Middle East News Thread

Random Username said:

Thanks Biden.

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So if Trump pulls off the win this could continue.

@GoldRanger how do you feel of this?

Zachowon said:

So if Trump pulls off the win this could continue.

@GoldRanger how do you feel of this?

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I was already aware of this. My feelings are exactly "thanks, Biden".

It looks like the momentum for regional normalization of relations between Israel and the Arab countries that Trump has started is not going to continue under Biden.

It works in the left's favor, both in Israel and in America. The American left is pro-Palestinian, and the fact that Arab countries have started to bypass the whole Israeli-Palestinian issue to make peace with Israel directly has impacted the left negatively, especially since John Kerry said it was supposed to be impossible. Their darling victims are not getting the attention they are due, and interrupting the budding peaceful relations would mitigate that.

The Israeli left will get to make a jab at Netanyahu, they'll blame him for relying on Trump too much and ruining Israel's relations with the Democratic party. They weren't too keen on these peace treaties in the first place, both because they too weren't happy that the "Palestinian issue" had been ignored, and, well, this undermines them as the "dove" faction, that the "hawk" Netanyahu has managed to secure more peace treaties than they ever did. Especially since this vindicated what Netanyahu has repeatedly said, that peace can only be achieved from a position of strength. He has been vindicated, and they don't like that, since their own approach of "give in to our enemy's demands in return for peace" has been disastrous in the 90's.

An 11th Hour conspiracy to influence the US elections as Lebanon expresses hope for sea border talks with Israel!

Husky_Khan said:

An 11th Hour conspiracy to influence the US elections as Lebanon expresses hope for sea border talks with Israel!

Lebanon's president expresses hope for Israel border talks

President Michel Aoun said Wednesday he wants maritime border talks with Israel to succeed and that disagreements during the last round of negotiations can be resolved based on international law.

www.stripes.com

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He must be tired of Hezbollah.

Another peace deal.

Since the Running Iranian news thread is closed, I'll just post this latest hostage diplomacy here for now.

OMG the Israelis have LIT UP the Burj Khalifa!!!


For Hanukkah celebrations...Some say you can see the Dubai hosted festival of lights as far away as Iran...

Husky_Khan said:

OMG the Israelis have LIT UP the Burj Khalifa!!!

The UAE’s historic embrace of Hanukkah is part of a process - analysis

2019 was proclaimed as a year of tolerance in the UAE.

www.jpost.com

For Hanukkah celebrations...Some say you can see the Dubai hosted festival of lights as far away as Iran...

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That's awesome.

From the Israeli side I can tell you that the Ben Gurion international airport near Tel Aviv is packed with Israelis boarding flights to vacation in Dubai, so much that there are concerns over people brawling. The government is intervening, and Israeli news media wouldn't shut up about how bad this is because COVID.

Trump Administration is still winning in spite of potentially losing.

Israel's government collapses apparently triggering the nations fourth election in just two years.

Husky_Khan said:

Israel heads to new elections as government collapses

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s divided government collapsed early Wednesday, triggering the country’s fourth election in under two years and bringing an unprecedented threat to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's lengthy grip on power.

apnews.com

Israel's government collapses apparently triggering the nations fourth election in just two years.

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What I've heard is that, with the way the Israeli elections have gone, it's impossible to form a government without inviting leftists as part of it(you don't have a majority in Parliament without their participation). I don't think it's worth mentioning what would be the price of that, and that is assuming the Left would even accept making a deal with Netanyahu.

Their constant problem is that they have multiple small narrow interest parties that play the kingmakers, making their politics an excercise in rotten compromises. Just like home.

Breaking news...

NBC News hates peace deals, they'll just lead to more conflict!


Actually the main thrust of their whining is that by normalizing relations between Israel and Morocco, the United States also offered to recognize Morocco's claim over Western Sahara and therefore rejecting that "the International Court of Justice that came to a nonbinding determination that neither Mauritania nor Morocco had pre-existing sovereignty over the region — and its phosphate, offshore oil and fishing resources — despite historic ties."

NBC News further complains that while one million Moroccan and North African Jews will benefit directly from this normalization of relations, this normalization will inflame tensions in the Western Sahara, disrupting the decades of stalemate and legal and political limbo that many of the Western Sahara's Sahrawi people are still caught in, with tens of thousands of them still living in Algerian refugee camps.

Also NBC News is worried that this cozying up of Israel with Morocco is merely enhancing their already existing relationship which includes coordination in military aid, espionage and assassination and the fears that further cooperation between the two countries will inflame tensions in North Africa and the Middle East and stating both countries can readily look after their own security interests without the assistance of the other. The article concludes that the United States should be standing up for democratic values and the right of self determination and that the Trump administrations shameful support of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Morocco's King Mohammed V should be walked back by the incoming Biden Administration, if he has the 'fortitude' to do so!

A resolution between the Gulf Arab countries and Qatar maybe coming soon.

There was at least one and potentially multiple blasts at the Airport in Aden, Yemen. It occurred just as Yemen's new government cabinet was leaving their airplane. Over twenty were killed in the blast with over a hundred more wounded.

None of the cabinet members were harmed in the attack which likely was hatched by the Houthi Rebels in the ongoing Civil War.

The years long 'blockade' of Qatar by the other Gulf States led by Saudi Arabia seems to have come to an end, at least for the time being. The crisis started in July of 2017 and arose out of the Saudi led coalition stated Qatar supported ISIS, as well as its links with Iran and Turkey and issues relating to the Al Jazeera news organization and its critical reportage.

What followed was a severance of diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE, Egypt and several other countries. Both Kuwait and Oman remained neutral.There were even fanciful theories floated of digging a canal to separate Qatar from the Arabian peninsula. Some of the demands of the Saudi-led Coalition included cutting off all links with Iran, expelling resident members of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, shutting down a Turkish military base, paying reparations for the harm done, shutting down the Al-Jazeera network, to stop "interfering" in foreign countries' affairs and to cease any funding or support for terrorist organizations.

The crisis has reached a detente however thanks to Kuwaiti and United States mediation efforts. It doesn't seem like Qatar actually fulfilled any of the issues demanded upon them but did sign a joint security declaration with the Saudi-led coalition to move things forward.

Good news?

Random Username said:

Good news?

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In my opinion I think it's good news... at least if you want to curb Iranian influence in the region (and the corollaries that are implicit in that) and with ISIS hopefully half in the grave, the earlier issues don't seem relevant anymore (plus was kinda hypocritical anyways when it comes to Saudi Arabia).

More challenges for the incoming Biden Administration, this time in regards to the Houthi Rebels of Yemen being designated terrorists recently by the State Department.

Both parties are beholden to the Saudi money, so there will be no change here.