The American Conservative vom 26.09.2020
"Meet The Russian Oligarch Who Helped Drive Russiagate"
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/meet-the-russian-oligarch-who-helped-drive-russiagate/
Die erste Amtszeit von Donald Trump ist u.a. von dem Vorwurf begleitet worden, dass der US-Präsident nur mit russischer Hilfe gewinnen konnte und sich bis heute unter dem Einfluss Moskaus befinde, schreibt Mark Episkopos. Mittlerweile habe sich herausgestellt, dass wichtige "Russiagate"-Vertreter selbst enge russische Kontakte gehabt hätten. "The many failures and embarrassments of Russiagate are well-catalogued. There is, however, a particular dimension of the Russiagate saga that has long been overlooked — namely, the shocking extent to which these narratives have been propelled and amplified with the help of powerful Russians who have been permitted, if not invited, to meddle in American politics. (…) [Russian businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky], unlike the Americans who work for his many proxies and front groups, has no real stake or apparent interest in the future of American democracy. He is, instead, cynically exploiting a constitutional crisis in the U.S. in order to foment regime change in Russia. Even more shockingly, he is doing all this with the enthusiastic approval of the very same political establishment that has insisted for the past six years that foreign meddling — particularly of the Russian variety — poses a mortal threat on the same level as an act of war."
Tablet Magazine vom 23.09.2020
"The Emperor’s New Clothes"
https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/abraham-accords-trump
Einige Kritiker Donald Trumps haben die beiden Friedensabkommen Israels mit arabischen Staaten als weitgehend bedeutungslose Verträge abgetan. Michael Doran widerspricht dieser Einschätzung vehement: "The Abraham Accords are the most significant development in the Arab-Israeli conflict in the last 25 years. Not only have the Palestinians lost their veto over normalization between Israel and other Arab states, but the entire 'Resistance Alliance,' led by Iran, has revealed itself as incapable of placing obstacles in the way of Israel’s integration into the Arab state system. True, the UAE and Bahrain are small powers, but behind them looms Saudi Arabia, which is by far the most influential Arab state. Without Riyadh’s tacit support, the celebration on the White House lawn would never have materialized. If Trump wins the election in November, there is a good chance that Riyadh will normalize relations with Israel — to say nothing of Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Morocco, and Sudan, who are also waiting in the wings."
The Times of Israel vom 16.09.2020
"Trump says Saudi Arabia among 7-9 countries expected to make peace with Israel"
https://www.timesofisrael.com/trump-says-saudi-arabia-among-7-9-countries-expected-to-make-peace-with-isr
ael/
US-Präsident Trump hat während der Unterzeichnungszeremonie in Washington in Aussicht gestellt, dass bis zu neun weitere Länder im Nahen Osten eine Normalisierung ihrer Beziehungen zu Israel ins Auge fassen könnten. "Earlier, while hosting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House before the signing of the Abraham Accords, Trump said, 'We’re very far down the road with about five additional countries… Frankly, I think we could have had them here today.' 'We’ll have at least five or six countries coming along very quickly… They want to see peace. They’ve been fighting for a long time…. They’re warring countries but they’re tired of fighting. You’re going to see a lot of very great activity. It’s going to be peace in the Middle East.' He assessed that 'most of the countries… in the Middle East want to sign this deal.'"
The Independent vom 15.09.2020
"What does each side hope to gain from Israel’s ‘peace deals' with UAE and Bahrain?"
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-uae-bahrain-peace-deal-trump-netanyahu-b44688
5.html
Die neuen Friedensabkommen Israels mit den VAE und Bahrain werden es den Vertragspartnern ermöglichen, eine koordinierte Front gegenüber Iran zu eröffnen, schreibt Bel Trew. "It is no secret that both the UAE and Bahrain have been creeping towards normalisation with Israel over the last few years, as the axis of power and influence in the region has shifted. Rather than the 70-year-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the main concern for many Gulf nations centres on the regional role played by Iran, which is also Israel’s number one enemy. For the UAE, still embroiled in a ruinous five-year war against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, intelligence sharing and military cooperation with Israel would be strategic. Meanwhile, Bahrain’s Sunni rulers have long accused its Shia majority population engaged in years of anti-government protests as being stirred up and even led by Iran. Another long-term foe of Israel is the Hamas militant group that runs Gaza, and is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, one of the main enemies of the UAE."
Antiwar.com vom 15.09.2020
"Intelligence insiders see Israeli alliance with Gulf States as 'biggest change in decades'"
https://intelnews.org/2020/09/15/01-2870/
Geheimdienstexperten betrachten die sich abzeichnende Allianz zwischen Israel und den arabischen Golfstaaten als wichtigste regionale Entwicklung seit Jahrzehnten. "The former CIA official, Marc Polymeropoulos, who worked closely with both Israel and the Palestinians in his 26-year career, told SpyTalk’s Jeff Stein and Jonathan Broder that secret intelligence links between Israel and some Arab countries are nothing new. However, 'this [new] overt alliance is the biggest change in the region in decades', said Polymeropoulos. He added that these intelligence links will only deepen now that official diplomatic relations have been established between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. (…) The end of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and the deepening polarization between Sunni and Shia populations in the Middle East, were the context in which the Israeli outreach to Arab states took shape. This context essentially convinced Arab leaders that their populations are sufficiently concerned about Iran to 'stomach an alliance with Israel' Polymeropoulos told SpyTalk."
The Washington Post vom 15.09.2020
"The mirage of Trump’s 'peace' deals"
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/09/15/trump-deals-bahrain-uae-kosovo-serbia/
Nach Ansicht von Ishaan Tharoor sollten die am Dienstag in Washington unterzeichneten Abkommen der VAE und Bahrains mit Israel nicht als "Friedensverträge" bezeichnet werden. "The two big deals trumpeted by the White House this month are not the victories for 'peace' that Trump claims they are. Start with the main event this week: Both the UAE and Bahrain already communicate and engage with Israel, and the three countries were not locked in anything close to conflict. 'The UAE-Israel strategic relationship was fueled by mutual fears of Iran and formalized by the United States,' Karim Sadjadpour, a Middle East analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told my colleagues. 'It’s an example of Trump slapping his name on a hotel that was essentially already built.'"
Al Jazeera English vom 14.09.2020
"Facing 'normalisation' threat, Palestinians respond with unity"
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/09/facing-normalisation-threat-palestinians-respond-unity-20091417575
2492.html
Die Palästinenser wollen auf die Normalisierung der Beziehungen arabischer Staaten mit Israel mit demonstrativer Einheit reagieren, berichtet Ali Adam. "Prompted by Arab states normalising relations with Israel, fractured Palestinian political factions are working diligently in multilateral talks to restore unity and mend the division between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank in negotiations far more promising than previous efforts. (…) On Saturday, Palestinian groups led by Hamas and Fatah agreed on a 'unified field leadership' comprising all factions that will lead 'comprehensive popular resistance' against the Israeli occupation, a statement said. It called for Tuesday - when the signing ceremony takes place in Washington, DC - to be a day of 'popular rejection'. Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank are planning 'day of rage' demonstrations, and other protests are expected outside the embassies of Israel, the United States, UAE, and Bahrain worldwide."
Al Jazeera English vom 14.09.2020
"Israel ties that bind: What is the US giving Gulf Arab states?"
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/09/israel-ties-bind-giving-gulf-arab-states-200911162339159.html
Einige Experten weisen Creede Newton zufolge darauf hin, dass amerikanische Waffenverkäufe eine wichtige Rolle bei der Entstehung der Friedensverträge der VAE und Bahrains mit Israel gespielt hätten. "William Hartung, director of the Arms and Security Program at the DC-based Center for International Policy, told Al Jazeera arms sales were an 'important factor' in the agreements. The UAE has long wanted F-35 fighter jets, Hartung said, and larger drones, which the US was unable to sell because of its commitment to Israel's military advantage. But Trump often touts arms sales and was likely to view the UAE as another client as a positive, Hartung said. (…) Hartung said Bahrain may have agreed to normalisation to access to advanced weaponry and the Saudis could potentially follow. (…) normalisation could lead to an 'emboldened' UAE in Yemen [and] in Libya, [Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincey Institute for Responsible Statecraft,] continued."
The New York Times vom 13.09.2020
"In Arab States’ Embrace, Israelis See a Reshaped Mideast"
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/13/world/middleeast/israel-bahrain-mideast-persian-gulf.html
In Israel breite sich nach den beiden Friedensabkommen mit arabischen Staaten die Hoffnung aus, dass das Land endlich Anerkennung in einer bisher überwiegend feindseligen Nachbarschaft finden könnte, berichtet David M. Halbfinger. "Formal diplomatic relations will mean a great deal to Israel after its long wait in isolation: the exchange of ambassadors, establishment of direct flights, new destinations for tourists once travel becomes possible again and the start or acceleration of a host of other commercial, cultural and scientific endeavors that until now could be conducted only in the shadows. But Dr. Yitshak Kreiss, director general of Sheba Medical Center, Israel’s largest hospital, and a former military surgeon general, said that the biggest impact could be in changing the way ordinary Israelis think about their place in the region."
Al Jazeera English vom 13.09.2020
"What is behind Bahrain's normalisation deal with Israel?"
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/09/cloneofbahrain-normalisation-deal-israel-2009131-200913194938123.h
tml
Farah Najjar erklärt, warum sich Bahrain entschlossen habe, dem Vorbild der VAE zu folgen und seine Beziehungen zu Israel zu normalisieren. "Despite Bahrain declaring last month that it was committed to the creation of a Palestinian state, the island state was always likely to follow the UAE suit 'once the taboo had been broken', Ian Black, visiting senior fellow at the Middle East Centre at the London School of Economics, told Al Jazeera. (…) Bahrain's political agenda is 'pretty much dictated by Saudi Arabia', according to Marwa Fatafta, a policy member with the Palestinian policy network Al-Shabaka. (…) Besides being 'financially dependent on its neighbours', Bahrain's new alliance with Israel may help it entrench its power and 'crush any resistance to authoritarianism or efforts towards freedom and democracy', Fatafta said."
The Times of Israel vom 13.09.2020
"'Alternative normalization' with Saudi Arabia seen in Bahrain-Israel deal"
https://www.timesofisrael.com/alternative-normalization-with-saudi-arabia-seen-in-bahrain-israel-deal/
Nach der Normalisierung der Beziehungen zwischen Bahrain und Israel richte sich der Blick nun auf Saudi-Arabien, schreibt Anuj Chopra. In diesem Fall sei eine "alternative Normalisierung" des Verhältnisses zu Israel allerdings wahrscheinlicher als ein formelle. "The development, billed by Trump as 'truly historic,' was unlikely to have happened without the silent endorsement of Riyadh, which holds enormous leverage over Bahrain. (…) Saudi officials have publicly remained tight-lipped over the development, but a source close to the establishment hinted it was a concession to Trump after he exerted enormous pressure on Riyadh to form diplomatic ties with Israel. (…) Saudi Arabia, home to Islam’s holiest sites, is unlikely to make a similar deal with Israel immediately, as doing so without a resolution to the Palestinian issue would be seen as a betrayal of the cause and hurt its image as the leader of the Muslim world. And analysts say it does not feel a pressing need to after having cultivated covert ties with Israel, which it views as a bulwark against its regional nemesis Iran, even as it has voiced steadfast support for an independent Palestinian state."
France24 vom 12.09.2020
"Palestinians decry normalised Bahrain-Israel relations as a 'stab in the back'"
https://www.france24.com/en/20200912-palestinians-decry-normalised-bahrain-israel-relations-as-a-stab-in-
the-back
Die palästinensische Führung empfinde die Normalisierung der Beziehungen zwischen Bahrain und Israel als weiteren "Stich in den Rücken", berichtet France24. "'The leadership is very upset,' said Sari Nusseibeh, a former top official with the Palestine Liberation Organisation. 'But I don’t think they are more upset than in the past about the Arab world in general. Palestinians have always complained that the Arab world has not stood behind them as they should have.' The Palestinian cause had already become less central as the region has been rocked by the Arab Spring upheavals, the Syria war and the bloody reign of the Islamic State jihadist group. At the same time, hostility has deepened between US ally Saudi Arabia and Iran, its Shiite Muslim rival which supports proxy forces from Syria to Lebanon. 'There have been all kinds of problems in the Arab world — disputes, revolutions, civil wars, tensions between different Arab countries,' said Palestinian analyst Ghassan Khatib. 'Palestinians are now paying the price for the deterioration in Arab unity.'"
Axios vom 11.09.2020
"Behind the scenes of the U.S.-brokered Israel-Bahrain agreement"
https://www.axios.com/behind-scenes-us-brokered-bahrain-israel-deal-44d1a7d3-a93c-4eee-970e-1e354f314cf7.
html
Barak Ravid berichtet über die Hintergründe der überraschenden Normalisierung der Beziehungen zwischen Bahrain und Israel. "Hours after the August 13 announcement of the U.S.-brokered normalization agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, senior Bahraini officials called President Trump's senior adviser Jared Kushner and White House envoy Avi Berkowitz with a message: 'We want to be next,' U.S. officials involved in the talks tell me. (…) Israel and Bahrain had a secret relationship for over two decades, meaning neither country had diplomatic relations and most of their contacts were through covert talks behind the scenes. However the talks which led to the joint statement on establishing full diplomatic relations took just 29 days."
The Economist vom 11.09.2020
"Another crack in the wall - Bahrain joins the UAE in recognising Israel"
https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2020/09/11/bahrain-joins-the-uae-in-recognising-israel
Nach den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten hat nun auch Bahrain seine diplomatischen Beziehungen zu Israel offiziell normalisiert. Der Economist analysiert die Begleitumstände der Entscheidung. "If the UAE’s decision came as a surprise, Bahrain’s was more predictable. Indeed, many observers had thought it would be the first Gulf state to recognise Israel. (…) Even if it was expected, Bahrain’s announcement may prove more intriguing. The UAE did not have to worry about whether its decision would be popular: there is little space for dissent in the Emirates. Bahrain, on the other hand, has a history of protest. The Shia majority has long complained of discrimination at the hands of the Sunni royal family. Unrest peaked in 2011 during weeks of protests inspired by the Arab spring, which were crushed with the help of troops from other Gulf countries. Critics of normalisation with Israel have more room to express dissent in Bahrain — though they still face a ruthless state if they do. Another question is whether Bahrain serves as a trial balloon for its larger neighbour, Saudi Arabia. Bahrain relies heavily on Saudi Arabia for political and economic support."
The Times of Israel vom 10.09.2020
"Kushner: Our plan is bid to save 2-state solution; Israel was eating up the land"
https://www.timesofisrael.com/kushner-our-plan-is-bid-to-save-2-state-solution-israel-was-eating-up-the-l
and/
Jared Kushner, führender Berater im Weißen Haus, hat den Nahost-Plan der US-Regierung als Versuch charakterisiert, die Ausdehnung israelischer Siedlungen im palästinensischen Westjordanland zu stoppen. "Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner said on Wednesday that the Trump administration’s peace plan was an attempt to 'save the two state solution' because it stops Israel from further expanding its presence in the West Bank. 'The reality today is that a lot of this land is inhabited with Israelis,' Kushner told reporters during a phone briefing ahead of the White House signing next week of the Israel-UAE normalization deal. (…) 'What we did with our plan was we were trying to save the two-state solution because… if we kept going with the status quo… ultimately, Israel would have eaten up all the land in the West Bank,' Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser added."
