Israeli Opposition Leader Lapid Blames PM Netanyahu for Putting Extremist over al-Aqsa Mosque as 140,000 Palestinians Defiantly Worship [_link]

— Juan Cole (@jricole) April 9, 2023

New on MoA:
'Peace In The Middle East? That's A Threat.' [_link] pic.twitter.com/DNso614WFM

— Moon of Alabama (@MoonofA) April 8, 2023

Frustrated CIA chief Bill Burns travels to Riyadh and tells MbS: Hegemon feels "blindsided" over Saudi Arabia rapprochement with Iran and Syria (brokered by China and Russia no less).

Heck, they didn't even ask our permission! [_link]

— annie fofani 🇵🇸 (@anniefofani) April 7, 2023

Leaked Pentagon Report: Israeli Intel Agency Mossad Agitated against Netanyahu's weakening of Courts [_link]

— Juan Cole (@jricole) April 9, 2023

Leaked Pentagon Report: Israeli Intel Agency Mossad Agitated against Netanyahu's weakening of Courts

Washington Post report that a leak of Pentagon documents reveals that the U.S. is intensively spying on Israel and concludes that Israel's intelligence service, Mossad, has encouraged both its own employees and the Israeli public to join protests against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's attempt to gut the Israeli courts. Mossad is denying the report.

this document draws the curtain on the kind of pressures Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant was getting from the officer corps and intelligence chiefs, such that he publicly announced his opposition to Netanyahu's plans to weaken the courts. Netanyahu orally fired Gallant, but has not submitted the paperwork necessary actually to remove him, leaving Israel in limbo regarding the head of its ministry of defense.

Mossad is headed by David "Dadi" Barnea, 58. He did his BA and MBA in the United States and worked in an Israeli investment bank before joining Mossad in 1996.
Barnea had already been reported by the Times of Israel to be allowing "low-level" Mossad employees to participate in the anti-Netanyahu rallies. It is an old intelligence trick to release a little damaging information to cover up a big piece of damaging information. Apparently the TOI report was actually a cover-up of a widespread Mossad commitment to the protests that may have involved encouraging civilians to join them as well. Like any foreign intelligence-gathering outfit, Mossad is not supposed to operate domestically, particularly in opposition to the policies of the sitting prime minister.

Former Mossad head Danny Yatom has been vocal against Netanyahu's project, calling it a "judicial coup," and warning that if it is enacted there could be a revolt among top military and intelligence officials, as France 24 English reported a month ago.

Mossad, established in 1949, means "Institute," and is short for Mossad Merkazi le-Modiin ule-Tafkidim Meyuhadim, ("Central Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations"). It specializes in espionage abroad and covert operations, including dirty tricks and assassinations. The internal espionage agency is Shin Bet.

Israels' Intelligence Chief: 'Iran Can Obtain Nuclear Weapons Within a Year' | Feb 2, 2012 |

"Iran has enough nuclear material for four bombs," the Director of Military Intelligence Major General Aviv Kochavi warned in a rare appearance at the 2012 Herzliya Conference, where he reviewed regional changes, the effects of the 'Arab Spring', the Iranian threat and their effect on Israel's security. "Vigorously pursuing its nuclear capabilities, Iran is estimated to have over four tons of enriched materials and nearly 100Kg of 20% enriched uranium - sufficient fissile material for four bombs," he added.

Israelis Suspect Obama Media Leaks to Prevent Strike on Iran | TOI - March 29, 2012 |

In the period 2010-2012, Netanyahu and his defense minister, Ehud Barak, seriously contemplated launching an attack on Iran no less than three times, as I discussed at Informed Comment in 2015.

Hardliners win: "Death to America" | May 9, 2018 |

Summing it up for US Democrats ...

• Americans Living In a Parallel Reality on Iraq and Syria

What A Joke He Is! | Oct 12th, 2018 |

A fortnight ago Trump said King Salman depended fully on military protection from the American military might or he would be overthrown in matter of two weeks

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The series of detailed briefings and summaries open a rare window on the inner workings of American espionage [_link] pic.twitter.com/tpwm5S4jsz

— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) April 10, 2023

Israeli PM seen discussing ways to undermine Oslo Accords in 2001 videotape.

The Oslo Accords specified that Israel would be allowed to keep "military zones" in the West Bank in any future agreement with the Palestinian Authority. Netanyahu told the settlers he would use that loophole to retain large portions of Palestinian territory.

"I'm going to interpret the accords in such a way that would allow me to put an end to this galloping forward to the '67 borders," he said.

"How do we do it? Nobody said what defined military zones were. Defined military zones are security zones; as far as I'm concerned, the entire Jordan Valley is a defined military zone."

In the recording, Netanyahu described Bill Clinton - the former US president who helped to negotiate the accords - as "radically pro-Palestinian".

Sharon to Peres: "Don't worry about American pressure; we control America" | WRMEA |

Occupied Jerusalem: 3 October, 2001 (IAP News)

An acrimonious argument erupted during the Israeli cabinet weekly session last week between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his foreign Minister Shimon Peres during which Sharon reportedly yelled at Peres, saying "don't worry about American pressure, we control America."

According to Israel radio (in hebrew) Kol Yisrael, Peres warned Sharon that refusing to heed incessant American requests for a cease-fire with the Palestinians would endanger Israeli interests and "turn the US against us."

At this point, a furious Sharon reportedly turned toward Peres, saying "every time we do something you tell me Americans will do this and will do that. I want to tell you something very clear, don't worry about American pressure on Israel, we, the Jewish people control America, and the Americans know it."

The radio said Peres and other cabinet ministers warned Sharon against saying what he said in public because "it would cause us a public relations disaster."

Sharon slams hate messages | Ynet News - May 5, 2005 |

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon slammed opponents of his Gaza plan for comparing Israel's planned pullout of all 8,500 Jewish settlers from the territory to the atrocities committed to Jews during the Nazi Holocaust.
 
"Anyone who tries to compare the situation of the Jewish people today to their situation then is making a very grave mistake," he told reporters travelling with him to a Holocaust memorial service at the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland.
 
"Israel is an independent country with a large army and it has the ability to do what it thinks is right," he said.
 
Jewish settlers in Gaza who oppose Sharon's plan to evacuate all 21 settlements in the area and four of 120 from the West Bank have said the pullout constituted an expulsion of Jews and many have protested against it by pinning small orange stars on their lapels, similar to the yellow stars the Germans forced the Jews to wear during World War II.
 
Nazi graffiti and slogans of incitement against Sharon were sprayed in Jerusalem on Thursday, including at the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum, marking the latest incidents in a growing number of similar desecrations reported in recent months ahead of the upcoming Gaza and West Bank pullout.
 
Swastikas were spray-painted inside the museum complex, hours before Israeli leaders joined thousands at an annual ceremony to commemorate the six million Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust.
 
Various slogans of incitement against the prime minister were also found in various areas in Jerusalem, including his official residence, reading: "Sharon is following Hitler's path" and "Sharon - Hitler would have been proud of you."

In a comment to article, the Ariel Sharon quote is referenced.

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Fulbright: Israel Controls Senate | Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) - April 17, 1973 |

Sen. J. William Fulbright claimed on the CBS "Face the Nation" television program yesterday that the Senate was "subservient" to Israel and prevented the Administration from applying pressure on that country.

The Arkansas Democrat, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the U.S. possessed the leverage on Israel because "we supply all the wherewithal -or a major part of the wherewithal-to finance or to pay for everything Israel does." But, he added, this leverage could not be applied because "Israel controls the Senate."

Fulbright said, "The Senate is subservient to Israel, in my opinion much too much. We should be more concerned about the United States interest rather than doing the bidding of Israel This is a most unusual development."

He also expressed opposition to the Jackson Amendment linking most favored nation treatment for the Soviet Union to the removal of emigration restrictions by that country. But Fulbright said the Senate would probably approve it. He said he had supported previous Administration plans to achieve a Middle Eastern settlement, but Israel's objections were supported by the Senate.

"The great majority of the Senate of the United States-somewhere around 80 percent-are completely in support of Israel, anything Israel wants. This has been demonstrated time and again and this has made it difficult for our government." Fulbright said.

Perspectives on Power: John F. Kennedy and U.S.-Middle East Relations | Dec. 2002 |

The Kennedy Administration is an excellent case study for the nature of power relationships during the Cold War because it came during a period in which policy shifted because of the actions of local players. This work is based on an analysis of diplomatic conversations between American ambassadors and officers in ten Middle East countries and their superiors in Washington. These conversations reveal conflicting aims of the United States and Middle East leaders, and the degree to which Kennedy and his advisors reshaped policy to meet new demands or conditions.

Ben-Gurion persuaded Kennedy to sell Israel missiles, beginning a gradual process of the United States becoming an arsenal for Israel. This support damaged a fragile relationship with neutralist, Arab states. The Shah of Iran managed to persuade the United States that he was a reformer, thus assuring a steady flow of dollars. Similarly, Prince Faisal of Saudi Arabia created paper reforms in order to persuade Kennedy to provide military aid. King Hussein of Jordan promised reforms and threatened to seek Soviet help in order obtain increasing amounts of American aid. Eventually, American support of traditional Arab regimes vis-a-vis more progressive ones further branded the United States as an enemy of pan-Arab nationalism.

However, in order to understand the implications ofthis study, one must identify Arab nationalism as well as Kennedy's aims for the Middle East. Kennedy and his advisors understood that there were two kinds of Arab nationalism at work in the region during the 1960s: a vague movement toward pan-Arab unity and nationalist goals of the separate states. In fact, conflicting aims of these two kinds of nationalism often created friction between Arab states, what Malcolm Kerr long ago labeled an "Arab Cold War."

While Kennedy was wary of the first kind of nationalism, he supported the second. He viewed Arab unity as a threat only if it were not oriented to the West. Safer, perhaps, was a collection of independent Arab states with which he could negotiate on an individual basis.

Regardless of whether or not there was Arab unity, Kennedy intended to work with whomever was necessary in the region to further his aim: to minimize Soviet influence in the region and safeguard Western access to oil. Even though Kennedy would have liked to broker an Arab-Israeli peace or at least make significant progress toward that goal, he more realistically expected to maintain a balanced approach to both Arab states and Israel while minimizing the opportunities for Soviet infiltration.

U.S. and Israel: The Development of the Special Relationship

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Gaza  Massacre by the Jewish State of Israel | May 16, 2018 |

The great ally for decades of the United States. Only George Herbert Bush with Secretary of State James Baker III and Barack Obama with John Kerry had the courage to follow through on Internationl Law and the UN Security Council resolutions to confront the state of Israel. Both the Republicans and Democrats lost the the next bid for presidency in the election. For President Bush it was more clear-cut due to a sluggish economy and his broken promise of no tax cut than it was for the surprise defeat of Hillary Clinton after wasting an 19 points lead from mid-August.

Bush's most publicized successes as President came in foreign policy.  In an almost bloodless campaign, he authorized the use of military force to remove Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega from power.  And when in 1990 Saddam Hussein annexed Kuwait as a possible prelude to invading Saudi Arabia, rather than fulfilling Margaret Thatcher's fears that he might "go wobbly", Bush instead put together a domestic and international political and military coalition that drove Hussein out of Kuwait in less than a month of combat and with a minimal loss of American lives.

Removing the Democrats from power became a major goal for PM Netanyahu, Israel lobby groups and to undo the nuclear deal with Iran sealed by the UN Security Council. The US has become itself a pariah state within the global community of nations and spreading terror across te Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

In the next decade, Europe will need to adjust its reliance on the capital infrastructure which has it embeded in Wall Street, trade treaties and the financial banking system. A next step will be to remove the dominant US dollar currency in favor of a basket of foreign valutas. The Brexit should expediate the separation of mainland Europe with the AngloSaxon empire of pure capitalism, warmongering and policy of regime change by force as seen during the last twenty years.

Timeline Fascism: Silencing Criticism of Occupation | May 18, 2021 |

Israeli police raided al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem twice on April 5 following prayers during Ramadan, injuring scores and arresting hundreds.

Palestinians are living a daily reality of structural violence and apartheid.  

This must end. pic.twitter.com/n0eZgoFu3r

— Human Rights Watch (@hrw) April 6, 2023

Wow pic.twitter.com/BAX7DOJbC0

— Aya Isleem 🇵🇸 #Gaza (@AyaIsleemEn) April 18, 2023

Common roots ... now deliver on peace ☮️ 🕍 🕌

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The abundance of evidence, including the government autopsy, doesn't look like a group of police taking self-defensive action against a protester.

What it looks like is that the forest defender was executed by firing squad, writes @natashalennard. [_link]

— The Intercept (@theintercept) April 21, 2023

American "moral values" are not mine ... never!

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Saudi crown prince, Russian president speak in phone call | Arab News |

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, Saudi Press Agency reported.

During the telephone conversation, the Russian President congratulated the crown prince on Eid Al-Fitr.

The two sides also reviewed relations between the Kingdom and Russia and ways of developing them in various fields and discussed several issues of common interest.
The two expressed satisfaction with the level of cooperation between the two countries to bring stability to the global oil market, a Kremlin statement said, adding  Putin and the prince "also forged close business relations."

Telephone conversation with Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud | Kremlin Briefing |

Vladimir Putin spoke by telephone with Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, with the Saudi side initiating the conversation.

The parties discussed several key topics on the bilateral agenda, with an emphasis on further expanding mutually beneficial ties in trade, economic cooperation, investment and energy. They expressed satisfaction with the level of coordination at OPEC Plus aimed at ensuring the global oil market stability. Prospects for cooperation between Saudi Arabia and BRICS were also considered.

The two leaders exchanged views on various aspects of the developments in the Middle East in the context of the efforts Russia and Saudi Arabia are participating in to resolve regional crises.

Vladimir Putin wished all the best to the Saudi leaders and people on Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The conversation was friendly, constructive and substantive. With this in mind, the parties agreed to build up contacts in specific areas of cooperation.

China-GCC strategic partnership, building a free trade zone, joins China's SCO | April 6, 2023 |

Ilan Pappé

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With this summer marking 40 years since the 1982 Lebanon War, my essay for @972mag on a documentary film about a war crime during the Israeli invasion, exploring the changing face of violence, impunity, and moral decay in Israel from 1948 until today: [_link]

— Seth Anziska (@SethAnziska) July 26, 2022

Proud to host top pro-Israel social media experts from 15 countries at the ground-breaking #DigiTell18 conference. We're building an international online network to counter the lies of the #BDS campaign & spread the truth about #Israel.For the first time, BDS is on the defensive! pic.twitter.com/hV97BAdSWa

— Ambassador Gilad Erdan גלעד ארדן (@giladerdan1) March 13, 2018

Influence campaign against Corbyn

In August 2018, Act.IL ran a campaign directing its troll army to make and promote comments online against the British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, accusing him of anti-Semitism.

Related reading ...

UK appoints Friends of Israel Initiative founder to lead review of anti-radicalisation programme

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New York Times says 300,000 artillery shells to be sent to Kyiv's forces from American supplies kept in Israel for emergency use

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US may give Israel Iraq ammo | JPost - Feb. 11, 2010 |

Equipment could also be left in Iraq to assist local security forces.

A security agreement between the United States and Iraq calls for withdrawal of all US forces by the end of 2011. The equipment that Israel might receive, one official said, is ammunition, vehicles, and a specially designed rapid cannon - called C-RAM - that can intercept small projectiles such as mortars.

• Israel Exacerbating Settler Violence with Gag Orders | July 6, 2014 |
• Israel Crosses 'Red-Line' with Criticism of Obama and Kerry | July 28, 2014 |

Related reading ...

Debate on UNIFIL raging in Spain / Arrecia el debate sobre la fuerza de paz en el Líbano | by Carrie Fri Sep 8th, 2006 |

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Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi pays tribute to the country's martyred anti-terror commander General Soleimani at the Holy Shrine of al-Sayyida Zaynab in Damascus.

Follow Press TV on Telegram: [_link] pic.twitter.com/zGahLtVdWn

— PressTV Extra (@PresstvExtra) May 3, 2023

Syria rejoins Arab League after 12-year absence [_link] pic.twitter.com/mE27PxvxLz

— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) May 7, 2023

UAE signs nuclear energy deals with three Chinese companies [_link]

— The National (@TheNationalNews) May 7, 2023

Navigating the Democracy-Security Dilemma in U.S. Foreign Policy: Lessons from Egypt, India, and Turkey | Carnegie Endowment for Int'l Peace - Nov. 4, 2021 |

Yet giving them a free pass on democracy and rights issues undercuts the credibility of U.S. appeals to values, bolstering the damaging perception that America only pushes for democracy against its adversaries or in strategically irrelevant countries.

Already in the first year of Biden's presidency, such tensions have emerged in relations with countries as diverse as Egypt, Hungary, India, the Philippines, Poland, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. [missing troublemaker Israel run by Netanyahu, Trump's favorite son]

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Naming itself 'Team Jorge', a team of operatives led by a former Israeli special forces agent used Advanced Impact Media Solutions (AIMS) software to control over 30,000 fake accounts, which would go on to spread disinformation online[_link]

— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) February 15, 2023

Team Jorge sell a unique software called AIMS, which controls an army of 30,000 bots for #disinformation campaigns -- many of them on Twitter. Alongside #OSINT reporters from Le Monde and Der Spiegel, Manisha Ganguly hunted them down.

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Rise of the Petroyuan: The End Of The Petrodollar's Reign And The Impact On Global Markets [_link]

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) April 18, 2023

Middle East nations seeking alternatives

Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia's finance minister said his country was also "open" to selling oil using different currencies, including the euro and the Chinese yah. The United Arab Emirates has said it will work with India, using the Indian rupee. Last year, Egypt announced plans to issue bonds -- financial securities that help governments raise money -- in Chinese yuan. It had already issued bonds in Japanese yen.

#Breaking DEATH TOLL Rises: 720 civilians killed & injured today when 4 Saudi airstrikes attacked funeral hall in #Yemen capital #Sanaa. pic.twitter.com/8MflN5DTIX

— Yemen Post Newspaper (@YemenPostNews) October 8, 2016

Millions #Yemen civilians paying price of deadly war. My AJEnglish analysis on how poorest are ignored by world.

Yemen war deaths will reach 377,000 by end of the year: UN | Al Jazeera - Nov. 23, 2021 |

On this date US, Ukraine and NATO allies were laying the groundwork for a devastating war on the European continent.

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I'm encouraged by the progress toward ending Yemen's civil war.

This is a humanitarian crisis. We should end U.S. military support to this Saudi-led war and help relieve the suffering of the Yemeni people. [_link]

— Senator Peter Welch (@PeterWelch) April 21, 2023

China urges Israel to stop 'provocations' and 'encroachment' as tensions flare [_link]

— South China Morning Post (@SCMPNews) May 25, 2023

2017 Dutch-Turkish diplomatic incident

The Netherlands barred the aircraft of Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu from landing and expelled Turkish Minister of Family and Social Policies Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya from the country, when both tried to speak at rallies. In response, Turkey expelled the Dutch Ambassador from the country and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called the Dutch "fascists" and "remnants of Nazism" and accused the Netherlands of "massacring" Muslims in Srebrenica during the Bosnian War in 1995. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte called Erdoğan's remarks "unacceptable" and a "vile falsification of history" and demanded an apology. Rutte also called for talks to resolve the impasse, adding that Turkey had crossed a diplomatic line.

Dutch Election Prelude - Political Row with Turkey Escalates | Oui @BooMan - Mar 11, 2017 |

What really happened, a few days ahead of the Dutch general election, Mark Rutte needed to get the extreme rightwing electorate voting for Geert Wilders, back onboard to vote for the Liberal Conservatives of the VVD. Ugly voter deception to exploit the migration issue and feed Islamophobia in the Netherlands. Trust in politics or government going down the drain, so no tears once it comes back to haunt you or colleagues.

Report: Dutch Cabinet Rutte and Endemic Racism | Jan 2nd, 2023 |

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In College Tour reageert Sigrid Kaag geëmotioneerd op de grote zorgen van haar dochters. Haar dochters zijn bang voor een aanslag vanwege bedreigingen aan haar adres.

Benieuwd? #CollegeTour met #Sigridkaag zondag 28 mei om 20.30 op NPO2 bij KRO-NCRV [_link] pic.twitter.com/lkknaoqker

— College Tour (@collegetour_nl) May 25, 2023

Daughters are worried about safety and security of their mom, former minister Foreign Affairs and in Rutte IV minister of Finance. They mentioned Els Borst, murdered by a mental patient, and not the clear example of a political assassination of Pim Fortuyn. Don't involve your kids in political discussion on national television. Too many crazies in Dutch society and politics. Not my world ...

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Toeterturken nemen het Centrum over nadat `hun leider' Erdogan de verkiezingen heeft gewonnen. Toonbeeld van falende integratie. Leefbaar Rotterdam pikt dit niet en stelt vragen aan het college. pic.twitter.com/JV0qCO2jov

— Leefbaar Rotterdam (@LeefbaarRdam) May 28, 2023

Translation:
Horn blowing Turks take over the square after 'their leader' Erdogan won the elections. Example of failed integration. Leefbaar Rotterdam does not accept this and asks questions to the council of aldermen.

Municipal party Leefbaar Rotterdam founded by charismatic leader Pim Fortuyn, assassinated by an animal rights extremist/terrorist in 2002. Al Qaeda terror of 9/11, murder of Theo van Gogh in 2005 and the political assassination of Pim Fortuyn changed Dutch society forever. The US-NATO interventions Serbia-Kosovo in 1999, Iraq War and the Arab Spring military interventions of Libya and Syria sealed the fate of Western society with the influx of war refugees and creation of chaos and immense suffering across MENAT. Populism is the new normal with all violence and death threats. Even traffic quarrels leads to extreme violence fueled by drugs abuse and individualization of society.

'Sapere aude'

Aanhangers Erdogan vieren feest in Haagse Schilders­wijk, zwaargewon­de na ontplof­fing vuurwerk [_link]

— AD Den Haag (@ADDenHaag) May 28, 2023

Why Erdogan's victory matters for the West | BBC News |

You can spot Turkey's global strategic significance - which has starkly increased against the backdrop of the Ukraine war - by the A-list potpourri of world leaders who rushed to congratulate Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his election win on Sunday night.

First out of the box was Russian President Vladimir Putin. [False - close allies Muslim Brotherhood, neighboring states and Central Asian countries with Turkic people]

He was so keen to stroke the ego of his Turkish counterpart and fellow "strongman" leader that he didn't even wait for the official results of the vote before singling out Mr Erdogan's "independent foreign policy" as a reason for his victory.

Trade between Turkey and Russia even increased significantly since the start of the war in Ukraine.

But also hot on Mr Putin's congratulatory heels on Sunday were US President Joe Biden [again false] and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.

Persian Gulf States to Form Joint Navy in Coordination with China | National Review |

The joint navy's formation may reflect the statement of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps naval commander Alireza Tangsiri, who said that "the security of the Persian Gulf is provided by Iran and the countries of the region, and there is no need for you [the U.S.] or any other country to be present."

Gerard Filitti, senior counsel at the Lawfare Project and national-security and counterterrorism expert, told National Review that the navy may simply be charged with preventing piracy and drug-trafficking in the region, but "if this is meant to be a defensive navy, that's much more concerning .... This is intended, most likely, to snub the U.S., even Joe Biden. The U.S.-Saudi relationship has deteriorated over the years," he noted. "We've cozied up to Qatar. It's understandable that the Saudis are concerned over what appears to be a shift of American friendship."

Filitti also noted that China may have broader interests in the Middle East, where, apart from the Abraham Accords, America has kept its "head in the sand," and, "in the absence of leadership, China has stepped in." Beijing may hope to gain a peacemaker status that helps it access oil. China may also be "spreading us thin," in hopes of distracting and weakening the U.S. as Beijing contemplates eventually taking Taiwan.

UAE to welcome China president Xi Jinping in landmark state visit [_link] pic.twitter.com/KXU9GloJFo

— The National (@TheNationalNews) July 13, 2018

[...]
[Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani] also highlighted Abu Dhabi's recent withdrawal from the US-led 'Combined Maritime Forces,' a 34-nation task force headquartered in Bahrain, the home of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet.

"We previously had joint work with Oman, and now Saudi Arabia is heading in this direction, and there is also the UAE, Qatar [!], Bahrain, Iraq, Pakistan, and India," Irani said during a televised program on Friday night.

He did not elaborate on the shape of the proposed alliance.
[...]

During the June 6-8 trip, Blinken will "discuss US-Saudi strategic cooperation on regional and global issues and a range of bilateral issues including economic and security cooperation," the State Department said.

He will participate in a ministerial meeting on Wednesday with the Gulf Cooperation Council "to discuss the growing cooperation with our GCC partners to promote security, stability, de-escalation, regional integration and economic opportunities across the Middle East."
[...]

archived MbS hosts Jake "The Snake" Sullivan Entourage (08.05.23)

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Arabian Peninsula Affairs Daniel Benaim reiterated the administration's support for expanding the Abraham Accords during a briefing Friday previewing the trip.
[...]

A delegation of the Arab League visited Xinjiang: from the Id Kah Mosque to the old Kashgar town which is 1,500 kilometers southwest of Urumqi. The representatives praised China's $987M renovation of Kashgar, an ancient Silk Road city dating back more than 2,000 years. #Xinjiang pic.twitter.com/VmQfXchbPe

— Somali Institute of Chinese Studies (@Somali_ICS) June 5, 2023

Personally? I hated guided tours ...

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• Proposed sale of French Mistral ship to Russia will harm region - US Senators say | Feb. 3, 2010 |
• France reimburses Russia for cancelled Mistral warship deal | France24 - May 8, 2015 |
• 'Get a grip': Boris Johnson taken aback by French vitriol over Aukus submarine row | The Independent - Sept. 22, 2021 |

Joe Biden snatches nuclear sub order from France for ally Britain Boris Johnson ... before the Blitzkrieg across Europe ... decades of invigorating 'New' Europe.

France in the 'old days' key words | French Polynesia Moruroa | Rainbow warrior | Françafrique partnership | Archive AUKUS |

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Low morale
US Secretary of State Blinken claimed that the Taiwan question isn't an internal Chinese matter, sending a dangerous signal that denies the one-China principle at ... pic.twitter.com/uUe8GtPhBC

— Zhang Heqing (@zhang_heqing) June 6, 2023

US defense secretary calls China's refusal to meet unfortunate

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stressed the importance of communication during a stopover Thursday in Tokyo, calling it unfortunate that his Chinese counterpart is refusing to meet him at an upcoming annual security conference in Singapore, which both men are attending.

On the way to the annual Shangri-La Dialogue Asian security summit this weekend, Austin held talks with Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada. Noting China's increasingly assertive military actions in international airspace and waterways in the region, he told a joint news conference in Tokyo, "The provocative intercepts of our aircraft and also our allies' aircraft, that's very concerning, and we would hope that they would alter their action."

What was it I heard at Balfour tonight? Was it Bibi gnashing his teeth that the Saudis had embraced the Palestinians instead of joining the Abraham Accords? [_link]

— Tikun Olam (@richards1052) June 11, 2023

Adah al Bendir, head of the Sahrawi armed resistance group known as the Polisario Front, was killed on Tuesday by a Moroccan drone. The US greenlighted this war, but western media is totally silent so few know anything about it. [_link]

— Dan Cohen (@dancohen3000) April 9, 2021

Head of the Sahrawi National Guard, Adah el Bendir, was killed in an alleged fight with Moroccan forces | April 9, 2021 |

Explainer ...

The Empire's Hidden Hand: How The US Benefits From Morocco's Occupation of Western Sahara

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The 1967 Arab-Israeli War
Origins and Consequences

The June 1967 War was a watershed moment in the history of the mod- ern Middle East. In six days, the Israelis defeated the Arab armies of Egypt, Syria, and Jordan and seized large portions of territory includ- ing the West Bank, East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula, and the Golan Heights. With the hindsight of four decades and access to recently declassified documents, two veteran scholars of the Middle East bring together some of the most knowledgeable experts in their fields to reassess the origins of the war and its regional reverberations.

Each chapter takes a different perspective from the vantage point of a different participant, those that actually took part in the war, and the world powers - the United States, Soviet Union, Britain, and France - that played important roles behind the scenes. Their conclusions make for sober reading. At the heart of the story was the incompetence of the Egyptian high command under the leadership of Gamal Abdel Nasser and the rivalry between various Arab players who were deeply suspi- cious of each other's motives. Israel, on the other side, gained a resound- ing victory for which, despite previous assessments to the contrary, there was no master plan.

Public Diplomacy and the Clash of Satellites

The American funded TV channel to the Middle East-- Al-Hurra--went on air with a specific mission in mind: challenging Al-Jazeera's (the Qatari channel) predomi- nance and winning Arabs' hearts and minds. According to many American officials, there was a need to coun- ter- balance "biased" Arab media. For example, in his 2004 State of the Union address, President George W. Bush announced the launch of Al-Hurra in order to "cut through the barriers of hateful propaganda" (cited in Cochrane, 2004). However, the US public diplomacy mission was not very successful. Unlike Al-Jazeera, Al- Hurra was never the "channel to go to" for the majority of Arabs. Not only did it fail to challenge Al-Jazeera's supremacy, but it also lagged behind other Arab chan- nels. Subsequent results of Zogby's and the University of Maryland's poll (2008, 2009, 2011) showed that Al- Jazeera remained the most watched news channel for Arab viewers. In 2008, the polls found that after five years of being on air, Al-Hurra was the preferred news channel for only 2% of Arab viewers.

The question then becomes how do regional satel- lite media challenge the way the US conducts its public diplomacy in the Arab world? What is the difference between Al-Jazeera and Al-Hurra with regard to their media messages? This study argues that Al-Jazeera's discourse is counter-hegemonic as it represents and in- troduces a different set of ideas, values, and most im- portantly, a different Arab identity. Similarly, the US public diplomacy initiative represented in Al-Hurra is an example of a hegemonic discourse that represents the most powerful state in global politics, and conse- quently introduces another presentation of Arab iden- tity that serves its political interests.

Key words | UN Charter | Sovereignty | Borders | John Bolton | regime change |

Archive diaries ...

• An Eye for an Eye and a Tooth for a Tooth
• Norman J. Pattiz - Chairman BBG Middle East Committee ¶ Al Hurra & Sawa | Nov. 6, 2005 |

Ukraine-Israel Quid Pro Quo: Abu Sisi Extraordinary Rendition in Return for Free Trade Agreement | March 17, 2011 |

The Ukrainian government has tipped its hand regarding what may've bought its cooperation in the extraordinary rendition of Dirar Abu Sisi from its territory last month to a Shabak dungeon inside Israel.  During a meeting with Avigdor Lieberman, Nicolai Azarov, Ukraine's prime minister said:

The Prime Minister of Ukraine noted that he urged the Israel to speed up development of all necessary documents in order to introduce the FTA by year-end between Ukraine and Israel.

"I urge Israel to take the next step after the abolition of visa regime between our countries that we try together and could complete the negotiations on a Free Trade Area by the end of year" - stressed Mykola [Nicolai] Azarov. He noted that it would intensify the economic relations between Ukraine and Israel.

In turn, Avigdor Lieberman said that bilateral relations between Ukraine and Israel have developed a very high level. "We hope that this year will be done significant breakthrough not only in our political, but also in economic relations " - he said.

A Torn Technocrat -- Ukraine's prime minister, Mykola Azarov | Politico - Feb. 20, 2013 |

'Sapere aude'

Spain Urges NATO Role Southern Flank | June 6, 2022  |

NATO must not neglect southern flank: Spanish FM | Arab News - Jan. 31, 2022 |

Speaking ahead of a Madrid summit intended to modernize the alliance's strategy, José Manuel Albares said NATO should look south as well as east at potential security threats.

Spain depends heavily on gas-rich Algeria for energy, and on Morocco to control immigration into Spain and Europe.

Violence has also been escalating further south in the Sahel region of West Africa, displacing thousands.

A French military operation in August killed Adnan Abou Walid al-Sahrawi, the head of the jihadist group Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) and Polisario | France24 - Sept. 16, 2021 |

Power vacuum from Gaddafi killing in 2011  to Wagner Group coup d'état in Mali

Abu Walid Al-Sahrawi: US Welcomes Death of Ex-Polisario, Terrorist Leader

The US stated it was "committed" to supporting Africa in stabilizing the Sahel region.

Ned Price recalled Al-Sahrawi's involvement in a long series of violent, lethal attacks in the Sahel. He highlighted the ambush of a joint US-Nigerien patrol that resulted in eight US and Nigerien casualties, saying this was proof of the destruction Al-Sahrawi ordered while he led an ISIS-affiliated group in the fragile Sahel region. 

Polisario terrorist & leader of IS in Greater Sahara killed by French lucky drone assassination | The North Africa Post |

'Sapere aude'