Middle East Updates / EU pledges aid refugees fleeing Islamic State in north Iraq

Haaretz's latest analyses on the Middle East: Change of Iraq guard: A new chance against Islamists (Zvi Bar'el) | Why the West intervenes in Iraq but not Syria (Zvi Bar'e| Islamic State draws heat from Israel - but not for long (Amos Harel) | Islamic State may spell demise for Iraq's beautiful minorities (Ilene Prusher) | Erdogan's victory in Turkey comes at a heavy price (Louis Fishman)

See Monday's Middle East Updates.

00:35 A.M. United States President Barack Obama has welcomed the nomination of Iraqi politician Haider al-Ibadi as prime minister-elect, describing it as a 'promising step forward' in addressing the needs of all Iraqis.Speaking to reporters from Massachusetts island of Martha's Vineyard, where he is vacationing with his family, Obama said that both he and Vice-President Joe Biden had spoken on the phone with Al-Ibadi and urged the timely creation of an inclusive Iraqi government.The president also said that U.S. forces had successfully carried out airstrikes against Islamist militants in northern Iraq and had stepped up military advice to Iraqis and Kurds.The U.S. launched an air campaign this week to block the advance of jihadist Islamic State rebels who have taken over much of the north of Iraq and are advancing on Kurdish positions in the east.The U.S. is working with international partners to bring refugees from the Islamic advance to safety, the president said. Thousands of refugees have been stranded on a mountain in the far north of the country for the past week. He promised American assistance in helping Iraq cope with its enormous humanitarian challenges.

8:46 P.M. Britain has proposed a UN resolution aimed at punishing recruitment and financing of fighters for the Islamic State militant group now controlling a swath of Syria and Iraq and all other terrorist groups associated with al-Qaida.

The early draft, obtained Monday by , demands that 'all foreign terrorist fighters' withdraw immediately.

It expresses the Security Council's readiness to impose sanctions on those recruiting, supporting and fighting for terrorist groups.

The draft deplores the terrorist acts and extremist ideology of the Islamic State group and stresses that 'widespread or systematic attacks directed against any civilian populations because of their ethnic background, religion or belief may constitute a crime against humanity.'

Council diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because consultations are closed, said experts would discuss the draft on Monday. (AP)

8:26 P.M. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday welcomed what he described as 'the forward movement toward government formation in Iraq' and praised the Iraqi president's decision to ask Haidar al-Abadi to form a new cabinet, the United Nations said.

'He encourages Dr. al-Abadi, Prime Minister-designate, to form a broad-based government acceptable to all components of Iraqi society,' U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

Dujarric said Ban worries that the increased political tensions coupled with the threat posed by the military offensive of Islamic State militants 'could lead the country into even deeper crisis.' (Reuters)

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