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The following is research published today from MEMRI’s Special Dispatch Series, and TV Project. Syrian Daily 'Al-Watan' Slams Saudi Regime TV Exclusive on 'Taliban Palestine' Group Operating in Gaza Indicted USS Cole Bomber Fahd Al-Quso Strongly Denies Association with Yemeni Regime Al-Gama'a Al-Islamiyya: If the U.S. Vetoes the Palestinian U.N. Bid, It Will Endanger Its Embassies Special Dispatch No. 4151—Syria/Saudi Arabia/Inter-Arab Relations Syrian Daily 'Al-Watan' Slams Saudi Regime On August 7, 2011, Saudi King 'Abdallah, breaking his long silence on the Syrian crisis, said that his country "could not accept the events in Syria," and called upon Syria "to stop the war machine and bloodshed and to act reasonably before it is too late." His statement was perceived as an "historic declaration" and as a shift in Saudi Arabia's policy towards the Syrian regime, after, at the onset of the Syrian unrest, Saudi Arabia had publicly supported the Syrian regime and its handling of the protests. Thus far, the Assad regime has chosen not to comment officially on the King's declaration, most likely in order to prevent a complete severing of relations with the Saudi kingdom, as happened during the "Cold War" in the Arab world, and especially in the face of the Syrian regime's increasing isolation in the Arab, regional, and international arenas. Instead, as it usually does when it wishes to avoid an official reaction, the Syrian regime has settled for expressing its discontent via anti-Saudi articles and reports in the daily Al-Watan, owned by Assad's cousin Rami Makhlouf. The daily urged the Saudi king to examine the state of his own kingdom in terms of democracy and human rights before advising other countries on these matters. It also denounced Saudi Arabia as collaborating with the U.S., and began reporting on demonstrations in the kingdom demanding rights and protesting human rights violations by the Saudi regime. To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5661.htm. Special Dispatch No. 4150– Palestinians/Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor TV Exclusive on 'Taliban Palestine' Group Operating in Gaza Following are excerpts from a TV report on "Taliban Palestine", which aired on France 24 TV [via Youtube], on June 28, 2011: To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/3122.htm. Reporter (Salama Atallah): "We did not go the caves of Afghanistan or to the mountains of Pakistan in order to meet a Taliban group. We are in Gaza. Reaching them is no easy task, as they are hiding from the Palestinians as well as from the Israelis. When you set your eyes upon a group in Gaza which calls itself 'Taliban Palestine,' in order to draw luck from its Afghan namesake, a stream of questions gushes forth in search for answers." To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5660.htm. To view this report, you must be a paying member of the Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor Project (JTTM). For membership information, send an email to jttmsubs@memri.org with "Membership" in the subject line. Indicted USS Cole Bomber Fahd Al-Quso Strongly Denies Association with Yemeni Regime Fahd Al-Quso The September 19, 2011 issue of the London-based daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi featured an interview with Fahed Al-Quso, a senior operative of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), wanted by the U.S. for involvement in the bombing of the USS Cole. Al-Quso discusses the situation in Yemen, as well as the ongoing clashes in the south of the country between government forces and a previously unknown jihad group called "Ansar Al-Shari'a," supposedly linked to Al-Qaeda. To read the full report, visit http://www.memrijttm.org/content/en/blog_personal.htm?id=5428&param=GJN. To view this report, you must be a paying member of the Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor Project (JTTM). For membership information, send an email to jttmsubs@memri.org with "Membership" in the subject line. Al-Gama'a Al-Islamiyya: If the U.S. Vetoes the Palestinian U.N. Bid, It Will Endanger Its Embassies Dr. Tareq Al-Zumar, official spokesman for Al-Gama'a Al-Islamiyya's Shura Council, threatened that a U.S. veto of the Palestinians' bid for recognition of statehood in the U.N. Security Council next week would endanger U.S. interests and embassies in the Arab states: "Following the Arab spring, the U.S. must take up a positive stance vis-à-vis the issue of Palestine, because if it insists on maintaining its previous stance, this will threaten its embassies and perhaps even lead to a repeat of the tragic events that took place two weeks ago at the embassy of the Zionist entity in Cairo." To read the full report, visit http://www.memrijttm.org/content/en/blog_personal.htm?id=5424&param=GJN. To view this report, you must be a paying member of the Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor Project (JTTM). For membership information, send an email to jttmsubs@memri.org with "Membership" in the subject line.