On the Gulf diplomatic crisis scene

    Abed Al-Bari Atwan is a political analyst and editor-in-chief of Al-Quds Al-Arabi Newspaper based in the UK. He recently set up a political campaign in Arabic to back up Qatar in this diplomatic strife. 

Abd Al-Bari Atwan

In this episode, he said, "In the name of God the merciful. Ladies and gentlemen welcome to this weekly meeting. At first, there is a Tunisian proverb says, "When you come to understand, you get fainted." 

In fact, I'm dizzy and I don't want to make you all dizzy with me. In any case, if we take a look at the region and what's going on in is absolutely unconscionable. To assert this irrationality, there are many things to show, overnight the Egyptian People Council suddenly held the parliament and decided that Tiran and Sanafir are Saudi islands. But, how come! where the court's decisions? How did it come about? Egypt is supposedly earning because it's joined up in the alliance against the great Qatari State. It, therefore, supposed to take not give. It's the first point anyway.

The second point, Monther Makhos -spokesperson of the High Negotiating Commission, of course, for the Syrian negotiation, said,"In Syria, there is neither a political solution nor a military one. For the issue, it is being resolved in the field." What's the field? I don't know.

The third thing, at the Palestinian sphere, after talks about the electricity crisis and all other problems, including deducting salaries, a meeting was held in Cairo between two grave foes, the representative Mohammed Dahlan and Yahya Al-Sinwar -The head of Hamas movement in Gaza- They agreed on opening up the  checkpoint, financial aids, financing electrical power plant in Gaza by fuel, increasing the Egyptian share of the electricity to Gaza, and opening up Rafah crossing point for longer hours. 

What's going on? I've never seen Gulf States' leaders more active as nowadays like Adel Jubair left for Washington and then to Moscow. The Qatari foreign minister Mohammed Ibn Abed Al-Rahman to Washington, Moscow, Berlin, London, and Paris. And then Shiekh Abdullah Ibn Zayed the foreign minister headed to the same capitals. It's an unnatural movement. What's going on in the region? What's the problem exactly? 

This is the basic story we hear about food-loaded airplanes taking off from Ankara, Tehran, and Al-Dar Al-Bayda -the White House, the Morrocan capital- to Qatar in order to break the siege down. What's the siege are we talking about? The annual income is 100.000 $ per capita in Qatar. Thank God! The graces are much.

And more than 100 billion annual income in the Qatari Treasury and the national fund has 320 billion $. What's going on? Why this food? 

Of course, it's nice to sympathize with people? I'm against blocking Qatar neither Gaza nor Yemen as well.

But, in Yemen, if we have that nobility, there about 17 millions of Yemenis at the brink of famine. We have more than 1000 have died because of cholera. So, siege, hunger, fasting, cholera, and airstrikes to send out food to Qatar!"

Atwan astonishingly continued, "Where is the nation heading to? It's really a big disaster! Donald Trump came to Riyad. Then, tweeting began that Qatar supports terrorism. So, isolating Qatar is the beginning of the end to eliminate terrorism. Qatar committed a big mistake when backed up terror. It must be sued and sanctioned. It's a green light to set off on a confrontation. Al-Eded base -U.S. military base in Qatar- won't take part in protecting Qatar in case it has exposed to invasion or occupation. Turkey sent out 5 thousand soldiers to the base there and says is stands up for Qatar. 

Suddenly, everything has changed after the Qatari defense minister traveled to Washington and undersigned a 32 F15s deal valued 12 billions $. Afterward, Trump stopped tweeting that Qatar supports terrorism. More than that, the U.S.A. has sent out two warships to Doha to participate in a military maneuver with the Qatari fleet that I suppose has two or three warships in the south of Doha. 

Consequently, there is no talk about changing the regime, replacing the prince at all. But, of course, media campaigns are still running. Searching for old files has begun now as we say when the government fails, it goes back to the old files -reckoning-

We, therefore, unexpectedly hear about recordings about assassination attempts and Qadhaffi, Shiekh Hamad Ibn Khalifa and about what they agreed on destroying Saudi Arabia internally, as well as, the attempt of assassinating the Saudi King Abdullah. Why these decisions suddenly resurfaced? Isn't there Gulf's brotherhood? Isn't there Gulf Cooperation Council that we have been saying it's the most important regional council in the region?

The whole plan is well-cooked in Washington, London, and in Paris. They laugh at us as Arabs and Muslims. In short, there are Arab national funds come out of oil revenues, when the cost of one barrel has reached 140$. The West must take them by any means, the warplanes deal, for instance.
When Trump went to Saudi Arabia, he left with 460 billion $ of such deals. There was a national fund valued more than 800 billion $, it decreased to more than 400 billion $. So, there are deficiencies in the budget that will lead to eroding the rest. As a result, Saudi Arabia will end up lending from international markets. 
The same thing with Emirati (UAE) national fund valued 900 billion $. It'll be eroded. It must go out to those who deserve it according to the Western expressions, to the West, to Washington specifically, to Trump who once stated that "they must pay for the protection, there is nothing free of charge."
All this uproar because Qatar has a treasury of 320 billion $. It said that "we don't want to pay any tribute," they replied, "you must forcefully pay."
Qatar is incrementally paying now. Today paid 12 billion $, tomorrow will be increased to 21 billion $ and next will be reached 50 billion and so on and so forth. It's apparently forbidden to own money, these amounts of money should go out to the West. Recycling the assets and national funds back and forth to end up in the U.S.A.
This is the truth, there is no sovereignty, they create wars and enemies for us. Today our enemy is Iran, tomorrow we'll wake up to see that Trump is negotiating with Tehran and their leaders Khamenei, Hasan Ruhani, Mohammed Dharif in the closed rooms. We are the victim, not Iran, they use us against each other, they used three Gulf States against other three, and tomorrow they'll use us against Iran so that we should have to buy weapons and stock up weapons. 
At the end, the USA will tell us "checkmate!"
The required thing is our wealth, this is the fact we have become tools are used and employed against one another. We should sit down together. Why are the Gulf foreign ministers roaming here and there? Why don't they sit down together to negotiate and resolve the problems? What's the problem? Where is the problem? Is it Al-Jazeera channel? But, you have dozens of channels. Is it Muslim Brotherhood? But, you cooperate with Muslim Brotherhood.
The Yemeni Reformatory Party is in Riyad, it's the political wing of Yemeni Brotherhood Movement. Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar was vice president in Yemen, he is a Muslim Brotherhood member. 
Where is the problem? Hamas will be put on the terror list because it fights the Israeli enemy, and Hezbollah does so on the other hand, it liberated its homeland in 2000 and in 2006 and withstood in front of the Israeli enemy. Is it terrorism?
I don't know where are we going? Let's sit down and understand each other. Why should we starve? Why should Yemeni people starve? And our people in Gaza and Sudan, including other areas. Why Libya has to be divided? They had told us that Seif Al-Islam is a terrorist and his hands are blood-stained. He has been released afterward. He might return to the trial again. What have we done? What has Qatar done? What has Saudi Arabia done in backing up militias? Yesterday they were revolutionaries, today have become terrorists. And who supports them should be sued and punished.
We are the victim, we are used as tools against each other. The goal is our wealth and billions. 
In the past we were talking about millions, now the millions are pennies. Today we are talking about billions. Because talking about 20, 50 million is nothing, they are very small. It's the truth.
Will we wake up of this weakness? I really doubt! They laugh at us. We have become laughable.
I wish you the best and see you next time."

The whole text above is available audiovisual on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOwNPkMZGOM   

Translator Nasser Al-Qadi

 Comments on the list of 13 conditions to revoke the Qatari diplomatic boycott by Abed Al-Bari  Atwan translated from Arabic

    Recently, the Arab Gulf States including Egypt that carry out a diplomatic onslaught against Qatar set up a list of 13 conditions that Qatar must implement in order to suspend this diplomatic boycott. Here are they read out by Abed Al-Bari Atwan -a Political analyst- who has set up a campaign to fiercely defending the Qatari regime.

He says, "In the name of God the merciful. In this weekly meeting, I'll talk about a paper is presented by Kuwait on behalf of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt, it's a list contains 13 conditions to the Qatari State, it's a very dangerous. But without ignoring congratulating you all on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr despite there is no Eid or "happiness" due to the distressing facts of 17 million hungry of our people in Yemen, cholera is perishing their souls, and more than 1500 Yemeni children have died so far as a result. There are 300 of international aid organizations warning that there are approx. 300 thousand people under the threat of potential death given to this fatal plague. Furthermore, our brothers and people in Gaza Strip having less than 4 hours electricity daily and might go total blackouts. The weather is sweltering, hunger and a stifling blockade in Gaza Strip. In Jordan, the living expenses are unaffordable and so as in many other Arab States without forgetting blockade over Qatar. 
Of course, this blockade might be different, may God help our Qatari brothers because they haven't got used to undergoing such conditions as us. I also felt sad about the Qatari camels were entrapped in Saudi Arabia where some would have died; I felt so for their shepherds as well. How come! Even the camels are doomed to carry the brunt of this crisis more than human beings in a way or another which they aren’t guilty. Concerning the 13 conditions list, it's a humiliating and overburdening in my estimation. 
Look! For instance, the first condition is, closing down Al-Jazeera Channel. Imagine Qatar without Al-Jazeera Channel! The second condition, “closing down the Turkish military base,” Qatar asked for the Turkish protection, there are some hundreds of military personnel including a few tanks. So, what can they do in encountering huge swarms of F 15s F16s... And so on?                                                                 
The third condition, "reducing the scope of the relationship with Iran,” in the past they demanded a total boycott on this relationship." Qatar replied, "Oman, Kuwait, and the UAE consecutively have such relationship. Not to mention, the sizable commercial exchange between them and Iran which estimated to be more than 15 billion $," they apparently changed their mind and kept in the position of keeping trade relations but cutting down on the diplomatic and political ties or make them not as usual.
The fourth demand is a very dangerous which "requires cutting relations with Al-Qaeda, Al-Nusra Front, Hezbollah, Muslim Brotherhood, and finally Hamas." But, how come! What’s the matter with Hamas? it's far away and out of the crisis domain. It's an Islamic resistance movement, even it has learned good lessons from the past. It, therefore, stands up neutrally in this crisis and stated its opposing attitude towards backing up neither Saudi Arabia nor its alliance nor Qatar despite the fact the last one has supported it on several occasions. But, Hamas movement is required to do so.

The fifth demand, "Qatar is required to cut off all funding for all media outlets or what so-called the Qatari Media Emperor whether in London or Istanbul and shut down many electronic websites that it established." As I know more than 1 billion $ has been spent on these media channels. So, imagine Qatar without Al-Jazeera channel!
The sixth, "Qatar is required to hand over a list of opponents' names from the Gulf who resorted to Qatar as a sanctuary whether from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE and it's forbidden hosting any of them in the future, as well as, it includes extraditing them to their governments." It's a big problem, perhaps some of them have been residing there for many years like those from the leaderships of Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas'. No doubt, some of Hamas's leaders already left for Beirut, Iran or as said some went back to Gaza. Therefore, they are wanted and must be extradited.
The next point is, "offsetting the three Gulf States including Egypt for the damages that they've incurred because of Qatari policies." But, do these States need money? The Arab Emirate has a treasury of more than 900 billion $! or Saudi Arabia that alone paid about 500 billion $ for Trump in return for weapon deals, and investments in the U.S. economy and infrastructure.
Thus, in my estimation whether these States are in need of money or not, they're escalating and complicating the conditions. But, as I said the goal is subordinating the Qatari State.
Moreover, there are 320 billion $ for Qatar are deposited in its fund in Saudi Arabia. The demand here is withdrawing this amount of money until the last dollar. This cruelty in their conditions is overseen by the U.S.A. that gives them a green light. The U.S.A. wants to seize Qatari billions. Even so, Qatari signed 11 billion F15 warplanes deal, it apparently didn't satisfy Trump's greediness, he needs much more.
I want to point out the question if Qatar refused these conditions -and this is potential- what would happen? What are the strides towards it?
There is a complete plan, it's a well-concerted, there is a threat of cutting electricity off Qatar, Doha will be like Gaza, imagine the temperature there is 55 C, in addition, the threat of withdrawing the Saudi and Emirati Stokes from Qatari banks. These stokes are estimated by more than 18 billion $. It will undoubtedly lead to a crash or semi crash in the Qatari banking system; we don't know what they hide. "Qatar will face severe sanction," according to Dr. Anward Qarqash the Emirati minister of foreign affairs who also stated, "we don't want to change a regime, but we want to change policies."
To whom you're telling lies, how will you change policies without changing the regime? Changing policies means changing the regime. If Qatar accepted these conditions, the entire regime would be changed.
I personally don't distance the military intervention. Of course, Qatar isn't innocent, it took part in aggression on Yemen, it has funded opposing movements in Syria. Moreover, these movements in any way have contributed to murdering dozens, hundreds or thousands of Syrians and destabilized the country. It's an existing and substantiated proof, even it was admitted by Hamad Ibn Jasim the former Qatari minister of foreign affairs who said once, "we were asked to be on the front seat of the Syrian crisis, and then we were asked to move to the back seat, we've funded factions and fronts there." And Mohammed Al-Joulani the head of Al-Nusra Front showed up on Al-Jazeera channel for two times. However, what's Qatar exposed to is significantly oppressive and unfair.
In all cases, if Qatar accepted these humiliating conditions, it may be surprised with new other demands later on. Now, there is personal hostility in addition to the hostility among the conflicting countries. There is a desire for retaliation.
I, therefore, expect the aggravation of these sanctions whether Qatar has accepted them or not. But, if hasn't accepted them, maybe the situation would inflame to reach a military confrontation.
There is a different rule in the Saudi Arabia, there is Mohammed Ibn Salman a newly appointed prince who doesn't have any friendliness towards Qatar. We consequently are not astonished that this prince who drove the battle on Yemen and launched this military campaign. He imposes the blockade over more than 26 million in Yemen. I, thus have no doubt that he will drive his forces to Qatar.
Dating back to 1992, we remember the "Koufos" war when Saudis forcefully changed the borders with Qatar and blocked down Qatari crossing with the UAE. Also, in 1996, there was a coup attempt at the time a large scale of "Banu Murrah" tribe's individuals had been recruited and backed up the former Shiekh Khalifa Ibn Hamad Al-Thani -the grandfather of the current Prince Tamim. As a result, it would have led to a massacre.These demands that Qatar is required to fulfill in 10 days only, imagine it quitting relationships with Muslim Brotherhood, Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, and kick Turkish airbase out ...etc in 10 days! This deadline is incapacitating.I think three days ago we celebrated two weeks of the Gulf or Qatari crisis. We'll keep writing until a month has passed on this event or maybe two or six months, maybe one or two years. God knows! What's going on is like in Yemen.

   Thank you."

To be continued ...

Available in Arabic on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnCIsHFZpAg 

Translator Nasser Al-Qadi

What's Oman doing in the mid of uproar in the Arab Peninsula? 

Oman is that far south-eastern part of the Arab Peninsula is an interesting episode of the history. Media outlets haven't been highlighting it much.

The Omani map/ by www.operationworld.org

Most importantly, its strategic geographical location pushes the cursor of the compass towards understanding how Omani leadership handles its policies in the swaying Gulf region that surrounding it.

Oman is an oil-wealthy country, in addition, its well-reputed pearl and gemstones extraction and industry, as well as, its beauty that featured by other marine creatures like coral reefs including other amenities.

As such, it has been an attractive destination for foreign investments, especially its strategic location at "Strait of Hormuz" alone shows us a story of a challenging political experience whether that it went through since the moderate Palace Coup that occurred in 1970 in Muscat when Qaboos Ibn Saed seized the throne from his father Saed Ibn Taymor. 

Sultan Qaboos set out on a journey of political reformations characterized by moderation, openness, and pragmatism. Up till then, the Sultanate of Oman has been stable to the degree that people who live in the other hemisphere used to somewhat have some sort of impression that the country was founded silently and kept away the factors that lead to deterioration whether internally or externally, although the plagued surroundings that the Arab Peninsula has gone through. 

Indeed, Oman could have wisely managed its policies which kept off plunging into the slope of sectarianism that's MENA region has been plagued by, for instance.

The country moved on the path of regional cooperation when co-founded Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) with the other Gulf States, as well as, it maintains vigorous economic ties in this region and abroad labeled by its close strategic cooperation with the U.S.A. which not only confined on economic exchange, but also, on the security sector. It went along with U.S. counterterrorism strategy after 9/11.

Dating back to the history, we could touch upon that the fluctuations that the country experienced in the 1970s, infers to the reason behind strengthening security cooperation. In the mid of this very decade, Sultan Qaboos defeated a communist-inspired separatist group had broken out in the 1960s. Iranian military forces intervened to back Qaboos up.

By 1971, Oman occupied its seats at the UN and the Arab League.

After that, it stood up neutrally seeking out stability. It, however, endorsed the operation "the Storm of Desert" in 1990 against the former Iraqi regime for invading Kuwait, and endorsed breaking down the Iraqi attempt of building nuclear facilities.
Currently, the Gulf region is going through what's said to be one of the severest diplomatic crises has ever taken place, it erupted when the Saudi  Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain including Egypt cut diplomatic ties off, this included some of other economic conduits like airlines are suspended back and forth. 
This crisis came into play in order to subordinate the Qatari regime for its policies that considered the main factors behind strengthening terror cells in the MENA region specifically in war-ridden Syria.
Omani leadership attitude hasn't been supportive of either side, it has sought out intermediating to reach an end to this crisis. So, it didn't ramp up against Qatar revoking diplomatic relations as other countries did. Omani rule stated that "it's not a wise step to take at the moment."
It kept on this relationship with Qatar setting the demand of the boycotting axis under the Saudi leadership that asked Oman to besiege Qatar and cutting lifeline off.
Basically, Saudi leadership already criticized the Sultanate's widening relations with Iran in many fields like security and economy which shrinks the trust with Oman as a strategic ally for it.
In their turn, Omani and Kuwaiti foreign ministers have been seeking reconciliation that seemed to have brought out their biased position for the Saudi side claiming that's not in their interest to keep backing Qatar up disregarding other three Gulf's States desires on the other hand for a long, it might be a run out patience.
Of course, Omani government opens the vital crossing in the south for Qatar, but the status quo might change at any point.

    
  

Qatar diplomatic crisis provides another example of the fragility of GCC alliance 

Reconciliation is the marginalized alternative in the mid of conflict

Where is the morality in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples 61/295 executed?

"Indigenous peoples have the right to the full enjoyment, as a collective or as individuals, of all human rights and fundamental freedoms as recognized in the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international human rights law." Article 1

  Indigenous people or "aborigines" constitutes a controversial issue hurdling the path of resolving an existing conflict or interior communal dissension. This human category since was exposed to atrocious systematic ethnic-cleansing operations by colonizers many centuries, still suffering from a systematic rejection of their own identity and culture that the remaining of their descendants keep struggling to hold off the ruling powers' attempts of obliterating them. For instance, Native Americans is a long journey of suffering peaked with the latest battle they fought over a land claim where they stood up against pipeline project of North Dakota.

Basically, native people don't only experience insularity because they're discriminated against, but, the policies toward them haven't completely altered. They are underrepresented although the modern policies that politicians' significantly bring up to maintain civil liberties of natives opening up new horizons to embrace them into the political and social landscapes. The Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau has stressed on several occasions that Native Canadians must be equality treated as other people. He, therefore, set up a campaign calling for integrating them into all walks of life. 

The international community highlighted this issue at official levels when the United Nations declared 1993 "the International Year of World's Indigenous People." This step aimed at enhancing global cooperation in tackling the setbacks that indigenous people encounter in many countries. 
It followed by UN declaration that the period between 1994-2004 the International Decade of World's Indigenous People. And also, the UN took the same step declaring 2005 to 2015 as the second decade of World's Indigenous People. These steps had been preceded by International Labor Organization (ILO) in 1957 when it held a convention on protecting and integrating indigenous people and other ethnic groups in independent countries.
It's indicative that indigenous people are formally recognized and classified as a humanitarian issue that human rights group watching out their situation. However, the humanitarian issue isn't the only aspect that those groups are protected accordingly, there is an environmental consideration as aborigines mostly still live nomadic lifestyle keeping on their natural livestock. If their governments marginalize them, they won't be able to maintain the environment without aids to avoid coercive consumption to these natural resources, because poverty puts them into a position dictate on them using these resources up inappropriately. 
For instance, in Latin America, there are over 400 different ethnic groups. Indigenous people make up approx 12 % of the overall population there, this percentage can be estimated nearly 50 million people.
In this region, and although most of Latin countries adopt international covenants on the rights of the native population, those natives still discriminated against and whose identity faces a steep path like racial misgivings of the legitimacy of their existence in their land. 
Tracing this issue in the Latin American region, we could find out some shocking facts that native people don't enjoy equality in many fields. For example, their children attend school for a shorter time that non-native, as well as, native children engage in labor more than non-native. In spite of the fact that indigenous congregations in many Latin American countries are allowed to set up political and social campaigns. They, consequently, enjoy integrating their institutions into different spheres of general life, they still encountering various impediments.
Therefore, indigenous people carry the brunt of racial policies are implemented to encircle them off in an attempt has been obvious to eradicate their identity. What happened in September 2007 when the long-awaited UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted with 143 votes, after 20 years of deliberations within the General Assembly. 11 countries abstained and 4 (Canada, New Zealand, the USA and Australia) voted against claiming that this declaration violates their sovereignty.
Ironically, these four countries that voted against are characterized by plurinational and diversity. Furthermore, these decisions that have been taken thus far for raising the grievances of native people are legally not binding, it means that irrespective if the country voted for recognizing aborigins getting them equal civil rights, it finally could be nullified at a certain point which indicates the moral weakness in the international resolution for the rights of indigenous peoples.
  

Shared education in the Israeli society is an attempt to bridge what's unbridgeable in the mid of rejecting the narrative of the other side