THE NEXT GREAT THRILLER: PLOT TO DRIVE A WEDGE BETWEEN TRUMP WHITE HOUSE AND THE SAUDI PRINCE

UPDATE:  “Before the media and the politicians who listen to it drag the United States into a conflict with Saudi Arabia over a Muslim Brotherhood activist based on the word of an enemy country still holding Americans hostage, we deserve the context.”
sultanknish - “The Ugly Truth About Jamal.”


Who Does One Believe?

“ABBAS ON KHASHOGGI: THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE STAND WITH SAUDI ARABIA:” When Abbas gets involved, be sure he is up to no good. Partnering with Turkey’s Erdogan is clearly a PLOT to splinter Trump’s White House relationship with the new Saudi King. There is much more to this story than being reported right now. The truth will eventually surface. JPOST

Abbas does not want the Kushner trio’s plan for Middle East Peace, and he will devise a sinister plan to sabotage it. The collaboration of Turkey and the PLO [Abbas] is a poisonous cocktail.

Telltale Sign: TRUMP: ‘SEVERE PUNISHMENT’ FOR SAUDI ARABIA IF KHASHOGGI WAS KILLED. "We would be very upset and angry if that were the case,” Trump added. JPOST This is exactly the reaction desired.

CONTROL: Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he is following the case closely and will tell the world any news that comes out. His control over his country is nearly absolute, and he wants to control all narrative (with Abbas).

WHO DID THE RECORDING? Report: Smartwatch documented murder of missing journalist. Turkish paper reports Jamal Khasshogi activated a smartwatch recording before entering Saudi consulate in Istanbul. But who did the murdering?  BBC punches holes in this theory: The Apple Watch does not use the company's Touch ID system, so fingerprint access would have been impossible - unless the attackers unlocked it via the iPhone it was paired with, and that was outside. That makes me doubt the rest of the report but let's look at the watch's "recording function". This does not come built in to the device, but a number of third party apps allow you to record audio. It is conceivable that the journalist had installed one of these apps and started to record before entering the consulate. But for that recording to upload to his iPhone, he would probably have had to press stop without his assailants noticing. And, crucially, his Apple Watch would have needed a Bluetooth connection to the phone in the hands of his fiancée outside. BBC by Rory Cellan-Jones, Technology correspondent



ONE WAY TO DISRUPT THE MIDDLE EAST IS TO DIVIDE AND DISRUPT (Saudi Arabia):
Erdogan? This is nobody’s idea of a hero. Certainly, nobody in the United States or Israel trusts or believes this guy. His jails overflow with journalists…and I’m guessing he’s done in hundreds like Khashoggi, only we’ll never know. Think Midnight Express and think Pastor Brunson. Saudi Arabia? Yes, it is an ally, and, in relative terms, something of a friend towards Israel, lately, hesitantly. But that is also where most of the 9/11 hijackers came from. arutzsheva

Saudi King and Erdogan speak in wake of journalist's dissapearance. Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Turkish President Recep stress importance of two countries' relations. arutzsheva  BUT Report: Saudi King suffering from dementia - Israel National News. The Lebanese Al-Ahed claimed to obtain medical records of King Salman testifying that he was suffering dementia since 2008, and that the number of hospital visits in the last few months has increased and that he did not walk around, as he did before. arutzsheva

A BREAK IN THE WARCLOUD:

THE SHADOW WAR BEHIND KHASHOGGI’S DISAPPEARANCE: Saudi Arabian journalist’s disappearance is pawn in larger regional struggle that connects Washington, Ankara, Doha and Riyadh. JPOST

ISRAEL / SAUDI RELATIONSHIP: The missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was an outspoken opponent of rumors that Saudi Arabia was considering increased ties with Israel. His disappearance while visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul may now result in a reduction of Washington’s support for Riyadh and have repercussions that affect Jerusalem.

Khashoggi was once a powerful insider in Saudi Arabia, an adviser to the kingdom who helped craft its image abroad. However he became increasingly disillusioned with the path chosen by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman after MBS rose to power in 2017. Khashoggi was particularly critical of Riyadh’s approach to the Muslim Brotherhood and political Islam. He felt the crackdown on more Islamist views was problematic. He also voiced consistent critique of the rumors that the kingdom was growing closer to Israel. He told Al Jazeera in November that Saudi Arabia should return to its role as a leader of the Arab world. “He deplored the authorities’ decision to allow some in the Saudi news media to express support for Israel against the Palestinians,” [. . .] JPOST

REUTERS: DUBAI (Reuters) - Some Saudis are treating Turkish allegations that prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed in their country's consulate in Istanbul as fake news.

Others see the alleged murder of Khashoggi, an outspoken critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as a chilling message for opponents of the Saudi government and a sign that the crown prince's much heralded reforms are unlikely to embrace real freedom of expression. yahoo news