Key takeaways from Donald Trump's address at Saudi-US Investment Forum
The National's Manus Cranny shares the highlights of what the US President said in Riyadh
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Khaleej Times
20 minutes ago
- Khaleej Times
Netanyahu admits Israel supporting anti-Hamas armed group in Gaza
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that Israel is supporting an armed group in Gaza that opposes the militant group Hamas, following comments by a former minister that Israel had transferred weapons to it. Israeli and Palestinian media have reported that the group Israel has been working with is part of a local Bedouin tribe led by Yasser Abu Shabab. The European Council on Foreign Relations (EFCR) think tank describes Abu Shabab as the leader of a "criminal gang operating in the Rafah area that is widely accused of looting aid trucks". Knesset member and ex-defence minister Avigdor Liberman had told the Kan public broadcaster that the government, at Netanyahu's direction, was "giving weapons to a group of criminals and felons". "What did Liberman leak? That security sources activated a clan in Gaza that opposes Hamas? What is bad about that?" Netanyahu said in a video posted to social media on Thursday. "It is only good, it is saving lives of Israeli soldiers." Michael Milshtein, an expert on Palestinian affairs at the Moshe Dayan Center in Tel Aviv, told AFP that the Abu Shabab clan was part of a Bedouin tribe that spans across the border between Gaza and Egypt's Sinai peninsula. Some of the tribe's members, he said, were involved in "all kinds of criminal activities, drug smuggling, and things like that". 'Gangster' Milshtein said that Abu Shabab had spent time in prison in Gaza and that his clan chiefs had recently denounced him as an Israeli "collaborator and a gangster". "It seems that actually the Shabak (Israeli security agency) or the (military) thought it was a wonderful idea to turn this militia, gang actually, into a proxy, to give them weapons and money and shelter" from army operations, Milshtein said. He added that Hamas killed four members of the gang days ago. The ECFR said Abu Shabab was "reported to have been previously jailed by Hamas for drug smuggling. His brother is said to have been killed by Hamas during a crackdown against the group's attacks on UN aid convoys." Israel regularly accuses Hamas, with which it has been at war for nearly 20 months, of looting aid convoys in Gaza. Hamas said the group had "chosen betrayal and theft as their path" and called on civilians to oppose them. Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for nearly two decades, said it had evidence of "clear coordination between these looting gangs, collaborators with the occupation (Israel), and the enemy army itself in the looting of aid and the fabrication of humanitarian crises that deepen the suffering of" Palestinians. The Popular Forces, as Abu Shabab's group calls itself, said on Facebook it had "never been, and will never be, a tool of the occupation". "Our weapons are simple, outdated, and came through the support of our own people," it added. Milshtein called Israel's decision to arm a group such as Abu Shabab "a fantasy, not something that you can really describe as a strategy". "I really hope it will not end with catastrophe," he said.
Khaleej Times
2 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Lufthansa to resume flights to Tel Aviv from June 23
Germany's Lufthansa airline group said Friday it would restart flights to and from Tel Aviv on June 23, having suspended them early last month amid the ongoing regional conflict. The group said in a statement that the decision would affect Lufthansa, Austrian, SWISS, Brussels Airlines Eurowings, ITA and Lufthansa Cargo but that "for operational reasons", the individual airlines would only resume services "gradually". "The decision is based on an extensive security analysis and in coordination with the relevant authorities," it added. May 4 rocket attack launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels, and extended the suspension several times since. The missile landed near a car park at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport and injured six people, the first time a missile had penetrated the airport perimeter. The Houthis have repeatedly launched missiles and drones at Israel since the war in Gaza began in October 2023 with Palestinian militant group Hamas's attack on Israel. The Houthis, who say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians, paused their attacks during a two-month Gaza ceasefire that ended in March, but began again after Israel resumed its military campaign in the territory. The Israeli army has reported several such launches in recent days, with most of the projectiles being intercepted.
Khaleej Times
3 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
President Sheikh Mohamed receives UAE Rulers, Crown Princes on Eid Al-Adha
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan received the Rulers of the Emirates and members of the Federal Supreme Council, as well as Crown Princes, Deputy Rulers and sheikhs on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha. The rulers exchanged Eid greetings and warm wishes with the guests. They prayed for continued health and happiness for all, and that the occasion would bring blessings, prosperity and peace to the people of the UAE. They also expressed their hopes for lasting security, stability and progress for the nation. During the meeting, the attendees engaged in warm and cordial conversation, expressing their hopes that God would continue to guide the UAE on its path of progress and prosperity. They affirmed their shared commitment to supporting the nation's development, securing a bright future for its people, and building on its achievements and global standing. The reception took place at Al Mushrif Palace in Abu Dhabi, where Sheikh Mohamed welcomed the rulers of Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Umm Al Quwain, and Ras Al Khaimah. Also in attendance was Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, and Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence.
