Turkey and West Asia

Focus on International Relations - Book One (Turkey, Palestine, West Asia)

Chapters

Turkey, Arab League welcome UN resolution rejecting Trump’s Jerusalem gimmick!

-Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal

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On December 20, the UN General Assembly convened to debate US president Trumps’ foolish decision to recognize Jerusalem as new capital of Israel, adopted a document by 128-9 vote, with 35 abstentions. Those 9 countries include USA and Israel and other 7 nations are very small to make any difference and they are the regular recipient of US aid including terror goods.

The resolution condemns both US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel as well as Washington's decision to move its embassy to the ancient city. UN asks Trump to understand the opinions of majority of UN members especially those that boycotted the voting that indirectly support Palestine cause. The resolution demanded that all the states not to recognize any actions or measures that contradict the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council. A growing number of countries refused to participate in this theater of the absurd, created by Trumps’ racist action. UK has already clearly deviated from the US line of action on Palestine.

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President Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital on December 6 (the historic date in India when the Historic Babri Mosque was destroyed by Hindutva criminals), has led to widespread condemnation from Palestinians and within the Arab and Muslim world, and criticism from the many of US's own European allies.

President Trump threatened to withhold US aid to countries that voted in favor of the General Assembly resolution but stopped short of warning that US contributions to the United Nations itself would also be at stake.

US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said before the vote to those at the meeting that Washington, the largest contributor to the international body, will remember the voting day.

The UN General Assembly meets for another session to discuss Jerusalem's status. According to UN sources, the body's Palestinian envoy hopes that the Assembly will draft a resolution that urges the USA to retreat from its notoriously racist decision.

Illegal annexation plan On 06 December- the anniversary day of destruction of historic Babri Mosque by the fanatic sections of Indian Hindus seeking votes of Hindus community and power- Trump announced his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and instructed the State Department to launch the process of moving the US Embassy to “American Jerusalem�, from Nuke capital Tel Aviv, to Jerusalem.

The unilateral step has prompted criticism from a number of states, first and foremost in the Middle East and Palestine, and triggered a wave of protests in the region. Europeans have condemned the US action as unilateral.

Trump announced his decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and ordered the Department of State to take steps to relocate the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The move has caused a backlash from the international community, with Palestinian officials calling it a provocation and President Trump's biggest mistake.

Jerusalem as well as Palestine is controlled by Israeli military and police. The Israeli government considers all of Jerusalem its capital, while the Palestinians hope that east Jerusalem will be the capital of a future Palestinian state.

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Israel is wildly powerful venom being injected into the veins US and European leaders. Since these westerners are essentially anti-Islamic by outlook, Trump and his fellow fanatic Netanyahu thought they could fool the Europeans on annexing historic Jerusalem for misuse by Israeli regime pursuing fascist policies in the ME region.

US President cannot be a close friend of a Zionist criminal leader and “issue” Jerusalem to him as a New Year gift. Instead he could offer New York or even Washington to him as gift for his completing one year as US president.

World has no objections.

US coercive aid policy Speaking at a cabinet meeting in Washington, Trump vowed to cut US aid to any nation that votes against the USA. The president complained that some of the US's partners receive hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars, "and then they vote against us at the Security Council or…potentially, at the Assembly…Well, we're watching those votes. Let them vote against us; we'll save a lot. We don't care," he said.

Over the weekend, a number of pro-Zionist US media outlets reported that Trump is going to deliver a speech on Wednesday in which he will recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital but they did not criticize the action. .

Israel hates Palestine and UN Resolution Zionist fanatic PM Benjamin Netanyahu's office said following the vote that Tel Aviv refuses to accept the UNGA's decision, but notes with satisfaction that at least 8 countries supported the Jewish state at UN. On the eve of the UNGA vote, US Trump threatened to halt financial assistance to all countries that would support the General Assembly's resolution on Jerusalem.

Israel asked the European powers to support its Jerusalem case and support Trump’s plan. Netanyahu, as before, went all the way to Europe to address the EU summit and, as usual, tried to be smart in front of European with his neat suit but dirty mind and stony heart, asking the EU members to follow the Trump’s path.

But EU members flatly refused to oblige both Netanyahu and Trump. UK is the main nation to oppose Trump-Netanyahu nexus.

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Trump has put his country in shame.

Turkey questions Trump’s authority over Jerusalem: “Who are you Mr. Trump to decide the status of Jerusalem?”

Earlier, the resolution was supported by the Security Council's 14 other members, including its four other permanent members. Ankara condemned it as US madness.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict over Jerusalem dates back to 1967 when Israelis seized the eastern part of the city during the Six Day War. However, the international community does not recognize this annexation, calling the dispute one of the key obstacles on the path to peace in the region.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan refused to cave to Washington's threat to cut aid to countries that vote against the US over its Jerusalem move at the UN General Assembly, saying that he expects the world to teach Washington "a very good lesson" over its decision to recognize the city as Israel's capital.

"Mr. Trump, you cannot buy Turkey's democratic will with your dollars," Erdogan said in a speech televised in Ankara on Thursday. "I hope and expect the United States won't get the result it expects at the UN, and tha the world will give a very good lesson to the United States," the Turkish president added.

In his Thursday speech, Erdogan defied Trump's threats and called on the international community to do the same. "I am calling on the whole world: never sell your democratic will in return for petty dollars," he said.

Turkey has emerged as one of the fiercest critics of Washington's Jerusalem decision and has repeatedly reiterated its commitment to support the Palestinians, both at the UN and other international venues, including the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Last week, Erdogan declared that the "day is close" when Turkey would open an embassy in East Jerusalem.

In response to Trump's Jerusalem move, the OIC declared East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital and urged the UN Security Council to annul the US decision. Washington earlier vetoed a Security Council resolution aimed at legally voiding any unilateral decisions on the status of the multi-ethnic, multi-confessional city.

Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is a thoroughgoing Muslim Brotherhood adherent, and has been since he first entered politics. US4

Turkey relations brought in Israel as military coalition partner. In the annual international gathering at Davos that year, Erdogan could not restrain himself. Rounding on Israeli President Shimon Peres, Erdogan called the Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip a “crime against humanity” and “barbaric.”

Despite his Islamist views, he made an official visit to Israel in 2005 to be feted by Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon who undertook a massive decision to free Gaza Strip form Zionist military control. However it was not long before the previously close relations between Turkey and Israel began to sour. The turning point came in 2009, with the first conflict between Israel and Hamas, which had seized power in the Gaza strip and had been firing rockets indiscriminately into Israel.

Turkey's Foreign Ministry has condemned Israel's "excessive" and "disproportionate" use of force against Palestinians protesting the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. In a statement published Saturday, the ministry said Turkey felt "huge sadness and worry" after four people were killed and hundreds injured in Israeli law enforcement's intervention on Palestinians protesting in the "occupied lands."

The statement said the US decision stood contrary to international law and United Nations resolutions on the status of Jerusalem.

Turkey has strongly denounced President Donald Trump's announcement, calling it a "red line" and moved to convene the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in an extraordinary congress Wednesday. Turkey's president has called on Muslims to remain calm in their response to the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said protesters should act within the scope of law and democracy.

Erdogan called Jerusalem "the apple of our eyes" and the "red line" of the Muslim world. "The fate of Jerusalem cannot be left to an occupying state that usurped Palestinians' lands since 1967 with no regard to law or morality."

Arab world meet On 09 December 2017, the Arab League held an emergency meeting in Cairo over the US Jerusalem decision. The League chief Ahmed Aboul-Gheit said: "The decision amounts to the legalization of occupation."

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The Arab League chief has called on world nations to recognize the State of Palestine with east Jerusalem as its capital in response to President Donald Trump's decision to recognize the holy city as Israel's capital.Ahmed AboulGheit, speaking at the start of an emergency meeting of Arab League foreign ministers, said Trump's decision "condemned" the country that took it and the administration that passed it.

The decision, he said, raises a question mark over Washington's role as a peace mediator, not just in the Middle East but in the entire world. "The decision amounts to the legalization of occupation," said Aboul-Gheit, alluding to the occupation and later annexation of east Jerusalem by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war.

The Arab League meeting brought together foreign ministers from its member-states took place as protests continued in the illegally-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Hundreds of worshippers protested Trump's decision after Friday prayers at Al-Azhar mosque in Egypt, but security forces prevented them from marching to the city centre.

Addressing the Cairo meeting, both Aboul-Gheit and Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al Maliki called on world nations to recognise the State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital in response to Trump's decision.

The head of Egypt's largest Christian church also announced that he would not meet US Vice President Mike Pence when the latter visits Cairo on December 20, mirroring a decision made on Friday by the country's top Muslim cleric.

In anticipation of Trump’s possible annexation of Jerusalem for Israel, Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki asked the heads of the Arab League and Organization of Islamic Cooperation to host emergency meetings over Donald Trump possibly recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Maliki called for holding meetings of the Arab League and Organization of Islamic Cooperation on the level of permanent representatives to discuss the imminent dangers facing Jerusalem and the holy sites.

Arab foreign ministers urged the United States to abandon its decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, saying the move would increase violence throughout the region. The announcement by US President Donald Trump was a "dangerous violation of international law" and had no legal impact, the Arab League said in a statement after several hours of meetings attended by all its members in Cairo.

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The Arab League chief has called on world nations to recognize the State of Palestine with east Jerusalem as its capital in response to President Donald Trump's decision to recognize the holy city as Israel's capital. Ahmed AboulGheit, speaking Saturday at the start of an emergency meeting of Arab League foreign ministers, said Trump's decision "condemned" the country that took it and the administration that passed it.

The decision, he said, raises a question mark over Washington's role as a peace mediator, not just in the Middle East but in the entire world. "The decision amounts to the legalization of occupation," said Aboul-Gheit, alluding to the occupation and later annexation of east Jerusalem by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war.

Arab foreign ministers are arriving in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, to attend an emergency meeting to formulate a unified response to President Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The ministerial meeting brings together foreign ministers from Arab League member-states and is scheduled to open in Cairo later on Saturday. The meeting takes place amid a wave of anger at the U.S. leader's decision, which sparked three days of street protests in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

In Cairo, the heads of the largest Christian church and the Al-Azhar, the world's top seat of learning for Sunni Muslims, have announced they would not meet US Vice President Mike Pence when he visits Cairo Dec. 20.

Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters have demonstrated in Paris against the imminent arrival of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Hundreds also protested Trump's decision at Al-Azhar mosque on Friday. The protest organizers say Netanyahu's visit Sunday to meet French President Emmanuel Macron is not welcome — especially following this week's declaration by US President Donald Trump that Jerusalem is Israel's capital city. Macron called the decision "regrettable."

Tensions grew at the Place de la Republique demonstration when pro-Israeli protestors approached the rally brandishing Israeli and US flags. The police separated both groups and no further incidents were reported. The rally was organized by a broad coalition of associations.

Protests in Gaza and the West Bank have led to clashes. Demonstrations in Turkey continue Saturday. Hundreds of women belonging to Pakistan's main Islamist party have rallied in the country's biggest city against U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Wearing all-encompassing black veils, the protesters Saturday chanted anti-Trump and anti-US slogans and held banners and placards.

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Hundreds of Palestinians and their supporters have rallied in Rome to protest US President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the American Embassy there.

The protest outside the US Embassy in Rome also drew American citizens.

Some Italian demonstrators expressed dismay that fascist NATO member Italy's top cycling race Giro d'Italia" will start next year in Jerusalem. The protesters held Palestinian flags, and some shouted slogans against Israel.

One participant held a sign reading, "Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the State of Palestine."

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas refused to acknowledge Washington's decision and said that it ended any positive US role in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Commenting on the UN's decision, PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas said Palestine enjoys the support of international community, and "no decisions made by any side could change the reality, that Jerusalem is an occupied territory under international law‌.We will continue our efforts at the UN and all international forums to put an end to this occupation and to establish our Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital".

Palestine would continue to actively pursue the legitimate full membership of UN through legal means and bring the Jewish criminals to justice at ICJ and ICC. .

That is right Jerusalem belongs to Palestine. God has not transferred Palestine or Jerusalem to Zionist criminal regime as Jews falsely claim to annex it. Israel cannot use Jerusalem as a colony to build and proliferate illegal settlements there as well for criminal Jews.

UN should declare Jerusalem and independent entity American unilateralism is unique as the president coerces other allies to fall in line. The USA depends entirely on the power of its UN veto for forcing entire world fall in line and threatening other nations that do not obey and oblige Washington.

The veto system is fully as one veto member, like the USA, can decide every decision of the UN and UNSC and impose its will on the world. USA has misused its veto for shielding the Zionist crimes for so many years of existence of Israel in West Asia.

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Veto system is extremely harmful in a world which moving towards greater democracy and freedoms. How can one power is able to impose its own will on UNSC? UN veto must be removed. Or, alternatively, majority of veto members should be taken to pass or fail a resolution. In that case, USA would have lost his veto as majority of UNSC would have adopted the resolution criticizing Trumps Jerusalem gimmick.

How can USA take a unilateral decision on Jerusalem which does not belong to it or to Israel?

There should a limit to US nonsense.

Trump's foolish announcement on Jerusalem as his major achievement during the first year of rule as Jewish capital to keep the Jewish fund givers for his poll campaign happy and his intention to move the US Embassy there, triggered denunciations from around the world, with even close allies suggesting he had needlessly stirred more conflict in an already volatile region.

The city's status lies at the core of the Israeli-Palestinians conflict, and Trump's move was widely perceived as siding with Israel. Even small crises over Jerusalem's status and that of the holy sites in its ancient Old City have sparked deadly bloodshed in the past.

While hatred and rejection of Israel by the world dominated international relations, today the USA is also hated by the humanity as Zionist Trump has openly joined ultra fanatic and criminal Netanyahu who killed Palestinians particularly children to make Jews happy.

Preservation of Jerusalem's status as a special territory under UN control would make it a safe and secure place.

One thing is indeed noteworthy about unity of Muslim nations- big and small expressing solidarity for the cause of Palestinians and against TrumpNetanyahu’s Jerusalem gimmick. Never before in the history of Palestine had the entire Islamic world stood up in defending the rights of people of Palestine. Also, now even the European powers led by UK are also backing the genuine cause of besieged Palestinians.

Victory shall be for Palestinians and other nations fighting against fascist oppressions and the colonialist yokes and equally for sovereignty from the occupiers to live with dignity!

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Palestine firm for full UN membership, Kuwait seeks UNSC member ship for Palestine!

-Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal

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Continued state terror operations of Israeli regime have not stopped the besieged Palestinians from obtaining by legal means defacto statehood from UN, in spite of stiff opposition and vote against it at UN by Israel and its fascist master USA. Now Palestine is a recognized state. USA and Israel would not recognize it in a hurry but only later they would do as Palestine is not a big economic power though USA encourages Israel to kill the Palestinians and confiscate their remaining lands as part of Zionist expansionism in Middle East .

Clearly, Palestinians whose lands USA and UK jointly misappropriated for Israel with the backing of UNSC are on track in making a soverign home for themselves to enjoy life as free citizens without fear of any state gang of terrorists or US-Israeli provocative aggression or terror attacks on the people and lands on a regular basis.

Now Palestinians have got the defacto UN membership against the will of super power and its secret fascist ally Israel but when it obtains full membership it would enjoy full freedoms and a clear cut soverign nation with marked territories in due course.

USA-Israeli twins have begun a dirty trick with Arabs by Trump’s unilateral announcement of confiscating Jerusalem for Israeli use as its new capital a as if Tel Aviv is not enough to store all terror goods, including the nukes it got illegally from USA. 10

Both USA and Israel, having exposed themselves as rogue states in modern world, got isolated by the recent UN vote against their joint effort to take away Jerusalem from Palestinians which is a holy place for Muslims, are still opposed to Palestine emerging as a full membership of UN , but however, they can do nothing to deny Palestine full UN membership, except one last minor prolongation to stop the besieged Palestinians to become a soverign nation.

Turkey, European states, Arab nations, among others have quashed Trumps Jerusalem gimmicks by a UN vote with a clear victory for Palestine. On Dec. 21, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on the status of Jerusalem to declare Trump's decision on Jerusalem "null and void". At a rare emergency special session, the draft resolution was adopted 128-9 with 35 abstentions.

In spite of Washington's coercive and pressure tactics and threats of reprisals, UN member countries overwhelmingly voted against US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.

Earlier this month, the adviser to Palestinian President for Foreign Affairs, Nabil Shaath, was quoted in online media reports as saying that the request for full UN membership would be made in January 2018.

World celebrated victory in the recent voting of the UN General Assembly resolution against Trumps’ attempt to take away Jerusalem and result was a huge victory for Palestine and big failure for the USA and its clear biased policy toward Israel.

The US decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move its embassy to the holy city is being strongly protested. The decision violates several UNSC resolutions on Palestine as well as international laws and norms, Sheikh Sabah added. "The decision, if implemented, will crush all 11

hopes for peace in the Middle East and it will be a direct slap toward the Arab peace initiative," he said.

Participants from the two sides a symposium was held by China from Dec. 21 to 22 also agreed that the international community should support the revival of Palestine-Israel peace process and enact a series of political and economic incentives, according to a document from the symposium. They praised China for offering a communication platform for them. "As a responsible country and a common friend of both Palestine and Israel, China is willing to continue to make contributions to an early realization of Palestine-Israel peace," Wang said.

Meeting with the attendees at the symposium, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, said the two sides affirmed that a "two state solution" is the only viable option to resolve the issue. Palestinian and Israeli peace advocates reached a series of consensus to promote the settlement of the PalestineIsrael issue at a peace symposium.

However, nothing seems to force Israel to end crimes against humanity and it continues to harass, kill and terrorize the Palestinians in all possible ways.

The USA under a foolishly fanatic Trump on December 18 terror vetoed a UNSC draft resolution on the status of Jerusalem. The US veto of the UNSC resolution condemning its Jerusalem decision was a clear indication of the world's disapproval of the decision and imperialist mindset of USA and unilateral approach to world politics.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said that Palestine will request full United Nations membership soon. World hopes the USA would reconsider the situation and back down from this unjust policy.

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Palestinian resistance 12

Palestinians valiantly resisted the oppressive tactics and intermittent terror attacks on them. Israel and USA imposed all sort sof restrictions on their movements inside the Palestine and denied permission to out of their country even for medical purposes. No leader or realer of any country is allowed to visit Palestine, especially Gaza Strip for whatever reasons and Israel refuses visas for Muslims to visit Palestine.

Israel systematically reduces population of Palestine and make the youth and children suffer.

Israel targets the youth, minors and children to kill and disable them so that Palestinians know it is impossible to protest against the occupation forces of Israel because USA back every brutality the Zionist regime commits against the humanity.

Since President Donald Trump’s recognition this month of Occupied Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, Israeli soldiers have cracked down on Palestinians resistance protests outside the hotel’s gates. The Jacir Palace Hotel, a luxury inn in the West Bank city of Bethlehem in West Bank along a stretch of road that has become a main flash point for protests, only yards away from Israel’s 26-foot-tall concrete barrier separating Bethlehem from Occupied Jerusalem. The clashes have simmered on Bethlehem, like the rest of the Palestinian territories, seemed suspended in a kind of limbo. With residents neither basking in seasonal cheer on Christmas nor raging in the throes of a new intifada, the popular mood in the city was more one of hopeless resignation.

Many Palestinians in Bethlehem described their own leadership as feckless and confrontation with the Israelis as futile thus far as it has huge arsenals of terror goods and WMD from USA. . . “It’s been sold,” Abu Sabaiyya’s cynicism echoed a widespread sentiment as he stared out at the separation wall adorned with graffiti, including a recent addition: an image of Trump 13

wearing a black Jewish skullcap. Yet, despite the dire predictions of major turmoil, and the best efforts of both Fatah and Hamas to mobilize the masses, so far there has been no large-scale, spontaneous outburst of violence, a new intifada in the wake of the US president’s declaration.

A few thousand protesters have turned out at familiar friction points in the West Bank or along the Gaza border on the designated “Days of Rage” called for by the political factions. “But there are never any results.”

Many Palestinians disillusioned with almost ‘futility’ of continued struggle losing lives on a regular basis because of Zionist firing and attacks, now view the confrontations with Israeli soldiers as pointless since they also consider the Jerusalem declaration unlikely to be reversed by unilateral USA as Israel keeps hanging around its neck. This is exactly what USA and Israel sought. These people are lucky enough to have decent jobs do not want to jeopardize their livelihoods and regular incomes and Israel uses these people to play mischief with PLO..

Real Palestinians struggling to make ends meet seem to have more immediate concerns than throwing stones at Israeli soldiers just like Kashmiris do with Indian terror forces that keep attacking them and enacting fake encounters to silence the freedom Kashmiris.

The deputy leader of Fatah, Mahmoud Aloul, recently declared the Oslo peace accords with Israel to be over and said that all forms of resistance were legitimate. “Trump’s announcement ruined everything,” Skakiyeh said, adding that he still had to purchase milk and diapers on his way home.

Ibrahim Skakiyeh, 28 is a father of two from Ramallah, was out hawking red Santa hats and selfie sticks in Manger Square, near the Church of the Nativity, venerated as the traditional birthplace of Jesus. “All on loan,” he added.

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In a recent survey, 70 per cent of Palestinians said that President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority should resign. In a Christmas message Friday, Abbas said that Trump’s decision had “encouraged the illegal disconnection between the holy cities of Bethlehem and Jerusalem.”

The sentiment in Gaza is not much different. “I only throw stones. I have no gun in my hand,” Mohammad Abu Salah, 24 said, during a clash with Israeli soldiers at the Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip, while ducking the clouds of tear gas.

Analysts have still not discounted the possibility of a larger flare-up in Gaza and West Bank. . Since Trump’s declaration, at least 11 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire.

Detentions and ill-treatment of minors

According to DCIP's report, there was also a significant uptick in children being put under Israeli military detention since the latest wave of protests erupted. Eqtaish said 77 Palestinian minors arrived at Israel's Ofer military prison, located in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, in the first 19 days of December, compared with 35 in all of November. "The majority of cases we document involves the ill-treatment, sometimes amounting to torture, of Palestinian minors and their denial of basic, fair trial rights in Israel's military court system," said Eqtaish.

One prominent case that received widespread attention was that of Fawzi alJunaidi. A photo showing the 16-year-old blindfolded and being dragged by more than 20 soldiers in Hebron went viral, and became a symbol for Israel's use of excessive force on Palestinians. Junaidi, who is now facing 15

charges of throwing stones, was arrested a few days after protests broke out.

Mohammed, Fawzi's father, said family was finally able to speak to him on Friday, and said his son had been "tortured a lot".Fawzi told a DCIP lawyer he was "repeatedly beaten and verbally abused" for almost two hours.

"When I arrived at the checkpoint I remember my face bleeding, mostly my lips because of the beating. They took me to a room, knocked me down to the floor, and began kicking me all over my body," Fawzi told the group.

According to its report, out of 520 cases of Palestinian children being detained by Israel between 2012 and 2016, 72 percent experienced physical violence and 66 percent "faced verbal abuse and humiliation". Ahed Tamimi, Mohammed Tamimi's 16-year-old cousin, was also detained in an overnight raid on her home on December 19, followed by her mother and cousin.

About 45 percent of all children are detained during night raids.

Israel's detention and ill-treatment of Palestinian minors often rupture the cohesion of Palestinian families. Fawzi started working after school at age 11 to help his family, after his father sustained a leg injury that left him disabled and his mother developed a terminal illness.

Last year, he dropped out of school completely. "Fawzi breathed life into our family. He sacrificed his schooling and much of his life so that we could continue as a family," said Mohammed al-Junaidi."He is suffering so much now. They hurt him. I feel so sad for him, but I can't do anything for him.

We have no choice but to rely on God's mercy."

According to the UN, Palestinians experience an almost 100 percent conviction rate in Israel's military courts. As of November, 311 Palestinian children were being held in Israeli prisons, according to Palestinian prisoners' rights group Addameer.

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Blood sucking Israeli state terrorists According to the UN, at least 345 Palestinian children were injured between December 5 and -18 December in the wake of Trump's declaration. A separate tally by the Palestinian Red Crescent said that nearly 3,600 Palestinians were injured during protests, 729 of whom were wounded with rubber bullets and at least 192 by live rounds.

Speaking to media, Ayed Abu Eqtaish, DCIP's accountability program director, said the most worrying aspect of Israel's crackdown on recent protests was its "misuse of so-called less lethal crowd-control weapons".

These include rubber bullets, sponge bullets and tear gas.

In its report, the DCIP documented two cases in which a Palestinian minor was seriously injured by a rubber bullet. The first one is about a 15-year-old, identified by DCIP as Qassem K, who was shot with a rubber bullet during clashes in Nablus on December 20. The bullet fractured his skull, resulting in a "critical" injury, the group said.

Mohammed Tamimi was the second serious case. DCIP said the bullet caused "severe bleeding in his brain" before being removed after two operations.

Following the initial shock, the teen's family is now calmer. "The doctors say he is getting better," said Fadel, adding that Mohammed had begun to eat and drink. "His situation was so bad that my wife and I did not believe we would receive any good news about his condition. But I am so thankful that we did not lose him."

The use of rubber bullets as a crowd-control weapon was abandoned in Israel and Jerusalem more than a decade ago, after an investigation into the killings of at least 12 Palestinian citizens of Israel in 2000. They were replaced by sponge-tipped, plastic bullets. However, the use of both rubber and plastic ammunition has been criticised by rights groups for causing serious injuries and deaths.

In the occupied West Bank, meanwhile, Israeli forces continue to use rubber bullets, despite banning them in Israel and Jerusalem. Eqtaish, of DCIP, said Israeli forces often violate their own regulations on these weapons by shooting Palestinians at close-range and above the waist, which "leads to serious, sometimes permanent, injuries and may even result in death".

According to the group's report, two 14-year-old Palestinians were also severely wounded by Israeli forces in the besieged Gaza Strip after they 17

were shot in the head with a tear gas canister. One of the teens, Mohammed al-Farani, experienced internal bleeding in his brain and doctors were forced to remove his right eye. "It was so painful, I don't know how to describe it.

There was a lot of blood running down my face," Farani was quoted by DCIP as saying.

While Eqtaish said that Israel has typically relied on "crowd-control weapons" to quash protests over Trump's controversial move, at least three Palestinian children were also injured by live ammunition. Two of these children were shot in the face, the report said, with one 16-year-old suffering "skull fractures and vision loss" after being shot above his right eye.

Eqtaish said the group was "deeply concerned" about Israel's "excessive use of force employed by trigger-happy Israeli soldiers", adding that these violations occur "in a climate of impunity that encourages such a heavyhanded approach". Without soldiers facing accountability, Israel "signals tacit approval for killing or seriously injuring children", said Eqtaish.

Rising Israeli abuse against Palestinian minors Palestinians were protesting against Trump’s Jerusalem fanaticism during last week's protests in Nabi Saleh. The situation in Bethlehem of West Bank where the Israeli forces were attacking the people of Palestine in its usual brutal way was very so horrible. The bullet entered the face of Fadel Tamimi’s 15-year-old son, Palestinian minor Mohammed face below his nose, breaking his jaw before getting lodged in his skull. After undergoing a complex surgery, he was placed in a medically-induced coma. Seventy hours later, Mohammed woke up. ""I met him at the hospital after he was injured.

My wife fainted three times repeatedly when she saw him," Tamimi told the media. We didn't think he would make it. I felt like I had lost my son," said Fadel.

Mohammed is one of at least seven Palestinian minors to have suffered serious injuries by Israeli forces since protests broke out across the occupied Palestinian territories, following a US decision earlier this month to formally recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, according to a new report by Defense for Children International - Palestine (DCIP).

Since US President Donald Trump's announcement on December 6, the group has also documented a spike in military detentions of Palestinian children, with the number of minors held in one Ramallah-based detention centre more than doubling compared with the previous month.

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UNSC seat for Palestine

On June 2, the UN General Assembly elected Cote d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Kuwait, Poland and Peru as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council to serve a two-year term starting Jan. 1, 2018.

Kuwait expressed its eagerness to make the new member of UN Palestine a UNSC member and said that it will highlight the Palestinian cause during its tenure as a non-permanent member of United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The remarks were made by Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad AlSabah, Kuwaiti deputy prime minister and minister of Foreign Affairs, during his participation at the regular session of the Kuwaiti National Assembly.

A seat on UNSC for Palestine would be a fitting honor to a nation that fought for centuries and sacrifices thousands of lives in the process as Israeli military kept on killing the Palestinians as its key state Zionist policy.

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Saudi Arabia’s hatred for Iran and love for petro dollars: Role of Turkey in the future of Palestine!

The fundamental difference between Turkey and Saudi Arabia in relation to the establishment of Palestine is while the former is all out to get the much delayed establishment of Palestine state as quickly as possible; Saudi Arabia is o slow peddling by following American footsteps and taking the USA into confidence. It should be noted that Turkey as an important NATO member had been a close ally of both USA and its secret Israel, conducting joint operations across the globe and regular joint military exercise but later it

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realized the realpolitics if Israel and began working to help the besieged Palestinians sincerely and honestly.

Turkey could have continued its military ties with Israel but as the only Islamist nation on earth with an Islamist party AKP ruling the former Ottoman Empire it organized a aidship voyage to Gaza strip to breach the Zionist terror blockade. Israel promptly attacked the Marmara aidship, killing many on bard. That brought about the collapse of years’ long relationship between Turkey and Israel and notwithstanding all efforts of Israel and USA, Turkey has refuses to be an ally of Israel again. .

For Turkey and its president Erdogan, Islam is much more than Israel and willingly antagonized that military nation in favor of security and prosperity of Palestinians.

President Donald Trump’s Dec. 6 decision on Jerusalem is considered in Ramallah to be a major setback for what was until now a potential diplomatic track toward Palestinian statehood. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was in contact with the Arab League and personally addressed the summit of Muslim leaders in Istanbul on Dec. 13, expressing his concerns and anger over the US decision. But realists in the Palestinian leadership understand that, so far, these reactions were only of rhetorical value. Abbas has little leverage.

The Saudis who have respect for petrodollars and less sympathy for Palestinians who are being killed by USA and Israel for the for the cause of Palestine State, were irritated by the harsh anti-American tone adopted at the Istanbul conference, which was chaired by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in the presence of Iranian leadership.

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Trump’s Jewish son in law has been in touch with Arab leaders even before Trump took over the White House to promote Zionism and Israeli criminal state.

After the Gulf meeting over Jerusalem in Istanbul, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman invited Abbas to Saudi Arabia to make him proSaudi and pro-US leader. Abbas is very open to the advice of the crown prince and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al­Sisi.

Two weeks ago, just a day after the Jerusalem proclamation, the Saudi leader met with a group of American foreign policy analysts who came to Riyadh. According to one of the participants, the prince hardly mentioned the proclamation in his comments, except to reiterate the Saudi position on East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital. The king was outspokenly proAmerican, and he did not rule out cooperation with Israel once a solution to the Palestinian issue is reached based on the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative.

The Saudi leadership traditionally believes in gradual progress, thus favoring a long-term interim agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, leading to Palestinian statehood. Israel has benefited from the poisonously slow peddling of Saudi and fake peace talks with the USA mediated for Israel.

Unfortunately, the enemy for Saudi Arabia is Iran, not Israel. And a strategic partnership with Washington is of prime interest keeping in view its long term interest. .

Egypt would like to see continued implementation of the Fatah-Hamas reconciliation agreement in order to curb Iranian influence in Gaza. Despite Trump’s Jerusalem declaration, Egypt, like Saudi Arabia, intends to maintain good relations with Washington.

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The Palestinian president conveyed to his counterparts in Cairo, Amman and Riyadh that any negotiations with Israel must be based on the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, including a state based on the 1967 lines with East Jerusalem as a capital Abbas stressed that given the Jerusalem declaration, the Palestinians will now insist that the first point to be addressed in any eventual negotiations will be borders, including the border between West and East Jerusalem, based on the 1967 lines.

On the issue of security arrangements for both sides, Abbas said that these must include regional participation, without an Israeli military presence in the Palestinian state, which would be demilitarized. Israel refuses to get disarmed in favor of stable peace in the region Abbas reiterated that the right of return of Palestinian refugees will be based on the Arab Peace Initiative principle, stipulating the necessity of a just and agreed­upon solution based on General Assembly Resolution 194. He also supported Israeli­Arab cooperation based on the Arab Peace Initiative, and he mentioned the necessity of major economic assistance for Palestinian state building.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is not known for his diplomatic diligence when it comes to criticizing in the name of Islam. For quite a while, Saudi Arabia was the only country around which Erdogan and his advocates treaded rather carefully. Even during the Qatar crisis in June, Erdogan directed his displeasure toward the United States and struggled to convince Saudi Arabia, without angering the kingdom, to end the crisis. Erdogan is keen Saudi Arabia is not seen as a trouble creator for Arab world, Iran and entire Islamic world. Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) are greeted everywhere he goes in the world, though the anti­Islamic media target him and his party.

On Nov. 9, speaking at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit on women’s entrepreneurship, President Erdogan targeted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s commitment to lead his country to "moderate Islam." There is nothing called Moderate or extremist in Islam. Islam is one but t enemies of Islam create wedge between Muslims though such gimmicks.

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The patent on the term ‘moderate Islam’ belongs to the West. Erdogan delivered a line he has said before: “Islam cannot be [classified] as moderate or immoderate.”

Saudi Arabia indeed accepts the agreement where Trump declares Jerusalem Israel's capital, making illegal settlements permanent and destroying the right of return for Palestinians. These are not unexpected from the crown prince.” it was in part the "bromance" between Prince Mohammed and Jared Kushner, Trump's Jewish son­ in­law and a senior adviser. When the [OIC] made the decision to recognize Palestine as a state, the Israeli intelligence minister invited Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Israel and declared him 'the leader of the Arab world.'

Burhanettin Duran argued that the Istanbul submit obliged Saudi Arabia to condemn Trump’s decision. He highlighted the alliance among Washington, Tel Aviv and Riyadh, sometimes adding in the UAE and Egypt as well. The piece emphasized Saudi mistakes in Lebanon and Yemen. Duran claims the leadership of the Muslim world has shifted to non­Arabs, particularly to Iran and Turkey.

The aggressive and high­risk rollers are in charge now in the kingdom, and that's against Turkish policies. Saudi Arabia along with the UAE openly supports the PKK with the justification of aiding forces against Iran.

Saudi Arabia’s allegedly anti­Iran policies in Yemen indeed strengthened Iran’s power in Yemen.

Qatar and Iran were pushed together. They [Saudis] caused Sunnis to lose power in Lebanon. So beyond all the talk, indeed, Saudis are pushing for the expansion of Iranian influence in the region. the Turkish political elite was silent about the legitimacy of Saudi Arabia in the Muslim world, but now voices are emerging to urge Erdogan to first reclaim Mecca and Medina (two holy cities of Islam in Saudi Arabia) from the Saudis. “Israel will keep winning in Jerusalem as long as we cannot save Mecca and Medina from the Saudis.”

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Observation Despite its almost desperate frustrations, the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah is still siding with the pragmatic Sunni states rather than the “Istanbul coalition,” which includes Iran. But while the Palestinian demands may be to a large degree accepted by Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, it is very unlikely that Washington will adopt anything close to these positions as Israel would never accept these as a basis for negotiations.

Clearly USA, Israel –and not Iran ­ have again emerged as the winner of all these intra­Sunni conflicts. These fascist nations want Turkey to spoil any solid basis of cooperation with Iran and burn all bridges with the Saudis and Gulf nations.

Turkey has shown it is fundamentally different form Saudi Arabia and Egypt and is proud to stand up for Jerusalem and for having the courage even to criticize Saudi Arabia directly

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Trump’s price for Jerusalem -Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal

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US President Donald Trump has overturned decades of American policy by recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Trump is catering to his domestic constituency, both evangelical Christians and the Jewish lobby. For several years, these groups have been putting pressure on successive presidents to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the American embassy there. In their election campaigns, both Bill Clinton and George Bush Jr had promised to do this. In the case of Trump, the difference is he has implemented the promise. Why has he done it? My own view is that his domestic base now is very narrow. Most Americans view his presidency as disastrous. The support that he has, he thought would consolidate that with a dramatic gesture.

Some say it was a fulfillment of a campaign promise by President Trump.

Others hint darkly that it was deal with the pro-Israel billionaire Sheldon Adelson who had donated $ 20 million for the Trump campaign.

Ramifications for the Israel-Palestine conflict When Trump was elected, he had said he would settle the Israel-Palestine conflict in the “deal of the century”. With the unilateral recognition of Jerusalem, it seems he has seriously compromised his own position of achieving an Israel-Palestine deal. But Trump hasn’t specified Jerusalem’s limits.

By and large, international opinion has accepted that West Jerusalem will be Israel’s capital. East Jerusalem is expected to be the capital of a viable Palestine state as and when it emerges. The formula that is used in Israel to describe Jerusalem is “unified Jerusalem”, which means East and West. The crucial point that needs to be noted is that Trump hasn’t referred to 25

Jerusalem as unified Jerusalem. He has projected himself as the friend of Israel but he has not conceded Israel’s position.

Israel will now be under tremendous pressure to participate in the peace process and ultimately make some concessions to Palestine, so that Trump can realize his deal of the century. Secondly, Trump hasn’t indicated when the embassy will shift. This means Trump has retained the option of shifting the US embassy only as part of the final settlement.

The international community accepts that there has to be a final settlement between Palestine and Israel which requires them to address three issues: Palestine must become a sovereign and a viable state (territory should be contiguous); the question of the refugees who were evicted from their homes in 1948, 1967 and 1973; status of Jerusalem. So, there has to be a final settlement where only the Palestinian and Israeli delegations will talk to each other. This is the global position. So, nothing actually has changed on the ground.

India’s response to this US decision “India’s position on Palestine is independent and consistent. It is shaped by our views and interests, and not determined by any third country.” New Delhi has reiterated India’s traditional position, that there must be a total two-state solution.

We have had bilateral relations since 1992. In these 25 years, our relationship has been very significant both in defence and technical cooperation. The scenario hasn’t changed. The perception that there has been a shift towards Israel is imaginary. Our relationship with Israel is on its own merits and the same holds true of our relations with Palestine. Our commitment to Palestine and its aspirations has not been diluted in any way.

Neither has our relationship with Arab nations.

West Asia for India’s strategic and energy needs First there is energy security. India gets 80% of its oil from this region.

Secondly, this region is very important for trade. Thirdly, investment wise it is important. Moreover, the presence of our community in this region makes it vital for us. Besides, India has a large number of extremely important connectivity projects in this region – from Chabahar to Afghanistan to Central Asia and to Russia. More importantly, New Delhi has reasons to be concerned about the regional politics, particularly with regard to the rise of extremism and terrorism and the fear that some of these terrorists might 26

entice our communities to become extremists. So India’s long term interests are directly related to the security and stability of the region.

India must play a proactive role in promoting security in the West Asian region. Indian diplomacy should spread outside the confines of South Asia – and assume the responsibility to promote dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

On December 19, the US vetoed a resolution in the UN Security Council calling on Trump to withdraw his recognition. All other 14 members including UK and France supported the resolution.

Then on December 21, came a stronger rebuke when the UN General Assembly passed a resolution denouncing the US move. As many as 128 countries voted for the resolution with just 9 including the US opposing and 35 abstentions. India came through, as one of those who supported the resolution.

The ideological Modi government puts much store on its relations with Israel.

In his visit there earlier this year, Modi pointedly refused to visit Ramallah, the capital of Palestine. On December 7, the official spokesman issued a bland statement that "India's position on Palestine is independent and consistent... and not determined by any third country."

It was indeed, something of a surprise when India voted along traditional lines in support of Palestine. Perhaps it did so following the lobbying by Arab ambassadors or maybe, it was an outcome of a careful calculation of national interests trumping ideology.

It would, of course, have been embarrassing to have been in the list of those supporting the US—two Central American countries and Palau, Togo, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands, and Israel.

Indian interests in the Persian Gulf region are paramount. That is from where we get 70 per cent of our oil, and where 7 million of our citizens labor and send back remittances of around $35 billion per annum, three times more than the rich NRIs send from the USA. Modi's own diplomacy has added another dimension to the relationship. The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority has put $ 1billion into the special HDFC affordable housing scheme, $1billion in the NIIF and $300 million in in a 27

renewable energy project, all in this year.

The stinging rebuke to the US on Jerusalem has come at a time when Washington has been criticising countries that it says do not want a "rule based international order" such as s Russia which grabbed Crimea and China which has trashed the UNCLOS. Yet, the US, which has itself not ratified the UNCLOS, has no hesitation in taking a decision which shreds the international law on Jerusalem. As of today, the legal position is that East Jerusalem is part of occupied Palestinian territory. There are seven operative UNSC resolutions condemning the attempted annexation of East Jerusalem

by Israel. The US has abstained on most of them.

As the global hegemon with superpower status and backing of NATO terror organization, the USA can get away with a lot .

Trump has retained the option of shifting the US embassy to Jerusalem only as part of the final Israel-Palestine settlement

Turkey’s defense of Islamic world Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is a thoroughgoing Muslim Brotherhood adherent, and has been since he first entered politics. His commitment to Islam is entirely absolute and has proved it when he swore the profitable ties with Israel and because of that Turkey’s relations with USA, a close secret ally of Zionist regime, also slightly got diluted.

Erdogan emerged from the Mavi Marmara episode with greatly enhanced prestige both domestically and more widely in the Muslim world. Now he is again seizing the initiative. He convened a special meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, of which he is currently president.

Presenting himself as the Muslim defender of Jerusalem. he condemned Trump’s announcement, castigated the Arab world for its lacklustre response and called on world powers to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.

Despite his Islamist views, he made an official visit to Israel in 2005 to be feted by Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon. However it was not long before the previously close relations between Turkey and Israel began to sour. The

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turning point came in 2009, with the first conflict between Israel and Hamas, which had seized power in the Gaza strip Erdogan called the Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip a “crime against humanity” and “barbaric.” In the annual international gathering at Davos Erdogan called Israel a criminal state. Wagging his finger at Peres, he declared: “When it comes to killing, you know very well how to kill. I know very well how you hit and killed children on beaches.” The Mavi Marmara affair – an encounter on the high seas between Israeli soldiers and a Turkish flotilla of six vessels, nominally on a humanitarian mission to relieve what had been described as the siege of Gaza. During the encounter, nine of those on board the Mavi Marmara lost their lives. Erdogan’s criticism led a rupture of Turkish-Israeli relations lasting six years.

A six-ship flotilla was organised by western activists working with the Turkish IHH movement, a non-governmental organization supported by the Turkish government with a long track record of supporting Islamic movement’s world side. Israel’s botched military intervention, and the consequent death of nine of the aid workers provided Erdogan with a diplomatic bonus he could scarcely have hoped for. He condemned Israel for committing a massacre to threaten Turkey.

The involvement of his AKP party in the coup plot of anti-Islamic and antiTurkey forces against Turkey government and Turkey remained largely hidden. It took six long years of intensive negotiations before the affair was finally put to rest in June 2016. But even though Erdogan publicly slighted Israel on an almost daily basis, Israeli-Turkish trade grew massively over the period. In May 2017 a large Turkish business delegation visited Israel, enthusiastically advocating a 150 percent increase in Turkish-Israeli trade over the next five years.

Erdogan’s firm Islamist stance and his intemperate reaction to the announcement by cynic US President Donald Trump on December 6, 2017 recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital Sept-11 hoax, an operation aimed at instigating a confrontation with Islamic world starting with Afghanistan was meticulously planned and executed with the help of Israel.

Erdogan has reasons for rounding on the United States. First, he hates the assistance America is giving the Syrian Kurds, who are fighting successfully against Islamic State. Second, the US has so far refused to extradite Fethullah Gulen, the leader of the rival religious movement whom Erdogan accuses of initiating the abortive coup against him in July 2016. Erdogan’s 29

most recent announcement to establish a Turkish embassy, accredited to the state of Palestine, in East Jerusalem.

He described Israel as a “terrorist state”, vowing to use all means to fight against the US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Erdogan’s reaction to the Trump announcement on Jerusalem, however, seemed to presage a replay of the Mavi Marmara situation. Speaking in parliament in Ankara, Erdogan declared that Jerusalem is a red line for Muslims. This could lead us to break off our diplomatic relations with Israel.

Denouncing Erdogan as a brutal dictator, Netanyahu declared “I am not used to receiving lectures about morality from a leader who bombs Kurdish villagers in his native Turkey, who jails journalists, who helps Iran get around international sanctions, and who helps terrorists, including in Gaza, -----------

Iran-Saudi conflict made besieged Palestinians the victim of Zionist crimes!

-Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal

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It remains the truth unity is the success of any struggle. Unfortunately, only Islamic world, especially Arab world and Palestinians have not yet comprehended that. Consequences of such Arab foolishness have been disastrous for the Palestinians.

Saudi Arabia and Iran have no knowledge about the reasons for many divisions existing as they are allowed in Islam. However, they think the factions and divisions must wage wars against one another and prove their”worth” to the anti—Islamic world that hates and plans to destroy both Islam and Muslims.

The move has already started following the Sept-11 hoax and millions of Muslims have been slaughtered across the world for which Arab nations also paid money as their participatory contribution. In fact these Muslims are 30

anti-Islamic by nature. It is like parents paying for killing of their own chidden to criminals and rogues.

Killing fellow Muslims is done only by Muslims.

Iran and Saudi Arabia, the two regional powerhouses are more focused on fighting each other cut each other’s regional influences and somehow win a proxy war rather than making Israeli influences ineffective and challenging Trump's recent Jerusalem decision that the genuine interests not only of Palestinians but even of entire Arab world in due course.

In fact the infightings of these two top Muslim nations in West Asia only expose themselves to the enemies of Islam the weaknesses of Muslim world.

Fanatic president of USA Donald Trump’s announcement on Dec 06 declaring Jerusalem the capital of Israel would therefore constitute an opportunity for the two regional powers to one-up each other in opposition to the move.

These days, however, Saudi Arabia and Iran are too busy fighting each other to offer significant pushback to Trump’s decision.

Saudi-Iran tensions have no valid reasons. But both alternatively supported USA which used both to hate each other and support Israel. Iran always supported the cause of Palestine but Saudi Arabi claimed wholesale supporters of Palestine. And this created the problem.

On Feb. 18, 1979, just a few days after the overthrow of the Shah of Iran and the triumphant return to the country of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, a private plane landed in Tehran at dusk carrying Yasser Arafat. The Palestinian leader was the first foreign dignitary to visit Tehran after the revolution, and he seemed buoyed by hopes that the historic events would provide him with momentum in his own liberation struggle. “I felt as if I was landing in Jerusalem,” he later told Iranian reporters. However, his dreams have remained dreams so far.

The next day, the Israeli trade mission was handed over to Arafat’s Palestine Liberation Organization. “Today, we are witnessing the victory of the Islamic revolution in Iran and tomorrow we shall be the victors in Palestine,” an ebullient Arafat declared. “We shall liberate the land of Palestine under the leadership of Imam Khomeini.

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Even before returning to Iran, Khomeini had cleverly identified the IsraeliPalestinian conflict as the issue that would allow him to rally the Muslim world and expand the appeal of his revolution beyond his Shiite sect. And ever since 1979, the Palestinian cause has been at the center of the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran for regional preeminence.

While Iranian support has not delivered Jerusalem to the Palestinians, the cause has served Iran’s regional ambitions well. Since 1979, Iran launched a yearly Jerusalem Day to broadcast its support for the Palestinians and named the elite expeditionary unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) after the holy city. It has also extended its influence into the Arab world by arming and financing the Palestinian group Hamas and the Lebanese organization Hezbollah. Iran wants these organizations to win their place in Arab world. Hence Saudi Arabia is not showing any interest in the Palestine cause and even now even has made an alliance with common foe Israel, thereby making mockery of their commitments. .

In the aftermath of the Islamic Revolution, even Saudi Arabia seemed ready to present a common front with Iran on the issue of Palestine. Following Arafat’s visit to Tehran, a headline in a Kuwaiti newspaper read: “Saudi Arabia praises the Iranian revolution.” Before Saudi Arabia and Iran started ripping the region apart, Riyadh seemed ready to work with Iran’s new leaders Before Saudi Arabia and Iran started ripping the region apart along narrow religious lines, Riyadh seemed ready to work with Iran’s leaders but soon hatred from each other crept in. Saudi Arabia had even warned against any moves that would undermine the courageous stance taken by Iran in support of the Arab nation and its struggle against the Zionist enemy.

Before Saudi Arabia and Iran started ripping the region apart, Riyadh seemed ready to work with Iran’s new leaders It appeared that was a just short-lived moment. USA-Israeli fascist twins played havoc in the Saudi-Iran ties.

The Saudis were misinformed by its ally USA the “danger” Khomeini posed to them. A decade after the searing defeat of the 1967 Six-Day War, the Saudis tried to keep up with the Iranians’ rhetoric and posturing: After initially indicating tepid support for Egyptian President Anwar Sadat’s peace accords with Israel in 1978, they reversed course by early 1979. Arafat, emboldened by Khomeini’s support, led the charge against Egypt with other hardliners, like Syria, also a Khomeini ally. In April 1979, Saudi Arabia cut ties with Egypt and its information minister excoriated Sadat for his decision 32

to “exchange diplomatic representation with the Zionist enemy, without taking into consideration the minimum demands.”

But constrained by its alliance with the USA, a major foe of Islam in democracy suits, Saudi Arabia never fully backed an armed struggle against Israel. It always preferred to offer diplomatic initiatives, from the peace plan put forward by King Fahd in 1982 to King Abdullah’s 2002 peace initiative.

This was part of Saudi Arabia’s effort to build up its image as a consensus builder and a regional leader that could deliver the rest of the Arab world for a comprehensive peace with Israel.

However, USA and Israel continued to play mischief to make the peace talks fail. .

Today, the Saudis are even more constrained — not only by their alliance with Washington but by their almost singled-minded focus on beating back Iran, for which they need US support and has spent huge sum to force alliance with Israel.

That is the wrong policy Riyadh adopted that worked against Palestine.

There have also been numerous reports about Saudi-Israeli security cooperation in the face of Iran, a bigger strategic priority than the symbolism of defending Palestine and Jerusalem.

Interestingly, perhaps as a way of keeping Saudi Arabia in line, the White House for the first time chided Saudi Arabia for the humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen within an hour of Trump’s Jerusalem announcement.

The kingdom did issue a statement after the Jerusalem decision, expressing “great disappointment” and “serious consequences” after such an “irresponsible and unwarranted step.” That is just nothing.

On Trump’s move on Jerusalem Saudi officials made only a brief complaint from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman himself. Perhaps the Saudis were being polite to visitors, but politeness didn’t stop King Abdullah from once calling on visiting American officials to “cut off the head of the snake” in reference to Iran.

With narrow approaches to international issues, Arabs are unable to gauge the significance of US-Israeli joint operations. Saudi Arabia and its allies aren’t concerned by the impact Trump’s latest move could have in the region. Before the announcement, King Salman spoke to the US president to warn him that the Jerusalem designation would be a gift to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Saudi Arabia’s former intelligence chief, Turki al-Faisal, 33

echoed that line when he wrote that Trump’s decision “has also emboldened Iran and its terrorist minions to claim that they are the legitimate defenders of Palestinian rights against Israel and America’s imperialist aims.” King Salman spoke to the US president to warn him that the Jerusalem designation would be a gift to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei Meanwhile, Iran has already tried to use Trump’s Jerusalem decision to gain diplomatic and political leverage over its rivals. On Dec. 13, at a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), 57 Muslim nations rejected Trump’s decision and called on the world to recognize East Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state. But while Iranian President Hassan Rouhani attended, along with other heads of state, Saudi Arabia sent a lower-level delegation.

Can Iran really carry the banner of defender of Jerusalem for all Muslims, after sponsoring ruthless Shiite militias in Iraq and propping up the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad through the intervention of the IRGC and Hezbollah at devastating cost to civilians in a majority Sunni country?

Following Trump’s insane announcement, Hezbollah staged large protests in the southern suburbs of Beirut, featuring the usual chants of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.” The party’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, called for a new intifada and appealed to all resistance parties to unite against Israel. And yet his party has not organized further protests since then — an indication perhaps that after years of fighting across the border in Syria, Hezbollah’s base is tired and harder to rally.

The day after Trump’s announcement, a video circulated of the Iraqi Shiite militia leader Qais al-Khazali standing on the Israeli-Lebanese border in the company of Hezbollah fighters, pointing down at the Israeli towns of Metulla and Kiryat Shmona. He said: “We … declare our total readiness to stand together with the Lebanese people and the Palestinian cause against Israeli occupation,” he says in the video.

In 2008, just two years after the 34-day war between Hezbollah and Israel, a poll found that Nasrallah was the most popular leader in the Arab world, followed by Assad and then Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The days when Shiite leaders enjoyed such cross-sectarian popularity are over — at least for now.

Whereas there would have been applause and support in the past for such a move from across the region, much of the Arab world has soured on Iran.

Hezbollah’s decision to intervene in the Syrian conflict, together with Iran, helping an authoritarian regime in its violent crackdown of a majority Sunni 34

country, has eroded the group’s claim of leadership in the resistance against Israel.

The pull of Jerusalem still endures. It was once described as “the flower of all cities� in a famous song by the Lebanese diva Fairouz, and it remains the one issue that can still unite people across the Arab and Muslim world. But now it has become the throne of all cities.

Today, when it comes to the holy city, Iran and Saudi Arabia are both hobbled by their geopolitical rivalry. And the Palestinians once again find themselves alone. USA and Israel target them for their blood and lands.

Unfortunately, by their aimless fight, crudely speaking, Saudi Arabia and Iran indirectly support and promote Zionist expansionism and genocides in Palestine.

By their foolish tensions that directly encouraged the US-Israeli forces to kill and oppress the defenseless and besieged Palestinians, both must jointly share the blame for the huge genocides having been perpetrated by Israel with US backing.

IOC summit in Istanbul: Islamic world asks Trump to give up Jerusalem misappropriation bid!

- Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal ___________

Indeed, USA and Israel have overstepped willingly, seeking to jointly misappropriate Jerusalem in West Bank of Palestine that originally belongs to the people of Palestine.

Ever since foreign Jews were brought by USA-UK imperialist powers and imposed on Palestine, Jews were given Israel -that was carved out of Palestine - to misrule and target the Palestinians and other Arabs. Since 1948 when illegal Israel came into existence in West Asia, the USA backed and encouraged the Jewish state to go on rampage in Palestine and continue 35

its expansionist drive to kill Palestinians and confiscate their lands for illegal Jewish settlements and Israel continues to use them for all illegal construction activities.

High-level representatives, including some heads of states from the 57member Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), came together on Dec. 13 in Istanbul at a summit to consider a joint stance against USA recent recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The Istanbul Summit brought kings and heads of states and governments from all member countries except Syria just a week after Trump ordered to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The foreign ministers of the OIC counties also came to discuss recent developments before giving the floor to the presidents and head of states and governments.

The move comes after US President Donald Trump instructed the State Department to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, in line with the 1995-dated Jerusalem Embassy Act. The 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) met as an extraordinary summit in Istanbul, Turkey on Dec. 13 under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey, the current OIC term president and has recognized East Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Palestine and invited other countries to follow suit.

Participants include Egypt, the UAE, Morocco and Kazakhstan. Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Qatar Emir alThani, Bangladeshi President Abdoul Hamid and Jordanian King Abdullah II were among the most prominent leaders present at the summit. Saudi Arabia was represented by the country’s Islamic affairs minister Salih bin Abdulaziz al-Shaikh.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan presided over the OIC meeting in Istanbul and addressed the opening and closing ceremonies of the summit.

In his opening remarks, President of Turkey Erdoğan slammed the US decision and the Israeli government’s actions, saying Jerusalem is and always will be the capital of Palestine.

Erdoğan echoed Abbas’ rejection of the US role as an “honest” broker between Israel and Palestine. “This process has come to an end. Those who take sides cannot be impartial,” he said. In his closing remarks, he said a meaningful response to the crisis was needed to counter Trump’s unilateral move.

Referring to Israel as a “terror and occupying state,” Erdoğan called on Trump to reverse his Jerusalem decision, vowing that Muslims would never give up on a sovereign State of Palestine with East Jerusalem its capital. “I invite all countries supporting international law to recognize Jerusalem as 36

the occupied capital of Palestine. We cannot be late anymore,” he said. In his closing remarks, Erdoğan lashed out at Trump’s move describing the decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital as the product of an “Evangelist and Zionist mentality.” I declare once again that Jerusalem is our red line. Haram-I Sherif with its 144 cares, which include al-Aqsa Mosque and Kubbet ul-Sahra, will forever belong to Muslims,” he said.

For his part, Palestinian President Abbas told Muslim leaders that Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital was a criminal move that should “disqualify the US from Middle East peace talks.” “It is no longer acceptable for the USA to play a role in the political process given its bias in favor of Israel. This is our position and we hope you support us in this,” he said, calling for the establishment of a new international mechanism to hold future peace talks between Israel and Palestine based on a two-state solution.

Abbas described the Istanbul Summit as a “rare success for an Islamic meeting” and praised Erdoğan’s role in organizing the emergency reunion of Islamic countries. “The Islamic world needed to mobilize and the first step taken to this end was a consequence of President Erdoğan’s immediate move,” he said.

King Abdullah of Jordan, who signed a peace treaty with Israel more than 20 years ago, told the Istanbul Summit that he rejected any attempt to change the status quo of Jerusalem and its holy sites. Iran said the Muslim world should overcome internal problems through dialogue in order to unite against Israel. “America seeks only to secure the maximum interests of the Zionists and has no respect for the legitimate rights of Palestinians,” President Hassan Rouhani told the summit.

The 23-article Istanbul Declaration expressed full solidarity with Palestine and rejected and condemned in the strongest terms the unilateral decision by the President of the USA recognizing Al-Quds as the so-called capital of Israel.

The organization’s decision reached during the summit, counters the US recognition of Jerusalem as the “undivided” capital of Israel. “We declare East Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Palestine and invite all countries to recognize the State of Palestine and East Jerusalem as its occupied capital,” read the final communiqué released after the OIC Summit in Istanbul.

Trump’s move is an “attack on the historical, legal, natural and national rights of the Palestinian people, a deliberate undermining of all peace efforts, 37

a move to extremism and terrorism, and a threat to international peace and security,” read the communiqué.

The declaration also said the OIC holds the USA “wholly responsible for the consequences of not retracting this illegal decision,” which the organization regards as “an announcement of the US administration’s withdrawal from its role as sponsor of peace.” It also called on the UN Security Council to assume its responsibilities immediately and reaffirm the legal status of the City of Al-Quds Ash-Sharif, and to end the Israeli occupation of the land of the State of Palestine.

The communiqué affirmed “its readiness to take up this grave violation in the UN General Assembly should the UN Security Council fail to act.”

Turkey, as the term president of the OIC, hosted leaders from Muslimmajority countries, with a joint position of Muslim countries to be announced under the title of the Istanbul Declaration.

Strong message Indeed it was a rare success for an Islamic meeting as it is for the first time in their history that Islamic world has come together to discuss their own future by discussing the Trump’s threat for the existence of Palestinians, his stupidity called Jerusalem.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Nov. 12 that some Arab countries have failed to sufficiently repudiate Washington’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s undivided capital because US President Donald Trump “scares them.” “It seems that some Arab countries refrain from challenging Trump,” Çavuşoğlu said.

A very strong message was delivered from the summit,” Çavuşoğlu said after the summit, adding that this message will stress that the decision taken by the US unilaterally breaches international law, and will call all nations to stand against it while also calling nations to recognize the State of Palestine. “If we don’t defend Jerusalem today, when will we defend it? If we don’t defend Jerusalem, one of the three most sacred places of Islam, what will we defend?” he stated, hinting that the text would cite East Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Palestine with pre-1967 borders.

At the end of the 1948 war the armistice line divided Jerusalem in two: The Israel-controlled Western part, and the Jordan-controlled eastern part, which included the old walled city containing important Jewish, Muslim and Christian religious sites. Since the Six Day War in 1967 the whole city has 38

been under Israel’s control as Israel became the wholesale boss fo the region.

Israel's occupation of the West Bank, with its continuing settlement building and military checkpoints, along with Palestinian attacks, have slowed progress towards a final agreement and led many on both sides to dispute the worth of the Accords. The Oslo Accords with Israel in 1993 established a Palestinian National Authority as an interim body to run parts of Gaza and the West Bank, but not East Jerusalem, pending an agreed solution to the conflict.

Israel that occupies Palestine territories with US backing after a brief war with Arab war refuses to vacate the Palestinian lands but only attacks and kills the Palestinians and their children, considers Jerusalem, both east and west, as its undivided eternal capital, but this has never been recognised internationally.

Palestinian officials, meanwhile, declared the Mideast peace process “finished.” The Palestinian Prime Minister, Rami Hamdallah, met with European diplomats on Wednesday and told them that the expected U.S. shift on Jerusalem “will fuel conflict and increase violence in the entire region.”

It is not clear what, if any, concrete diplomatic action is planned.

Trump’s move puts the Sunni nation, whose king holds the title of “Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques,” in a bind. The kingdom, particularly its powerful crown prince, Mohammad Bin Salman, enjoys close relations with Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner — a relationship that the Saudis need and cannot afford to compromise.

Saudi Arabia, a regional powerhouse that could help the White House push through a Middle East settlement, has voiced strong opposition to Trump’s move, saying it would “provoke sentiments of Muslims throughout the world.” While the Saudis can at least on the surface pressure Trump and distance themselves from Israelis, they will almost certainly continue to cooperate on intelligence sharing regarding Iran.

In 1973, Arab oil producers imposed an oil embargo against the United States in retaliation for American military support for Israel, causing soaring gas prices and straining the US economy in a move that demonstrated Saudi Arabia’s power and Arab unity at the time.

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Hamas official Salah Bardawil said the Palestinians were “on a dangerous crossroad today; we either remain or perish.” In Beirut, several hundred Palestinian refugees staged a protest in the narrow streets of the Bourj al-Barajneh camp, some of them chanting “Trump, you are mad.” And in Turkey, hundreds of people took to the streets to stage demonstrations near U.S. diplomatic missions in Ankara and Istanbul.

For its part, Iran would seize upon Trump’s move to show itself the defender of Muslims — and Saudi Arabia cannot be seen as acting any less forceful in its opposition to recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Sunni-led Gulf Arab states, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, share with Israel a deep distrust of Shiite power Iran and their relations with Israel have somewhat thawed. While Israeli PM B Netanyahu acknowledged that Israel won’t be able to sign peace treaties with the Arabs without a deal on the Palestinians, he implied that ties have already been established and have plenty of room to grow. He does not want peace and peace treaties. “Peace treaties, no. Everything else below that, yes, and it’s happening,” he said.

Reflecting opinion in much of the Arab world, two leading Lebanese newspapers issued front page rebukes to Trump over his expected announcement. The An-Nahar newspaper compared the US president to the late British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour, who a century ago famously promised Palestine as a national home to the Jewish People, in what is known as the Balfour declaration.

The Daily Star newspaper published a full-page photo of the Old City of Jerusalem capped by the Dome of the Rock beneath the headline: “No offense President, Jerusalem is the capital of PALESTINE” Observation The decision of Trump to recognize Jerusalem as a part of Israel which itself is an illegal entity imposed by USA and UK on Palestine in 1948, breaks with decades of US foreign policy, has drawn sharp criticism from Muslim countries.

Criticism of Trump’s move poured in from Cairo to Tehran to Ankara to war-ravaged Syria, reflecting the anxiety over Trump’s announcement, which upends decades of US policy and could ignite violent protests.

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Muslims across the Middle East warned of disastrous consequences after President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, but in a region more divided than ever, many asked what leaders can do beyond the vehement rhetoric. Can they do anything against USA and Israel?

Mohammed ElBaradei, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Egypt’s former vice president who now lives in self-imposed exile, suggested Arabs do have options, including radically reducing the billions of Arab money flowing to America and a radical downsizing of diplomatic, military and intelligence relations with the USA. “But if reaction will be limited to condemnations and denunciations, silence is the more honorable option,” he said in a post on Twitter.

One thing everyone did agree is that Jerusalem is a powder keg and Trump’s decision will have huge implications in the region.

Arab powerhouses are mired in their own internal troubles, their populations tired of wars, and the days when Arab leaders could challenge the United States in a meaningful way are long gone. Beyond the eruption of protests and potential explosion of violence, there is little the Arab world can do to challenge Trump’s move, unanimously decried by leaders.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said that if half the funds spent by clearly Saudi Arabia led nations in the region to encourage extremism, sectarianism and incitement against neighbors was spent on liberating Palestine, world wouldn’t be facing today this American egotism.

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Beijing will host a symposium for Palestinian and Israeli peace advocates in Beijing from Dec 21 to 22. The symposium aims to offer a communication platform for peace advocates from both Palestine and Israel, and provide new ideas to promote the peace process. The peace symposium was one of the initiatives that Chinese President Xi Jinping said China would set up during his meeting with visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in July. Then, Xi affirmed China's support for a two-state solution to the Palestine issue, and for the establishment of an independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

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Insane Trump-Netanyahu duo should not be allowed to control the UNSC! - Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal _________

Today, USA along with its secret ally Israel controls the world by manipulating the UNSC. In fact, Israel has been able to get done at UNSC anything it wants by misusing the US veto. The repeated attempts to do away with the illogical veto system have been resented by USA and Israel.

Capitalism and imperialism have stitched USA and Israel together and the so-called war on terror which in fact means war on Islam have further cemented the illegal ties between the two essentially anti-Islamic entities pursuing secret joint fascist operations worldwide but claiming to be great democracies. Trump has taken the Zionist-US immoral relations to the logical end by declaring to misappropriate Jerusalem for Israel.

The world is now witnessing new phenomenon called Trumpomania existing exclusively for Zionism of his Jewish son in law. A basically criminal Netanyahu has finally found a fellow fascist traveler in ultra fanatic Trump.

Well dressed but with sustained immoral business thoughts Netanyahu and Donald Trump adore each other for their ultra cunningness for their ability to treat entre word as absurdity and impose their own concept of modern world of perfect subjugation.

Europe and entire world have objected to the misappropriation efforts of Trump-Netanyahu lunatic duo of Jerusalem.

Invoking the Bible to appropriate land is a Judeo-Christian colonial tradition.

First Christians, now Jews, are invoking the false concepts to justify the taking of land from the native owners.

Jews are illegal settlers in Palestine but backed by rogue states like USA. .

Under international law, immigration is relocating from one country to another. Individuals and families may migrate for economic and existential reasons. Every year, millions of people migrate to foreign countries for economic betterment or to avoid starvation, discrimination, tyranny, torture, 42

and death. Refugees migrate from war-torn countries where the probability of death and starvation escalates. In the 15th century, Jews migrated from Spain to Turkey as the defeat of Moors opened the doors of persecution and death. More recently, Palestinians, Syrians, Libyans, Yemenis, and Afghans have been forced to leave their homes and seek shelter as refugees in neighboring countries.

Israelis Jews are criminal minded and hence settler criminals. Settlement too is relocating from one country to another. Unlike immigrants, however, settlers dispossess native inhabitants for ideological or predatory reasons.

Immigrants do not forcibly take away the land and homes that belong to the natives. Settlers do. Immigrants live in the mortal fear of deportation.

Settlers do not. Immigrants may face discrimination, racism, and hostility in employment, education, and housing. Settlers are welcome and receive affirmative state assistance and grants. The state may offer jobs, housing, and other facilities to settlers willing to live on the land that once belonged to the natives.

Unlike immigrants, the settlers develop an aggressive relationship with the natives. The purpose of settlements is to make it highly unpleasant and oppressive for the natives to continue to live side by side with the settlers.

Apartheid-like conditions are built by Israeli settlers to show to the Palestine natives that they need to relocate themselves to foreign countries or get killed. Jewish settlers not only take over the land that belongs to the natives but they also force natives, economically, socially, psychologically, and physically to leave their lands and homes. Other tactics, such as buying homes and lands from helpless natives is defended on the market theory that the real estate ought to be purchasable for a price.

The art of tyranny is perfect with Jews who now call the native Palestinians as “terrorists” and seeks more high precision terror goods from USA and Europe.

In Israel, the state-sponsored illegal settlements are ideological and not merely predacious. The “ideological settlements” are highly coordinated in terms of degrading the local communities economically, morally, and socially. Stereotypes may be promoted to paint the natives as savages and terrorists. Any reactive violence by the natives may be used as a pretext to demolish their homes, issue eviction orders for entire families, arrest men, 43

and dishonor women. In fact, the natives may have no choice but to seek employment in constructing the settlements that the natives detest in their hearts. Most Palestinians are now the laborers for Israeli businessmen and also employed in the construction activities of illegal colonies by American contractors. .

Now the Trump idea of abrupt misappropriation of Jerusalem as a Jewish city runs counter to historical facts. It simplifies the complex history of a city that experienced the pre-Christ rule of Egyptians, Syrians, and Persians, and post-Christ rule of Arabs, Turks, and the British. Jews had not owned Jerusalem for centuries. Now, they have deadly weapons to do so- and hence the Zionist-US appropriation effort. The Bible is a sacred book (different versions by the different rulers) for Jews and Christians, even for the Palestinians, but does it justify the misappropriation of territories and cities?

In recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a state formed mostly by illegal Jewish settlers from Europe and America who had been imposed on Palestine, Mideast, Trump and the imperialist US Congress have validated the Jewish appropriation of a disputed city. They have shown might is their right. This barbarian commentary explains the foul dynamics of Jewish settlements in Palestine. It also illuminates the “sacred” justifications offered to legitimize settler colonialism.

Come on fanatic Trump, don’t be silly. But unfortunately he cannot think beyond certain limit as he simply cannot annoy his Jewish son in law who now controls US foreign policy and is behind the new “approach”. .

In Jerusalem, all distinctions between native Jews and Jewish settlers disappear for ideological purposes since most of them share the common goal of driving the Palestinians out of Jerusalem so that Israel can reclaim this historic city all for itself. Orthodox Jews who oppose the existence of Israel as an anti-Biblical entity, a fast diminishing minority, share no such platform. For Trump, the realtor, a city, any city, belongs to money merchants and any “encroachments “by the have-nots should be forcibly cleared.

Appropriation perpetrated with moral justifications acquires a new meaning.

Stealing a loaf of bread seems morally justified if the thief is starving. Land appropriation is palatable if a credible moral excuse can be crafted. Settlers 44

know this moral trick. When settlers are highly educated, their moral justifications for the appropriation of land are crafted in more persuasive (Latin) terms. Over the centuries, settlers in various countries and continents have used moral imperatives to justify the dispossession of native populations and stealing away their lands, hills, rivers, sacred places, olive trees, playgrounds where the native children played, and the cemeteries where native elders were buried. Everything can be stolen if the moral justification is mounted at the barrel of the gun.

In the 15th century, the Catholic Church used two distinct theological edicts to support conquests and colonization. The concept of “terra irredenta” empowered Christian rulers to take away the Iberian lands from the Muslims. The concept of “terra nullius” empowered the European colonizers to take away the land from the native owners in Americas and Africa. In both cases, Christianity, presented as the one and the only one true religion, was invoked as the ultimate justification to legitimize the appropriation of land. Heathens, pagans, and the deniers of Jesus as God could be lawfully converted, enslaved, dispossessed, and even killed if they resisted the Christian Europeans, the true owners of God’s land.

In the 20th century, the European Jews invoked a complex fusion of the two edicts to lay claim to what has been Palestine for centuries under the Ottoman Empire and before. Invoking terra nullius, the Zionists argued that “a people without a land (Jews) are claiming a land without a people.” This argument derived from terra nullius denies the existence of local populations, be they Africans, Native Americans, or Palestinians.

Invoking a similar logic, the European Jews claimed to be the original owners of Palestine since the Palestinians were the illegal occupiers of the sacred land that belonged only to the Jews. Accordingly, Zionist morality dictates that the Palestinians, particularly if they resist the Right to Return, be expelled, detained, killed, and their homes demolished.

Ordinarily, immigrants are distinguishable from settlers. But the distinction is not valid in Israel. Under the 1950 Law of Return, Israel invites “the child or grandchild of a Jew, the spouse of a Jew, the spouse of a child and grandchild of a Jew to settle in Israel.” Non-Jews or even Jews who have converted to another religion are ineligible to settle in Israel in Palestine.

Jews mostly from Europe and America and some from the Middle East and

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East Africa have “returned” to Israel. The prevailing racism prefers white Jews over Jews with darker pigments. Jewish racism targets other races.

Soon after Trump, the realtor, recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Prime Minister Netanyahu argued that it is “absurd” to deny the “millennial connection of the Jewish people to Jerusalem. You can read it in a very fine book – it’s called the Bible. The sooner the Palestinians come to grips with this reality, the sooner we will move towards peace.”

Given the successful drive to criminalize holocaust denials across Europe, efforts are underway to find pathways to criminalize the criticisms of Israel. Muffling free speech is unlikely to suppress the fact that Israel is primarily a state of settlers who have brutally suffocated and dislocated the native population of Palestinians.

An unholy alliance of Zionists, evangelical Christians, dirty politicians fearful of the revengeful Israeli lobbies, radio and TV commentators, Neocon opinion-writers, and self-aggrandizing academics refuses to see Israel as a settler state. In fact, calling Israel a settler state is condemned as antiSemitic, a handy label swiftly invoked to stop honest conversations about the grinding appropriation of Palestinian occupied territories.

Criminals cannot think beyond criminal operations. But the international community and world at large must stop these rogues from advancing their illegal motives of killing the Palestinians, other Arabs and confiscate ether lands for illegal proliferation of settlements for foreign Jews.

In addition to Israel, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and many other states, owe their origin to settler colonialism, another name for forcibly taking land from indigenous inhabitants. Hence they promote Zionist criminality in Mideast as their collective operation.

Of course, Trump would soon face stiff opposition to his misrule plus visible insanity and would leave presidency sooner or later but Israel can only elect fanatics and criminals as their leaders.

The unity show of Islamic world in Turkey is a positive development in his regard but it must now push ahead with establishing much delayed Palestine state and punish the Israeli leaders for their crimes against Palestinian humanity.

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Islamic world simply cannot trust or follow the footsteps of enemies of Islam, especially USA and Israel.

Meanwhile, all efforts should be made to see that the UN and UNSC are not controlled by USA and Israel. No one can guess what exactly these two monstrous devils that keeps sucking human blood, contemplate for the future world.

As of today, two mad guys Netanyahu and Trump have decided to ransack entire world with their funny ideas for West Asia causing insecurity of many nations, especially Palestine. The UN Security Council meant to protect the weak nations being targeted by the rogue states is protecting the capitalist colonialist and imperialist goals of USA and Israel.

In fact, instead of UNSC, UN should have UN Peace Council (UNPC) to advance global peace mission that bring stability and prosperity of the world.

But the USA and Israel oppose that as that would undermine the proliferation of illegal US-Jewish settlements inside Palestine and would eventually made the world safe and secure from fascist forces.

It is therefore proposed the UN should have a Protection Council of Occupied Nations, specifically mandating the UN body to monitor and report to the UN for action all state crimes in nations like Palestine, Kashmir, Chechnya, Xinjiang among other oppressed nations.

This step would go a long way in stopping the colonialist powers from state terror techniques and other oppressive methods against the people and spearheading a new world of justice, peace and regional stability.

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Trump’s Jerusalem stupidity annoys Palestinians and Hezbollah!

Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal

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USA, Israel and India, and many others colonized neighboring and even far away nations by using their military prowess and dealt brutally with the people. Not just a that the occupier rouge states in order to justify the illegal invasion cum occupation plus the genocides they perpetrate regularly they call the oppressed and affected people ‘terrorists’ if they protest aggression aggressors or seek sovereignty from the foreign military yokes.

Palestinians, Kashmiris, Chechen Muslims are likewise named the “terrorists” by the fascist occupation nations and they are called the ‘terrorists’.

Donald Trump fooled the world by pretending to be a ‘humanist’ and gave his first blow to democracy and peace by declaring Jerusalem as Israeli new capital, though he does not belong to Israel, officially. While Trump refused to change the course of diplomacy by supporting the genuine cause of Palestinians, who suffer under the brutal military atrocities of fascist Israel, he has displayed his Zionist criminal mentality in his latest Jerusalem move.

Fanatic Trump also said that his administration would begin a process of moving the US Embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a step expected to take years and which his predecessors had opted not to take in order to avoid inflaming tensions.

Trump behaving a cold blood rogue has encouraged the Zionist military to quickly attack and kill the people of Palestine. Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem, which upended longstanding American policy and broke with international consensus, continued to draw condemnation from Arab and European leaders.

Close Western allies of Washington, including France and Britain, have been critical of Trump's move. “President Trump’s announcement on Jerusalem has a very worrying potential impact,” she said. “It has a very fragile context and the announcement has the potential to send us backwards to even darker times than the ones we are already living in.”The EU's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, said Jerusalem must be the capital of both Israel and a future Palestinian state. Federica Mogherini warned that the decision would be damaging to the peace effort.

US secretary of state, Rex W. Tillerson, said in Vienna that the United States was still committed to the peace process and that a two-state solution to resolve the conflict was still viable. This makes no sense at all. Critics have argued that unilaterally recognizing Israel’s claim to the city prejudged the outcome of any negotiations for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “All of Israel’s government offices are largely in Jerusalem already, so the USA is just recognizing the reality of that,” he said in response to a question at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. “This does not in

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any way finalize the status of Jerusalem, that’s still left to the parties to discuss,” he added.

Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and senior official in his Fatah party urged Palestinians to stage peaceful protests. Abbas on Thursday met Jordan's King Abdullah, whose dynasty is the traditional custodian of Jerusalem's holy places.

Jordan is a staunch US ally but has dismissed Trump's move as "legally null".

USA, the snake On Dec. 7, 2017, Palestinians clashed with Israeli forces in the West Bank and along the border with Gaza, as widespread predictions of unrest were realized a day after President Trump took the high-risk move of recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Besides, Trump’s decision ignited other protests across the region, from the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon to Tunisia. Hundreds of Jordanians protested outside the US Embassy in Amman and called for its closing, chanting, “America is the head of the snake.” At a news conference in Baghdad, Moqtada al-Sadr, an influential Iraqi Shiite cleric, called for a unified “Arab Spring” against Israel. Jihadist groups from Somalia to Syria and from Yemen to Afghanistan issued venomous statements about Mr. Trump’s decision.

In Palestinian areas, schools were closed, stores were shuttered and the public largely observed a general strike. The mood in the streets of downtown East Jerusalem, where there was a heavy Israeli police presence, was tense and sullen.

In Gaza, Ismail Haniya, the leader of Hamas, the Islamic militant group, called for a new intifada, or uprising, saying, “Trump will regret this decision.” Hundreds of youths clashed with Israeli forces at checkpoints. In Gaza, youths protested along the border fence, rallied in a central Gaza City park and burned tires in a refugee camp. Dozens were injured, at least one seriously.

After nightfall, two toy rockets were fired at Israel from Gaza. The Israeli military said these fake missiles had fallen short and landed inside the Palestinian coastal territory itself. The Israeli military said as per its preplan it was sending additional battalions to the West Bank in response to the protests.The rocket fire came just hours after Iranian media reported that Qasem Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force, had reaffirmed support for the Gaza militant groups Islamic Jihad and Hamas during phone calls with their military leaders. He “urged all resistance movements in the region to boost their readiness to defend the al-Aqsa Mosque,” Press TV reported, referring to the Jerusalem mosque.

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Shortly afterward, bombing could be heard in Gaza. The Israeli military said it had targeted Hamas military posts in northern Gaza.

Uprisings Palestinians aspire for an independent state with East Jerusalem, which has holy sites sacred to Christians, Jews and Muslims, as its capital. Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, and other officials in the West Bank said the USA had disqualified itself from any mediating role.

The Palestinians have undertaken two major uprisings since the late 1990s, leading to hundreds of deaths on both sides, but many Palestinians say they ultimately did little to advance their cause. Abbas has repeatedly stated that he does not want a third intifada on his watch. His Fatah party has called for nonviolent protests in the West Bank In Beirut, Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Lebanese militant organization Hezbollah, called for governments to withdraw their ambassadors from Tel Aviv and take other steps that go beyond making statements. In Beirut, Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Lebanese militant organization Hezbollah, called for governments to withdraw their ambassadors from Tel Aviv and take other steps that go beyond making statements.

Hamas, the dominant force in Gaza, appeared to be competing with the West Bank leadership over loyalty to Jerusalem, and has called for Palestinians to rally and to confront the Israeli forces wherever possible after noon prayers. Some protesters threw rocks at soldiers and others chanted: "Death to America! Death to the fool Trump!"

Abbas’s Palestinian Authority and Hamas are engaged in a renewed reconciliation effort after a decade-long schism. In the midst of the turmoil over Jerusalem, the authority’s Prime Minister, Rami Hamdallah, arrived in Gaza to discuss the handover of internal security there, one of the main sticking points that have bedeviled previous attempts to ease tensions. Hamdallah told reporters in Gaza that his side was devoted to reconciliation, “but if we fail, we will rise again to face together the biggest challenge: the Israeli occupation.”

Hamas has called for an uprising against Israel in the wake of the Jerusalem announcement. Two of its militants were killed after Israel responded to rocket fire last week, while two protesters who Israel said were rolling burning tires and throwing rocks were also fatally shot near the border. On Friday's "Day of Rage," rallies and protests are expected near Israeli-controlled checkpoints in the West Bank and along the border with Gaza. Friday prayers at the Muslim shrine of Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem could also be a flashpoint.

The Zionist military said it was reinforcing troops in the occupied West Bank.

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US officials say Trump forewarned the Palestinian president of his intention to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital; he assured him that a peace plan being put together would please the Palestinians. But Trump's decision has raised doubts about his ability to follow through on the peace effort that his son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, has led for months aimed at reviving long-stalled negotiations.

Fascist Israel and the United States consider Hamas, which has fought three wars with Israel since 2007, a terrorist organisation. Hamas does not recognize Israel's right to exist and its suicide bombings helped spearhead the last intifada, from 2000 to 2005.

Fearing disruption to reconciliation efforts between Hamas and Fatah, Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Al-Hamdallah and other Fatah delegates arrived in Gaza on Thursday to meet Hamas.

Trump said his move, which fulfilled a campaign promise, was not intended to tip the scales in favour of Israel and that any deal involving the future of Jerusalem would have to be negotiated by the parties. But the move was seen almost uniformly in Arab capitals as a sharp tilt towards Israel.

The United States is asking Israel to temper its response to the announcement because Washington expects a backlash and is weighing the potential threat to U.S. facilities and people, according to a State Department document seen by Reuters.

Israel’s military, meanwhile, reported that two rockets were fired at its territory from the Gaza Strip on Monday, the third volley since Trump said last week that he would break with decades of U.S. foreign policy to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. That announcement has sparked protests across the Arab world.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Trump's announcement as a "historic landmark" and said many countries would follow the U.S. move and contacts were under way. He did not name the countries. The White House said it was not aware of any other country that planned to follow Trump's lead. "President Trump has immortalized himself in the 51

chronicles of our capital. His name will now be held aloft, alongside other names connected to the glorious history of Jerusalem and of our people," he said in a speech at Israel's Foreign Ministry.

The Israeli military said an aircraft and a tank had targeted two posts belonging to militants in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip after three rockets were launched at Israel.

Israel considers Jerusalem its eternal and indivisible capital. Palestinians want the capital of an independent state of their own to be in the city's eastern sector, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed in a move never recognised internationally. No other country has its embassy there.

Israeli Housing Minister Yoav Gallant said he would next week bring to the Cabinet for approval 14,000 housing units, some 6,000 of which are slated for construction in areas in Arab East Jerusalem and are already at various planning stages. "Following President Trump's historic declaration, I intend to promote and reinforce building in Jerusalem," Gallant said in a statement. A senior Palestinian official with Fatah said that U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, due to visit the region later this month, was "unwelcome in Palestine."

A spokesman for Pence said the vice president was planning to meet Abbas on the trip.

Deputy Palestinian U.N. envoy Feda Abdelhady-Nasser complained to the UN Security Council late on Wednesday about Trump’s decision. The Security Council is likely to meet on Friday. Haniyeh called on Abbas to withdraw from peacemaking with Israel and on Arabs to boycott the Trump administration. Abbas said on Wednesday the United States had abdicated its role as a mediator in peace efforts. "We have given instruction to all Hamas members and to all its wings to be fully ready for any new instructions or orders that may be given to confront this strategic danger that threatens Jerusalem and threatens Palestine," Haniyeh said.

Lebanon

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Thousands of Hezbollah supporters joined a fiery rally in Beirut on Monday as the movement’s leader urged Palestinians to rise up after President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.

Demonstrators packed the streets of Beirut’s southern suburbs in a carefully managed march. Crowds chanted “Death to America, death to Israel!” and waved Palestinian and Hezbollah flags. Hundreds of protesters clashed with Lebanese security forces near the U.S. Embassy in Beirut on Sunday, hurling rocks and bottles toward the compound as the army beat back the crowd using tear gas and water cannons.

But so far, more-serious violence has not materialized, and Palestinian concerns about Jerusalem have failed to energize most Arab governments.

Many leaders here seem more focused on conflicts in Syria, Yemen and elsewhere that are roiling the region.

Addressing the crowd via video link, Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah described Trump’s policy change as a “foolish decision” that would mark the “beginning of the end” of the Jewish state. “The most important response will be to announce a third Palestinian intifada on all occupied Palestinian territories,” he said, using an Arabic term that evokes earlier uprisings.

In Lebanon, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah backed calls for a new intifada and said: "We are facing blatant American aggression."

Islamist group Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula said Trump's decision was the result of "normalization steps" between some Gulf Arab countries and Israel. Protests have broken out since Trump's announcement in Jordan, outside the US consulate in Istanbul and in Pakistan. Thousands of Tunisians protested in several cities on Thursday.

Lebanon harbors more than 500,000 Palestinian refugees, many of whom fled their homes in what is now Israel and the West Bank during the wars of 53

1948 and 1967. The Lebanese state has never formally recognized their status as refugees, and Palestinians are barred from dozens of professions.

The leader of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said on Monday that the group would return its focus to fighting on behalf of Palestinians, saying it had prevailed in other regional battles against Syrian insurgents and the Islamic State.

Ridiculing Syrian insurgents as “tools of the U.S.A. and Israel,” the Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, said that “Jerusalem, Palestine and the Palestinian people will return to being the priorities” for Hezbollah, adding that the group would “dedicate all its time to resistance.”

Speaking via a video feed at a rally in Beirut, the Lebanese capital, that was organized to protest President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, Mr. Nasrallah called on Arab and Muslim countries to abandon their pursuit of normalizing relations with Israel by evicting the country’s embassies and cutting diplomatic ties. “Today we are witnessing a true intifada,” or uprising, Mr. Nasrallah told the crowd, speaking of protests that have spread throughout the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza. “Muslims and Christians are all united to defend their holy sites in Jerusalem.”

The rally drew thousands of protesters and was the largest yet in Lebanon in response to Mr. Trump’s Jerusalem declaration last week, which upset a decades-old diplomatic status quo.

The Trump declaration gives Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shiite movement that rose to prominence as a militia fighting the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon in the early 1980s, a chance to try to reclaim some of the popularity it lost in recent years because of its involvement in the war in Syria.

Many former Hezbollah supporters in the Arab world soured on the Iranbacked group when it entered the war in support of the authoritarian government of President Bashar al-Assad, whose violent crackdown on political protests in 2011 turned into a brutal six-and-a-half-year civil war that has displaced more than 11 million Syrians.

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The Syrian government’s counterinsurgency crackdown included bombing and besieging Palestinian refugee camps, where there was some support for the Syrian rebels. That, too, led Palestinian and other Arab critics to complain that Hezbollah had strayed from its roots of resisting Israeli occupation and abetted in the oppression not only of Syrians, but also of Palestinian refugees in Syria.

Hezbollah is still believed to have thousands of troops in Syria, and Mr. Nasrallah, who spoke from an undisclosed location, made no suggestion that they would leave anytime soon.

On Monday, demonstrators marched down a road in the southern Beirut neighborhood that houses Hezbollah’s headquarters, chanting “Death to Israel! Death to America!” and “Zionists must die, die, so Jerusalem doesn’t die!”

Both the Israelis and Palestinians claim Jerusalem as their capitals. Israel captured East Jerusalem in 1967 and annexed it in a move that was never officially recognized by the international community.

Although Israeli military and police control the entire city, both sides agreed in 1993 that its status would be resolved through peace negotiations.

Critics, including many Palestinians, say Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem derails that process, which was already stagnant.

Alaa Dahab, a half-Palestinian, half-Lebanese teenager who grew up in Gaza, attended the rally on Monday to show her support for Hezbollah.

“We are with anyone that loves, helps and resists for Palestine,” she said.

The rally included a diverse group of people of varying ideologies, religions and nationalities — Islamists and communists, Muslims and Christians, Palestinians and Lebanese. Palestinian refugees were bused from refugee camps around Lebanon in what has become a staple in a week of protests against the Jerusalem decision.

Mirna Mhawesh, 16, a Palestinian who traveled to the rally from the Shatila refugee camp, said, “We are here because we can’t do anything from here except show Palestinians inside Palestine that we’re with them.”

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Sitting on the sidewalk during Nasrallah’s speech Thursday was Alia Shahata, born in 1948 to parents who she said left Palestinian territories after being expelled from their home. Lebanon “ Trump is humiliating all Arabs with his decision Know that we would all go back to Palestinian territories tomorrow if we could.” As she spoke, a group of boys no older than 10 posed for photographs in the street, dressed in military fatigues and raising their hands in Hezbollah salutes. Founded in response to Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon, Hezbollah, a Shiite militia backed by Iran, has also played a key role in turning the tide of Syria’s civil war in favor of President Bashar al-Assad.

Trump’s decision to officially recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital has drawn widespread condemnation from allies around the world, many of whom had seen the city’s eventual status as a matter to be settled in a peace agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians.

European Union foreign policy Chief Federica Mogherini said that the 28-member bloc delivered a “clear and united” message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a visit to Brussels, and that the only “realistic” solution is for two states, with Jerusalem as their shared capital. She rejected Netanyahu’s public statement that he expects European nations to follow the U.S. lead and move their embassies as well. “He can keep his expectations for others,” she said.

In his speech, Netanyahu said Trump had put “facts on the table” with the recognition of Jerusalem, which he said makes peace possible by recognizing reality.

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The status of Jerusalem, home to sites considered holy to Muslims, Jews and Christians, is one of the biggest obstacles to a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. "We should call for and we should work on launching an intifada (Palestinian uprising) in the face of the Zionist enemy," Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said in a speech in Gaza.

Trump reversed decades of US policy on Wednesday by recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, angering the Arab world and upsetting Western allies.

The foolish action of Trump makes it mandatory for all Muslim nations, mainly the Arab nations, to boycott, ignore and avoid both Trump and his fellow rogue Netanyahu until the Jerusalem is made natural region even if not declared as a part of Palestine. That would be the expression of real solidarity with Palestine.

Moreover, after all, China is fast overtaking USA in economy- the chief factor to determine a superpower status of a nation.

End of U.S. role in Middle East peace process USA ‘wholly responsible for consequences’ ---------------

Trump-Putin Chess Board: Putin’s another gimmick of troop withdrawal from Syria?

- Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal

__________

If one has to believe what Russian president Putin and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu say Russia has already begun withdrawing some of its troops from Syria and that would yet another partial withdrawal. However, whether or not Russia intent to send more troops a little later is not clear from what they say.

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It seems to be a Kremlin’s interim strategy against USA as it looks like the superpowers USA and Russia are playing a chess game as usual in other countries.

Since USA-Israeli fascist twins want to destabilize destroy entire Arab world, a defiant Bashar al- Assad’s reluctance to quit or leave the county – USA does not want to target and simply murder him – it has apparently got Russia and other nations to send their militaries to target Syrians and Syria.

Genocides and destructions are the perpetual trends in Arab world.

USA can achieve maximum causalities and devastations only if Assad remains defiant. The Russian president was met by al-Assad at the Russian Hmeimim airbase near Latakia. Putin said: "I order the defence minister and the chief of the general staff to start withdrawing the Russian group of troops to their permanent bases," according to the Russian RIA Novosti news agency. "I have taken a decision: a significant part of the Russian troop contingent located in Syria is returning home to Russia," he added.

Reports say President Vladimir Putin ordered the US type “partial withdrawal” during an unannounced visit to Syria on Monday. Russian support has been crucial in turning the tide of Syria's civil war in favour of government forces, led by president Assad. Putin made a similar withdrawal announcement last year, but Russian military operations continued. When asked how long it would take for Russia to withdraw its military contingent, Shoigu said that this would "depend on the situation" in Syria.

Last week, President Putin announced the "total rout" of jihadist militants from so-called Islamic State (IS) along the Euphrates river valley in eastern Syria. Russia launched an air campaign in Syria in September 2015 with the aim of "stabilizing” Assad’s government after a series of defeats. Officials in Moscow stressed that it would target only "terrorists", but activists said its strikes mainly hit mainstream rebel fighters and civilians. The campaign has allowed pro-government forces to break the deadlock on several key battlefronts, most notably in Aleppo.

Meanwhile, Russia’s supposed victory in Syria- former fort of USA - is seen as a major victory of Russian power against USA and embolden Vladimir Putin to seek another term as president in next year's election. He made the announcement in a speech to workers at a car factory in the Volga city of Nizhny Novgorod. "I will put forward my candidacy for the post of president of the Russian federation," he said. Putin has been in power since 2000,

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either as president or prime minister. If he wins the March election he will be eligible to serve until 2024.

Less than a week after announcing he will stand for re-election, Vladimir Putin flies to Syria and declares victory. The Russians have succeeded in keeping a key ally, President Assad, in power. In the process, Russia has been guaranteed a long-term military presence in Syria, with its two bases Hmeimim and Tartus. Moscow has also raised its profile across the Middle East. Signaling the end of Russia's military operation in Syria will go down well with Russian voters. Electoral concerns apart, Moscow views its twoyear campaign in Syria as a success - and not only in terms of fighting international terrorism.

Then there's the global stage. The operation in Syria prevented Moscow's international isolation. Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 had sparked Western sanctions and earned the country, in the eyes of some Western governments, the label "pariah state". The Syria operation forced Western leaders to sit down and negotiate with Russia's leadership. Putin said that if "terrorists raise their heads again", Russia would "carry out such strikes on them which they have never seen". "We will never forget the victims and losses suffered in the fight against terror both here in Syria and also in Russia," he said. He told President Assad that Russia wanted to work with Iran, the government's other key ally, and Turkey, which backs the opposition, to help bring peace to Syria.

The Syrian and Russian air forces carried out daily air strikes on the rebelheld east of the city before it fell in December 2016, killing hundreds of people and destroying hospitals, schools and markets, according to UN human rights investigators.

Moscow has consistently denied that its air strikes have caused any civilian deaths. However, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Sunday that Russian air strikes had killed 6,328 civilians, including 1,537 children. The UK-based monitoring group has documented the deaths of 346,612 people in total since the start of the uprising against Mr Assad in 2011.

Vladimir Putin is popular with many Russians, who see him as a strong leader who has restored Russia's global standing with a decisive military intervention in the Syrian civil war and Russia's annexation of former Russian region Crimea from Ukraine. But his critics accuse him of facilitating corruption and illegally annexing Crimea, which has led to international condemnation.

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Russia's main opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, has been formally barred from standing because he was found guilty of embezzlement - a charge he claims was politically motivated. Russian TV journalist Ksenia Sobchak has already said she will stand in the election but opinion polls suggest strongman Putin will win easily. Putin studied law and joined KGB in the erstwhile USSR after university, he served as a spy in communist East Germany - some ex-KGB comrades later get top state posts in Putin era. IN 1990s he became top aide to St Petersburg mayor Anatoly Sobchak, who had previously taught him law and later entered President Boris Yeltsin's Kremlin in 1997, made chief of Federal Security Service (the FSB - main successor of the KGB), then prime minister. New Year's Eve, 1999 - Yeltsin quit and named him acting president. He easily won presidential election in March 2000 following his capacity to finish off the Chechens stock and barrel. He won a second term in 2004 and a third presidential term in 2012.

In between Putin was barred from running for a third successive term by the Russian constitution, so became prime minister in swap and made his ally the president for a term.

Both USA and Russia play chess constantly, using their foreign incursions media manipulations as plus points to promote their essentially totalitarian regimes. These presidents survive on simple logic of developing a strong personality cult.

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Qatar and Gulf crisis along expected lines!

- Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal __________

Entire West Asia except Israel is in turmoil and troubles obviously because of the destabilization efforts of USA-Israel that are ill focused on Arab world and Iran. And obviously it is because of these two countries that Gulf States have imposed a blockade against Qatar. Earlier, Saudi Arabia had withdrawn its ambassador to Doha from 2002 to 2008 to try to pressure Qatar to curb its individualistic tendencies and fall in line with Saudi leadership.

Literally, USA-Israel duo controls the Arab world and regulating all its activities. Even the so-called Arab Spring was also a part of their joint strategy to weaken Arab world and divide them to become permanent enemies to support the Zionist agenda for the region.

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Pressure tactics of USA works well in Arab world. In fact, Arab nations have thus been doing exactly what the fascist duo wants from them and all that they have been doing works against the genuine interests of the Palestinians, besieged by Israeli-Egyptian terror blockades as per the CIAMossad plan.

When USA and Israel decide the fate of Arab nations, one would therefore be surprised if the Arab nations do not fight or hate each other and there is indeed peaceful atmosphere in Arab world.

Diplomatic crisis Gulf crisis is one of devastating outcomes of Arab Spring, obviously engineered by USA and Israel, among other anti-Islamic forces. The Arab Spring left a power vacuum which both Saudi Arabia and Qatar sought to fill, with Qatar being supportive of the revolutionary wave and Saudi Arabia opposing it; since both states are allies of the USA, they avoid direct conflict with one another.

Once the so-called Arab Spring subsided, if not ended, a new Gulf crisis erupted some five months ago in Mideast as Saudi led Arab nations expelled Qatar from their association citing terror reasons. Apparently, the expulsion was made at the insistence of USA and EU. In June, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt abruptly cut all ties with Qatar over accusations Doha supported extremism and was close to Iran. Qatar denies the allegations. Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates all cut diplomatic ties and began a boycott of Qatar on June 5, in part over allegations that Doha supports extremists and has overly warm ties to Iran.

Kuwait and Oman have not taken part in the boycott of the tiny gas-rich emirate, and Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah has acted as a mediator in the crisis.

Gulf crisis continued even after the stipulated 100 days as anti-Qatar blockade intensified by fellow Arab nations seeking to oblige Washington. As Gulf crisis enters its sixth month. Erdogan and Kuwaiti Emir H H Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah discussed regional and international developments.

The exact reasons for the diplomatic break-offs are still unclear, but contemporary news coverage primarily attributes this to several events in 61

April and May 2017. As part of the Riyadh Summit in late May 2017, many world leaders, including US President Donald Trump visited the region, coercing Saudi Arabia to teach lessons to Qatar for its “terror� designs.

Trump met leaders and representatives of 55 Arab and Muslim-dominated countries in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, in late May, to discuss, among others, security and the fight against armed groups. Trump gave strong support for Saudi Arabia's efforts in fighting against states and groups allied with Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood, leading to an arms deal between the countries.

Trump's public support for Saudi Arabia emboldened the kingdom and sent a chill through other Gulf States, including Oman and Kuwait that fear that any country that defies the Saudis or the United Arab Emirates could face ostracism as Qatar has. The Saudi-led move was at once an opportunity for the GCC partners and Egypt to punish their adversaries in Doha, please their allies in Washington, and remove attention from their own shortcomings and challenges.

As several experts have previously noted, the tension arose briefly after the Riyadh Summit, when US President Donald Trump assured Saudi Arabia of his commitment to the region in the face of the "Iranian threat". The US' hope of forging an impenetrable GCC shield against Iran fails to appreciate the centrality of the energy question and exhibits a narrow sightedness based on the pursuit of self-interest. It is, therefore, predestined to fail.

Trump's support may have induced other Sunni states to fall in line with Saudi Arabia to take a stance against Qatar. But Trump spoke to Qatar’s emir and the two leaders met during May's Arab-Islamic-American summit in Riyadh. Shortly after calling for unity and offering to mediate in a diplomatic crisis between Qatar and its neighbours, Trump has held a phone conversation with the Qatari emir to discuss the latest developments in the Gulf. The call followed a White House meeting between Trump and the emir of Kuwait, who was mediating in the dispute since June 5, when a Saudi-led group announced it was cutting ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting "terrorism". Doha denies the allegations.

Founded in 1981, the Saudi led GCC is a political and economic union that includes Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, as well as Oman and Kuwait. On 27 July 2017, the Qatari foreign minister Al Thani told reporters that Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain were showing "stubbornness" and had not taken any steps to solve the

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crisis. Al Thani added that the Security Council, the General Assembly and "all the UN mechanisms" could play a role in resolving the situation.

As Qatar and a host of Arab nations are locked in a diplomatic dispute, analysts warn that a disruption to Qatar's gas supplies to the world could send energy prices soaring.

Amnesty International condemned the crisis and accused Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the (UAE) of toying with people's lives. The Norwegian Refugee Council expressed fears that the crisis would affect reconstruction in Palestine, as Qatar is a major source of humanitarian and infrastructure aid to Palestine Zionist type blockade of Qatar Even as International community is watching the state terror operations of Israel through terror blockades around Palestine, the Gulf States have also applied the Zionist tactics against a fellow Arab nation Qatar. It won’t be surprising if the world seeking world peace would like to see the end of Arab world. .

The Qatar diplomatic crisis 2017 began when several Arab countries abruptly cut off diplomatic relations with Qatar in June 2017, following the visit of US president US President Donald Trump. These countries included Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt. The severing of relations included withdrawing ambassadors, and imposing trade and travel bans.

On June 5, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt announced they were imposing a land, sea and air blockade against it. On June 22, the group issued a 13-point list of demands, including the shutdown of Al Jazeera, limiting ties with Iran, and expelling Turkish troops stationed in the country as a prerequisite to lifting the blockade.

They still boycott and blockade Qatar. Qatar has long denied funding extremists and restored full diplomatic ties to Iran amid the dispute. Doha shares a massive offshore natural gas field with Iran that makes its citizens incredibly wealthy.

Qatar is close to Iran and Turkey. Doha rejected all the demands, denouncing them as attempts to infringe Qatar's sovereignty.

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Rising Qatar and foreign relations Qatar is the world's second largest supplier of helium (the US ranks first) Qatar is also a close ally of the USA, hosting the largest American base in the Middle East, Al Udeid Air Base. Qatar also houses a Turkish military base as well.

Qatar is the world's largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and produces up to 77 million tonnes of gas each year. Gas has helped transform the tiny emirate into one of the richest countries in the world, propelling its rise into a major regional player and helping Qatar fund huge infrastructure projects and host major events such as the 2022 football World Cup. Qatar is likely to seek more than ever to maintain leadership of the market and will, therefore, continue to foster relations that support energy development, even if it comes at the expense of regional relations.

Qatar has several gas fields within its territorial waters. In April 2017, Qatar announced it was boosting output in the world's largest gas field - the 'North Dome' - off the Gulf state's northern coast, which it shares with Iran. 'South Pars' is the name for Iran's share of the gas field. Qatar Petroleum has insisted that the recent diplomatic rift between Qatar and some of its neighbours will not affect output.

Qatar is a global leader in liquefied natural gas production. Despite the severing of ties, Qatari natural gas continues to flow to the UAE and Oman through Abu Dhabi based Dolphin Energy's pipeline. The pipeline meets about 30–40 percent of UAE's energy needs.

Shipping constraints from the crisis have also rerouted multiple shipments of oil and gas to and from the Gulf, which has caused reverberations in many local energy markets. On 8 June 2017 in the United Kingdom, with nearly a third of all imported gas arriving from Qatar, gas futures spiked nearly 4 percent. A secondary effect of the dispute has been on worldwide supplies of helium, which is often extracted from natural gas.

On the Qatari side of the field, its discovery in 1971, which coincided with the state's year of independence, has been crucial for state building and sovereignty recognition. It is no wonder, then, that in addition to being the single most important contributor to the country's GDP, natural gas has also indirectly driven many foreign policy choices for the small state even where 64

monetary returns are not directly involved. This includes foreign aid, mediation and education initiatives, to name but a few.

Qatar's strategy towards its neighbours up until the early 1990s was hinged primarily on security provision and following Saudi Arabia's lead in terms of foreign policy. Concrete changes started in the early 1990s in Qatar's relations with other countries in the region, including improved relations with Iran and stronger ties with the United States at the expense of relations with Saudi Arabia, which took a blow following border and gas sale disputes. The fact that Qatar shares the largest non-associated natural gas field with Iran has influenced its relation with the latter since the 1980s. In order to maintain cordial relations aimed at stabilizing natural gas supplies, Qatar has always adopted a more sensitive diplomatic approach to Iran.

Since he took power in 1995, Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani believed Qatar could find security only by transforming itself from a Saudi appendage to a rival of Saudi Arabia. Since he took power in 1995, Hamad bin Khalifa alThani believed Qatar could find security only by transforming itself from a Saudi appendage to a rival of Saudi Arabia.

Some of the bold steps undertaken by Qatar in recently have annoyed Saudi Arabia that claims to the leader of the West Asia region.

Qatar has had developed differences with other Arab governments on a number of issues: it broadcasts Al Jazeera; it is accused of maintaining good relations with Iran; and it has supported the Muslim Brotherhood in the past.

Qatar has been accused of sponsoring terrorism.

In 1996, Qatar sought to export its natural gas to neighbouring GCC countries. However, the project faced numerous obstacles pertaining to pricing, transit rights and border disputes. This cemented the view that Qatar should look beyond its neighborhood for export markets, especially as prices were more lucrative on the international market. As a result, the sale of natural gas to key international players such as the UK, China, India and Japan has inexorably linked customers' energy security to the stability of Qatar. Moreover, Qatar's energy policy is closely linked to its investment policy as the national sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), recycles oil and gas revenue by investing heavily in Europe and North America. Therefore, the sale of natural gas is both a means to, and objective of, Qatar's international relations.

In order to force Qatar surrender, some countries like USA and Saudi Arabia have faulted Qatar for funding rebel groups in Syria, including al-Qaeda’s 65

affiliate in Syria, the al-Nusra Front, although the Saudis have done the same. It seems Qatar has allowed the Afghan Taliban to set up a political office inside the country At the insistence of President Trump, the Arab states accuse Qatar of backing "terrorism", an allegation of USA but Qatar denies. The crisis is an escalation of the Qatar–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict as part of larger conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

The Saudi-led coalition cited Qatar's alleged support for terrorism as the main reason for their actions, insisting Qatar has violated a 2014 agreement with members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Saudi Arabia and other countries have criticized the most important Arab TV channel in English Al Jazeera and Qatar's relations with Iran. Qatar claims that it has assisted the USA in the ‘War on Terror’ (War on Islam) and the ongoing military intervention against ISIL. In April 2017, Qatar was involved in a deal with both Sunni and Shi'ite militants in Iraq and Syria. The deal had two goals. The immediate goal was to secure the return of 26 Qatari hostages (including Qatari royals) who had been kidnapped by Shi'ite militants while falcon hunting in Southern Iraq and kept in captivity for more than 16 months. Another goal was to get both Sunni and Shi'ite militants in Syria to allow humanitarian aid to pass through and allow the safe evacuation of civilians. This deal allowed the evacuation of at least 2,000 civilians from the Syrian village of Madaya alone.

What outraged Saudi Arabia and the UAE is the amount of money Qatar had to pay to secure the deal. Qatar paid $700 million to Iranian-backed Shi'a militias in Iraq, $120–140 million to Tahrir al-Sham, and $80 million to Ahrar al-Sham.

The GCC’s antagonistic approach broadly failed. Sheikh Tamim said that Qatar ready to talk to end Gulf crisis and on 8 Sept 2017, he called for GCC dialogue to make the region trouble free. The GCC is an alliance of six Middle Eastern countries: Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman.

Support of Turkey and Iran Qatar and Iran share the world's largest gas field. Energy production from the world's largest gas field brings Tehran and Doha in working relationship.

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Growing ties between Iran and Qatar alarmed Riyadh. Both being aware of the growing significance of the shared field, Iran and Qatar recently announced further development plans. Following the signing of its deal with Total, Iran announced that its production capacity could exceed Qatar's although most of it would go to satisfy domestic needs.

Annoyed with Saudi action, on 24 August 2017, Qatar announced that they would restore full diplomatic relations with Iran. The Qatari emir Sheikh Al Thani says he is ready to sit at a negotiating table to solve the three-monthlong Gulf regional crisis but Saudi Arabia is unwilling for revising its strategy for Qatar as USA has put the lid on unity of Arab world and Iran.

The northern side of the gas field belonging to Iran was discovered in 1990, but gas production was delayed until the early 2000s because of a combination of geological and political problems. Although Iran's economy is more diverse, petroleum still accounts for 80 percent of its exports. The oil and gas resources are also crucial for powering an ambitious industrial sector, as well as providing electricity and heating needs for a population estimated at around 80 million.

However, a number of challenges face the energy sector. Oil and gas production and export have been hampered by sanctions dating as far back as 1979. Additionally, the country has been cut off from global technological advances usually brought in by multinational companies and corruption and bureaucracy plague the system. The energy sector is in dire need of foreign investment that would revamp its infrastructure and increase oil and gas production efficiency.

A few months after signing the agreement, the self-imposed moratorium on further development of the North Field was lifted in April 2017. Although officials deny that these events are linked, it is necessary for Qatar to increase production to maintain market share in an increasingly competitive market.

The LNG market is becoming a more integrated global market in which prices are set by market factors, rather than geopolitical interests. The change was ushered in by the emergence of new players - as well as the increase in global supply, which ensures that LNG's price and quantity are not controlled by a monopoly. In addition to increased production by Iran, Australia is expected to become a top gas exporter, the US entered the export market, and Russia is ambitious to take the first place held by Qatar.

Meanwhile, Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber al-Mubarak al-Sabah met Erdogan at his presidential palace.

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The centrality of the energy question for both Iran and Qatar means that both countries will continue to put forward policies that favour the development of said resources even if it places them at odds with regional and global players.

This year Total signed a 20-year contract with the National Iranian Oil Company using to develop phase 11 of South Pars.

The agreement benefits Iran in a number of ways as it creates jobs, brings in financing as well as technological know-how, and, perhaps most significantly, it ushers the way for other major companies to invest in Iran.

Political internal affairs in Iran are less stable compared with Qatar as conservative and moderate forces are involved in a tug of war over influence and popular approval. Although the current president, Hassan Rouhani, won a landslide victory for a second term, he lacks the full-hearted support of the country's conservative establishment led by the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Therefore, for Iran, the development and production of natural gas not only satisfies growing national energy needs but also helps the current administration to maintain political support and fulfill ambitious economic promises which include overall growth through job creation and foreign investment attraction. It also helps prove that the Nuclear Agreement of 2015 engineered by the Rouhani administration is starting to bear fruit.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Gulf tour of the Gulf States in November in his first trip abroad since the start of the Gulf diplomatic crisis was an important millstone in the bilateral relations. The talks got under way at Erdogan's presidential palace in the capital Ankara, the Turkish presidency said. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim also hosted his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah in Ankara.

Turkish-Qatari relations are also strong. Qatar hosts a Turkish base. Erdogan has strongly spoken out against the sanctions applied by the four Gulf countries. Erdogan’s visit was meant to Qatar to help resolve Gulf crisis.

Qatar has US backing to resolve crisis.

On 7 June, the Turkish parliament passed, with 240 votes in favor and 98 against, a legislative act first drafted in May allowing Turkish troops to be deployed to a Turkish military base in Qatar. In 13 June 2017 during a speech, President of Turkey Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ&#x;an condemned the isolation of Qatar as "inhumane and against Islamic values" and stated that "victimizing Qatar through smear campaigns serves no purpose" 68

Turkey’s Erdogan has been a major supporter of Doha since June 5, when Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt cut ties and blockaded Qatar, accusing it of supporting "terrorism" and fostering ties with their rival Iran. Qatar vehemently denies the accusations. At the same time, Turkey also supported Kuwait's mediation efforts in the crisis, reiterating Ankara wanted a "peaceful" solution to the issue.

Saudi, like USA does, told some of Islamic nations to support its war plans.

But Pakistan, having close ties with Qatar, Turkey and Iran, told Saudi Arabia that it has no plans to cut diplomatic relations with Qatar. Pakistani federal minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources said that "Pakistan will continue to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar." A six-member Qatari delegation headed by a special envoy of the Qatari Emir visited Pakistan and asked Pakistan to play a positive role in resolving the diplomatic crisis. Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif had said "Pakistan would do "all it can" to help resolve the crisis and called on the Muslim world to play a role in ending hostilities.

Hackers: Zionist hoax?

Qatar has been the target of all kinds of anti-Islamic and anti-Qatari forces.

The Qatar News Agency website and other government media platforms were hacked in May 2017. Hackers posted fake remarks on the official Qatar News Agency attributed to the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, that expressed support for Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Israel The emir was quoted as saying: "Iran represents a regional and Islamic power that cannot be ignored and it is unwise to face up against it. It is a big power in the stabilization of the region. Qatar reported that the statements were false and did not know their origin. Despite this, the remarks were widely publicized in the various Arab news media, including UAE-based Sky News Arabia and Al Arabiya. On 3 June 2017, the Twitter account of Bahraini foreign minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa was hacked.

Initially alleged intelligence gathered by the US security agencies indicated that Russian hackers were behind the intrusion first reported by the Qataris.

A US diplomat said that Russia and its ally Iran stood to benefit from sowing discord among US allies in the region, "particularly if they made it more difficult for the United States to use Qatar as a major base." The FBI sent a team of investigators to Doha to help the Qatari government investigate the hacking incident. Later, the New York Times reported that the hacking incidents may be part of a long-running cyberwar between Qatar and other Gulf countries that was only revealed to the public during the recent 69

incidents, and they noted how Saudi and UAE media picked up the statement made by the hacked media in less than 20 minutes and began interviewing many well-prepared commentators against Qatar.

US intelligence agencies believe that the hacking was done by the United Arab Emirates. The UAE denied any involvement in the hacking. It was announced on 26 August 2017 that five individuals allegedly involved in the hacking were arrested in Turkey. In May 2017, the email account of the UAE's ambassador to the USA, Yousef Al-Otaiba, was hacked. On 9 June, Al Jazeera's media network was the victim of a cyber attack across all its platforms.

Crisis resolution possible As top diplomats from various countries flock to the Gulf in an attempt to solve the GCC rift, major energy companies continue to vie for competitive projects in the oil and gas fields in the region. The latest of these projects is the development of the South Pars/North Field, the world's largest natural gas field, which is owned by both Iran and Qatar. This field plays a central yet often underrated role in the development of foreign and national policies in both Qatar and Iran. In light of this, any attempt for isolation or pressure on either country to alter select policies is futile insofar as it disregards this fact.

Similarly, the ensuing Saudi-led blockade against Qatar is destined to eventually subside and give way to normalized relations in spite of the current tension. As a sign, perhaps, that energy trumps political antagonism, it is noteworthy that shortly after the rift, and Qatar announced it would not disrupt liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which runs through the Dolphin pipeline.

The UAE receives about two billion cubic feet on a daily basis from Qatar.

Egypt, similarly, will continue receiving Qatari LNG shipments which it secured till the end of 2017. Qatar's LNG ships continue to make their way unhindered to Asia through the Hormuz Strait and to Europe through the Suez Canal.

Since Kuwait unsuccessfully mediated to end the Gulf crisis because of Saudi reluctance for accepting Qatar as an ally. Merkel's government has announced efforts to mediate in the crisis, which saw Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain severing diplomatic and transport ties with Qatar in June.

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Germany's foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel expressed support for Qatar and criticized the severing of ties. He accused US President Donald Trump of stirring up conflict in the Middle East. Germany has been supporting diplomatic efforts to try and defuse the crisis, with Merkel inviting all sides to sit at the table. Recently Qatari Emir Sheikh was on his first foreign trip since Qatar's diplomatic rift with its Arab neighbours and is now in Germany.

"As you know we have had a siege of more than 100 days against Qatar," Sheikh Tamim said at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin. "We spoke about Qatar's readiness to sit at the table to solve this issue."

Germany is attempting to ratchet up diplomatic pressure to get the feuding nations on the same table."The German desire here is to play a broader role, diplomatically speaking, in the Gulf area and it clearly wants this issue to be dealt with as speedily and peacefully as possible," he said. Now that there is an understanding by every leader around the world that the dispute must be resolved diplomatically, sooner rather than later," he said from London.

Sigmar Gabriel has said the country's intelligence service would play a role in clearing up accusations that Qatar supports "terrorist" groups.

Merkel said she was concerned that there was still no solution to the crisis, adding she supported efforts by Kuwait and the USA to mediate an end to the dispute. "Germany is not a part of this conflict, but would like, in line with its values, to help get this conflict resolved in such a way that all can keep their face," Merkel said. "We view with concern the fact that 100 days since the start of the conflict no solutions can yet be seen‌.And we spoke about the need for all the parties to sit at one table again as soon as possible."

Indonesia's foreign minister said the diplomatic disconnection by Arab countries against Qatar is very influential on Indonesia. On 10 June 2017 Indonesian President Joko Widodo called for the president of Turkey and the Emir of Qatar to find a way to resolve the conflict considering Indonesia itself is an Islamic country and this conflict occurred during holy Ramadan.

On 8 June, after igniting the trouble, President Donald Trump, during a phone call with the Emir of QatarTamim bin Hamad Al Thani, offered to act as a mediator in the conflict with a White House meeting between the parties if necessary. The offer was declined, and a Qatari official stated, "The emir has no plans to leave Qatar while the country is under a blockade."

Trump puts the blame on Qatar, calling the blockade "hard but necessary" while claiming that Qatar had been funding terrorism at a "very high level" 71

and described the country as having an "extremist ideology in terms of funding". This statement was in conflict with Secretary of State Tillerson's comments on the same day, which called on Gulf States to ease the blockade.

On 21 June, Trump told a crowd in Iowa that "We cannot let these incredibly rich nations fund radical Islamic terror or terrorism of any kind," noting that after his visit to Riyadh in May 2017 to meet with Saudi King Salman and urge an end to terror funding, did work and had a huge impact on Saudi foreign policy.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor released a report showing the catastrophic effects of Saudi- led blockade on Qatar. Because of Saudi’s procedures, the report said that more than 6000 families are displaced because one of the parents is a Qatari citizen and the other holds a passport of one of the “siege countries”. The report also explained blockade’s effect on work and labor rights in Qatar as nearly 2,000 workers who have Saudi, Bahraini or Emirati citizenship will be forced to leave their jobs in Qatar.

In June 2017, "siege countries" have shut down media outlets with links to or considered sympathetic to the Qatari government.

Human Rights Watch said such steps represent a clear violation of freedom of expression. The international organization said governments don’t have the right to close down media outlets and criminalize speech to shut out criticism they find uncomfortable. Human Rights Watch said that the isolation of Qatar represents a severe violation of human rights principles.

The blockade reflects negatively on the right to freedom of expression. In addition, the siege caused in separating families, interrupting medical, interrupting education, and stranding migrant workers without food or water and travel to and from Qatar.

Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain took steps to curb their citizens' expression of opinions that oppose their policies. In the three countries, Citizens who opposes Qatar siege will face penalties ranging from fines to prison. Human right Watch said such measures represent a huge violation of freedom of speech and information that could have serious implications Earlier at a joint press conference with Kuwait's emir, Trump had said he supported Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah's mediation efforts, but if that did not manage to resolve the Gulf crisis, he would be "willing to be a mediator". He calls “on our GCC and Egyptian allies” to focus on “our commitments” at that Saudi Arabia summit to continue our joint efforts to drive out and defeat terrorists," Trump said.

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The emir of Kuwait said he was glad that military action against Qatar was no longer being considered. The Kuwaiti emir's comments marked the first time that a main player in the efforts to defuse the crisis spoke publicly about the possibility of a military option. The emir of Kuwait is the main mediator in this crisis, coming out and saying that war is now not on the table.

Kuwait has invited Qatar to a summit of Gulf countries next week, state media said, the first such invitation in a months-long Saudi-led diplomatic boycott of Doha. Kuwait, which is not among Arab states boycotting Qatar, invited Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to the Gulf Cooperation Council summit on December 5 and 6, the state-run KUNA news agency said.

During his conversation with Trump, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani welcomed Trump's position on the need to resolve this crisis through dialogue to ensure the unity of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) The Qatari emir also expressed Doha's position on resolving "differences through constructive dialogue that does not affect the sovereignty of states", Qatar News Agency reported.

For his part, Trump pledged his commitment to ending the crisis, stressing the importance of maintaining unity while trying to defeat "terrorism". "The president underscored the importance of all countries following through on commitments from the Riyadh Summit to maintain unity while defeating terrorism, cutting off funding for terrorist groups, and combating extremist ideology," read a statement by the White House issued.

Sports also play role in the Gulf crisis. A top Emirati security official said that the Qatar diplomatic crisis can end if Doha gives up hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup — the first time someone from the four Arab nations boycotting the country directly linked the tournament to resolving the months-long dispute.

When Qatar's sole land border with Saudi Arabia was closed and sea traffic cut off by the boycott, World Cup organizers were forced to instigate a “Plan B,” including bringing in supplies from Turkey. Hassan al-Thawadi, Qatar World Cup supreme committee secretary-general, said that the project remained on time despite that. “There might have been some minimal increase in terms of establishing alternative supply chains but these have 73

been absorbed very, very quickly and been normalized as these supply chains have been put in place,” he said.

Observation The USA calls the countries or forces that constantly cause problems for the world community as rogue states and threaten with wars but one wonders as to why neither USA nor Israel – both are known masters for their overt and covert divisive and destabilizing operations across the globe, particularly in West Asia - is not known as a rogue state. Israel possesses nukes obtained illegally and without informing the UN and IAEA, which is double crimes; USA sullied WMD to essentially fascist Israel to threaten Palestinians, Arab nations and Iran but they are not rouge states according to CIA, but Iran and North Korea that makes strenuous efforts to protect their people and territories from USA and Israeli enemy attacks are called so.

Interesting phenomenon, isn’t it?

So, only Uncle Sam can decide who is a rogue and who is not.

One cannot find fault with if Americans and Israelis consider Arab nations, including Palestine, to be of worst fools on earth who could be easily pressured, coerced, terrorized, blackmailed and divvied for infighting and killing each other.

Apparently, US President Donald Trump has clearly ignited troubles in Arab world by his first ever visit to Saudi Arabia. Trump has already claimed credit for engineering the diplomatic crisis in a series of tweets on 6 June, Trump began by tweeting: "During my recent trip to the Middle East I stated that there can no longer be funding of Radical Ideology. Leaders pointed to Qatar – look!”

Israel wants to see a badly shaken and weakened Arab world so that it could advance its Zionist expansionist agenda with US backing. Israel's defence minister, hawkish illegal settler leader Avigdor Lieberman, described the Gulf situation as an "opportunity" for Israel, stating, some Arab countries interests overlap with Israeli interests, including the issue with al-Jazeera."

He went on to describe al-Jazeera as an "incitement machine" and "pure propaganda".

USA and Israel determine the course of international politics and Arab world has been the target of both USA and Israel for decades.

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US-Saudi relations are not sound at all. That USA has so far ignored Saudi requirement of an US attack on Iran has upset all Saudi/Gulf calculations. Us refusal to oblige the Israeli demand of a quick attack on Iran has upset the Saudi connect with Washington as well. .

Saudi behavior is incomprehensible. After lying very low for decades as a total dependent on USA, Saudi Arabia has recently sought to raise its diplomatic profile by playing an active role as a soverign nation at the regional and global level at large. Interestingly, Saudi Arabia blaming Qatar of terror funding only serves the US interests as USA blames Qatar, among others, the source of terror funding. Saudi Arabia just repeats the accusation to impress all anti-Islamic forces around the world.

With a rising Iran, a increasingly high profile Turkey, Saudi Arabia feels insignificant among top Muslim nations and now wants every Sunni nation, especially in Mideast come under its control. But Qatar, also a rising power, is very eager to showcase its importance to the world, seeks to pursue its own policies at home and abroad. .

Increasing assertion by Turkey and Iran in recent times in diplomatic sphere may have made Riyadh also to assert its importance on global stage and hence the threatening tone and domestic reform related arrests etc.

The decision of GCC not to go for a war with Qatar is a positive but surprising development because under US pressure tactics Saudi could have declared a war on Qatar to kill many more thousands of Muslims as their own contribution to War on Islam.

The centrality of the energy question for both Iran and Qatar means that both countries will continue to put forward policies that favour the development of said resources, even if it places them at odds with regional and global players. Therefore, any such attempts to isolate either country would not only be in vain, but also threaten the stability of a fragile region and endanger international energy security.

USA cannot go against Qatar as Qatar hosts about 10,000 US troops at Al Udeid Air Base, which houses the forward operating base of US Central Command that plays a commanding role in US airstrikes in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. A Pentagon spokesperson claimed the diplomatic crisis would not affect the US military posture in Qatar.

However, that is exactly what USA and Israel want and work for.

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Mideast: Is Fatah-Hamas unity genuine?

-Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal

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When after fighting for over 10 y long years that made Israel happy and USA fully satisfied, the Fatah and Hamas in Palestine finally decided in early October – and before a proper unity agreement was signed in Cairo on 12 October, world felt the sigh of great relief that now on Palestinians would not kill each other as part of greater design of fascist Zionist regime in West Asia.

After over one month, now one suspects if the unity agreement between Fatah and Hamas in Palestine mediated by Egypt- a close ally of Israel has and put in place the Rafah error blockade to block the movements of Palestinians in Gaza Strip, as part of Zionist-Egyptian control of entire Palestine, not just the Gaza Strip- is genuine and can withstand the pressure tactics of USA-Israel terror twins in the region.

As their loud demand, USA and Israel want Hamas to be “disarmed” so that Fatah can destroy them. One of the key stumbling blocks for Palestinian unity, therefore, is the question of Hamas’ military wing; the Qassam Brigades which Fatah has asked the Hamas to dismantle. Fearing that Abbas could easily be coerced by Israel-US duo to completely weaken the Islamic movement, Hamas has objected to dismantling of its military wing until such time truly cooperation takes roots in PLO but also agreed that it will coordinate any military action with Abbas’ Fatah movement but rejected out of hand dismantling the Qassam Brigades.

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Palestine could consider the Qassam Brigades as being a part of its defense infrastructure Why not? That will obviously allay the fears and mutual suspicions in Hamas camp of Fatah-Israel-US intentions. In fact, so fierce were disagreements that Egyptian mediators convinced both parties to postpone talks on the issue for later.

So fierce were disagreements that Egyptian mediators convinced both parties to postpone talks on the issue for later in order to reach the preliminary agreement.

Indeed, the signs for reconciliation so far don’t look great. Hamas has done most of the running, rounding up Salafi militants and building a buffer zone for Egypt, dismantling its administrative committee to hand over governance duties to the Ramallah-based government, which has also taken over charge of crossing into and out of Gaza, though Israel would continue to oversee everything in Palestine until a soverign Palestine state comes into existence. The day may not be far way for that.

But in return for all these important services, Hamas has so far received nothing. There has been no opening of crossings, the sine qua non of any agreement. And Abbas is still refusing to lift sanctions on Gaza that were imposed back in April and which plunged Gaza ever deeper into crisis.

Already Hamas has agreed to disband its own government elected by the Palestinians 10 years ago. After the election of the Hams as the ruling party, Israel and USA used Fatah to launch a civil war to oust the Hamas government and weak the movement. It is because of US-Israel-Fatah nexus that Hamas always created obstructions to the bogus peace talks conducted by Israel on US tricks.

Like Israel, USA is also looking for opportunities to see that the remaining Palestinians are killed and their lands confiscated for proliferation of illegal settlements inside Palestine.

Jews foolishly say God has promised them their land in Mideast. Did god speak to them directly or by phone? Did God give anything in writing about the Promised Land deal?

Did god ask them to kill all Palestinians and confiscate their lands for illegal 77

expansionist projects in Palestine? Possibly, some big frauds might have bluffed to their forefathers about the “promised land”.

If Jews have got anything in writing from God on “promised Lands”, they must quickly produce it at the UN, ICJ and ICC for verification.

Otherwise Israel must end its war on Palestine and Islam. Dirty American terror goods embolden the criminal Israelis to attack the defenseless Palestinians on regular basis in order to expand their illegal territories acquired by using US terror goods and misusing US veto.

Apparently, Hindutva and Zionism have hidden links on fake claims. Hindutva leaders say god Ram lived in Ayodhya. In fact, Ram is the chief protagonist and positive hero of a historic novel Ramayana that was imbibed by some Hindu leaders as the basis of their religion which is more open and more adaptable than any other religions of the world. But today, the politically greedy Hindus seeking to outsmart the Congress party has converted the humane religion into a political weapon targeting Islam, Muslims, Mosques, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Kashmir etc to grab power in Hindu majority India.

They have made inroads in areas where Congress thrived thanks to solid Muslim votes.

India buys terror goods even form Israel as if its own production of them is not enough and all the arms being bought, though UN and directly, from regional markets are not sufficient to attack the defenseless Kashmiris who fight for their sovereignty from Indian military yoke. .

Indian nationalism is not Hindutva which an ugly version of Hinduism but secularism and democracy- both are alien to Hindutva ideology meant o garner Hindu votes.

Similar politics is being conducted in Israel where Islam is treated as a terrorist religion and Palestinians are targeted for their blood and lands so that Jews are happy while the hawkish Jewish leaders continue to misrule the essentially anti-Islamic nation-a close ally of USA.

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Israel is eagerly seeking to attack Iran and wants Saudi Arabia to initiate the step of launch of missiles targeting Iran so that it could do the “needful” to wind up the West Asia of Muslim nations with military backing of Zionist America now controlled by a Jewish son in law of an arrogant and erratic US President Donald Trump who, after the tacit support of Obama for Iran, has sworn to attack Iran in order to make Israel the support power of West Asia with illegal WMD, supplied illegally by USA without informing the Un, UNSC, IAEA. USA says Israel targeting Islam and Arabs can have WMD but Iran cannot have that privilege-why? It does not want the Arab world to use the nuclear facility of Iran for defense purposes. Both USA and Israel give the Saudi rulers Zionist poison in beautiful glass but Saudi kingdom is also ready to taste that in the name of Zionism and US fascism, hoping that by consuming the poison it could destroy Iran- a fellow Islamic nation.

Enemies of Islam, pretending to be the great ‘democrats”, are now emerging as the close ally of Saudi led Gulf States.

Unfortunately, in its outsized fear of Iran, Riyadh has in effect made common cause with Israel – for whom Iran has been a constant thorn in the side –and at a propitious time for both. After former US President Barack Obama’s attempt at defusing world tensions with Iran through the 2015 nuclear deal – over the heads of Israeli and congressional opposition – Trump has walked the opposite direction.

US-Israeli strategy is welcome in Riyadh that seeks to make Iran less important and does not mind if Iran is also attacked and destabilized like Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, giving entire Islamic world an amalgam of failed nations.

If however, Saudi Arabia thinks it would be safe after the fall of Iran, it is mistaken baldy.

In fact the target of anti-Islamic nations led by Israel and USA, among their allies like India, Sri Lanka, etc, is not Iran but Saudi Arabia- here Islam took birth and now the cradle of Islamic civilization.

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What USA-Israeli twins try to do is to generate hatred especially in Islamic world for Saudi Arabia and Islam so that it would be easy for them to invade and destroy Saudi Arabia along with the Holy sites of Islam.

In case Riyadh and its Sunni Arab leaders think the USA and Israel and their allies love Saud kingdom, they are the worst fools the world has seen.

Unfortunately, in its what looks like an insane fight against Iran, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations seem to have lost sight of the Palestine issue and have conveniently forgotten about the fate of Palestinians.

Do they also believe what the Isreali Jews continued to bluff about their “promised lands”?

If so, later, Israel, backed by all anti-Islamic nations led by USA and Germany, would conveniently extend their version of “promised lands” to include Saudi Arabia as well!

Prevention is better than cure, it is said.

________

On President Erdogan’s visit to Qatar amid Gulf crisis!

--Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal __________ Recently Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan traveled to Qatar, which Ankara has supported in its dispute with powerful Gulf Arab neighbors as the key part of his shuttle diplomacy. Erdogan visited Doha, following trips to Russia and Kuwait. President

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Erdogan and Qatar Emir held the meeting of the third session of the Qatar-Turkey Supreme Strategic Committee at the Emiri Diwan.

Qatar is the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas. A group of nations led by Saudi Arabia and including Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates cut ties with Qatar in June. On June 5, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut ties with Qatar accusing it of backing extremism and fostering ties with their Shia rival Iran. Doha, however, vehemently denies the claims and Ankara has insisted there is absolutely no evidence to back the allegations.

The Gulf crisis was one of the important items on the agenda of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's meetings in Kuwait and Qatar. "The crisis which started over five months ago in the Gulf Cooperation Council will be among the top-priority topics of the agenda," the Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said in a statement.

Ankara has a military base in Qatar and deployed more troops after the hostilities erupted. The closure of the Turkish base was one of 13 conditions demanded by the Saudi-led bloc.

Turkey has backed Qatar since Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, cut economic and diplomatic ties in July, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism, a charge it denies.

However, Turkey does not want to wreck its own relations with regional kingpin Saudi Arabia and its hugely powerful new Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Erdogan has carefully worked to improve Ankara's relations with Riyadh which took a blow over the 2013 ousting of President Mohammad Morsi in Egypt, another ally of Ankara.

President Erdogan has strongly spoken out against the sanctions applied by the boycotting countries towards Doha. In a show of solidarity, Turkey has also sent cargo ships and hundreds of planes loaded with food products and other supplies to break the embargo on Doha.

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President Erdogan’s visit to Qatar comes within the framework of the growing and distinguished relations of cooperation between the two brotherly countries in various fields. The Emir and the Turkish President discussed means of enhancing strategic bilateral cooperation between the two countries as well as reviewing the latest developments in the region.

As a part of his three nation tour, the Turkish President Erdogan arrived in Doha on Nov 15 for an official visit to Qatar. The State of Qatar's Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani held talks in Turkey on November15 with the emirate's chief ally President Recep Erdogan, in his first trip abroad since the Gulf diplomatic crisis erupted.

Over the last years, Qatar has emerged as Turkey's number one ally in the Middle East, with Ankara and Doha closely coordinating their positions on a number of issues including the Syria conflict where both are staunch foes of President Bashar al-Assad.

During the meetings held at higher levels, the two countries signed 14 agreements and memorandums of understandings (MoUs) to reach a total of signed agreements between the two sides to about 40 agreements covering all areas of vital cooperation between the two countries ranging between economic, cultural, defence, banking and cyber security as well as food and agricultural security. In addition to an agreement to protect investments and another twinning between Hamad Port and Turkish ports.

Qatar and Turkey have signed a defence agreement in 2014 to establish a Turkish base in Qatar, in aim to strengthen Qatar’s defence capabilities and promote the region’s security, without hostility against any party. When the current Gulf crisis break out and the unjust siege imposed on the State of Qatar, Turkey took the initiative and sent the rapid dispatch of foodstuffs and basic needs to Qatar’s citizens and residents.

The Turkish president has repeatedly called for the lifting of the blockade against Qatar.

Erdogan has been a major supporter of Doha in the crisis that has seen Qatar left diplomatically and economically isolated. "We support a resolution of the crisis through a brotherly manner and through dialogue," Ibrahim Kalin, Erdogan's spokesman, told reporters. "This crisis only serves the enemies of this region."

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While seeking a quick end of confrontation between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, however, Turkey backs Qatar in the Gulf crisis that was triggered in June when Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain cut diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar. The four states accuse Qatar of supporting terrorist groups -- allegations Doha denies, describing the embargo as a breach of its national sovereignty.

Earlier, Erdogan in July embarked on a regional tour of the Gulf countries, with visits to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar in a bid to defuse the crisis. But his visit then ended without any sign of a breakthrough and Ankara has shown signs of preferring to leave mediation efforts to Kuwait.On 15 Sept 2017 Turkey's President Erdogan hosted Qatar's emir. Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has held talks in Turkey with Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H E Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has said that Qatar has US backing to resolve the ongoing crisis with a Saudi-led alliance. “The Trump administration is encouraging all sides to end the dispute and has offered to host talks at the Camp David presidential retreat, but only Qatar has agreed to the dialogue,” H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said yesterday, Bloomberg reported.

Abdulrahman Al Thani said he will meet Secretary of State Rex Tillerson next week after having talks this week with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker and ranking member Ben Cardin as well as other congressional leaders. “The Middle East needs to be addressed as the top priority of the foreign policy agenda of the United States,” he told reporters in Washington yesterday. “We see a pattern of irresponsibility and a reckless leadership in the region, which is just trying to bully countries into submission.”

Asked about the prospect of the Saudi-led bloc taking military action, the Deputy Prime Minister said though Qatar hopes that won’t happen, his country is “well-prepared” and can count on its defence partners, including France, Turkey, the UK and the US, which has a base in Qatar. “We have enough friends in order to stop them from taking these 83

steps,” but “there is a pattern of unpredictability in their behavior so we have to keep all the options on the table for us,” he said. On the US military presence, “if there is any aggression when it comes to Qatar, those forces will be affected,” he added. “Already, the boycott is impacting the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria,” the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister said.

Qatar’s C-17 transport aircraft are the main planes ferrying logistical support to coalition partners, such as Jordan and Turkey. But because Qatari planes are barred from flying over Saudi, Bahrain and the UAE, “we have only one pathway to fly, which is via Iran,” so that if there’s an emergency the planes may have to land in the Islamic Republic, he added.

Meanwhile, AFP reported that Abdulrahman Al Thani compared Saudi Arabia’s political manoeuvres in Lebanon to its boycott of his country, and accused Riyadh of a dangerous escalation. He said Qatar is ready to come to the table to resolve the dispute under US mediation. But he maintained Qatar’s tough stance, arguing that Riyadh is responsible for detonating a series of Middle East crises, by intervening in Lebanon, boycotting Qatar and bombing Yemen. “This is something we have just witnessed in the region: Bullying small countries into submission,” the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister said, suggesting that Saudi aggression is a new regional threat. “Exactly what happened to Qatar six months ago is happening now to Lebanon,” he said. “The leadership in Saudi and the UAE should understand that there is a world order that should be respected. International law should be respected,” he said. “There is no right for any country to interfere in other countries,” he argued, warning: “There is a pattern that is very risky for the region, and very intimidatory.”

HH Abdulrahman Al Thani said Qatar was a strong US partner in war against terrorism.

To a question about allegations on supporting terrorism, H H Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said it was propaganda and in fact the entire campaign was started with such baseless accusations. Qatar was strong US partner in war against terrorism and was hosting centre of command for global coalition base as a big ally in war against terror. The Deputy PM and Foreign Minister said Qatar was front runner in 84

fighting against ideology of terrorism through supporting education in vulnerable countries and was supporting education of 7m children in East and Central Asia. He said that the US always expressed its appreciation for this relationship and there was no indication that it wanted to close its base in Qatar. “In fact, we are developing this relationship further.”

Qatar is getting support from the USA for putting this crisis to an end but it was behavior and attitude of Saudi Arabia and the UAE which had laid siege Qatar and were taking illegal actions against Qatar. He said that terrorism was bigger threat in the region but siege countries attitude was undermining the threat through anti-Qatar campaign.

Before his visit to Qatar, President Erdogan went to Kuwait. He and Kuwaiti ruler Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah discussed “regional and international developments,” the government-run KUNA news agency said. Erdogan and Kuwait’s leader Sabah Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah discussed issues related to bilateral trade, and cooperation in defense, education and culture, according to the statement. Erdogan and the Kuwaiti emir discussed means to improve cooperation on all fronts between the two nations and also inked a direct investment agreement. Turkey’s and Kuwait's military chiefs of staff held talks on the "developing and strengthening" military cooperation, according to KUNA. Kalin said that regional developments, particularly in Syria, Iraq and the Gulf region, along with bilateral relations between Turkey and the Gulf countries would be discussed in detail.

Former Ottoman Empire is making Ernest efforts to play pivotal and proactive role as a part of his rising diplomatic profile. Recently Turkey, Qatar and Iran agreed to launch the Qatar-Turkey route through Iran in a move to boost trade between the two countries.

The agreement will be signed soon between the transport ministers of the three countries according to the Turkish Ambassador to Doha Fikret Ozer.

Earlier in July, Erdogan had embarked on a regional tour of the Gulf countries, with visits to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar in a bid to defuse the crisis. But his visit ended

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without any sign of a breakthrough and Ankara has shown signs of preferring to leave mediation efforts to Kuwait.

Turkey has increased trade with Qatar since the start of the embargo and the two countries have held joint military exercises in the Gulf state, where Ankara has a military base. It has said it will deploy 3,000 troops at the base. The closure of the base was one of the conditions laid by the Saudi-led bloc for the lifting of the sanctions, which was rejected by Doha.

The two countries established the Supreme Strategic Committee under the leadership of H H the Emir and the Turkish President to act as an important mechanism for strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries in all fields. The Turkish exports to Qatar have increased three times more than usual to reach $32.5m since the beginning of the unjust siege, where these exports increased during last June to 51.5 percent on month-on-month (MoM) basis. As well Qatari investments in Turkey between 2011 and 2016 were valued at $1.29bn.

Through joint meetings of the committee, the two countries are explored the best ways to strengthen their bilateral relations. The committee meetings resulted in more qualitative cooperation between the two countries, which opened new horizons for cooperation. Thus the committee has played a major and catalytic role in the development of economic relations between the two countries since its inception.

As a group of nations led by Saudi Arabia and including Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates blockaded Qatar in June; Kuwait has unsuccessfully led mediation efforts in the dispute, while Turkey has stepped in to support Qatar with food imports in the face of a blockade by the Arab states.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan met with the Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah in Kuwait City. Kuwait has led mediation efforts in the dispute, while Turkey has stepped in to support Qatar with food imports in the face of a blockade by the Arab states. Erdogan and the Kuwaiti emir also discussed “means to improve cooperation on all fronts� between the two nations and also inked a direct investment 86

agreement, KUNA said. The report did not give further detail on the agreements.

Turkey and Kuwait’s military chiefs of staff held talks on the “developing and strengthening” military co-operation, according to KUNA. Prior to his Gulf trip, Erdogan visited Russia briefly, and discussed with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin Turkey's expectations regarding the re-establishment of visafree regime and lifting of all remaining trade sanctions by Moscow.

Following the downing of a Russian fighter jet in November 2015 over violation of Turkish airspace, Kremlin had ordered an end to visa-free travel with Turkey. Russia also banned some Turkish agricultural imports as well as firms involved in construction, engineering, and tourism.

Later Moscow came to know that Turkish military fired down the Russian jet plane on instructions, as usual, from Pentagon. Turkey as a key member of NATO has to oblige Washington in such military matters. Moscow and Istanbul came to recognize their common foe trying to split European Turkey and Eurasian Russia for strategic reasons. .

As a result, however, the bilateral relations improved considerably in recent times especially during the summer, Russia relaxed trade sanctions placed on Turkey. Most recently, on October 27, Russia lifted its restrictions on the import of tomatoes from Turkey beginning Nov. 1.

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Arab League urgent meeting over Iran on Saudi Arabia request!

-Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal

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Arab foreign ministers gathered in Cairo on Sunday the November 19 on Saudi Arabia's request for an extraordinary meeting to discuss alleged “violations” committed by Iran in the region. The Arab League meeting comes as tensions have been rising between long-standing rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran over League member Lebanon and other issues.

Tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran have also soared since Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned on Nov 4, citing Iran's “grip” on his country and threats to his life.

The emergency Arab foreign ministers’ meeting had the support of the UAE, Bahrain, and Kuwait to discuss means of confronting Iranian intervention.

After the resignation of Lebanon’s prime minister pushed Beirut back into the center of a rivalry between Sunni kingdom Saudi Arabia and Shi‘ite Iran and heightened regional tensions, Saudi Arabia has called for an urgent meeting of Arab League to discuss Iran’s intervention in the region, an official league source told Egypt’s MENA state news agency on Sunday.

After French intervention, Hariri flew to France and met President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. He will arrive in Cairo for a visit. Speaking in Paris, Hariri said he would clarify his position when he returns to Beirut in the coming days. He said he would take part in Lebanese Independence Day celebrations, scheduled for Wednesday.

The Arab League has 22 members, but Syria's membership was suspended at the end of 2011 following months of brutal repression of anti-government demonstrations and an opposition movement supported by Gulf monarchies.

Now they would like to remove Qatar as well.

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The Arab League meeting comes as tensions have been rising between longstanding rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran over League member Lebanon and other issues. A committee is to prepare a draft resolution on Iran which will be discussed later by all ministers. The meeting addressed a Yemen rebel missile that was intercepted near Riyadh on November 4, and a pipeline fire in Bahrain on November 10.

Saudi Arabia and Iran have for decades stood on opposing sides of conflicts in the Middle East, including Syria and Yemen. A diplomatic source said Riyadh was seeking to adopt a condemnation of Iran and Arab militias linked to this country.

Saudi Arabia and other Arab foreign ministers criticized Iran and its Lebanese Shi‘ite ally Hezbollah at an emergency meeting in Cairo on Sunday, calling for a united front to counter Iranian interference.

In its request for the meeting, Saudi Arabia referred to the incidents and “to the violations committed by Iran in the Arab region, which undermines security and peace, not only in the Arab region but around the globe.

Regional tensions have risen in recent weeks between Sunni monarchy Saudi Arabia and Shi‘ite Islamist Iran over Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri’s surprise resignation, and an escalation in Yemen’s conflict. Hariri, a Saudi ally, resigned on Nov. 4 from Riyadh, accusing Iran and Hezbollah of spreading strife. But Lebanese President Michel Aoun and other politicians accused Saudi Arabia of holding Hariri hostage and said he had been coerced into resigning. Saudi Arabia and Hariri both deny that.

Saudi Arabia’s powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has accused Iran of “direct military aggression” against the kingdom by supplying the 89

Yemen rebels with ballistic missiles, but Tehran has denied any involvement.

A close ally of Saudi kingdom Bahrain has also blamed Iran for the pipeline fire.

Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) supported the Saudi request for an extraordinary meeting, which was also approved by Djibouti, the current chair of the pan-Arab bloc.

Lebanon's foreign minister did not attend Sunday's Arab League meeting, a ministry source has told AFP, but the country's permanent representative was present. For more than a decade, Lebanon's political class has been largely split between Hezbollah and its allies and a coalition led by Hariri. In Syria, Hezbollah has fought to defend the government of President Bashar al-Assad, also an ally of Iran.

Hezbollah, both a military force involved in Syria’s war and a political movement, is part of a Lebanese government made up of rival factions, and an ally of Aoun.

Saudi Arabia accuses Hezbollah of a role in the launch of a missile towards Riyadh from Yemen this month. Iran denies accusations that it supplies Houthi forces there. “The kingdom will not stand by and will not hesitate to defend its security,” Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel Jubeir told the assembly. “We must stand together.”

In a declaration after the meeting, the Arab League accused Hezbollah of “supporting terrorism and extremist groups in Arab countries with advanced weapons and ballistic missiles.” It said Arab nations would provide details to the UN Security Council of Tehran’s violations for arming militias in Yemen.

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Lebanon’s Arab League representative objected to the declaration accusing Hezbollah of terrorism and said it is part of Lebanon’s government. United Arab Emirates’ Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said later that the declaration was a “clear message” about joint Arab action against Iran.

Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said “Iranian threats have gone beyond all limits and pushed the region into a dangerous abyss,” but Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told Iranian state media on Sunday on the sidelines of a meeting in Antalya said: “Unfortunately countries like the Saudi regime are pursuing divisions and creating differences, and because of this they don’t see any results other than divisions” Yemen’s civil war pits the internationally recognized government, backed by Saudi Arabia and its allies, against the Houthis and forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.“ Egypt’s foreign minister received a call from US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Sunday when they also discussed regional tensions over Lebanon.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and Arab allies have pushed for unity against Iran, Hezbollah meddling.

Saudi approach toward Rohingya Muslims!

-

Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal

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Generally, Saudi Arabia does not intervene if a Muslim nation faces any imperialist or fascist threat from any non-Muslim country. Similarly, if Muslim minority populations are attacked in a non-Muslim nation by the regime, or its military or police or by the majority population as a sign of hatred towards Islam, Saudi Arabia does not make m any comments, let alone criticize that inhuman act.

This kind of insensitive Saudi attitude has not only disillusioned the affected Muslim populations across the globe but also emboldened the foes of Islam However, Saudi Arabia has accepted the Rohingya Muslim refugees who fled their mother land Myanmar.

Riyadh has adopted the same approach towards the genocides of Rohingya Muslims by the Myanmar regime and it’s military. Today, the hapless and unfortunate people

known as Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar live at the mercy of Bangladeshis.

Myanmar Muslims Myanmar, formerly Burma, is as much a criminal state as Israel has been and as a criminal state it has been fully engaged in killing people. Muslims have been its favorite target for decades and centuries and when Burma became Myanmar the new constitutional extra fittings made the state persecution of Muslims fairly easier.

Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar today are a people without a state and targeted by the state and its military and thus prone to worst kinds of state terrorism. The state terrorizes the Muslims and forces them to run for life and cover and they go to the neighboring nations for protection. More and more of them are being driven out of their nation-Myanmar. How can that be?

Every human has national identity eve if one does not claim it. But Myanmar has imposed the fate of nationahoodlessness on its own Rohingya Muslims, kills them, torture and chases them out of their homes and nation.

More than 500,000 people — roughly half the Rohingya Muslim population in Myanmar (Burma) — have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh over the past year, mostly in the last month. The United Nations human rights chief has described Burma's military crackdown and allied Buddhist mob attacks as “a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.”As the world's biggest oil exporter, Saudi Arabia competes with Russia to be China's top crude supplier. Expanding its footprint there requires Burma's help.

The story of pathetic existence of Muslims in Myanmar and their ill treatment by Burmese military, police and criminalized Buddhist monks has been narrated by many 92

world writers. Since USA and other world powers back the military regime in Myanmar the crimes continue unabated. USA and Israel sell terror goods to Myanmar so that the military could “deal� with Muslims.

Saudi Arabia is already home to around a quarter-million Burmese people who took refuge in the kingdom under the late King Faisal in the 1960s. The kingdom pledged $15 million in aid to the Rohingya last month.

When Rohingya Muslims fled persecution and slaughter in Burma in past decades, tens of thousands found refuge in Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's holiest sites. This time around, Muslim leaders from the Persian Gulf to Pakistan have offered little more than condemnation and urgently needed humanitarian aid.

The lack of a stronger response by Muslim-majority countries partly comes down to their lucrative business interests in South East Asia, experts say. Much of the Middle East is also buckling under its own refugee crisis sparked by years of upheaval in Syria, Iraq, Libya, Yemen and Afghanistan.

What has been happening to Rohingya Muslims for decades of persecution by the military regime is nothing short of holocaust. That the UNSC does not take any steps to end persecution of and genocides of Muslims makes the situation explosive and worst.

Burmese regime does not want any Muslim to be alive.

US-Israel terror twins have been aiming to end the Palestinian race once for all and the genocides and military expansionism inside Palestinian territories. They also support the Burmese Buddhist criminals to murder Muslims so that populations of Islam are reduced sharply. Already US led NATO and other rogue states are ransacking energy rich Islamic nations, destabilizing them, killing Muslims in millions.

Israel continues to arm Burma military amid ongoing violence against Rohingya Muslims. Following the hoax known as 9/11 tragedy, the Zionist-Israeli-led America has been taking unjustified revenge of the Holocaust from the Muslims in particular.

Owing to collaboration of the US-led Israel and India with the past and present regimes of Myanmar that general masses, belonging to Buddhism have been incited against Rohingya Muslims, which has, now, resulted into humanitarian catastrophe.

Because of inaction by the US-led international community, this crisis can destabilize the whole region by jeopardizing political and economic interests of America and other Western countries.

Continued genocides and attacks on Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar is an international shame- a shame for international community. .

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In 1992, 250,000 Rohingya Muslims fled to neighbouring Bangladesh to escape the persecution, while more than 100,000 are living in the Gulf States, Pakistan, Malaysia and Thailand. Due to fear of extreme repression, Rohingya Muslims left the northern Arakan region, especially Buthidaung and Maungdaw.

Human rights groups raised the pressure on Aung San suu Kyi, the de facto head of Myanmar’s government and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who once embodied her country’s fight for democracy and human rights, has drawn international condemnation for failing to address ongoing rights’ abuses of the Muslim minority.

World’s most persecuted humans Rohingya Muslims have been called one of the world’s most persecuted people….in addition to their almost total lack of legal rights, many have been regularly beaten by police, forced to do slave labor and jailed for little or no reason. Military bullets target only Muslims.

Continued violence against minority and their ill-treatment by the Myanmar government has annoyed the entire world, especially the Islamic world. Even as Muslims are targeted by the colonialist regimes in New Delhi and Tel Aviv, the perpetual crimes being committed against the Rohingya Muslims try to overtake them.

Like people from war ravaged Syria who throng European nations as refugees, exodus of Rohingya Muslims takes shelter in Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The pictures on social media and migrated persons verify “the rivers of blood, beheading of children and burning people alive—you do not have to be a Muslim to protest this or discern the truth, any person with even a tiniest bit of humanity, as to their hearts will quiver with pain.

Even going by the UN estimates, over 1,000 people may have been killed in the crackdown launched by Myanmar army in Rakhine state. Approximately 500 Muslims were slain during the military operations, while it continues unabated. But media of some Islamic countries pointed out that more that 3000 Muslims have been killed since August 25, 2017 and more than 100,000 civilians have been displaced in Rakhine.

Rakhine State or Arakan is one of the poorest provinces of Myanmar. Among the 3 million Rakhines, there are about 1.3 million Rohingyas in Rakhine State, who have been living there for centuries, and others are Buddhists who are in majority. In 1942, the criminal sections of majority Buddhists carried out massive genocide of Muslims and at least 150, 000 Muslims were massacred. During the military rule (1962-88) in Burma, Rohingyas were treated as foreigners and gradually their nationality was taken away.

During that era, more than 200,000 Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh. Only 32600 were given formal protection as refugees.

Historically, Rohingya Muslims arrived in Myanmar in early seventh century. The military junta always is allowed to play the pivotal role in targeting the minority Muslims. It 94

embarked on a systematic program of religious cleansing of the Burmese Muslims who are denied their basic rights, i.e. the right to freedom of movement, marriage, faith, identity, ownership, language, culture, citizenship, education etc. They have also been barred from government employment Accelerated state attack Since August 25, this year, brutal military operations against the Rohingya Muslims across the Rakhine State accelerated in Myanmar, which forced thousands of the Muslims to migrate to Bangladesh. Some of them have gone to India too but the BJP regime was eager to throw them out by calling them terrorists. The Burmese regime has launched the Zionist type onslaught on Rohingya Muslims but the UNSC and world powers do not raise their otherwise loud voice against the military controlled regime in Myanmar.

State crimes In 2012, thousands of Burmese Muslims were butchered, while brutal methods of torturing, killing, inflicting physical and causing mental harm on them were employed by the extremist Buddhists. Instead of resolving the problem by protecting the minority Muslims, the Burmese military regime was being backed by the US clandestinely and supported the Buddhist rioters. Eye witnesses had revealed that Buddhist extremists have torched several mosques, shops and houses of Muslims. Even Burmese military and police have been found involved in massacre, targeted killings, disappearances and rape of Muslim women.

About 270,000 refugees, mostly Rohingya Muslims, have fled to Bangladesh in the last two weeks. During the crackdowns, security forces committed deliberate human rights violations such as mass gang rapes, merciless killings, brutal beatings, beheadings of babies and children, arson and looting the houses of the Rohingya Muslims. They razed several villages to the ground.

Oil A recently opened pipeline running through Myanmar, also known as Burma, carries oil from Arab countries and the Caucuses to China's landlocked Yunnan Province. The 771-kilometre (479-mile) pipeline starts at the Bay of Bengal in western Burma's Rakhine state, from where most of the Rohingya have been forced out.

In 2011, a subsidiary of state oil giant Saudi Aramco and PetroChina, an arm of China's state-owned CNPC, signed a deal to supply China's southwestern Yunnan Province with up to 200,000 barrels per day of crude oil, just under half of the pipeline's capacity.

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Saudi Aramco did not immediately respond to a request for comment on shipments through the pipeline. “One could argue that Saudi Arabia is less likely to be outspoken on this (Rohingya) issue because it actually relies on the Burmese government to protect the physical security of the pipeline,” said Bo Kong, a senior associate at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies who has written about China's global petroleum policy.

Pipeline The pipeline became operational in April following years of delays. It allows tankers to bypass the Strait of Malacca, cutting typical voyages by about seven days. A natural gas pipeline from Burma's Shwe gas field runs alongside it.

State brutalities Images of burnt Muslim villages in Burma and of traumatized and often barefoot Rohingya women, children and elderly crossing into Bangladesh sparked protests in several Muslim countries. A large rally was held to denounce the crisis in Indonesia, which is working to boost bilateral trade with Burma to $1 billion a year.

In 1992, 250,000 Rohingya Muslims fled to neighbouring Bangladesh to escape the persecution, while more than 100,000 are living in the Gulf States, Pakistan, Malaysia and Thailand. Due to fear of extreme repression, Rohingya Muslims left the northern Arakan region, especially Buthidaung and Maungdaw.

Human rights groups raised the pressure on Aung San suu Kyi, the de facto head of Myanmar’s government and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who once embodied her country’s fight for democracy and human rights, has drawn international condemnation for failing to address ongoing rights’ abuses of the Muslim minority.

Crisis of refugees Muslim-majority countries have been increasingly promising aid as the number of refugees swells in Bangladesh. Azerbaijan, which also appears to be exporting crude to China through the pipeline, has ordered 100 tonnes of humanitarian aid to be 96

dispatched. Turkey, which like Iran jostles with Saudi Arabia to be the Islamic world's centre of influence, has mobilised millions of meals for refugees in Bangladesh and vowed to maintain a refugee camp there. It has also provided clothing, part of more than 150 tonnes of humanitarian aid supplied overall.

Aid Saudi Arabia is moving ahead with its economic and political agenda in Burma and Southeast Asia, yet can still “claim to have stood the moral high-ground” by previously taking in refugees and providing financial aid. “The important point is that natural gas and oil flows through Rakhine state,” he said.

Iran, Saudi Arabia's regional rival, has also sent at least 40 tonnes of aid. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently took a swipe at other Muslim countries with business interests in Burma, urging them to ramp up pressure on the government there. “There are tens of Muslim countries and governments, some of whom have financial and economic transactions with them,” he said. “If we sit somewhere and engage in condemnations, what is the use of this?”

Protests In Pakistan's largest city of Karachi, tens of thousands protested. Lawmaker Farhatullah Babar of the Pakistan People's Party has pushed his government to suspend or at least slow the implementation of defence agreements worth hundreds of millions of dollars with Myanmar. He told the Associated Press that an official responded to his request by saying Pakistan is pressing Burma through diplomatic channels to stop the violence.

“Pakistan should not be seen as strengthening a regime that is using weapons against its own people,” Babar said. He declined to elaborate on the details of the defence agreements.

A report by IHS Jane's in February said Burma two years ago bought 16 JF-17 Thunder aircraft, co-developed by Pakistan and China. The defence weekly said Burma is now in 97

advanced negotiations with Pakistan for licensed production of the fighter jet's advanced third-generation variant.

The 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation held an emergency session on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York to discuss the crisis. The organisation, headquartered in Saudi Arabia, issued a lengthy statement earlier this month expressing “grave concern� over the exodus of Rohingya. But unless its member states take tougher action on their own, there is little the OIC can do to pressure Burma's government. Jason von Meding, a specialist in disaster response at the University of Newcastle in Australia, said religious differences are not the only reason Rohingya are being forced out.

Why do most Muslims refuse to criticize corruption in Saudi Arabia, Islamic world?

- Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal ______

A direct and simple answer is that basically most Muslims are themselves also corrupt in action and thinking and they always think about the possible ways and means to make money by all short routes. Unfortunately, these Muslims include those who worship in mosques and apparently they do so only to increase their illegal wealth.

Their faith in God and commitment to Islam is questionable Unfortunately, there is no Muslim country which is not corrupt and which does not promote corruption. Thus, Muslims have adopted corruption as their way of life in place Islamic honest life without corruption. Rulers are responsible and accountable for making the society entirely corrupt. Corruption at top and middle levels cause serious damages to the national economic health as corruption is allowed to be flourishing.

The Islamic legal tradition, however, is very strict: in fact, a hadith of the Prophet simply condemns bribery - both those who grant and those who receive bribes, along with the intermediary - all placed by the Prophet on an equal footing. The granting of illegal assets to favour and facilitate a subsequent transaction, however, is an offense to divine

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law, not just to corporate law, in the meaning that we Westerners attribute to the concept of "civil law".

The Holy Quran reads as follows: "Devour not your wealth among yourselves vainly, nor present it to the judges that you may devour a part of the wealth of other men sinfully and knowingly" (Al-Baqarah, Surah "The Cow," verse 188). Furthermore, Islamic prophet Muhammad (SAS)’s doctrine on corruption contains many other Qur’anic and Sunnah verses as well.

Muslims, particularly the Muslim rulers and leaders have no knowledge about the real cause of birth of Islam and therefore no idea about what Islam stands for. Most Muslims look for opportunities to make money illegally and immorally and increase their wealth Arab leaders not only have no idea about the personality of the Prophet Muhammad (SAS) but, worse, they ignore the Prophet’s message deliberately to mint money and make wealth. They even justify their corrupt practices as the “normal thing everywhere” and people cannot live like Prophet wants them. They have faith in the money and wealth and the support of the politicians and even the corrupt governments.

The case is unfortunately the same in Saudi Arabia where the rich and royal families loot the nation’s wealth and take bribes from abroad for services etc True, corruption has been a global phenomenon and it works as the central part of capitalism globally. Corruption is rampant even in Islamic world and today there in no country that has promoted sincerely honesty through anti-corruption laws that work well.

By its very nature and philosophy, Islam is anti-capitalism and does not promote the principle of ‘wealth by any means’ encouraged in the West and East. In essence Islam opposes capitalism that thrives on black money, corruption based on bribery, etc.

The attitude of government opting for misgovernance, rulers and leaders in Muslim countries make the people also corrupt as they refuse actions without getting the necessary bribes first. .

Indeed these Muslims are not Islamic by nature and mindset; they are anti-Islamic people simply living to make wealth by any means.

Ironically, the Muslim rulers think God has given them power and wealth and the ability to manipulate things in their favor and promote corruption to increase their illegally made wealth. That is wrong as in making illegality into legal ones they in fact try to appropriate the divide powers as well.

This explains why media world of Muslims refuse to actively support the action of Mohammad bin Salman because it would make him “strong”. That is foolishness on the part of these “modern Muslims”. King is always strong in Saudi Arabia even without doing anything because he is among the richest. .

In fact, these pseudo Muslims are scared that if Saudi Arabia succeeds in stamping out corruption, then, its trickling effect on other Arab nations and subsequently and gradually entire Islamic world would unstoppable.

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Corrupt Muslims oppose the reform in Saudi Arabia mainly because they would also have to change their attitude and work hard for a respectable life.

The ongoing anti-corruption arrests and sackings have thrown open wide the vestiges of anti-Islamic tendencies crept into Saudi system and life. Crown Prince and king in waiting Mohammad bin Salman’s anti-corruption drive ahs thrown open the corrupt skeletons from the royal cupboards. World is shocked to know that Saudi Arabia is a badly controlled corrupt nation which is the cause of all corruption operations throughout Islamic world, harming the genuine interests of Islam and ordinary Muslims, globally.

Crown Prince’s current anti-graft sweep is focused on the food, real estate and telecommunication sectors. The aim is to hit and decapitate the primary sectors of economic and media consensus to rebuild a new network of relations in the Middle East and respond to the Shiite operations even with a military clash.

All those arrested and removed from government assignments are dirty Arabs who made illegal wealth by acts of commission and omissions. In fact, it looks, the royal and rich sections of Arabian nation have jointly taken over the wealth of the nation to be used as their own private assets and belongings.

These ultra corrupt big guys now control economy, fiancés, banks, foreign trade, and literally everything that matters and make illegal wealth for themselves and families.

Thus far the King supported and even promoted and but no more.

With a view to understanding the political logic of the Saudi anti-corruption Commission, we must at first see who and how has been hit by the Saudi penalties imposed by the Nazaha in Riyadh, upon Saudi royal orders. Over 500 Saudi citizens have been hit - for various reasons - by the anti-corruption sweep of Prince Muhammad bin Salman’s Commission. Moreover 1,286 private and corporate current accounts have been frozen so far.

It should also be noted that many Saudi people targeted by this anti-corruption probe which is more rational to define as a bloodless coup - are part of the three branches forming the Riyadh Intelligence Services. First, as is well-known, there is the General Intelligence Presidency (GIP), the Mukhabarat al-A'amah, whose old leader Khalid Bin Alì al-Humaidan has been put aside.

The other intelligence services, namely the internal security police and, above all, the Mabahit, responsible for counter-espionage and internal and political security, have also been decapitated by the current graft crackdown of the Heir to the Throne.

In particular, Prince Muhammad bin Salman wants to capitalize on the current honeymoon with Trump Presidency, as well as avoid the coup that was probably looming large for Salman and his son Mohammed. He also wants to acquire absolute hegemony over the Sunni world against the Iranian Shiite operations which will be tolerated at best in Central Asia, but never in the Persian Gulf.

Saudi Arabia has at long last found a true Islamic Muslim in the name of Muhammad bin Salman to lead the nation and Islamic world at large and Muslims would support his Islamic drive. If the Saudi King had abdicated in favour of his son Mohammed - as he 100

had long been planning to do - he would soon have put aside Prince Muhammad bin Nayef, the Interior Minister and direct heir to the Saudi Kingdom in the traditional line of succession. In fact, on June 21, 2017 Bin Nayef was replaced by Muhammad bin Salman. It is worth noting that currently all coups start for the media ownership or control. The crown Prince has achieved that as well.

Even while he undertakes the reform in his own way, Prince Muhammad bin Salman must not lose sight of the conspiracies of foes of Islam like Israel, Germany and USA in using the current state of affairs as part of his efforts for a better Saudi Arabia in truly Islamic spirits to reflect the philosophy of the Prophet it for its own purposes. They can try to generate discard among the people especially between Sunni and Shiites in the kingdom and Arab world or scheme to destabilize the nation where Islam was born. Obviously, that is the key objective of foes of Islam that ignited the so-called Arab Spring.

The anti-corruption operations launched by Saudi crown Prince (King) should streamline Islamic governance globally and make corrupt a serious crime for punishment without fail. Only then Muslims would try to follow Islamic laws as their prime duty.

Other religions could emulate the truly Islamic code in all respects for better life of the people, better performance of governments. . . .

Bribery and corruption in Islamic countries is a sin, a crime!

Crown Prince Mohammad reform: Saudi Arabia attacks high level corruption!

-

Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal

_______

Saudi Arabia, the birthplace as well as spiritual home of Islam, has been in news in recent years as it makes strenuous efforts to enhance its global profile as a leader of (Sunni) Islamic world. It managed the Arab Spring so well that though the phenomenon had struck entire Arab world, starting from Tunisia, just passed by that nation without making any real impact on the Saudi life and politics. However, Saudi government and the king himself were in anxiety and despair until the “spring� died down.

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The fact that Saudi Arabians and royal families are corrupt like other materialistic countries has shocked the world as they thought Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of holy Prophet of Islam, was free from bribery and corruption and Saudi kingdom is a nation of honest people.

Corruption is rampant in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. The ruling classes and their allies, close relatives are engaged in wealth creation activities by engaging themselves in corrupt practices.

As the first ever Arab leader Saudi king Salman bins Abdulaziz Al Saud, through his son Crown Prince Mohammad, is now seen taking bold steps to cleanse the Saudi system off corruption and give Islamic laws due place in the system that would g a long way streamlining the Islamic governance in Islamic world beyond Arab nations. . .

All of a sudden Saudi government under Crown Prince Mohammad decided to check growth of corruption in the Islamic nation, found even many of the royal families within the government corrupt, arrested and put them in jail.

According to initial report, at least 11 princes, four current ministers and several former ministers had been detained in the anti-corruption probe.

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Salman has dismissed a number of senior ministers and detained nearly a dozen princes in an investigation by a new anti-corruption committee on Saturday. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, a billionaire businessman who owns investment firm Kingdom Holding, was among those held. The senior ministers who were sacked include Prince Mitaab bin Abdullah, the head of the National Guard.

Those involved in the historic corruption scandal of Saudi kingdom include: Alwaleed bin Talal, owner of Kingdom Holding group; Prince Mitaab bin Abdullah, minister of the National Guard; Prince Turki bin Abdullah, former governor of Riyadh ; Prince Turki bin Nasser, former head of meteorology, environment; Waleed al-Ibrahim, chairman of MBC media group; Khaled alTuwaijri, former president of the Royal Court; Adel Faqih, minister of economy and planning; Amr al-Dabbagh, former president of the General Investment Authority; Saleh Abdullah Kamel, chairman of Dallah al Baraka Group; Saud al-Tobaishi, head of Royal ceremonies and protocols; Ibrahim al-Assaf, state minister and executive of Saudi Aramco; Bakr Binladin, owner of construction company Saudi Binladin Group; Saud al-Dawish, former CEO of Saudi Telecom Company; Khaled al-Mulhem, former director general of Saudi Arabian Airlines.

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In a statement Salman alluded to the "exploitation by some of the weak souls� who have put their own interests above the public interest, in order to, illicitly, accrue money" for the creation of the anti-graft committee.

The detentions follow a crackdown in September on political opponents of Saudi Arabia's rulers that saw some 30 clerics, intellectuals and activists detained. Prince Alwaleed, a flamboyant character, has sometimes used his prominence as an investor to aim barbs at the kingdom's rulers. In December 2015, he called then-US presidential candidate Donald Trump a "disgrace to all America" and demanded on Twitter that he withdraw from the election.

The arrested officials are believed to be being housed in the five-star Ritz Carlton Hotel, which two weeks ago held a high-profile investment summit under the auspices of Prince Mohammed. The convention centre next door was used to receive Donald Trump in May, when the US president travelled to Saudi Arabia to reset relations with his country’s long-term ally, which had deteriorated under the Obama administration that had pivoted to Iran.

Saudis really are on the brink of dramatic changes. In 2015, Mohammed bin Salman became minster of defence. Just a few months ago, he became the head of all the internal security forces because they got rid of the Mohammed bin Nayef, then crown prince. Now he's taken control of the third most important security apparatus within the country, so he has defence, he is in control of interior and now he is in control of the guards.

Clearly he has the stage set. Clearly all the heads of all the major media networks, newspapers, and commentators were all already groomed, set in motion in order to defend the crown prince and his policies. There are already new songs for the crown prince and his glory, so internally they are definitely setting the stage in terms of the three security apparatuses, the media and so on.

President Trump has given his blessings and support to the crown prince Mohammad with the hundreds of billions of dollars of promised contracts, so he's certainly supporting his various ambitions in the region, most importantly that of the confrontation with Iran in the region. This is something that Trump really wants as well as apparently a promised rapprochement with Israel.

Rise of Saudi Arabia

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Saudi Arabia houses the holiest Mosques of Islam. As the motherland of Islam, Saudi Arabia was a poor nation until oil was discovered last century.

Saudi Arabia is geographically the fifth-largest state in Asia and secondlargest state in the Arab world after Algeria. Saudi Arabia is bordered by Jordan and Iraq to the north, Kuwait to the northeast, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates to the east, Oman to the southeast and Yemen to the south. It is separated from Israel and Egypt by the Gulf of Aqaba. It is the only nation with both a Red Sea coast and a Persian Gulf coast and most of its terrain consists of arid desert and mountains.

Discovery of oil greatly enhanced the economic and financial prowess of Saudi kingdom. Petroleum was discovered on 3 March 1938 and followed up by several other finds in the Eastern Province. Saudi Arabia has since become the world's largest oil producer and exporter, controlling the world's second largest oil reserves and the sixth largest gas reserves. The kingdom is categorized as a World Bank high-income economy with a high Human Development Index and is the only Arab country to be part of the G-20 major economies. However, the economy of Saudi Arabia is the least diversified in the Gulf Cooperation Council, lacking any significant service or production sector, apart from the extraction of resources.

Saudi Arabia is heavily dependent on oil for income and has been suffering since oil prices crashed from more than $100 a barrel in 2014. The kingdom has been desperately trying to diversify its economy away from the commodity, but is still focused on trying to raise oil values and restore its main income source. Saudi Arabia’s risky plot to raise oil prices to save its economy has failed sending the country into crisis. The kingdom tried to manipulate prices by slashing output to increase demand, but the plan backfired as US shale producers continued to pump more oil. Prices have fallen as low as $43 a barrel and remained well below $50 since the end of May when OPEC announced its plans to tackle oversupply. OPEC members Libya and Nigeria were previously exempt from the cap announced in May, but desperate OPEC and Saudi could now pressure the two countries to comply in the hope of denting supply. Russia has already called on OPEC to cap output from Nigeria and Libya in the near future and it will be interesting to see if any new agreements are proposed for both nations to join the oil production cut agreement.

Among the challenges to Saudi economy include halting or reversing the decline in per capita income, improving education to prepare youth for the workforce and providing them with employment, diversifying the economy, stimulating the private sector and housing construction, diminishing corruption and inequality.

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In addition to petroleum and gas, Saudi also has a small gold mining sector in the Mahdadh Dhahab region and other mineral industries, an agricultural sector, especially in the southwest, based on dates and livestock, and large number of temporary jobs created by the roughly two million annual Hajj pilgrims. Virtually all Saudi citizens are Muslim (officially, all are), and almost all Saudi residents are Muslim. Estimates of the Sunni population of Saudi Arabia range between 75% and 90%, with the remaining 10–25% being Shia Muslim. The official and dominant form of Sunni Islam in Saudi Arabia is commonly known as Wahhabism.

According to estimates there are about 1,500,000 Christians in Saudi Arabia, almost all foreign workers. Saudi Arabia allows Christians to enter the country as foreign workers for temporary work. Americans enjoy special status in Saudi as they are not punished there for their crimes and there could be some CIA agents too among them who promote corruption and create challenges for Islam as part of their mission. In 1980, Saudi Arabia bought out the American interests in Aramco.

Saudi Arabia's command economy is petroleum-based; roughly 75% of budget revenues and 90% of export earnings come from the oil industry.

Saudi Arabia officially has about 260 billion barrels of oil reserves, comprising about one-fifth of the world's proven total petroleum reserves It is strongly dependent on foreign workers with about 80% of those employed in the private sector being non-Saudi.

Saudi Arabia is called in the West as a monarchical autocracy. Saudi Arabia is considered a regional and middle power. Saudi Arabia was the world's second largest arms importer in 2010–2014. By 1976, Saudi Arabia had become the largest oil producer in the world. King Khalid's reign saw economic and social development progress at an extremely rapid rate, transforming the infrastructure and educational system of the country; in foreign policy, close ties with the USA were developed.

In 1979, two events occurred which greatly concerned the government, and had a long-term influence on Saudi foreign and domestic policy. The first was the Iranian Islamic Revolution. It was feared that the country's Shi'ite minority in the Eastern Province which is also the location of the oil fields might rebel under the influence of their Iranian co-religionists. There were several anti-government uprisings in the region such as the 1979 Qatif Uprising. The second event was the Grand Mosque Seizure in Mecca by Islamist extremists. The militants involved were in part angered by what they considered to be the corruption and un-Islamic nature of the Saudi government. The government regained control of the mosque after 10 days and those captured were executed. Part of the response of the royal family 105

was to enforce a much stricter observance of traditional religious and social norms in the country (for example, the closure of cinemas) and to give the Ulema a greater role in government. Neither entirely succeeded as Islamism continued to grow in strength.

This partly explains why Saudi kingdom is touchy of Sunni branch of Islam and opposes Iran, accusing it of fomenting troubles in Sunni nations. .

King Khalid died of a heart attack in June 1982. He was succeeded by his brother, King Fahd, who added the title "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques" to his name in 1986 in response to considerable fundamentalist pressure to avoid use of "majesty" in association with anything except God. Fahd continued to develop close relations with the USA and increased the purchase of American and British military equipment. Saudi used a good part of its income from oil sales on terror goods from USA, UK and other western countries.

As the USA began pushing its own religious and capitalist agenda in the nation of Islam, many Saudis opposed Washington and Saudi Arabia's relations with the West began to cause growing concern among some of the ulema and students of sharia law and was one of the issues that led to an increase in Islamist terrorism in Saudi Arabia, as well as Islamist terrorist attacks in Western countries The vast wealth generated by oil revenues was beginning to have an even greater impact on Saudi society. It led to rapid technological modernisation, urbanization, mass public education and the creation of new media. This and the presence of increasingly large numbers of foreign workers greatly affected traditional Saudi norms and values. Although there was dramatic change in the social and economic life of the country, political power continued to be monopolized by the royal family leading to discontent among many Saudis who began to look for wider participation in government In the 1980s, Saudi Arabia spent $25 billion in support of Saddam Hussein in the Iran–Iraq War. However, Saudi Arabia condemned the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and asked the US to intervene.[55] King Fahd allowed American and coalition troops to be stationed in Saudi Arabia.

Hidden economy and rampant corruption

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Oil made many poor Arabs rich and billionaires in a few years and they also began looting the nation’s resources by all possible means. In fact, Saudi is no difference from other corrupt nations like India, Pakistan or USA or UK. Arabs make huge sums and wealth, both legitimate and illegal. The line between public funds and royal money is not always clear in Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarchy ruled by an Islamic system in which most law is not systematically codified and no elected parliament exists. WikiLeaks cables have detailed the huge monthly stipends that every Saudi royal receives as well as various money-making schemes some have used to finance lavish lifestyles.

Most of rich Arabs keep their wealth in USA and UK. Trump responded in typically combative terms accusing the prince of wanting to control “our politicians with daddy’s money”. Trump tweeted: "Dopey Prince Alwaleed_ Talal wants to control our US politicians with daddy’s money. His father, Prince Talal, is considered one of the most vocal supporters of reform in the ruling Al Saud family, having pressed for a constitutional monarchy decades ago”. Al-Waleed had in fact recently promised to donate all his wealth to charity – although he had years earlier purchased a yacht from Trump, and according to Forbes’s profiles, shares the president’s predilection for mocked-up Time magazine covers apparently featuring his exploits.

Prince Al-Waleed a grandson of Saudi’s first ruler and son of a Saudi finance minister, has an estimated net worth of $17bn (£13bn), although he has used them for underestimating his own wealth. He came to prominence internationally as a major backer of Citigroup in the 1990s, and more so when continuing to back the firm as its value evaporated during the financial crisis. His investments extended into major media groups, with substantial stakes in Rupert Murdoch’s NewsCorp, Apple, Time Warner, Twitter, and owning Rotana, whose TV channels broadcast widely across the Arabspeaking world. He has reduced his share in NewsCorp, but his clout was such that an intervention in 2011 in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal was seen as the coup de grace for News International’s Rebekah Brooks, telling the Murdochs from his superyacht in Cannes that “she has to go”.

The investment group he set up in 1980, rebranded as the Kingdom Holding Company in 1996, also owns several global luxury hotel chains, as well as landmark properties such as London’s Savoy Hotel and the George V in Paris. More recently it has backed Uber’s rival ride-hailing firm Lyft. On Twitter in 2015 he called Donald Trump a “disgrace to America” after the Republican candidate floated the idea of a ban on Muslims, and he urged Trump to quit the campaign.

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Prince Al-Waleed was an early advocate of women’s employment in Saudi Arabia – hiring a female pilot for his jets, at a time when there was no prospect of women driving on the ground, and speaking out against the driving ban before the regime agreed this year to lift it. His wife, Ameera, who he divorced in 2013, usually appeared unveiled.

Al-Waleed’s international profile was extraordinary – frequently seen with top politicians, Wall Street executives and British royals. But he was an unofficial public face of the Saudi kingdom rather than a key part of the ruling elite – a status underlined by his arrest in King Salman’s crackdown.

In a 2013 court case in London, a judge said that Prince Al-Waleed’s evidence in the witness box was “confusing and too unreliable” as he was forced to pay out in a business dispute. And while the prince already owns a Boeing 747 for his personal use, complete with throne, his ambition to have the world’s biggest superjumbo, the A380, refitted with a concert hall, Turkish baths, luxury suites and a parking bay for his Rolls Royce, remains unfulfilled. Despite placing an order with manufacturer Airbus in 2007 at the Dubai airshow, the plane remains on the tarmac in Toulouse to this day.

Hidden economies promote corruption more than the open ones.

Transparency deficit automatically causes corruption on a large scale as it had happened in Russia and now happening in China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan etc are ordinary third world countries without any definition of good governance and so corruption is the order of the system in these countries.

The regime and system promote and encourage corruption as a state policy.

Now Arab government seriously considers multi-pronged approach to diversify its economy from oil into other fields of economy, including industries, agriculture, services, military equipment production, modernization, etc.

The highest profile arrest in Saudi Arabia’s anti-corruption purge is Prince AlWaleed bin Talal, a multibillionaire with huge investments in western firms.

Prince Al-Waleed, 62 and one of the world’s richest men, has become one of the most familiar – and progressive – faces of Saudi in western media. While he has the lifestyle, jets, yacht and palace of a stereotypical Saudi billionaire, he has burnished a different image with interventions such as backing rights for Saudi women and denouncing President Trump on Twitter.

Arab leaders do not distinguish between their wealth and state wealth as they loot national resources for private use.

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Anti-corruption probe and purge for accelerated change Earlier, former British PM Tony Blaire had to resign for serious charges, including ones related to bribery scandals involving top Saudi officals and ministers. But the issue was never raised in Saudi Arabia or Arab world.

Saudi government and king himself were keen not to publicize the corruption sandals of their ministers or officals because that would bring bad name for the nation with Holy sites. But the king or government did not purse anticorruption drive to cleanse the system and present a positive image of Saudi Arabia.

Now for the first time in modern Arabian history a King, namely Salman has ventured to contain corruption prevalent in Saudi life by his launch of the anti-corruption drive and catching the top culprits in the royal dynasty itself red handed. Well done.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman has tightened his grip on power through an anticorruption purge by arresting royals, ministers and investors including billionaire Alwaleed bin Talal who is one of the kingdom's most prominent businessmen. Prince Alwaleed, a nephew of the king and owner of investment firm Kingdom Holding, invests in firms such as Citigroup and Twitter. He was among 11 princes, four ministers and tens of former ministers detained.

The purge against the kingdom's political and business elite also targeted the head of the National Guard Prince Miteb bin Abdullah who was detained and replaced as minister of the powerful National Guard by Prince Khaled bin Ayyaf. News of the purge came after King Salman decreed the creation of an anti-corruption committee chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, his 32-year-old favourite son who has amassed power since rising from obscurity three years ago.

The new anti-corruption body was given broad powers to investigate cases, issue arrest warrants and travel restrictions, and seize assets. "The homeland will not exist unless corruption is uprooted and the corrupt are held accountable," the royal decree said.

King Salman issued a statement saying that the committee shall "identify offences, crimes and persons and entities involved in cases of public corruption". The committee has the power to issue arrest warrants, travel bans, disclose and freeze accounts and portfolios, track funds and assets, and "prevent their remittance or transfer by persons and entities, whatever they might be", according to the statement.

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The shake-up of the Saudi government comes just months after King Salman replaced his nephew Mohammed bin Nayef with his son Mohammed bin Salman as the kingdom's crown prince. Mohammed bin Salman has been responsible for pushing through a number of changes both at home and abroad since he became first in line to the Saudi crown. Ian Black of the London School of Economics said the move fit a "pattern of accelerated change" since Mohammed bin Salman became heir. "We've seen since June this year, very far-reaching changes," he said, adding: "That was when Mohammed bin Salman, the son of King Salman, was appointed crown prince."Since Mohammed bin Salman became the crown prince in June, we've seen a lot of upheaval. We've seen the announcement of this very ambitious Saudi plan to transform the country the Saudi economy, Vision 2030."

The dismissal of Mitaab bin Abdullah as National Guard minister came shortly after a missile attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels on Riyadh's King Khaled International Airport. However, Black said the two were probably not related as the sacking came bundled with changes to other ministerial portfolios.

In recent weeks, Saudi Arabia has announced an end to its long-standing ban on allowing women to drive, and Mohammed bin Salman has also promised to return the country to a "moderate" form of Islam. Since 2015 Saudi Arabia has been at war against Houthi rebels, who control much of northern Yemen on the kingdom's southern border.

It is not clear if the Trump visit emboldened the kingdom, which has been locked in a decades-long tussle with Iran for power and influence across the region. Since then, a swath of economic policies has been launched, along with cultural reforms unprecedented in Saudi history. By mid next year, women are expected to be allowed to drive, to enter sports stadiums and travel abroad without the endorsement of their male guardians.

It is also said the arrests were another pre-emptive measure by the crown prince to remove powerful figures as he exerts control over the world's leading oil exporter. The round-up recalls the palace coup in June through which he ousted his elder cousin, Mohammed bin Nayef, as heir to the throne and interior minister. MbS, as he is known, was expected to follow at least by removing Prince Miteb from leadership of the National Guard, a pivotal power-base rooted in the kingdom's tribes. Over the past year MbS has become the ultimate decision-maker for the kingdom's military, foreign, economic and social policies, causing resentment among parts of the Al Saud dynasty frustrated by his meteoric rise.

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Saudi Arabia's stock index was dragged down briefly but recovered to close higher as some investors bet the crackdown could bolster reforms in the long run. The royal decree said the arrests were in response to "exploitation by some of the weak souls who have put their own interests above the public interest, in order to, illicitly, accrue money."

Many ordinary Saudis praised the crackdown as long-awaited.

Reforms King Salman’s purge should be seen as a part of his reform policy.

In September, the king announced that a ban on women driving would be lifted, while Prince Mohammed is trying to break decades of conservative tradition by promoting public entertainment and visits by foreign tourists.

The crown prince has also slashed state spending in some areas and plans a big sale of state assets, including floating part of state oil giant Saudi Aramco (IPO-ARMO.SE) on international markets. Prince Mohammed also led Saudi Arabia into a two-year-old war in Yemen, where the government says it is fighting Iran-aligned militants, and a row with neighbouring Qatar, which it accuses of backing terrorists, a charge Doha denies. Detractors of the crown prince say both moves are dangerous adventurism.

The most recent crackdown breaks with the tradition of consensus within the ruling family. Prince Mohammed, rather than forging alliances as the usual strategy, is extending his iron grip to the ruling family, the military, and the National Guard to counter what appears to be more widespread opposition within the family as well as the military to his reforms and the Yemen war.

In September, Prince Mohammed authorised the detention of some of the country’s most powerful clerics, fearing they may not be loyal to his agenda and supportive of his boycott of Qatar, which Saudi leaders accuse of destablising the region. The state moves on the home front followed a striking foreign policy stance earlier in the day that appeared to put the kingdom on a political collision course with Iran. Under Saudi pressure, the Lebanese prime minister, Saad al-Hariri, unexpectedly quit his job, citing Iranian interference across the Middle East. Hariri made his statement in Riyadh after twice being summoned to the Saudi capital during the week.

The attorney general, Saud al-Mojeb, said the newly mandated corruption commission had started multiple investigations. The decree establishing the 111

commission said: “The homeland will not exist unless corruption is uprooted and the corrupt are held accountable.” “The suspects are being granted the same rights and treatment as any other Saudi citizen,” he said. “During the investigation, all parties retain full legal privileges relating to their personal and private property, including funds.”

Prince Mohammed will oversee the corruption commission, adding to his already formidable list of responsibilities, including his role as defence minister and champion of the economic transformation, dubbed Vision 2030, that aims to revolutionize most aspects of Saudi life within 12 years. Prince Mohammed told the Guardian last month that the kingdom had been “not normal” for the past 30 years and pledged to return Saudi Arabia to moderate Islam.

According to Al Arabiya, the new committee, which is headed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is looking into the 2009 floods that devastated parts of Jeddah, as well as the government's response to the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus outbreak.

The interests of the Al Saud would remain protected. Both King Salman and heir apparent Mohammed bin Salman are fully committed to them. What they wish to instill, and seem determined to execute, is to modernize the ruling establishment, not just for the 2030 horizon but beyond it too.

Observation: A step in the right direction Corruption is alien to Islam. The action against corruption shocked the world- not just the Arab nations or Islamic world alone. The world is under the impression, rather illusion that as the Islamic nation Saudi Arabia would not at all allow corruption in any meaner and that Saudis as the decedents of the first ever Muslims of the world would care for projecting a positive way of thinking and living.

The evil of corruption is deep in Saudi Arabia but without any state efforts to contain and reduce corruption the malice has become large scale corrupt practices. The kingdom’s top council of clerics tweeted that anti-corruption efforts were “as important as the fight against terrorism”, essentially giving religious backing to the crackdown.

The state attack on Saudi corrupt machinery at the top level is a well thought out step to root out corruption from the land of birth of Islam and of Holy Prophet of Islam and His infallible companions.

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Nearly six months into his tenure as crown prince, which will eventually see him succeed his father as monarch, Prince Mohammed has launched a dizzying series of reforms designed to transform the kingdom’s moribund economy and put the relationship between the state and its citizens on a new footing.

Saudi arrests show crown prince Mohammed bin Salman is a risk-taker with a zeal for reform but the move would enormously strengthen his place in the governance. The move strengthens Prince Mohammed’s control of the kingdom’s security institutions, which had long been headed by separate powerful branches of the ruling family.

Crown Prince is raising the leverage of power in Saudi Arabia. He certainly has the blessings of his father King Salman and he's determined to make all kinds of changes in Saudi Arabia itself and in Saudi foreign policy, which led to the war in Yemen and the Gulf crisis. But on domestic front, this is new.

Not only do we have a new chapter opening up in Saudi Arabia, we have a whole new book: it's still all done in secrecy. Why those 11 princes, why those four standing ministers? Is it really just to consolidate power or is there more to it?

In the tradition of Saudi Arabia, revolting against the royals is not a good idea. It's never been recommended. But does it all end with this or will it lead to more? There have been signs over the last two and a half years that more of this is coming.

Corruption has been rampant in recent generations in Saudi Arabia and Prince Mohammed had vowed to make business dealings more transparent.

The spectacle of royal family members being arrested would add weight to claims of a crackdown on graft. However, such is the manner in which business is done in the kingdom, there would be few senior figures not connected to contract deals that would be considered corrupt in many other parts of the world.

Saudi Arabia’s leadership has pulled off its boldest move yet to consolidate power around its young crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, arresting 11 senior princes, one of the country’s richest men and scores of former ministers in what it billed as a corruption purge. The move aimed to reshape public behavior in a kingdom where patronage networks often determine business deals and prominent families secure substantial cuts from lucrative contracts.

However, some in the Saudi capital describe the move as a naked attempt to weed out dissent, and political rivals, as the ambitious heir to the throne 113

continues to stamp his authority across most aspects of public life in Saudi Arabia.

The purge aimed to go beyond corruption and aimed to remove potential opposition to Prince Mohammed's ambitious reform agenda which is widely popular with Saudi Arabia's burgeoning youth population but faces resistance from some of the old guard more comfortable with the kingdom's traditions of incremental change and rule by consensus.

Saudi Arabia, if it becomes a totally corruption free, can positively influence not only Arab world or Islamic world but even entire world of capitalism and imperialism to change for the better providing genuine scope for redistribution of nation’s wealth on a possible perfect principle without corruption and inflation.

The world then will definitely be much better than what it is today. In fact, that is the real message of Islam. Faith cannot be sustained in a vacuum. ­­­­­­­­­

Saudi king Salman to relinquish power in favor of son prince Mohammed next week!

- Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal

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Saudi King Salman plans to relinquish power next week in favor of his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who earned a special niche in international area with his anti-corruption move, targeting princes, royal families and top officals with links with royal corridors of power. Unless something dramatic happens, which is quite unlikely,

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King Salman will announce the appointment of MBS as King of Saudi Arabia next week, now it is official.

King Salman will not let himself into oblivion but will play the role of the queen of England. He will only keep the title ‘Custodian of the Holy Mosques’. Speculation of King Salman’s possible abdication surfaced in late June, when the monarch deposed his nephew, then deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Nayef as the heir to the throne and offered the position to his favorite son, in what analysts described as a “political earthquake” back then.

The consolidation of power into the hands of one strong man will have little trickledown effect to them. The selling off the ARAMCO shares was going to fund the economic diversification plan anyway, to get the country off its oil dependency.

The development is considered as the final stage in Mohammed bin Salman’s push for power grab, which intensified earlier this month after the mass arrest of over 40 princes and government ministers in a so-called anti-graft probe. The number of the arrestees in the recent purge reportedly stood at more than 500, and twice that number had been questioned.

Many observers consider the crackdown as a self-promotion campaign launched by the crown prince aimed at consolidating his power. Since the establishment of Saudi Arabia as an absolute monarchy in 1932, the system has been effectively known as a hereditary dictatorship and monarchy.

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Prince Salman has yet to present his plan on how to make Saudis take pride in working, historically considered to be a slave occupation.

Meanwhile, MBS is convinced that he has to hit Iran and Hezbollah,” an insider said.

“Contrary to the advice of the royal family elders, that’s MBS’s next target.”

After ascending to the throne, Mohammed bin Salman will shift his focus to Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement possibly by seeking assistance from Israel, the main enemy of Arabs and aggressor on Palestine, killing the besieged Palestinians, including children. According to a report, the Saudi crown prince has already promised Israel billions of dollars in direct financial aid if they agree.

Islam should not seek help from the Satan sworn to destroy Palestinians and other Arabs and confiscate their lands for expansionist purposes. .

It was a pleasant surprise, and possibly a big mistake for the Saudis to come out of the closet over their covert relationship with the Israeli Zionists all of this time. The downside is the backlash from the Palestinians for having been played by the Royal Family all of these years, funding them, but in the bad with Israel the whole time.

Riyadh has taken on more aggressive policies since bin Salman’s elevation to the position of defense minister and deputy crown prince in 2015, and later to the position of crown prince.

While the Royals run the country like a mafia in religious robe costumes, the kingdom is currently struggling with plummeting oil prices. The Al Saud regime also faces criticism over its deadly military campaign against neighboring Yemen, which it launched on 116

March 26, 2015. Many also see Riyadh’s policies as a major cause of the crises unfolding in the region, especially in Syria and Iraq.

The country used to be a big garbage dump because no Saudi would ever handle garbage. This allowed the first major wave of US company non oil contractors to create the first garbage collection service, with foreign slave workers of course. Thus began the US first inroads of the plan to balance the oil imports balance of trade with development contracts and of course military equipment.

Higher production runs brought down the “per unit” cost for domestic use, and hence stirring up foreign conflicts became an ongoing dirty business for Western democracies.

Even the effective strength of the Soviets was puffed up by the CIA to keep our armaments up.

Political observers consider the recent mysterious resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri in Saudi Arabia as a prelude to Mohammed bin Salman’s push to confront Hezbollah. Lebanon says Hariri, who led a coalition government including Hezbollah, has been forced by the Saudi regime to resign and is currently being held there, with President Michel Aoun calling the detention an act of aggression against his nation.

Senior Lebanese officials and other world leaders have been trying to figure out what is going on behind the scenes in the Hariri case, with many of them pressuring the Saudi regime to secure the safe return of Hariri to his homeland. A source close to Hariri said

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he is expected to leave Saudi Arabia for France before flying home to Beirut to officially submit his resignation.

And, of course, the USA and especially Trump will have no problem working with another strong man - be a dictator or democrat or US agent. All that Americans want is the king and allies serve exclusive US interests.

Russia’s strongman Putin consistently polling higher than any democratic leader in history, and our media and government organs propagandize us with stories about how Russia is suffering under a despotic leader, that any suffering is really due to our sanctions and anti-Russian jihad which is only serving some multinational interests.

The various former colonialists all had their weapons sales inroad with the former colonies, who just happened to be NATO countries so the US was happy to share as it kept those countries arms industry in production all during the cold war.

Western supremacy game today is different than from the Cold War days, but the goal has never been to win or lose, but to keep the game going. And we are seeing that going on now at the most sophisticated level in its history.

Here USA and Russia in their usual ways while China plays a bit differently, while countries like India and Pakistan, controlling alien Jammu Kashmir by illegal and immoral means, is unable find its place in the game.

People just play their usual fiddle‌.

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