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Now Israel want Saudi Crown Prince MBS to visit Tel Aviv

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Arab monarchs apprehensive of public ire

In another step forward in Saudi Arabia-Israel relations, the Israel’s Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz want Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS, to visit Tel Aviv and extend invitation to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the Kingdom.

This was disclosed by his spokesman Arye Shailcar, who called the proposed visit as a historic trip involving two nations with no official diplomatic ties.

According to AFP report from Jerusalem, the minister’s spokesman Arye Shalicar disclosed that Katz issued the call during an interview with Elaph, a news website run by a Saudi businessman on Wednesday.

However, the website did not carry the invitation call in its online publication. Shalicar could not comment on why, but says Katz had indeed made the comments.

“He said that he asks the king to invite (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu officially to Riyadh, and he asks MBS, Mohammed bin Salman, the son, to come and visit Israel,” Shalicar says of Katz, who is also transportation minister.

Katz made the call because “he wants regional peace — that’s part of his three-layered program,” his spokesman said, referring to security and economic cooperation leading to eventual peace.

During the Wednesday interview the Israeli Intelligence minister referred to Saudi Arabia as a leader of the Arab world and issued a warning to Lebanon and Hezbollah.  

The Lebanese resistance group has played important role in defeating Daesh (IS) terrorists in Syria and Iraq. Israel and Hezbollah fought a war in 2006, while the group had forced Israel to withdraw its forces from south Lebanon in 2000.

Katz said if Hezbollah initiates a war against Israel, “this time all of Lebanon will be a target.” He further threatened, “What happened in 2006 would be a picnic compared to what could happen… I say Lebanon will return to the stone age.”

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken several times with pride about growing contacts with “moderate Arab states”.

In June, Israel’s defence minister Avigdor Liberman had called for a deal with Arab countries including Saudi Arabia as a pre-requisite for agreement to resolve the Palestinian conflict. Two months back Liberman underlined the need for “a full regional agreement with all moderate Sunni states, including Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.”

Earlier in October, an Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, had confirmed to AFP that a Saudi prince who was widely reported to have visited Israel in September was Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

In Novermber, the Elaph news website also interviewed Israeli military chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot when he announced his country’s readiness to cooperate with Saudi Arabia to face Iran’s plans “to control the Middle East.”

It has been difficult for Saudi monarchs to manage people’s outrage on the Israeli suppressive moves against Palestinians. But at the same time they are told that “Iranian threat” may be countered with Israeli help in the region. There have been reports of Israeli arms and jets being used in bombing campaign against Yemen.

During the ongoing worldwide protests against US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israeli capital, there have been no reports of protests in Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries. The Imams of two grand mosques in Mekkah and Madinah also remained silent on the issue.

On Wednesday, during OIC Extraordinary Summit in Istanbul, especially held to discuss the US President Donald Trump’s Jerusalem move, Saudi Arabia was represented by the minister of religious affairs while 22 heads of states and governments and more than thirty foreign ministers participated in the 57-nation body meet.

The Egyptian government headed by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has also been maintaining ties with Israel. Cairo and Amman have peace agreement with Israel.

According to New Arab news website report published on Wednesday, the Egyptian President was embarrassed on Al-Azhar’s Grand Imam Ahmed al-Tayeb’s “unilateral” condemnation of Trump’s Jerusalem move. Tayeb and his Christian counterpart had also cancelled their proposed meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence.

Few years back some Arabic language daily published from a European capital carried a survey saying that most Arab people were supportive of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrullah and Iranian leadership for their anti-Israel and anti-US stance. This has made Arab monarchs more apprehensive about people’s response if they openly hug Israeli leadership.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Kremlin denies US media reports on Donald Trump’s phone call with Vladimir Putin

Donald Trump said on the campaign trail that he could end the fighting within hours and has indicated he would talk directly with Russian President Putin.

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Kremlin denies US media reports on Donald Trump’s phone call with Vladimir Putin

The Kremlin today denied a US media report that Russian President Vladimir Putin and US president-elect Donald Trump had spoken on the phone last week about the Ukraine conflict.

Earlier on Sunday, The Washington Post reported that Donald Trump spoke to Vladimir Pution on call, urging him not to inflame the conflict. Speaking on the matter, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media that the report was completely false information, and denied any phone call took place.

It was reported that US President-elect Donald Trump has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin and urged him not to escalate the war in Ukraine. It said that Donald Trump held the call from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Thursday, just days after his stunning election victory over Democratic rival Kamala Harris. The report also mentioned that both the leaders expressed an interest in further conversations to discuss the resolution of Ukraine’s war soon.

Notably, Donald Trump said on the campaign trail that he could end the fighting within hours and has indicated he would talk directly with Russian President Putin. However, the US President elect has not said how he intends to strike a peace deal or what terms he is proposing.

Donald Trump’s election is seen as carrying the potential to upend the almost three-year Ukraine conflict, as he insists on a quick end to the fighting and casts doubt on Washington’s multi-billion dollar support for Kyiv.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with Trump on Wednesday, with the Republican’s billionaire backer Elon Musk also notably joining them on the call. Volodymyr Zelensky described the call as excellent, adding that he and Trump had agreed to maintain close dialogue and advance our cooperation.

Additionally, the outgoing Democratic administration of President Joe Biden has confirmed that it will send as much aid as possible to Ukraine before Trump’s inauguration on January 20.

Joe Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the White House aims to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position on the battlefield so that it is ultimately in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table.

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India calls out Canada’s move to ban Australia Today for airing S Jaishankar’s press conference

The MEA said that these actions yet again highlight the hypocrisy of Canada towards freedom of speech.

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India calls out Canada’s move to ban Australia Today for airing S Jaishankar's press conference

A few hours after Australia Today aired External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s press conference in Australia, Canada banned the outlet. The External Affairs Minister gave remarks on the India-Canada diplomatic standoff. 

Reacting to this, India on Thursday said it was surprised by Canada’s move to ban the outlet and emphasized that it highlighted Ottawa’s hypocrisy towards freedom of speech. Australia Today, which is an important outlet for the Indian community in the country, had aired the joint press conference of S Jaishankar and his Australian counterpart Penny Wong in Canberra.

In a weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that they understand that the social media handles, pages of this particular outlet, which is an important diaspora outlet, have been blocked and are not available for viewers in Canada. He continued that this happened just an hour or a few hours after this particular handle carried the press conference of S Jaishankar with Penny Wong. He called out the incident, mentioning that they are surprised, and the matter looks strange to them.

He further underlined that these are the actions which yet again highlight the hypocrisy of Canada towards freedom of speech. He noted that the External Affairs Minister spoke about three things: Canada making allegations and a pattern had developed without any specific evidence, surveillance of Indian diplomats in Canada, which he termed as unacceptable, and  the political space which has been given in Canada to anti-India elements. 

With this one can draw conclusions, why Australia Today channel was blocked by Canada, the spokesperson said. Australia Today focuses on news and analytical pieces related to the Indian community in Australia and elsewhere across the world.

This incident follows days after devotees were attacked by pro-Khalistani at a Hindu temple in Canada’s Brampton, with S Jaishankar calling it deeply concerning. Furthermore, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condemned the attack and said that there were cowardly attempts to intimidate Indian diplomats.

The diplomatic standoff between India and Canada began in September last year when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that Indian government agents might have been involved in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a claim outrightly rejected by New Delhi.

Later in October 2024, ties between both the countries nosedived when Canada termed the Indian High Commissioner a person of interest in its investigation into Nijjar’s murder. Issuing a strongly worded statement, India dismissed the fresh charge and recalled the envoy and some diplomats, while expelling six Canadian officials, including Canada’s acting High Commissioner.

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PM Modi congratulates Donald Trump on winning US President election

The Prime Minister urged Trump to work for the betterment of the people and to promote global peace, stability and prosperity.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated Donald Trump on winning the 2024 US Presidential election and said he is looking forward to renewing their collaboration to further strengthen the India-US partnership.

The Prime Minister urged Trump to work for the betterment of the people and to promote global peace, stability and prosperity.

“Heartiest congratulations my friend @realDonaldTrump on your historic election victory. As you build on the successes of your previous term, I look forward to renewing our collaboration to further strengthen the India-US Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership. Together, let’s work for the betterment of our people and to promote global peace, stability and prosperity,” PM Modi posted on his X handle.

With the results being announced for the 2024 US election on November 6, Trump became the 47th President of the United States.

Former US President Trump appeared to be on track for a remarkable political comeback in the White House race. Projections suggested that he was poised to secure the necessary 270 electoral college votes, effectively blocking Democratic candidate Kamala Harris from winning the election.

The relationship between Trump and Modi has been characterised by robust diplomatic ties, strategic collaboration, and a noticeable personal rapport. Their friendship was prominently displayed during major events such as “Howdy, Modi” in Houston in 2019 and “Namaste Trump” in Ahmedabad in 2020, where they addressed large audiences and expressed their mutual respect.

On a strategic level, Trump and Modi found common ground in matters of defense and security, both adopting a strong stance against terrorism, which reinforced their alliance, particularly concerning threats from Pakistan.

As he approaches a notable victory in the US election, Republican Presidential candidate Trump expressed gratitude to his supporters today, calling it a magnificent victory for the American people. He also referenced the assassination attempt on July 13, stating, “God spared my life for a reason.”

The 78-year-old candidate is currently projected to secure 267 electoral college votes, just three shy of the decisive 270, while his opponent, incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris, holds 224 electoral votes.

Trump described the Republican campaign as the greatest political movement of all time, asserting, “We are going to help our country heal, secure our borders, and we made history for a reason tonight. This is an incredible political victory. I want to thank the American people. I will fight for you and your family with every breath I have.”

He noted that Democrats are now looking at a projected total of 315 electoral votes.

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