Palestinian Territories

“This is a real declaration of war. The enemy will pay a heavy price for its crime and will regret the moment it thought of perpetrating it.” – Fawzi Barhoum, a spokesman for Hamas, in response to the Israeli strike that killed Ahmed al-Jaabari, head of the military wing of the organization “The days we face in the south will, in my estimation, prove protracted…The homefront must brace itself resiliently…There are preparations, and if we are required to, the option of an entry by ground is available.” – Israeli brigadier-general Yoav Mordechai after Israeli air strikes killed Hamas’ Jaabari "I announce that France recognizes the Syrian National Coalition as the sole representative of the Syrian people and thus as the future provisional government of a democratic Syria and to bring an end to Bashar al-Assad’s regime.” – French president Francois Hollande “Is the regime waiting for an explosion in Jordan so his end will be like the Egyptian end or the Tunisian end? We are insisting on creating the Jordanian spring with a Jordanian flavor, which means reforming our regime and keeping our Hirak [protest movement] peaceful.” – Zaki Bani Irsheid, vice chairman of Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood, in an interview before the latest demonstrations erupted this week over cuts to energy subsidies “The Doha meeting was a declaration of war. These people (the opposition) don’t want to solve the issue peacefully through the mechanisms of the UN.” – Syrian deputy foreign minister Faisal Muqdad “Teach me. Invest in me. Let me work. I don’t get it…My friends are all in the same situation. What’s wrong here?” – Manar Saud, a Saudi woman, on the high unemployment rate among women in Saudi Arabia “The plane appeared in seconds, dropped a bomb and killed children…Here is total chaos.” – Nezir Alan, a doctor in Ras al-Ain after a bombing  that wounded at least seventy people in Syria “I’m in favor of targeted killings…It is a policy that led Hamas to understand, during the suicide bombings, that they would pay the price should (the bombings) continue.” – Israeli opposition lawmaker Shaul Mofaz “The ball is in Israel’s court…The resistance factions will observe Israel’s actions on the ground and will act accordingly.” – Khalid al-Batsh, a leader of Palestinian Islamic Jihad

Jake Hess’ take on hunger striking Kurds. Issandr el Amrani on Ahmed al Jabari’s assassination. Katie Paul looks at the escalating crisis in Jordan.

This article was originally published here on CSMonitor.com on Thursday, November 15, 2012 Even before the recent round of Hamas rockets and airstrikes from Israel in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian enclave was in the news as the diplomatic destination of choice for the leaders of the Middle East. Last month, the emir of Qatar visited Gaza. Bahrain’s embattled king is also weighing such a trip. Turkey’s prime minister, too, announced his intention to travel to the strip. News reports speculate that the leaders’ attention will further legitimize Gaza’s militant Hamas at the expense of Mahmoud Abbas’s secular Palestinian Authority, which is based in the West Bank. Yet the sudden diplomatic interest in Gaza has more to do with prime ministers, kings, emirs, and presidents seeking to burnish their legitimacy – or importantly, their credentials as potential regional leaders. The uprisings, revolutions, and civil wars that have dramatically altered domestic politics in the Arab world have had a profound effect on regional power dynamics – including Iran. The Middle East is up for grabs, yet which country or countries will lead is as unclear and complex as current efforts to build new political systems in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and elsewhere. The issue of leadership is critical for the region. States with prestige and financial, diplomatic, and military resources can drive events in the Middle East – hopefully for good, but potentially for bad. In the 1950s and ’60s, for example, Egypt’s leadership under Gamal Abdel Nasser shaped regional politics around the myths of Arab nationalism, which led to intra-Arab conflict and regional war. The Arab Spring provides an opportunity for a power or group of powers to usher in a new era of peace, prosperity, and perhaps democracy. Continue reading here...

“It made my day… I and my friends expected war if Romney won.” – Sima, a businesswoman in Tehran “President Obama will press for human rights and democracy to leave his marks in history…Also, the re-election reinforces the drive for peace rather than wars in the region especially with regards to Iran.” – Jasim Husain, a former MP and economist in Bahrain "He changed nothing during his first term and he won’t improve things in the next four years.” – Umm Omar, a thirty-four year-old resident of Damascus said of President Obama There’s an old saying that the one you know is better than the one you don’t know…we know Obama, but not Romney.” – Hassan Gunnay, a twenty-two year-old from Sirte, Libya “Your re-election gives you a second important chance to achieve peace in the Middle East…The future of the Middle East hinges on finding a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.” – a statement quoted King Abdullah of Jordan as saying in a letter to Obama. “Washington’s policy will remain the same. Obama can’t do anything; he lacks the will," Abu Ismail, a beggar who lives in Damascus “Obama is closer to Egyptians and the Arabs…Romney, I think, is farther from us.” – Mohamed Samir, 30, a financial systems consultant in Cairo expressing his relief that Obama was reelected “Everyone thought Obama would help us, but he always sides with Israel…We don’t like him.” - Ahmed Abdeen, a twenty-seven year-old manager at a home-appliance shop in Ramallah “We hope this victory for President Obama will make him free more to make the right decision to help freedom and dignity in Syria and all over the world.” – SNC spokesman George Sabra on the sidelines of an opposition conference on the Qatari capital of Doha

“How long can this situation continue? I mean in Bosnia, now we have Ban Ki-moon [the UN secretary general] apologising 20 years after. Who will apologise for Syria in 20 years’ time? How can we stay idle?” – Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu in an Istanbul interview   “The Lebanese people won’t accept, after today, the continuation of the government of assassination.” – Lebanese former prime iminister Fouad Siniora said during a funeral oration Sunday   “Netanyahu felt that the chance that he may lose the reigns of government are greater than ever…This is a move that effectively makes the Likud Lieberman’s party.”  –  Labor party leader Shelly Yachimovich on Thursday in response to the news of Likud’s merger with Yisrael Beiteinu   “Give it a rest, Obama…We want to get some sleep.” – a resident of Benghazi in a Twitter post Saturday in response to loud low-flying drones   “Why are you staying divided? There are no peace negotiations, and there is no clear strategy of resistance and liberation. Why shouldn’t brothers sit together and reconcile? Surely you realize that your division is the source of greater harm to your cause and the cause of all Arabs.” – Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani said during a speech at Gaza’s Islamic University on Tuesday   “There is no such thing as who is better (as a candidate)…If my cousin is running, I give it (the vote) to my cousin.” – Shafiq Deis, a 70-year-old carpenter in the town of Beit Sahour south of Jerusalem   “It’s good for the public to know that the [Egyptian] current leadership is acting against Hamas in a very tough way …I can tell you that Egypt’s actions against Hamas are much harsher than it was under the previous regime.” – Israeli vice premier Silvan Shalom on Thursday   “Being king, to me, is not a benefit that I seek, it is a responsibility…Governing was never for us about holding a monopoly over authority, nor about power and its tools, but about supporting state institutions run by Jordanians from all segments of society.” – Jordan’s king Abdullah on Tuesday   “It is clear today that the struggle is over Israel’s future image and values. The vote is between an extreme and isolated country and a Zionist and sane country. I was born into the Herut movement and I am aware of the values the Likud was supposed to represent but neglected.” – Former Kadima chairwoman Tzipi Livni on Thursday in response to the news of Likud’s merger with Yisrael Beiteinu   “It’s a moment of truth…We’re determined to change the status quo.” – Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erakat said in an interview Wednesday about the UN statehood bid

Significant Middle East Developments Syria. A deadly car bomb exploded in Damascus today just hours after the Eid holiday ceasefire, brokered by UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi between Syria’s regime and the Free Syrian Army, took effect. Over sixty people have been killed throughout Syria today despite the ceasefire. The bomb, detonated near a children’s playground, killed five people and wounded over thirty more. Clashes also broke out between regime troops and rebels in Damascus’ suburbs and around the Wadi Deif base in northwestern Syria, while army shelling was reported in Homs. Despite the violence, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights noted that it was still less than usual. Taking advantage of the relative lull in violence, the largest anti-regime protests in months gathered in the streets of several cities. The ceasefire is meant to be in place for the Eid holiday. Iran. Citing intelligence officials from several countries, the New York Times reported today that Iran has nearly completed its underground uranium enrichment plant at Fordo. The disclosure of the near-completion of Fordo comes just days after the New York Times reported the United States and Iran had reached an agreement to hold bilateral face-to face negotiations. White House and Iranian officials immediately denied that report. NSC spokesman Tommy Vietor addressed the Fordo reports, saying, “The president is determined to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon and continues to believe there is time and space for diplomacy.” Until last month, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had implied that he would not allow the Fordo plant to go into operation, with other Israeli officials arguing that once it did, Iran would enter a “zone of immunity” since Israel does not possess the bunker-buster bombs necessary to destroy the plant. However, in his remarks before the UN General Assembly in September, Netanyahu seemingly backed off of that position, laying down a deadline of next spring before military action must be taken. Israel. With Israel slated to head to the polls on January 22, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a surprise joint ticket Thursday between his Likud Party and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu Party. The joint list will be proportional to the two party’s current Knesset makeup, in which they jointly hold a total of forty-two seats – twenty-seven for Likud and fifteen for Yisrael Beiteinu. Israel’s Channel Two television reported last night that the two men had also agreed to rotate the position of prime minister, with Lieberman set to take over for the fourth year. However, both Lieberman and Netanyahu have denied the report. Jordan. Jordanian officials announced Sunday that they had thwarted a major terrorist plot to attack multiple civilian and diplomatic targets. The Jordanian government said it had apprehended eleven Jordanian nationals with links to Al Qaeda in Iraq, who were gathering weapons and explosives in Syria for use in Jordan. The plot has been described as the most serious in Jordan since 2005, when terrorists bombed a series of hotels, killing sixty people. West Bank. Palestinians in the West Bank went to the polls for municipal elections Saturday for the first municipal elections since 2005 and the first election of any kind since 2006. Abbas’ Fatah party was out-polled in five of the eleven main municipalities by lists composed of either former Fatah members now running independently, or other factions. Hamas boycotted the election. According to exit polling, more than one-third of voters listed jobs and economic conditions as their first concern. Post-election reactions have been mixed, with many Palestinians now calling for national elections. Nasser Lanham, editor-in-chief of the Maan News Agency said that “If there is no elections for the Parliament and the president, there will be a third intifada…We are talking about angry people, poor people. If they are not going to the elections, they have bad alternatives.” Lebanon. Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea yesterday accused Syria, Iran, and Hezbollah yesterday of exploding a powerful car bomb last Friday in a mostly Christian neighborhood in Beirut killing at least eight people including Major General Wissam al-Hassan, Lebanon’s top intelligence officer. Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah responded to Geagea’s comments, saying, “Any wise and patriotic [individual] would reject such comments that can only be welcomed by those who are willing to do a service to the Israeli enemy and its criminal plans.” Meanwhile, a U.S. FBI team arrived in Beirut yesterday to assist in the investigation at the Lebanese government’s request. The Lebanese army had deployed Monday to quell tensions following weekend protests which included gun battles in Beirut and Tripoli. While We Were Looking Elsewhere Gaza Strip. The emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, visited Gaza Tuesday in the first visit by a head of state since Hamas violently took control of the territory in 2007. Entering Gaza from Egypt, Sheikh Hamad pledged four hundred million dollars in assistance to finance reconstruction projects. Yigat Palmor, a spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, said that the emir had “thrown peace under the bus” since his visit came just hours after a bombing from Gaza that wounded an Israeli soldier. Following the emir’s visit, Palestinian militants launched dozens of missiles into Israel that prompted Israeli retaliatory air strikes. Late Wednesday evening, Egypt managed to broker an informal truce between Hamas and Israel. Egypt. Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi met with various political factions Wednesday in an effort to forge unity around the draft constitution released last week. The meeting was boycotted by seventeen political parties and movements, including Mohammed el-Baradei and former presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabbahi. The consultations did not produce a compromise, and Morsi has said that he will resume working with groups to reach one after the Eid holiday. The Cairo Administrative Court announced on Tuesday that it was referring lawsuits challenging the composition of the Constituent Assembly to the Supreme Constitutional Court. The plaintiffs are challenging how the members of the Assembly, the panel responsible for drafting Egypt’s new constitution, were chosen. Yemen. Two senior Yemeni security officers were assassinated yesterday in a drive-by shooting in the city Damar, south of the capital Sana’a. Yemeni president Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi blamed Al Qaeda in a televised address late last night. This Week in History This week marks the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Enrico Mattei, the founder of the Italian energy company Eni. On October 27, 1962, Mattei died in an airplane crash, the cause of which remains unclear to this day, and was the subject of the 1972 Francesco Rosi film, The Mattei Affair. A partisan leader in the Italian resistance movement, Mattei helped create Eni after World War II to lead Italy’s energy sector. He was elected to represent the Christian Democrats in the first government formed by De Gasperi, only to resign in 1953 to become Eni’s president. Under Mattei, Eni developed the Po Valley in the late 1940s, and transformed it into the vast energy resource that fueled Italy’s post-war economic recovery. Internationally, Mattei helped break the oligopoly of the so-called “Seven-Sisters” that dominated the oil-industry, and took Eni into the Middle East, forging agreements with Tunisia, Morocco, Iran, and Egypt on favorable concessionary terms unheard of at the time. “The oil is theirs,” was Mattei’s famous motto, one that earned him disfavor with the other oil companies and Western countries at the time. Today, Eni is the world’s sixth largest oil company in the world with employees in 85 countries. In 2010, it endowed the Enrico Mattei Chair at CFR. It is my honor to be the first holder of the Enrico Mattei Chair. Today, Middle East Matters commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of its namesakes’ death.

The recent upsurge of mortars and rockets being fired into Israel from Gaza, the strong Israeli military reaction, and the possibility that a stronger reaction may yet come, have raised once again the issue of Israel’s relationship with the small area many Israelis call Hamastan. The visit to Gaza this week of the Emir of Qatar, who was the first foreign head of state to go there since Hamas took over in 2007 and who pledged $400 million in aid to Gaza, has also put the region back on the front pages. One view suggests that the Emir’s visit is simply a disaster. The money will be very helpful to Hamas and its continued rule. The visit by a head of state itself accords Gaza almost the status of a state—and thereby helps Hamas in its continuing struggle with Fatah and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. It legitimizes Hamas and its rule in Gaza, which is obviously bad for Israel, bad for the PA, and bad for the United States and all others who view Hamas as a terrorist group. But there is another view, put forward this week by the former Israeli National Security Advisor, retired Major General Giora Eiland. He thinks the visit and the aid were perfectly acceptable. He does not believe Israel has any particular interest in reuniting the West Bank and Gaza, rather than seeking a greater integration of Gaza with Egypt. He also notes that efforts by Israel to strengthen the PA and its leader, President Abbas, against Hamas quite often have the opposite effect. He also believes that weakening Hamas does not strengthen Abbas and Fatah in Gaza, because they are so weak there and unable to improve their situation. Instead, weakening Hamas strengthens even more extreme salafist and jihadi groups. He argues that to the extent that Hamas comes to be more like a stable government for Gaza, with a decent economy, it will have that much more to lose from confrontations with Israel. When many more valuable targets are at risk, he believes, Hamas will be more careful. Eiland says Israel’s only real interest in Gaza is security. He therefore urges a different policy. The first element is to respond extremely strongly to any attack that does come out of Gaza. No slow escalation, no signaling and messaging, just very quick and very tough responses that make Hamas pay a heavy price. Second, after every incident close the border completely and cut off electricity for a while. Again, that is treating Hamas like the government of Gaza and punishing it and its constituents for mortars, rockets, and border attacks. Third, don’t worry about visits by foreign leaders like the Emir of Qatar and the money they bring. And fourth, try to keep the passages between Egypt and Gaza open (though he admits there isn’t much Israel can do here). Israel’s interest is peace and quiet, he says, and this is the way to achieve it. It is a powerful argument. General Eiland, with whom I dealt often when working at the White House, is always worth listening to, always thoughtful, and often at variance with conventional wisdom. That it is in Israel’s interest to have Egypt play a larger role in Gaza is of course not a new idea, and the fact that elements of the Muslim Brotherhood now rule in both places makes this idea more realistic. And an open border between Egypt and Gaza would make the allegations that Israel has a blockade in effect on that area even more ridiculous than they are now. Still, there are costs. The further weakening of the PA is not, in my view, in Israel’s interest. Missing in Eiland’s proposal are additional, simultaneous moves to strengthen the West Bank economy, encourage rich Arab leaders to visit there, and take actions that lead (and enable) the PA to act more like a government that is responsible for maintaining security. Like the rest of us Gen. Eiland is not always right, but his arguments deserve a careful hearing and vigorous debate.

“An attack by the Zionist regime would be an opportunity to destroy that regime…Their defense mechanism is not planned for big and long wars. Their threats are only psychological and if they cross the limit or act upon those threats, (Israel) will definitely be destroyed.” –  General Hossein Salami, acting commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, was quoted by the semi-official ISNA news agency Thursday “One must distinguish between the fundamentalists that turn to violence and the others…If we demonise the Salafis, then in 10 or 15 years they will be in power.” – Rachid Ghannouchi, leader of Islamist Ennahda party in Tunisia said on Thursday “I worked hard with Olmert. Unfortunately, he suddenly retired. We discussed the borders, the exchange of territories and traded maps. We were close and reached many understandings.” – Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday to Israeli politicians in the West Bank “Unilateral European and U.S. sanctions against Iran are irrational, illegal and inhumane, and are against the Iranian nation.” – Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ramin Mehmanparast said Tuesday “Ramallah and Hebron are not part of the state of Israel, and I don’t think that Prime Minister Netanyahu plans to change that.” – Israeli deputy prime minister Dan Meridor told Voice of Israel Radio today in response to earlier reports that Netanyahu would endorse calls to change the legal status of Israeli settlements in the West Bank To read more on developments in the Middle East, click here.      

Significant Middle East Developments Syria. Iran and Turkey today endorsed UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi’s call for a cease-fire during the Eid al-Adha holiday that begins October 26. Brahimi proposed the cease-fire on Monday amidst ongoing violence throughout the country, and is scheduled to be in Damascus on Saturday. The Syrian regime has said it is ready to discuss the plan. Meanwhile, the EU passed a new set of sanctions on Monday including an assets freeze against twenty-eight Syrians and two companies. Turkey’s foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Sunday announced a ban on all Syrian aircraft entering Turkish airspace, following last week’s incident in which a Syria-bound flight from Moscow suspected of carrying military equipment was forced to land in Turkey for inspection. More than forty people were killed this afternoon when Syrian military aircraft bombed a town held by insurgents along a vital north-south highway in northern Syria. The bombardment was called among the most intense since Syria’s military began deploying warplanes and helicopters against insurgents in the country. Libya. Fighters belonging to a militia group associated with the Libyan army shelled the town of Bani Walid today, killing eleven people and wounding at least seventy-five more. The attack appears to be a response to the killing of Omar ben Shaaban, a former rebel from Misrata who allegedly had been kidnapped and tortured by men from Bani Walid. The militants, part of the Libya Shield militia from the Misrata area, claimed yesterday that they were acting under orders to advance into Bani Walid after Libya’s General National Congress authorized the defense and interior ministries to use “force if necessary” to find those responsible for Shaaban’s kidnapping. However, the army’s spokesman, Colonel Ali al-Sheikhi, denied giving such an order. Meanwhile, Libyan authorities have identified Ahmed Abu Khattala, the head of the Islamist group Ansar al-Shariah, as a leader of last month’s attack against the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. Abu Khattala remains at large. Egypt. Judges from Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC) on Tuesday criticized the Constituent Assembly, the body drafting Egypt’s constitution, for not ensuring the court’s independence from the executive branch. One article of the draft constitution would remove the court’s current authority to rule on the constitutionality of laws after they had been passed by parliament. Tahani el-Gibaly, a member of the SCC, said that “The revolution was about ensuring a democratic system, with balanced powers to protect the rights of the Egyptian citizen, but these clauses violate these rights.” The assembly is set to vote on the final draft in the second week of November, which will be followed by a public referendum. Meanwhile, Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi faced a political setback when his attempt to remove Prosecutor-General Abdel Meguid Mahmoud backfired. Last week, after the acquittal of twenty-four Mubarak regime figures, Morsi attempted to force Mahmoud to submit a letter of resignation and accept the post of ambassador to the Vatican. However, Mahmoud refused and a group of judges and lawyers criticized Morsi for trying to tamper with the judiciary. On Saturday Mahmoud returned to his job as prosecutor-general. Iran. The European Union invoked a new set of sanctions earlier this week against Iran’s banking and energy industries. More than thirty major Iranian state companies were designated by the EU for asset freezes, including the National Iranian Oil Company and the National Iranian Tanker Company. On Sunday, Iranian deputy industry minister Hamid Safdel announced that Iran will seek to cut its imports of nonessential goods. Safdel also said that Iran will provide subsidized rates to importers of basic goods. On Saturday, Industry Minister Mehdi Ghazanfari urged Iranians to buy items from domestic manufacturers to help the country contend with international sanctions. U.S. Foreign Policy Israel. The first of one thousand U.S. troops arrived in Israel today to take part in a joint missile-defense drill with their Israeli counterparts. U.S. Air Force General Craig Franklin, who planned the drill, described it as the largest joint exercise in the two countries’ history. Craig also noted that the drill had been planned for over two years and said that it was a purely defensive drill, unrelated to any specific developments in the region. However General Nitzan Nuriel, his Israeli counterpart, said that “anyone who wants can get any message he wants from this exercise.” Jordan. U.S. and Jordanian diplomatic sources told Al-Hayat on Monday that there is joint U.S.-Jordanian contingency planning underway to deal with the war in Syria. U.S. embassy spokesman Silvio Gonzalez said that “U.S. troops are regularly and routinely present on Jordanian territory to support are common goals.” Jordanian government spokesman Samih Maaytah said “all that exists is cooperation and the exchange of expertise.” More than one hundred U.S. troops were reportedly deployed to Jordan to provide aid in securing the border and in dealing with the flow of Syrian refugees. The two countries are also believed to be monitoring Syria’s chemical and biological weapons stocks. Libya. The New York Times reported on Monday that the Pentagon and State Department are speeding up plans to help create an elite counterterrorism Libyan commando force. The effort was already underway prior to last month’s attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. Following the attack, Congress approved the shifting of approximately $8 million from Pentagon operations in Pakistan to Libya, although the program has not yet been officially announced. While We Were Looking Elsewhere Palestine. Palestinian officials are preparing for municipal elections throughout the West Bank on Saturday. Security forces and police were allowed to vote today so that they will be free to secure the voting process on Saturday. Hamas is boycotting the election and will not allow voting in the Gaza Strip. The last municipal election in 2005 resulted in a surge for Hamas, presaging its legislative victory in the 2006 parliamentary elections. Egypt, Jordan, and Israel. Egypt’s new ambassador to Israel, Atef Mohamed Salem Sayed Elahl, presented his credentials to Israeli president Shimon Peres on Wednesday. Elahl declared that “I came with a message of peace and I came to confirm that we are working for mutual trust and transparency and we are committed to all the agreements we signed with Israel.” Jordan’s new ambassador, Walid Khalid Abdullah Obeidat, also took up his post officially on Wednesday. Obeidat’s tribe in Jordan has vowed to disown him for accepting his new appointment. Meanwhile, Israel’s parliament voted to dissolve itself on Monday following Prime Minister Netanyahu’s call for early elections last week. Early general elections will be held on January 22. On Tuesday, Jordan announced that it will hold its parliamentary elections on January 23. Tunisia. The Tunisian government vowed on Wednesday to implement two decrees guaranteeing press freedom. The decrees were signed into law last November but have yet to be enacted.  The announcement came during a nation-wide strike of journalists to protest attempts to curb press freedom. On Monday, Human Rights Watch called on Tunisia to investigate a series of attacks by extremist Islamists over the past ten months, saying that the government’s failure to do so “may embolden them to commit more violence.” Yemen. A drone strike killed Nader Al Shaddadi, one of the top leaders of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. The strike targeted a group of militants preparing to attack the Yemeni troops, and killed at least eight other people. This Week in History Saturday marks the one year anniversary of the death of Muammar Qaddafi, the dictator who ruled Libya for more than forty-two years. On October 20, 2011, almost three months after the fall of Tripoli, rebels discovered Qaddafi hiding in a drainage pipe on the side of the road leading out of Sirte, his hometown. Qaddafi was still alive when apprehended but was killed within hours by a gun shot to the head.