After UAE-Israel breakthrough, Kushner pushes other Arabs to go next

[webfact]

After UAE-Israel breakthrough, Kushner pushes other Arabs to go next

By Lisa Barrington and Dan Williams

 

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner and U.S. National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien pose for a group photo, at Al Dhafra airbase in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates September 1, 2020. REUTERS/Dan Williams

 

AL-DHAFRA AIR BASE, Abu Dhabi (Reuters) - After accompanying an Israeli delegation to the UAE for historic normalisation talks, White House adviser Jared Kushner set off on a tour of other Gulf capitals on Tuesday, looking for more Arab support.

 

Israel and the United Arab Emirates set up a joint committee to cooperate on financial services at the talks in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi. Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, accompanied the Israeli delegation on Monday on what was billed as the first Israeli commercial flight to the influential Gulf monarchy, which agreed in August to normalise relations.

 

Israel exchanged embassies with neighbours Egypt and Jordan under peace deals decades ago. But until now, all other Arab states had demanded it first cede more land to the Palestinians.

 

In remarks reported by the UAE state news agency WAM, Kushner suggested other Arab states could follow quickly. Asked when the next would normalise ties with Israel, he was quoted as saying: “Let’s hope it’s months.”

 

Kushner later flew to Bahrain and then Saudi Arabia and is expected also to visit Qatar.

 

While no other Arab country has yet indicated a willingness to follow the UAE, the richest, Saudi Arabia, allowed the El Al charter flight carrying Kushner and the Israelis to use its air space.

 

In Bahrain, which houses the U.S. naval headquarters for the region, the state news agency reported that during his meeting with Kushner, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa had praised the role the UAE has played in defending Arab and Islamic interests.

 

In Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Kushner discussed the need for the Palestinians and the Israelis to resume negotiations and reach a lasting peace, state news agency SPA reported.

 

The UAE, United States and Israel on Monday urged the Palestinians to "re-engage" with the Israelis, according to a joint statement carried by the Emirati state news agency.

 

"DISGRACED FOREVER"

The Palestinians have denounced the UAE agreement with Israel, which they say violates a longstanding pan-Arab position that Israel could normalise relations only in return for land. The UAE says it obtained a major concession from Israel to halt plans to annexe territory on the occupied West Bank.

 

The Gulf Arab states are mainly ruled by Sunni Muslim monarchs who consider their biggest foe to be Shi'ite Iran, and Israel has long held out the promise that their common enemy could bring them together.

 

In a fiery speech on Tuesday, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said: “The Emiratis will be disgraced forever for this treachery against the Islamic world, Arab nations and Palestine.”

 

“The UAE, along with Israelis and evil Americans like the Jewish member of Trump’s family, are working together against the interests of the Islamic world,” Khamenei said, referring to Kushner, who is Jewish.

 

Asked about Khamenei’s remarks, UAE Foreign Ministry official Jamal Al-Musharakh told reporters in Abu Dhabi: “The path to peace and prosperity is not paved with incitement and hate speech.”

 

Israeli officials have played up the economic benefits of the UAE deal. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said representatives of the two countries had signed an agreement on cooperation in financial services.

 

The state-run Abu Dhabi Investment Office and Invest in Israel, part of Israel's economy ministry, issued a joint statement saying they had agreed to set out a plan to establish formal cooperation.

 

The Gulf state's biggest lender First Abu Dhabi Bank later said it would open discussions with Israel lenders Bank Hapoalim and Bank Leumi.

 

Amid the historic normalisation talks, Kushner spent a morning meeting UAE military officials at an Abu Dhabi air base that houses U.S. military F-35 jets, advanced stealth aircraft which the Gulf state has long sought to buy despite Israeli objections.

 

The UAE has said normalisation should remove any hurdle blocking the sale. Netanyahu said on Monday Israel still opposes selling the jets to the UAE.

 

(Additional reporting by Parisa Hafezi, Alexander Cornwell and Maha El Dahan in DUBAI; Writing by Peter Graff; Editing by Giles Elgood and Lisa Shumaker)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-09-02

 

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[Boon Mee]

Kushner is doing a fine job. Definitely deserves the Nobel Peace Prize ???? 

[Morch]

1 hour ago, Boon Mee said:

Kushner is doing a fine job. Definitely deserves the Nobel Peace Prize ???? 

 

He is delivering, if less than originally touted. But Nobel Peace Prize material it still ain't. Besides, that would make his FiL a bit jealous.

[Redline]

They have been communicating through backchannels all along.  Israel is very concerned about the US arms sales to the Saudis.  It is plainly in both best interest to crush their common enemy~Iran.  Promises were likely made that can't be fulfilled.

[Donga]

Better than a kick up the backside, it's at least some progress.

[dexterm]

So a racist supremacist Kushner whose family financially supports illegal "Jewish only" settlements in the occupied West Bank is asking more un-elected authoritarian aristocracies who use torture, murder and imprisonment to crush dissent to support an undemocratic Israel that that has illegally occupied Palestinian land for 53 years under a brutal apartheid, using the same tactics.
Nothing new there then. Birds of a feather.
 
Rather than just cosying up over an arms deal with these dictators it would be nice if Kushner actually asked the currently voiceless citizens of these undemocratic countries what they thought about establishing relations with Israel in return for nothing but a handful of silver and Israeli technology to spy on and suppress any domestic opposition.

 

I just wish the current pathetic Palestinian leadership would simply say. 
Yes here's the permanent peace plan: Israel can keep all the Palestinian land it stole 1947-66, but we draw the line at theft of land since 1967. The formula for permanent peace has been well known for the last 30 years: shared capital in Jerusalem, 67 borders with land swaps, acknowledgement of/compensation for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian refugees.

 

Don't like that Israel? You want to greedily hold onto all the land and have your cake and eat it too.?
OK, how about this then? Share the land in a single state with equal rights for all.

 

When Israel rejects both offers of peace, it is blatantly obvious that it is Israel who has been stalling peace negotiations for the last 30 years.

Edited September 2, 2020 by dexterm

[Pattaya Spotter]

13 hours ago, webfact said:

 

"DISGRACED FOREVER"

The Palestinians have denounced the UAE agreement with Israel

The Palestinians never miss an opportunity...to miss an opportunity. Nothing but 70 years of inept and failed military and political leadership.

Edited September 2, 2020 by Pattaya Spotter

[Pattaya Spotter]

2 hours ago, Redline said:

They have been communicating through backchannels all along.  Israel is very concerned about the US arms sales to the Saudis.  It is plainly in both best interest to crush their common enemy~Iran.  Promises were likely made that can't be fulfilled.

The Israelis could wipe out the entire Saudi airforce in an afternoon...any concerns they have expressed are for public consumption or negotiating leverage with Washington for new arms sales.

[dexterm]

11 minutes ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

The Palestinians never miss an opportunity...to miss an opportunity. 

An old mindless trope that equally applies to Israel.

 

Maybe you have also noticed that after 72 years since the Zionist colonialist project was established, Israelis don't have peace either and yet they hold all the guns and power...strange. They are still looking over their shoulders, and still sending their sons and daughters to 3 years of brutalization and possible death in the IDF.

 

When Israeli parents learn to love their children more than greed for more land, perhaps there will be peace.

 

 

Edited September 2, 2020 by dexterm

[Pattaya Spotter]

1 minute ago, dexterm said:

An old mindless trope.

 

Maybe you have also noticed that after 72 years since the Zionist colonialist project was established, Israelis don't have peace either and yet they hold all the guns and power...strange. They are still looking over their shoulders, and still sending their sons and daughters to 3 years of brutalization and possible death in the IDF.

 

When Israeli parents learn to love their children more than greed for more land, perhaps there will be peace.

 

 

"Mindless trope,"...seems spot on to me.

 

As for Israel, its a modern state with a high tech economy, strong governing institutions, and a flourishing cultural life, which supports the best equipped and trained armed forces in the Middle East. While the Palestinians are living in bombed-out huts and scrub farms in the West Bank and abject filth and squalor in Gaza. As the past decade has shown, even the Arabs barely give lip service to the Palestinian cause anymore and the security of the Jewish state no longer relies on the cooperation of the Palestinians or their corrupt leadership.

[Morch]

 

@dexterm

 

Yet another lengthy rant with the same cliches, slogans and black/white world view. Same old.

 

Other than in your posts, Israel is still a democratic country. By no means perfect, but democracy is a matter of degree, whether you like it or not. Similarly, it would be nice if once in a while you'd bother to acknowledge that most of the scorn your pour on regional governments fully applies to both Palestinian leaderships - both un-elected by now, both suppressing their own people and various forms of dissent. Don't see you going on about "voiceless citizens" in this context. Why?

 

I'm don't fully get if the nonsense premise pushed is that peace between Israel and other countries in the region is "acceptable" only after said countries embrace democracy and attain a democratic level on par with Western countries.

 

Other than the second half of your post having little to do with reality, what would the Palestinians gain if the last bit comes about? So, great, it will be "blatantly obvious" this or that, but what about the people? The Palestinians, that is. I get it such an outcome would be great for "activists" who could then go on and on posting tirades and rants, but that's not much of a goal.

[Morch]

21 minutes ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

The Israelis could wipe out the entire Saudi airforce in an afternoon...any concerns they have expressed are for public consumption or negotiating leverage with Washington for new arms sales.

 

Could have, once. Probably much harder today. Them Patriots are a PITA for incoming. I do agree some of the talk is for leverage, but not all. Not when it comes to the good stuff, at least.

[dexterm]

2 minutes ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

"Mindless trope,"...seems spot on to me.

 

As for Israel, its a modern state with a high tech economy, strong governing institutions, and a flourishing cultural life, which supports the best equipped and trained armed forces in the Middle East. While the Palestinians are living in bombed-out huts and scrub farms in the West Bank and abject filth and squalor in Gaza. As the past decade has shown, even the Arabs barely give lip service to the Palestinian cause anymore and the security of the Jewish state no longer relies on the cooperation of the Palestinians or their corrupt leadership.

Just because the bully seems pat present to have all the power, don't make it right.

Either you are trolling (probably) or you disingenuously know full well who created the atrocious living conditions Palestinians are forced to live under.

 

All the majority indigenous Palestinian need do is stay put, keep making babies and resist the illegal occupation of the minority Israeli Jewish population. No colonial invader has ever been able to suppress the native majority population forever.

[Morch]

18 minutes ago, dexterm said:

An old mindless trope that equally applies to Israel.

 

Maybe you have also noticed that after 72 years since the Zionist colonialist project was established, Israelis don't have peace either and yet they hold all the guns and power...strange. They are still looking over their shoulders, and still sending their sons and daughters to 3 years of brutalization and possible death in the IDF.

 

When Israeli parents learn to love their children more than greed for more land, perhaps there will be peace.

 

 

 

I don't know that you're one to lecture others about tropes, both your posts (and numerous past ones) are full of these.

 

Israelis are not "looking over their shoulders". Unless you missed it, or ignored it, the Palestinian issue was not even a major thing in the recent elections. There wasn't even much enthusiasm for the annexation bit.

 

It's fine saying Israelis don't have peace either. The difference is that on the Israeli side, things are at the very least, bearable. On the Palestinian side, less so.

[Pattaya Spotter]

3 minutes ago, Morch said:

 

Could have, once. Probably much harder today. Them Patriots are a PITA for incoming. I do agree some of the talk is for leverage, but not all. Not when it comes to the good stuff, at least.

Yeah...because they worked so well stopping that incoming that destroyed large parts of SA's biggest oil refinery complex recently. Like I said before, you can buy the best most sophisticated weaponry in the world but if don't know how to use it or your personnel are incompetent it's pretty much useless.

[Morch]

14 minutes ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

"Mindless trope,"...seems spot on to me.

 

As for Israel, its a modern state with a high tech economy, strong governing institutions, and a flourishing cultural life, which supports the best equipped and trained armed forces in the Middle East. While the Palestinians are living in bombed-out huts and scrub farms in the West Bank and abject filth and squalor in Gaza. As the past decade has shown, even the Arabs barely give lip service to the Palestinian cause anymore and the security of the Jewish state no longer relies on the cooperation of the Palestinians or their corrupt leadership.

 

"...the security of the Jewish state no longer relies on the cooperation of the Palestinians or their corrupt leadership."

 

The security cooperation between Israel and the Palestinian Authorities is instrumental in keeping down terrorist actions and civil unrest. That's been repeatedly acknowledged by various Israeli military officers and security chiefs. Israel could manage without it, but with lesser success and much more trouble.

[Pattaya Spotter]

7 minutes ago, dexterm said:

Just because the bully seems pat present to have all the power, don't make it right.

Either you are trolling (probably) or you disingenuously know full well who created the atrocious living conditions Palestinians are forced to live under.

 

All the majority indigenous Palestinian need do is stay put, keep making babies and resist the illegal occupation of the minority Israeli Jewish population. No colonial invader has ever been able to suppress the native majority population forever.

We did pretty well with our Indians.

[Morch]

6 minutes ago, dexterm said:

Just because the bully seems pat present to have all the power, don't make it right.

Either you are trolling (probably) or you disingenuously know full well who created the atrocious living conditions Palestinians are forced to live under.

 

All the majority indigenous Palestinian need do is stay put, keep making babies and resist the illegal occupation of the minority Israeli Jewish population. No colonial invader has ever been able to suppress the native majority population forever.

 

Other than in your posts, Israel is not universally seen as "colonial". And again, you do not offer anything that addresses the Palestinian issues in any reasonable time frame. Saying decades from now things may be this or that is not an answer.

[dexterm]

10 minutes ago, Morch said:

 

@dexterm

 

Yet another lengthy rant with the same cliches, slogans and black/white world view. Same old.

 

Other than in your posts, Israel is still a democratic country. By no means perfect, but democracy is a matter of degree, whether you like it or not. Similarly, it would be nice if once in a while you'd bother to acknowledge that most of the scorn your pour on regional governments fully applies to both Palestinian leaderships - both un-elected by now, both suppressing their own people and various forms of dissent. Don't see you going on about "voiceless citizens" in this context. Why?

 

I'm don't fully get if the nonsense premise pushed is that peace between Israel and other countries in the region is "acceptable" only after said countries embrace democracy and attain a democratic level on par with Western countries.

 

Other than the second half of your post having little to do with reality, what would the Palestinians gain if the last bit comes about? So, great, it will be "blatantly obvious" this or that, but what about the people? The Palestinians, that is. I get it such an outcome would be great for "activists" who could then go on and on posting tirades and rants, but that's not much of a goal.

Same old cliched slogan from you. Israel is "by no means a perfect" democracy. And with that broad brush stroke you sweep under the carpet all the injustice. So if Israeli democracy is so imperfect, why don't you do something about improving it, rather than constantly defending it.

 

Same old deflections. When you can't address my points about Kushner doing business with unelected dictators in the OP you attack Palestinians. Do try to stay on topic.

[Morch]

3 minutes ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

Yeah...because they worked so well stopping that incoming that destroyed large parts of SA's biggest oil refinery complex recently. Like I said before, you can buy the best most sophisticated weaponry in the world but if don't know how to use it or your personnel are incompetent it's pretty much useless.

 

Ah, because it's same same for you. But you see, attacking military facilities, especially airfields, is kinda different than attacking oil/industrial facilities. Plus, that element of surprise is out the window after the attack mentioned.

 

[dexterm]

1 minute ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

We did pretty well with our Indians.

Your ancestors were the majority, same as most European colonialism worldwide.

Jews are a minority overwhelmingly European immigrant population in Palestine trying to do what your forefathers did. They left their colonial run about 100 years too late to get away with it. 

[Pattaya Spotter]

2 minutes ago, Morch said:

 

"...the security of the Jewish state no longer relies on the cooperation of the Palestinians or their corrupt leadership."

 

The security cooperation between Israel and the Palestinian Authorities is instrumental in keeping down terrorist actions and civil unrest. That's been repeatedly acknowledged by various Israeli military officers and security chiefs. Israel could manage without it, but with lesser success and much more trouble.

In the past this cooperation (selling out if you will) was important for Israel's security. However, with advances in technology and surveillance (facial recognition, tracking, and communications monitoring), along with armed and unarmed drones and other sophisticated hardware, securing the border from incursions and the country from terrorist attacks from air, land, and sea isn't much of a problem.

[Pattaya Spotter]

4 minutes ago, Morch said:

 

Ah, because it's same same for you. But you see, attacking military facilities, especially airfields, is kinda different than attacking oil/industrial facilities. Plus, that element of surprise is out the window after the attack mentioned.

 

Not in the case of SA because the oil infrastructure is the economy and thus [supposedly] well guarded. But guaranteed the Saudis will be asleep at the wheel during the next attack as well.

 

Edited September 2, 2020 by Pattaya Spotter

[Morch]

2 minutes ago, dexterm said:

Same old cliched slogan from you. Israel is "by no means a perfect" democracy. And with that broad brush stroke you sweep under the carpet all the injustice. So if Israeli democracy is so imperfect, why don't you do something about improving it, rather than constantly defending it.

 

Same old deflections. When you can't address my points about Kushner doing business with unelected dictators in the OP you attack Palestinians. Do try to stay on topic.

 

No, I did not deny "all injustice", that's something you dreamed up. I merely countered a statement in your own post. A country can be democratic and still cause injustice, there's no contradiction. Your nonsense charging me with fixing Israel's democracy just goes to show you have nothing of substance to add. Again, pointing out that you comments are incorrect and over the top is not an all out "defense".

 

I have addressed your points, such as they are, numerous times. There are hardly any proper democratically elected governments and leaders in the Arab world. Not sure if your "reasoning" is that until such a time, no peace agreements should be attempted. As you yourself go on and on about the Palestinians, and about oppressive leaderships, how is pointing out that the Palestinian leaderships themselves are oppressive "off topic"?

[Pattaya Spotter]

51 minutes ago, dexterm said:

So a racist supremacist Kushner whose family financially supports illegal "Jewish only" settlements in the occupied West Bank is asking more un-elected authoritarian aristocracies who use torture, murder and imprisonment to crush dissent to support an undemocratic Israel that that has illegally occupied Palestinian land for 53 years under a brutal apartheid, using the same tactics.
Nothing new there then. Birds of a feather.
 
Rather than just cosying up over an arms deal with these dictators it would be nice if Kushner actually asked the currently voiceless citizens of these undemocratic countries what they thought about establishing relations with Israel in return for nothing but a handful of silver and Israeli technology to spy on and suppress any domestic opposition.

 

I just wish the current pathetic Palestinian leadership would simply say. 
Yes here's the permanent peace plan: Israel can keep all the Palestinian land it stole 1947-66, but we draw the line at theft of land since 1967. The formula for permanent peace has been well known for the last 30 years: shared capital in Jerusalem, 67 borders with land swaps, acknowledgement of/compensation for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian refugees.

 

Don't like that Israel? You want to greedily hold onto all the land and have your cake and eat it too.?
OK, how about this then? Share the land in a single state with equal rights for all.

 

When Israel rejects both offers of peace, it is blatantly obvious that it is Israel who has been stalling peace negotiations for the last 30 years.

Too bad all that claptrap hasn't put a single meal in the belly of a hungry Palestinian child...but the leadership is a corpulent group aren't they.

Edited September 2, 2020 by Pattaya Spotter

[Morch]

5 minutes ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

In the past this cooperation (selling out if you will) was important for Israel's security. However, with advances in technology and surveillance (facial recognition, tracking, and communications monitoring), along with armed and unarmed drones and other sophisticated hardware, securing the border from incursions and the country from terrorist attacks from air, land, and sea isn't much of a problem.

 

I'm not familiar with a professional Israeli security assessment which says losing or ditching the security cooperation with the Palestinian is advisable or "isn't much of a problem". Reluctant to take your word for it.

[Morch]

5 minutes ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

Not in the case of SA because the oil infrastructure is the economy and thus [supposedly] well guarded. But guaranteed the Saudis will be asleep at the wheel during the next attack as well.

 

 

No. Oil/industrial facilities are by nature more vulnerable to attack. Saudi airfields aren't bad when it comes to hardiness, positioning and the like. I don't think that your "guaranteed" is based on anything factual.

[Pattaya Spotter]

1 minute ago, Morch said:

 

No. Oil/industrial facilities are by nature more vulnerable to attack. Saudi airfields aren't bad when it comes to hardiness, positioning and the like. I don't think that your "guaranteed" is based on anything factual.

Yes...that's why they are well guarded...and still the Iranians were able to penetrate said defenses and cause major damage. And this was during a period of heightened tensions in the Gulf, when one would expect the Saudis to have been on high alert.

[dexterm]

32 minutes ago, Morch said:

 

Other than in your posts, Israel is not universally seen as "colonial". And again, you do not offer anything that addresses the Palestinian issues in any reasonable time frame. Saying decades from now things may be this or that is not an answer.

>>Israel is not universally seen as "colonial". ROFL

Says who? You? And how many other Zionist apologists? What a joke.

So how come 36 out of the 37 signatories to Israel's Declaration of Independence were not born in Palestine?

 

Zionism was founded to establish an exclusively  racist supremacist "Jewish State" in Palestine. But unfortunately there was already a majority non Jewish population living there, and there still is. Israel has to accommodate that fact ..doesn't matter many Gulf State Judases stab the Palestinians in the back.  

 

"reasonable time frame"  LOL Israel could have peace tomorrow if they accepted the "universally" agreed formula land for peace that's been on the table for decades.

 

The UAE dictators have sold out the Palestinians and got nothing in return other than arrangements to prop up their corrupt regimes. 

 

Edited September 2, 2020 by dexterm

[4reaL]

1 hour ago, dexterm said:

 un-elected authoritarian aristocracies who use torture, murder and imprisonment to crush dissent

 

Not sure if you're allowed to write about TH like that?

 

But cool story Bro........