President Joe Biden’s trip to the Middle East ended in even more controversy after it emerged that an American lawyer who previously represented slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi had been detained in the United Arab Emirates. American citizen Asim Ghafoor was arrested at Dubai airport on Thursday while traveling to Istanbul for a family wedding and held on charges related to a money laundering conviction in absentia. Mr Ghafoor reportedly had no prior knowledge of any conviction. UAE state media reported on Saturday that the lawyer had been sentenced to three years in prison. On Saturday, Mr. Biden met with the president of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and invited him to visit the US before the end of the year. He was one of several Middle Eastern leaders Biden met with in Saudi Arabia on Saturday before departing on Air Force One. New details also emerged about Friday’s controversial meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – the man US intelligence has found responsible for ordering Khashoggi’s murder. When Mr Biden confronted MBS about the assassination – after a friendly punch – he denied the charge and hit back at US disputes.
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Biden accuses Saudi officials of lying when they claim they ‘didn’t hear him’ bring Khashoggi with MBS
President Joe Biden accused Saudi officials of lying after they claimed they “didn’t hear” him mention the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in his meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir had claimed in a phone call with a Fox News reporter on Saturday that he “didn’t hear” Biden confront MBS on the issue. When Biden returned to the White House on Saturday night, he was asked if the official was telling the truth. “Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister says he didn’t hear you blame the crown prince for Khashoggi’s murder. Is he telling the truth?’ a White House reporter asked. Mr. Biden answered firmly: “No.” Rachel Sharp 17 July 2022 15:21 1658065766
UAE state media claims to have arrested US lawyer after cooperating with US authorities
UAE state media said the detention and conviction of an American lawyer who represented slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi came after US officials asked for help investigating his activities. WAM reported on Saturday that US authorities have asked the UAE for judicial assistance in their investigations into Asim Ghafoor for alleged tax evasion and suspected money transfers to the UAE. The US has not confirmed this version of events. The Independent contacted the US State Department to verify this account. Ghafoor, a US citizen and civil rights attorney based in Virginia, was convicted of two counts of tax evasion and money laundering related to a US tax evasion operation, WAM reported. Abu Dhabi’s anti-money laundering court has now sentenced him to three years in prison and a fine of three million dirhams (US$816,748), with deportation from the UAE. Mr Ghafoor was suddenly arrested at Dubai airport on Thursday amid President Joe Biden’s controversial trip to the Middle East. Rachel Sharp 17 July 2022 14:49 1658063700
Joe Biden’s trip to Saudi Arabia was doomed from the start
“Trying to achieve peace in the Middle East is a task that American presidents usually leave until their second term. This was the standard set, with varying degrees of success, by Presidents Nixon, Clinton and Obama. “Only Jimmy Carter allowed hope to triumph over experience during his tenure, with the historic Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel. “Although only in his first term and his first visit to the region, Joe Biden is clearly not there to follow in the footsteps of any of his peaceful predecessors. He has been around too long and has seen too many disappointments to risk the investment required to make progress. This trip has more to do with Russia and Ukraine than Israel and Palestine.” Read the rest of the Independent article here:
Editorial: Joe Biden’s trip to Saudi Arabia was doomed from the start
Editorial: At least Biden was honest enough to admit ‘the ground is not ripe’ for restarting Israeli-Palestinian talks Rachel Sharp July 17, 2022 2:15 p.m 1658062392
US lawyer who represented Jamal Khashoggi sentenced to three years in UAE
An American lawyer who represented murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi has been sentenced to three years in prison in the United Arab Emirates after he was suddenly detained at an airport in the country during President Joe Biden’s trip to the Middle East. UAE state media WAM reported on Saturday that American citizen Asim Ghafoor was convicted of two counts of tax evasion and money laundering related to a tax evasion operation in his country. Abu Dhabi’s money laundering court sentenced him to three years in prison and a fine of three million dirhams (US$816,748), with deportation from the UAE. The Virginia-based civil rights attorney was arrested at Dubai airport on Thursday while traveling to Istanbul for a family wedding, according to Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN). The human rights group said Mr Ghafoor is now being held in a detention center in Abu Dhabi on charges related to a money-laundering conviction in absentia. Mr Ghafoor had no prior knowledge of any conviction, DAWN said in a statement on Friday. The US State Department said on Saturday it was aware of Mr Ghafoor’s detention in the country – just as the US president was meeting the president of the UAE to boost relations between the two nations. “We are aware of the arrest of American citizen Asim Ghafoor in the United Arab Emirates. We have raised his arrest with the Emirati authorities and requested additional information. We are closely monitoring his case and providing appropriate consular support. Consular officials from the US Embassy visited him today,” a State Department spokesman said. “We have conveyed our expectation that Mr. Ghafoor’s rights to a fair and public hearing and due process guarantees will be fully respected and that he will be treated humanely, and that US rights to consular access will be fully respected.” Rachel Sharp July 17, 2022 1:53 p.m 1658060100
Jamal Khashoggi’s fiancee slams Biden for MSB hit
Jamal Khashoggi’s fiancee has criticized President Joe Biden for his fist fight with the Saudi crown prince. Hatice Cengiz spoke of how she believed the murdered journalist would respond upon seeing the friendly greeting between the two leaders. “Is this the accountability you promised for my murder? The blood of MBS’s next victims is on your hands,” he said. Khashoggi had gone to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018 to get the documents he needed to marry Ms Genghis. He never made it out alive. Rachel Sharp July 17, 2022 1:15 p.m 1658058300
Biden poses for ‘family photo’ with Saudi Crown Prince MBS
President Joe Biden posed for a “family photo” with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, hours after the pair exchanged harsh words over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The president stood shoulder to shoulder with the crown prince, known as MBS, along with other Middle Eastern leaders on Saturday before boarding Air Force One and leaving the region. In the photos, Biden stood with his hands clasped in front of him with MBS to his right. At some point the two leaders appeared to exchange words. They were joined for the photo call by Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa bin Salman al-Khalifa. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi. King Abdullah II of Jordan? Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani. Crown Prince of Kuwait Meshal al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah; Prime Minister of Iraq Mustafa Qademi; President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan and Asaad bin Tariq al-Said, special representative of the Sultan of Oman. The so-called “family photo” comes after Friday’s meeting between Biden and MBS, where the US president said he confronted the Saudi crown prince over his role in Khashoggi’s death. The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:
Biden poses for ‘family photo’ with MBS after row over Khashoggi murder
Biden administration officials forced to defend the president’s decision to meet with MBS after he vowed to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” in the 2020 campaign Rachel Sharp July 17, 2022 12:45 p.m 1658056500
MBS counters Biden with America’s own controversies
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman hit back at Joe Biden with America’s own controversies when the US president confronted him over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, it has emerged. A source familiar with Friday’s controversial meeting between the two leaders told CNN that the crown prince, known as MBS, responded by mentioning the death of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and incidents where US soldiers abused detainees at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib detention center. The source said MBS told Biden that the two incidents reflect badly on the US. The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:
MBS hit back at Biden when confronted about Khashoggi’s murder
Saudi Arabia’s crown prince addressed the death of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and incidents of US soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners Rachel Sharp July 17, 2022 12:15 p.m 1658054700
The American lawyer who defended Khashoggi is being held in the UAE
A US lawyer who defended slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi has been arrested in the United Arab Emirates, sparking further controversy over President Joe Biden’s trip to the Middle East. Asim Ghafoor, a US citizen and civil rights lawyer from Virginia, was arrested at Dubai airport on Thursday while traveling to Istanbul for a family wedding, according to Democracy for the Arab World…
