Emerging Facts of Khashoggi’s Murder Might Shake Thrones and Roll Heads

By: S. Nawabzadeh

After 18 days of lies and denial of facts, Saudi Arabia has finally – following consultations with the US – sheepishly admitted its killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but as expected made a clumsy attempt to absolve the Heir Apparent of the macabre murder in its Istanbul consulate by laying the blame (for possible execution as scapegoats) on "rogue” interrogators, as immediately trumpeted by Trump, although Turkey, which rejected Riyadh’s multi-million dollar bribe to hush up the matter, has yet to announce details of undiplomatic crime on its soil.

The latest preposterous lie from the regime in Riyadh and its blind endorsement by the US president as "credible” not just exposes Mohamed bin Salman (MBS) as a fiendish maniac willing to commit any imaginable crime, but rips the mask of hypocrisy off the face of Donald Trump, whose greed for petro dollars makes him ignore basic human rights as is evident by his refusal to stop the sale of deadly weapons for the killing of more and more Yemeni men, women, and children.

World public opinion, including the American media and many politicians think the dastardly dismemberment of the Washington Post Correspondent with a bone saw could not have been a spontaneous act without the precise orders of MBS and perhaps a green signal from the corridors of power in Washington.

The name of MBS’ bosom pal, Jared Kushner, the Jewish son-in-law of Trump, is already in circulation as the person who wanted Khashoggi to be silenced for good, since his writings were laying bare the totalitarian Saudi system that tolerates not even the slightest dissent, and with it the complicity of the presidential clique in the White House in squeezing scores of billions of dollars from Riyadh.

The questions being raised are: Can MBS get away with his latest act of crude terrorism – glimpses of which the world saw in the crimes against humanity of the Saudi-supported takfiri terrorists in Syria and Iraq?

Would Trump and team remain unscathed from the unfolding scandal whose full dimensions are about to unravel for a shocked civilized world?

The answers to these and related questions will hopefully be found once the Turkish government, ignoring pressures from Washington and bribes from Riyadh, safeguards its integrity and independence by disclosing details of the crime on its soil and the names of persons and governments involved, as well as consequences for the perpetrators, so that such acts of state terrorism does not occur at diplomatic missions anywhere in the world.

Jamal’s case is of vital importance for Turkey, since he is the grandson of Dr. Mohammad Khaled Khashoggi (actual pronunciation Khashoqchi or Spoon-maker) the Turkish citizen from Kayseri in central Anatolia who settled in Mecca after disintegration of the Ottoman Empire, and served as personal physician to Abdul-Aziz Aal-e Saud, the desert brigand of Najd for whom Britain created Saudi Arabia in 1932 after he had seized the dominions of the Istanbul-backed dynasties of the Aal-e Rashid of Ha’el and the Hashemites of Hijaz.

Ankara would be doing a great service to the peace and stability of the region and the American-disturbed international order if it reveals the facts, no matter the heads of certain troublemakers were to fall.

MBS, whose strings of crimes include the martyrdom of the scholar Sheikh Nimr Baqer an-Nimr, the reducing to rubble of the centuries old historic quarters of the city of Awamiyya, the detention and mysterious killing of rival kinsmen of the Saudi clan, the hijacking of Lebanese prime minister, Sa’d al-Hariri, cannot be allowed to go scot-free this time after having destroyed Yemen and killed so far 20,000 of its people, in addition to displacing hundreds of thousands of others and threatening millions with famine and starvation.

Human conscience is thirsty for realities, not myths or dubious accounts, in view of the fact that Jamal Khashoggi, after all, was neither an innocent figure nor a dissident in the real sense of the word.

It was an open secret that he had ties to the CIA as well as to American arms manufacturers through his late uncle the multi-billionaire Adnan Khashoggi, one of Saudi Arabia’s most powerful weapons dealers.

This means his death has deep connections to the CIA, Saudi Intelligence, and the Zionist Mossad, since he represented the shadowy world of collaboration that sometimes exists between journalism and the intelligence agencies.

Indeed, as advisor to Turki bin Faisal Aal-e Saud, the head of Saudi intelligence for 24 years who also served as ambassador to Washington and then London, Jamal, who doubled as a journalist, had become a regime critic and sought asylum in the US only after internal power struggles broke out between Saudi princes.

He was an advocate of the Saudi destruction of Syria and Iraq, and an ardent supporter of MBS’ war in Yemen to stop alleged Iranian influence before he fell out and realizing it was impossible for Riyadh to defeat the well-entrenched popular Ansarallah Movement, constantly called for end of war and dialogue – ideas which did not go well with MBS.

In short, justice demands divulging of the plain truth, whether or not MBS survives as Heir Apparent or Trump trumpets threats, theatrics, and tweets at the free world, in a vain bid to cling on to power he certainly does not deserve.

Trump rejects calls for US to end arms sales to Saudi monarchy

Amid mounting evidence that the Saudi regime tortured and murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside its consulate in Istanbul on October 2, US President Donald Trump summarily rejected calls for the US to cut off its massive arms shipments to Riyadh.

Asked at a press briefing whether the disappearance and apparent murder of the Saudi journalist would affect US arms sales to the Saudi government, Trump said, “I don’t like the concept of stopping an investment of $110 billion into the United States. Because you know what they’re going to do? They’re going to take that money and spend it in Russia or China, or someplace else.”

Trump was referring to a $110 billion US arms deal brokered by his administration with Riyadh last year, even as the Saudi monarchy was stepping up its near-genocidal war against Yemen, using US weapons and critical logistical and intelligence assistance provided by Washington.

The Trump administration has deepened the US alliance with Saudi Arabia maintained by successive Republican and Democratic administrations as the centerpiece of an effort to build a common front between the Persian Gulf oil monarchies, the usurper regime of Israel and the US to destabilize the region.

Earlier on Thursday, in an interview with “Fox & Friends,” Trump said American investigators were working with Saudi and Turkish officials to determine what occurred with Khashoggi, but he hastened to add that US relations with Riyadh were “excellent.”

Earlier, on Wednesday, the leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee sent a bipartisan letter to Trump urging him to impose sanctions on the Saudi regime, and invoked the 2016 Magnitsky Act, which gives the executive branch 120 days to decide whether to sanction foreign officials deemed to have violated human rights.

The evident murder of the well-connected Washington Post contributor and former Saudi regime insider Khashoggi has stirred up simmering tactical differences within the US national security establishment related to Trump’s lavish praise for the despotic regime and the US role in the mass killing of civilians and the humanitarian disaster being inflicted on Yemen. At the same time, the establishment media, corporations and politicians in both parties are seeking to distance themselves from the Saudi regime and conceal their longstanding ties to it.

CNN reported Friday that Turkish authorities have audio and visual evidence confirming that Khashoggi was murdered inside the consulate, which he had visited to obtain divorce papers before marrying his Turkish fiancée. A source familiar with the Turkish investigation into Khashoggi’s disappearance said the evidence proved there was an assault and a struggle inside. They described the nature of the evidence as “shocking and disgusting.”

A source told the Washington Post, “You can hear his voice and the voices of men speaking Arabic”. “You can hear how he was interrogated, tortured and then murdered.” Also on Friday, Turkey and Saudi Arabia announced that they would conduct a joint investigation. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has strongly suggested that Riyadh was responsible for Khashoggi’s death.

Previously, it was reported that a commando group of 15 Saudi intelligence officials arrived in Istanbul on the day of Khashoggi’s disappearance and left soon after. Among them was an autopsy expert equipped with a bone saw. According to some reports, Khashoggi’s corpse was dismembered before it was removed from the consulate.

Khashoggi’s assassination is yet another expression of the complete disregard for international law under conditions of a deepening crisis led by the United States of America. It reflects not only the ruthless character of the Saudi regime, but also of its main backer, US imperialism, which has built up Riyadh as a key regional ally in its drive to secure unchallenged dominance over the Middle East.

Washington has adopted the policy of drone assassinations pioneered by the brutal regime of Israel and applied it on an unprecedented scale, killing thousands of civilians in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Somalia and other countries. It has given its stamp of approval to Israel’s shoot-to-kill response to unarmed Palestinians demonstrating on the Gaza-Israel border, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of men, women and children over the past six months.

Successive US governments, led by Democrats and Republicans, have funneled billions of dollars in military supplies and aid to Riyadh, which is one of Washington’s main customers for arms exports. Many of these weapons have been used to repress any sign of social opposition within Saudi Arabia to the totalitarian regime and to continue the bloodbath in Yemen.

One of the highest-paid firms representing the Saudi regime in Washington is linked to the Clintons. The Glover Park Group, which receives $150,000 a month from the royal family, was started by former Clinton administration officials. In an effort at damage control, sections of the ruling system are now hypocritically seeking to distance themselves from Riyadh and calling for a harder line. Several business figures and media outlets, including the New York Times, CNN, Bloomberg, and the Financial Times, have declared their intention to withdraw from an investment conference due to be held by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman later this month.

The CEOs of JPMorgan Chase and the Blackstone Group, one of the world’s largest investment firms, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have confirmed their plans to attend the gathering, dubbed “Davos in the Desert.”

The principal fear among these circles is that the brazen display of savagery in the Khashoggi case will hamper their efforts to cloak their imperialist goals in the Middle East and elsewhere behind concern for “human rights” and “democracy.” They also worry that Khashoggi’s assassination and other brutal acts could fuel popular opposition to the House of Saud and its imperialist patrons, both inside Saudi Arabia itself and internationally. Billions of dollars in investments are at stake. According to the Saudi Arabia General Investment Agency, total American investments in the kingdom amount to some $55 billion. In 2017 alone, as Prince Mohammed bin Salman began his so-called modernization drive, 16 new US companies entered the Saudi market with projects valued at approximately $100 million.

While the US is Riyadh’s main patron, Washington’s ostensible allies in Europe are also deeply implicated in propping up the dictatorship. Britain, France and Germany have all sold billions of dollars worth of weaponry to Saudi Arabia, and these sales have only increased during the three-and-a-half-year war in Yemen.

Having recently mended a diplomatic spat with Riyadh over its campaign against Qatar, the German government has remained relatively muted on the Khashoggi affair, with little more than token statements of concern. In a joint appearance with his Saudi counterpart on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly just a week prior to Khashoggi’s disappearance, German Foreign Minister Heiko Mas praised erroneously Saudi Arabia as a country that plays “an important role for peace and stability in the region and the world.” Do they really mean what they say?!

That was authored by political observer and human rights activist, Jordan Shilton.

Khashoggi case may awaken world to dangers of MBS

By M.A. Saki

Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of the al-Saud family, vanished on October 2 after visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

A Turkish security source has said officials had audio and video evidence proving Khashoggi was murdered inside the consulate.

The issue surrounding the fate of Khashoggi is also scandalous for those countries, especially the United States, which have been backing the Saudi kingdom especially its current ruler Mohammed bin Salman or MBS.
  
Saudi Arabia has been silencing the world, especially the self-proclaimed proponents of human rights in the West, through its lavish arms purchases and bribes. 

For example, Donald Trump has ruled out halting military contracts with Saudi Arabia in response to the disappearance of Khashoggi, who wrote for the Washington Post.

“I think we’d be punishing ourselves if we did that,” Trump said, according to the BBC. He said, “If they don’t buy it from us, they're going to buy it from Russia or... China.”

Even now analysts are worried that Saudi Arabia may tempt countries and political figures who are seeking answers about the fate of the journalist.  

According to CNN, MBS has contacted the White House after it became clear that he and the royal court were getting blamed for Khashoggi’s murder. Citing a person familiar with the call, CNN said MBS asked specifically to speak with Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, to deny the accusations. 

This may be a sign that Saudi Arabia is trying to lure the U.S. through more arms purchases not to pursue the issue.  

Professor Hossein Askari, an expert on Saudi Arabia who teaches at George Washington University, tells the Tehran Times that “if this is what happened, then it had to be ordered and sanctioned by MBS.”

The Khashoggi case is just the tip of iceberg in comparison to numerous brutal and vicious acts that Saudi Arabia has been doing over the years. When Saudi Arabia exterminates a critic in consulate in a foreign country then it should be noted how it will deal with critics inside the country. 

The butchery of children in Yemen with fighter jets is a concrete example of Saudi disregard for human life. The siege of the tiny state of Qatar shows that MBS is also a bully. If until now he has not ordered attacks against any other country it is because he is not sure of the consequences.

The world has been paying dearly for its negligence of Saudi Arabia’s ill behavior, just eying the country’s petrodollars. Now, hardly a part of the world is immune from the evil ideology of extremism and terrorism promoted by the Wahhabi interpretation of Islam. From the September 11 attacks to the recurrent terrorist attacks in Syria and Afghanistan are mostly the result of the Wahhabi ideology originating from Saudi Arabia.

It is hoped the Khashoggi case will awaken the world to the dangers of Saudi Arabia, especially under MBS. 

Khashoggi’s Brutal Murder: How Safe are South African Critics of Saudi Arabia?

Iqbal Jassat

What certainty do South African critics of Saudi Arabia have that they will not face the same tragic fate that befell Jamal Khashoggi?

These concerns may have been dismissed as laughable and perhaps even paranoid a fortnight ago. But the horrific murder and dismemberment of Khashoggi by hitmen assigned to commit the ghastly crime within the confines of a consulate, has underlined the danger faced by critics and opponents of the Najdi oligarchy.

The Saudi regime may not enjoy the psychological pressure that Israel usually applies. To slander opponents of its occupation and apartheid policies, the settler colonial entity resorts to branding them as "antisemites". This defamatory tool is regularly applied by Israel to intimidate and silence external critics.

In the case of Saudi Arabia, its unelected leaders have traditionally whipped up sectarian divisions a la George Bush: "You either with us or against us". In a religious context, this divisive strategy has served Saudi geopolitical interests well for "with us" equates to "Sunni Islam" while "against us" means being in bed with "Shia Islam".

Thus in a broad context, Saudi dependency on keeping America's discredited "war on terror" alive, explains a great deal about the royal family's use of it as a defensive shield and offensive wars.

Derailing the Arab Spring, funding and arming Egypt's military coup, laying siege on Qatar, bombing Yemen, allying with Israel against Palestinians, seeking military aggression against Iran, outlawing legitimate civil society formations and resistance movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas and Hizbullah as "terrorists", and stoking intra-Muslim strife are some of the despicable tactics that define Saudi Arabia.

Critics, whether in South Africa or elsewhere are probably aware of Saudi intelligence ties to Israel's notorious Mossad. They'd also be mindful of the long reach of Saudi Mokhabarat (intelligence agents) as the willful murder of Khashoggi demonstrates.

Reports about Khashoggi's disappearance and brutal murder while he visited the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, have not only devastated his family, friends and fellow journalist colleagues, but also activists campaigning for drastic socio-political changes in the Arabian peninsula.

A one-time adviser to the Saudi kingdom with close ties to the establishment, including prominent members of the "royal" family, Khashoggi's increasingly critical views of the de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman, (MbS) turned him into an enemy.

The threat he posed in his role as an active dissident derived from the fact that having interacted closely with Saudi and Arab intelligence services for more than 30 years, he was privy to many secrets. In addition, his position as a columnist for Washington Post and access to influential platforms in America and Europe, amplified his power to undermine MbS and his fake "reforms".

Khashoggi's self-imposed exile in Washington was evidently a choice he made to avoid being a victim of the harsh crackdown on independent voices. Despite his profile as a renowned political analyst-cum-journalist, with close to two million Twitter followers, it did not render him immune from state sponsored harm, as we now know.

It is known too from credible reports, that the folly, arrogance and brutality associated with MbS seems limitless. It may be his reasoning that if close allies and patrons such as Netanyahu and Trump can get away with murder, surely their protection would be sufficient for him to continue liquidating opponents under the guise of eliminating "terrorists"?

Bin Salman has been lauded in the West as a "great reformer" and harbinger of "friendship" with the colonial entity that has occupied Palestine for more than seven decades. Unfortunately for him and the rapacious family of "royals" he symbolises, the Khashoggi affair has exposed Saudi Arabia as a ruthless dictatorship that uses brutal methods to dispose of enemies.

Though international outrage against the killing has been as loud as media coverage, the South African government has yet to make its stance known.

Justifiably, critics will question whether the controversial yet lucrative arms trade and the pledge of billions of dollars made to President Ramaphosa, will hold us hostage to a rogue regime's contempt for human rights and the right to life itself.

 

Iqbal Jassat