Jordan Submits Palestinian Draft Resolution to U.N. Security Council

Jordan submitted a Palestinian-drafted resolution to the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday calling for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories by the end of 2017 and a peace deal within a year. The draft calls for a negotiated peace agreement based on parameters such as the 1967 borders, security agreements, and Jerusalem as the shared capital. Palestinian envoy to the United Nations Riyad Mansour said he would not push for a quick vote to allow for more discussion and negotiation on the text. The United States has not indicated how it would vote on the measure, but has vetoed previous resolutions. Backing for a Palestinian state has been growing in Europe. On Wednesday, the EU parliament passed a motion supporting the recognition of Palestinian statehood “in principle” as well as the two-state solution, joining Britain, Sweden, Ireland, France, and Luxembourg in symbolic votes.

Syria

A mass grave has been found, with the bodies of 230 people believed to have been killed by Islamic State militants, near the village of Kashkiya in Syria’s eastern Deir al-Zour province. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it thought those killed were from the Sheitaat tribe, which fought the Islamic State in the area over the summer, and the United Nations noted reports of a massacre there in August. Coalition airstrikes have continued to target Islamic State militants in Syria, however figures from the U.S. military show that nearly 97 percent of the strikes in December have been conducted solely by the United States. Meanwhile, the United Nations is appealing for over $8.4 billion for humanitarian aid for around 18 million people inside and outside Syria who have been affected by the war.

Headlines

• Iran said nuclear negotiations with world powers in Geneva were “very useful and helpful” and talks are expected to continue in January.
• Yemen’s parliament approved the new government of Prime Minister Khaled Bahah on Thursday, amid challenges from Houth rebels and two days after Saleh-loyalists blocked a confirmation vote.
• The Iranian military plans to conduct a drill beginning Dec. 25 near the Persian Gulf’s strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil is transported.

Arguments and Analysis

‘Mosul on the Mediterranean? The Islamic State in Libya and U.S. Counterterrorism Dilemmas’ (Frederic Wehrey, Lawfare)

“Libya has long served as a source of foreign fighters for Syria, with some estimates placing the total number of Libyans involved at roughly 500. Some have joined Jabhat al-Nusra, some the Islamic State, while still others are fighting with non-jihadist groups. The return of Libyan foreign fighters from the conflict has long been a concern. In the spring and summer of this year, the pace of the jihadist return picked up, spurred in part by the outbreak of factional fighting in Benghazi.

In early October 2014, the Darnah-based Islamic Youth Shura Council (IYSC) pledged loyalty to the Islamic State, declaring eastern Libya to be a province of the Islamic State. It was the first such pledge by a Libyan jihadist group, facilitated by the return to Libya of a group of pro-Islamic State Libyan jihadists from Syria, the so-called Bitar Battalion, and the later arrival of Yemeni and Saudi emissaries from the Islamic State.

In the ensuing weeks, the IYSC tried to copy the more draconian functions of the Islamic State’s governance, setting up its own morality patrols, convening Shari‘a courts, and conducting a beheading in the city’s stadium—the first public execution in Libya since Qaddafi’s overthrow. On November 12^th, the self-styled caliph of the Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, accepted the oath of the IYSC, urging Libyans (along with Algerians, Tunisians, and Moroccans) to ‘fight the secularists.’”

‘Breaking through Glass Doors: A Gender Analysis of Womenomics in the Jordanian National Curriculum’ (Mayyada Abu Jaber, The Brookings Institution)

“Female workforce participation in Jordan is among the lowest in the region of the Middle East and North Africa. This means that Jordan is missing a significant share of its qualified workforce that could strengthen its economic development and help maximize its growth premium. And though Jordan has achieved parity in access to education in both primary and secondary schools, Jordanian women’s educational achievements are not being reflected in their participation in the economy.

The private sector and the government have intensified efforts to tackle barriers that prevent women from entering the workforce, including incentive systems, like the voucher system, and female-friendly policies, like the provision of child care centers. Despite these efforts, the ‘culture of work’ in Jordan remains a persistent barrier for women and economics, or what can be called ‘womenomics.’ Moreover, a woman’s decision to enter the workforce is often made by the male members of her family, who are likely to weigh the social consequences of her leaving home for family cohesion.”

— Mary Casey-Baker

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