Christians in Holy Land voice fear over Trump's Jerusalem move

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By Elise Harris Jerusalem (CNA/EWTN News).- Christians leaders in Jerusalem have voiced fear over the repercussions of America's recognition of the city as Israel's capital, asking that international law be respected in the interest of maintaining peace. According to Fr. David Neuhaus, a priest in the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and former Parochial Vicar for Hebrew-speaking Catholics in the city, the first reaction to the decision was fear. “You touch Jerusalem, things explode,” he said, explaining that for people on the ground, there are three primary concerns over the move, the first of which is “how many people are going to die? … To what extent is there going to be violence and loss of life?” Speaking to CNA over the phone from Jerusalem, he said on a second level, there is also concern over the fact that the U.S. has strayed from a position that has been a widely accepted in international law, and to which the Holy See has also “very, very strenuously and strictly” stuck. “The Holy See has remained very strictly within that discourse, and the kind of upset that it causes now to think that one of the strongest countries in the world doesn't seem willing to stay within a discourse that we have been using and that has been very useful in trying to find a solution to the problem of Jerusalem,” is concerning, Neuhaus said. A third immediate concern, which the Church itself has taken a particular interest in, is over the character of Jerusalem itself, he said, explaining that to drag the city into a contentions political debate “is endangering the character of the city as a holy city.” There is real concern not just for the preservation of the holy sites in Jerusalem – which holds special religious significance for Jews, Christians and Muslims – but also for the people who visit them, the priest said. The people, he said, “always kind of vanish from this kind of politicized discourse, because we talk about protecting stones, and our fear is yes, you can wonderfully keep a museum, but there aren't people there anymore.” “If violence breaks out, pilgrimages will stop and pilgrims will be in danger because when countries take positions like this, which seem to be positions that exclude someone else, yes the people are in danger,” he said, adding that this concern is also just as valid for the people who live in the city.

Jerusalem is a place where certain groups of people “feel more and more alienated” and excluded, and who feel “that one narrative is being preferred over other narratives, one religious tradition is triumphing over others,” he said, so in this sense, the Trump decision could alter the character of the city itself. While right-wing Israelis have been celebrating the decision, likening it to the 1917 Balfour declaration announcing British support for the establishment of a “national home for the Jewish people,” for Palistinians, both Christian and Muslim, “there is despair.” In general, Neuhaus said the feeling is that the move betrays what had previously been decided by the international community, who recognized the “special status” of Jerusalem and tried to protect it from becoming the center of conflict. However, rather than doing this, the Trump administration's announcement “is very clearly putting Jerusalem right in the middle,” the priest said, adding that there is also confusion over what this will mean in the long run. Trump never said what Jerusalem is, so in terms of a two-state solution, which has been supported by the U.N. and the wider international community, “what are these two states?” Neuhaus said the “bravado” with which Trump made the announcement was “kind of spitting in the face of the rest of the world, which is saying this might not be the most prudent thing to do.” “This kind of discourse does not prevent division it provokes division,” he said, and while they are hoping for the best, the future is unclear. Many Israelis, he said, are asking themselves the question: “is Israel going to have to pay a price for this American gift? … Is this part of something bigger that we can't see right now?” “These things will become clear in the months to come,” he said, but noted that “something has changed, and that change is not going to be for the good.” Neuhaus' concerns echoed those of the patriarchs and heads of Churches and ecclesial communities in Jerusalem.

On Dec. 6, 13 of these leaders signed an open letter to Trump saying they have followed the news of his decision “with concern.” “Jerusalem, the city of God, is a city of peace for us and for the world,” however, unfortunately, “our holy land with Jerusalem the Holy city, is today a land of conflict.” Recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital, they said, will only lead to “increased hatred, conflict, violence and suffering in Jerusalem and the Holy Land, moving us father from the goal of unity and deeper toward destructive division.” Peace in the area “cannot be reached without Jerusalem being for all,” the signatories said, and urged the United States “to continue recognizing the present international status of Jerusalem.” “Any sudden changes would cause irreparable harm,” they said, and voiced their confidence that with adequate support, both Israelis and Palestinians “can work towards negotiating a sustainable and just peace” that is beneficial for all sides. “The Holy City can be shared and fully enjoyed once a political process helps liberate the hearts of all people that live within it from the conditions of conflict and destructiveness that they are experiencing,” they said, and asked that as Christmas approaches, Trump would join them in their quest to build “a just, inclusive peace for all the peoples of this unique and Holy City.”

The 13 signatories of the letter included six Catholic officials, as well as representatives of Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, Anglicanism, and Lutheranism. Israel has traditionally recognized Jerusalem as its capital. However, Palestinians claim East Jerusalem for the capital of the Palestinian state. In recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital, the U.S. is the first country to do so since the state was established in 1948. East Jerusalem was annexed by Israel after is victory in the Six Day War of 1967. Debate on this particular issue has in many ways been the crux of the conflict between Israel and Palestine, which is backed by Arab leaders and the wider Islamic world. According to the 1993 Israel-Palestinian peace accords, the final status of Jerusalem is to be discussed in the late stages of peace talks. Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem has never been recognized by the international community, and all countries with diplomatic relations have their embassies in Tel Aviv. However, under Trump's new plan, the U.S. embassy is to be relocated from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital, then, is likely to increase tension, particularly in regards to the 200,000-some settlements Israel has built in East Jerusalem, which are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this stance. After news of the decision broke, Pope Francis during his general audience also voiced “deep concern” over the move, and issued a “heartfelt appeal” to the international community to ensure that “everyone is committed to respecting the status quo of the city, in accordance with the relevant Resolutions of the United Nations.” More than 30 Palestinians have been injured in clashes across the West Bank and the Gaza Strip amid protests against Trump's decision. The position of the U.N. on the Jerusalem issue is that East Jerusalem is occupied Palestinian territory, and that the city should eventually become the capital of the two states of Israel and Palestine. The Vatican has long supported a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, and on a diplomatic level recognizes and refers to both “the State of Israel” and “the State of Palestine.”

Lebanon's Hariri denounces Iraqi Shi'ite paramilitary's visit to border

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BEIRUT (Reuters) - The head of an Iran-backed Iraqi Shi‘ite militia has visited Lebanon’s border with Israel accompanied by Hezbollah fighters, a video released on Saturday showed, in a show of Iranian influence that Lebanon’s prime minister called illegal. His appearance at the frontier is likely to be seen in the Middle East as an example of Tehran demonstrating its reach, and could add to tension in Lebanon, caught in a regional tussle between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri issued a statement saying the border visit by a paramilitary in uniform violated Lebanese law. He had instructed security chiefs to “prevent any person from carrying out activities of a military nature on the country’s territory and to prevent any illegal actions”, and barred Khazali from entering the country, it said.

Lebanon is still recovering from a crisis triggered a month ago, when Hariri announced his resignation while visiting Saudi Arabia, accusing Iran and Hezbollah of meddling in regional conflicts in violation of Lebanon’s policy of non-intervention. Hariri returned to Lebanon two weeks later and withdrew his resignation last week, while his government restated its non-intervention policy. Hezbollah, a heavily armed Shi‘ite group that fights openly in Syria as an ally of Iran, serves in the power-sharing government with Hariri, a Sunni Muslim politician with deep business and political ties to Saudi Arabia.

A commander in an alliance between Hezbollah, Iran and Russia, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said al-Khazali was accompanied by officers from Asaib Ahl al-Haq and visited the entire border with “occupied Palestine”. The commander did not say when the visit took place. In the video, an unidentified commander, presumably from Hezbollah, gestures toward military outposts in northern Israel and explains to Khazali that they were hit by Hezbollah missiles in previous confrontations between the group and Israel. “We are now on the border separating southern Lebanon with occupied Palestine with our brothers in Hezbollah, and announce our full preparedness to stand united...against the Israeli occupier,” Khazali says in the video. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said in June that any future war waged by Israel against Syria or Lebanon could draw in fighters from countries including Iran and Iraq. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, who established Hezbollah in Lebanon in 1982, have mobilized Shi‘ite militias from around the region in recent years. They have fought Islamic State in Iraq and helped President Bashar al-Assad in the war in Syria. Reporting by Laila Bassam; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Peter Graff

A Saudi Billionaire's Detention Is Making Some Investors Nervous

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by JACKIE NORTHAM - NPR  - One of the world's most famous — and flashy — billionaires is being detained by the Saudi government in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal was swept up in early November, along with more than 200 other Saudi businessmen and princes, in a massive anti-corruption campaign spearheaded by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Many analysts saw it as a power grab by the young prince. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is the highest-profile Saudi figure detained in the November sweep. More than just a member of Saudi Arabia's ruling family, he is a businessman believed to be worth about $20 billion, with significant investments in many Western companies, including Citigroup, Twitter and Time Warner. He owns enormous yachts and a Boeing 747 with a gold-trimmed interior. But detaining a key international financial player of Alwaleed's stature could harm potential investment in Saudi Arabia, some analysts say. Simon Henderson, a specialist on Saudi Arabia at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, says Alwaleed enjoys the spotlight, comfortably rubbing elbows with the world's movers and shakers. "He enjoys his reputation both as an international tycoon and for his relationships with international business figures," says Henderson. "And frankly, he's flamboyant ... and loves to have his photograph taken." But Henderson says Alwaleed is also known for philanthropic works, and has worked with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates on a number of business and humanitarian projects, including vaccination drives. Henderson says the 62-year-old prince is a good example of modern Saudi Arabia — progressive and worldly — and "all of a sudden, he falls from favor." There's been no sign of Alwaleed since he was detained as part of the anti-corruption crackdown. Allison Wood, a Middle East consultant for Control Risks, says many investors and analysts are trying to figure out what might happen to him. Alwaleed's company, Kingdom Holdings, offers no clues, she says.

"The official reaction from Kingdom Holdings has been to say that it's broadly business as normal," she says. "I don't know that a lot of people really believe that, necessarily, given that its largest shareholder has not been heard of from for several weeks at this point." Shares in Kingdom Holdings dropped by 10 percent after Alwaleed's arrest. It's unclear why Alwaleed was detained. In response to an NPR query on his case, Fatimah Baeshen, a spokesperson at the Saudi embassy in Washington, D.C., said the embassy "does not have information on specific individuals, due to Saudi privacy laws." Alwaleed may have got on the wrong side of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is trying to reform the economy and needs buy-in from the business community, says Ayham Kamel, a Middle East specialist with the Eurasia Group. Kamel says Alwaleed has not rallied the domestic or international business community to invest in ventures sponsored by the crown prince, such as Neom, an ambitious new economic zone and business hub envisioned to be bigger than Dubai. "In the last few months, although he has been supportive of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's reform efforts, he has not put money behind where his mouth is," he says. Kamel doesn't believe the detentions will deter many international investors. "Part of what will make Saudi Arabia more viable over the long term is ending the corruption networks that connect the ruling family with business elites," he says. But the Washington Institute's Henderson believes the detentions send a clear signal to Saudi and international investors.

The crown prince is clearly not a person you want to get on the wrong side of ... it would be bad for your business and might well be bad for you," he says. Wood, from Control Risks, says there's been no apparent transparency or due process in the detentions. But no matter the reason Alwaleed was picked up, she says, his continued absence is making some foreign investors nervous. "Investors are certainly worried about where Alwaleed is," she says. "It's certainly introduced a great deal of uncertainty for companies that have associations with him." Some detainees have been released after paying a settlement, including Prince Miteb bin Abdullah — once seen as a contender to the throne — who reportedly paid $1 billion for his freedom. The government public prosecutor says 159 are still being held. The Eurasia Group's Kamel says Alwaleed certainly has the money to get out of his gilded prison, but may be digging in his heels. "I think it's to make a point, and also to reach a deal that works for him as well," he says. Until then, associates and business partners of Alwaleed can only guess about his fate

Macron, Tillerson meet in Paris to support Lebanese PM Hariri

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by AP - Josh Lederman and Philip Issa --- PARIS — Lebanon’s prime minister appealed for support for his country from world powers at a summit convened by France on Friday to bolster Lebanon’s institutions as it emerges from a bizarre political crisis. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the United States and other attendees wanted to help Lebanon move forward on security and prepare for national elections slated for May. He added that it was critical to ensure the disengagement of the militant group Hezbollah from regional conflicts, including Yemen’s civil war. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Belgium would hold a conference next year to find ways to help Lebanon handle its massive refugee population.

Hariri said Lebanon was “paying a very big price on behalf of the entire world” when it comes to the refugee crisis, which he said has cost the Lebanese economy more than $20 billion since the Syrian conflict began six years ago. He called for investment in Lebanon, support for its security services, and a resolution to the refugee question that has dominated domestic politics since 2012.

It was the first major gathering of key nations to discuss Lebanon’s future since a crisis erupted following Hariri’s shock resignation last month while in Saudi Arabia. The move appeared to have been orchestrated by the Gulf kingdom as a message to Iran to reign in its Lebanese proxy, the Shiite militant group Hezbollah. Hariri, who is backed by Saudi Arabia, threw Lebanon into turmoil with his resignation and renewed a vigorous debate over foreign interference in Lebanese affairs. Lebanon’s political parties depend on considerable support from regional powers for funds, security and influence. Hariri officially rescinded his resignation this week, saying Lebanon’s political parties had reached an agreement to distance the country from regional conflicts — such as the war next door in Syria. On Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron said the international community must “stay mobilized” for Lebanon’s peaceful future. “Lebanon’s stability is not just essential for its own residents,” he said. “It is so for the entire region, already very affected by the violence of conflicts.” Josh Lederman and Philip Issa are Associated Press writers. Click read more for the whole text

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Letting a genie out of the bottle - TRUMP'S RECOGNITION OF JERUSALEM

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Article represents author opinion 

by Dr James M Dorsey  -US President Donald J Trump has let a genie out of the bottle with his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and intent to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. In taking his decision, Trump was implementing a long-standing US policy dating back to the administrations of presidents Bill Clinton, George W Bush and Barack Obama even if none of them were willing to put it into practice. The key to judging Trump's move is the politics behind it and the black swan embedded in it. Recognising Jerusalem formally as the capital of Israel may well kill two birds at the same time: boost the president's standing among evangelists and conservatives at home and give him leverage to negotiate what he has dubbed the ultimate deal between Israelis and Palestinians. There is no doubt that the move will boost Trump's popularity among his supporters and financial backers like casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and allow him to assert that he has fulfilled a campaign promise. Far less certain is whether Trump will be willing or able to constructively leverage his move to facilitate an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal. His move moreover risks sparking an uncontrollable sequence of events.

US officials have been tight-lipped about peace plans being developed by Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and chief Israeli-Palestinian negotiator. Almost the only confirmed fact about Kushner's strategy is that, based on his close relationship with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, he is advocating what he describes as an outside-in approach. In this scenario, Saudi Arabia would ensure Arab backing for a peace plan put forward by Kushner. Prince Mohammed's United Arab Emirates counterpart, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, working through Egyptian general-turned-president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, has helped put a key building block in place by facilitating reconciliation between rival Palestinian factions, Palestine Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement and Hamas, the Islamist movement that controlled the Gaza Strip. The problem with that scenario is that implicit in US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, notwithstanding Trump's denial, is a rejection of the notion that any Israeli-Palestinian peace deal would have to involve either West Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital or shared control of Jerusalem as a whole that would serve as the capital of both states. The rejection of that notion would stroke with readouts of a visit to Riyadh last month by Abbas in which the Saudi crown prince reportedly laid out the peace plan he had discussed with Kushner. According to that readout by Palestinian officials as well as European and Arab diplomats, East Jerusalem would not be the Palestinian capital. Moreover, the future Palestinian state would consist of non-contiguous parts of the West Bank to ensure that Israeli settlements in the area remain under Israeli control. Finally, Palestinians would have to surrender their demand for recognition of the right of return for Palestinians who fled Israel/Palestine during the 1948 and 1967 wars. Beyond the fact that it is hard to see how any Palestinian leader could sign up for the plan, it threatens, coupled with Trump's recognition of Jerusalem, to inflame passions that Prince Mohammed and other Arab autocrats may find difficult to control.

In a region that increasingly and brutally suppresses any form of dissent or protest, Prince Mohammed and other Arab leaders could risk fuelling the fire by seeking to suppress demonstrations against Trump's decision and what Arab and Muslim public opinion would perceive as a sell-out of Palestinian rights. The situation would become even trickier if protests, as is likely, first erupt in Palestine and are countered with force by the Israeli military. It is a scenario in which anti-US, anti-Israel protests in Arab capitals could quickly turn into anti-government manifestations.

Palestinian groups have already called for three days of rage. Protests would likely not be restricted to Middle Eastern capitals but would probably also erupt in Asian nations like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Indonesia. In some ways, protests may well be the purpose of the exercise. There is no way of confirming whether the readout provided to officials and diplomats by Abbas of his meeting with Prince Mohammed is accurate. In what amounts to a dangerous game of poker, that readout could well serve multiple purposes, including an effort by Abbas to boost his position at home by projecting himself as resisting US and Saudi pressure. Against a history of less-than-accurate media reporting and official statements often designed to maintain a façade rather than reality, Saudi media reported that King Salman warned Trump that any decision to move the US embassy before a permanent peace settlement had been achieved would inflame the Muslim world. While Prince Mohammed and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu see eye to eye in viewing Iran rather than the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as the region's core issue, it's hard to imagine that the crown prince, a man who has proven that he is not averse to unwarranted risks and gambles, would surrender demands for Muslim control of at least part of Islam's third most holy city. It's equally unfathomable that he would allow for a situation in which the kingdom's position as the custodian of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina could be called into question.

Public Saudi backing for Trump's recognition and any plan to grant Israel full control of Jerusalem would see the genie turning on the kingdom and its ruling family. Not only with public protests but also with demands by Iran that Saudi Arabia be stripped of its custodianship and that Mecca and Medina be put under some kind of pan-Islamic administration. In other words, Trump and potentially Prince Mohammed are playing a game that could lead to a second phase of this decade's popular revolts and a serious escalation of an already dangerous Saudi-Iranian rivalry that is wreaking havoc across the Middle East. With his recognition of Jerusalem, Trump has likely closed the door on any public or Arab support for a peace plan that falls short of what is minimally acceptable to the Palestinians. Moreover, by allowing speculation to flourish over what he has in mind with his ultimate Israeli-Palestinian deal, Trump has potentially set a ball rolling that neither he nor Arab autocrats may be able to control. by Dr James M Dorsey is a senior fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, co-director of the University of Würzburg's Institute for Fan Culture, and co-host of the New Books in Middle Eastern Studies podcast. He is the author of the book The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer, among several others.

Saudi crown prince linked to purchase of $450m da Vinci painting

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by Middle East Eye - A little-known Saudi prince with no history as an art collector, no publicly declared source of wealth but close associations with the crown prince has been revealed as the buyer of the $450m Leonardo da Vinci painting the Salvator Mundi. Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan al-Saud was named by the New York Times as the new owner of the artwork as the Saudi government, under the instruction of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was rounding up dozens of billionaire princes and businessmen in what it said was a crackdown on corruption and excess. The curious purchase has raised questions about the motives of Bader, and whether he was in fact acting on the instructions of the crown prince. The Times said documents provided by a Saudi source showed Bader was not presented as a bidder until the day before the 15 November sale in New York. The auction house Christie's scrambled to establish his identity and wealth. Bader reportedly told Christie's his fortune was made in "real estate", and submitted a $100m deposit to qualify for the auction and as a starting bid. According to the Times, Bader comes from a minor branch of the Saudi royal family, the Farhan, which does not trace its lineage to the founder of the modern kingdom, Abdulaziz ibn Saud. Bader is, however, a contemporary and apparently close friend of bin Salman. Both attended Riyadh's King Saud University around the same time, if not together, the Times said, and Bader was appointed as chairman of the Saudi Research and Marketing Group soon after bin Salman's father became king. The group has been in the hands of the Salmans for 30 years, the newspaper reported. The newly opened branch of the Louvre in Abu Dhabi, in the UAE, tweeted on Wednesday that the Salvator Mundi "is coming to Louvre Abu Dhabi”. The Saudi crown prince is a close ally of his counterpart in Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed. In July, King Salman also named Bader governor of a newly formed commission, led by bin Salman, to develop the province of al-Ola as a tourist destination. Last week, the Saudi news channel Al Arabiya reported bin Salman had posed for selfies there with locals and went "dune-bashing" in a buggy.

According to a biography on the website of Energy Holdings International, whose date of writing was not apparent, Bader “has also been active in real estate projects in Saudi Arabia, Dubai and the rest of the Middle East over five years”, including in partnership with “large reputed companies”. Christie’s told the Times it did not comment on the identities of any buyers, and Bader did not respond to request for comment. Whirlwind of bids According to the Times, Bader was one of at least four anonymous bidders competing by telephone through representatives in the auction room. Bidding opened at $100m and began jumping by increments of up to $10m. When the price reached an already world-record $225m, Bader bid in $5m steps to reach $260m in less than two minutes of the auction beginning. By that point, bidders were whittled down to two. When bidding reached $330m, Bader offered $350m. When that was matched, he jumped to $400m and won. The auction took 19 minutes. A contract was drawn up specifying six monthly instalments. Five are for $58,385,416.67. The final price of $450m includes fees for the auction. But the prize will raise concerns about the extravagance of the crown prince, and those of his associates, as he publicly calls for an end to excess in Saudi society. Less than two weeks before the auction, on 4 November, bin Salman ordered the crackdown on more than 200 of the richest Saudi princes, businessmen and government officials. Many were beaten, and only released from the gilded cage of Riyadh's Ritz-Carlton hotel after agreeing to hand over assets worth billions of dollars. The Da Vinci's sale to the Saudi royal family also risks offending the deeply conservative nation for its depiction of Jesus, a prophet in Islam. Many clerics in Saudi Arabia consider the artistic depiction of any of the prophets to be a form of sacrilege.