Twelfth Bough

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Archive for category Saudi Arabia

thailand, china, saudi arabia, US

Jan 11

Posted by A. Peasant in China, Military, Saudi Arabia, Thailand | No Comments

1. Thai PM promises justice in Saudi case

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Monday assured visiting Saudi charge d’affaires Nabil Hussein Ashri the government will not interfere in cases involving the disappearance of a Saudi businessman in 1990….Asked whether a resolution of the case would lead to an improvement of relations between Thailand and Saudi Arabia, Mr Abhisit said regardless of the outcome, the government’s best interests would be served if the decision in the case is based on the evidence.  The prime minister admitted Saudi Arabia might not have confidence in the Thai justice system since the case involves high-level police officers and has dragged on, unresolved for a long time. [20 years]

read more @ bangkok post

2. Saudi king meets Chinese minister on economic, trade ties

China’s economy develops rapidly, and the two countries should further their cooperation in various fields, such as in dealing with the fallout of the global financial crisis, he said.  The king said Riyadh welcomes the Chinese enterprises to actively participate in Saudi economy as the Gulf Arab country is speeding up construction in the petrochemical industry, infrastructure, education and health fields….  As this year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Saudi Arabia, the Chinese government is expecting to expand the bilateral economic and trade cooperation, in hopes of boosting the bilateral trade volume to 60billion U.S. dollars by 2015, Chen added.    Chen said the Chinese government appreciates the trust of the Saudi king and the Saudi government in Chinese enterprises, and will work together with the Saudi side to support contract projects and investment cooperation between enterprises of both countries in the electricity, railway and new energy fields. Also in the day, Chen, together with Saudi Minister of Finance Ibrahim bin Abdel Aziz al-Asaf, convened the fourth meeting of China-Saudi joint committee on economy and trade in the Saudi capital.  Chen arrived in Riyadh on Saturday and will visit Ethiopia, Mozambique and Tanzania later.

read more @ chinaview

3. China’s top legislator pledges parliamentary exchanges with Thailand

China regards Thailand as its close friend and trustable partner and will work with Thailand to lift bilateral ties to a new level, said Wu.  Chai, also Speaker of the Thai House of Representatives or the Lower House, pays an official goodwill visit to China from Jan. 9 to Jan. 16, the first such visit since he assumed office in May, 2008.  Chai expressed his hope that the parliaments of the two countries could learn from each other on such issues as legislature and supervision in a bid to facilitate Thailand-China ties.

read more @ chinaview

4. ROK to join Cobra Gold exercise in Thailand for first time

BANGKOK, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) — The Republic of Korea (ROK) will participate in the Cobra Gold 2010 Joint Exercise, the largest in Southeast Asia, for the first time, a senior Thai army officer said Monday.   Cobra Gold is a joint and coalition multi-national exercise held by Thailand on a regular basis. This year is the latest in a continuing series of exercise aimed at promoting regional peace and security. This exercise marks the 29th anniversary of this regionally significant training event.   A total of 14,000 soldiers from six countries, including Thailand, the United States, Singapore, Indonesia, Japan and ROK, will join the exercise, which is scheduled on Feb. 1-11 in central Thailand and representatives from other ten observer countries will also be present at the drill, General Ratchakrit Kanchanawat, Thai Armed Forces Chief of Joint Staff, told a press conference.

read more @ chinaview

5. Taiwan to buy US frigates

TAIPEI - TAIWAN plans to buy eight second-hand Perry-class frigates from the United States despite improved ties with arch rival China, a local newspaper reported on Monday. The island hopes to arm them with a version of the advanced Aegis Combat System, which uses computers and radars to take out multiple targets, as well as sophisticated missile launch technology, the Taipei-based China Times said….The United States designed the Perry-class frigates in the 1970s but the majority remain in service, equipped with various forms of modern technology. The deal would add to Taiwan’s existing inventory, as it already has eight Perry-class frigates built on the island. The China Times report came less than a week after the US Defense Department said it had approved the sale of Patriot missile equipment to Taiwan as part of a package passed by Congress more than a year ago. When unveiled in 2008, the package triggered strong protests from Beijing, which considers Taiwan part of its territory and has vowed to take the island back, by force if necessary.  The United States is the leading arms supplier to self-ruled Taiwan, even though it switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979. — AFP

read more @ straits times


thailand, saudi arabia, israel, india, sri lanka

Jan 7

Posted by A. Peasant in India, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand | No Comments

1. statute of limitations about to expire for suspect in Saudi murder / stolen family jewels case in Thailand

If Abu Ali, a prime suspect in the murders of Saudi diplomats in 1990, is not arrested before Feb 1 the statute of limitations of this case will expire, Department of Special Investigtion deputy director-general Pol Col Naras Savestanant said on Thursday.  Pol Col Naras said the DSI and the prosecution asked the Criminal Court to issue a warrant for the arrest of Abu Ali, a Middle East national, because evidence obtained by the department showed he was involved in the murders of three Saudi diplomats on Feb 1, 1990.  The statute of limitations in this case is 20 years. He said the DSI’s investigation into the murders was successful to an extent as it was able to establish the motive of the crime, which was believed to be a religious conflict between Saudi Arabia and other countries in the Middle East. The DSI’s finding was different from that of the Royal Thai Police Office, which believed a conflict of interest over recruitments of workers to Saudi Arabia was the motive, Pol Col Naras said. The DSI secured an arrest warrant for the man.  Its investigators believed he murdered Abdullah A al-Besri, one of the three Saudi diplomats, on Feb 1, 1990.

source:  bangkok

2. NOTE: recall that the plane with Korean weapons stopped in Thailand was supposedly going to Sri Lanka, but the Thai authorities would not pinpoint the destination so as not to displease a certain unnamed country, and the next thing we heard that some “researchers” found the itinerary and lo, the plane was bringing those nasty Korean weapons to Iran. yes sirree bob.

Compare the international outcry over the Gaza massacre to the relative silence toward Sri Lanka’s war against the Tamil people in 2008 and 2009. Conservative estimates place the death roll at over 20,000 people, perhaps as high as 50,000. The Colombo regime dismissed all attempts to cease its military operations, negotiate with the Tamil Tigers or allow the transfer of hundreds of thousands of civilians to safety. Today, close to 300,000 Tamils are trapped in government-imposed camps, surrounded by barbed wire and unable to leave.

3. Sri Lanka: Tamils throw weight behind general who crushed them

Seven months after Sri Lanka’s long and bitter civil war was brought to an end by a withering government assault, the political coalition that supported the Tamil Tigers has thrown its support behind the former army chief who crushed them….Over the weekend, with the campaign gathering pace, the former general toured the formerly rebel-held Jaffna Peninsula and said he would create an environment that encouraged business, relax security measures and return land seized by the military. He also said he would release hundreds of Tamil youths held on suspicion of having links to the rebels and offer amnesty and rehabilitation to hardcore fighters.

Making up 12 per cent of the population, Tamils represent an important electoral bloc and the UNP opposition coalition has been seeking to reach out to the TNA, which currently holds 22 seats in Sri Lanka’s 225-member parliament. At yesterday’s press conference, Mr Sambanthan did not comment on Mr Fonseka’s role in the alleged abuse that is said to have taken place during the closing stages of the war, when the UN estimates up to 10,000 Tamil civilians were killed. However, he said his party talked with both candidates about issues that were of importance to Tamils, such as the resettlement of some 300,000 civilians displaced by the war, the rehabilitation of areas destroyed by the fighting and the dismantling of so-called high-security zones in Tamil areas.

read more @ independent

4. meanwhile….

siege ends in Iindian Kashmir - two militants hold hotel for 24 hours, shot dead by police

there are no drugs in Goa - the problem is a “media creation”

russian girl raped by Goa politician says her statement was not recorded by police

The police inspector had allegedly cautioned the victim that the accused, John Fernandes, was an “influential person and can get her visa cancelled.” “They were pressurising me to tell (write the complaint) that John just pushed me and gave bad words…He (Shirodkar) told me that John was a powerful person,” the girl claimed. The victim, whose drink was spiked allegedly by John and later raped in a car at Colva beach, had written to Consul General of Russia in Mumbai, describing the ordeal which she went through at the police station.

accused surrenders

in Israel, rabbi suspected of making 1,200 obscene calls to children http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1141018.html


passing the buck

Jan 6

Posted by A. Peasant in CIA, China, Military, Oil, Palestinians, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Terrorism, UK, Yemen | No Comments

1. where did Yemen get all the weapons? from Russia and China, according to Stockholm think tank, so if you’re gonna get mad at someone for this mess, blame Russia and China ‘kay?

NEW YORK - Russia has stolen a march over the United States in the multimillion-dollar arms market in cash-strapped Yemen, whose weapons purchases are being funded mostly by neighboring Saudi Arabia. The Yemeni armed forces, currently undergoing an ambitious modernization program worth an estimated $4 billion US, are equipped with weapons largely from Russia, China, Ukraine, eastern Europe and the former Soviet republics….According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), one of the world’s best-known think-tanks researching arms control and disarmament, Russia accounted for nearly 59% of all major weapons deliveries to Yemen from 2004 to 2008, followed by Ukraine at 25%, Italy at 10%, Australia’s 5%, and the United States at less than 1%….A resource-starved Middle Eastern nation, Yemen has negligible quantities of oil and is categorized as one of the world’s poorest countries. The US State Department has described Yemen as “desperately poor” but a “vital counter-terrorism partner”.

read more @ asia times

negligible quantities of oil? but location location location. - ed.

Saudi Arabia, engaged in a subtle, undeclared battle for regional influence with Iran, remains by far the largest defense spender in the Middle East, accounting for around $36 billion in spending in 2008. Forecast estimates that the Saudis will spend just under $39 billion in 2009 and exceed the $45 billion threshold by 2013. Due to internal security concerns and external challenges in the form of Iran, Saudi spending is unlikely to dip despite the fall in the price of oil, remaining fixed at about 33 percent of total annual state expenditures in the near term.


2. US and UK military spending in Yemen

US has increased military aid package to Yemen from less than $11m in 2006 to more than $70m in 2009

From just 11 million dollars to 70 million. A better then 6x increase? In 2009- US spent tens of millions of dollars boosting Yemen’s coastguard and border security and providing helicopters with night-vision cameras. The US has also provided intelligence gathered over Yemen by unmanned drones.

The US has not been alone, the UK has been there with them in all of 2009. The UK has also invested heavily in aid to Yemen. It has quadrupled its development assistance since 2007, allocating £105m between 2009 and 2011, though no figures on funds for military training were available

Both the US and UK have trained Yemen’s counter-terrorism unit

And the US has bombed and killed scores of civilians in Yemen Including a cruise missile attack on December 18th/09 ordered directly by the White House.

read more @ penny for your thoughts

3. CIA has been in Yemen since 2008: evidently we do the “training”

A new report released shows that the US and the CIA have opened a covert operation in Yemen against al-Qaeda to assist the nation’s military operations, according to AFP. In 2008, the CIA sent field operatives, who have experience in counterterrorism, to the region. The report further cites that the most secretive US special operations commandoes have begun training Yemeni security forces.

read more @ digital journal

guns don’t kill people, people kill people…

4. speaking of weapons, Thai detention of alleged arms traffickers extended — this one’s been in teh crockpot for a while…

The Bangkok Criminal Court on Wednesday extended by 12 days the detention of five alleged weapons traffickers, the crew on a transport plane detained at Don Mueang airport, as police continue to investigate their sanctions-busting flight from North Korea. The suspects claim they believed the cargo was oil drilling equipment bound for Ukraine, according to their lawyer Somsak Saithong.

But a flight plan obtained by researchers showed the plane was bound for Iran, while US intelligence chief Dennis Blair said last month that it was headed for an unspecified Middle East destination.

read more @ bangkok post
5. more crazy people with weapons: 6 police killed in North Caucasus

MOSCOW, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) — Six police were killed and about 10 others were injured in an explosion in Russia’s restive North Caucasus republic of Dagestan, Russian new agencies reported on Wednesday. A suicide bomber detonated his car laden with explosives outside the traffic police headquarters in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, local police source said….Dagestan and the other mainly Muslim regions of Russia’s North Caucasus have been plagued by instability and violence recently. Skirmishes between troops and militants, and attacks on police and other officials have been reported daily.

more @ chinaview

6. 1 killed, 4 wounded on israeli airstrike on Gaza — who are these “witnesses”?????

GAZA, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) — A Palestinian militant was killed and four wounded during an Israeli airstrike in southeastern Gaza Strip late Tuesday, witnesses and medical sources said. An Israeli drone fired a rocket on a group of militants that was monitoring the security fence separating between Israel and Khan Younis in southern Gaza Strip, killing one and wounding four, the witnesses said.

The fighters were apparently planning to fire a missile into the Israeli lands, added the witnesses.

The dead and the wounded were transferred to Nasser hospital in Khan Younis where officials identified the dead as Jihad al-Sumiri, a member of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), an armed faction close to Gaza’s Hamas rulers.

read more @ chinaview


rich and famous

Jan 5

Posted by A. Peasant in 9-11, CIA, Kuwait, Oligarchs, Putin, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Thailand | No Comments

1. dying to escape: the desperation of Kuwait’s abused maids

KUWAIT: Thirteen suicides of migrant workers were documented in Kuwait in November 2009 alone by Migrant Rights, an international organization for migrant workers. According to the Migrant Rights webpage, not a week goes by in Kuwait without a report about a maid setting herself on fire, hanging herself, drinking detergent, or mysteriously ‘falling’ from a roof or balcony.

…Elena, who sustained multiple bone fractures, in her hands, hips and legs in the fall, is scheduled to undergo a major operation today. Her sponsors, meanwhile, turned up at the hospital not out of concern for her, but to tell her that they had filed a case against her for attempted suicide and for stealing valuables, although the few goods that Elena has are inside her suitcase - which they packed and brought to the hospital with them for her.

My sponsor gave the bag to me; it’s in my [hospital] locker right now, but I haven’t opened it yet,” Elena said. “My madam told me that I took valuable things from their house and that she has filed a case with the police against me. I’m not worried because I don’t do such things. There is a [security] camera inside their house anyway, so how could I steal valuables?

read more @ kuwait times

2. Johnson and Johnson heiress dead at 30 from suspected drug overdose

The heiress to one of the world’s largest business empires has died of a suspected drugs overdose aged just 30. Casey Johnson, whose family founded the £110 billion Johnson and Johnson pharmaceuticals giant, was found dead at her Los Angeles home.

…’It appears to be a natural death. There’s no evidence of foul play. A toxicology report from the coroner’s office will proceed next,’ she said…Ms Johnson was known to have a history of drug abuse, and reports in the US say she may have been dead for a number of days before her body was found.

3. CIA reportedly ordered murder of 911 suspect in Hamburg
A CIA assassination team reportedly targeted a Syrian-German man living in Hamburg after he was connected to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. According to the latest edition of Vanity Fair magazine, the US spy agency wanted to liquidate Mamoun Darkazanli, who is thought to have been a financier for the Islamist terror network Al-Qaida. Intelligence officials in Washington even farmed out the hit to a squad of contract killers, but the deed was never carried out.

“The CIA team supposedly went in ‘dark,’ meaning they did not notify their own station – much less the German government – of their presence,” the magazine wrote in article about Erik Prince, the founder of the notorious security firm Blackwater. “They then followed Darkazanli for weeks and worked through the logistics of how and where they would take him down.”

read more @ the local

4. Saudi envoy to see Thai PM — prolly wants the family jewels back

Saudi charge d’affaires to Thailand Nabil Hussein Ashri will pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva at Government House next Monday to ask about progress made in the investigation of the disappearance of Saudi businessmen Mohammad al-Ruwaili, acting government spokesman Panithan Wattanayagorn said on Tuesday.

Mr Panithan said the meeting between the Saudi envoy and Mr Abhisit was a good sign that Thai-Saudi relations might be about to improve because much progress has been made in the investigation into the disappearance of al-Ruwaili, a relative of King Faisal of Saudi Arabia.

read more @ bangkok post

5. Boris Berezovsky deep in hot water - docs seized in Brazil being sent to Russia

Minister Celso de Mello, of the Supreme Court, confirmed the decision that authorized federal courts to deliver justice to Russia which are documents and equipment of Boris Abramovich Berezovsky seized in Brazil in 2006. A partner of Media Sports Investment (MSI) in the Sport Club Corinthians Paulista 2004 to 2007, Boris Berezovsky is accused of the crimes of money laundering and conspiracy in Brazil which is also being investigated in Russia.

Boris Berezovsky’s defense attorney filed a Habeas Corpus in the Supreme Court to try to prevent the delivery of the documents and computers seized from the businessman to Russian authorities. The order to deliver the documents and equipment came from Judge Fausto de Sanctis, of the 6th Federal Vara of São Paulo, at the behest of the Prosecutor of the Russian Federation.

read more @ pravda


6. October 2007: Berezovsky is arch-rival of Roman Abramovich, who lately has been very complimentary of Putin kiss kiss hug hug

It was a modern-day clash of the Titans - two of the richest men in the world locking horns in a bitter row over their huge egos and even bigger fortunes. Shoppers in London’s exclusive Sloane Street watched in amazement as Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich and his deadliest business rival Boris Berezovsky played out a scene more reminiscent of a gangster movie.

Berezovsky, a one-time business partner of Abramovich in three major Russian companies, had been trying for six months to serve a £5 billion writ on him - and yesterday he finally got his chance. Flanked by three bodyguards, Berezovsky - who was granted political asylum in Britain four years ago after fleeing Russia in the face of embezzlement charges - had been shopping in the designer store Dolce & Gabbana. And as he was leaving, he spotted his sworn enemy in the Hermes store two doors away. Berezovsky, 61, immediately ordered one of his burly bodyguards to fetch the writ from his £300,000 Maybach limousine parked nearby. But as he tried to enter the shop with the document, his path was blocked by Abramovich’s three SAS-trained security men. As a scuffle ensued between the two sets of rival bodyguards, Berezovsky forced open the door and barged his way in to confront an ashen-faced Abramovich.

a new war based on old lies

Dec 14

Posted by A. Peasant in CIA, Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Terrorism, Yemen | No Comments

So it looks like the US has just gotten involved in yet another war, this time in Yemen. I wondered about this just last week.

US special forces have been sent to Yemen to train its army amid fears the unstable Arab state is becoming a strategically important base for al-Qaeda.

American officials told The Daily Telegraph the country is becoming a “reserve” base for the terrorist network, which considers it a safe haven.The deployment comes as Yemen’s neighbours said they had arrested “dozens” of al-Qaeda fighters moving in and out of the country. Oman, a moderate Arab state on Yemen’s border, is to increase the number of naval patrols around the Arabian peninsula to try to intercept suspected terrorists on the move between bases in Yemen and South Asia.

Fearful that Yemen is in danger of becoming a failed state, America has now sent a small number of special forces teams to improve training of Yemen’s army in reaction to the threat.

…Ahmed Said Alkathiry, an Omani foreign ministry official, said: “We have intercepted increasing numbers of people who come from places like Pakistan, Afghanistan and Somalia that are moving their operations up through Yemen.”…Yemen is the ancestral home of Osama Bin Laden and al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the local arm of the network, has provided many of the group’s leaders. One of al-Qaeda’s worst attacks on America, the bombing of the USS Cole, took place in Aden in 2000, killing 17 American sailors.

al Qaeda? The database slash organization created by the CIA slash ISI with help from Tim Osman slash Osama bin Laden who died in December 2001? That al Qaeda? The very same.

And Saudi Arabia? Does anyone remember on September 12, 2001 how the American newspapers all had full page ads, not just one but multiple pages per paper, in papers across the country, with condolences from Saudi Arabia? The pages had a lot of white space and some nice little stylized palm tree motif across the bottom. Anybody else remember this, because I’ll never forget it. Our friends in Saudi Arabia felt so badly about what happened. They really wanted to be sure we all knew, so they took out these ads hoping that everyone here would get the message that we’re good friends with Saudi Arabia.

According to the U.S. State Department 2007 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, “Saudi donors and unregulated charities have been a major source of financing to extremist and terrorist groups over the past 25 years.” The September 11, 2001 attacks fueled criticisms within the United States of alleged Saudi involvement in terrorism or of Saudi laxity in acting against terrorist groups. The final report released by the bipartisan National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (the 9/11 Commission) indicates that the Commission “found no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually funded [Al Qaeda].” The report also states, however, that Saudi Arabia “was a place where Al Qaeda raised money directly from individuals and through charities” and indicates that “charities with significant Saudi government sponsorship” may have diverted funding to Al Qaeda. U.S. officials remain concerned that Saudis continue to fund Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations.

So to recap the situation thus far, Saudi Arabia, which spent $40.5B on arms in 2009 (compared to Israel’s $13B “allowance”), the largest defense budget in the Middle East, and which has long been suspected of funding the CIA-created al-Qaeda, now needs our help to fight al-Qaeda in Yemen.

I don’t know. Maybe I misunderstand, but that seems a little fucked up to me. But these articles from these respectable papers make it all seem so totally normal, so that you can read the lies and you know they’re lies but nobody calls them lies they just roll them over again and again. It’s too bad about all the civilians who have to die as a result. Back to the Telegraph:

US intelligence reports have said “dozens” of senior al-Qaeda members are established in Yemen. Telephone intercepts and other surveillance detected close ties with groups based in South Asia. Officials claimed that Saleh al-Somali, a Somali-born terrorist killed in a US drone strike in Pakistan last week, had orchestrated movement between the two war zones….

But officials in Yemen claim Iran, not al-Qaeda, poses the main threat to the country’s security.

Ali Mohamed al-Anisi, the chairman of Yemen’s national security agency, has blamed the Iran for fermenting the Shia rebellion. He said: “There are indeed signs, proof of Iranian interference.”

Allegations that Iran supports the rebels that attacked Saudi Arabia remain unproven. But Western diplomats claim it is probable that Iran is providing money or materiel to the group, as it has to Hizbollah in Lebanon.

Oh, so here we go. Of course this had to tie back to Iran and Hizbollah and Lebanon, just like the Kazakhs stopped in Thailand with weapons that Western intelligence sources say were “most probably destined” for Hizbollah and Lebanon, possibly even Hamas and Gaza.

Somehow, like a shamanic shape-shifter, the narrative will transform into a story about Israel, and Israel’s arch-enemies, and Israel’s security, and the existential threats that Israel faces, and the evil terrorists and Hizbullah and Hamas and Iran and Syria and Lebanon. And we will already be involved by then, because we’re involved now, by helpfully helping out our buddies in Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

plan c: back door through Saudi Arabia?

Dec 8

Posted by A. Peasant in Identities, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Military, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen | No Comments

So as far as we know Israel has not given up on the Iran war, but they have to proceed along some indirect route. Possible routes include Lebanon and Syria. What about Saudi Arabia?

Here’s some more unconfirmed information on the history of the Saudi Royal family actually being crypto-Jews, a deception allegedly started long ago in a tale of long-lost cousins reuniting by chance, except only one of them knew they were cousins.

In the year 851 A.H. a group of men from AL MASALEEKH CLAN, which was a branch of ANZA Tribe, formed a caravan for buying cereals (wheat and corn) and other food stuff from IRAQ, and transporting it back to NAJD. The head of that group was a man called SAHMI BIN HATHLOOL. The caravan reached BASRA, where the members of the group went to a cereal merchant who was a Jew, Called MORDAKHAI BIN IBRAHIM BIN MOSHE’. During their bargaining with that merchant, the Jew asked them : “Where are you from?” They answered: “From ANZA TRIBE; a clan of AL MASALEEKH.” Upon hearing that name, the Jew started to hug so affectionately each one of them saying that he, himself, was also from the clan of AL MASALEEKH, but he had come to reside in BASRA (IRAQ) in consequence to a family feud between his father and some members of ANZA Tribe. After he recounted to them his fabricated narrative, he ordered his servants to load all the camels of the clan’s members with wheat, dates and tamman; a remarkable deed so generous that astonished the MASALEEKH men and aroused their pride to find such an affectionate (cousin) in IRAQ- the source of their sustenance; they believed each word he said , and , because he was a rich merchant of the food commodities which they were badly in need, they liked him (even though he was a Jew concealed under the garb of an Arab from AL MASALEEKH clan). When the caravan was ready to depart returning to NAJD, that Jewish Merchant asked them to accept his company, because he intended to go with them to his original homeland, NAJD. Upon hearing that from him, they wholeheartedly welcomed him with a very cheerful attitude.

And so forth, a tale of deception that to me, a student of human nature, rings true. But whether it’s true I do not know.

Ever since his descendants grew up in number and power under the name of SAUDI CLAN, they have followed his steps in practicing under ground activities and conspiracies against the Arab Nation. They illegally seized rural sectors and farm lands, and assassinated every person who tried to oppose their evil plans. They used all kinds of deceit for reaching their goals: they bought the conscience of their dissidents; they offered their women and money to influential people in that area, particularly to those who started to write the true biography of that Jewish Family; they bribed writers of history in order to purify their ignominious history, and make their lineage related to the most prominent Arab Tribes such as RABI’A, ANZA and ALMASALEEKH.

Well, I fell down the rabbit hole in about three seconds flat here looking into this. Let’s just say it’s not for nothing they’re so tight with the Bushes. There’s too much here for it to all be wrong. But anyway, if you want a few laughs, go to the top link and read the descriptions of the Saudi princes, like this one:

Prince Khalid bin Sultan:
If one had to describe this big ugly huggable bear, the best description will have to be the quote provided anonymously by General Schwarzkopf staff during the Gulf war : “When it comes to military know how, he gets a C minus.When it comes to bravery, he gets a D. When it comes to intelligence, he gets a D minus. Other than that, he is OK”. This is the man who provided water and food to the Desert Storm troops through a contractual agreement with the government of Saudi Arabia. This contract alone made him $2 billion in commissions. After the war, he claimed that he was behind the victory of Desert Storm. Needless to say that he has been exiled to London where he has written a self-promoting book that exuded his intelligence and understanding of military operations. Even Prince Sultan wishes he never had that son. Today, he spends his time trying to impress Europeans and Americans alike through social activities. He is totally ignored except for those who benefit directly and indirectly from the crums of his money.

Given the descriptions of these clowns, and the accusations of their personal habits, it’s a wonder they haven’t slit each others’ throats. And no wonder they can’t get their family jewels back from the Thais. But I digress…

For more recent evidence of complicity with Israel’s agenda, in July 2009 the Times Online reported that Saudi Arabia would ‘turn a blind eye’ to Israeli jets flying over their airspace en route to attack Iran:

The head of Mossad, Israel’s overseas intelligence service, has assured Benjamin Netanyahu, its prime minister, that Saudi Arabia would turn a blind eye to Israeli jets flying over the kingdom during any future raid on Iran’s nuclear sites.

Earlier this year Meir Dagan, Mossad’s director since 2002, held secret talks with Saudi officials to discuss the possibility.

The Israeli press has already carried unconfirmed reports that high-ranking officials, including Ehud Olmert, the former prime minister, held meetings with Saudi colleagues. The reports were denied by Saudi officials.

“The Saudis have tacitly agreed to the Israeli air force flying through their airspace on a mission which is supposed to be in the common interests of both Israel and Saudi Arabia,” a diplomatic source said last week.

Although the countries have no formal diplomatic relations, an Israeli defence source confirmed that Mossad maintained “working relations” with the Saudis.

OK. Let’s see. What else do we know about Saudi Arabia? We know they spend a lot of money on military arms, for what purpose nobody seems to know for sure.

Saudi Arabia buys more arms than any other county in the Middle East. In 2009, the nation spent $40.5 billion on that. Israel comes second with a much smaller amount though - $13 billion.

Despite all that spending, two reports this week seem to indicate that something is going wrong for the Saudis and they need some assistance, although this has proven difficult to confirm.

One, they released an Iranian nuclear scientist to Washington. Why did they capture him and why would they release him, and why to Washington? Is it some sort of quid pro quo? If so for what?

An Iranian nuclear scientist who went missing in Saudi Arabia has been “handed over by Riyadh to Washington,” Mehr news agency reported on Tuesday, quoting Tehran’s foreign ministry spokesman. “Shahram Amiri, Iran’s nuclear scientist who had gone to hajj in Saudi Arabia, was handed over by Riyadh to Washington,” Ramin Mehmanparast told Mehr, referring to the Umra.

The spokesman said Amiri was one of 11 Iranian detainees currently held in US jails. His statement was the first acknowledgement by Tehran that Amiri was a nuclear scientist. Iranian officials have previously said Amiri went missing in Saudi Arabia soon after he landed there as a pilgrim earlier this year.

Two, they are reportedly in ‘panic mode’ because some of their own Saudi shi’ite military units refuse to fight the shi’ite Yemen rebels, who have now infiltrated deep into Saudi territory.

LONDON — Jordan has sent several hundred troops from its special operations forces to help the Saudi military with its many Shi’ite units contain the Yemeni Shi’ite rebellion, which has spread deep into the Arab kingdom.

Western intelligence sources said Jordan’s King Abdullah sent the SOF units to Saudi Arabia in November 2009. The sources said the Jordanian king was acting on an urgent request from his Saudi counterpart for elite soldiers who could hunt for Iranian-backed Shi’ite rebels in both Saudi Arabia and northern Yemen.”The Saudis are in a panic mode and don’t have the troops or capabilities to stop the Yemeni Shi’ites,” an intelligence source said.

The sources said Riyad’s need for foreign forces stemmed from a refusal by Shi’ite-dominated Saudi units to fight the Believing Youth. They said this has led to the dismantling of several local security units familiar with the Saudi-Yemeni border.

Saudi officials have not confirmed the assertion of the Western intelligence sources. But on Nov. 27, Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khaled Bin Sultan acknowledged that Yemeni Shi’ite fighters held at least two southern Saudi villages for nearly a month. Later, officials said 15,000 Saudis had been evacuated from their homes.

The sources said Jordan has been the only Arab League state to respond to Saudi appeals for help in fighting the Iranian-backed Believing Youth movement. Believing Youth has been fighting an intermittent war in northern Yemen since 2004, but in November 2009 invaded southern Saudi Arabia and captured several border villages.

“The Saudi air force has been heavily bombing villages inside Yemen, but this has not made a dent in the capabilities of the Shi’ite rebels,” the source said. “They have been well-trained by Iran and Hizbullah and have moved steadily north in Saudi Arabia.”

The Saudi military has focused on trying to impose a blockade on northern Yemen. The Royal Saudi Naval Forces has bolstered its presence with at least four fast attack craft and missile boats and reported the destruction of weapons smuggling ships from neighboring Somalia.

“The infiltrating terrorists intended to attack our nation when they encroached upon our territories and terrorized our peaceful people,” King Abdullah said in an address to his troops. “Undeterred by religion or ethical values, the intruders shed the blood of the people.”

Well, um, the US has a lot of forces stationed in Saudi Arabia. What if they ask the US to help? Is that why they handed over the Iranian nuclear scientist, to assist in that decision making process? Or to make sure that the US military also ‘turns a blind eye’ to Israeli jets flying over Saudi Arabia? And what happened to that Iranian nuclear scientist during his captivity? Is he now going to cough up some useful “evidence” against Iran? And can the Saudis seriously not handle, with their sophisticated military, a few rebels? Is the Saudi military really so undisciplined and/or estranged from the royal family that it refuses to fight the rebels? I don’t know the answers to these questions. But is this some kind of pathetic floundering plan C to get the Iran war started, or is it just pathetic floundering?

intersecting circles

Nov 4

Posted by A. Peasant in Africa, Corruption & Crime, Israel, Minerals, Oligarchs, Putin, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Thailand | No Comments

Bearing in mind yesterday’s post about Dmitry Karlik, the Russian immigrant who murdered a family of six that lived across from the Chabad Lubavitch shul in Rishon Letzion, Israel, a case which has “rocked the entire nation” of Israel although good luck finding any news about it, and which is now under the personal jurisdiction of Benjamin Netanyahu and Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch…..

I am going to show you some other things in the news. I don’t know if these things are connected. I’m just showing them to you. Circles intersect. Big circles, little circles. They intersect and if you keep looking you can start to see patterns and people in the intersecting circles.

First some background on Chabad Lubavitch and Russia:

While ordinary Chabadniks often describe Vladimir Putin as an evil thug, the Chabad leadership basks in its relationship with him. This contradiction has complex roots.

…In order to assure the choice of Lubavitcher Berel Lazar as Russian Chief Rabbi, Putin worked closely with wealthy Russian Jewish baal tshuvah Lev Leviev and with the Putin-friendly Russian Jewish oligarch Roman Abramovich, who was close to Georgian Jewish Oligarch Badri Patarkatsishvili, who until his death led the opposition to the Neocon-supported Saakashvili regime in Georgia.

…Lubavitchers like many Jewish groups are totally convinced of their moral superiority to non-Jews and rarely feel any remorse or connection to anti-Gentile crimes that arise out of Jewish politics and business practices…

There’s much there to read so go take a look. Anyway, the Lev Leviev and diamonds angle gets further pursued here:

Leviev built his enormous fortune trading diamonds with Apartheid-era South Africa. His company mines diamonds in partnership with the repressive Angolan government. New York Magazine reported in 2007 that in Angola, “A security company contracted by Leviev was accused… of participating in practices of ‘humiliation, whipping, torture, sexual abuse, and, in some cases, assassinations.’” Also, according to the diamond industry watchdog Partnership Africa Canada, Angola and Leviev have failed to fully comply with the Kimberley Process.

…Leviev runs a global commercial empire that includes: Leviev Group of Companies; Lev Leviev Diamonds; Africa-Israel (commercial real estate in Prague and London); Gottex (swimwear) Company; 1,700 Fina gas stations in the Southwest U.S.; 173 7-Elevens in New Mexico and Texas; a 33% stake in Cross Israel Highway (Israel’s first toll road); and more. Leviev partner Arcady Gaydamak, an arms dealer, also reportedly works with Danny Yatom, a former MOSSAD (Israeli secret service) chief and security advisor to former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. Leviev is connected to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and to Sandline International, a U.K./South African mercenary firm operating in the war-torn areas of Eastern Congo and Uganda.

…Diamonds are Israel’s top export. In 2005 figures, exports to the EU totaled $10.7 billion in 2004, including $2.5 billion in diamonds (23.3%); exports to the US totaled $14.2 billion in 2004, including $7.3 billion in diamonds (51.4%); exports to Asia totaled $7.1 billion in 2004, including $3.2 billion in diamonds (45.0%); exports to the rest of the world totaled $6.6 billion in 2004, including $800 million in diamonds (12.1%).

…Millions of blood diamonds from past and current wars remain locked in the vaults of the Belgian, Russian, New York, London and Israeli diamond bourses to insure the artificially high, monopoly-fixed, prices of diamonds.

And, of course, Lev Leviev and the Chabad Lubavitch are connected, too. In fact he was the guest speaker at the International Conference of Chabad Shluchim in November 2007.

http://lubavitch.com/news/article/2021012/Interview-Lev-Leviev-Guest-Speaker-at-International-Conference-of-Chabad-Shluchim.html

Israel takes the long vision and stakes its claim on the next generation of Forbes millionaires if it ensures that the Jewish child in Rio or in Rome has a healthy Jewish identity, says the Chairman of Africa Israel Investments, an international holding and investment company valued in the billions. When this child later succeeds in business, chances are he’ll invest in Israel before he does so anywhere else.

Lev Leviev, one of eight children, was born in 1956, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, to Avner and Chana Leviev, prominent members of the Bukharan Jewish community.

In 1971 his family emigrated from Uzbekistan to Israel, where Lev attended the Chabad yeshiva, and soon turned to polishing diamonds. Today, he is on Forbes’s richest in-the-world list, and one of the leading philanthropists of Jewish education through the worldwide Chabad network.

And from the Q&A:

Q. What, in your opinion, is the greatest problem that plagues the Jewish people today?

Assimilation.

So here are the main circles: Chabad, Russia, Israel, Lev Leviev, diamonds…

Now other topics of interest lately around here have included Saudi Arabia and Thailand, and those circles intersect with other circles, among them Israel, intelligence agencies, corruption, and child trafficking. But meanwhile it turns out that Saudi Arabia and Thailand intersect very specifically: they have been in a diplomatic kerfuffle over some stolen jewelry, particularly a blue diamond, and a few dead diplomats, for about 20 years now. Allright???

Does any of this link back to Russia, Chabad and diamonds? Who knows. But if it did, do you think anyone with any authority will point that out? Ha haahahahahah. That’s the trouble. The circles might intersect but unless somebody takes the time to lay the circles on top of each other so you can see where they overlap, or even just touch, it’s all just random coincidences, in isolation, signifying nothing. And furthermore, anyone pointing out such suspicious coincidences is known as a “conspiracy theorist.” hahahhahahaha. Too much fun. With a little money and power, you can get away with murder!

Let’s take a look. Today the Bangkok Post reported:

The South Bangkok Criminal Court on Wednesday rejected the prosecution’s application that declare a Saudi businessman who has not been seen since 1990 a legally missing person.

The petition was filed with the court on Sept 2 this year at the request of the Department of Special Investigation to clear the way for the businessman’s family to manage his assets.

The court denied the request on the grounds the prosecution had only one witness, Pol Lt-Col Benjapol Chanthawan, a DSI expert on special cases, who testified that Mohammad al-Ruwaili came to live in Thailand to run a business in 1985 and had disappeared on Feb 12, 1990.

…The petitioner also did not produce any important witnesses, such as the missing man’s wife or relatives, to confirm to the court that al-Ruwaili had disappeared.

…Also, there were no documents to confirm that al-Ruwaili had not left the country. The only document submitted to the court was a copy of the police complaint that the businessman was missing.

Additional details from September:

Mohammad al-Ruwaili, a shareholder in the job placement firm Sincere International Recruitment Co, has been presumed dead since February 1990.

The man and his wife came to Thailand five years before he went missing. They rented a room at Sriwattana Apartment in soi Yen Akas, in Yannawa district of Bangkok, and ran the job placement firm.

The missing man was seen in a car with Saudi consul Abdullah al-Besri on Feb 12, 1990, and was reported missing three days later.

His car was found abandoned in the Bangkok Christian Hospital’s parking lot.

The consul was murdered after he was seen with al-Ruwaili.

It was widely suspected that al-Ruwaili was kidnapped by police investigating the Saudi consul’s murder, and that he was tortured and later killed by his captors to cover up their brutal actions.

The businessman’s disappearance and the consul’s murder followed the killing of three other Saudi diplomats were in separate shootings on Feb 1, 1989. One of the diplomats, Saleh Abdullah al-Maliki, third secretary at the Saudi embassy in Bangkok, was shot dead in front of his home in soi Pipat 1.

And before that, in August, a new lead all of a sudden:

Abu Ali, where are you? The “Arab man” - the description given by the Department of Special Investigation - is being sought by the DSI for suspected involvement in shooting to death a Saudi Arabian diplomat 19 years ago.

Less than a year before the cases hit the 20-year statute of limitations on investigations, the name of Abu Ali came out of nowhere on Wednesday as a new suspect. [This important development was also reported in The Nation. -ed.]

…Since the murder case, Thailand has had 12 prime ministers, starting with Gen Prem Tinsulanonda at the time to Abhisit Vejjajiva, and 11 police chiefs (make it 12 in October after police commander Pol Gen Patcharawat Wongsuwon retires next month). For Saudi Arabia, the name of the interior minister has not changed over the past two decades. Back then it was Prince Nayef. Today it is till the same prince.

Thailand officials…elevating foot-dragging to an art form. Perhaps the only people better at foot-dragging are the Israelis working on “peace” with the Palestinians. But that is just an observation that Thailand and Israel seem to share certain characteristics like brazen corruption and insularity.

This is what happened to kick the whole thing off:

In 1989, Kriangkrai Techamong, a Thai employee working in a Saudi Royal household, stole about US$20 million worth of jewelry, including an infamous Blue Diamond, and shipped the goods to Bangkok [in a crate of apples - ed.] before boarding his own flight back home.

When three Saudi diplomats were sent to Thailand to solve the case, they were gunned down, and a Saudi businessman was kidnapped and killed. The Saudis had enough and banished all Thai workers.

That did not deter Thai authorities or the league of involved officials in the theft, distribution, resale and subsequent shipment of the jewels after they were recovered – sort of, back to Saudi Arabia. However, 75 percent of the returned jewelry turned out fake including the Blue Diamond.

Anyone can flip up the popular online video site YouTube and see where at least someone thinks the Blue Diamond is, but Thai authorities claim not to know. It may be gone forever. But the case lingers on. [I can't find the video. -ed]

The Saudi gems, diplomats and murdered businessman cases take an even more bizarre tone when one engages in conjecture over why Saudi Arabia has mellowed a bit over time even though the jewels have not been located nor the murderers caught. One theory is the Gulf rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia, wherein the Saudi kingdom finds Iran’s growing influence in Thailand a disadvantage to its relations with Thailand.

So it seems that corrupt police in Thailand got the jewels, transferred them to safer hands, and murdered the Saudis sent to investigate. Serious business.

One person believed to know what happened is Chalor Kerdthes. This story is from April 2008:

Justice Minister Sompong Amornwiwat on Thursday paid a visit to Bangkok’s Klong Prem Prison, where Police Lieutenant General Chalor Kerdthes, a key player in the Saudi jewelry case, has been an inmate for the past 14 years.

Chalor, a former deputy commissioner of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) who was put in charge of the Saudi case in 1990, is serving a life-sentence for the abduction and murder of the wife of Santi Srithanakhan, a Thai gem trader who was believed to be involved in the disappearance of Saudi Prince Faisal’s jewelry including a “priceless” Blue Diamond in 1989.

Apparently that didn’t pan out. Last month a Chalor received a death sentence:

Thailand’s Supreme Court yesterday upheld a death sentence for a former senior policeman who abducted and murdered a gem merchant’s wife and son as he investigated the theft of Saudi royal jewellery. Ex-police commissioner Chalor Kerdthes was convicted of the abduction and murder in 1994 of the family members of Santi Srithanakhan, who had bought some of the jewellery stolen in a notorious heist from a Saudi prince’s palace. The prosecution argued that Chalor abducted the pair to pressure the merchant into revealing the whereabouts of the lavish gems, worth $20 million.

Now for some circles:

Thailand belongs – beside Israel – to the few countries on earth that can afford to have no full diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia. Most readers won’t be aware why Thailand ostracizes Saudi Arabia. Wait, it’s the other way round. Saudi Arabia is still waiting for justice. Prime Minister Abhisit wants to draw a line under the decades old case and normalize relations with the Saudis. After 19 years – finally? – an arrest warrant is issued. The whole saga began in 1989, in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

More precisely, in the palace of Prince Faisal, son of King Fahd. The palace employed a Thai house servant, Kriangkrai Taechamong, whose job included cleaning the room where the Prince and his family stored their jewels. Well, those jewels went missing and soon it turned out that they had been distributed among some influential people at the top of Thai society. At parties and receptions some of those missing jewels were seen in Thai cleavages. And many of these people would not stop at killing to protect themselves.

Riiight. So they’re not missing, exactly. It’s just that whoever has them does not want to return them. And they are not too worried seeing that this has gone on for twenty years. Who are these “influential people at the top of Thai society” who can wear the notorious stolen jewels in public and thumb their noses at Saudi Arabia? And how could it be that Saudi Arabia couldn’t do a workaround in all these years. I mean it’s not like the Saudis are little lambs. There’s got to be something else going on here in the power equation. And wouldn’t we love to know. Here are some tidbits from a timeline:

1990 - “At a gala dinner in Bangkok soon after the incident, wives of the Thai generals and leading politicians fiercely competed in showing off their jewelry. The Thai newspapers’ photographers caught pictures showing diamond necklaces belonging to the Saudi royal family. The pictures were shown to Saudi officials who also confirmed its similarity. The Thai ladies, however, denied their authenticity.” (Another?) sighting of the jewels is alleged to have occurred at a Red Cross event (date unspecified).

3/2008 - “Two Muslim experts” who have a good relationship with Saudi Arabia appointed to serve as advisors to DSI investigators in charge of the cases.

late 2008 - SDI Director Thawee reports that 90 percent of the investigation has been completed.

anonymous comment - The timeline is missing the various instances where XXX XXXXX wore the Blue Diamond in public.

Somebody has to hold the bag while the ladies wear those jewels.

Staff at the Saudi embassy and some outsiders were suspects but the court dropped all charges against them. Pol Col Tawee said DSI officials believed the murders could have resulted from conflicts between Saudi Arabia and other countries in the Middle East.

Judging by their “theories,” the DSI investigators would appear to have ruled out the possibility that the murders of the Saudi diplomats had some connection with the efforts of the Saudi diplomats to investigate the theft of the jewels (There is little doubt that the jewels were stolen by the police). By the sound of it, the Thai police are off the hook for these murders.

I’ve read several comments on discussion boards, etc. to the effect that “everyone” knows who has the blue diamond but amazingly nobody will speak the name. Allegedly the former prime minister’s wife has been seen wearing it. Yet the cone of silence surrounds it.

And the circles continue intersecting. They connect to the economic crisis, to Iran, to the WTO…. they just go on and on like ripples across a festering swamp.

one big happy family i guess

Oct 23

Posted by A. Peasant in Bloodlines, CIA, Gatekeeping, Identities, Iran, Israel, Media, Mossad, Saudi Arabia, Terrorism | No Comments

You know the Bushes and the Saudis are tight, right? I think most people running in these circles have some vague understanding of that much…pictures of George the Younger holding hands with his pals and so forth.

There’s also the question of whether the Saudi royal family are crypto-Jews. In general the subject of crypto-Jews in Arab countries remains obscure.

This information comes from The Scribe, which as best I can tell is a historical website of a Sephardic Iraqi Jew:

http://www.dangoor.com/74008.html

A crypto Jewish couple from Saudi Arabia with their twelve children came to London a few years ago and visited the offices of the Exilarch’s Foundation, asking for help to obtain a visa to enable them to emigrate to Israel. However, the Israel Embassy in London turned down their application and they decided to travel to Jordan and move over to Israel clandestinely.

According to their evidence there are thousands of crypto Jews in Saudi Arabia who lead a separate existence from the main population. To our knowledge, there are no Jews living in Kuwait, but a number of Jewish families still live in Bahrain, mainly of Iraqi origin.also this: http://www.dangoor.com/issue78/articles/letters/12.htm

(Q) Is there any further information on the Saudi family claiming to be Crypto Jews who went to London several years ago, or any other info on Saudi Crypto Jews. Medina (Al Yatribe) and Kyber Oasis were Jewish areas in Saudia which were ethnically cleansed after the death of Muhammad. …(A) The Crypto Jews who contacted the Scribe, were unable to obtain Israeli visas and said at the time that they would go to Jordan and smuggle themselves to Israel. According to the head of the family there are a number of Crypto Jews still in Arabia who lead a separate life and inter- marry within the group.

So if it’s true, it’s a pretty tightly held secret.

Here is additional background (links removed, click through for more plus links):

Jews have lived in Saudi Arabia for over 1400 years. Several Arab/Muslim intelligence agencies think the Saudi royal clan are Crypto-Jewish. There mission is to spread for The UK an extreme form of Islam which is wholly irrelevant in the twenty-first century, keep Muslims backward, destroy progressive thought in Muslim society—where it was the leader in such matters in the world at one time, progressive movements and progressive persons within the umma.

Whilst the Saudi Royals live the most unholiest of lives, even by moderate Islamic standards—-Western prostitutes, call girls, casino’s, wild parties, massive palaces, extravagant spending in the face of Muslims suffering around the world…

Thus we see the Saudis funding ‘Operation Cyclone’ and ‘Operation greenbelt’ dollar for dollar for the creation of Islamic holy warriors in the wake of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Osama and some of his most closest cohorts came from Saudi—–more on him later. The Saudis also funded the Taliban partly. Being leaders of the two most holy places of Islam they seem to be providing minimal leadership to the umma where it matters, when Arabs are victims of genocide left, right, and center around them—-Iraq, Palestine and Somalia. Finally the Saudis were installed through the good grace of the British; Rothschild Britain.

So I’m looking for news today, and I come across this (links removed):

http://www.layalina.tv/publications/review/PR_V.22/article8.html

…and I notice it has Israeli talking points. Like for instance: Iran and Ahmadinejad are bad, Western Powers are good, Iran is hiding something, etc. Hopefully you can see them. That Canada Free Press article alone presents a case of extreme Israel hagiography in which Saudi Arabia has cruelly used little Israel as a punching bag to take the body blows that rightfully should be directed at Saudi Arabia. Those mean Saudis. They’re kind of like the evil big brother or something, but NO WE’RE NOT RELATED. I don’t know. The passion against Saudi Arabia has a little whiff of ‘Ma, this is SO NOT FAIR!’ to me.

Asserting its influence on Middle Eastern politics and power relations, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused “Western powers” of wielding the media for “full-fledged psychological attacks as a lever to influence nations against their better judgment,” reports Press TV.

The media’s ability to shape the relationship between Iran and other nations has been increasingly analyzed and exploited in the weeks prior to the first significant negotiations between Iran and Western powers. Press TV further antagonizes this divide by referring to “Western powers” throughout the article.

Indirectly referring to Israel and the US, Ahmadinejad alleged that media campaigns led by “some regimes” have become “the prime weapon-of-choice against other countries” to advance their political agenda rather than properly report on Iranian affairs.

Khalil Sheikh, writing for the Daily 49er, laments the “aggressive right wing rhetoric,” and the lack of factual analysis of Middle Eastern politics that led many people to be “blind under the umbrella of misconception that Iran is a threat to the ‘free world.’”

Ahmadinejad’s comments coincided with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) takeover of Iran’s telecommunications monopoly, reports the New York Times. The acquisition “amplified concerns in Iran over what some call the rise of a pseudo-government.”

The Guards, whose mandate is to “protect the revolution,” oversee Iran’s nuclear and missile programs. According to the New York Times, the Guards tightened their political and economic control following this summer’s elections.

It remains unclear as to whether the Guards taking over major sectors of the economy will significantly impact Iranian media freedom or foreign policy. Some analysts believe that the Guards’ growing influence will further hamper opening up to the West.

“It’s not just a matter of the Guards dominating the economy, but of controlling the state,” commented Alireza Nader, an expert on Iran. Any integration on a global scale would require greater transparency, which the Guards are averse to do since it may imply having to relinquish some of their control.

On the eve of major negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, experts are extensively scrutinizing President Obama’s policies.

Daniel Greenfield, writing for Canada Free Press, asserts that Obama’s policies toward Iran are driven by the “concerns of Saudi Arabia.” In Greenfield’s opinion, Saudi Arabia is mainly concerned with its Sunni influence in the Middle East jeopardized by Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons.

“Muslim holy wars that are fought against other Muslims are often indirect,” writes Greenfield. “The Sunni powers in the Middle East understand that when Ahmadinejad talks about destroying Israel, he only means destroying Israel first, and them second…Israel is not the endgame, they are.”

According to Greenfield, Obama’s policy of “soft power, engagement and appeasement” arises directly from Saudi influence that seeks to defuse the Iranian threat “without war or any democratization or regional political instability that might rebound back in Riyadh.” Consequently, “Obama is dithering on Iran, because the Saudis are dithering on Iran,” a policy direction rejected by Greenfield.

The conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia is epitomized by various accusations that Iranian and Saudi Arabian media outlets have exchanged since the contested 2009 Iranian presidential elections, writes the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).

Iranian television channels allege that Saudi media is “waging an anti-Iran campaign in coordination with Israel in the West,” and that Saudi Arabia is an “absolutist dictatorship” with “no status whatsoever in the Islamic world.”

In response, Saudi papers have accused Al-Qaeda of being an “Iranian front organization,” whose operations are primarily designed to benefit Iran. Iran’s nuclear ambitions and “alleged aspirations to take over the Middle East” are repeatedly condemned and the Saudi daily Al-Riyadh called on Arabs to protect themselves “with a force that recognizes the struggle between opposites.”

Unlike Greenfield, Iranian lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Shirin Ebadi supports a soft power approach, according to The Washington Post.

Ebadi claimed that the Obama administration has made several mistakes regarding Iran, arguing that the nature of Iran’s regime is more crucial to US security than deals on nuclear energy, because nuclear programs would not be a threat in the hands of a government that did not view America or Israel as enemies.

“If the West focuses exclusively on the nuclear issue, Ahmadinejad can tell his people that the West is against Iran’s national interest and rally people to his cause,” argued Ebadi. “But if the West presses also on its human rights record, he will find himself in a position where his popular base is getting weaker and weaker by the day.”
Obama declared that “the voice of the people needs to be heard,” she continued, “but he needs to repeat the statement again and again, so that people in Iran hear him.”

Are you curious? What is this Layalina Productions, Inc.? Who are these people?

http://www.layalina.tv/about.html

Layalina Productions, Inc. was inaugurated in March 2002 as a §501(c)(3) non-profit, private sector corporation. Layalina develops and produces informative and entertaining Arabic and English language programming for licensing to satellite and cable television networks throughout the Arab Middle East and North Africa.

Layalina’s programming consists of debate, drama, entertainment, and educational shows that forthrightly address the most controversial issues affecting U.S.-Arab relations. Produced in the United States and throughout the Arab world, our shows air in primetime on pan-Arab free-to-air satellite television networks. Layalina’s programming reaches a target audience of tens of millions of viewers.

We recruit top talent from the U.S. and the Arab world. Our Academy® and Emmy® award-winning writers, producers, and directors work alongside Arab and American television broadcasters and industry leaders to ensure that our shows are culturally appropriate.

Layalina’s efforts represent the first private sector initiative to establish new lines of communication and dialogue with citizens and key opinion leaders throughout the Arab world.

Layalina is funded solely through tax-deductible donations from individuals and corporations, and through grants by foundations based in the U.S. and the Arab world.

OK ready? Here’s the Board of Counselors:

President George H.W. Bush
Honorary Chairman of the Board

Tarek Abdul-Meguid

David M. Abshire

Richard V. Allen

George L. Argyros

Thomas Ludlow Ashley

James A. Baker, III

Samuel R. Berger

Wayne L. Berman

Reginald K. Brack

Zbigniew Brzezinski

John E. Chapoton

Walter L. Cutler

Lawrence S. Eagleburger

Richard Fairbanks

A.H. Farouki

Marc Charles Ginsberg

Lee H. Hamilton

Carla A. Hills

Henry A. Kissinger

Maura B. Morey

Sam Nunn

Paul A. Russo

Alejandro Santo Domingo

James Schlesinger

Brent Scowcroft

George P. Shultz

Damaris Skouras

Jeffrey H. Smulyan

Carl Spielvogel

Robert S. Strauss

John C. Whitehead

Frederick B. Whittemore

Daniel Yergin

Ezra K. Zilkha

UPDATE: “Saudi-backed, anti-Iranian” means CIA and Mossad

Peter Chamberlin commentary:

[The White House Feigns ignorance of some CIA programs, in order to maintain its deniability. There has never been even one anti-Iranian operation anywhere that was not controlled or monitored by the CIA. Even if it was true that the Jundullah outfit that attacked in Iran was really not a Pakistani group, even though it was based in S. Waziristan, the CIA knew of their actions and aims beforehand and chose to let them happen, just the way they "let 911 happen." Every Sunni terrorist outfit, especially all those described as being "al Qaida related" are CIA sponsored, using Saudi money, under ISI direction, facilitated by the Mossad.]

His commentary is on this piece from the Asia Times: Saudi-Iranian hostility hits boiling point

excerpts:

This brings us to Saudi Arabia, whose relations with Iran are passing through a period of mutual antipathy bordering on hostility….Saudi newspapers with links to the establishment have carried in recent months extremely vituperative attacks against the regime in Tehran, often at a personal level directed against the Iranian leadership. They have almost gone into mourning now that the turmoil on Tehran’s streets following the disputed presidential election has receded.

…Saudi Arabia has two great worries over Iran. First, that Obama is pressing ahead with the normalization process with Tehran - a “thaw” was visible at the Geneva talks on October 1- and Tehran has begun responding to US overtures. The worst Saudi nightmare is coming true.

King Abdullah, who had refused to visit Damascus, landed there two weeks ago on a three-day visit in a desperate attempt to bring Syria into the Arab fold and to “isolate” Iran. Riyadh is worried that Iran’s status as a regional power will get a massive boost if the normalization process with the US advances, and that can only be at the cost of Saudi Arabia’s pre-eminence in the region. Riyadh helplessly watches a beeline of other Persian Gulf states reaching out to Tehran for accommodation.

In other words, Riyadh has a vested interest, which is no less than Israel’s, to disrupt the US-Iran nuclear talks.

Maybe Riyadh’s interests and Israel’s interests look so similar because it’s really all one big happy family, hmm?