22 june 2019
The photo taken on June 21, 2019 shows the wreckage of a US spy drone shot down by Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) the previous day.
A senior British official says a Saudi intelligence chief has lobbied the UK to conduct limited strikes on Iranian military targets after US President Donald Trump allegedly cancelled such raids.
The official, who was speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Middle East Eye news portal on Friday that the Saudi intelligence chief had called for Iran strikes during his visit to London alongside Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir.
The Saudi request, however, fell on deaf ears, he said, adding, "Our people were skeptical." The Saudi intelligence chief was told a plain "no" in response to his plea, the British source said.
According to the source, the Saudi official had tried to link Iran to the June 13 attacks against oil tankers in the Sea of Oman, but his British counterparts were "not impressed" with the evidence provided by the official.
At the weekend, the Saudi intelligence chief will head to Jerusalem al-Quds to engage in similar anti-Iran lobbying efforts with Israeli officials and hawkish US National Security Adviser John Bolton, he added.
On Thursday, Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) shot down an intruding US surveillance drone in the country’s southern coastal province of Hormozgan.
The following day, the elite military force put into display the wreckage of the American spy drone, which had been retrieved from Iran's territorial waters.
The unmanned US aircraft had been taken down by Iran's indigenous Khordad 3 air defense system after it breached the country's airspace and began gathering intelligence and spying.
In a tweet early on Friday, Trump said that he had initially approved military strikes against Iran, but pulled back just 10 minutes before the attack.
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Iran would take the US drone incursion to the UN and show that Washington is "lying" about the downing of its unmanned aircraft in international waters. tweet
Zarif had earlier rejected the US claim of Iran’s involvement in the tanker attacks as part of “sabotage diplomacy” being pursued by Trump and his hawkish allies, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
On Friday, Trump spoke with bin Salman over the phone about Iran, according to the White House.
Tensions have been running between Iran and the US in recent weeks, with Washington stepping up its provocative military moves in the Middle East.
Tehran believes Washington has a hand in a set of suspicious regional incidents in recent weeks, such as the tanker attacks, in a bid to pin the blame on Iran and put more pressure on the country.
A senior British official says a Saudi intelligence chief has lobbied the UK to conduct limited strikes on Iranian military targets after US President Donald Trump allegedly cancelled such raids.
The official, who was speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Middle East Eye news portal on Friday that the Saudi intelligence chief had called for Iran strikes during his visit to London alongside Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir.
The Saudi request, however, fell on deaf ears, he said, adding, "Our people were skeptical." The Saudi intelligence chief was told a plain "no" in response to his plea, the British source said.
According to the source, the Saudi official had tried to link Iran to the June 13 attacks against oil tankers in the Sea of Oman, but his British counterparts were "not impressed" with the evidence provided by the official.
At the weekend, the Saudi intelligence chief will head to Jerusalem al-Quds to engage in similar anti-Iran lobbying efforts with Israeli officials and hawkish US National Security Adviser John Bolton, he added.
On Thursday, Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) shot down an intruding US surveillance drone in the country’s southern coastal province of Hormozgan.
The following day, the elite military force put into display the wreckage of the American spy drone, which had been retrieved from Iran's territorial waters.
The unmanned US aircraft had been taken down by Iran's indigenous Khordad 3 air defense system after it breached the country's airspace and began gathering intelligence and spying.
In a tweet early on Friday, Trump said that he had initially approved military strikes against Iran, but pulled back just 10 minutes before the attack.
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Iran would take the US drone incursion to the UN and show that Washington is "lying" about the downing of its unmanned aircraft in international waters. tweet
Zarif had earlier rejected the US claim of Iran’s involvement in the tanker attacks as part of “sabotage diplomacy” being pursued by Trump and his hawkish allies, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
On Friday, Trump spoke with bin Salman over the phone about Iran, according to the White House.
Tensions have been running between Iran and the US in recent weeks, with Washington stepping up its provocative military moves in the Middle East.
Tehran believes Washington has a hand in a set of suspicious regional incidents in recent weeks, such as the tanker attacks, in a bid to pin the blame on Iran and put more pressure on the country.
20 june 2019
Saudi Arabia has reportedly purchased $300 million worth of spy software from Israel as Riyadh presses ahead with its crackdown against dissidents and pro-democracy campaigners in the ultra-conservative kingdom.
Arabic-language al-Khaleej Online news website, citing unnamed senior Arab sources, reported that representatives from the Riyadh regime and Israeli firms met and struck a deal without a mediator in the British capital city of London at the end of last May.
Tel Aviv and Riyadh have no diplomatic ties as Saudi Arabia does not recognize Israel. But the two sides have increased backchannel cooperation in recent years.
According to the sources, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates are aware of the deal, which they described as “major and fairly lucrative.” They said the first phase of the accord includes the delivery of 1,000 small but sophisticated tracking devices, which can be placed in the target’s mobile phone to fully monitor the movements of their owners both in Saudi Arabia and abroad.
Israeli representatives have received full payment for the deal before handing over the devices.
The second part of the deal will be implemented by 2020, under which another 2,000 devices will be handed over to Saudi officials.
Last November, Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz revealed that Saudi Arabia had negotiated the purchase of a system that hacks into cellphones with a secretive Israeli technology firm.
The report exposed Riyadh’s behind-the-scenes attempts to buy Israeli cyber attack software, citing a complaint filed with the Israeli police by a European businessman, who said representatives of Israel’s NSO Group Technologies had offered their Pegasus 3 technology to high-profile Saudi officials during talks in Vienna, Austria, in 2017.
The report identified the Saudi officials as Abdullah al-Malihi, a close associate of Prince Turki al-Faisal – a former Saudi spy chief – and another top Saudi official, Nasser al-Qahtani, who presented himself as the deputy of the current spy chief.
During their meeting, NSO representatives showed a PowerPoint presentation of the system’s capabilities.
Back then, NSO was promoting its Pegasus 3 software, a sophisticated espionage tool that does not depend on the victim clicking on a link before the phone is hacked, as defined by Haaretz.
The spyware needs only a phone number to ensnare a device. As soon as a phone is breached, the speaker and camera can be used for recording conversations. Even encoded applications like WhatsApp can be monitored via the spying software, according to the report.
Last week, American financial and business news website Business Insider reported that authorities in Saudi Arabia are reportedly resorting to military-grade technology and making use of the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number in a bid to track down the cellphones of women who are fleeing the repressive and male-dominated system in the country.
Saudi Arabia has stepped up politically-motivated arrests, prosecution and conviction of peaceful dissidents and human rights campaigners.
Over the past years, Riyadh has also redefined its anti-terrorism laws to target activism.
Arabic-language al-Khaleej Online news website, citing unnamed senior Arab sources, reported that representatives from the Riyadh regime and Israeli firms met and struck a deal without a mediator in the British capital city of London at the end of last May.
Tel Aviv and Riyadh have no diplomatic ties as Saudi Arabia does not recognize Israel. But the two sides have increased backchannel cooperation in recent years.
According to the sources, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates are aware of the deal, which they described as “major and fairly lucrative.” They said the first phase of the accord includes the delivery of 1,000 small but sophisticated tracking devices, which can be placed in the target’s mobile phone to fully monitor the movements of their owners both in Saudi Arabia and abroad.
Israeli representatives have received full payment for the deal before handing over the devices.
The second part of the deal will be implemented by 2020, under which another 2,000 devices will be handed over to Saudi officials.
Last November, Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz revealed that Saudi Arabia had negotiated the purchase of a system that hacks into cellphones with a secretive Israeli technology firm.
The report exposed Riyadh’s behind-the-scenes attempts to buy Israeli cyber attack software, citing a complaint filed with the Israeli police by a European businessman, who said representatives of Israel’s NSO Group Technologies had offered their Pegasus 3 technology to high-profile Saudi officials during talks in Vienna, Austria, in 2017.
The report identified the Saudi officials as Abdullah al-Malihi, a close associate of Prince Turki al-Faisal – a former Saudi spy chief – and another top Saudi official, Nasser al-Qahtani, who presented himself as the deputy of the current spy chief.
During their meeting, NSO representatives showed a PowerPoint presentation of the system’s capabilities.
Back then, NSO was promoting its Pegasus 3 software, a sophisticated espionage tool that does not depend on the victim clicking on a link before the phone is hacked, as defined by Haaretz.
The spyware needs only a phone number to ensnare a device. As soon as a phone is breached, the speaker and camera can be used for recording conversations. Even encoded applications like WhatsApp can be monitored via the spying software, according to the report.
Last week, American financial and business news website Business Insider reported that authorities in Saudi Arabia are reportedly resorting to military-grade technology and making use of the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number in a bid to track down the cellphones of women who are fleeing the repressive and male-dominated system in the country.
Saudi Arabia has stepped up politically-motivated arrests, prosecution and conviction of peaceful dissidents and human rights campaigners.
Over the past years, Riyadh has also redefined its anti-terrorism laws to target activism.
19 june 2019
An independent United Nations rights expert says there is “credible evidence” suggesting Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other senior Saudi officials are liable for the murder of prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi last October.
“It is the conclusion of the Special Rapporteur that Mr. Khashoggi has been the victim of a deliberate, premeditated execution, an extrajudicial killing for which the state of Saudi Arabia is responsible under international human rights law,” UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions Agnes Callamard said in her report on Wednesday based on a six-month investigation.
“There is credible evidence, warranting further investigation of high-level Saudi officials' individual liability, including the crown prince's,” she said.
“Indeed, this human rights inquiry has shown that there is sufficient credible evidence regarding the responsibility of the crown prince demanding further investigation," Callamard added, urging UN Secretary-General António Guterres to establish an international probe.
The probes conducted so far by Saudi Arabia and Turkey, she noted, have “failed to meet international standards regarding the investigation into unlawful deaths.”
Callamard further highlighted that an official international criminal investigation into Khashoggi’s murder would make it possible to “build up strong files on each of the alleged perpetrators and identify mechanisms for formal accountability, such as an ad hoc or hybrid tribunal.”
She also called on the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States, where Khashoggi was a resident, to probe the case, if it has not already done so, “and pursue criminal prosecutions within the United States, as appropriate.”
Callamard went on to say that she had viewed CCTV footage from inside the consulate for her investigation.
Her report also found that there was evidence that “Saudi Arabia deliberately used consular immunity to stall Turkey's investigations until the crime scene could be thoroughly cleaned.”
“In view of my concerns regarding the fairness of the trial of the 11 suspects in Saudi Arabia, I call for the suspension of the trial,” Callamard said in the report.
Moreover, the report identified by name the 15 people who were part of the mission to kill Khashoggi. It also suggested that many of them were not on the list of 11 unnamed suspects facing a closed-door trial over the murder.
Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor and critic of the Saudi crown prince, was murdered at the Saudi consulate in Turkey’s largest city of Istanbul on October 2, 2018.
Riyadh initially said it had no knowledge of his fate, but later blamed the murder on rogue agents.
“It is the conclusion of the Special Rapporteur that Mr. Khashoggi has been the victim of a deliberate, premeditated execution, an extrajudicial killing for which the state of Saudi Arabia is responsible under international human rights law,” UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions Agnes Callamard said in her report on Wednesday based on a six-month investigation.
“There is credible evidence, warranting further investigation of high-level Saudi officials' individual liability, including the crown prince's,” she said.
“Indeed, this human rights inquiry has shown that there is sufficient credible evidence regarding the responsibility of the crown prince demanding further investigation," Callamard added, urging UN Secretary-General António Guterres to establish an international probe.
The probes conducted so far by Saudi Arabia and Turkey, she noted, have “failed to meet international standards regarding the investigation into unlawful deaths.”
Callamard further highlighted that an official international criminal investigation into Khashoggi’s murder would make it possible to “build up strong files on each of the alleged perpetrators and identify mechanisms for formal accountability, such as an ad hoc or hybrid tribunal.”
She also called on the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States, where Khashoggi was a resident, to probe the case, if it has not already done so, “and pursue criminal prosecutions within the United States, as appropriate.”
Callamard went on to say that she had viewed CCTV footage from inside the consulate for her investigation.
Her report also found that there was evidence that “Saudi Arabia deliberately used consular immunity to stall Turkey's investigations until the crime scene could be thoroughly cleaned.”
“In view of my concerns regarding the fairness of the trial of the 11 suspects in Saudi Arabia, I call for the suspension of the trial,” Callamard said in the report.
Moreover, the report identified by name the 15 people who were part of the mission to kill Khashoggi. It also suggested that many of them were not on the list of 11 unnamed suspects facing a closed-door trial over the murder.
Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor and critic of the Saudi crown prince, was murdered at the Saudi consulate in Turkey’s largest city of Istanbul on October 2, 2018.
Riyadh initially said it had no knowledge of his fate, but later blamed the murder on rogue agents.
18 june 2019
Yoav Mordechai, former head of Israel's civil administration in territories who now heads an international consultancy company, will attend next week's U.S.-led conference on the Palestinian economy in Bahrain in a private capacity
A former general who served as Israel's chief liaison officer to the Palestinians will attend next week's U.S.-led conference on the Palestinian economy in Bahrain in a private capacity, a person briefed on the matter said on Tuesday.
The White House decided against including the Israeli government in the June 25-26 event in Manama after the Palestinians boycotted it, making do instead with inviting a small Israeli business delegation.
U.S. officials have not formally announced those delegates.
A source briefed on the invitees said they include Yoav Mordechai, a former general who stepped down as head of Israel's military-run COGAT liaison agency last year and now heads Novard, an international consultancy.
Mordechai will be joined in Manama by his Novard partner, the source said, declining to identify the second man by name as he is also a veteran of Israel's security services.
Reached by phone, Novard declined comment.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday afternoon that there would be an Israeli presence at the Bahrain conference, but it was unclear whether he was referring to Mordechai or other poitential attendees.
Known to Israelis and Palestinians alike by his nickname Poly, the Arabic-fluent Mordechai was a dominant force in Israel's efforts to coordinate security in the occupied West Bank and stave off fighting with the Gaza Strip's Islamist Hamas rulers.
The United States has billed the Bahrain gathering as a workshop to boost the Palestinian economy as part of a broader effort by President Donald Trump's administration to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Palestinian leaders have spurned the conference, alleging pro-Israeli bias from Washington and saying the still unpublished U.S. peace plan falls short of their goal of statehood.
A former general who served as Israel's chief liaison officer to the Palestinians will attend next week's U.S.-led conference on the Palestinian economy in Bahrain in a private capacity, a person briefed on the matter said on Tuesday.
The White House decided against including the Israeli government in the June 25-26 event in Manama after the Palestinians boycotted it, making do instead with inviting a small Israeli business delegation.
U.S. officials have not formally announced those delegates.
A source briefed on the invitees said they include Yoav Mordechai, a former general who stepped down as head of Israel's military-run COGAT liaison agency last year and now heads Novard, an international consultancy.
Mordechai will be joined in Manama by his Novard partner, the source said, declining to identify the second man by name as he is also a veteran of Israel's security services.
Reached by phone, Novard declined comment.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday afternoon that there would be an Israeli presence at the Bahrain conference, but it was unclear whether he was referring to Mordechai or other poitential attendees.
Known to Israelis and Palestinians alike by his nickname Poly, the Arabic-fluent Mordechai was a dominant force in Israel's efforts to coordinate security in the occupied West Bank and stave off fighting with the Gaza Strip's Islamist Hamas rulers.
The United States has billed the Bahrain gathering as a workshop to boost the Palestinian economy as part of a broader effort by President Donald Trump's administration to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Palestinian leaders have spurned the conference, alleging pro-Israeli bias from Washington and saying the still unpublished U.S. peace plan falls short of their goal of statehood.
President Donald Trump and Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa of Bahrain
'We'd like to make it as apolitical as possible,' says unnamed official, adding that Palestinian business representatives are expected to attend the event on June 25-26 despite PA's boycott of summit
The White House will not invite Israeli government officials to a Bahrain conference devoted to gaining support for a Palestinian economic plan in order to keep the event apolitical, a senior administration official said on Monday.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Palestinian business representatives are expected to attend the event in Manama on June 25-26, but not Palestinian government officials, who have boycotted a peace initiative led by White House senior adviser Jared Kushner.
As a result, the administration decided not to extend an invitation to Israeli government officials to a conference expected to be attended by envoys from Arab governments as well as European nations.
"We're inviting the Israeli business people and Palestinian business people. We'd like to make it as apolitical as possible," the official said.
In late May, the Palestinian Authority rejected the economic conference, saying any peace effort that ignores the Palestinian people's aspirations for an independent state is doomed to fail. A senior Palestinian official has likened the White House plan to "financial blackmail."
Bahrain's foreign minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa tweeted in response that his country respects the Palestinian leadership's steadfast position safeguarding Palestinian rights.
He said that both the official and popular position of Bahrain "has been and continues to be championing the brotherly Palestinian people in the restoration of their legitimate rights in their land and an independent state with its capital as east Jerusalem, additionally economically supporting the Palestinian people."
The minister added that "there's no other purpose" in hosting the conference than Bahrain's continued support of the Palestinians.
Earlier this month, Foreign Minister Israel Katz told Israeli Channel 13 News that "Israel will be at the Bahrain conference." He gave no further details.
'We'd like to make it as apolitical as possible,' says unnamed official, adding that Palestinian business representatives are expected to attend the event on June 25-26 despite PA's boycott of summit
The White House will not invite Israeli government officials to a Bahrain conference devoted to gaining support for a Palestinian economic plan in order to keep the event apolitical, a senior administration official said on Monday.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Palestinian business representatives are expected to attend the event in Manama on June 25-26, but not Palestinian government officials, who have boycotted a peace initiative led by White House senior adviser Jared Kushner.
As a result, the administration decided not to extend an invitation to Israeli government officials to a conference expected to be attended by envoys from Arab governments as well as European nations.
"We're inviting the Israeli business people and Palestinian business people. We'd like to make it as apolitical as possible," the official said.
In late May, the Palestinian Authority rejected the economic conference, saying any peace effort that ignores the Palestinian people's aspirations for an independent state is doomed to fail. A senior Palestinian official has likened the White House plan to "financial blackmail."
Bahrain's foreign minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa tweeted in response that his country respects the Palestinian leadership's steadfast position safeguarding Palestinian rights.
He said that both the official and popular position of Bahrain "has been and continues to be championing the brotherly Palestinian people in the restoration of their legitimate rights in their land and an independent state with its capital as east Jerusalem, additionally economically supporting the Palestinian people."
The minister added that "there's no other purpose" in hosting the conference than Bahrain's continued support of the Palestinians.
Earlier this month, Foreign Minister Israel Katz told Israeli Channel 13 News that "Israel will be at the Bahrain conference." He gave no further details.
17 june 2019
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has urged no exploitation of the killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which tarnished his international reputation, for political gains, in an apparent veiled attack on Turkey, which presses Riyadh to disclose the body’s whereabouts.
Turkish officials were the first to report the killing of Khashoggi who disappeared after he entered the Saudi diplomatic mission in the Istanbul last year, and have pressed the kingdom for information on his dismembered body’s whereabouts.
"The death of Jamal Khashoggi is a very painful crime," Mohammed said in an interview with pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat published on Sunday.
"Any party exploiting the case politically should stop doing so, and present evidence to the (Saudi) court, which will contribute in achieving justice," the crown prince added, without directly naming Turkey.
He, however, said Saudi Arabia was keen to build strong relations with "all Islamic countries, including Turkey."
Khashoggi, a former advocate of the Saudi royal court who later became a critic of bin Salman, was killed and his body was dismembered by a Saudi hit squad after being lured into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018.
The Washington Post, for which Khashoggi was a columnist, reported in November last year that the CIA had concluded that Mohammed personally ordered his killing. Riyadh strongly denies the allegation.
Riyadh spurned all the allegations linking the killing to bin Salman and instead claimed that the murder has been carried out by a “rogue” group.
Mohammed said his country was committed to "full justice and accountability" in the case.
In November, the kingdom’s Public Prosecutor indicted 11 unnamed suspects for the killing.
The United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, Agnes Callamard, said Saudi Arabia’s investigation falls short of international standards.
In early January, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said it could not assess the fairness of a trial underway in Saudi Arabia over Khashoggi’s murder.
In response to a question about the Saudi prosecutor's demand for the suspects' death penalty, the OHCHR Spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said the office calls for an independent investigation “with international involvement."
Turkish officials were the first to report the killing of Khashoggi who disappeared after he entered the Saudi diplomatic mission in the Istanbul last year, and have pressed the kingdom for information on his dismembered body’s whereabouts.
"The death of Jamal Khashoggi is a very painful crime," Mohammed said in an interview with pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat published on Sunday.
"Any party exploiting the case politically should stop doing so, and present evidence to the (Saudi) court, which will contribute in achieving justice," the crown prince added, without directly naming Turkey.
He, however, said Saudi Arabia was keen to build strong relations with "all Islamic countries, including Turkey."
Khashoggi, a former advocate of the Saudi royal court who later became a critic of bin Salman, was killed and his body was dismembered by a Saudi hit squad after being lured into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018.
The Washington Post, for which Khashoggi was a columnist, reported in November last year that the CIA had concluded that Mohammed personally ordered his killing. Riyadh strongly denies the allegation.
Riyadh spurned all the allegations linking the killing to bin Salman and instead claimed that the murder has been carried out by a “rogue” group.
Mohammed said his country was committed to "full justice and accountability" in the case.
In November, the kingdom’s Public Prosecutor indicted 11 unnamed suspects for the killing.
The United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, Agnes Callamard, said Saudi Arabia’s investigation falls short of international standards.
In early January, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said it could not assess the fairness of a trial underway in Saudi Arabia over Khashoggi’s murder.
In response to a question about the Saudi prosecutor's demand for the suspects' death penalty, the OHCHR Spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said the office calls for an independent investigation “with international involvement."
8 june 2019
Mohammad Bin Salman Al Saud, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia
Pro-Israeli campaigners appear to be hunting for another scalp in their assault against free speech. The victim this time is a tenured Columbia university professor whose crime was nothing more than to speak out against Israel.
A network of pro-Israel activists surged against comments made by Iranian Professor Hamid Dabashi on social media. The professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature at the New York University posted remarks criticising Israel for its campaign against the Iran nuclear deal. It’s speculated that Trump was heavily influenced by Tel Aviv in his decision to pull out of the deal which is universally seen as a good thing for global security.
Venting his frustration over the collapse of the nuclear deal on his Facebook page, Dabashi described “the Zionists the Saudis and the US necons” – three groups that were the only ones opposed to the nuclear deal with Iran- as “laughing hyenas”. He denounced them as being “stupid” and “ignorant” and said that they were “fucking with the wrong country”.
In a separate comment he made remarks following revelations in the New York Times, which discovered that opponents of the Iran deal had hired investigators to dig up dirt on officials working under Barack Obama’s administration in order to discredit them and eventually kill the deal.
Reacting to the revelation that detailed reports were being compiled – for what one assumes is an attempt to blackmail US officials – by a private investigations firm established by former intelligence analysts from the Israel army, Dabashi ventured that the “ugly name of Israel” appears on “every dirty treacherous ugly and pernicious act”. The Times article also mentioned that the same Israeli firm, Black Cube, was hired to gather dirt on women accusing Harvey Weinstein, the movie mogul, of multiple instances of sexual misconduct.
These revelations followed the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The British data analytics company also employed Israeli firms to orchestrate campaigns against political opponents and to harvest millions of user data on social media with the aim of manipulating their vote.
Dabashi’s comments were condemned by the pro-Israel campaign group as anti-Semitic. They appear particularly outraged by his suggestion that “die hard Fifth Column Zionists were working against the best interest of America and for the best interest of Israelis.”
The group which calls itself Alums for Campus Fairness (ACF), “a non-profit organisation that brings together alumni to fight the anti-Semitism” sent a petition seen by MEMO calling on Columbia University to “unequivocally condemn” Dabashi for his “anti-Semitic postings” and to “relive” the professor of his teaching duties until he “commits to ending his anti-Semitic remarks”.
MEMO contacted Dabashi about the allegations, which he strongly rejected. He described the “Zionist organisations” leading the attack against him as “morally corrupt and intellectually bankrupt.” The likes of ACF, he said, “had reduced to a monosyllabic automaton with Tourette’s syndrome hurtling the terrorising accusation of ‘antisemitism’ against anyone critical of the criminal atrocities of their favourite settler colony”. The accusation was being hurled at anyone and everyone including the pop artist Shakira and the Argentine national football team, Dabashi pointed out.
Dabashi explained that “under ordinary circumstances these false accusations are obscene but at a time when the Israeli army is slaughtering peaceful Palestinians protesting in Gaza they are positively revolting.”
Over the specific allegation he said: “I am critical of all state violence and all violent ideologies – without a single exception – I criticise Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey and the US even more than I do Israel. That does not make me anti-Iranian, anti-Arab, anti-Muslim, or anti-American”.
Dabashi thinks that what annoys these pro-Israeli organisations is the fact that he is “vehemently pro-Jewish and anti-Zionist”. They are not so bothered when it’s the other way around, he observed pointing to “nefarious anti-Semites like Donald Trump and Steve Bannon, or even neo-Nazis like Richard Spencer and Sebastian Gorka” who Dabashi says “hate Jews but love Israel”.
Explaining his thoughts further on the marriage between the far-right and Israel he says: “I am pro-Jewish and anti-Zionist precisely the same way that I am pro-Muslim and anti-ISIS [Daesh], pro-Iranian anti-Islamic Republic, pro-Egyptian anti-Egyptian junta of General Sisi, pro-Arab against all Arab dictators — I am in short severely critical of all state violence and all militant ideologies without a single exception— I hate absolutely no human being — simple as that!”
His answer to the “insidious charge” he says is very simple: “Not all Jews are Zionists and not all Zionists are Jews. The most notorious Zionists have always been in fact Christian. There are plenty of Hindu and Muslim Zionists too — and platoons of good old atheist and agnostic or as they call themselves ‘secular’ Zionists.” He points out that today the richest and most powerful Zionist is not Sheldon Adelsohn. It is in fact Mohammad Bin Salman who is a Muslim.
Dabashi is another victim of the assault by pro-Israeli organisations on free speech. In the US, the campaign to narrow the space for Israel’s harshest critics represents a stark contrast. While attempts to silence academics critical of Israel has become a feature of universities both sides of the Atlantic, the US is the only country which appears to think that protecting Israel takes a greater priority than protecting the American people.
Gun control laws in the US always get shot down because opponents say it violates the Second Amendment. But it appears that when it comes to protecting Israel, rights protected under the First Amendment are not so important. Americans in at least 20 states are banned from exercising their right to boycott who they wish in order to protect Israel.
The Congress has also seen several attempts by staunch supporters of Israel from both major parties pushing through a federal bill that will criminalise the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Critics insist that the legislation would violate speech enshrined within the First Amendment.
In Columbia University, at least, Dabashi is confident that “such winds” will not “shake” the university. The institution, he tells me is “solid” and “is in capable hands”. His advice was “not to overestimate the power of those who attack us.”
Pro-Israeli campaigners appear to be hunting for another scalp in their assault against free speech. The victim this time is a tenured Columbia university professor whose crime was nothing more than to speak out against Israel.
A network of pro-Israel activists surged against comments made by Iranian Professor Hamid Dabashi on social media. The professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature at the New York University posted remarks criticising Israel for its campaign against the Iran nuclear deal. It’s speculated that Trump was heavily influenced by Tel Aviv in his decision to pull out of the deal which is universally seen as a good thing for global security.
Venting his frustration over the collapse of the nuclear deal on his Facebook page, Dabashi described “the Zionists the Saudis and the US necons” – three groups that were the only ones opposed to the nuclear deal with Iran- as “laughing hyenas”. He denounced them as being “stupid” and “ignorant” and said that they were “fucking with the wrong country”.
In a separate comment he made remarks following revelations in the New York Times, which discovered that opponents of the Iran deal had hired investigators to dig up dirt on officials working under Barack Obama’s administration in order to discredit them and eventually kill the deal.
Reacting to the revelation that detailed reports were being compiled – for what one assumes is an attempt to blackmail US officials – by a private investigations firm established by former intelligence analysts from the Israel army, Dabashi ventured that the “ugly name of Israel” appears on “every dirty treacherous ugly and pernicious act”. The Times article also mentioned that the same Israeli firm, Black Cube, was hired to gather dirt on women accusing Harvey Weinstein, the movie mogul, of multiple instances of sexual misconduct.
These revelations followed the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The British data analytics company also employed Israeli firms to orchestrate campaigns against political opponents and to harvest millions of user data on social media with the aim of manipulating their vote.
Dabashi’s comments were condemned by the pro-Israel campaign group as anti-Semitic. They appear particularly outraged by his suggestion that “die hard Fifth Column Zionists were working against the best interest of America and for the best interest of Israelis.”
The group which calls itself Alums for Campus Fairness (ACF), “a non-profit organisation that brings together alumni to fight the anti-Semitism” sent a petition seen by MEMO calling on Columbia University to “unequivocally condemn” Dabashi for his “anti-Semitic postings” and to “relive” the professor of his teaching duties until he “commits to ending his anti-Semitic remarks”.
MEMO contacted Dabashi about the allegations, which he strongly rejected. He described the “Zionist organisations” leading the attack against him as “morally corrupt and intellectually bankrupt.” The likes of ACF, he said, “had reduced to a monosyllabic automaton with Tourette’s syndrome hurtling the terrorising accusation of ‘antisemitism’ against anyone critical of the criminal atrocities of their favourite settler colony”. The accusation was being hurled at anyone and everyone including the pop artist Shakira and the Argentine national football team, Dabashi pointed out.
Dabashi explained that “under ordinary circumstances these false accusations are obscene but at a time when the Israeli army is slaughtering peaceful Palestinians protesting in Gaza they are positively revolting.”
Over the specific allegation he said: “I am critical of all state violence and all violent ideologies – without a single exception – I criticise Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey and the US even more than I do Israel. That does not make me anti-Iranian, anti-Arab, anti-Muslim, or anti-American”.
Dabashi thinks that what annoys these pro-Israeli organisations is the fact that he is “vehemently pro-Jewish and anti-Zionist”. They are not so bothered when it’s the other way around, he observed pointing to “nefarious anti-Semites like Donald Trump and Steve Bannon, or even neo-Nazis like Richard Spencer and Sebastian Gorka” who Dabashi says “hate Jews but love Israel”.
Explaining his thoughts further on the marriage between the far-right and Israel he says: “I am pro-Jewish and anti-Zionist precisely the same way that I am pro-Muslim and anti-ISIS [Daesh], pro-Iranian anti-Islamic Republic, pro-Egyptian anti-Egyptian junta of General Sisi, pro-Arab against all Arab dictators — I am in short severely critical of all state violence and all militant ideologies without a single exception— I hate absolutely no human being — simple as that!”
His answer to the “insidious charge” he says is very simple: “Not all Jews are Zionists and not all Zionists are Jews. The most notorious Zionists have always been in fact Christian. There are plenty of Hindu and Muslim Zionists too — and platoons of good old atheist and agnostic or as they call themselves ‘secular’ Zionists.” He points out that today the richest and most powerful Zionist is not Sheldon Adelsohn. It is in fact Mohammad Bin Salman who is a Muslim.
Dabashi is another victim of the assault by pro-Israeli organisations on free speech. In the US, the campaign to narrow the space for Israel’s harshest critics represents a stark contrast. While attempts to silence academics critical of Israel has become a feature of universities both sides of the Atlantic, the US is the only country which appears to think that protecting Israel takes a greater priority than protecting the American people.
Gun control laws in the US always get shot down because opponents say it violates the Second Amendment. But it appears that when it comes to protecting Israel, rights protected under the First Amendment are not so important. Americans in at least 20 states are banned from exercising their right to boycott who they wish in order to protect Israel.
The Congress has also seen several attempts by staunch supporters of Israel from both major parties pushing through a federal bill that will criminalise the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Critics insist that the legislation would violate speech enshrined within the First Amendment.
In Columbia University, at least, Dabashi is confident that “such winds” will not “shake” the university. The institution, he tells me is “solid” and “is in capable hands”. His advice was “not to overestimate the power of those who attack us.”
file picture, a Saudi money changer counts US banknotes at a currency exchange shop in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Less than a week after Saudi authorities arrested more than 60 people, including Palestinian expatriates and Saudi nationals, on charges of supporting the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement, they have now blocked money transfers between the kingdom and the Gaza Strip.
The new step taken by the Riyadh regime against Palestinians involves official and non-official money transfers as the procedure has witnessed a marked decline over the past week and during the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, Arabic-language al-Khaleej Online news website reported.
The report described residents of the besieged and impoverished Gaza Strip as the main victims of the move. Most of the bank transfers that used to be carried out normally in the past, were frozen just a few days before the start of the holiday.
Remittance transactions are taking much longer time than usual – something that used to be done in a matter of few hours.
Many Palestinians have complained of the move, and termed it as “unprecedented.” They argue that the process of transferring money between Saudi Arabia and the Gaza Strip has become extraordinarily difficult.
Abu Fuad, a resident of the Gaza Strip who refused to give his last name for fear that his family could be persecuted in the Saudi Arabian port city of Jeddah, said he has experienced difficulty receiving money from his family.
“It is three days since the remittance has been made, but I have not received anything. Financial transfers used to be done in a few hours and without any obstacles in the past. But since the week before the Eid, the procedures have become complex and most of the transfers are frozen without any obvious reason,” he said.
Abu Fuad considered the measure as a “new crackdown on the Palestinian community living in Saudi Arabia,” stressing that it would aggravate their sufferings as students rely heavily on money transferred from their families living outside the kingdom.
He called upon the Palestinian Embassy in Riyadh to intervene immediately, and try to work out a quick and practical solution to the crisis, which has negatively affected the Palestinian community in Saudi Arabia.
Over the past two years, Saudi authorities have deported more than 100 Palestinians from the kingdom, mostly on charges of supporting Hamas resistance movement financially, politically or through social networking sites.
The Riyadh regime has imposed strict control over Palestinian funds in Saudi Arabia since the end of 2017.
All remittances of Palestinian expatriates are being tightly controlled, fearing that these funds could be diverted indirectly and through other countries to Hamas.
Money transfer offices are asking the Palestinians to bring forward strong arguments for conversion, and do not allow the ceiling of one’s money transfer to exceed $3,000.
Less than a week after Saudi authorities arrested more than 60 people, including Palestinian expatriates and Saudi nationals, on charges of supporting the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement, they have now blocked money transfers between the kingdom and the Gaza Strip.
The new step taken by the Riyadh regime against Palestinians involves official and non-official money transfers as the procedure has witnessed a marked decline over the past week and during the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, Arabic-language al-Khaleej Online news website reported.
The report described residents of the besieged and impoverished Gaza Strip as the main victims of the move. Most of the bank transfers that used to be carried out normally in the past, were frozen just a few days before the start of the holiday.
Remittance transactions are taking much longer time than usual – something that used to be done in a matter of few hours.
Many Palestinians have complained of the move, and termed it as “unprecedented.” They argue that the process of transferring money between Saudi Arabia and the Gaza Strip has become extraordinarily difficult.
Abu Fuad, a resident of the Gaza Strip who refused to give his last name for fear that his family could be persecuted in the Saudi Arabian port city of Jeddah, said he has experienced difficulty receiving money from his family.
“It is three days since the remittance has been made, but I have not received anything. Financial transfers used to be done in a few hours and without any obstacles in the past. But since the week before the Eid, the procedures have become complex and most of the transfers are frozen without any obvious reason,” he said.
Abu Fuad considered the measure as a “new crackdown on the Palestinian community living in Saudi Arabia,” stressing that it would aggravate their sufferings as students rely heavily on money transferred from their families living outside the kingdom.
He called upon the Palestinian Embassy in Riyadh to intervene immediately, and try to work out a quick and practical solution to the crisis, which has negatively affected the Palestinian community in Saudi Arabia.
Over the past two years, Saudi authorities have deported more than 100 Palestinians from the kingdom, mostly on charges of supporting Hamas resistance movement financially, politically or through social networking sites.
The Riyadh regime has imposed strict control over Palestinian funds in Saudi Arabia since the end of 2017.
All remittances of Palestinian expatriates are being tightly controlled, fearing that these funds could be diverted indirectly and through other countries to Hamas.
Money transfer offices are asking the Palestinians to bring forward strong arguments for conversion, and do not allow the ceiling of one’s money transfer to exceed $3,000.
7 june 2019
Civilians inspect the damage at a factory after an airstrike by Saudi-led coalition in the Yemeni capital Sana'a, on January 20, 2019
The administration of US President Donald Trump has reportedly permitted the construction of US high-tech bomb and missile parts in Saudi Arabia, a move that could give the kingdom the green light to ramp up the use of modern weaponry in its protracted aggression on impoverished Yemen.
According to a report published by the New York Times on Friday, the Trump administration allowed Raytheon, a US military defense contractor, to “team up” with the Saudis to build and assemble components of Paveway smart bombs in the kingdom.
The components included control systems, circuit cards and guidance electronics.
The authorization came as a result of the national emergency declaration the White House officials issued last month to bypass Congress for 22 separate arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates totaling $8.1 billion.
The United States, despite selling smart bombs and other weapons to Riyadh, has so far protected the high-tech development process “for national security reasons,” the according to the Times.
The provision, as to the American paper said, immediately "raised concerns that the Saudis could gain access to technology that would let them produce their own versions of American precision-guided bombs—weapons they have used in strikes on civilians since they began fighting a war in Yemen four years ago."
William Hartung, director of the Arms and Security Project at the Center for International Policy, warned that handing the Saudis the capacity to develop high-tech bombs could have disastrous consequences for the people of Yemen, who are already suffering from the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
"If Saudi Arabia is able to develop an indigenous bomb-making capability as a result of this deal," Hartung said, "it will undermine US leverage to prevent them from engaging in indiscriminate strikes of the kind it has carried out in Yemen."
In a detailed investigation published last month, the Times revealed that Saudi Arabia has "ordered more than 27,000 missiles worth at least $1.8 billion from Raytheon alone," and that, "about $650 million of those Raytheon orders came after the Saudi war in Yemen began."
Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched the devastating campaign against Yemen in March 2015, with the aim of bringing the former Saudi-sponsored government back to power. Riyadh has failed to fulfill its objectives.
The US along with some Western countries are complicit in the ongoing aggression as they supply the Riyadh regime with advanced weapons and military equipment as well as logistical and intelligence assistance.
According to a new report by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit conflict-research organization, the Saudi-led war has so far claimed the lives of about 56,000 Yemenis.
The Saudi-led war has also taken a heavy toll on the country’s infrastructure, destroying hospitals, schools, and factories.
The UN has warned that a record 22.2 million Yemenis are in dire need of food, including 8.4 million threatened by severe hunger. According to the world body, Yemen is suffering from the worst global famine in more than 100 years.
The administration of US President Donald Trump has reportedly permitted the construction of US high-tech bomb and missile parts in Saudi Arabia, a move that could give the kingdom the green light to ramp up the use of modern weaponry in its protracted aggression on impoverished Yemen.
According to a report published by the New York Times on Friday, the Trump administration allowed Raytheon, a US military defense contractor, to “team up” with the Saudis to build and assemble components of Paveway smart bombs in the kingdom.
The components included control systems, circuit cards and guidance electronics.
The authorization came as a result of the national emergency declaration the White House officials issued last month to bypass Congress for 22 separate arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates totaling $8.1 billion.
The United States, despite selling smart bombs and other weapons to Riyadh, has so far protected the high-tech development process “for national security reasons,” the according to the Times.
The provision, as to the American paper said, immediately "raised concerns that the Saudis could gain access to technology that would let them produce their own versions of American precision-guided bombs—weapons they have used in strikes on civilians since they began fighting a war in Yemen four years ago."
William Hartung, director of the Arms and Security Project at the Center for International Policy, warned that handing the Saudis the capacity to develop high-tech bombs could have disastrous consequences for the people of Yemen, who are already suffering from the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
"If Saudi Arabia is able to develop an indigenous bomb-making capability as a result of this deal," Hartung said, "it will undermine US leverage to prevent them from engaging in indiscriminate strikes of the kind it has carried out in Yemen."
In a detailed investigation published last month, the Times revealed that Saudi Arabia has "ordered more than 27,000 missiles worth at least $1.8 billion from Raytheon alone," and that, "about $650 million of those Raytheon orders came after the Saudi war in Yemen began."
Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched the devastating campaign against Yemen in March 2015, with the aim of bringing the former Saudi-sponsored government back to power. Riyadh has failed to fulfill its objectives.
The US along with some Western countries are complicit in the ongoing aggression as they supply the Riyadh regime with advanced weapons and military equipment as well as logistical and intelligence assistance.
According to a new report by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit conflict-research organization, the Saudi-led war has so far claimed the lives of about 56,000 Yemenis.
The Saudi-led war has also taken a heavy toll on the country’s infrastructure, destroying hospitals, schools, and factories.
The UN has warned that a record 22.2 million Yemenis are in dire need of food, including 8.4 million threatened by severe hunger. According to the world body, Yemen is suffering from the worst global famine in more than 100 years.