever package of settlement homes — nearly 10,000 — days before the Aqaba gathering.

The unilateral measures from which the PA must refrain were not specified in either communiqué, but an Israeli official told The Times of Israel earlier this month that they include initiatives targeting Israel in international arenas such as the United Nations
...boodling on the grand scale...
and the International Criminal Court.

Also reiterated in the communiqué was a commitment to upholding the status quo at Jerusalem’s holy sites, which included a new disclaimer in which Israel and the PA agree to "actively prevent any actions that would disrupt the sanctity of these sites, inter alia during the upcoming Holy Month of Ramadan, which coincides with Easter and Passover this year."

The parties also reaffirmed the importance of such formatted meetings "and are looking forward to cooperating with a view to consolidating the basis for direct negotiations between the Paleostinians and the Israelis" — a goal that various ministers in the Netanyahu government have largely dismissed.

The Israeli delegation on Sunday was led by National Security Council chair Tzachi Hanegbi and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar. The PA delegation was led by al-Sheikh and Intelligence chief Majed Faraj. The Egyptian and Jordanian delegations were led by their respective Foreign Ministers Sameh Shoukry and Ayman Safadi. The US delegation was led by White House National Security Council Middle East Coordinator Brett McGurk and Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf.

The sides did not issue a joint photo after either the Aqaba or Sharm el-Sheikh meetings.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Israel, PA set for Sunday summit in Egypt as terror alerts rise before Ramadan

2023-03-18

[IsraelTimes] Israeli, Palestinian, American, Egyptian and Jordanian officials are set to convene Sunday in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt for a summit aimed to help foster regional calm ahead of the sensitive Ramadan period, which begins next week.

National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi is set to lead the Israeli team, as he did at a previous summit in Jordan’s Aqaba in February. Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and Brig. Gen. Ghassan Alian, the military liaison to the Palestinians, will also attend.

Israel committed to halting new settlement projects at the Aqaba talks, according to a joint communiqué issued after the meeting, though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu swiftly denied there would be any construction freeze over the Green Line.

According to the joint readout from last month’s gathering, Israel and the Palestinian Authority also agreed to de-escalate tensions and prevent further violence ahead of the Muslim holy month. The two sides agreed to “immediately work to end unilateral measures for a period of 3-6 months,” said the readout of that meeting.

A top PA official later told The Times of Israel that Jerusalem had also committed to transfer millions of dollars in tax revenues it has withheld from the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority, but had not done so.

“They promised at Aqaba that they would transfer all of the funds, but as of now we haven’t gotten anything,” PA Civil Affairs Minister Hussein al-Sheikh said in early March. Al-Sheikh also serves as secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s executive committee and is one of PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s closest advisers.

Link

Iraq

A secular Sunni politician: Iraq would hold meetings with Israeli officials

2022-11-10

Before President Trump such things could not be said. Now people are daring to speak up.

[Shafaq News] Mithal al-Alusi, a secular Sunni politician and a former Representative, said that the participation of Iraq with Israeli officials in the Sharm el-Sheikh Climate Change Conference is the beginning of normalization.

Al-Alusi told Shafaq News Agency, "President Abdul Latif Rashid sat with Israel at the Sharm el-Sheikh Conference, which means that Baghdad chose to reject war and start normalization with Israel for the peace and security of Iraq and the whole region."

He revealed that new meetings between Iraqi and Israeli officials would soon be held like other Arab countries.

In 2008, The Iraqi government accused Mithal al-Alusi of committing a crime by visiting Israel, a country Iraq considers an enemy.

Last May, Iraq's parliament passed a bill criminalizing normalization and any cooperation or activities involved with Israel. It received widespread support, with 275 out of 329 politicians voting in favor of the law.

The law prevents building ties or "diplomatic, political, military, economic, cultural and any other types of relations" with Israel.

The penalty for such activities is up to a lifetime in prison and/or death.

The law applies to all Iraqis, individuals, and state organizations, including the president, prime minister, parliament speaker, and head of the judiciary. It also applies to Iraqi and foreign media and all companies working in Iraq regardless of citizenship.

Link

Africa North

Moscow-bound EgyptAir flight returns after threat message

2021-10-28

[AlAhram] A Moscow-bound EgyptAir flight returned to the Egyptian capital shortly after takeoff Wednesday after a threatening message was found onboard, authorities said.

A statement by Egypt’s flagship airline said flight MS79 had returned safely to Cairo International Airport some 22 minutes after takeoff. The flight was heading to the Russian capital, it said.

Citing an unnamed official, the statement said the written message was found on a seat of the Airbus A220-300. It did not elaborate on the content of the message or who wrote it.

Later on Wednesday, EgyptAir said a security inspection determined that there was no threat to the flight. It said another aircraft was being prepared to fly passengers to their destination.

All flights between Moscow and Cairo were suspended for 2 1/2 years after the local affiliate of the Islamic State

...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems....
group downed a plane over Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula in October 2015, shortly after the aircraft took off from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

The flights between the two capitals were resumed in April 2018 after Egypt beefed up security at Cairo’s international airport. But Russia only allowed resumption of flights between its territory and Sinai’s Red Sea resorts in August, after a nearly six-year hiatus.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

In ceasefire talks, Hamas said demanding free movement on Gaza border

2021-10-11

[IsraelTimes] Lebanese TV channel cites sources in the terror group claiming it also wants IDF to stop all border incursions.

Lebanese pro-

Hezbollah TV channel Al Mayadeen reported Saturday on the terror group’s alleged demands as it holds indirect talks with Israel for a long-term ceasefire in the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamaswith about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
Strip.

Unnamed sources cited by the network said Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, was committed to maintaining the calm "as long as the occupation adheres to it."

They said Hamas, in talks being mediated by Egypt, demanded that Israel not enter the border area in eastern Gaza and sought safety for Paleostinian farmers near the border. It also wanted freedom of movement for its own forces near the border.

The sources said Hamas also wanted Gaza’s reconstruction sped up following May’s war and previous conflicts.

On the issue of a prisoner exchange, the sources said that "the ball is now in the Israeli court," while adding that Hamas has clear demands on the issue, though they did not elaborate.

~~Ottoman~~ Turkish state media reported on Tuesday that Hamas and Egypt have advanced agreements to strengthen the ceasefire, days after senior Hamas officials met with Egyptian intelligence in Cairo.

The terror group and Egypt saw "progress" in "understandings to stabilize the truce in Gaza, speed up the pace of reconstruction, and efforts to ease the siege," according to the Anadolu news agency.

In a rare scene, senior Hamas officials, including Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh
...became Prime Minister of Gaza after the legislative elections of 2006 which Hamas won. President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed Haniyeh from office on 14 June 2007 at the height of the Fatah-Hamas festivities, but Haniyeh did not acknowledge the decree and continues as the PM of Gazoo while Abbas maintains a separate PM in the West Bank...
, gathered in Cairo on Sunday night for the current round of talks with Egyptian intelligence officials, aimed at procuring a long-term ceasefire with Israel.

An official in Hamas told The Times of Israel that some movement in the talks has been "expected," but added: "These meetings are often just talk. But obligations are later borne out if each side does what it has pledged to do."

Israel and Hamas have been holding indirect negotiations, moderated by Egypt, on stabilizing the fragile ceasefire since the 11-day battle between the two sides in May. Israel has vowed not to allow a full reconstruction of Gaza without a prisoner swap between the two sides.

Israel leveled higher restrictions on Gaza for months following the 11-day conflict, effectively preventing substantial reconstruction of the battered enclave.

Hamas currently holds two living Israeli civilians as prisoners in Gaza — Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed. The terror group is also holding the bodies of two Israeli soldiers killed during the 2014 Gaza war: Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett discussed the prisoner exchange issue with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi during a recent state visit to Sharm el-Sheikh.

For months, Israeli officials vowed that they would not allow a full reconstruction of Gaza without a prisoner swap. Despite the absence of an agreement, however, Israel has slowly relaxed the additional sanctions following low-level exchanges of fire with Paleostinian bully boyz in Gaza.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Bennett-Sissi meeting shows Egypt wants to expand Israel ties, but up to a point

2021-09-19

[IsraelTimes] Open nature of meeting sends encouraging message that cold peace could see a thaw, but Cairo remains very wary of provoking the public where anti-Israel sentiment dominates.

Israeli officials — not least of all the prime minister — expressed great satisfaction and optimism after Naftali Bennett’s first meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi that the cold peace that Israel has made do with since 1979 is about to thaw.

Bennett said after the Monday visit to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula that he had "an important and very good meeting" with Sissi, in which the two "laid the foundation for deep ties moving forward."

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Israeli PM to Meet Sisi Soon, Says No Meeting will Be Held with Abbas

2021-09-06

[ENGLISH.AAWSAT] The Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will travel this week to Sharm el-Sheikh to meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, announced the official Israeli Broadcasting Corporation.

The visit is the first of its kind for an Israeli prime minister in more than ten years, days after the tripartite summit between Sisi, Paleostinian President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas
...aka Abu Mazen, a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial. While no Yasser Arafat, he has his own brand of evil, just a little more lowercase....
, and Jordanian King Abdullah II.

Bennett will try to avoid progress on a political track with the Paleostinians, while Sisi aims to pave the way for Israeli-Paleostinian negotiations.

A senior Israeli official confirmed that Bennett would avoid discussing the Paleostinian cause with Sisi and rather focus on security issues.

A front man for the Egyptian presidency, Ambassador Bassam Rady, told Radio Masr that the Egyptian-Jordanian-Paleostinian summit reaffirmed the Egyptian-Jordanian support to the Paleostinian cause.

"We have called on the international community and the international quartet to revive the grinding of the peace processor, under the new US administration and the new government in Israel," he added.

Egypt, Jordan, and Paleostine agreed to keep communications channels at the level of foreign ministers and heads of security and intelligence services to reach a formula that will be activated during the coming period.

The Paleostinians are working intensively with Egypt and Jordan to develop a plan that enjoys Arab and US support to launch a new political process in the region that leads to direct negotiations between the Paleostinians and the Israelis.

The coordination intensified and accelerated after the war on the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamaswith about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
Strip and the US administration's desire to find a comprehensive solution based on the two-state solution.

The Paleostinians received important signals from Washington after Biden met with Bennett last weekend and announced his support for the two-state solution.

Abbas met with Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who granted the Paleostinians several facilities.

During a Zoom conversation with officials of Jewish organizations in the US, Bennett said he intends to reduce tensions with the Paleostinians despite the lack of "political breakthrough" with them.

The prime minister said that there has always been a dichotomy: either move towards a Paleostinian state or do nothing.

"I think that in many areas it is possible to act to reduce the problem ... especially in the economic field. I believe that employment and living with dignity can improve the situation. Two parties can take measures to reduce tensions and improve daily life."

Asked about the meeting between Gantz and Abbas, Bennett said he did not intend to meet with the Paleostinian President because he had filed a complaint against Israel before the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

"I also do not want to create the illusion of something that will not happen because a disappointment can have negative consequences. We will not take drastic measures. We will freeze the construction and take measures to stabilize the area," he continued.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid confirmed there were no political talks with the Authority, adding that 90 percent of the contacts are done through security coordination.

Link

Africa North

7 peacekeepers killed in military helicopter crash in ~~Sinai~~ the Red Sea

2020-11-13

[Jpost] A military helicopter crashed in the Sinai province of Egypt, near the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh on Thursday, killing seven peacekeepers.

Of those killed, five were Americans, one was French and one was from the Czech Republic; they were part of the international peacekeeping force, according to the Agence La Belle France-Presse, citing an anonymous Israeli source.

The force, known as the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) office in Israel, confirmed there had been a helicopter accident but declined to give further comment pending an investigation.

Israel Air Force's search-and-rescue unit evacuated one person at death's door to Soroka-University Medical Center in Beersheba, according to Ynet.

The MFO has 1,154 military personnel from the United States and 12 other countries covering an area of more than 10,000 square kilometers (3,860 square miles) in the Sinai. Some 452 of the personnel are American.

Al Ahram adds:

Eight Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) peacekeepers died and one was injured in a helicopter crash on Thursday, the MFO stated.

An informed source told Ahram Online the crash took place near Tiran Island in the Red Sea, denying reports the accident occurred in the Sinai Peninsula.

The helicopter had nine personnel on board, the MFO said on its website, adding they were on a routine mission. The injured peacekeeper was medically evacuated.

The statement added the victims were six US nationals, a French, and a Czech.

Link

Africa North

British Airways and Lufthansa suspend flights to Cairo

2019-07-21

[Jpost] British Airways and Lufthansa abruptly suspended flights to Cairo from Saturday over security concerns, but giving no details about what may have prompted the move.

"We constantly review our security arrangements at all our airports around the world, and have suspended flights to Cairo for seven days as a precaution to allow for further assessment," British Airways said in a statement.

Lufthansa later said it had canceled its flights to Cairo on Saturday from Munich and Frankfurt and will resume its flights on Sunday

British Airways, a unit of IAG, also said that it would never operate an aircraft unless it was safe to do so. When asked for more details about why flights had been suspended and what security arrangements the airline was reviewing, a spokeswoman responded: "We never discuss matters of security."

Three Egyptian airport security sources told Rooters that British staff had been checking security at Cairo airport on Wednesday and Thursday. They gave no further details.
"We can say no more!"
The British Foreign Office updated its travel advisory on Saturday to add a reference to the British Airways' suspension, advising travelers affected to contact the airline.

Egypt's Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a statement late on Saturday that it had contacted the British Embassy in Cairo which had confirmed that the decision to suspend the flights was not issued by Britannia's transport or foreign ministries.

The Egyptian ministry added that it will add more flights from Cairo to London starting on Sunday "to facilitate transporting passengers during this period."

The British government has long advised against all but essential travel by air to and from the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, where a Russian passenger jet was bombed in 2015, but has not issued similar warnings against air travel to and from Cairo.

"There's a heightened risk of terrorism against aviation. Additional security measures are in place for flights departing from Egypt to the UK," the British advisory says.

Tourism, a key source of foreign revenue for Egypt, has been recovering after tourist numbers dropped in the wake of a 2011 uprising and the 2015 bombing of the Russian jet, which killed all 224 people on board shortly after takeoff.

That attack, which was claimed by Islamic State

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