By Zamir Ahmed Awan for the Saker Blog
The U.S. has intensified its diplomatic activities in the Middle-East. After the Secretary of State Pompeo’s tour to six nations in the Middle-East, the Power-Pillar in White House, Jared Kushner, who is Senior advisor and son-in-law of President Donal Trump, along with Senior officials, is on his Middle-East trip currently.
The enhanced focus of the U.S. diplomatic and political engagement in the Middle-east has several objectives as:
On the surface, all efforts are for Israel, as the US is the only supporter of Israel blindly. The U.S. has been exercising its veto powers for Israel on several occasions and extends extraordinary political and diplomatic support, matched with non. It should be understood that, among the three prominent divine religions, Judaism is the oldest one, Christianity is the most populous in the Western World. However, Islam is the third one in its series and the last one of divine religion. A majority of Muslims inhabit the Middle East. The creation of a Jewish state in the heart of the Muslim World was not logical in the first step. The Jewish population in Palestine was only 11 % at the time of planning for the creation of Isreal. Later on, Jewish were shifted to Palestine from various parts of the World; and mostly, the wealthy Jews were motivated and encouraged to purchase land and property from the Arabs.
The Zionist struggle of the late 19th century had led by 1917 to the Balfour Declaration, by which Britain assured an ultimate separate state only for Jews in Palestine. When that former Ottoman province became a British mandate under the League of Nations in 1922, it contained about 700,000 people, of whom only 58,000 were Jews, approximately 11 % only.
Bulk relocation happened during the period of 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. The well-off Jews were buying the property in Palestine. If some patriotic Arabs refuse to sell their property, they face severe consequences like murder, injuries, detention, arrest, hostage, or expelled to exile. The Zionist militias of the Haganah and Irgun killed 5,032 Arabs and wounded 14,760, consequential in over ten percent of the adult male Palestinian Arab population killed, wounded, imprisoned, or exiled. At the end of World War II, the Jewish community in Palestine had increased to 33% of the total population.
The U.N. General assembly, backed by the U.S. and U.K., approved the creation of the state of Israel only limited to 5,500 Square Kilometers in 1947. But The Jews militant grabbed more land from local Arabs in 1948. It created an adversary between Arabs and Israelis. It led to an Arab-Israel War in 1967, and Israel seized even more land from Arabs.
The core reason for unrest in the Middle-East is the irrational creation of the state of Israel. The illogical creation of a Jewish state in the heart of the Muslim World was the root cause of all problems. There are an estimated 8 million Jews all over the World, and out of which 6 million settled in the state of Israel, mostly migrated from Eastern Europe, Africa, Russia, and also from other parts of the World. The settlers were aliens, and not the son of the soil and not the local indigenous people, and furthermore, the expansionist approach of the State of Israel has been pushing Arabs out of their homeland. Millions of Palestinians have lost their home.
The World has a moral stance on the state of Israel that it should be limited to original approved state with an area of 5,500 Square Kilometers, and return the all illegal occupied Arab Land occupied in 1948 and 1967. Furthermore, the State of Israel promises and ensure that it will not hold any Arab land in the future. This principle-stance is in line with the UN Charter, OIC, and Arab-League decision. Most of the nations, including Russia and China, share similar views. But it is only the U.S. who support all irrational acts of Israel blindly. The Secretary of state will lobby for Israel during this trip and may gain more recognition from the Arab World.
Egypt was kicked out from the Arab league in 1979, as displeasure on its recognition of the State of Israel. It is worth citing that six nations founded the Arab League: Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria in 1945 in Cairo, the Capital of Egypt. Later on, the other Arab countries kept on joining the Arab League, and currently, there are 22 members of the Arab League. The prime objective of the Creation of the Arab League was to promote the Palestinian Arab cause. The Arab League opposed the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine in 1947 and implementing a boycott of Jewish State. Especially imposed an oil embargo, which lasted until the Khartoum Resolution in September 1967. The Arab League, in 2002, endorsed a Saudi Arabian Arab Peace Initiative, which called for a full withdrawal by Israel “to the 1967 borders” in return for fully normalized relations.
Egypt signed the Peace Treaty with the State of Israel in 1979, following the 1978 Camp David Accords. The treaty was received with vast controversy across the Arab World, where it was condemned and considered a stab in the back. The sense of outrage was principally strong amongst Palestinians. However, as a result of the treaty, Egypt was expelled out from its own created Arab League in 1979–1989. Syrian President Hafez al-Assad disconnected all relations with Egypt after the signing of the peace deal, and diplomatic relations were not restored until 2005, under the rule of Bashar al-Assad.
Jordan also recognized the State of Israel in 1984, which was also not welcomed by the Arab World, mainly the Palestinian.
Keeping solidarity with the Arab World, the 57-members OIC (The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation), the second-largest organization after the United Nations, spread over four continents, takes a strong stance on Israel and demands the return of Arab Lands which Israel occupied in the 1967 war.
Israel has not been welcomed by the international community, even, in E.U., Russia, and China, in addition to the Arab & Muslim World. However, it enjoys extraordinary support from the U.S. and favors from its creator UK.
UAE (United Arab Emirates) becoming the third Arab state, besides Egypt and Jordan, to fully recognize Israel, after signing a peace deal on August 13, 2020. The U.S. mediated the peace agreement. However, the unofficial interaction began as early as 2010, and cooperation was based on their joint opposition to Iran’s nuclear program and regional influence. Israel opened an official diplomatic mission in Abu Dhabi in 2015, under cover of the International Renewable Energy Agency.
UAE’s decision has shocked the Muslim World, and there was a reaction. The most severe reaction came from Turkey, who is thinking to cut its diplomatic ties with the UAE. Iran is the most affected country, as rival Israel may sit next door in UAE. The growing defense cooperation between Israel and UAE is an alarming and significant threat to Iran. UAE and Israel were not at good terms with Iran historically.
Some of the other Arab countries also shown displeasures. In fact, the Arab World might lose unity and may divide pro and anti-this decisions. It may weaken the unity of the Arab World further. This agreement will have a far-reaching impact, and over time, the outcomes will be visible.
Secondly, the U.S. has lodged a media war against Russia and China. Their controlled media is building a narrative against Russia and China and projecting Russia and China as a severe threat. The Secretary of State also tried to convince the Arab World against Russia and China, building alliances in case of any confrontation in the region. The U.S. is in the habit of forming partnerships and alliances against their adversaries, and in the past, their such approach was successful. Secretary of State also traveled to four countries in Europe to convince them to join the U.S. against Russia and China but failed, and Europe seems more divided on the U.S. stance on Russia and China. It is believed that The U.S. efforts may also divide the Arab-Word into groups pro-America and Anti-America. This may create a space for Russia and China to lead the Anti-American block in the Arab World as well as in Europe.
The third objective is a part of the election campaign for the presidential election. President Trump has determined to re-elect again and can go to any extent. One can expect any abnormal decision from him to win the election. He wanted to prove that his foreign policy is in the best interest of American people “America First.” He is also using anti-Russia and Anti-China card to gain sympathy from the American voters.
Most of the Arab World, especially the oil-rich Gulf countries, is ruled by Kings and dictators, who depend on U.S. support to sustain their rule. But anti-American sentiments are growing immensely. As a matter of fact, the U.S. has widened its objectives in such tours, which makes it more difficult to achieve any significant results. Secretary of State trip failed to convince any other Arab country to recognize Israel. Contrary, the adversary has been enhanced. Either he was unable to persuade the State of Israel to suspend its expansion plans. In contrast, Prime Minister Netanyahu categorically announced that the expansion plans are postponed or delayed only but not canceled or dropped out. He was also not able to convince most of the Arab countries to be part of the Anti-China-Russia alliance. Neither any direct impact on the Presidential Elections to be held in November later this year. His tour was counterproductive. Jared Kushner’s mission may also meet the same fate and no net gain at all.
Author: Prof. Engr. Zamir Ahmed Awan, Sinologist (ex-Diplomat), Editor, Analyst, Non-Resident Fellow of CCG (Center for China and Globalization), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan. (E-mail: awanzamir@yahoo.com).
“When that former Ottoman province became a British mandate under the League of Nations in 1922, it contained about 700,000 people, of whom only 58,000 were Jews, approximately 11 % only.”
More like 8.29% if the numbers are right?
You are right and precise. Thanks for correction.
The empire (US in its current form, before it was Britain) supports it’s foothold in the MENA – it’s unsinkable aircraft carrier – a patch of land / military outpost – masquerading as a sovereign state – Israel.
Any military installations need soldiers, devoted to fight and die for the empire. The soldiers should share a strong binding idiology – what better than a religion/tribe mentality – ‘jewism’ – that makes the empire’s soldiers believe God himself gifted them that patch of land.
These people will serve the empire’s purpose devotedly without knowing they are just pawns.
This sums things up nicely.
@Anon (the one who wrote): “These people will serve the empire’s purpose devotedly without knowing they are just pawns.”
I think you have just described the people of the U$A. Summed them up nicely.
“The core reason for unrest in the Middle-East [and elswhere] is the irrational creation of …”
… of Anglo Zio Capitalist oil fields under Lands which do not belong to the Anglo Zio Capitalists.
“The rest is commentary.” — Rabbi Hillel of Babylon
“…divine religions, Judaism is the oldest one, Christianity is the most populous in the Western World. However, Islam is the third one in its series and the last one of divine religion…”
And there’s half the worlds population that does not proscribe to these. What about them? They are probably the smarter bunch of all as they realize how one man could know everything in his short span of 40 something years to write it all down and stay relevant for two millenia. Guess brainwashing with a book works.
You are absolutely right. However the subject under discussion was Jewish Sate, so I have focussed only the three big divine religions. There also exists a huge population of Bhuddist, Hindus, Sikhs, Atheist, and so on.
Much of the problem lies in differing theologies. For the traditional Muslim, ”Israel” is impossible as a Jewish Nation-State because it is believed to be a Muslim land and to give it up as such would be impossible.
For most traditional Christians, the Holy Land is a land that Jews should not rule, because of their historical rejection of Christ and Christianity
However there is a phenomena of modern times called ”Christian Zionism” which is rooted in Western Protestantism, in which we have the spectacle of people claiming to be Christians who defend Israel more fervently than many secular Jews, and who indeed are rather taken with Jewish religious practices to the point some of them abandon Christianity altogether. It is these types who hold the balance of political power in the United States, because one might win an election without them, but one cannot govern without at least paying lip service to their beliefs on foreign policy which are entirely based on their fanciful sectarian and heretical theology concerning the end times.
No American foreign policy escapes their influence to some degree.
“…divine religions, Judaism is the oldest one, Christianity is the most populous in the Western World. However, Islam is the third one in its series and the last one of divine religion…”
According to Benjamin H.Freedman in his book “Facts are Facts”, he quotes the eminent Rabbi Louis Finkelstein who asserts that the relgion in Judea at the time of Jesus Christ was Pharisaism, which much later became Talmudism, morphing into Medieval Rabbinism and eventually modern Rabbinism…Judaism is a modern terminology for Rabbinism and therefore most certainly not the oldest religion.
This is my understanding too. The Old Testament belongs to both Christians and Jews. Both finalised their current religions after the birth of Christ. Order of creation of the religious texts:
New Testament: 50- 150 AD
Talmud 300 – 500 AD
Koran 600 AD.
It it doesn’t matter though. The Palestinians are the descendents of the people who lived there for centuries. They just converted to different religions at different points in time. …their claim to the land is by ancestry, not religion.
It is all about control for the temple mount….
The moneychangers who were kicked out from there about some two thousand years ago want it back.
Robert Shule:
Moreover, those ancient “moneychangers (as you call it) didn’t love their country enough. Otherwise they wouldn’t spread in different directions and have defended it or at least tried to get it back. But they didn’t do it.
And to claim some small country (piece of soil) having left for two thousand years is somehow ridiculous. There are other populations which have been overthrown and are much more entitled to their country for example in USA.
Moreover, to claim something “given by God” sounds nowadays somehow not very educated regarding our still small but enough to discern knowledge about our universe.
However, I know the above mentioned will fall on deaf ears.
(Remark: in my opinion it is somehow a big disgrace – and even an extremely dubious belief – to say/believe/assume that some entity (God) wouldn’t be able to have created such universe full of wonders without other forms of intelligent life or platforms for it. And only our small planet in this big universe comprises of intelligent life and therefore has this entity (God) given to only one tribe/people/believers a piece of soil.)
“The U.N. General assembly, backed by the U.S. and U.K., approved the creation of the state of Israel only limited to 5,500 Square Kilometers in 1947.”
To the author: please research your topic more in depth so you don’t unwittingly spread falsehoods.
The GA did not approve anything. It, at the time representing only a fraction of the worlds population due to colonialism and dominated by Western countries, merely advised in a non-binding capacity, the partition of Palestine, something it had no competence to do in the first place.
The Jewish colonists comprimised a minority and owned only a fraction of the land.
Morally and legally, the native Palestinians were and are under no obligation to accept partition and the creation of the Zionist state, indeed who would?
silence, please. the boa is, for now, digesting the prey in its guts, the Palestinians. at the future phases, it will turn into hyena & swallow the skeletons of its neighbours, one at the time.
The Arab League is a useless talking shop that no one takes seriously and is not even worth mentioning.
Israel gave the middle finger to the 2002 Arab Peace Plan pushed by the Arab League long ago, yet amazingly, the useless League and its supporters keep talking about it.
The Gulf Arabs are a bunch treacherous cowards destined to be swept away in due time.
The pathetic UAE officials said they only agreed to the “deal” because, it would halt Israeli annexation of the West Bank. But no sooner had they uttered this, the Israeli came out and emphatically denied this. They said they had given no such commitment and that stealing Palestinian lands was still on.
The UAE said the “deal” would allow them to buy US F-35s, but again, the Israelis rubbished their claim. Israel said it would not “give permission” for any such weapons deal with the US.
Rest assured, humiliation is part and parcel of any association with the Zionist entity, so the UAE had better get used to it, because there is lot more to come, just ask the Americans, Egyptians and Jordanians etc.
The article by Joseph Massad sheds some light on the UAE’s treachery, borne of regime self-preservation:
“The UAE’s love affair with Israel”
https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/uaes-love-affair-israel
Selah
What this is going to do, is make Muslims who reject Israel to look to the Iranian Islamic Republic as the center of their resistance to Israel, even Sunni Muslims, and thereby strengthen Shia Islam over time with conversions as well.
Israel cannot live peacefully with its neighbors. As long as Israel aspires to conquer the entire region, it will encounter resistance.
If Israel wants peace, they must stop building new Jewish settlements, and return illegally occupied territories.
I think they should hold on to their weapons of mass destruction, to ensure good faith from their Arab neighbors. Work together with their neighbors in a spirit of brotherly love, and perhaps within a decade they will no longer need their wmds.
However, as a student of history, I find it difficult to name an era when the Jewish nation was on good terms with their neighbors. The original coming of the Israelites to Canaan was a massively bloody affair, which made friendly relations with the natives almost impossible. The exceptions seem to be the Achaemenid Persians and the Sasanian Persians. And in regards those exceptions, the relationship was one of Persian patronage of the Jewish nation. A Jewish nation that would not have existed at all without Cyrus and the Achaemenids.
It says something about the character of Israel that they strive for the annihilation of the Persians today.
I believe there is absolutely no doubt that the Jewish people would have perished as a people if Cyrus had not liberated them from Babylon. The Achaemenids went to great lengths to secure the future of the Jewish nation. It is an odd thought, that were it not for Cyrus, the world would never have known Christianity and Islam.
How strange that the entire world we live in today was largely shaped by one decision made 2600 years ago.
I do not believe there is any doubt regarding the moral benevolence of Cyrus. He was trying to do a good deed, as per his Zoroastrian religious beliefs, by liberating the slaves in Babylon. It is very strange that such great evil, ie. Zionism, came from such a noble act.
Zionism is a form of inbred psychosis, a debilitating mental condition, encompassing all forms of meglomania and narcissism…….unfortunitly it only has one cure.
Cheers, M
The hypocrisy is delightful. After sanctioning Russia and China for a long list of non-existent crimes, it exposes itself for what it is—a shaky plywood fortress built on a land cursed by its crazed Evangelicals and assorted right-wing Zionists. Another malt whisky Donald, Joe?
USA inherits a pathology wherein sadism and paranoia define an inhumane hubris. To quote Michael Ledeen: “Every ten years or so, the United States needs to pick up some small crappy little country and throw it against the wall, just to show the world we mean business.”
US interference: Serbia and Burma are both unitary republics with one party that controls the three branches of power. The USA is becoming such a unitary republic with the unification of the Dems and GOP as a neocon power block and the deep state controlling and blackmailing its powerbrokers. See the influence of ‘shylock’ below …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxgNiPUJ4gk
“The World has a moral stance on the state of Israel that it should be limited to original approved state with an area of 5,500 Square Kilometers, and return the all illegal occupied Arab Land occupied in 1948 and 1967. Furthermore, the State of Israel promises and ensure that it will not hold any Arab land in the future. This principle-stance is in line with the UN Charter, OIC, and Arab-League decision.”
This is not inline with Chapter 1, Article 1, paragraph 2 of the UN Charter, which proclaims the peoples’ right to self determination.
In 1947, the majority of Palestine was not Jewish, so a referendum on the matter would have not allowed for the creation of the Jewish state.
“The Zionist struggle of the late 19th century had led by 1917 to the Balfour Declaration”
The Jews promised the British that they would bring the USA into WW1 if the British gave them Palestine. The American public was not at all interested in getting into yet another European war. Many Americans were of German origin at that time. The Jewish-controlled media carried out a huge propaganda campaign against Germany. A great many lies were said about German atrocities. A fake flag sinking of the RMS Lusitania was arranged. Belatedly, the USA entered the war in 1917. Large numbers of soldiers appeared almost at the end in 1918.
It was one of the numerous Jewish false flags – like 9/11
History is history and man never learns from it. The move of the UAE and Saudi have opened new talks to stop the massacre of the original people of the land by the Jews . The killings have gone to far . Also this new unity will save the Arab oil prices dropping further…We must change and adabt our perceptions to accommodate this new minority who desperatly wants to be there at any cost to human life . The historical resistance by many Arab countries againt the Israeli states legitimacy has not achieved anygood for the people of the holiest land except many years of blood shed and massacre all over the east. Maybe 🤞unity with the (choosen people) will bring peace to the middle East and with with new viruses call for all foreign troops to be sent home to sort the new mess made at home and allow the united muslim coalitions to clean up the mess of the west in the east. . Also this move by Saudi may allow Donald duck to sell the Saudis F35 jetz mecca and Medina will have the best defence technology for future protection against the menaces of war. Also we can all make copies later once the deal is done to compliment our defence portfolio of Russian and Chinese tech. Our Saudi brother’s will very let us down inthe long view .
¿Pero todavía quedan diplomáticos en Estados Unidos?
Translation. Mod:
But are there still diplomats left in the United States?
Only dream. Nothing to do with reality.
The ‘state’ of Israel/Zionist project was the creation of British imperialism (Balfour Declaration, 1918) and from its very inception has been based on theft- seizing land and violence & displacing/murdering the indigenous population. This was done to have a reliable (read non-Muslim) proxy force that would assist the UK in controlling the region and its abundant hydrocarbon reserves. The US emerged from WWII as the world’s leading military and economic power and assumed the role of Israel’s benefactor, providing $ billions from US taxpayers to arm Israel, which ranks 18th in global military power. This continues, with Trump giving Bibi the green light to declare Al-Quds/Jerusalem the Israeli capital and annex the Golan Heights.
The tentative support Israel has received from “Arab” countries has been from corrupt Gulf Monarchies and other US vassals. (The UAE is part of the Saudi ‘coalition’ that has created a humanitarian disaster in Yemen). The fundamental problem for the Zionist enterprise is that they are little more than a US vassal and totally dependent upon on Empire confronted with a collapsing economy- an anemic manufacturing base, exploding deficits, domestic unrest and astronomically expensive strategic debacles in Afghanistan (longest war in US history), Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen (Iran, China and Russia next?). Should Bibi Netanyahu decide to use nuclear weapons, I suspect they will receive an RSVP from Hezbollah, Syrian Arab Army and Iran. This will not end well.