Monthly Archives: May 2013

Jordanian MPs in Fistfight

By | 2013-05-27T21:38:54-04:00 May 27th, 2013|News|

Fisticuffs broke out in the Jordanian parliament's plenum session Sunday as Prime Minister Dr. Abdallah al-Nussur replied to a parliamentary query from MP Kamal al-Zrul regarding the rising price of electricity.   MP Yahia al-Saud interrupted the Prime Minister and demanded that electricity prices not be raised.   At this point, MP Muataz Abu Raman

Israel’s New Neighbor: Syrian Al-Qaeda Rebel Group

By | 2013-05-27T21:08:51-04:00 May 27th, 2013|News|

In recent months, there has been a shakeout among the various Syrian rebel groups, and one of the dominant ones that has emerged is Jabhat al-Nusra, closely identified with al-Qaeda. The Sunni Islamist group is seeking to take over as much of Syria as possible and place it under Sharia Islamic law.   Now, the

Egypt: From Energy Exporter to Energy Basket Case

By | 2013-05-27T17:48:36-04:00 May 27th, 2013|News|

Not long ago, Egypt was an energy exporter, with Israel and Jordan eager customers for Egyptian natural gas. Now, though, Egypt can't even produce enough energy for its own needs – and the country over the past several weeks has faced rolling blackouts, with even the most upscale districts in Cairo facing 3-5 hours a

Arab Arson Season Kicks Off

By | 2013-05-27T17:18:38-04:00 May 27th, 2013|News|

Summer is approaching and Arab arson season in Jerusalem is off to a scorching start.   According to Yisrael Hayom, the hottest locations for nationalistically-motivated arson by Israeli-Arabs are the ironically-named “Peace Forest” near Armon Hanatziv Promenade in southern Jerusalem, and the area around Ofrit Base on Mount Scopus in northeastern Jerusalem.   Sometimes, the

Sunni grievances drive spike in Iraq unrest

By | 2013-05-26T12:57:16-04:00 May 26th, 2013|News|

A feud between Iraqi Sunnis and the Shiite authorities they accuse of marginalizing their community is driving a deadly spike in violence that stops short of all-out conflict for now, experts say.   Attacks including bombings that ripped through worshippers in mosques and cut down shoppers in markets killed over 430 people in Iraq so

Woolwich murder probe: Police make three further London arrests

By | 2013-05-26T12:20:21-04:00 May 26th, 2013|News|

Three men were arrested Saturday on suspicion of planning to murder the British soldier hacked to death in a London street in an Islamist attack.   One of the men, 21, was arrested in a street around a mile from the murder scene in Woolwich. The other two men, aged 28 and 24, were arrested

French soldier stabbed while on patrol near Paris

By | 2013-05-26T01:56:53-04:00 May 26th, 2013|News|

A French soldier patrolling a business neighborhood west of Paris was stabbed in the neck on Saturday by a man who quickly fled the scene and is being sought by police, President Francois Hollande said.   The soldier was patrolling in uniform with two other men as part of France’s Vigipirate anti-terrorist surveillance plan when

Hizbullah’s Deputy Chief Warns EU Against Blacklist

By | 2013-05-25T18:28:04-04:00 May 25th, 2013|News|

The deputy chief of the Hizbullah organization warned the European Union on Friday that it would be making a "big mistake" if it labeled the Lebanese Shiite group as a terrorist organization.   Sheikh Naim Qassem told the Al Mayadeen television network that such threats "do not concern" or worry the group. He did not