News and Analysis (12/30/19)

Muslims express solidarity with Jews in the wake of Hanukkah stabbings:

• CAIR, CAIR-NY Express Solidarity with Jewish Community After Hanukkah Stabbings (CAIR-NY)
• UAE Condemns Machete Terror Attack at Chanukah Party in Rabbi’s Home in NY (Jewish Press)

Iran charges that “the United States has targeted the positions of forces that over the years have inflicted heavy blows to Daesh terrorists [i.e., ISIL/ISIS]” …

• Iran Slams ‘Terrorist’ Raids by US on Shia Militia in Iraq, Syria (Al-Jazeera)

… while former IDF intelligence chief Amos Yadlin urges Israel to coordinate future airstrikes with the U.S.:

• Ex-IDF intel chief: Now that US engaged Iran, Israel must be careful (Jerusalem Post)

Can parliamentary and presidential elections the Palestinian political parties agreed on in November resolve thirteen years of division between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority?

• Why Israel Should Let Palestinians Hold Elections (Haaretz)

With his mix of reform and repression, the Saudi “crown prince proved successful only in undermining the kingdom’s credibility, and tarnishing its reputation beyond repair”:

• On the Eve of 2020, Mohammed Bin Salman Has Let Down the World (Middle East Eye)

Are Indian citizens paying the price for remaining silent when the Modi regime removed the special Constitutional provisions for Jammu and Kashmir (J&K)?

• Rehearsed in Kashmir, Played Out in Rest of India (Business Standard)

The hospital has caved in to fears of “religious leaders … that the plan could lead to breaches of Sharia law if two babies drank milk from the same mother and later married … [despite] strict safeguards for the scheme”:

• Bangladesh Bans Breast-Milk for Needy Due to Islam Backlash (Business Day)

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad challenged Muslim world for funding and political leadership to mobilize resources and pursue education and science to overcome their problems:

• The Way Forward for Muslim Countries (Straits Times)

Palestinians condemned attempts by Israeli Defense Minister Natfali Bennett to challenge the International Criminal Court and allows Israeli citizens to register in Area C of West Bank:

• Palestine Slams Israeli Land Registration Plan (Xinhua)

Iran’s FM says Tehran would not submit to propaganda and refuses to release Australian academic detained for espionage:

• Zaghari-Ratcliffe to Go on Hunger Strike for Fellow Detainee in Iran (The Guardian)