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.
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