November 2, 2018 <November 2, 2018
Weekend long read
by Hadar Sela
Our weekly round-up of Middle East related background reading.
1) At the JNS Yaakov Lappin takes a look at a story which long since dropped off the BBC's radar – Egypt's campaign against the ISIS branch in Sinai.
"With security threats to Israel from Iran and Hezbollah along the northern borders, and Hamas and other terror elements in the Gaza Strip to the south often receiving the lion's share of public attention, the activities of the Islamic State-affiliated terror group state in the large Sinai Peninsula are often overlooked.
However, efforts by Egypt, along with quiet reported Israeli support, to crack down on the group appear to be making significant progress. Although a large-scale counter-terrorism operation has not eliminated the threat, it has greatly reduced it, a senior Israeli defense analyst told JNS."
2) The ITIC provides a "Profile of Ziyad al-Nakhalah, the New Palestinian Islamic Jihad Leader".
"On September 28, 2018, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) spokesman Da'ud Shehab announced the election of Ziyad al-Nakhalah as secretary general. Al-Nakhalah, the organization's third leader, replaced Ramadan Abdallah Shalah, who has been in a coma for the past six months (following a series of strokes). The PIJ is Iran's preferred proxy in the internal Palestinian arena. Ziyad al-Nakhalah, who has strong connections with Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Qods Force, plays a central role in foster and promoting the PIJ's collaboration with Iran. Therefore it can be expected that under al-Nakhalah's leadership the PIJ will continue to promote Iran's interests in the Gaza Strip and in the internal Palestinian arena in general; and in return the PIJ will profit from generous Iranian financial and military support, which will help it preserve its status as the second most important terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip (after Hamas)."
3) At the INSS Gilead Sher and Mor Ben-Kalifa discuss the "Challenge to the Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty".
"One year prior to the automatic renewal of the annex to the 1994 Israel-Jordan peace treaty, King Abdullah announced that Jordan would not renew the special regime governing the areas of Naharayim and Zofar for another twenty-five years. Jordan, he said, will impose its sovereignty fully over these areas. The dire socio-economic and demographic situation in Jordan, coupled with the intensifying grass-roots protests throughout the Hashemite kingdom and the political deadlock in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, has heightened public pressure on King Abdullah to cancel the peace treaty, whether in part or in its entirety. Over the years, Israeli-Jordanian relations have weathered ups and downs, but the parties succeeded in overcoming even the most extreme crises. The profound common interests that Jordan and Israel have shared for decades may help in overcoming the current challenge – provided that the crisis is handled promptly through covert dialogue, far from the spotlight."
4) Jonathan Spyer takes a look at "The Return of ISIS".
"So IS as an organization has survived the successful US-led destruction of the quasi-state it created in 2014. It has a leadership structure, money, fighters, weaponry and it is currently constructing a network of support in Sunni Arab areas of Iraq and Syria. These areas take in territory under the nominal control of the government of Iraq, the US-aligned Syrian Democratic Forces and the Assad regime. Small scale attacks have already begun in some areas. The return of the Islamic State in the dimensions it reached in the summer of 2014 does not look likely or imminent. But the prospects of an IS-led ongoing Sunni insurgency, with roots deep in the Sunni Arab outlying areas of Syria, Iraq and the border between them is an increasingly likely prospect. The Caliphate may be in ruins. But Islamic State is back."
BBC, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Isis, Israel, Israel-Jordan peace treaty 1994, Jordan, PIJ, Sinai, Syria, Uncategorized, Wilayat Sinai
Hadar Sela
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