Netanayahu Gloats at ‘Unfathomable’ Arab Shame
WARSAW (Dispatches) – Zionist PM Benjamin Netanyahu's office on Thursday released a video of a closed meeting in which senior Persian Gulf Arab officials play down the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, defend the occupying regime to attack Palestinians, and describe Iran as the greatest threat to regional peace.
The video, bearing the insignia of Netanyahu's office, gave a rare glimpse into the behind-the-scenes contacts the Zionist leader frequently boasts of, but which are rarely seen in public. The video was recorded on a mobile device and it was not clear who took it.
Netanyahu's office briefly made the YouTube video available to a small group of journalists traveling with him before quickly removing it. It was unclear whether his office intended to leak the information or distributed it mistakenly. But the decision to take the video down indicated the Persian Gulf officials, whose governments do not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel, had not consented to its release.
The edited, 25-minute video shows a series of comments made by officials from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on a panel discussion at a U.S.-sponsored conference in Warsaw.
Netanyahu did not participate on the panel, but is seen sitting in the audience. Speaking to reporters early Thursday, Netanyahu cryptically hinted at what he called the "unfathomable" friendly atmosphere at the conference. But he did not disclose any details or say whom he had met.
The leak of the video appeared to be the second gaffe by the Zionist leader's office in Warsaw. On Wednesday, Netanyahu said he hoped the conference would rally support for "war with Iran." His office later said his comments had been mistranslated from Hebrew, and that he was calling for everyone to "combat" Iranian influence.
The summit outraged observers in the Arab world who believe their leaders attended the conference merely as "extras” in a pre-planned scenario for normalization of Israeli-Arab ties.
In an editorial piece, Abdel Bari Atwan, the editor-in-chief of Rai al-Youm news and opinion website, said Netanyahu was the "groom” at the Warsaw conference, and the foreign ministers of Arab countries were "extras” summoned by the U.S. to help normalize Arab ties with the occupying regime.
While European officials boycotted or sent low-ranking officials to Warsaw, the Persian Gulf Arab foreign ministers decided to join the new "Warsaw Treaty” for a war against Iran, he said, describing it as a humiliation for the Arab world.
"It was painful to see the foreign minister of the former government of Yemen, Khaled al-Yamani, sitting next to Netanyahu and exchanging smiles with him,” Atwan said in his article.
Al-Yamani’s participation in the conference was also condemned by the political bureau of the Yemeni popular movement, Ansarullah, which described it as part of a Zionist-American plot to normalize Arab countries’ ties with Tel Aviv.
The move by the foreign minister of the resigned government of Yemen indicates the moral decline of the mercenary regime and its sponsors in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, the Ansarullah said in a statement.
"The Warsaw summit was a shame for all its attendees,” the statement said.
"It was even more painful to see Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi – always praised for his neutral stances and refusal to meddle in disputes among Arab countries – was the only Arab foreign minister to openly meet Netanyahu in front of the camera,” Atwan said in his editorial.
The meeting between bin Alawi and Netanyahu seemed so embarrassing to Omani media that two major newspapers, Oman and Al-Roya, did not even mention the meeting in their Thursday editions.
One of Kuwait’s top officials, who had recently said the Persian Gulf country will be the last to normalize ties with Israel, was sitting a small number of seats away from Netanyahu at the conference in Warsaw, said Kuwaiti writer Fajr al-Saeed.
Kuwaiti Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled al-Jarallah had told a Kuwaiti news outlet in January that "Kuwait will be the last country to normalize with Israel.”
The Palestinians, who boycotted the conference, strongly denounced the participation of Arab ministers.
Nabil Shaath, an adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, wrote in a column published by Haaretz newspaper that the Warsaw conference lacked credibility as it aimed to "normalize" the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory.
Saeb Erekat, the secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Executive Committee, called it "an attempt to bypass” the Arab Peace Initiative.
Former Saudi foreign minister Adel Al-Jubeir, who represented Riyadh in the conference, tweeted after the summit that he had spoken in support of the 2002 initiative.
However, U.S. special envoy Jared Kushner confirmed Thursday that President Donald Trump’s peace plan won’t be based on the 2002 Saudi initiative.
Netanyahu told reporters that the opening dinner Wednesday night of the conference marked "a historical turning point".
"Netanyahu has the right to post joyful tweets and proudly talk of standing by his Arab brothers on the same boat to counter the threat of Iran, but we are sure the joy will not last long, as those who have chosen to be his friend and elected him as their leader do not represent the Arab-Islamic values or even their own nations,” Atwan wrote.
"We do not know how those participating in the summit want to face their own nations, but we are sure the moment they elect Netanyahu as the leader of their new coalition, they will turn Iran into the symbol of resistance and defense of Arab-Islamic societies and their sanctities.”
The video, bearing the insignia of Netanyahu's office, gave a rare glimpse into the behind-the-scenes contacts the Zionist leader frequently boasts of, but which are rarely seen in public. The video was recorded on a mobile device and it was not clear who took it.
Netanyahu's office briefly made the YouTube video available to a small group of journalists traveling with him before quickly removing it. It was unclear whether his office intended to leak the information or distributed it mistakenly. But the decision to take the video down indicated the Persian Gulf officials, whose governments do not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel, had not consented to its release.
The edited, 25-minute video shows a series of comments made by officials from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on a panel discussion at a U.S.-sponsored conference in Warsaw.
Netanyahu did not participate on the panel, but is seen sitting in the audience. Speaking to reporters early Thursday, Netanyahu cryptically hinted at what he called the "unfathomable" friendly atmosphere at the conference. But he did not disclose any details or say whom he had met.
The leak of the video appeared to be the second gaffe by the Zionist leader's office in Warsaw. On Wednesday, Netanyahu said he hoped the conference would rally support for "war with Iran." His office later said his comments had been mistranslated from Hebrew, and that he was calling for everyone to "combat" Iranian influence.
The summit outraged observers in the Arab world who believe their leaders attended the conference merely as "extras” in a pre-planned scenario for normalization of Israeli-Arab ties.
In an editorial piece, Abdel Bari Atwan, the editor-in-chief of Rai al-Youm news and opinion website, said Netanyahu was the "groom” at the Warsaw conference, and the foreign ministers of Arab countries were "extras” summoned by the U.S. to help normalize Arab ties with the occupying regime.
While European officials boycotted or sent low-ranking officials to Warsaw, the Persian Gulf Arab foreign ministers decided to join the new "Warsaw Treaty” for a war against Iran, he said, describing it as a humiliation for the Arab world.
"It was painful to see the foreign minister of the former government of Yemen, Khaled al-Yamani, sitting next to Netanyahu and exchanging smiles with him,” Atwan said in his article.
Al-Yamani’s participation in the conference was also condemned by the political bureau of the Yemeni popular movement, Ansarullah, which described it as part of a Zionist-American plot to normalize Arab countries’ ties with Tel Aviv.
The move by the foreign minister of the resigned government of Yemen indicates the moral decline of the mercenary regime and its sponsors in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, the Ansarullah said in a statement.
"The Warsaw summit was a shame for all its attendees,” the statement said.
"It was even more painful to see Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi – always praised for his neutral stances and refusal to meddle in disputes among Arab countries – was the only Arab foreign minister to openly meet Netanyahu in front of the camera,” Atwan said in his editorial.
The meeting between bin Alawi and Netanyahu seemed so embarrassing to Omani media that two major newspapers, Oman and Al-Roya, did not even mention the meeting in their Thursday editions.
One of Kuwait’s top officials, who had recently said the Persian Gulf country will be the last to normalize ties with Israel, was sitting a small number of seats away from Netanyahu at the conference in Warsaw, said Kuwaiti writer Fajr al-Saeed.
Kuwaiti Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled al-Jarallah had told a Kuwaiti news outlet in January that "Kuwait will be the last country to normalize with Israel.”
The Palestinians, who boycotted the conference, strongly denounced the participation of Arab ministers.
Nabil Shaath, an adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, wrote in a column published by Haaretz newspaper that the Warsaw conference lacked credibility as it aimed to "normalize" the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory.
Saeb Erekat, the secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Executive Committee, called it "an attempt to bypass” the Arab Peace Initiative.
Former Saudi foreign minister Adel Al-Jubeir, who represented Riyadh in the conference, tweeted after the summit that he had spoken in support of the 2002 initiative.
However, U.S. special envoy Jared Kushner confirmed Thursday that President Donald Trump’s peace plan won’t be based on the 2002 Saudi initiative.
Netanyahu told reporters that the opening dinner Wednesday night of the conference marked "a historical turning point".
"Netanyahu has the right to post joyful tweets and proudly talk of standing by his Arab brothers on the same boat to counter the threat of Iran, but we are sure the joy will not last long, as those who have chosen to be his friend and elected him as their leader do not represent the Arab-Islamic values or even their own nations,” Atwan wrote.
"We do not know how those participating in the summit want to face their own nations, but we are sure the moment they elect Netanyahu as the leader of their new coalition, they will turn Iran into the symbol of resistance and defense of Arab-Islamic societies and their sanctities.”