Why the US-Israel Alliance Will Soon Be a Trouble for Both

Matthew JAMISON

The recent shredding of over 70 years of American foreign policy with regards to the location of the US Embassy in the State of Israel has been a major catastrophic inflection point in the tortured history of the State of Israel, the Arab-Israeli conflict and the American/Israel uber-special Alliance. It has also been a crystallization moment for many such as myself who once were unwavering and unquestioning supporters of Israel and defenders of Israel in an overwhelmingly hostile anti-Israel environment in the UK and Europe. I was always pro-Israel alongside being pro-Palestinian State and believed strongly in Israel’s right to exist and the creation of a State of Palestine living side by side a State of Israel. I believed passionately in the policies and leadership of the likes of Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin – the Oslo peace process – along with the heirs to such traditions in the form of Ehud Barack, the peace-loving and reasonable Israelis who sought to find a way out of the quasi-Nazi/Zionist situation they had created in Palestine and inflicted upon the Palestinian people in the immediate aftermath of World War II with the establishment of a 'Jewish State' and 'Jewish Homeland' for the Jewish people.

However it all changed on May 14, 2018. It was a monumental mistake of epic proportions for the Israelis and Americans to engage in such a grotesque and deranged policy action and the most offensive and vulgar display with the opening of the American Embassy in Jerusalem by Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, Steven Mnuchin and David Friedman alongside Benjamin Netanyhau and Avigdor Lieberman. The United States is in the midst of a collective nervous breakdown. That has always been the case for Israel from the get-go of its founding. America has always had a very hyped up, neurotic, loud and brash side to it. That can be sometimes tolerated and excused in a social context.

However politically with the arrival of the Trump Government this extreme irrational vulgarity and stupidity has spread like a virus throughout the USA and engulfed it in the most base and worst aspect of the American character. There is an argument that can be mounted now that under the Trump freak circus that laughably passes for a Government the United States day by day is becoming the United States of American Psychos devoid of any sensible, rational, dignified and responsible policy thinking, planning and implementation.

Sadly upon reflection the same has always been the truth regarding the State of Israel. Perhaps one could say now we are witnessing the apex of the United States of American Israelis Psychos defined in the extreme by a pathological neurosis of the lowest order. It was not only morally disgusting what went on in Jerusalem on May 14 2018 – with the Ivanka/Jared cheap freak circus 'party' inside the tacky, disgraceful and shameless US-Jerusalem Embassy while over 50 Palestinians in the open air concentration camp of Gaza were mercilessly slaughtered by the thugs of the IDF – it made no rational geostrategic political sense for American national interests and standing in the Middle East and wider region.

That combined with the again disgraceful, pathetic and irrational decision to withdraw from the Iranian nuclear agreement leads one to believe either Trump and his daughter and son-in- law along with his official Middle East advisors have either gone completely bonkers or they enjoy officially telegramming to the world what has long been speculated, that Israelis security/political/economic/financial National Interests are in fact American security/political/economic/financial National Interests.

It is combination of both. Very interestingly it is the Israeli State and Israeli Government that is actually in full command of all the levers of American power. It is the Israeli dog that wags the American tail. It is high time now for some fundamental truths and hard realities to be spoken. Washington DC takes its orders from Tel Aviv/Jerusalem. Everything from American defence policy to broader foreign policy, to economics/business/finance, to cultural, social and entertainment policy, from American soft power to hard power is dictated by the quasi-Nazi State of Israel. There is no Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process and there has not been one for 18 years. There will never be the conditions for a State of Israel to live in peace and harmony side by side a State of Palestine because the dominant forces in charge in Israel and its American puppet simply do not want it.

However, in their greatest moment of triumph the Israelis have actually revealed their undoing. Hubris is pride before a fall and the Israelis are the best in the world at hubris. Dr. Henry Kissinger, a supremely eminently wise strategic foreign policy titan and one of the greatest of all American Secretaries of State and National Security Advisors has given the most fascinating prediction that the State of Israel will be finished in its current incarnation by 2022 either through an internal reconfiguration or an external cataclysmic event. For Israel the writing really is on the wall. The combined coalition of Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and perhaps Jordan and Egypt will either finish Israel off through a military campaign that will make every intifada and the Yom Kippur War look like a walk in the park or a bi-national State of Israel/Palestine will over time completely reconfigure the demographics of the Jewish State and Jewish Homeland. If a full scale war against Israel does break out with invasions and campaigns from its Arab neighbours and their proxies in the north, south, east and west this will not only engulf Jerusalem it will suck the entire life blood out of the Trump administration just as the Nixon administration was consumed with one matter and one matter only during the autumn of 1973 – ensuring the survival of the State of Israel.

All Trump/Ivanka/Jared/Navarro policy focus, energy and making will be totally consumed by an all out to the death war between Israel and its Arab neighbours and their affiliates. Nothing will get done in Washington DC apart from a full-scale operation in the White House and throughout the entire American Government to ensure the survival of the Israelis and Jerusalem.  All great powers, superpowers and empires die. Some, very few, in fact perhaps only one all-encompassing civilisation in the totality of human history has demonstrated time and again an ability to rise, fall, rise, fall and continue a process of constant rebirth of great continuous effort. Normally Empires and Superpowers enter their end period  during a moment of seemingly but ultimately illusionary maximum success, what historians have called imperial over-reach followed by imperial decline, decay, collapse and ultimate death such as was the case with the British Empire.

For the United States and Israel this moment was reached long ago. The days when America/Israel could rule the world are long gone. America is not now even perhaps 3rd in the top tier of 21st century Great Global Superpowers. The third place could be the USA or it might be the EU. One thing is for sure if the USA wants to occupy the 3rd place within the ranks of the 21st century Great Global Powers it will have to give up and jettison its addiction to Israel. As for Israel it is finished one way or the other.

Matthew JAMISON

Matthew Jamison is a Senior Parliamentary Researcher at the House of Commons. He holds two degrees from Cambridge University

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Israel

Robert Carter: Jerusalem Embassy Move Beginning for Collapse of US Hegemony over Middle East

TEHRAN (FNA)- British journalist Robert Carter believes that the relocation of the US embassy to Jerusalem al-Quds and the clear American favoritism towards Israel has established the collapse of US hegemony over the Middle East.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with FNA, journalist and political analyst Robert Carter said that the evident favoritism towards Israel practiced by American administration under Donald Trump will cause the US to “lose its ability to easily manipulate and convince Muslim powers to follow American strategies going forward” and consequently will result in the downfall of US hegemony over the Middle East.

Commenting on the Saudi policy towards Israeli-Palestinian conflict and their secret relations with the Zionist regime, Robert Carter added that the Saudis are eager to expand ties with Israel for a number of reasons, one of which he believes is the joint hatred toward Iran.

Robert Carter, also known by his Muslim name Muhammad Ali Carter, is a journalist, social activist and political analyst whose preferred areas of expertise are UK news, Middle Eastern politics and global Muslim affairs. Carter has travelled around the Middle East working with many journalists, charities and activists from that region. After visiting and speaking to many different people from conflict zones and impoverished Arab countries, Mr. Carter has sought to seek out and explain the true stories from the ground; while tackling the customary mainstream media’s misconceptions of a heavily misunderstood region.

FNA has conducted an interview with Robert Carter about Trump’s relocation of the US embassy to Jerusalem Al-Quds and possible motives behind the move and also the recent killings of Palestinian protesters by Israeli army.

Below you will find the full text of the interview.

Q: Delivering on his campaign promise and in defiance of all global warnings, Donald Trump moved the US embassy to Jerusalem al-Quds. Many believe that this move by Trump has effectively killed fantasies that Washington is a neutral party in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. How do you think that would play in the current and future developments surrounding the issue?

A: Without a doubt, the embassy move has established the collapse of US hegemony over the Middle East. In a highly symbolic gesture, the embassy move and all the pro-Israel rhetoric that came with it has forced even traditional US allies including Mahmoud Abbas into boycotting American leadership as a mediator in the conflict, preferring EU mediation instead.

Although it’s true that the US has always been highly supportive of Israel and have failed to honor, or force Israel to honor, any of their major promises given to the Palestinians, the White House always defended the idea that they remain a peaceful moderator. Now, under Trump, the US can’t even be bothered to pretend care for Palestine.

This will work against the US going forward because although the Palestinian issue may not be important for the US, it still remains a hugely important issue for millions of Arabs and Muslims around the world. By abandoning the Palestinian issue in favor of complete favoritism with Israel, the US will likely lose its ability to easily manipulate and convince Muslim powers to follow American strategies going forward. The Muslim world will turn to new up and coming powers.

Q: Since the beginning of the protests dubbed the “Great Return March”, Israeli forces have killed and wounded many Palestinian civilians, including the protesters, members of the press and medical workers. The regime in Tel Aviv seems to be feeling an atmosphere of impunity where it can act beyond all international laws and conventions. Where do you think this feeling of immunity comes from?

A: The images and footage coming out of Gaza over the past few weeks have been grotesque, to say the least. Palestinians dying by the barrel load each week in the most horrific circumstances. A nurse, journalists, unarmed protestors, men and women, no one is safe from the Israeli sniper's telescopic lens.

What makes this even more disgusting is the fact that Israeli officials have come out and defended their actions, using the generic cliché claims that all the dead Palestinians shot down in cold blood were terrorists. An Israeli army spokesperson said that its forces had fired only at specific people who were deemed to be “violent instigators” in the demonstrations. 

“The use of snipers was against specific people who were specific perpetrators of violence.”

How on earth could anyone with an ounce of sense or a moral compass say that Razan Al-Najar, the Palestinian nurse dressed from head-to-toe in clearly marked medical uniform, be considered a “violent instigator”. She was risking her life to save injured civilian protestors, and that is what she ended up giving her life.

The lack of international action is equally appalling. Yes, there is some condemnation of Israel’s crimes but without a harsh tangible response to the killings, why should Israel stop the genocide or illegal occupation or the siege of Gaza or the illegal settlement building? Who’s going to stop them? Not the US or the UN or NATO – and so the crimes continue. Until Israel is forced to answer for crimes against the Arabs they will keep testing the limits of how far they can go until no more Palestinians remain.

This feeling of immense immunity felt by Israel comes from the fact that their Prime Ministers can allow the killing of Palestinians in the morning, tour Europe in the afternoon and be welcomed as a state honored guest by the White House by the evening.

Q: The US Ambassador to the UN said “no country would act with greater restraint than Israel” as the world was witnessing the rise in the toll of Palestinian civilians killed and wounded by Israeli live fire. How do you evaluate her remarks?

A: Nikki Haley is, by far, one of the worst and most reckless diplomats I have ever seen. She is openly biased, lacks both experience and credibility, with a clear ambition to upset all of America’s relationships just to please one nation – Israel.

Nikki Haley has proven repeatedly that she is an embarrassment on the world stage, and the fact that she seems completely oblivious to her repeated acts of appalling stupidity is only further evidence of it. I can only assume that the sky is green and the grass is blue on Nikki Haley’s planet because she lacks any grasp of reality. She consistently defends the Israelis even when the UN admits they are in the wrong and never, under any circumstances, defends or compromises with the Palestinians.

Haley wants the Palestinians to “negotiate and compromise” but expects them to do so while Trump recognizes Israel’s capital claim to Jerusalem al-Quds, Israel continues to steal Palestinian land with further settlement building and innocent protestors continue to be gunned down indiscriminately by Israeli soldiers. How can Palestinians accept this? Would the Americans accept under the same conditions as Palestinians see themselves? No, of course not, no proud country or people would accept this.

Again, we know the US has always been biased in support of Israel as part of their foreign policy but her job as a diplomat is to be D-I-P-L-O-M-A-T-I-C. Yet she fails to even understand that very obvious concept.

Trump’s administration will always be remembered for its incompetence and a large number of sackings but the one person who should have been fired very early on for incompetence is the one person who will likely survive the entirety of Trump’s term as president.

Q: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman has recently said that Israelis “have the right to have their own land” and that formal relations between Tel Aviv and Riyadh could be mutually beneficial. The Saudi regime once, at least apparently, opposed Israel’s right to exist. What do you think has changed in Riyadh to now come out as an apologist for the Zionist regime and betray the Palestinian cause? How do you think other fellow Arab and Muslim nations would think of the Kingdom?

A: The answer to this question is simple, money. Saudi Arabia’s royals, for all their faults, are good businessmen. They have invested heavily in Western markets and have made a huge profit from their sales of oil. Why should the rich fat cats that run a profitable racket of a nation give any time of their day to the Palestinians?

It is far easier to throw a few symbolic fistfuls of spare change into UN programs and ignore the greater regional issue than to actually make a legitimate stand in support of Palestine. The Islamic Republic of Iran has stood by Palestine since the success of the revolution in 1979, even dedicating the last Friday of every Ramadan – known as International Quds Day - towards the cause. The Iranians have invested millions over the years to support the Palestinian resistance while being handicapped by sanctions. Despite the pressure and great difficulty of standing by such a cause, the Islamic Republic has never compromised on the policy of defending Palestine, criticizing Israel and demanding a free nation of Palestine.

The Saudis have no excuse to abandon this cause and now seem to be trying to create an environment in which they no longer have to tip-toe around the issue or pretend otherwise. Saudi’s image among the Muslim world has already been deeply damaged by support for radical terror groups such as Al-Qaeda and its unwavering support for the most radical interpretation of Islam – known as Wahhabism.

The spread of Wahhabism across the Muslim world is seen by the Muslim community as being one of the greatest problems the world faces. Wahhabism has been labeled one of the main causes for multiple wars, division of diverse multi-cultural societies, and fed sectarianism which allows the West amply opportunities to exploit Muslim countries but Saudi Arabia remains one of the wealthiest countries in the Middle East and as a result has plenty of buying power to buy itself supporters including among other Muslim states.

They have blackmailed and bullied the UN on Yemen and have even threatened an economic response against the US should the blame for 9/11 be placed legitimately on their shoulders. Many other geopolitical issues also fall into the answer of the reasons explaining why Saudi would be so eager to close ranks with Israel - a joint hatred of Iran is one – but the bottom line is money and greed keeps the Saudis uninterested in real humanitarian issues such as Israel’s crimes against Palestinians.

After Its Failure in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, Saudi Arabia Is Looking For a “Victory” in Palestine

BY ELIJAH J. MAGNIER

Saudi Arabia is looking for a “victory” following many and repeated defeats of its foreign policy in the Middle East. In Syria, the oil-rich monarchy, despite tens of billions of dollars spent, failed to change the Syrian regime. Instead it released jihadists from jail and facilitated their travel to the Levant to turn Syria into a “failed state” which would have been incapable of standing against the expansion of Wahhabism and Israel. In Yemen, more than 40,000 people were killed by Saudi-UAE indiscriminate bombing and attacks against the poorest Muslim country in the Middle East. As a result, 22 million people, according to the United Nations World Food Programme, are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. In Iraq, perhaps the biggest Saudi disappointment, the central government in Baghdad managed to avoid the partition of Mesopotamia. And in Lebanon, Saudi allies failed to secure the strongest coalition in the parliamentary election, where Iran’s allies succeeded. There is only one remaining dossier the Saudis can push forward: it’s Palestine’s turn.

The Israeli media Maariv reported a secret meeting between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman and Israel Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu at the Jordanian Royal Palace in Amman last week. The news was leaked to the newspapers, a typical Israeli style to avoid direct responsibility. Clearly, Israel is trying to benefit from Donald Trump’s continuing presidency to gather as many concessions as possible- concessions which no US President ever gave before. But Trump started off by launching threats against Arab leaders, and specifically towards the oil-rich monarchies, alleging they were in power only thanks to the protection his army was offering, and that if they wished to remain so... The threat was and is clear.

Trump then went further, imposing heavy bills on Saudi Arabia under the title of “commercial deals”. He also took advantage of the Arab submission and acceptance of this one-sided relationship by pulling the young Saudi Crown Prince to his side, forcing the creation of a fast-track relationship between the Saudis and Israel. To protect its kingdom, Saudi Arabia not only sent a delegation to Israel but also closed both eyes to the US recognition of “Jerusalem as Capital of Israel”.

Bahrein, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar have already established overt relationships with Tel Aviv. But Saudi Arabia is looked upon as the host of the most sacred Muslim “Black Stone”, the “house of God” in Mecca constructed by Abraham and which tens of millions of Muslims visit yearly. Therefore, the leaked meeting between the future King and the Israeli leader Netanyahu has its significance. It is the beginning of integration and the more official recognition of Israel by the Saudis. This is, no doubt, part of what Trump and Israel are preparing, to which they have given the title “the deal of the century”.

Actually, the US is prepared to unilaterally announce this “deal of the century”. Unilaterally because the main party concerned, the Palestinians, refuses any deal that considers Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, which prevents the right of refugees to return to Palestine, and which divides Gaza from the West Bank. As expected, Trump will ask Saudi Arabia (and the Emirates) to finance his “deal” by offering financial temptation to the Palestinian Authority, otherwise heavier sanctions will be put in place. The US already cut $65 million from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) this year. Israel accuses the UNRWA of contributing to the growth rather than the reduction of the number of Palestinian refugees. This complaint, formulated by Israel, aims to reject even the possibility of the return of all refugees to Palestine.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has boycotted and heavily criticised the US establishment ever since the illegal recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. This is where Saudi Arabia is most needed. Abbas refused to meet with US President Donald Trump’s senior advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt, Trump’s special representative for international negotiations. Abbas is aware that he can’t take any decision which goes beyond his personal authority, no matter how great the US or Saudi pressure on his position in Palestine.

Actually, the Gulf’s support for Trump’s decision, in relation to Jerusalem and towards any other political choices which advantage Israel at the expense of Palestinian rights, is contributing further to the isolation of Saudi Arabia from the Arab and Muslim populations (as distinct from the leaders). Israel and the US are bringing Saudi Arabia on board to ensure an official legitimacy to this “deal of the century”. But again, remember that Palestine is on fire since Trump announced Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The Palestinians will continue escalating on the ground, regardless of the loss of life, because they are being asked to abandon their rights. They will never, ever, give up these, whether Saudi Arabia approves all Israel dreams or not.

Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman has the means to put pressure on the Hashemite custodian of Jerusalem holy sites King Abdallah of Jordan by using financial power to offer solutions to Jordan’s economic crisis. But Saudi Arabia can never offer Jerusalem to Trump or indeed to Netanyahu, because al-Aqsa belongs to all believers and not only to the Palestinians.

It seems incredible that Saudi Arabia doesn’t realise that is pushing the Palestinians in the arms of Iran, the only country, along with Syria and its allies in the “Axis of the Resistance”, which refuses the US hegemony regardless of Trump’s menaces. Forcing the hand of the Palestinians will give no positive result, only an escalation of unrest in Palestine and more “legitimate” excuses to Jihadists in the Middle East, assisting them in attracting recruits to fight against those countries which have blindly submitted to the US-Israeli will and have disregarded, at their peril, the will of the people.

 Israeli Saudi Relations

WRITER

ELIJAH J. MAGNIER

Veteran war correspondent Senior Political Risk Analyst with over 35 years’ experience covering Europe, Africa & the Middle East. He blogs at ejmagnier.com.

How Israel helped Latin America’s death squads – part 1

 Asa Winstanley

US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley (C-L) speaks ahead of a voting session to condemn Israeli actions in Gaza, in the United Nations General Assembly on 13 June 2018 in New York, US [Mohammed Elsham/Anadolu Agency]

The US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, announced on Wednesday that the country was pulling out of the UN Human Rights Council. Trump-appointee Haley accused the council of being “a cesspool of political bias” and of having an “unending hostility towards Israel.”

She also slammed the UNHRC for not considering any resolutions against Venezuela, or any other countries that Washington considers to be its official enemies. It comes as no surprise to note that Venezuela and other left-wing Latin American governments have often been critical of Israeli human rights abuses.

This is due to several factors, including the relatively large Palestinian refugee and diaspora population in South America, and the fact that the people of Latin America have often been the victims of US imperialism, as have people across the Arab world. There is, though, another factor, closely related to the latter. Israel has a decades-long history of military, political and intelligence support for the most right-wing, repressive and blood-stained dictatorships in Latin America. Again, it is no surprise to learn that these murderous regimes have operated habitually in close coordination with the US.

This fact adds a bitter irony to Haley’s hypocritical sermonising about the “human rights abusers” whom she accused the UNHRC of protecting. One of the best books dealing with this issue is Alexander and Leslie Cockburn’s 1991 Dangerous Liaison, “The inside story of the US-Israeli covert relationship and the international activities it has served to conceal.”

Israel’s connection to Latin America’s most brutal dictatorships boomed in the 1980s, when the country was ruled by right-wingers like Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon. However, it also thrived under the auspices of supposedly “left wing” Zionist politicians like David Ben-Gurion and Nobel Peace Prize winner Shimon Peres who, as I wrote in my previous MEMO column, justified the arming of a dictatorship in the Dominican Republic by citing blatantly mercenary principles.

The connection, in fact, is even older than the State of Israel itself. Way back in 1939, the Haganah — the pre-state Zionist militia which went on to lead the 1948 ethnic cleansing of Palestine and morph into the Israel Defence Forces — established links with General Anastasio Somoza Garcia, the dictator who then ruled Nicaragua. Garcia’s son, Anastasio Somoza Debayle, would later also rule the country with an iron fist. Somoza Senior was a man so cruel that US President Franklin Roosevelt is reputed to have said of him that he “may be a son of bitch, but he’s our son of a bitch.”

This leader of the Nicaraguan torture regime helped to smuggle weapons to the illegal Zionist militias during the British Mandate occupation of Palestine. He also helped Haganah agents by issuing them with passports and helping to smuggle arms during the ethnic cleansing of Palestine and its people in 1948.

Decades later, Somoza Junior’s terrible human rights record proved too embarrassing even for his main backer in the White House. President Jimmy Carter’s administration abandoned him over his regime’s indiscriminate bombing, torture and executions. Israeli companies soon leapt in to fill the vacuum left by Washington. The elder Somoza’s help for the Zionist cause in the 1940s was often cited as justification for this renewed arms supply to the monstrous Nicaraguan government.

After Somoza Junior was overthrown by the left-wing Sandinista revolution in 1979, the US under Ronald Reagan refused to accept the loss of its brutal ally. With the aid of Israel, Reagan attempted to overthrow the Sandinista government.

The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) did this by creating an army recruited mostly from the former torturers and murderers of the Somoza dictatorship’s armed forces. These death squads were dubbed the Contras, named after the contrarrevolución – the counter-revolution — since they were fighting the revolutionary left-wing government.

#UN

In the US, the Contras were propagandised by Reagan as “freedom fighters” against communism, but many didn’t buy it. Congress moved to bar the White House from further arming of the Contras, citing concerns about their record of human rights abuses, including torture, rape and executions.

One of the ways that the CIA got around these restrictions was to employ Israel’s assistance as a “cut-out” to help it aid the Contras illegally. The Israelis did this using various means, one of the more ironic of which was to ship former PLO weapons to the Contras.

In 1982, Israel had invaded Lebanon in order to crush the Palestine Liberation Organisation, the political and military leadership body of the Palestinian people. The PLO’s armed wing put up staunch resistance, and Israeli progress into the Lebanese capital Beirut was slow. Eventually, however, the US brokered a PLO exit from the country. The result was the infamous massacre of 3,000 defenceless Palestinian refugees in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in Beirut’s southern suburbs, executed in cold blood by Christian militias allied to, and assisted by, Israel.

Should Kim Jong-un Trust Trump?

TEHRAN (FNA)- North Korea's Kim Jong-un must have watched closely how Trump dismantled the Iran nuclear deal, and now the question is if that experience has left any impact on the Korean leader's mindset on a deal with the United States.

Denuclearisation is an essential requirement for global peace and security, but it doesn't seem likely to happen any time soon.

Global efforts, including international treaties such as the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), have failed not only to lead to a drastic reduction in the number of nuclear weapons but also to stop proliferation.

The recent statements and actions of US President Donald Trump have contributed to this reality.

In his first official phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump called the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) signed less than a decade ago a "bad deal", provoking speculation on whether he intended to cancel it.  Then, in February this year, his administration announced that it was going to allocate $11bln in the 2019 budget to modernise the US nuclear arsenal.

In May, after months of threats and hostility, Trump decided to pull out of the JCPOA - Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action - a non-proliferation agreement concluded with Iran, despite the protests of his European allies.

Despite his questionable commitment to non-proliferation, in June, the US president embarked on a long process to negotiate the denuclearisation of North Korea. He met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore and, of course, did not hesitate to make grand declarations and take credit for an historic "breakthrough".

But does he really think that North Korea did not watch closely what happened with Iran? And does he expect Pyongyang to actually trust him, given the track record of his and previous US administrations?  

Washington's double standards

A glance at so-called denuclearisation efforts reveals that the US has long been exercising double standards when dealing with different states. Otherwise, why would Washington not ask Israel to open its clandestine nuclear weapons programme to international monitoring and inspection?

Israel is not even a signatory to the NPT or any other international agreement or pact that brings its nuclear undertakings under scrutiny. It has always been at war with its neighbours and has been massacring Palestinians for seven decades now. It is currently believed to be in possession of several hundred nuclear warheads.

Iran, on the other hand, has not attacked another country in its recent history and has been under a record number of inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

While the US has shown an encouraging silence on Israel's military nuclear capability that has, one way or another, persuaded the country to continue developing its atomic arsenal, it has put intensifying pressures on Tehran over alleged nuclear proliferation plans.

When Iran finally negotiated a deal to lift some of the pressure, the US found it hard to keep to its commitments. Despite claims that Trump's predecessor, President Barack Obama, was seeking a win-win deal for all parties involved, Washington started violating the agreement right from the start.

First, in December 2015, just months after the signing of the JCPOA, Obama started implementing a law which prevented foreign citizens who have been to Iran from entering the US without a visa, which went against the principles of the deal. Then, a year later, Obama allowed the Iran Sanction Act to become a law - again in flagrant violation of the JCPOA's provisions. 

Then Washington's closest ally, the UK, also reneged on its promise and obligation to supply yellowcake to Iran.

That Trump eventually discarded an internationally-endorsed nuclear deal without the other side committing a single violation perhaps should not come as a surprise to us.

After all, Trump is a true manifestation of Washington's maximalist approach to foreign policy - in both relations and deals - which entails receiving all the benefits and granting no concessions.

A brief look at his administration's list of 12 demands from Tehran, issued after withdrawing from the nuclear deal, shows his appetite for catastrophic success in diplomacy.

This has been undoubtedly taken into consideration by the North Koreans.

Why North Korea should distrust the US

Trump's whimsical decision to kill the Iran nuclear deal adds to a long list of cases which show that international respect for non-proliferation as a crucial requirement for the promotion of global peace and stability fails to cross the boundary of words at UN-related summits or scholarly events.

In this sense, it is important to note that North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un is stepping into protracted talks with the US after having witnessed its disloyalty to a hard-negotiated nuclear deal with Iran.

There might have been big words and promises made at the Singapore meeting, but Kim is not naive. Undoubtedly, it is clear to him that the US - like other nuclear powers - pushes for denuclearisation and non-proliferation in order to wear out its perceived adversaries and not because its leadership is truly committed to achieving a nuclear-free world.

In fact, North Korea itself has a long history of being let down by successive US administrations - most recently by the Clinton administration and its six-party talks that amounted to nothing in the end.

By cancelling war games with South Korea, Trump is perhaps hoping that Pyongyang will reciprocate with some major concession. But confidence-building doesn't happen with a single gesture and a Trump-style charm offensive.

US foreign policy is seriously lacking in trustworthiness and credibility on the international scene and Trump is the last person in the world that can fix that.

Kim knows, probably better than anyone else, that once he drops his trump card, he will be left with no other means to prevent the US from pursuing regime change in his country.

The truth is, the White House and the Pentagon have never dropped their commitment to the Paul Wolfowitz Doctrine. Containment followed by bullying and pressure through sanctions, threats and excessive use of force to undermine so-called rogue states and eventually enforce regime change in them has always been the main, or rather, the only agenda of successive US administrations.

Holding a deterrent force is the only means to resist US plots and hostile agendas based on its profound belief in the "rule of the jungle".

And if nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles are your only deterrent, you would be a fool to give it up for a dubious deal, especially if the other side is as untrustworthy as Washington.

And Kim Jong-un probably knows this all too well.

BY: Seyed Mostafa Khoshcheshm

Seyed Mostafa Khoshcheshm is a journalist and analyst

Commemorating the Wahhabi Desecration of Blessed Baqie

Commemorating the Wahhabi Desecration of Blessed Baqie Kayhan Int’l Tomorrow, Friday, the 8th of Shawwal is a day of grief for anyone with a grain of Islamic faith. It is the day on which 94 lunar years ago in 1345 AH (1924), ungodly hordes desecrated and destroyed in holy Medina the Sacred Jannat al-Baqie Cemetery, which Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) used to regularly visit to salute his departed kin and companions. The perpetrator of this unpardonable sin and crime against humanity was the desert brigand Abdul-Aziz Aal-e Saud – a servant of the British Empire – who earlier the same year had shed rivers of Muslim blood, even in sacred precincts, to seize the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, the mostly Shi’a Muslim hill resort of Ta’ef and the Red Sea port of Jeddah.


 For his blasphemy against the sanctities of Islam, Britain rewarded the heretical Wahhabi criminal with a pseudo state called Saudi Arabia in 1932, so that he could sow seeds of discord amongst Muslims in order to pave the way for planting of the illegal Zionist entity in Palestine sixteen years later in 1948. The Wahhabi terrorists – as his minions came to be called for their disobedience of the commandments of God Almighty and destruction of anything or edifice connected to Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) – sacrilegiously razed to the ground the grand mausoleum of Baqie that housed the holy tombs of 4 of the 12 Infallible Imams of the Prophet’s Household. These Godless elements were bent upon demolishing the Prophet’s Mosque and Shrine as well, but were prevented by some crafty crooks among their own ranks who feared the united wrath of the Islamic Ummah in such a case. The Wahhabis thought through such devilish acts they would erase memories from Muslim minds of Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba (AS), Imam Zain al-Abedin (AS), Imam Muhammad al-Baqer (AS) and Imam Ja’far as-Sadeq (AS), little realizing that those chosen and exalted by God are always alive in the hearts of the faithful. Abdul-Aziz in his hatred for Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) did not content himself with the destruction of Jannat al-Baqie, but went on to demolish the tombs of the Martyrs of the decisive Battle of Ohad, including that of the Prophet’s uncle, Hamza (AS).

 He simultaneously ordered his hordes to desecrate and destroy the other sacred cemetery of Islam, that is, Jannat al-Mu’alla in Mecca, where rest in peace the Prophet’s loyal wife, the First Lady of Islam, Omm al-Momineen (Mother of True Believers) Hazrat Khadija (SA), the Prophet’s infant son, Hazrat Qassem (AS), the Prophet’s uncle and guardian, Hazrat Abu Taleb (AS), the Prophet’s grandfather, Hazrat Abdul-Mutalleb (AS) and other members of the monotheistic Bani Hashem clan. May God damn these seditionists who continue to terrorize Muslim lands and shed torrents of blood in the interests of their masters, the Zionists and the neo- Crusaders in London, Washington and Paris, as is evident in Yemen, where people are being slaughtered and the whole country is virtually destroyed! In Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria and Iraq, these unholy cowards trigger bomb blasts in buses, in marketplaces, and in mosques to kill innocent people.

For years, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Muslims around the world have been urging Riyadh to rectify its misconstrued policies and allow Muslims to rebuild the Jannat al-Baqie Cemetery, but to no avail, since the Aal-e Saud, as is evident by their policies worship at the altar of the US and do not even want the Palestinian Muslims to regain their birthrights or liberate the occupied Islamic city of Bayt al-Moqaddas from Zionist control. Nonetheless, the followers of the Ahl al-Bayt are confident that the day will soon dawn when these oppressors and desecrators of holy shrines will vanish like thin air from the Land of Revelation, as was the fate of the Khwarej, of the Omayyads – who had twice stormed the holy K’aba with fire and brimstone – and of the Qarameta (Qarmatians), who had attacked the holy Ka’ba and taken away the Sacred Black Stone, which was returned 27 years later. In the meantime, let us turn towards the direction of Jannat al-Baqie and recite the greeting with which Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) used to salute the grave of this Sacred Cemetery: "Peace be upon you, O Abode of the Faithful! God Willing, we would soon join you. O' Allah, forgive the denizens of al-Baqie".

Let this Eid unite us!

Let this Eid unite us! We all should rise above our difference and stand united. That is the greatest gift which Eid has to offer Javeed Ali All gratitude to Allah Almighty for bestowing on us the blessings of Ramadan. Let’s hope and pray that we continue our good deeds and religious obligations with the same zeal and zest as we performed in the holy month of Ramadan. I am writing this piece with the hope that this message goes to all the Muslim scholars and clerics of the world who have been enjoined a sensitive and responsible job of leading and preaching the Muslim Ummah. I am not a religious scholar or a political activist. You are more aware about the religion and world happenings than me. I am writing this message with an urge to request you to use your deep and profound knowledge for the unity of Muslim Ummah. We are living in times where your mere ‘slip of tongue’ reaches even to the person sitting millions of miles away. So your set of words can make or mar the Muslim Ummah. You have your constituency and share of followers. They listen to your lectures and sermons with the belief that you are guiding them on the right path. So their bright future prospects lies on your guardianship if it is in line with the teachings of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and Holy Qur’an. It’s crystal clear that you have a huge responsibility on your shoulders to take the Muslim Ummah on the path of righteousness and salvation. You should aware the people the importance of unity in Islam and teach lessons of moral ethics. The pulpit should not be used to issue Fatwas (religious decree) of hatred and disbelief against the fellow Muslims. We should firmly believe that unity of Muslim Ummah is for the good of Islam and anyone who works against unity is damaging the principles of Islam. There are hundreds of reasons and traditions which call for unity instead of splitting the Muslim Ummah. Some clerics just for monetary benefits and fame pit people against each other by their hate and provocative speeches. We should not allow these people to sit on the sacred place of Islam which is to give life to humanity instead of death and destruction. Holy Qur’an – the final revelation to mankind – has quite emphatically and unambiguously stressed the importance of unity and peaceful co-existence. “And hold fast by the covenant of Allah all together and be not divided” (Surah Aal-e-Imran, Verse No. 103). When the Holy Qur’an lays such strong emphasis on unity, how can those creating discord and spreading venom claim to be the true followers of Islam! We are trapped in a distressing situation now. Very frequently we see clerics challenging each other for a Munazira (open debate) on trivial issues through social media. Our enemies are making plots against Islam and Islamic traditions and we are wasting time on cursing each other. The fault within us is that we listen more to that cleric who divides us than the one who unites us. Today, the enemies of Islam and humanity are hell-bent on dividing Muslims on sectarian lines. They use social media to spread hate among various sects, which eventually becomes the cause of conflict and estrangement between the various communities. America, Israel, Britain and their allies have made a staggering investment in the sectarianism/takfirism project to divide people and to malign the image of Islam, which is the fastest growing religion in the West. To foil their nefarious designs, it is of utmost importance to forge unity and stand in solidarity with each other. The best moment to get Muslims united is during the time of Islamic events or festivals. For instance, during the time of Hajj pilgrimage as people from all over the world converge at one place. They can converse with each other and can urge their respective leaders to get united under one platform. Likewise, the festival of Eid can also be utilised for the same purpose. Imam Khomeini (R.A.), the leader of the Islamic revolution in Iran, was a strong advocate of Islamic unity and brotherhood. “We Muslims are busy bickering over whether to fold our hands in prayer or not, while the enemy is devising plans to chop them off,” he once said. He always urged Muslims to unite against the enemies of Islam. The week of unity (Hafta-e-Wahdat), which is observed in the month of Rabiul Awwal to mark the birth anniversary of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), was an idea originally proposed by him to bring Muslims closer. Ayatollah Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, has quite admirably followed on the footsteps of his mentor. “Those who provoke Sunni Muslims against the Shias and Shia Muslims against the Sunnis support neither Shia nor the Sunni. They are opposed to Islam and work for the enemies of Islam.” he reiterated it number of times. Ayatollah Sistani has also been a strong votary of Muslim brotherhood. Sunnis, he has repeatedly said, are “not our brothers, but our souls”. Before Christopher Columbus discovered America and Europeans embraced civilization, Muslims had already made huge advances in various fields. The decline started when Muslims became prey to the vicious plots of enemies and got divided into sects and groups. Let’s wish and pray that our religious scholars and clerics will make solemn pledge on this Eid to unite Muslim Ummah and will pray Eid prayers together standing shoulder to shoulder with each school of thought. This noble gesture will bring the happiness of Allah Almighty and Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and will help us to unite the splintered Muslim Ummah. May this Eid bring peace and unity among all of us. Aameen.

US Seeks Gulf Investment in Gaza for Trump’s ‘Deal of the Century’

Donald Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner in Jerusalem, May 2017. (Photo: US Embassy, Wikimedia Commons)

 The United States has reportedly been pushing Gulf states to invest in economic projects for Gaza to be built in Egypt’s northern Sinai, Haaretz reported on Sunday.

Three sources told the Israeli newspaper that the proposed Gulf-funded projects are aimed at generating momentum before the unveiling of a US peace plan.

The idea will be raised during a regional tour this week by White House adviser Jared Kushner and US President Donald Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, according to the report.

The projects reportedly include a port, solar energy grid, and water desalination plant to be set up in northern Sinai near the Egyptian city of al-Arish to serve Gaza.

According to the report,

“The sources said that overall the White House hoped that somewhere between $500 million and $1 billion would be raised.”

The report comes after Palestinian Authority spokesman said US efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are “doomed to fail”.

What’s in Trump’s ‘Deal of the Century’? The Answers Are in Plain Sight https://t.co/gYMbLUO0wy pic.twitter.com/InnqO6QYBB

— Global Research (@CRG_CRM) June 16, 2018

Nabil Abu Rudeina said on Saturday that Kushner and Jason Greenblatt’s tour will produce “no results”.

According to Israeli media, they will speak this week with the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and Israel.

US President Donald Trump has vowed to broker the “deal of the century” to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Palestinian Authority broke off official contact with the Trump administration after the US recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

The current blueprint for the US peace plan foresees a demilitarized Palestinian state with full Israeli control of its borders and airspace.

Illegal Israeli settlements will remain in place in the occupied West Bank, while East Jerusalem has effectively been taken off the negotiating table following Trump’s recognition of the city as Israel’s capital and the subsequent relocation of the US embassy from Tel Aviv.

PA leader Mahmoud Abbas has shunned Trump’s peace efforts as the “slap of the century”.

(Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, PC, Social Media)