Nasheman

India's largest selling Urdu weekly, now also in English

You are here: Home / Archives for Nasheman

BJP wants to rule Kashmir – with Hindu chief minister

by

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley during the party's Central Election Committee meeting for the upcoming Assembly elections, in New Delhi on Sunday. Photo: PTI

File photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley during the party’s Central Election Committee meeting during the J&K Assembly elections, in New Delhi. Photo: PTI

Srinagar/Jammu: The BJP declared Thursday that it was determined to govern Jammu and Kashmir amid speculation that the National Conference would ally with it if the BJP didn’t insist on a Hindu chief minister for the country’s only Muslim-majority state.

BJP leaders Arun Jaitley and Ram Madhav made known the party’s intentions separately in Jammu and Srinagar, with the latter saying he was in the state to explore various options on government formation after elections led to a hung 87-member assembly.

The BJP and the National Conference, the second and third largest groups in the house with 25 and 15 members, denied they were in secret talks. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which won 28 seats, was reportedly looking at both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress as possible allies.

Jammu and Kashmir must have a BJP-led government, party general secretary Ram Madhav said, adding he was in Srinagar to explore the various options.

Ram Madhav told reporters: “The BJP has the mandate to lead the government in Jammu and Kashmir. I am here to explore the options.”

He added that he was meeting representatives from different parties but did not provide details.
“We are open to discussions, and meetings can be had with the prime minister also in this regard,” he added, two days after the BJP emerged as the second largest group in the Kashmir assembly for the first time.

BJP sources told IANS that talks between the National Conference and the BJP had hit a roadblock because of the BJP’s insistence on having a Hindu chief minister.

In Jammu, Finance Minister Jaitley said the BJP would play a prominent role in government formation and the decision on its exact nature had been left to party president Amit Shah.

Briefing reporters after meeting newly-elected BJP legislators, Jaitley underlined that his party got the largest popular vote in the state though it contested from only 76 of the 87 constituencies.

He said the BJP was in touch with “independent and unattached” legislators.

“Whatever government is formed, the BJP should have a prominent role in the political process as the popular mandate in terms of highest vote is with us,” he said.

The National Conference, the sources said, was ready to support and even join a BJP-led coalition on the condition that the BJP gives up its demand for a Hindu chief minister.

At the same time, the PDP, while keeping its options open vis-a-vis the BJP, had sent feelers to Sajad Lone that he could be a deputy chief minister if he backed a PDP-Congress coalition, the sources said.

Sajad Lone’s People’s Conference has won two seats. Congress candidates were elected from 15 constituencies.

Another independent, Hakim Yaseen, has denied media reports that he had announced support for a BJP-led government.

Seven independents have also been elected to the assembly. A group of parties will need the support of 44 members to form a government.

Earlier, Ram Madhav denied a meeting had taken place between the National Conference and the BJP leadership.

Outgoing Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who has been in New Delhi since Wednesday, retweeted Ram Madhav’s statement.

Some reports say the BJP would get the chief minister’s post for a full six years while Abdullah would join the union cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A PDP spokesperson said the reports were meant to mount pressure on it to reach an early post-election agreement with the BJP. “As of now, we have decided to wait and watch,” the spokesperson told IANS.

All the BJP legislators were elected from the Hindu-majority Jammu region while almost all PDP and National Conference legislators won from the largely Muslim Kashmir Valley.

(IANS)

Woman who filed rape case against Asaram goes ‘missing’

by

Asaram-Bapu

Ahmedabad: A 33-year-old married woman, who had filed a case of sexual assault against self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, is mysteriously missing for over a week along with her son and husband, police said on Thursday.

“A victim of rape, who had accused Asaram of sexual assault, went missing along with her son and husband more than a week ago,” Sub-Inspector N M Ahir of Kamrej Police Station in Surat city told PTI over phone.

“Police department had provided four Constables to the victim for her protection. On December 14, the victim informed our personnel that her family members were going to attend a marriage in Amroli area in the city where they did not require police protection,” he said.

The Constables remained posted outside her home but neither the woman nor her son or husband returned. This led police to file a missing complaint on December 18, Ahir said.

Police later found that there was no marriage in the victim’s social circuit in Amroli on that day. Their cellphones are switched-off, making it difficult to trace them, the Sub-Inspector said.

A probe is underway to locate them, he added. Before disappearing, the Surat-based woman had filed an application in a court saying she wanted to change her statement recorded under Section 164 of CrPC in the case.

The statement recorded under the said Section is admissible at the stage of trial unlike the one recorded before police. However, the court in Gandhinagar rejected her plea last Monday.

The women had last year filed a police complaint and accused Asaram Bapu of sexual assault between 1997 and 2006 when she was staying in his ashram on the outskirts of Ahmedabad.

Her younger sister had filed a separate complaint against 76-year-old Asaram’s son Narayan Sai, accusing him of repeated sexual assault between 2002 and 2005 when she was living in his Surat ashram. Gujarat Police filed a chargesheet against Asaram in January this year.

The religious preacher has been charged with rape, illegal confinement and criminal conspiracy. He is lodged in a Rajasthan jail in another rape case.

(PTI)

BJP, PDP discuss Jammu and Kashmir government formation

by

PDP-Kashmir

Srinagar: Talks between the BJP and the PDP for government formation in Jammu and Kashmir is expected to continue Friday, party sources said.

BJP top sources said that two rounds of talks were held Thursday between BJP general secretary Ram Madhav and senior PDP leader and parliamentarian Muzaffar Hussain Baig in Srinagar.

“The talks remained inconclusive and will continue,” BJP sources told IANS.

PDP sources said the party is discussing a common minimum programme with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“There has to be a clear common minimum programme before we join hands with future allies,” PDP sources said.

Former chief minister and National Conference working president Omar Abdullah has again said he did not meet any BJP leader to discuss an alliance.

NC leader who won elections from central Kashmir Badgam seat Syed Ruhullah said Thursday any truck with the BJP would be against the interests of the people of Kashmir and the NC.

Ruhullah’s statement came amid media speculations that the BJP and the NC were close to reaching an agreement on coalition in the state.

Coalition won’t last long: Salman Soz

Congress leader Salman Soz Friday said PDP should take responsibility to bring stable government in the region.

He said that like-minded people should come together so that stability may be achieved.

Soz said Congress is open for alliance with PDP if the party is asked for the same.

Refuting on any possibility of alliance between BJP and PDP, Soz said that both the parties are like oil and water, having no chemistry and therefore such alliance would not last long.

(With inputs from IANS)

Raghubar Das to be first non-tribal chief minister of Jharkhand

by

raghubar-das

Ranchi: Jharkhand is all set to get its first non-tribal chief minister with Raghubar Das being elected as the BJP state legislature party leader Friday.

Das, a five-time legislator from East Jamshedpur, will be the 10th chief minister of Jharkhand.

The Bharatiya Janata Party-All Jharkhand Students Union alliance won a clear majority in the assembly elections. The BJP emerged as the single largest party with 37 seats, while the AJSU bagged five in the 81-seat assembly.

(IANS)

Hindu outfit holds ceremony for 'Godse's temple'; probe ordered

by

Nathuram Godse

Meerut: Activists of Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha have allegedly performed a ceremony here for construction of a “temple” dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse, following which the administration has ordered a probe into the matter.

The “bhumi pujan” (prayers) was performed at a temple on Shaarda Road here yesterday.

During the event, the national general secretary of Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha Acharya Madan allegedly praised Godse, calling him a true patriot and criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issues of Ram Temple and revocation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir.

Mahasabha members also allegedly spoke of launching a campaign for conversion.

Acting District Magistrate Navneet Singh Chahal told PTI today that the district administration has taken the incident seriously and ordered the police officer in charge of the area to probe it.

Case will be registered and strict action will be taken against whoever is found guilty, he said.

SSP Onkar Singh said the matter is serious.

The Local Intelligence Unit has been asked to submit a report on the incident, he said, adding that strict action will be taken against those involved after the report is received.

No one will be allowed to disturb the law and order of the city and police will deal with such people strictly, he said.

(PTI)

BJP opposes Karnataka government’s move on Tipu Sultan birth anniversary

by

Tipu Sultan

Bengaluru: The Congress government’s move to celebrate the birth anniversary of the 18th century legendary king Tipu Sultan has stirred a controversy in Karnataka, with BJP alleging that it was an attempt by the ruling party to strengthen its vote bank.

On December 22, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced that the government has decided to celebrate “Tipu Jayanti” and the date would be decided shortly.

“There has been a lot of pressure from various quarters to celebrate Tipu Jayanti. We have decided to take this into consideration and will announce the date shortly,” Siddaramaiah had said at the release of a book “Tipu Sultan: A Crusader for Change” by historian Prof B Sheik Ali.

But this has not gone down well with the BJP, with its senior leaders claiming that Tipu was a “tyrant” who committed forced conversions in Kodagu and Dakshina Kannada districts in Karnataka and the neighbouring Kerala.

BJP leader Suresh Kumar said Tipu cannot be considered as a person whose birthday should be celebrated by the government, claiming that the erstwhile Mysuru ruler had committed barbaric acts against people including Kodavas (in Kodagu district).

“We (BJP) have our own viewpoint on Tipu Sultan about his administration, especially when you go to Coorg (Kodagu) and other places where people still remember the barbaric acts committed against Coorgis, who refused to oblige his dictates. So, Tipu cannot be considered as a person whose birthday should be celebrated by the state government,” he claimed.

Tipu was a ruler of the erstwhile kingdom of Mysore, who was considered an implacable enemy of the British East India Company. He was killed in May 1799 while defending his fort of Srirangapatna against the British forces.

When pointed out that Congress considers Tipu as secular, Kumar said that party had its own definition of secularism which is not acceptable worldover.

“Yes, Tipu Sultan was and has been as secular as the Congress leaders are because in the Congress dictionary and their viewpoint they have got their own definition of the word secular which is not acceptable the world over,” he said.

“Congress has felt that by projecting Tipu Sultan, their credentials among their votebank will get strengthened. Having tasted defeats after defeats since parliamentary elections, it is resorting to the same step. I wish Congress good,” he said.

State Legislative Council Chairman and senior state BJP leader D H Shankarmurthy told PTI that the government has all the rights to celebrate Tipu’s birthday, but the Mysuru ruler was “anti-Kannada.”

“Before Tipu ruled Mysuru, Kannada was the official language. He replaced Kannada with Persian, which was an alien language,” he said.

Moreover, Tipu was not a Kannadiga and he forced conversions in Kodagu and Dakshina Kannada and Kerala, he claimed.

Countering Siddaramaiah’s remarks that Tipu supported temples and gave money to construct them, Shankamurthy said no one can also ignore his acts of demolishing temples.

“There may be few instances of Tipu supporting construction of temples by giving money, but it is also true he demolished many temples. A debate has to be there as to why Tipu supported some and demolished other temples,” he argued.

Siddaramaiah had said Tipu had supported temples and gave money to construct them and waged a war against British and died on the battlefield for the cause of Indian freedom.

The Congress government has been making attempts to honour Tipu but without much success, the earlier case being an attempt to launch a central university proposed at his erstwhile capital Srirangapatna, also a major Hindu pilgrimage destination, during the UPA rule, which was opposed by the then BJP government in the state.

Modi wishes Nawaz Sharif, visits Vajpayee and pays floral tribute to Malaviya on their birthdays

by

Photo: PTI

Photo: PTI

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on his 65th birthday Thursday.

“On his birthday, I convey my good wishes to Mr. Nawaz Sharif and I pray that Almighty blesses him with good health,” tweeted Modi.

He visited former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at his residence and greeted him on his 90th birthday and on being conferred with the Bharat Ratna.

In the morning, Modi took to Twitter and said there is no bigger tribute to Vajpayee than celebrating his birthday as ‘Good Governance Day’.

“There is no bigger tribute to Atal ji than celebrating his birthday as ‘Good Governance Day’ and pledging to devote ourselves to this cause,” Modi tweeted.

“Development and good governance are the only ways ahead. Together, let us make a positive impact in people’s lives and create a developed India,” said another tweet by Modi.

Vajpayee, along with late freedom fighter-educationist Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, was Wednesday named for India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna. Both of them share their birthday Dec 25.

Modi Thursday paid floral tributes to educationist and Hindu Mahasabha leader Madan Mohan Malaviya on his 153th birth anniversary in Varanasi.

(IANS)

The Most Amazing Science Images Of 2014

by

Honey Hunting Nepal

The website io9 has collected a bunch of the most amazing science images of 2014. According to them:

What you’ll find here are photos that engaged our minds, and videos that set our pulses racing – a carefully curated collection of the weird, the wonderful, and the truly awesome. Here you’ll find imagery that moved us, inspired us, and shook us to our core, and a few that made us laugh in sheer amazement.

Bahrain adopts Israel strategy to alter demographics: activist

by

Nabeel Rajab speaks to the crowd in Bahrain regarding the deliberations at Geneva. Photo: Ahmed Al-Fardan

Nabeel Rajab speaks to the crowd in Bahrain regarding the deliberations at Geneva. Photo: Ahmed Al-Fardan

by Al-Akhbar

Prominent Bahraini human rights activist Nabeel Rajab accused Bahrain’s ruling family of seeking to change Bahrain’s demography by adopting a strategy similar to that used by the UK in the creation of Israel.

Talking to Iranian news channel Press TV, Rajab said the systematic naturalization of foreigners and the deportation of locals after revoking their citizenships are proof that al-Khalifa family is implementing the same strategy that Britain implemented in Palestine.

Dozens of Bahrainis have had their citizenship revoked and several have also been deported since Bahrain adopted the Bahraini Citizenship Law last year stipulating that suspects convicted of “terrorist” acts could be stripped of their nationality.

“The Bahraini authorities are running out of arguments to justify repression. They are now resorting to extreme measures such as jail sentences and revoking nationality to quell dissent in the country, rather than allowing people to peacefully express their views,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa deputy director.

“Arbitrarily depriving these Bahrainis of their nationality and forcing them out of Bahrain renders them ‘stateless’ and goes contrary to Bahrain’s international obligations,” said Sahraoui.
Moreover, the Bahraini ruling family have been naturalizing foreigners since 2012 in an attempt to change the demographics of the country.

According to information Al-Akhbar received earlier this year, the Bahraini authorities have granted tens of thousands of people, with certain characteristics and from designated countries, Bahraini citizenship, in an attempt to create a new sectarian majority, which would deny the Shia their rightful representation in the state’s institutions.
These tactics are similar to those used by the West to alter the demography of Palestine.

Khalil al-Tafakji, a settlement and map expert in East Jerusalem, asserted to Al-Akhbar that Israel has been systematically working since 1967 to turn Jerusalem into a city with Jewish features. “In 1967, 70,000 Palestinians and not a single Israeli lived in [East] Jerusalem, whereas today 320,000 Palestinians and at least 200,000 Israelis are residing in the city.”

Tafakji then said that “125,000 Palestinians have been forced by the Israeli occupation forces to live behind the [apartheid] wall, which means only 195,000 Palestinians are currently living in East Jerusalem, making Zionist settlers the city’s majority.”

The roots of the Israel-Palestine conflict date back to 1917, when the British government, in the now-infamous Balfour Declaration, called for “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.”

Israel occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank during the 1967 Middle East War. It later annexed the holy city in 1980, claiming it as the capital of the self-proclaimed Zionist state – a move never recognized by the international community.

Crackdown

Moreover, Rajab, director of the Gulf Center for Human Rights (GCHR) and co-founder of Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), said that Britain has been supporting the Bahraini authorities, as well as other Gulf states, in their crackdown on pro-democracy protests.

Foreign military presence and military cooperation with Western countries are common in Gulf countries.

Britain said on December 5 it had sealed a deal to open a new military base in Bahrain, its first permanent base in the Middle East since it formally withdrew from the Gulf in 1971, drawing concern from Bahraini opposition groups.

Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid al-Khalifa considered the agreement to be a step that bolstered “growing” cooperation between his country and the UK.

Washington is also a long-standing ally of the ruling al-Khalifa dynasty and Bahrain is home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet.

During the Gulf War in 1991, the US military presence became firmly-established with permanent bases and a comprehensive support structure after signing “protective” agreements with all the countries on the Western bank of the Gulf.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf neighbors sent troops into Bahrain in March 2011 and reinforced a crackdown that led to accusations of serious human rights violations.

With Saudi Arabia’s help, Bahrain crushed peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations that began on February 14, 2011.

The small nation has yet to resolve the conflict between the monarchy and the opposition, which argues that the country’s Shia majority population is discriminated against.

Secret flight linking Israel to the UAE reveals 'open secret' of collaboration

by

A private jet is covertly flying between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi, which are said to be engaging in high-level trade in the security sector

The aircraft flying between Israel and the UAE lands in Tel Aviv on 18 December (MEE/Oren Ziv)

The aircraft flying between Israel and the UAE lands in Tel Aviv on 18 December (MEE/Oren Ziv)

by Rori Donaghy, Middle East Eye

A private jet is flying between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi up to twice per week, an analysis of publicly available data has revealed.

Analysts said the news lends weight to the “open secret” that the UAE is “actively collaborating” with Israel due to shared concerns about their future in a region racked by conflict.

Relations between Israel and the Gulf states are sensitive due to the ongoing occupation of the Palestinian territories, popularly opposed by Gulf nationals, and none of the monarchies have official diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv.

Israeli daily Haaretz first reported a plane flying between Israel and an unspecified Gulf state earlier in December. After initially not responding to requests for comment, the article’s author told MEE he “cannot go into why” the newspaper did not publish the UAE as being the destination.

The Tel Aviv-Abu Dhabi route

The flight between Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi International Airport is operated by the Geneva-based private airline PrivatAir, on an Airbus A319 registered with the tail-number D-APTA.

The plane leaves Tel Aviv on flight number PTG 315, with Jordan as the stated destination, although the Queen Alia Airport in Amman does not list its arrival. Jordan is one of the few Arab countries to have diplomatic ties with Israel.

While online flight radars have showed the flight departing Tel Aviv, and stopping briefly at Amman, they then depart for Abu Dhabi.

While online flight radars have showed the flight departing Tel Aviv and stopping briefly at Amman, they then depart for Abu Dhabi.

The private jet leaves Amman under the callsign – a plane identification number – of PTG 126 but its arrival in the UAE is not listed on Abu Dhabi International Airport’s website.

A recent trip saw an outbound flight take place from Tel Aviv to Abu Dhabi on 16 December. The plane returned from Abu Dhabi on 18 December using the callsign PTG 124 until Amman but then arrived at Ben Gurion on flight number PTG 313.

The PrivatAir jet approaches Amman from Abu Dhabi on 18 December (Planefinder.net)

The PrivatAir jet approaches Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on 18 December (Planefinder.net)

Neither the departure from Abu Dhabi nor the arrival at Amman is listed on each respective airport’s website.

Only Ben Gurion acknowledges the plane’s arrival and departure – the next flight is due to depart Tel Aviv at 10pm local time (2000 GMT) on 27 December using flight number PTG 315.

PrivatAir registered the Airbus A319 under their ownership on 5 March 2014 and made the first trip from Tel Aviv two days later.

The plane can hold up to 56 passengers, according to PrivatAir’s website, and is kitted out with eight business class seats around two tables at the front.

When contacted by MEE PrivatAir said they could not divulge any information about the identity of their client.

“Unfortunately the information you have requested is confidential as it concerns a private client,” a spokesperson said. “We have to remain discreet and cannot provide you with any details regarding this operation.”

The private airline did not answer whether AGT International – a Geneva-headquartered company owned by Israeli businessman Mati Kochavi – was their client.

Israel-UAE relations

A 2012 report by the French Intelligence Online website said AGT International had signed a contract worth $800 mn to provide Abu Dhabi’s Critical National Infrastructure Authority with “surveillance cameras, electronic fences and sensors to monitor strategic infrastructure and oil fields.”

The corporate intelligence website described AGT’s owner Kochavi as “the Israeli businessman most active in Abu Dhabi.”

Among diverse services AGT International offers “critical asset management”, described on its website as:

“Innovative oil and gas solutions [that] deliver real-time situational awareness which ensures the safety and security of people, critical assets and operations, superior control of incidents, emergencies and crises, and business continuity.”

Israeli entrepreneur Kochavi first made his fortune in property before moving into the security field. He has reportedly employed “dozens” of former Israeli army and intelligence officers, according to Haaretz, and recently launched media outlet Vocativ.

When contacted by MEE, AGT International said they did not have a press office and would not comment on whether they were PrivatAir’s client on the Tel Aviv-Abu Dhabi flight.

Political approval

Trade between Israel and the UAE must be approved by the political leadership on both sides, according to political economy experts on the region.

“The relationship is high-level and the business has to be done with the blessing and participation of state actors but, of course, nobody admits this – the trade is conducted entirely through third-party channels,” said Yitzhak Gal, professor of political economy at Tel Aviv University.

“Nobody has any statistics because the trade is covert but I estimate there to be around $1bn per year, possibly more, with between a third and half of this business taking place in the security sector – it’s not a small amount but it’s only a fraction of the potential trade.”

While Israeli citizens are officially barred from entering the UAE, a leaked diplomatic cable by Wikileaks from 2009 revealed positive high-level ties between political leaders from both countries.

“[UAE ] Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah [bin Zayed al-Nahyan] has developed good personal relations with [then Israeli] Foreign Minister [Tzipi] Livni, but the Emiratis are ‘not ready to do publicly what they say in private’,” read a briefing by Marc Sievers, then political advisor to the US embassy in Tel Aviv.

The cable also detailed relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, as well as describing how covert Israeli ties with Qatar had soured due to the latter’s support for the Palestinian movement Hamas.

“Gulf Arabs believe in Israel’s role because of their perception of Israel’s close relationship with the US but also due to their sense that they can count on Israel against Iran,” the cable read.

“They believe Israel can work magic.”

Secretive Israeli-Emirati ties – including the sale of security equipment to Abu Dhabi – may have been aided by the presence of exiled Palestinian strongman Mohammed Dahlan in the UAE.

Dahlan lived in the UAE since being chased out of the West Bank in 2011, accused by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas of financial embezzlement and acting as an Israeli agent involved in assassination attempts on the late Yasser Arafat.

Dahlan is said to have helped foster valuable relations between the UAE and Serbia and was allegedly involved in shipping Israeli-made arms to former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

After initially agreeing to be interviewed by MEE, Dahlan declined to comment on UAE-Israel relations.

The secret is out

The flight between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi has not been specifically reported on until now but airline industry experts said there can be no doubt other Gulf states will have been aware of it taking place.

The journey involves the private jet flying through Saudi, Qatari, and Bahraini airspace after departing from its brief stop in Amman.

“They [Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain] definitely would know where the plane has come from,” a private jet pilot, who asked to remain anonymous, told MEE.

The pilot told MEE it was “very common” for private airlines to operate covert flights between countries who publicly deny having relations, explaining that “aircraft operators can get special dispensation depending on which kind of person is flying – perhaps a politician or influential businessman.”

“We sign so many confidentiality agreements – you’re dealing with extremely powerful people. Phones get tapped and all sorts of things go on when you’re flying these people. Operators have to be very careful.”

Israel has previously had trade missions in Gulf states, including in both Qatar and Oman during the 1990s, however both were closed down due to bloody Israeli army offensives in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Earlier this year, in the absence of official diplomatic relations, Israel opened a Twitter account to engage with Gulf citizens. @IsraelintheGCC has been used to open “dialogue with people” from the Gulf monarchies, a spokesperson for Israel’s foreign ministry told the Financial Times.

Analysts responded to news of a regular flight between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi by suggesting it provided further evidence of a good relationship borne out of shared interests.

“It seems to lend more weight to the now open secret that a number of Gulf states, most notably the UAE, are actively collaborating with Israel, especially in the field of high-tech security,” said Christopher Davidson, reader in Middle East Politics at the UK’s Durham University.

“As unpalatable as this may be to many pious and well-meaning Gulf citizens in the wake of this summer’s Gaza massacres, this is doubtless a symptom of declining trust in the UAE and Israel’s mutual US security guarantor.”

Davidson added that Israel, the UAE, and other Gulf states see a need to “band together as they face an increasingly turbulent future.”

The US has long been a vital ally for both Israel and the Gulf states. For the Gulf monarchies, with their resource-driven wealth, they have invested heavily in the American arms industry in a quid pro quo deal for diplomatic and security protection.

Both Israel and Gulf monarchies have expressed concern over the recent US détente with Iran and are said to be worried about being left exposed to security threats in a distinct period of tumult in the Middle East and North Africa.

KNOW US

GET INVOLVED

PROMOTE

Archives