‘Don’t normalise ties with Israel’

‘Military coalitions good for Gulf states’

“WHEN Western imperialism expressed determination to form an Israeli entity in the Middle East region, the process initially began with a British initiative represented by a pledge issued to the Zionists by the British foreign secretary at that time Arthur James Balfour to help them establish a homeland for the Jews in Palestine,” Mustafa Al-Sarraf wrote for Al-Qabas daily.

“In reality, the ‘Balfour pledge’ was not aimed at just establishing a homeland for the Jews. It was based on a plan to create an advanced military base for Western imperialism in the Middle East region in order to have access to the Mediterranean region because this region is located adjacent to the European continent and the Mediterranean Sea is situated in the middle of the globe.

“At that time, the Jews were staying in Europe and were enjoying the benefits that were given to the European citizens; in fact, they received more benefits than the citizens.

“At that time, it was possible for Western imperialism to establish a homeland for the Jews in North America. However, the idea of building an advanced military base for Western imperialism in the Middle East was in the minds of the Western leaders and they eventually reached an agreement to translate this idea into reality by handing over the Palestinian territories to International Zionism at the expense of the Palestinians.

“In other words, the Western imperialists had come up with the idea of establishing a homeland for the Jews in Palestine just for justifying their project of creating an advanced military base in such a vital part of the world which is the Middle East region. This project was realized through close cooperation between Western imperialism and International Zionism.

“In addition, this project was also aimed to extend the influence of Western imperialism to the Far East region as a prelude to establishing the so-called “The Global Zionist Government.”

“Therefore, any bid propounded for normalizing the ties between the Arab countries and the Israeli entity can be considered as very dangerous in view of its perils against the Arab countries. The normalization of the ties will indeed help Zionism dominate the entire Arab World particularly the Gulf region.

“Ties between Turkey and Israel were normalized during the reign of the former Turkish president Mustafa Kamal Ataturk but that happened because Turkey at that time was passing through different circumstances as a result of the outcomes of the World War I which were not in favor of Turkey.

“Lately, people of the Middle East region have started realizing the dangers behind the imperialistic project, which is evident from the Palestinian people’s patience, Jihad and sacrifices. These people have actually succeeded in internationalizing the Palestinian cause and Palestine has managed to gain global sympathy for supporting its cause in addition to the support it receives from the Arab and Islamic people.

“Such being the case, attempts exerted by some Arab leaders to normalize ties with Israel had failed drastically such that some of them had to pay the price with their lives just for this sake.

“For example, former Egyptian president Anwar Al-Sadat was killed for his attempt to normalize ties with Israel because the Egyptian people were completely against normalization of ties with Israel.

“Nevertheless, all of the Arab and international political stances are currently in favor of the Palestinian people’s interests, irrespective of the hectic attempts exerted by Western imperialism and International Zionism to pressurize the relevant governments including some of their allies among the Arab governments into changing their stances in this connection.

“It is needless to say that Arab people will not forgive any Arab government that will succumb to the Western pressures and move towards normalizing ties with Israel because such normalization, in the eyes of the Arab people, will enable International Zionism to achieve its targeted objectives.

“Therefore, any initiative aimed at normalizing ties with the Israeli entity by any government in the Middle East region will not be in favor of that government and the latter may end up having to pay an exorbitant price for it.

“I sincerely hope none of the Arab governments particularly that of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states will place itself in such an impasse irrespective of the volume of pressures that are likely to be imposed on them in this regard.”

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Al-Sarraf

“During the World War I and in the year 1916, a clandestine treaty known as ‘Sykes – Picot Treaty’ was reached between Britain and France with the aim of dividing the countries under the rule of the Ottoman Empire between London and Paris following the end of World War I and the downfall of the Ottoman Empire,” columnist Ahmed Al-Khayat wrote for Aljarida daily.

“Such a treaty remained hidden until it was exposed by the Communist Revolution which took place in Russia in 1917. Hundred years after the treaty was reached, some great powers attempted to revive it to such an extent that one may say that its ghost is still roaming around us.

“For instance, the Arabian Gulf region is currently witnessing some tense and unstable political events. In addition, this part of the Arab World sometimes witnesses perils and threats that are mostly linked to the political events prevalent in the Middle East region.

“Following the downfall of Al-Baath regime in Iraq in 2003 and the United States of America’s campaign against terrorism in the wake of the 9/11 incident, the Middle East region witnessed two dangerous and significant events – increase in Iran’s and Turkey’s military strength and the appearance of some terrorist groups. These started constituting a danger against the Arabian Gulf region’s security.

“In 2011, this part of the world was affected by the repercussions of the ‘Arab Spring’. The downfall of the Egyptian regime at that time and the eruption of the Syrian revolution as well as the related developments represented by the Iranian military intervention in Syria were witnessed that year. In 2015, the Arabian Gulf region embarked on the ‘Operation Decisive Storm’ for confronting the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

“However, all of these events and developments may raise a significant question - Is the region currently facing a new ‘Sykes–Picot Treaty’ that is yet to be overtly declared?

“Anyone who looks at the map of the Arabian Gulf Region will definitely notice that this part of the world is currently surrounded by perils from all directions such as from the Zionist entity, Iran and from some other conflicting and struggling powers; all of this is happening under an ambiguous American silence.

“In view of the above, the Arabian Gulf countries formed the ArabIslamic Coalition which recently organized ‘The Thunder of North Maneuver’. The Gulf citizens have started feeling safer because of this operation and have started believing in the existence of sincere and qualified leaders that are capable of defending their homelands and citizens. These leaders have realized the perils that surround this region and formed the Arab-Islamic Coalition for protecting the region from any treaties that are aimed to divide it.

“We are in an imperative need for such coalitions and huge military maneuvers for the protection of our region because these coalitions and military maneuvers send a clear message to those who are plotting against the region for achieving their avarices, and keep them under the impression that this part of the world is currently being led by sincere and efficient leaders who are capable of defending their countries.

“In conclusion, such a development represents a pioneering measure by the region to achieve sound Arab and Islamic unity. Therefore, we hope the Gulf leaders will continue to protect the region and form the necessary military might that will be capable of maintaining the security and safety of all Gulf countries and protecting them from the foreign avarices of those who are striving to loot the wealth of this region.”

“The parliamentary session last Thursday witnessed a strong lecture on theorization and loose talks from MP Adnan Abdulsamad while defending MP Abdulhameed Dashti,” Saud Al-Samakah wrote for Al-Seyassah daily.

“Abdulsamad talked for a long time about the methods of applying the law and the “sin” of breaching the Constitution. He insisted that MP Dashti did not commit any mistake but he only expressed his political point of view. However, how can insulting our brothers in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain and issuing aggressive statements to them be considered as expressing political opinion?

“Abdulsamad said, “We warned you against supporting Sadaam Hussain during the Iran-Iraq war but you did not listen carefully to us.” Was it right to take the side of Iran when she had openly revealed her intention to extend her revolution to the neighboring countries? By the word ‘neighboring countries’, which countries were included in Iran’s plan? Perhaps Australia, Brazil but not the Gulf countries was what Iran had meant.

“Abdulsamad went on to say, “We told you that the Yemeni crisis can be solved through dialogue and it is the Yemenis who have the right to decide their destiny.” The truth is that the Yemeni issue was not limited to just a struggle among the various parties and groups in Yemen. No one can deny the Iranian support of the coup against the legitimate president of Yemen. If the case was limited to a conflict among the Yemeni parties, then it would have been considered as an internal conflict and would not have required any interference by the Gulf countries. Those responsible for the coup were definitely involved in the Persian Empire Project. In addition, holding a dialogue was not possible because of the Houthis’ control over all authorities in Yemen.

“Thanks to the Operation Decisive Storm, Yemen has regained its legality. The meeting to be held in Kuwait within a few days is not about negotiations but about victory in putting conditions in front of the defeated Houthis who have no choice but to submit to the international authority and accepting the conditions for rebuilding Yemen based on the Resolution No. 2216 of United Nations Security Council. What still remains is blacklisting the names of Houthi war criminals and the toppled president of Yemen Ali Abdullah Saleh.”

“It is impossible to interpret statements made by the ministers of Finance, Electricity and Water among others, assuring that the proposed increase in electricity charges will not drain the pockets of ordinary citizens,” Dr Wael Al-Hassawi wrote for Al-Rai daily.

“It is necessary to avoid increasing electricity charges for those with low consumption — from zero to 3,000 kilowatts — which currently costs two fils per kilowatt. However, the Ministry of Electricity and Water surprised us by announcing the new fees which start with five fils per kilowatt for those whose consumption ranges from zero to 3,000 kilowatts and eight fils for those who consume more than 3,000 kilowatts up to 6,000 kilowatts.

“This is the first violation of the pledge made by the ministers because the electricity cost increased 2.5 times! Definitely, the tariff will not stop at the first category since 3,000 kilowatts are adequate only for small and medium houses, whereas majority of our houses consume an average of 5,000 kilowatts. This means the ordinary citizens will be paying four times the current electricity charges!!!”

“Most of the time, we Kuwaiti citizens grumble because we want to possess everything. We often see many mistakes and violations being committed in front of us but we are unfortunately unable to control them because of the government’s inability to control them,” ret Major General Hamad Al-Sraee wrote for Al-Anba daily.

“I recently visited Germany, which has one of the most powerful economies in the world, and I noticed how people respect time, work and law and maintain discipline in all aspects. During my meeting with a German personality, we spoke about the issue of Syrian refugees, as Germany has received about one million refugees. He told me Germany is a huge country and it can receive more than that number without negatively affecting the current population.

“I couldn’t help but wonder what will happen if our wise government reaches a deal with its German counterpart for managing our money and assets which are worth about $700 billion, receiving all Kuwaiti people to live in Germany where they will receive generous monthly salaries whether they choose to work or not and closing Kuwait temporarily until the oil prices improve.”

“It seems that the upcoming US presidential election is different from previous ones; in terms of escalating extremist speeches and attacks by the Republican candidate Donald Trump, who has taken the hate speech to the level where Muslims should reconsider their relationship with the US,” Fahad Daoud Al-Sabah wrote for Al-Nahar daily.

“From the time when the first presidential election was won by George Washington, the United States has amended the constitution 27 times to enhance freedom and accept others. The country made individual initiatives as the pillar of its democracy, thus it qualifies to be called as a land of opportunities. However, it is retrogressing from the convention by entering into a selfisolation stage.

“Trump does not represent himself in this election; otherwise he wouldn’t have been getting so much a high support in the Republican primary elections. As much as the political elite in the party try to prevent success of his candidature, they cannot waive the fact that the majority of Republicans lean more toward extremism and isolation.

“The same problem is with the majority of US political parties, considering the speeches of leading candidate for the Democratic Party Hilary Clinton resonate with hatred for Islam and others.”

— Compiled by Zaki Taleb