News and Analysis 1/5/24

“Israel has repeatedly warned that it will hunt down Hamas operatives wherever they are,” yet “Israel failed to notify the Biden administration of its plans to take out Mr. Al-Arouri”:

• History Repeats Itself with the Assassination of a Hamas Official (Turbulent World)

As Israel and Iran rattle sabers at one another, ISIS sides with Israel:

• Islamic State Claims Responsibility for Deadly Iran Attack, Tehran Vows Revenge (Reuters)

“While Palestinians based their legitimate claims to the land on indigeneity, international law, even property deeds, Israel could point to the physical presence of Israeli settlements and settlers, shrug and say, ‘This is how it is now’”:

• Opinion: Israel’s Gaza Strategy: Create Facts on the Ground that Can’t Be Undone (LA Times)

The U.S. has assassinated “a leader of Harakat al Nujaba who was involved in planning and carrying out attacks against American” military presence of “2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in neighbouring Syria” …

• US Strike Kills Militia Leader Blamed for Iraq Attacks, Pentagon Says (Reuters)

… but who has “ties to the Iraqi government’s security apparatus”:

• Iraq Condemns U.S. After Drone Strike in Baghdad (NY Times)

“The Jerusalem bureau has long reviewed all CNN stories relating to Israel and Palestine. Now, it’s helping shape the network’s coverage of the war”:

• CNN Runs Gaza Coverage Past Jerusalem Team Operating Under Shadow of IDF Censor (The Intercept)

“Altman said he has seen many people in the industry ‘sticking up’ for him on the issue of antisemitism, which he said he appreciated, but added he saw ‘much less of that for Muslims’”:

• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Says Muslim Tech Colleagues ‘Feel Uncomfortable’ Speaking Up Over Fear Of Retaliation (Forbes)

Active in the interfaith community,” Sharif “helped oversee the mosque’s involvement as a safe house where people could go to avoid violent interactions with police, which ‘greatly assisted’ the apprehension of felons and serving of warrants”:

• New Jersey Police Seek Killer of a Muslim Leader Outside Newark Mosque (AP)

Muslims are fighting back against official humiliation and restrictions on free travel:

• Jail Forced Muslim Woman to Remove Hijab for Mugshot Later Posted Online, Lawsuit Says (Kansas City Star)
• Former Teacher at St. Louis Country Day Says She Faced Discrimination over Muslim Faith (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
• Muslim American’s Challenge to No Fly List Reaches Supreme Court (Washington Times)

“The deaths of three Jammu and Kashmir civilians allegedly at the hands of the Indian military” coincides with “an uptick in violence … [that] threatens to undercut New Delhi’s narrative of peaceful development in an election year”:

• India Races to Contain Fallout of Kashmir Torture Death Allegations (Nikkei)

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