Middle East News Thread

[Husky_Khan]

Even when he's losing, Trump is still winning...

Trump receives Morocco's highest award for Middle East work: official

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday received Morocco's highest award for his work in advancing a normalization deal between Israel and Morocco, a senior administration official told Reuters.

www.reuters.com

Donald Trump was awarded Morocco's highest award, one only given to Heads of State, the Order of Muhummand. It was presented by the Moroccan Ambassador to the United States, Princess Lalla Joumala Alaoui on behalf of King Muhammad VI. Jared Kushner and Middle East envoy Avi Berkowitz were also issued lesser awards for their contribution to the diplomatic agreements that helped normalize relations between Israel, Morocco, Bahrain, the UAE and Sudan over the past five months.

 

[Husky_Khan]

Saudi Arabia ‘to open airspace, land and sea border’ with Qatar

The move, announced by Kuwait, could pave way towards resolving political dispute in the GCC.

www.aljazeera.com

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.

Egypt frees Al Jazeera journalist after four years in detention

Egyptian authorities on Saturday released a journalist working for Qatar's Al Jazeera television network who was held in pre-trial detention for more than four years, his brother and a lawyer told Reuters.

www.reuters.com

Egypt and Qatar have re-established diplomatic ties. It's expected the other countries, Bahrain, Saudia Arabia and the UAE etc will be following suit in the coming days.

 

[Husky_Khan]

Israel opens embassy in UAE, expanding new relations

A permanent location is under development

www.deccanchronicle.com

Israel opened their new Embassy in the UAE, continuing Israel's development of relations with several Middle Eastern countries after years of near stasis. The current embassy will be temporary as a permanent location is still being decided on. In the coming weeks if everything goes as planned, a Interests Section will also open up in Morocco as well as a Consulate in Dubai. An embassy in Bahrain has been operating for several weeks already.

Even since the US brokered opening of full diplomatic relations between the two countries, numerous trade agreements and delegations have been exchanged, thousands of Israeli tourists have visited the UAE and direct flights between the two countries has continued.

 

[Husky_Khan]

IT'S OFFICIAL: Greece Signs Deal To Acquire 18 Rafale Fighter Jets From France

At 15:30 local time in Athens, the deal for Greece to acquire 18 French-made Rafale fighter jets was signed.It was announced only days ago that French Defense

greekcitytimes.com

France and Greece finalized a three billion dollar deal where France will deliver six new and twelve used Rafales to Greece. The deal took place on the 200th Anniversary of Greeks War of Independence against Ottoman Turkey. France and Greece are currently aligned in interests against Turkey presently as well and this deal is seen by some as further support of Greece by France in that region.

 

[paulobrito]

Rafale is way superior to anything Turkey has today. The only danger is S-400.

 

[Husky_Khan]

The Biden Administration has decided to suspend the 23 billion dollar F35 sale to the UAE for review al9ng with another arms sale the Trump Administration made with Saudi Arabia. How this could affect normalization efforts with Israel and in regards to containment of Iran remain to be seen.

US suspends $23 billion sale of F-35s to UAE that followed Abraham Accords - The Times of Israel

Washington reviewing foreign arms sales made by Trump administration, including deal reached as part of Israel normalization, as well as accord with Saudi Arabia

www.timesofisrael.com

 

[Abhorsen]

The Biden Administration has decided to suspend the 23 billion dollar F35 sale to the UAE for review al9ng with another arms sale the Trump Administration made with Saudi Arabia. How this could affect normalization efforts with Israel and in regards to containment of Iran remain to be seen.

US suspends $23 billion sale of F-35s to UAE that followed Abraham Accords - The Times of Israel

Washington reviewing foreign arms sales made by Trump administration, including deal reached as part of Israel normalization, as well as accord with Saudi Arabia

www.timesofisrael.com

Probably not a huge amount. Most of the incentive for allying with Israel was Iran getting scary, and wanting Israel as an ally. Honestly, the more Biden empowers Iran, the closer Israel and Saudi Arabia will become. A lot of the credit for Trump's success in the Middle East ironically comes from Obama letting Iran run free.

 

[Husky_Khan]

Iraq kills ISIS commander, week after Baghdad suicide blasts

Iraqi security forces have killed a senior commander of the Islamic State group, the prime minister said on Thursday, a week after the rare, twin suicide bombing by IS militants killed dozens in Baghdad.

www.foxnews.com

Another ISIS Commander plinked by Coalition forces, this time the target was Jabbar al-Issawi who was killed by Iraqi Special Counter Terrorist forces in a firefight in Kirkuk. This came soonafter the Islamic State claimed responsibility for twin suicide bombings within Baghdad on January 21st that killed at least 32 people and wounded over a hundred others in a marketplace.

 

[Arch Dornan]

Even when he's losing, Trump is still winning...

Trump receives Morocco's highest award for Middle East work: official

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday received Morocco's highest award for his work in advancing a normalization deal between Israel and Morocco, a senior administration official told Reuters.

www.reuters.com

Donald Trump was awarded Morocco's highest award, one only given to Heads of State, the Order of Muhummand. It was presented by the Moroccan Ambassador to the United States, Princess Lalla Joumala Alaoui on behalf of King Muhammad VI. Jared Kushner and Middle East envoy Avi Berkowitz were also issued lesser awards for their contribution to the diplomatic agreements that helped normalize relations between Israel, Morocco, Bahrain, the UAE and Sudan over the past five months.

At the rate the nobel peace prize is being given out, there's more value in that than the nobel peace prize.

 

[Husky_Khan]

At the rate the nobel peace prize is being given out, there's more value in that than the nobel peace prize.

Speaking of the Nobel Peace Prize, Senior White House Advisor Jared Kushner (and his deputy Avi Berkowitz) have been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for the "Abraham Accords" which helped normalize relations between Israel and Four Arab states (United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco) in the past few months.

Kushner, Berkowitz nominated for Nobel peace prize for Israel deals

(This Feb. 1 story corrects date when the Nobel prize is awarded in 8th paragraph)

www.reuters.com

They were nominated by Alan Dershowitz, the famous Lawyer who was eligible to make a nomination because he's a Law Professor at Harvard University. Chances are it won't go anywhere, much like Trump's previous nominations for the Prize, but it's still a funny.

 

[Husky_Khan]

Israel, Kosovo establish diplomatic relations on Zoom

Israel and Kosovo ae probably the first two countries in the world to establish diplomatic relations in a virtual Zoom ceremony.

www.al-monitor.com

Kosovo and Israel established formal relations on Zoom. Present at the Virtual meeting were several US Envoys as well, directly related to the important role the Trump Administration played in helping normalize relations between the Muslim majority country of Kosovo and Israel. This mutual recognition will include the establishment of a nonresident Israeli Ambassador to Pristina, Kosovo and the establishment of a Kosovo Embassy in Israel.

 

[Husky_Khan]

Biden faces calls to reverse Houthi ‘terrorist’ group designation

US lawmakers slam the Houthi designation as ‘a death sentence’ for Yemenis and urge Joe Biden to overturn it.

www.aljazeera.com

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.

US removes terrorist designation for Houthi rebels in Yemen

The United States will revoke the “terrorist” designation for Houthi rebels in Yemen, the State Department confirmed Friday. The insurgents were branded terrorists by the outgoing Trump…

nypost.com

The State Department has confirmed they are removing the terrorist designation of the Houthi Rebels in Yemen based on "humanitarian consequences" if they did not.

 

[Marduk]

US removes terrorist designation for Houthi rebels in Yemen

The United States will revoke the “terrorist” designation for Houthi rebels in Yemen, the State Department confirmed Friday. The insurgents were branded terrorists by the outgoing Trump…

nypost.com

The State Department has confirmed they are removing the terrorist designation of the Houthi Rebels in Yemen based on "humanitarian consequences" if they did not.

WTF is that even supposed to mean.
"Stupid or shady NGOs weren't allowed to give money to Iranian proxies under guise of bribing them to allow them to run humanitarian mission in the warzone of their creation because that would mean funding terrorists, and we need to change that ASAP for humanitarian reasons"?

 

[Abhorsen]

WTF is that even supposed to mean.
"Stupid or shady NGOs weren't allowed to give money to Iranian proxies under guise of bribing them to allow them to run humanitarian mission in the warzone of their creation because that would mean funding terrorists, and we need to change that ASAP for humanitarian reasons"?

More that while the Houthis are super shady, so is what Saudi Arabia is doing there, including bombing refugee camps. There are estimates that 85,000 people have died because of famine, so the humanitarian need is great, and many of those people are under Houthi control. Meanwhile, I'm not sure the Houthi (although obviously our enemies and Islamists) count as terrorists. They are basically a belligerent in a civil war. I haven't heard of them doing car bombings, suicide bombings, or stuff like that. I'm not saying they don't do war crimes, but I don't see them as terrorists. I could be wrong about that though.

 

[Zachowon]

I saw lets leave the middle east to fend forthemselves

 

[Marduk]

More that while the Houthis are super shady, so is what Saudi Arabia is doing there, including bombing refugee camps. There are estimates that 85,000 people have died because of famine, so the humanitarian need is great, and many of those people are under Houthi control. Meanwhile, I'm not sure the Houthi (although obviously our enemies and Islamists) count as terrorists. They are basically a belligerent in a civil war. I haven't heard of them doing car bombings, suicide bombings, or stuff like that. I'm not saying they don't do war crimes, but I don't see them as terrorists. I could be wrong about that though.

They are non state, non uniformed combatants who don't fight according to laws of war while allied to a hostile power. Not sure about car bombs, but they sure do use IEDs a lot.
They also do other terrorist activities like surprise mortaring civilian airports, a very classic modern terrorist move.

Dozens Killed in Yemen Airport Bombing by Iran-Backed Houthis

The Saudi-led coalition retaliates against Yemen's Houthis with airstrikes after a bomb attack on the airport in Aden.

www.breitbart.com

Being a belligerent in a civil war and controlling lots of territory, including inhabited cities on it, is in no way mutually exclusive with being terrorists, ISIL being the most obvious example of that.

 

[PsihoKekec]

In other words, they are just like the heroic freedom fighters USA supported in Libya and Syria, the only difference being that they fight against USA ally. Realpolitik is realpolitik.

 

[Husky_Khan]

Houthis launched a bomb drone attack on Saudi Arabia's Abha Airport. Despite reportedly shooting down two of the incoming drones, a civilian plane was set ablaze during the attack. There are as of yet no reports of other casualties.

Plane catches fire after Houthis attack Abha airport: Saudi TV

Yemen’s Houthi rebels battling Saudi-led coalition claim responsibility for drone attack on airport in kingdom’s south.

www.aljazeera.com

Houthi forces took credit for the attack as retaliation for the Saudi Involvement in the ongoing Yemen Civil War.

Last Thursday Joe Biden announced the US would be removing US support for the Saudi Offensives operations into Yemen.

 

[Husky_Khan]

White House denies Biden is snubbing Israel’s Netanyahu

PM Benjamin Netanyahu has downplayed the notion he was being slighted by US President Joe Biden.

www.aljazeera.com

Biden hasn't given a call to Israel yet while both Obama and Trump had by this time in the administration. Some are allegedly it's a snub to Netanyahu for his close alignment with Trump policies while the Biden Administration denies it and Netanyahu has at best downplayed such analysis.

Things might be worse with Saudi Arabia where it's stated no call is even planned and intends to make Human Rights a focus of any future US-Saudi relationship.

White House says no call planned to Saudi Arabia

President Joe Biden has announced an end to US support for a Saudi-led coalition’s war in Yemen.

www.aljazeera.com

 

[Abhorsen]

White House denies Biden is snubbing Israel’s Netanyahu

PM Benjamin Netanyahu has downplayed the notion he was being slighted by US President Joe Biden.

www.aljazeera.com

Biden hasn't given a call to Israel yet while both Obama and Trump had by this time in the administration. Some are allegedly it's a snub to Netanyahu for his close alignment with Trump policies while the Biden Administration denies it and Netanyahu has at best downplayed such analysis.

Things might be worse with Saudi Arabia where it's stated no call is even planned and intends to make Human Rights a focus of any future US-Saudi relationship.

White House says no call planned to Saudi Arabia

President Joe Biden has announced an end to US support for a Saudi-led coalition’s war in Yemen.

www.aljazeera.com

I'm very much fine with abandoning Saudi Arabia. They still don't recognize Israel, and they're doing war crimes, and they are historically the reason for much of Islamism. The one reason we were stuck with them was oil, which we don't need anymore (though the pipeline would have been helpful for that).

In contrast, his position on Israel is just bad.