MUST-READS

• Israeli Policy
  Netanyahu: Saudi peace initiative is for a bygone era

  Obviously referring to the Saudi proposal’s call for a full Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 lines, including returning the Golan Heights to Syria, Netanyahu noted that this plan was made “before the takeover of Syria by al-Qaida on the Golan Heights.”

  Asked whether he thinks the initiative is now irrelevant, he replied, “What is relevant is the fact that there is a new recognition among major countries in the Middle East that Israel is not their mortal enemy, to say the least, but is a potential ally in addressing the common challenges.”

• Arab Bank and Hamas
  Arab Bank found liable by US court in Hamas attacks

  A New York jury has found Arab Bank liable for providing material support to Hamas. As a result, the Jordan-based bank must provide compensation to victims of nearly two dozen terrorist attacks that Hamas carried out in Israel and Palestine in the early 2000s.

• Construction
  Revealed: Saudi Arabia’s 10 biggest contractors

  Saudi Binladin Group again tops the list. The family-owned firm was started in 1931 and has been the trusted builder for the Saudi Royal family for over 60 years. It has a hand in many of the Kingdom’s biggest civils projects and is currently handling the $21 billion expansion project at the Grand Mosque in Makkah.

• Entertainment
  Opinion: Movies – A new Window of Economic Opportunity

  The obvious motivation to tap into the economic benefits of opening cinemas is the fact that Saudis spend an estimated $1 billion annually going to theaters and watching movies in Dubai and Bahrain. That is $1 billion not spent to boost the economy in Saudi Arabia.

• Kingdom Holding Co.
  Prince Alwaleed on Murdoch, oil, and the Islamic State

  Saudi Arabia might be one of the world's largest oil exporters, but Alwaleed says now is the time for the kingdom to look beyond crude.

• Anti-ISIS Strategy
  Hagel Says U.S. Seeks Three-Front War on Islamic State

  The U.S. will combat Islamic State extremists through a “three-front” battle waged by Syrian rebels, Kurds and Iraqi security forces, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said.

  • Politico - The evolution of Chuck Hagel
• Saudi Economy
  Saudi economy ‘dynamic and growing: Prince Turki Al Faisal

  HRH Turki al Faisal, chairman at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, discusses the benefits of opening up the Saudi Arabia stock exchange and the opportunities in the country.

• Real Estate
  Saudi Arabia to consider taxing unused urban land

  Saudi Arabia's Supreme Economic Council, a top policy body chaired by King Abdullah, will study whether to tax undeveloped urban land as part of efforts to end a serious housing shortage in the world's top oil exporter.

• US Military
  Rift widens between Obama, U.S. military over strategy to fight Islamic State

  Despite Obama’s promise that he would not deploy ground combat forces, Dempsey made clear that he didn’t want to rule out the possibility, if only to deploy small teams in limited circumstances. He also acknowledged that Army Gen. Lloyd Austin, the commander for the Middle East, had already recommended doing so in the case of at least one battle in Iraq but was overruled.

  • Reuters - France Says It Launches First Air Strikes in Iraq
  • Army Times - Odierno Did Not Call for U.S. Ground Forces to Fight ISIS, Spokeswoman Says
  • Stars and Stripes - Islamic State opens major offensive in north Syria
  • Government Executive - Obama's ISIS Strategy Will Not Achieve Its Goals, Security Insiders Say
  • National Journal - Pentagon Signs Off on Plan for Striking ISIS in Syria
• Iranian Leadership
  Iran Prepares for a Leadership Transition

  Though Iran has been broadcasting pictures and videos of top state officials and noted foreign dignitaries visiting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the hospital, the health of the man who has held the most powerful post in the Islamic Republic remains unclear. The unusual public relations management of what has been described as a prostate surgery suggests Tehran may be preparing the nation and the world for a transition to a third supreme leader. Iranian efforts to project an atmosphere of normalcy conceal concerns among players in the Iranian political system that a power vacuum will emerge just as the Islamic republic has reached a geopolitical crossroads.

  • LA Times - Iran fills key role in battling Islamic State in Iraq
  • Wilson Center - Rouhani and the Potential Failure of Nuclear Talks
  • National Interest - Iran Foreign Minister to U.S.:
  • Reuters - Nuclear Deal Elusive as Iran, Six Powers Resume Talks in New York
  • CISSM - Iranian Attitudes on Nuclear Negotiations
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