The 45 Second “Deafening Silence”

Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has made a very powerful and profound stand at the United Nations General Assembly this year. In case you did not watch his speech, you might be interested in knowing that it was not his speech that heated up the spirits in the room, but a 45 second “deafening silence” that was, once again, reconfirmed.

In general, Netanyahu makes use of his annual speech to point out the Iranian nuclear program and the issues that the Iranian state is causing by meddling in the Middle East. But this year, he really wanted to have impact, so he appealed to an emotional and psychological approach, stating a truth that has been a taboo for many years: when Iran threatens Israel, people remain silent.

It was the 45 second silence that followed his words that not only had tremendous impact, but also reconfirmed that instead of making a stand as the United Nations, people persisted in not saying anything on the matter. Whether nobody said anything out of shame or fear of misrepresenting their countries is another matter, but now we know how the world feels about this specific issue.

Judging by Netanyahu’s performance, he has been a good leader for Israel. While the countries around it have found themselves in political turmoil and ravaged by war, Israel’s situation has remained stable, secure and it has also managed to grow its economy. Netanyahu’s party also received great recognition this year by winning a very large share of the national election votes.

The nuclear deal regarding Iran has remained his greatest regret during his career. It the subject that he was most adamant on throughout all his political years. The Iran deal “evolved” for him, from a political matter to a personal one and, ultimately, to a problem for the Israeli people.

The “deafening silence” was a very strong symbol, one that showed that the world is already accustomed with the Iran deal. But for Israel things are not that simple and, as far as this event has proven us, everybody is willing to “go with the plan” at Israel’s expense. This can hardly be deemed as a fair act from the “United Nations”.

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A suicide bombings attack killed 21 people praying in a Saudi mosque on Friday in one of the deadliest assaults the wealthy Arab Gulf country has ever witnessed. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the mosque bombings, making it the first time the terrorist group carried out an attack in Saudi Arabia.

The casualties could have been far more numerous, as there were at least 150 worshipers at the Imam Ali mosque in al-Qadeeh at the time of the attack. The Saudi health minister announced in a TV statement that 90 other people suffered injuries as pieces of concrete and glass were falling down from the ceiling.

“We were doing the first part of the prayers when we heard the blast,” Kamal Jaafar Hassan, one of the witnesses who was inside the building, told reporters. Apparently, there was a single suicide bomber that carried out the attack, identified by the Islamic State as Abu ‘Ammar al-Najdi.

ISIS released a video statement shortly after the attack, describing in detail how he proceeded. According to the terrorist organization, al-Najdi used an explosive belt that was strapped around him and hidden underneath his clothes. The group announced that “black days” await the Shiites in Saudi Arabia, whom they view as heretics.

Shiites represent a minority in the large Arabian kingdom, and they have often been denounced as heretics even by some Saudi officials. However, it seems that this time the Islamic State went too far, as they found no support for their actions among the Saudi Arabian population.

Many Saudi journalists have denounced the attack and urged the kingdom’s government to take decisive measures to punish those responsible for the incident and preventing other atrocities from happening again. Naif Al-Rasheed, writing from the country’s capital Riyadh, believes the bombings aim to make people believe that public places are no longer safe in Saudi Arabia.

Dubai-based Musaed Al-Zayani blames foreign agents for the attack, who he thinks seek to destabilize the Kingdom by flaming tensions between Shiites and Sunnis. “We believe there is a foreign hand involved to create unrest in this peaceful country,” another statement said. Everyone seems to agree that religious fanatics have no place in Saudi Arabia and their presence cannot be tolerated.

Saudi officials believe that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State, targeted their country not only because it is an important regional ally for the Western powers fighting the terrorists, but also because he sees the Kingdom as direct challenge to his propaganda. Al-Baghdadi, who proclaimed himself caliph – religious leader of all Muslims – cannot sit idle as Saudi Arabia, the champion of Sunni doctrine and the birthplace of Islam, is challenging his rule.

“Security authorities will spare no effort in the pursuit of all those involved in this terrorist crime,” the state news agency promised. Officials said they expect ISIS to make other attempts to destabilize the country in the near future.

Image Source: CNN

China has issued multiple warnings to an US plane snooping over the South China Sea disputed islands on Wednesday, reaffirming its territorial claims and its rights to monitor all aircraft going through its sphere of influence.  However, US officials are still referring to the artificial islands as “disputed territories” and think China is trying to enforce its will through aggression.

The Pentagon recently declassified a series of recordings relevant to what the Chinese think of the territories. A CNN crew got access to some of the footage that revealed the Chinese Navy has been instructed to take a very stern approach towards any airplane attempting to gather intelligence.

“You go!” a Chinese Navy communications worker was heard saying in English. “This is the Chinese navy … Please go away … to avoid misunderstanding,” the voice warned off the US plane as it approached the islands in question.

The aircraft crew members claim they received the message while they were still flying at over 15,000 feet in the air, a short while before having actual eye contact with the island. However, the US military doesn’t seem too discouraged by the fact that they were discovered, and some army officials suggested future surveillance missions will get even closer to the islands.

Getting knowledge on what the Chinese are really building on the manmade islands is paramount, military analysts believe. A few months ago, satellite images showed what very much resembled an airstrip that could very well be used for military purposes. China, on the other hand, explained it only wants to guarantee the safety of the trade ships passing through the area.

What is certain is that the Chinese have been stepping up construction works on the islands lately. What so far was only a regional dispute – involving Beijing and the other South China Sea who have claims over some of the islands – could soon become a global security issue, according to some experts.

Michael Morell, a former CIA Deputy Director, belives China will use every trick in the book to expand its sphere of influence. “China is a rising power. We’re a status quo power. We’re the big dog on the block. They want more influence,” Morell explained.

Seen from Beijing’s perspective, China has full sovereignty over the South China Sea and thus has every right to allow construction works to proceed on the island, as well as surveilling neighboring airspace. The Chinese Foreign Ministry released a statement shortly after the Pentagon recordings went public. “We hope relevant countries respect China’s sovereignty over the South China Sea, abandon actions that may intensify controversies,” a spokesman for the ministry said, adding that China has a longing desire for regional peace and stability.

Image Source: Dawn

A new age of diplomacy is coming to the Vatican as Pope Francis made two nuns from the 19th-century Palestine the latest Catholic saints.

The ceremony took place in Saint Peter’s Square mere days after the Vatican formalized its de facto recognition of the State of Palestine on Sunday.

The decision seems to be aimed at encouraging Christian commitment across the Middle East where they are facing a wave of persecution and discrimination from Islamic extremists, which in turn has driven many Christians away from the region of Christ’s birth,

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and an estimated 2,000 pilgrims from the region attended the canonization of Sister Marie-Alphonsine Danil Ghattas founder of the Sisters of the Most Holy Rosary of Jerusalem, and Sister Maryam Bawardy, who founded a Carmelite convent in Bethlehem.

They were canonized along two other nuns – Saint Jeanne Emilie de Villeneuve from France, and Saint Maria Cristina of the Immaculate Conception from Italy.

Pope Francis spoke about the women at the end of the Mass praising them for their good deeds: “Inspired by their example of mercy, charity and reconciliation, may the Christians of these lands look with hope to the future, following the path of solidarity and fraternal coexistence”.

Sister Ghattas was born in Jerusalem in 1847. She is known for opening girls’ schools, fighting female illiteracy, and co-founding the Congregation of the Sisters of the Rosary, which today boasts dozens of centers all over the Middle East.

Sister Bawardy was born in 1843 in the Galilee region of northern Israel, then called the village of Ibilin. She is believed to have received the “stigmata” — bleeding wounds like those that Jesus Christ suffered on the cross — and died at the age of 33 in Bethlehem where she had founded a Carmelite order monastery earlier in life.

The Pope was especially proud of Ghattas for showing people the importance of becoming responsible for one another and living lives of service to one another, and especially proud of Bawardy’s for having been “a means of encounter and fellowship with the Muslim world”.

Fouad Twal, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, who accompanied President Mahmoud Abbas at the canonization, gave a statement saying that the event is a colossal one as this is the first time since “the days of the apostles” that Palestinians have been canonized.

He went on to call it a positive sign of our modern, contemporary time which seems to suggest that we can talk about the three religions without any discrimination.

President Abbas gave a statement of his own, saying that the country is proud of the event. All they want is Palestine is peace, a type of peace that transcends religion.

The canonization also offers great help to the people of Palestine in their cause, as it enforces their desire to build a sovereign, independent and free Palestine based on the principles of equal citizenship.

The president ended his speech by urging Palestinian Christians not to flee the region, but to stay and to fight for the right to have equal citizenship and liberty.

Image Source: dw.de