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WEDNESDAY, MAY 26, 2021 / SHAWWAL 14, 1442 AH emergency number 112 NO. 17697 16 PAGES 150 FILS US will reopen Jerusalem consulate Palestine ‘up’ Opinion Heads up ... new spook heads Mossad JERUSALEM, May JERUSALEM, May 25, (AP): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Earlier this month, Cohen visited Bahrain and met with the 25, (AP): Secretary of Netanyahu announced Monday the appointment of David Bar- heads of the Gulf state’s intelligence agency to discuss regional nea as the new head of the country’s spy agency, the Mossad. security. State Antony Blinken Eject the enemies of Barnea, a former longtime Mossad operative, will succeed On his watch, Israel’s storied intelligence agency succeed- has announced the re- Yossi Cohen as head of Israel’s intelligence agency on June 1. ed in seizing a large archive of Iranian nuclear documents opening of the US Con- Cohen has served as Israel’s spymaster since taking office in in 2018. Netanyahu claimed they proved that Iranian lead- 2016. ers covered up a nuclear weapons program before signing a sulate General in Jeru- joy, regain solemnity Netanyahu said Barnea’s appointment will allow “the Mossad deal with world powers in 2015. Numerous other operations salem — a move that and the state of Israel to continue in the path of accomplishments against Iran’s nuclear facilities and scientists have also been restores ties with the to ensure the security of Israel,” adding that the “top mission” is attributed to Israel. preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. At a ceremony Monday, Cohen said the Mossad executes “in- Palestinians that had By Ahmed Al-Jarallah Outgoing Mossad chief Cohen has acted as Netanyahu’s close numerable operations” that “bring essential intelligence to the been downgraded by Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times confidant and informal envoy. He helped orchestrate the normal- state of Israel, thwart unconventional weapons, thwart terrorism the Trump administra- ization agreements Israel signed with Bahrain, the United Arab and espionage, and blaze new paths to peace and regional coop- DAY after day, the horizon is getting darker and darker. Darkness cov- Emirates, Sudan and Morocco last year. eration.” tion. ers the national will that seeks to find a solution that will stop this po- The consulate long served litical dust storm, which is heavy on the nation’s lungs and has nearly as an autonomous office in afflicted it with a chronic disease. charge of diplomatic relations This disease can only be avoided by reviewing the democratic expe- with the Palestinians. But for- rience of the past six decades to the present day, and benefiting from the lessons of the crises this country suffered. This is because each team mer president Donald Trump is entrenched behind the illusions of victory when in reality the actual downgraded its operations losers are the common citizens as well as Kuwait. This means more and placed them under the crises that will remain unsolved because the intentions are not pure. authority of his ambassador When the Constituent Assembly began preparing the constitution, to Israel when he moved the the members sought to strip the ruling family of most of its powers embassy to Jerusalem. and privileges, and besiege the government within specific frameworks The move infuriated the Pal- that could not enable it to exercise its correct role. This led to an imbal- estinians, who view east Jerusa- ance between the two shoulders in managing the country, and resulted lem as occupied territory and the eventually in the 1963 crisis. The problems between the legislative au- capital of their future state. thority and its executive counterpart followed, sparking the 1967 elec- Blinken announced the move tion crisis, which was followed by another one in 1976 in which the Tuesday during a visit to the re- National Assembly was dissolved in an unconstitutional manner. gion to shore up the Gaza cease- However, the suspension of some articles of the constitution was fire. not sufficient to reorganize and restructure the relations between the He vowed Tuesday to “rally two decision-making wings (the government and the parliament) such international support” to aid Gaza that the government collided again with the opposition and it led to the following a devastating war there dissolution of the legislative authority in 1986. while keeping any assistance out This scene is similar to what we are experiencing today with the of the hands of its militant Hamas parliament shelling out interpellations against the Prime Minister and rulers, as he began a regional tour his team without taking into consideration the least amount of risks to shore up last week’s cease-fire. experienced in any of the past crises. The 11-day war between Israel Conceding and Hamas killed more than 250 people, mostly Palestinians, and In all these stations, the government was conceding more and more caused widespread destruction in to the enemies of joy - the Muslim Brotherhood Group and others who the impoverished coastal territo- stubbornly sought to impose their will on the nation - until they were ry. The truce that came into effect able to form a representative majority in more than one parliament. Friday has so far held, but it did They were able to control the financial, economic, political and social not address any of the underlying joints of the state. They continue to have the upper hand in the invest- issues in the Israeli-Palestinian ments that they direct for their interests, and so they have enacted laws conflict, something Blinken ac- that shape the society according to their desires. knowledged after meeting with The government was unable to confront them, despite their deviation Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin from the proper course of decision making, which led to the current Netanyahu. situation that has worsened with the failure to address the COVID-19 pandemic and its financial and economic repercussions. Violence The state seems unable to cushion its people at a time when donations “We know that to prevent a and loans are being distributed to 170 countries. It continues to announce the return to violence, we have to provision of aid to the Palestinians and the organizations in Gaza and take use the space created to address extreme political positions in this regard in contrast to the global political a larger set of underlying issues mood, while it is miserly towards the Kuwaiti citizens. It seems as if it is a and challenges. And that begins spring that nourishes those who are far while those close to it die of thirst. Yemen’s Mayun Island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and mainland Yemen are seen in this May 8, 2021, satellite photograph with tackling the grave humani- Unfortunately, this policy is the natural result of the enemies of joy from Planet Labs Inc. A mysterious air base is being built on Yemen’s volcanic Mayun Island in one of the world’s crucial tarian situation in Gaza and start- controlling the joints of the state, while the government keeps on jus- maritime chokepoints for both energy shipments and commercial cargo. (AP) ing to rebuild,” he said. tifying its position with a single chorus - “The parliament did not ap- “The United States will work prove those laws and decisions that stimulate the national economy”. to rally international support The fact that they spend generously abroad increases the popular re- Permanent presence seen around that effort while also sentment against the executive authority. making our own significant con- In conclusion, what we are witnessing today is the natural result of all tributions.” He added that the these piled-up unresolved issues. If the state does not take the initiative to U.S. would work with its part- solve the internal dilemma, the popular anger will expand further. ners “to ensure that Hamas does I believe that the first steps in the solution are to reconsider the con- Secret airbase in Yemen play not benefit from the reconstruc- stitution, reform the relationship between the two authorities, and re- tion assistance.” store prestige to the ruling family. Blinken will not be meeting Last but not the least, the state should suspend the financial generos- DUBAI, May 25, (AP): A mysterious air base is being built on a volcanic island off Yemen that with Hamas, which does not rec- ity it shows abroad and instead turn inward, as Kuwait has much good ognize Israel’s right to exist and in it but it is not unable to help its own people. sits in one of the world’s crucial maritime choke- Qatar, Egypt points for both energy shipments and commercial which Israel and the U.S. consid- Email: [email protected] cargo. er a terrorist organization. While no country has claimed the Mayun Is- Blinken addressed the larger Follow me on: readjust ties land air base in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, ship- conflict, saying “we believe that ping traffic associated with a prior attempt to Palestinians and Israelis equally CAIRO, May 25, (AP): Egypt’s build a massive runway across the 5.6-kilometer deserve to live safely and se- top diplomat met Tuesday with his (3.5 mile)-long island years ago links back to the curely, to enjoy equal measures [email protected] Qatari counterpart as ties between United Arab Emirates. of freedom, opportunity and de- the two nations gradually improve Officials in Yemen’s internationally recognized mocracy, to be treated with dig- since Egypt and three Gulf nations government now say the Emiratis are behind this nity.” ended their dispute with the ener- latest effort as well, even though the UAE an- But the top U.S. diplomat fac- gy-rich country earlier this year. nounced in 2019 it was withdrawing its troops es the same obstacles that have Newswatch Foreign Minister Sameh from a Saudi-led military campaign battling Ye- stifled a wider peace process for Shukry and Qatar’s top diplo- men’s Houthi rebels. more than a decade, including a mat and Deputy Prime Minister “This does seem to be a longer-term strate- hawkish Israeli leadership, Pales- Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al gic aim to establish a relatively permanent pres- tinian divisions and deeply root- WASHINGTON: The Biden administration says many American citi- Thani met in Cairo and discussed ence,” said Jeremy Binnie, the Mideast editor at ed tensions surrounding Jerusa- zens holding recently expired US passports will be allowed to return “the positive development” in the open-source intelligence company Janes who lem and its holy sites. The Biden home from abroad on that document until the end of year. ties between the two countries, has followed construction on Mayun for years. administration had initially Citing delays in passport renewals caused by the coronavirus pan- according to a statement by It’s “possibly not just about the Yemen war and hoped to avoid being drawn into demic, the State Department said certain passports that expired on or Egypt’s Foreign Ministry. you’ve got to see the shipping situation as fairly the intractable conflict and focus after Jan 1, 2021, will be honored for reentry into the United States A January declaration put an key there.” on other foreign policy priorities until Dec 31. That’s because the pandemic forced the department and end to a diplomatic crisis that be- Emirati officials in Abu Dhabi and the UAE’s before the violence broke out. most embassies and consulates to close down or signifi cantly reduce gan in 2017 with a rift between Embassy in Washington did not respond to re- Netanyahu, meanwhile, is passport services. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United fighting for his political life after “US Customs and Border Protection offi cers will accept for admis- quests for comment. Arab Emirates and Bahrain on The runway on Mayun Island allows whoever a fourth inconclusive election in sion certain expired US passports, thereby assisting US citizens who two years. He faces mounting have been affected by appointment backlogs at embassies and consu- one side and Qatar on the other. controls it to project power into the strait and eas- lates overseas caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” the department The four countries had jointly ily launch airstrikes into mainland Yemen, con- criticism from Israelis who say said in a notice issued late Monday. boycotted Qatar and hoped an em- vulsed by a yearslong bloody war. It also provides he ended the offensive prema- The closures resulted in waiting times of more than two months in bargo and media blitz would pres- a base for any operations into the Red Sea, the turely, without forcibly halting some cases for processing passport renewals, and a signifi cant backlog sure it to end its close relations Gulf of Aden and nearby East Africa. rocket attacks or dealing a heavi- of applications remains. with Turkey and Iran. Egypt and Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc. obtained er blow to Hamas. The department cautioned, though, that recently expired passports the UAE view the support by Qa- by The Associated Press showed dump trucks and Netanyahu hardly mentioned aren’t valid for international travel from the United States or for travel tar and Turkey of Islamist groups graders building a 1.85 kilometer (6,070-foot) the Palestinians in his remarks, in between third countries that is not directly linked to return travel to the like the Muslim Brotherhood as a The national flag of Georgia is seen runway on the island on April 11. By May 18, which he warned of a “very pow- US. (AP) security threat. Saudi Arabia and near the iconic Kuwait Towers. Geor- that work appeared complete, with three hangars erful” response if Hamas breaks ❑ ❑ ❑ Bahrain were primarily concerned gia celebrates its 30 years of Indepen- constructed on a tarmac just south of the runway. the cease-fire. about Qatar’s ties with Iran. dence on May 26. — See Page 2 A runway of that length can accommodate at- Netanyahu spoke of “build- KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait on Monday tallied 1,240 new cases of coro- The countries accused Qatar of tack, surveillance and transport aircraft. An ear- ing economic growth” in the navirus over the past 24 hours to up the total to 300,455, while seven cozying up to Iran and financing ex- lier effort begun toward the end of 2016 and later occupied West Bank, but said fatalities pushed its death toll from the outbreak to 1,741, the health tremist groups in the region, though abandoned had workers try to build an even-larger there will be no peace until the ministry said. Doha denied the charges. Qatar- Palestinians recognize Israel as a Some 1,081 more people had recovered from the virus in the same Day by Day runway over 3 kilometers (9,800 feet) long, which period to raise the total of those to have overcome the respiratory illness based Al-Jazeera was at the center would allow for the heaviest bombers. “Jewish state.” The Palestinians to 286,199, which equates to a national recovery rate of 95.26 percent, of the dispute. The four nations Military officials with Yemen’s internation- have long objected to that lan- ministry spokesman Dr Abdullah Al-Sanad said. demanded its closure among other ally recognized government, which the Saudi-led guage, saying it undermines the IT is unfortunate that the government rights of Israel’s own Palestinian The number of people hospitalized with the virus stands at 12,515, measures, which Qatar rejected. makes wrong decisions. It is equally coalition has backed since 2015, say the UAE is with 145 of them in intensive care units, he revealed, adding that Tuesday’s statement said the unfortunate when the government re- building the runway. The officials, speaking to minority. some 9,386 swab tests were conducted over the last day out of a total ministers discussed taking fur- tracts its wrong decisions in secret as the AP on condition of anonymity as they didn’t The war was triggered by 2,535,029 so far. ther measures that aim at promot- if ashamed to own the mistake or as have authorization to brief journalists, say Emirati weeks of clashes in Jerusalem The spokesman went on to urge citizens and expatriates alike that ing “the positive atmosphere” in if it wants to say let bygones be by- ships transported military weapons, equipment between Israeli police and Pal- abiding by health precautions, mainly, following social distancing their bilateral ties. It did not elab- gones. and troops to Mayun Island in recent weeks. estinian protesters in and around rules, is the only way to halt the spread of the virus. (KUNA) orate on details. This behavior confuses everyone The military officials said recent tension be- the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, ❑ ❑ ❑ The two diplomats also dis- because people don’t get answers to tween the UAE and Yemeni President Abed Rab- a site revered by Jews and Mus- cussed other regional topics, their questions and the reason is gov- bo Mansour Hadi came in part from an Emirati lims that has seen several out- KUWAIT CITY: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad including a decade-long dispute ernment decisions are inconsistent demand for his government to sign a 20-year lease breaks of Israeli-Palestinian vio- Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent a cable of condolences on Tuesday to Saudi between Egypt, Sudan and Ethio- with reality. agreement for Mayun. Emirati officials have not lence over the years. The protests King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud over the demise of Princess Al- pia over a massive dam Ethiopia It seems the government of ‘con- acknowledged any disagreement. were directed at Israel’s policing Jawhara Bint Mohammad bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud. is building on the main tributary stant wrong decisions’ does not know The initial, failed construction project came of the area during the Muslim His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ahmad Al- of the Nile River, the statement that there are laws that are difficult to after Emirati and allied forces retook the island holy month of Ramadan and the Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah implement, but help ignite revolutions. Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah sent similar cables. (KUNA) added. Egypt and Sudan deem from Iranian-backed Houthi militants in 2015. By threatened eviction of dozens of the Ethiopian dam a major threat ... Yet, tomorrow is another day. late 2016, satellite images showed construction Palestinian families by Jewish to their water security. Zahed Matar underway there. settlers.