5 aug 2019
Prime Minister Mohammad Ishtayeh said that the government has contacted the Monetary Authority, universities and telecommunications companies to stress the need for all parties to share part of the burden of the financial crisis imposed by the Israeli occupation.
Ishtayeh announced at the start of the Cabinet meeting on Monday in Ramallah that the government is in the process of giving 1145 teachers permanent contracts and employing 1700 new teachers following an agreement between the Ministries of Finance and Education.
He stressed that the academic year will begin on time, and the government will consult the Union of teachers about how to improve working conditions for teachers, and said: “On their shoulders, building a generation.”
The Prime Minister once again expressed his appreciation to the military, security and civilian staff of teachers, health workers, services and all the employees of the Authority for their steadfastness and patience.
He called on citizens not to use the Eid holiday as an opportunity to buy goods from Israel, but to buy them from Palestinian markets instead to support of national products.
He said: “We asked the security services to take seriously the subject of corrupt and smuggled goods to the Palestinian territories and to impose the most severe sanctions on the perpetrators.”
In the political arena, the Prime Minister said that the occupation authorities are attacking, demolishing and attacking daily our cities and villages in areas A, B and C, and treating all these areas and classifications as Area C, and accordingly we are considering that we will deal with with all the Palestinian areas as areas “A”, and we will do everything possible to strengthen our presence on the whole of our land and prevent the excesses of the occupation.
He stressed that the US administration’s comments on the American plan to deal with the two-state solution and talk about autonomy to ensure Israel’s security are rejected by President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian leadership.
He said: “The Palestinian people have rights to fight for it and bring the whole world together, and international conventions and resolutions confirm this, and no one has the right to deprive our people of their political rights to establish an independent state.”
Finally, the Prime Minister praised the Salman of Saudi Arabia for his support for families of the martyrs and prisoners, and stressed the harmony and continuous communication and coordination with Saudi Arabia and King Salman bin Abdul Aziz, and his appreciation for their continue support of our cause.
Ishtayeh announced at the start of the Cabinet meeting on Monday in Ramallah that the government is in the process of giving 1145 teachers permanent contracts and employing 1700 new teachers following an agreement between the Ministries of Finance and Education.
He stressed that the academic year will begin on time, and the government will consult the Union of teachers about how to improve working conditions for teachers, and said: “On their shoulders, building a generation.”
The Prime Minister once again expressed his appreciation to the military, security and civilian staff of teachers, health workers, services and all the employees of the Authority for their steadfastness and patience.
He called on citizens not to use the Eid holiday as an opportunity to buy goods from Israel, but to buy them from Palestinian markets instead to support of national products.
He said: “We asked the security services to take seriously the subject of corrupt and smuggled goods to the Palestinian territories and to impose the most severe sanctions on the perpetrators.”
In the political arena, the Prime Minister said that the occupation authorities are attacking, demolishing and attacking daily our cities and villages in areas A, B and C, and treating all these areas and classifications as Area C, and accordingly we are considering that we will deal with with all the Palestinian areas as areas “A”, and we will do everything possible to strengthen our presence on the whole of our land and prevent the excesses of the occupation.
He stressed that the US administration’s comments on the American plan to deal with the two-state solution and talk about autonomy to ensure Israel’s security are rejected by President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian leadership.
He said: “The Palestinian people have rights to fight for it and bring the whole world together, and international conventions and resolutions confirm this, and no one has the right to deprive our people of their political rights to establish an independent state.”
Finally, the Prime Minister praised the Salman of Saudi Arabia for his support for families of the martyrs and prisoners, and stressed the harmony and continuous communication and coordination with Saudi Arabia and King Salman bin Abdul Aziz, and his appreciation for their continue support of our cause.
1 aug 2019
An ally of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Riyadh has exchanged views with Tel Aviv on importing natural gas from the occupied territories, as the two regimes speed up normalization efforts.
Citing conversations with senior regional officials, former Israeli communications minister Ayoob Kara, said on Thursday that the two regimes had discussed building a pipeline that would connect Saudi Arabia to Eliat, a Red Sea resort city in the southern tip of the occupied lands, Bloomberg reported.
Referring to the gas pipeline project, Kara said, “This is about mutual interest.”
He also claimed that support for Palestine had begun to wane in the Arab world because of the strains between Iran and other Persian Gulf countries.
Currently, he added, Saudi Arabia and its regional allies only pay “lip service” to the Palestinian cause, and are seeking upgraded military and economic ties with Israel.
“All they care about is the security and future of their countries,” Kara said.
Netanyahu’s ally further noted that part of the Saudi-Israeli discussions center on a new energy corridor that would connect Saudi Arabia to the Eilat-Ashkelon Pipeline, a project that would allow the kingdom to export its oil to Europe.
Israel has full diplomatic relations with only two Arab states, Egypt and Jordan, but latest reports suggest the regime is working behind the scenes to establish formal contact with Saudi Arabia and its allies.
In an interview with US magazine The Atlantic in April 2018, Saudi Crown prince Mohammed bin Salman recognized the “right” for Israelis to “have their own land.”
Critics say Saudi Arabia’s flirtation with Israel would undermine global efforts to isolate Tel Aviv and affect the Palestinian cause in general. They say Riyadh has gone too far in its cooperation with the Israelis as a way of deterring Iran as an influential player in the region.
Citing conversations with senior regional officials, former Israeli communications minister Ayoob Kara, said on Thursday that the two regimes had discussed building a pipeline that would connect Saudi Arabia to Eliat, a Red Sea resort city in the southern tip of the occupied lands, Bloomberg reported.
Referring to the gas pipeline project, Kara said, “This is about mutual interest.”
He also claimed that support for Palestine had begun to wane in the Arab world because of the strains between Iran and other Persian Gulf countries.
Currently, he added, Saudi Arabia and its regional allies only pay “lip service” to the Palestinian cause, and are seeking upgraded military and economic ties with Israel.
“All they care about is the security and future of their countries,” Kara said.
Netanyahu’s ally further noted that part of the Saudi-Israeli discussions center on a new energy corridor that would connect Saudi Arabia to the Eilat-Ashkelon Pipeline, a project that would allow the kingdom to export its oil to Europe.
Israel has full diplomatic relations with only two Arab states, Egypt and Jordan, but latest reports suggest the regime is working behind the scenes to establish formal contact with Saudi Arabia and its allies.
In an interview with US magazine The Atlantic in April 2018, Saudi Crown prince Mohammed bin Salman recognized the “right” for Israelis to “have their own land.”
Critics say Saudi Arabia’s flirtation with Israel would undermine global efforts to isolate Tel Aviv and affect the Palestinian cause in general. They say Riyadh has gone too far in its cooperation with the Israelis as a way of deterring Iran as an influential player in the region.
31 july 2019
Saudi blogger Mohammed Saud at Israel’s parliament, the Knesset. (Twitter)
Six Arab bloggers and journalists arrived in Israel earlier this month at the invitation of Israel’s foreign ministry.
The delegation included individuals from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Jordan and Egypt, according to Israeli media.
With the exception of Jordan and Egypt, none of these countries has formal diplomatic ties with Israel, but some have made moves towards normalization in recent months.
Yuval Rotem, the director general of Israel’s foreign ministry, said the visit would allow the delegation “to get to know the Israeli society in all its diversity from up close.” tweet
The delegation had dinner with foreign ministry spokesperson Emmanuel Nahshon, who called it “a moment of great emotion.” tweet
The delegates made the trip through the Allenby Bridge crossing from Jordan into the occupied West Bank, according to Israel’s i24 News.
The foreign ministry said the itinerary would include a tour of northern Israel, a visit to Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, and a stop at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial.
Normalizers not welcome
The only member of the delegation identified by local media was Saudi student and activist Mohammed Saud, who regularly tweets in support of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Saud was chased out by Palestinians and worshippers from the al-Aqsa mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem on 22 July when they realized he was a member of the delegation.
Local media circulated videos showing Palestinians calling him “cheap,” telling him to “go pray in the Knesset,” spitting on him and throwing chairs and objects at him: tweet tweet
One can be heard saying that the al-Aqsa mosque is a “pure place” and that it doesn’t welcome “normalizers.”
Saud’s visit came on the same day as Israeli forces began the demolition of some 100 apartments in the Wadi Hummus neighborhood on the outskirts of Sur Bahir, a village southeast of Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank.
Another member of the delegation was also heckled by Palestinians in Jerusalem on 23 July: tweet
Local media said he was a Jordanian but did not identify him.
Israeli occupation forces detained at least three Palestinians for alleged involvement in protesting Saud.
Another Saudi blogger and a friend of Saud appeared on the Israeli public broadcaster Kan on 23 July.
“What happened to my friend Mohammed is unbelievable,” he said. tweet
“The level of meannes and villainy that the Palestinian people have reached, they have ruined the image of Islam and Muslims.”
The Saudi blogger called on Israel to seize control over Jerusalem’s holy places from Jordan, which acts as custodian. Al-Aqsa mosque is one of Islam’s holiest sites.
Saudi journalist Abd al-Hamid al-Ghabin appeared on Israel’s i24 News during the same week and said that the custodianship of the al-Aqsa mosque should be transferred to Saudi Arabia. tweet
He added that Jordan’s recent warming up to Qatar and Turkey “will not save it from its inevitable fate as an alternative homeland for the Palestinians.”
Turning Jordan into an alternative state for Palestinians, so that Israel can seize the whole of historic Palestine, is a longstanding dream of the Israeli far right.
Anti-Palestinian propaganda
Outraged Saudi social media users expressed solidarity with Palestinians with the hashtag “Saudis against normalization” in Arabic.
Others are doing the opposite, posting anti-Palestinian videos under the Twitter hashtag “they sold the issue and then cursed us” – a false accusation that Palestinians themselves willingly gave up their homeland to the Zionist movement.
This anti-Palestinian propaganda is similar to that disseminated by Egyptian elites starting a generation ago in order to justify Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel despite Israel’s continued occupation of Palestinian and other Arab land. tweet1 tweet2 tweet3 tweet4 tweet5 tweet6 tweet7 tweet8
Posing with Likud officials
Six Arab bloggers and journalists arrived in Israel earlier this month at the invitation of Israel’s foreign ministry.
The delegation included individuals from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Jordan and Egypt, according to Israeli media.
With the exception of Jordan and Egypt, none of these countries has formal diplomatic ties with Israel, but some have made moves towards normalization in recent months.
Yuval Rotem, the director general of Israel’s foreign ministry, said the visit would allow the delegation “to get to know the Israeli society in all its diversity from up close.” tweet
The delegation had dinner with foreign ministry spokesperson Emmanuel Nahshon, who called it “a moment of great emotion.” tweet
The delegates made the trip through the Allenby Bridge crossing from Jordan into the occupied West Bank, according to Israel’s i24 News.
The foreign ministry said the itinerary would include a tour of northern Israel, a visit to Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, and a stop at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial.
Normalizers not welcome
The only member of the delegation identified by local media was Saudi student and activist Mohammed Saud, who regularly tweets in support of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Saud was chased out by Palestinians and worshippers from the al-Aqsa mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem on 22 July when they realized he was a member of the delegation.
Local media circulated videos showing Palestinians calling him “cheap,” telling him to “go pray in the Knesset,” spitting on him and throwing chairs and objects at him: tweet tweet
One can be heard saying that the al-Aqsa mosque is a “pure place” and that it doesn’t welcome “normalizers.”
Saud’s visit came on the same day as Israeli forces began the demolition of some 100 apartments in the Wadi Hummus neighborhood on the outskirts of Sur Bahir, a village southeast of Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank.
Another member of the delegation was also heckled by Palestinians in Jerusalem on 23 July: tweet
Local media said he was a Jordanian but did not identify him.
Israeli occupation forces detained at least three Palestinians for alleged involvement in protesting Saud.
Another Saudi blogger and a friend of Saud appeared on the Israeli public broadcaster Kan on 23 July.
“What happened to my friend Mohammed is unbelievable,” he said. tweet
“The level of meannes and villainy that the Palestinian people have reached, they have ruined the image of Islam and Muslims.”
The Saudi blogger called on Israel to seize control over Jerusalem’s holy places from Jordan, which acts as custodian. Al-Aqsa mosque is one of Islam’s holiest sites.
Saudi journalist Abd al-Hamid al-Ghabin appeared on Israel’s i24 News during the same week and said that the custodianship of the al-Aqsa mosque should be transferred to Saudi Arabia. tweet
He added that Jordan’s recent warming up to Qatar and Turkey “will not save it from its inevitable fate as an alternative homeland for the Palestinians.”
Turning Jordan into an alternative state for Palestinians, so that Israel can seize the whole of historic Palestine, is a longstanding dream of the Israeli far right.
Anti-Palestinian propaganda
Outraged Saudi social media users expressed solidarity with Palestinians with the hashtag “Saudis against normalization” in Arabic.
Others are doing the opposite, posting anti-Palestinian videos under the Twitter hashtag “they sold the issue and then cursed us” – a false accusation that Palestinians themselves willingly gave up their homeland to the Zionist movement.
This anti-Palestinian propaganda is similar to that disseminated by Egyptian elites starting a generation ago in order to justify Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel despite Israel’s continued occupation of Palestinian and other Arab land. tweet1 tweet2 tweet3 tweet4 tweet5 tweet6 tweet7 tweet8
Posing with Likud officials
Likud lawmaker Yehuda Glick poses with Saudi blogger Muhammad Saud near Israel’s parliament, the Knesset. (Twitter)
Glick is a leader of the Israeli-government backed Jewish extremist movement that aims to destroy the al-Aqsa mosque and replace it with a Jewish temple.
Saud also posed with the Israeli foreign ministry’s spokesperson for Arabic-language media, Hassan Kaabia, who called the Saudi blogger his “friend”: tweet
Kaabia told The Times of Israel that Saud took being protested by Palestinians “somewhat harshly, but he understood that this is the real face of the Palestinians.”
The delegation also met with Netanyahu. The prime minister apologized to Saud on behalf of Israel for being protested in Jerusalem.
Kaabia added that Saud sang a Hebrew song by Israeli poet Leah Goldberg to show support for Israel, according to The Times of Israel.
Condemnation from journalist unions
The Iraqi Journalists Syndicate condemned the alleged participation of an Iraqi journalist in the visit.
The syndicate said it “rejects all forms of normalization with the Zionist entity.” tweet
It added that it would punish any Iraqi journalists found to have participated, including suspension from the union.
The Palestinian Democratic Press Society also condemned the delegation, stressing that it rejects “all such visits and displays of normalization.”
The Federation of Arab Journalists denied that any journalists from Arab states even made the trip.
The federation said it “conclusively ascertained” that no journalists belonging to member syndicates in Bahrain, the UAE, Saudi Arabia or Iraq took part.
It added that the journalists who took part may be Arab nationals living in other countries and holding passports from their countries of residence.
The Bahraini Society Against Normalization with the Zionist Enemy also condemned the visit, and called for a boycott of anyone who made the trip.
Meanwhile, Israeli foreign minister Yisrael Katz publically met with Bahrain’s foreign minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa at the US State Department earlier this month. tweet
“I will continue to work with the Israeli Prime Minister to advance Israel’s relations with the Gulf countries,” Katz wrote on Twitter.
Katz visited the UAE last month to attend a climate conference and push his plan to build a regional rail network through Jordan, Iraq and several Gulf states, linking them to the Mediterranean via Israel. tweet
It was the first visit by an Israeli minister to an Arab country with which Israel has no relations following the US workshop in Bahrain last month.
In a video message published on Israel’s Arabic-language propaganda Twitter account last week, Katz urged normalization of ties between Iraqis and Israelis.
He announced that the Israeli foreign ministry was launching a special Facebook page aimed at an Iraqi audience. tweet
“We have many things in common,” he said.
“We hope relations will grow in a manner that serves both peoples.”
Glick is a leader of the Israeli-government backed Jewish extremist movement that aims to destroy the al-Aqsa mosque and replace it with a Jewish temple.
Saud also posed with the Israeli foreign ministry’s spokesperson for Arabic-language media, Hassan Kaabia, who called the Saudi blogger his “friend”: tweet
Kaabia told The Times of Israel that Saud took being protested by Palestinians “somewhat harshly, but he understood that this is the real face of the Palestinians.”
The delegation also met with Netanyahu. The prime minister apologized to Saud on behalf of Israel for being protested in Jerusalem.
Kaabia added that Saud sang a Hebrew song by Israeli poet Leah Goldberg to show support for Israel, according to The Times of Israel.
Condemnation from journalist unions
The Iraqi Journalists Syndicate condemned the alleged participation of an Iraqi journalist in the visit.
The syndicate said it “rejects all forms of normalization with the Zionist entity.” tweet
It added that it would punish any Iraqi journalists found to have participated, including suspension from the union.
The Palestinian Democratic Press Society also condemned the delegation, stressing that it rejects “all such visits and displays of normalization.”
The Federation of Arab Journalists denied that any journalists from Arab states even made the trip.
The federation said it “conclusively ascertained” that no journalists belonging to member syndicates in Bahrain, the UAE, Saudi Arabia or Iraq took part.
It added that the journalists who took part may be Arab nationals living in other countries and holding passports from their countries of residence.
The Bahraini Society Against Normalization with the Zionist Enemy also condemned the visit, and called for a boycott of anyone who made the trip.
Meanwhile, Israeli foreign minister Yisrael Katz publically met with Bahrain’s foreign minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa at the US State Department earlier this month. tweet
“I will continue to work with the Israeli Prime Minister to advance Israel’s relations with the Gulf countries,” Katz wrote on Twitter.
Katz visited the UAE last month to attend a climate conference and push his plan to build a regional rail network through Jordan, Iraq and several Gulf states, linking them to the Mediterranean via Israel. tweet
It was the first visit by an Israeli minister to an Arab country with which Israel has no relations following the US workshop in Bahrain last month.
In a video message published on Israel’s Arabic-language propaganda Twitter account last week, Katz urged normalization of ties between Iraqis and Israelis.
He announced that the Israeli foreign ministry was launching a special Facebook page aimed at an Iraqi audience. tweet
“We have many things in common,” he said.
“We hope relations will grow in a manner that serves both peoples.”
30 july 2019
The US Senate has stopped short of forming a majority required to override President Donald Trump’s veto earlier in the month of three congressional resolutions aimed at blocking the country’s arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
On Monday, the chamber was set to try rendering the vetoes, which Trump issued on July 24 against three congressional measures, ineffective, Reuters reported.
However, a first vote on trying to overturn one veto on a measure passed by Congress to block the sale of certain weapons to the Saudi kingdom was backed by 45 senators against 40. The Senate’s Republicans shunned the bid en masse, with only five supporting the vote. Fifteen senators, meanwhile, withheld their votes.
The vote tallies were similar in the two subsequent roll-call votes to override vetoes of the legislation blocking the additional weapons sales to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other countries.
Congress has been trying to intervene in Washington’s untrammeled arms sales to Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, which have been leading an invasion of Yemen since March 2015. Congress’ effort was also aimed at attempting to pressure the Saudi government to improve its human rights record.
Tens of thousands have died since the onset of the military aggression, which has unsuccessfully sought to bring back Yemen’s former Saudi-allied officials.
The arms sold by the US to the kingdom include guided bombs, which the latter has been using rampantly against Yemeni civilians.
Washington also offers unstinting logistical support for the invasion, including bombing coordinates. Until earlier in the year, it had also been refueling Saudi warplanes midair, but stopped the process after the coalition grew independent of the support.
An American commando contingent has also been identifying arms depots belonging to the Yemeni forces, who have been defending the impoverished nation against the Saudi-led coalition.
Don't turn back on Yemen: UN
Also on Monday, a senior United Nations official urged the international community "not to turn its back" on Yemen and to honor its pledges of aid for the war-racked country.
"Four years of conflict according to the UNDP latest report have set back Yemen by 20 years," United Nations Development Program administrator, Achim Steiner told AFP in an interview in the Jordanian capital of Amman.
He said the UN had received less than 36 percent of the $2.6 billion pledged at a Geneva conference in February.
"Currently, in the next two or three months we can expect that if funding does not materialize, over 21 programs will have to be rolled back," Steiner added.
"It is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world,” he reminded.
On Monday, the chamber was set to try rendering the vetoes, which Trump issued on July 24 against three congressional measures, ineffective, Reuters reported.
However, a first vote on trying to overturn one veto on a measure passed by Congress to block the sale of certain weapons to the Saudi kingdom was backed by 45 senators against 40. The Senate’s Republicans shunned the bid en masse, with only five supporting the vote. Fifteen senators, meanwhile, withheld their votes.
The vote tallies were similar in the two subsequent roll-call votes to override vetoes of the legislation blocking the additional weapons sales to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other countries.
Congress has been trying to intervene in Washington’s untrammeled arms sales to Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, which have been leading an invasion of Yemen since March 2015. Congress’ effort was also aimed at attempting to pressure the Saudi government to improve its human rights record.
Tens of thousands have died since the onset of the military aggression, which has unsuccessfully sought to bring back Yemen’s former Saudi-allied officials.
The arms sold by the US to the kingdom include guided bombs, which the latter has been using rampantly against Yemeni civilians.
Washington also offers unstinting logistical support for the invasion, including bombing coordinates. Until earlier in the year, it had also been refueling Saudi warplanes midair, but stopped the process after the coalition grew independent of the support.
An American commando contingent has also been identifying arms depots belonging to the Yemeni forces, who have been defending the impoverished nation against the Saudi-led coalition.
Don't turn back on Yemen: UN
Also on Monday, a senior United Nations official urged the international community "not to turn its back" on Yemen and to honor its pledges of aid for the war-racked country.
"Four years of conflict according to the UNDP latest report have set back Yemen by 20 years," United Nations Development Program administrator, Achim Steiner told AFP in an interview in the Jordanian capital of Amman.
He said the UN had received less than 36 percent of the $2.6 billion pledged at a Geneva conference in February.
"Currently, in the next two or three months we can expect that if funding does not materialize, over 21 programs will have to be rolled back," Steiner added.
"It is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world,” he reminded.
28 july 2019
regimes, “not much” had happened as a result of the UN’s successive condemnations of the acts of bloodshed by Riyadh and Tel Aviv.
The Saudis have even “executed more people and enlisted children in war” as US President Donald Trump’s administration would increase its support for them in the aftermath of every UN measure.
According to the UN list, over the past year, the Saudi-led coalition waging war on Yemen killed 729 children, while Israel killed 57 kids and injured more than 2,600 across the occupied Palestinian territories.
Most recently, Trump vetoed a congressional move against American arms sales to Saudi Arabia last Wednesday, “allowing the Saudi to have more weapons,” Omari said.
“Make no mistake about it, the Saudi regime and the Israelis are protected by the Trump administration,” he said.
Michael Lane, the North Carolina-based founder of the American Institute for Foreign Policy think tank, who was also a guest on the show, acknowledged that “it’s horrific and it’s grotesque” for any regime’s name to make the UN list.
Asked why the UN measures had failed to stop Riyadh and Tel Aviv’s infanticide, he said, “The United Nations is not the most effective organization in the world.”
He also alleged that the Saudis “are actively taking steps to reduce that number.”
The Saudis have even “executed more people and enlisted children in war” as US President Donald Trump’s administration would increase its support for them in the aftermath of every UN measure.
According to the UN list, over the past year, the Saudi-led coalition waging war on Yemen killed 729 children, while Israel killed 57 kids and injured more than 2,600 across the occupied Palestinian territories.
Most recently, Trump vetoed a congressional move against American arms sales to Saudi Arabia last Wednesday, “allowing the Saudi to have more weapons,” Omari said.
“Make no mistake about it, the Saudi regime and the Israelis are protected by the Trump administration,” he said.
Michael Lane, the North Carolina-based founder of the American Institute for Foreign Policy think tank, who was also a guest on the show, acknowledged that “it’s horrific and it’s grotesque” for any regime’s name to make the UN list.
Asked why the UN measures had failed to stop Riyadh and Tel Aviv’s infanticide, he said, “The United Nations is not the most effective organization in the world.”
He also alleged that the Saudis “are actively taking steps to reduce that number.”