On December 17, the daily El-Watan reported: "According to Mohamed Aissa, the number of Algerians that have joined the Daesh terrorist organisation "does not exceed one 100 individuals." He also indicated that "this figure is small compared with neighbouring countries." The minister of religious affairs and endowments, Mohamed Aissa, said it last Thursday at the National People's Assembly: Mosques could not be used by terrorist organisations, especially by the Daesh nebula. "Mosques are now protected and no party or organisation can exploit the young Algerians to recruit them in their ranks," he said in a statement to the press on the side lines of the plenary session of APN devoted to oral questions. According to him, "the real danger would come from the social media networks and the World Wide Web which are being used by the Daesh terrorist organisation to recruit young people, not mosques."… (Read More)

On December 23, the Saudi-owned London-based Al-Hayat newspaper carried the following opinion piece by Jihad al-Khazen: “... Egypt’s main problem is the number of inhabitants in a land that cannot feed 20 million people. So, what did the writers of the Washington Post’s editorial do? This month, I read an article they wrote under the headline “Will Donald Trump help this American imprisoned in Egypt?” The first line in the article said that Egypt received annual American aid amounting to $1.3 billion, but not that the terrorist state Israel received $3.8 billion, though it hosts 7 million settlers in the face of Egypt’s 100 million citizens. And in July, Jackson Diehl, who has Zionist inclinations and is the newspaper’s deputy editorial page editor, wrote an article headlined: “The Obama administration ignores an American imprisoned in Egypt… (Read More)

On December 21, the independent Az-Zaman newspaper carried the following report by its correspondent in Cairo Mustafa Amara: “Muslim Brotherhood sources assured that Mahmoud Ezzat’s front, which represents the MB’s Old Guard, had settled the situation in its favour in the face of Muhammad Kamal’s and Muhammad Montasser’s front, which includes a large number of MB youth. And the sources assured that a decision will soon be issued to expel a large number of MB elements representing the youth front. In that same context, former Deputy Guide Muhammad Habib said in exclusive statements to Az-Zaman that the old organization was able to prevail because it controlled the financial matters, while the leaders in prison continue to support it, thus giving it greater confidence… (Read More)

On December 12, an interview With Hossein Kanani Moqaddam in the reformist Iranian daily Etemad said: "The Principlists who failed to unify, and brought about their defeat by having several candidates in the political arena, are looking to find a mechanism to make coming together of their different schools of thought work. With the approach of the 12th presidential elections there is still little sign of organisational structure in this political faction. Hossein Kanani Moqaddam, the general secretary of the Green party reports that regarding the subject of strategic unity there is still no sign of it happening in the Principlists' camp. He also regards facing Ruhani with 10 electoral candidates as a good idea, provided of course that they ultimately all step down in favour of one. However, we must see if this strategy can practically be carried out or not!… (Read More)

On December 12, the reformist newspaper Shargh reported: "The contract between Iran and [South] Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries [HHI] Group to build 10 ships was signed recently even though domestic manufacturers consider it to have disregarded domestic capability. Domestic manufacturers made this claim when Ali Akbar Qanj, consultant to the CEO of Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines, emphasised that domestic manufacturers could not build ships with modern technology. In addition, Qanj said with certainty that the middlemen and brokers of parts and machinery are the cause of this shortcoming. He mentioned domestic manufacturers' lack of commitment and said that domestic companies are just assemblers. But we want to order the ships directly and regain the funds that had been frozen in Korea because of sanctions. Now the head of Khatam ol-Anbia Construction Headquarters has also come forward and said: "IRISL's disregard for domestic capability is an infidelity." Yesterday, Brigadier General Ebadollah Abdollahi reacted to the contract in a news conference, saying: "The president should revoke the contract with South Korea for 10 ships. If this is not done, his slogans and words can no longer be trusted."… (Read More)

On December 15, the reformist newspaper Shargh reported: ""The freedom of Aleppo is the result of the efforts of the alliance of Iran, Russia, Syria and Hizballah," says Major General Seyyed Yahya Safavi, the assistant and senior adviser to the commander of all forces. He promises that we will also liberate the city of Mosul. He speaks about alliance and cooperation, which we have witnessed during the last months. The presence of Iranian consultants in Syria, on the one hand, and on the other hand, handing over Nojeh Air Base to Russian fighters that had targeted terrorists' sites in Syria, together with the cooperation of Iran and Hizballah resulted in a victory. It is why Brigadier General "Hussein Diab", the governor general of Aleppo appreciated the help of Iran and Syria. He said: "The support from Iranian and Russian friends is not limited to military help; they also provide humanitarian and medical aid for the people of Aleppo. They have empowered the resistance of the people against terrorists." Just like Major General Safavi, he believed that the liberation of Aleppo is just the beginning of defeating terrorists. He said: "On behalf of the people of Aleppo, we express our appreciation for the love of the nations and governments of Iran and Russia and their support for defeating terrorist groups. We are sure that victory is very close, not only in the city of Aleppo but also in every inch of our land."… (Read More)

On December 22, the Rai al-Youm electronic daily carried the following report: “The Iranian ambassador to Ankara, Mohammad Ibrahim Taherian, said that the assassination of the Russian Ambassador, Andrei Karlov, is a crime caused by the proliferation of the extremist ideology in Turkey. He further called for confronting terrorism and extremism firmly and seriously on the part of the regional and international countries… (Read More)

On December 13, the Qatari-funded Al-Jazeera TV reported: " [Anchorman Jamal Rayyan] The Iraqi Da'wah Party had no choice other than threatening with a second round of the so-called Knights Assault to reply to the demonstrations that called for trying its leader Nouri al-Maliki on the charge of corruption. The party included this threat in its statement to a political side that it termed troublemaker. The party accused this side of standing behind the protests, with which southern governorates, received Nouri al-Maliki. After the Da'wah Party has called on the Iraqi authorities and judiciary to deal with the demonstrations of wrath against Al-Maliki, some observers said that threatening with the Knights Assault includes a host of paradoxes. One of these important paradoxes is that Al-Maliki is no longer the prime minister who launched that military campaign and supervised it from beginning to end. Colleague Ahmad Jarrar has watched these developments and prepared the following report: Some sides are getting ready to reply to the political blows that angry protestors dealt to former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. They have foiled his attempts to reproduce himself on the popular and political levels in the Iraqi scene. Al-Maliki was received in the two governorates of Maysan and Dhi Qar with angry demonstrations and accusations of sponsoring corruption and even of involvement in shedding Iraqi blood. He was then forced to leave them after a few hours. In Al Basrah, the opponents of the man who stayed in authority for eight years did not give him the chance to make any step inside the city. They stormed the hall and kicked his supporters out… (Read More)

On December 23, the Qatari-owned Al-Quds al-Arabi daily carried the following report from Baghdad: “The Iraqi Sunni political scene has been witnessing the absence of influential political and social figures, around whom the Sunni street could rally, and that could lead the public amid a sea of developments and conflicts sweeping the mined Iraqi scene. But lately, attempts have been deployed to find political and religious symbols that are capable of filling the void, and are considered acceptable to participate in the political process. Many inhabitants of governorates such as Al-Anbar, Mosul, Kirkuk, Diyala and others had reported that their main problem resided in the fact that the political parties in their regions were engaged in conflicts and competing to secure their own interests, while neglecting the needs of the citizens who led them to power through elections… (Read More)

On December 23, the Qatari-owned Al-Quds al-Arabi daily carried the following lead editorial: “Yesterday on Thursday, the United Nations Security Council should have voted on a clear resolution bill, asking Israel to stop building settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. And unlike the previous times, the Palestinians were expecting the US to abstain from using its veto right against that resolution. Unfortunately however, the surprise came from the big sister Egypt, which currently enjoys a non-permanent member status at the Council, had participated in the drafting of the bill, and suddenly decided to postpone the voting on it… So, although the White House refused to comment on how the US would vote, knowing it usually protects Israel against any measure at the UN, some diplomats and observers had expected President Barack Obama to allow the resolution to pass for the first time ever, by abstaining from voting and registering an American criticism towards the construction taking place on occupied lands, over which the Palestinians wish to establish their independent state… (Read More)

On December 23, the Lebanese privately-owned Al-Joumhouria newspaper carried the following report by Tony Isa: “… Since the beginning of the mandate [the election of a president], Lebanon has been witnessing an intense diplomatic campaign, revealing the international insistence on its stability and the activation of its institutions… Hence, envoys have been visiting Lebanon, namely the foreign ministers of Germany, Canada and Turkey, US Assistant Secretary of State Anne Patterson, and more recently French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, in parallel to the positivity registered along the political course, particularly the formation of the government. And the latter envoys, along with the ambassadors of the superpowers, conveyed to the Lebanese officials their administrations’ wish to see the completion of the political process in Lebanon and the country’s return to its democratic course, so that it can start enjoying political, security, economic and social stability… (Read More)

On December 23, the independent, leftist As-Safir daily newspaper carried the following report: “Do the violent battles seen at the Ain el-Helweh Camp in the last 48 hours and that left, until yesterday evening, four dead victims, a large number of wounded individuals, and major material damages, fall in the context of a bigger scene specifically the conflict in a number of arenas opposing the moderate forces on one hand and the takfiri forces on the other hand?… (Read More)

On December 23, the Al-Akhbar daily newspaper carried the following report: “The Gazans were just starting to breathe a sigh of relief and to rebuild their houses that were destroyed in the past wars when the UNRWA measures – consisting of equipping fifty schools at the Gaza district for emergencies – pulled the air right out of their lungs… (Read More)

On December 22, the electronic Rai al-Youm carried the following piece by Fawzi Bin Younes Bin Hadid: “I don’t want to be pessimistic and I don’t want to gloat. However, I believe that the situation is growing worse by the day. The Arab situation is bitter and growing even more bitter with each problem or conflict that occurs between two states in light of the mad terrorism that has invaded the whole world… (Read More)

On December 20, the Saudi-owned, London-based Elaph website carried the following interview with the former Syrian Vice President, Abdul Halim Khaddam: “…Who is to be held responsible today for the situation in Aleppo?… (Read More)

On December 23, the Qatari-owned Al-Quds al-Arabi daily carried the following report by its correspondent in Rif Latakia Salem al-Omar: “The Syrian regime has formed a new force called the 5th Corps, and is currently trying to encourage the citizens to join it by all means. So, the mosque speakers in Damascus and its countryside have started calling [on the citizens] to join the new formation, in accordance with an official assignment from the Ministry of Endowments carrying the number 3348 and dated 15/12/2016. The assignment thus asked the speakers to encourage the citizens to join the 5th Corps and settle the status of those who did not perform or fled the military reserve service, noting that the members of this new force will receive monthly salaries reaching up to 100,000 Syrian pounds [about $470]… (Read More)

On December 23, the An-Nahar daily newspaper carried the following piece by Mohammad Nemr: “Despite the massive incident of the assassination of the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, the Russian-Turkish relationship wasn’t rocked and the objective behind the operation wasn’t achieved knowing that this operation cannot be seen as a “personal act” or an act of “sympathy with the Syrian revolution… (Read More)