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Israel mulls closing Al Jazeera bureau in Jerusalem al-Quds: Report

June 13, 2017 By administrator

A report says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering shutting down the Jerusalem al-Quds bureau of the Qatar-based Al Jazeera broadcaster, as a diplomatic rift escalates between a Saudi-led bloc of countries with Qatar.

Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Tuesday that Netanyahu had met with members of the foreign ministry, ministry of military affairs, and other institutions on Monday and discussed preliminary steps for closing the Al Jazeera office in Jerusalem al-Quds.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt have already blocked several Qatari media outlets, including Al Jazeera. The four countries cut their diplomatic and transport ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing Doha of destabilizing the region with its support for terrorism, an accusation rejected by the Qatari government.

In a relevant development on Monday, Avigdor Lieberman, Israel’s minister for military affairs, compared Al Jazeera to the Nazi- and Soviet-era propaganda apparatuses.

“Some [Arab countries’] interests overlap with Israeli interests, including the issue with Al Jazeera,” Liberman said. “Al-Jazeera is not media… It’s an incitement machine. It is pure propaganda, of the worst variety, in the style of Nazi Germany or Soviet Russia.”

Lieberman also accused Al Jazeera of supporting Iran, saying, “I’ve been tracking Al Jazeera for many years. You’ll never see a single article against Iran.”

The potential move to close the Al Jazeera office in Jerusalem al-Quds and the unprecedented remarks by Lieberman are indicative of how the Israeli and Saudi regimes may be increasingly tilting toward one another. There have already been signs that the ties between Israel and certain Arab regimes — traditionally putative adversaries — have been covertly expanding in recent years.

Netanyahu has on several occasions talked of the development of ties between Israel and certain Arab countries. So have other Israeli officials. Moshe Ya’alon, Israel’s former minister of military affairs, in February 2016 pointed to open channels between the regime and some Arab states.

Back in January 2016, Netanyahu said during an interview with CNN that Saudi Arabia now saw Tel Aviv “as an ally rather as an enemy.”

Erdogan shuts down 1,000+ private schools, 1,200+ charities, 15 universities

July 23, 2016 By administrator

Turkey’s purge of Gulen supporters continued on Saturday with the closure of hundreds of private schools, charities and other institutions suspects of links with the US-based cleric. Ankara declared a state of emergency after a failed military coup.

The decree issued by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is his first since the state of emergency was declared on Wednesday. He has ordered the closure of 1,043 private schools, 1,229 charities and foundations, 19 trade unions, 15 universities and 35 medical institutions, state news agency Anadolu reported on Saturday.

The organizations slated to be shut down are suspected of links with US-based Muslim cleric, Fethullah Gulen, a former ally of Erdogan, who turned into his fierce opponent. The Turkish government accused Gulen of having a hand behind the last week’s coup attempt as well as earlier attacks on it.

In the wake of the weekend violence, which claimed at least 246 lives, Ankara launched a massive purge of suspected Gulen supporters among the military, police, judges, municipal officials and other branches of the government.

Another such measure ordered by Erdogan on Saturday allows for longer detention of people without charge.

The three-month state of emergency declared on Wednesday gives the Turkish executive authority to pass laws without parliament’s support and limit rights and freedoms as they deem necessary.

Turkey’s foreign allies, the US and the EU, reacted nervously to the crackdown. The EU threatened to suspend accession talks with Ankara, if Erdogan delivered on his threat to lift a moratorium on capital punishment. The US said Turkey should provide convincing proof of Gulen’s guilt, if it wanted the cleric to be extradited. Gulen, a long-time resident of the US, has denied masterminding the coup.

Turkey’s Radikal daily newspaper is closing

March 24, 2016 By administrator

end radikal Radikal, which is one of Turkey’s most dynamically developing periodicals, will cease to exist.

Radikal Chief Editor Cem Erciyes, speaking to Deutsche Welle, confirmed the rumors that this daily newspaper will close down.

He noted that their paper will no longer exist as of Friday.

In his words, some Radikal employees will move to Hürriyet daily newspaper, whereas the most of them will become unemployed.

Radikal is one of Turkey’s few periodicals that write “Armenian Genocide,” when describing the events that occurred in 1915.

Donald Trump would ‘strongly consider’ closing mosques in the US

November 16, 2015 By administrator

Donald Trump

In the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris last week, Republican frontrunner Donald Trump said Monday that the United States must resume heavy surveillance of mosques.
As president, Trump said, he would consider shutting down some mosques, The Washington Post reported.

“I would hate to do it, but it’s something that you’re going to have to strongly consider because some of the ideas and some of the hatred – the absolute hatred – is coming from these areas,” Trump said in an interview on “Morning Joe.”

This isn’t the first time Trump has said he’s willing to consider closing down mosques, which some critics say would be a violation of the country’s religious freedom protections. During an interview with
Fox Business in late October, Trump said he was unsure if he would close mosques, but said, “You’re going to have to certainly look at it.”

During the Monday interview on “Morning Joe,” co-host Mika Brzezinski asked Trump if closing down mosques would only incite more hatred.

“There’s already hatred,” Trump said. “The hatred is incredible; it’s embedded. It’s embedded. The hatred is beyond belief. The hatred is greater than anybody understands. And it’s already there. It’s not like, what, you think that they think we’re great people? It’s already there. It’s a very, very sad situation. And I know so many people, Muslims, who are such unbelievably great people, and they are being so badly tarnished by what’s happening now. It’s a shame.”

Trump said the United States needs to resume its surveillance of mosques, especially in New York City, where he says such surveillance has ceased. He said that has been “a mistake.”

“You’re going to have watch and study the mosques because a lot of talk is going on at the mosques,” Trump said “And from what I heard, in the the old days — meaning a while ago — we had great surveillance going on in and around mosques in New York City. And I understand our mayor totally cut that out. He totally cut it out. And I don’t know if you brought that up, and I’m not sure it’s a fact, but I heard that under the old regime we had tremendous surveillance going on in and around the mosques of New York City and right now that has been totally cut out.”

At one point, host Joe Scarborough asked Trump if he agrees that only a small percentage of Muslims are violent radicals.

“Yes,” Trump responded, “but it’s a tremendous amount of horror and damage and vitriol. I mean, if you look at what’s happening… this is something that needs to be stopped. And we have to be very strong. We have to be vigilant, and we have to be intelligent.”