JEDDAH: Bahrain’s Interior Minister has said that Qatar poses a threat to the security of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries due to its political interference and “harboring extremist and terrorist elements.”
In an interview with the pan-Arab Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al-Khalifa also referred to the Iranian interference in the domestic affairs of Bahrain.
With regard to the Qatari intervention in Bahrain, Sheikh Rashid pointed out that “Qatar continues to interfere in the domestic affairs of Bahrain and spies on its security and military forces, which threatens Bahraini national security.”
Shaikh Rashid added that Qatar has continued to naturalize Bahraini families, which affects Bahrain’s social security.
“Qatar also blocked a project to build a bridge between Bahrain and Qatar. It did not deliver its share in the Gulf support program, like its GCC counterparts. It banned the export of gas to Bahrain. We were forced to contract with Russia to import it,” Shaikh Rashid said.
He also stressed that Qatar’s serious threats to the security of its neighbors exceeded the limits of national sovereignty. “It affected the strength and homogeneity of the security front of the GCC states in light of the challenges facing the region.”
He also mentioned that the four countries that boycotted Qatar — Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain — took this position in order to preserve security and stability.
The minister stressed that Iran was guilty of “the export of intellectual and sectarian extremism to create a base in Bahrain.”
He pointed to “Tehran’s export of extremist ideology, smuggling of weapons and explosives, transfer of explosives technology, and training of Bahraini persons on how to use weapons, explosives and field skills.”
He pointed out that these interventions include the continued hostile statements by the Iranian officials.
“Iran’s satellite channels and all means of media are working around the clock to spread hatred, dissemination of rumors and distorting facts to serve its agenda in the region.”
Shaikh Rashid said however that the security situation in Bahrain today is generally safe and stable.
“To indicate that the security situation is stable, we are receiving larger numbers of visitors than any time. This is the best witness to the ... safe situation in the country.”
Bahrain interior minister: Qatar govt policy threatens GCC security
Bahrain interior minister: Qatar govt policy threatens GCC security
Family of Palestinian-American shot dead by Israeli settler demand accountability
- Relatives say Abu Siyam was among about 30 residents from the village of Mukhmas who confronted armed settlers attempting to steal goats from the community
LONDON: The family of a 19-year-old Palestinian-American man reportedly shot dead by an Israeli settler in the occupied West Bank have demanded accountability, amid mounting scrutiny over a surge in settler violence and a lack of prosecutions.
Nasrallah Abu Siyam, a US citizen born in Philadelphia, was killed near the city of Ramallah on Wednesday, becoming at least the sixth American citizen to die in incidents involving Israeli settlers or soldiers in the territory in the past two years.
Relatives say Abu Siyam was among about 30 residents from the village of Mukhmas who confronted armed settlers attempting to steal goats from the community. Witnesses said that stones were thrown by both sides before settlers opened fire, wounding at least three villagers.
Abu Siyam was struck and later died of his injuries.
Abdulhamid Siyam, the victim’s cousin, said the killing reflected a wider pattern of impunity.
“A young man of 19 shot and killed in cold blood, and no responsibility,” he told the BBC. “Impunity completely.”
The US State Department said that it was aware of the death of a US citizen and was “carefully monitoring the situation,” while the Trump administration said that it stood ready to provide consular assistance.
The Israeli embassy in Washington said the incident was under review and that an operational inquiry “must be completed as soon as possible.”
A spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces said troops were deployed to the scene and used “riot dispersal means to restore order,” adding that no IDF gunfire was reported.
The military confirmed that the incident remained under review and said that a continued presence would be maintained in the area to prevent further unrest.
Palestinians and human rights organizations say such reviews rarely lead to criminal accountability, arguing that Israeli authorities routinely fail to prosecute settlers accused of violence.
A US embassy spokesperson later said that Washington “condemns this violence,” as international concern continues to grow over conditions in the occupied West Bank.
Palestinians and human rights groups say Israeli authorities routinely fail to investigate or prosecute settlers accused of violence against civilians.
Those concerns were echoed this week by the UN, which warned that Israel’s actions in the occupied West Bank may amount to ethnic cleansing.
A UN human rights office report on Thursday said that Israeli settlement expansion, settler attacks and military operations have increasingly displaced Palestinian communities, with dozens of villages reportedly emptied since the start of the Gaza war.
The report also criticized Israeli military tactics in the northern West Bank, saying that they resembled warfare and led to mass displacement, while noting abuses by Palestinian security forces, including the use of unnecessary lethal force and the intimidation of critics.
Neither Israel’s foreign ministry nor the Palestinian Authority has commented on the findings.
