Biden says the US will use force as a “last resort” to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons
President Joe Biden’s trip to the Middle East ended in more controversy after it emerged that an American lawyer who previously represented slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi was detained in the UAE.
American citizen Asim Ghafoor was detained at Dubai airport on Thursday while traveling to Istanbul for a family wedding and was held on charges related to a money laundering conviction in absentia. Mr Ghafoor reportedly had no prior knowledge of any sentence.
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 United States before the end of the year.
He was one of a number of Middle Eastern leaders Mr. 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 believes was responsible for ordering Khashoggi’s assassination.
When Mr Biden confronted MBS about the assassination – after a friendly fist bump – he denied the charge and hit back at the controversy in the US.
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Biden accuses Saudi officials of lying when they claim they ‘didn’t hear him’ raise Khashoggi with MBS
President Joe Biden accused Saudi officials of lying after they claimed they “didn’t hear him” raise the issue of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in his meeting with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.
Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir said in a phone call with a Fox News reporter on Saturday that he had “not heard” Mr Biden confront MBS on the issue.
When Mr. Biden returned to the White House on Saturday night, he was asked if the official was telling the truth.
“The Saudi foreign minister says he didn’t hear you blame the crown prince for killing Khashoggi. Is he telling the truth?” asked a White House reporter.
Mr. Biden firmly replied, “No.”
Rachel Sharp July 17, 2022 3:21 pm
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UAE state media say they have detained an American lawyer after dealing with US authorities
UAE state media said the detention and conviction of a US lawyer who represented slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi came after US officials sought help investigating his activities.
WAM reported on Saturday that US authorities have requested judicial assistance from the UAE in connection with their investigations into Asim Ghafoor for alleged tax evasion and making suspicious 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.
Mr Ghafoor, a US citizen and Virginia-based civil rights lawyer, was convicted of two counts of tax evasion and money laundering related to a tax evasion operation in the US, WAM reported.
The Abu Dhabi 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.
Mr Ghafoor was suddenly detained at Dubai airport on Thursday during President Joe Biden’s undisputed trip to the Middle East.
Rachel Sharp July 17, 2022 2:49 pm
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Joe Biden’s trip to Saudi Arabia was doomed from the start
“Trying to bring peace to the Middle East is a task that American presidents usually leave until their second term. This was the pattern set with varying degrees of success by Presidents Nixon, Clinton and Obama.
“Only Jimmy Carter allowed hope to triumph over experience during his only term in office, with the historic Camp David accords between Egypt and Israel.
“Although only in his first term and on his first visit to the region, Joe Biden is expressly not there to follow in the footsteps of any of his peacemaking predecessors. He’s been around too long and seen too many disappointments to risk the investment needed to move forward. This trip has more to do with Russia and Ukraine than Israel and Palestine.
Read the rest of The Independent’s editorial here:
Editorial: Joe Biden’s trip to Saudi Arabia was doomed from the start
Edit: 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 pm
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The American lawyer who represented Jamal Khashoggi was sentenced to three years in prison in the UAE
An American lawyer who represented slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi has been sentenced to three years in prison in the UAE 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.
The Abu Dhabi Money Laundering Court sentenced him to three years in prison and a fine of three million dirhams ($816,748), with deportation from the UAE.
The Virginia-based civil rights attorney was detained at Dubai airport on Thursday while traveling to Istanbul for a family wedding, according to Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN).
The rights group said Mr Ghafoor was 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 sentence, 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 – at a time when the US president was meeting with the president of the UAE to improve relations between the two nations.
“We are aware of the arrest of American citizen Asim Ghafoor in the UAE. We have raised the issue of his detention at senior levels with the Emirati authorities and requested further information. We are closely monitoring his case and providing appropriate consular support; consular officials from the U.S. 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 to the guarantees of a fair trial will be fully respected and that he will be treated humanely, and that the US rights to consular access will be fully respected.”
Rachel Sharp July 17, 2022 at 1:53 pm
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Jamal Khashoggi’s fiancee jabs Biden over fistfight with MSB
Jamal Khashoggi’s fiancee slammed President Joe Biden over his fistfight with the Saudi crown prince.
Hatice Cengiz talks about how she thinks the murdered journalist will react when she sees the friendly greeting between the two leaders.
“Is this the responsibility you promised for my murder? The blood of the next victims of MBS is on your hands,” she said.
Khashoggi had gone to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018, to obtain the documents he needed to marry Ms Cengiz. He never made it out alive.
Rachel Sharp July 17, 2022 1:15 pm
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Biden poses for a “family photo” with Saudi Crown Prince MBS
President Joe Biden posed for a “family photo” with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, just hours after the two exchanged sharp 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, Mr. Biden stands with his arms folded in front of him with MBS to his right. At one point the two leaders appeared to exchange words.
They were joined for the photo call by King Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa of Bahrain; Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi; King Abdullah II of Jordan; The Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani; Crown Prince of Kuwait Meshal al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah; the Prime Minister of Iraq, Mustafa Kadhemi; The President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and Asad Bin Tariq Al-Said, Special Representative of the Sultan of Oman.
The so-called “family photo” comes after a meeting on Friday between Mr 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 clash over Khashoggi murder
Biden administration officials have been forced to defend the president’s decision to meet with MBS after he vowed to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” during the 2020 campaign.
Rachel Sharp July 17, 2022 12:45 pm
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MBS hits back at Biden with America’s own contradictions
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman hit back at Joe Biden with America’s own controversies as 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 raising the issue of the death of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and incidents of American soldiers abusing prisoners in the Iraqi detention center Abu Ghraib.
The source said MBS told Mr Biden that the two incidents reflected badly on the US.
The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:
MBS hit back at Biden when confronted about Khashoggi’s murder
The Saudi Crown Prince raised the issue of the death of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and the incidents of American soldiers mistreating Iraqi prisoners
Rachel Sharp July 17, 2022 12:15 pm
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An American lawyer who defended Khashoggi has been detained in the UAE
An American lawyer who defended slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi has been detained in the UAE, sparking further controversy surrounding President Joe Biden’s trip to the Middle East.
Asim Ghafoor, an American citizen and civil rights attorney from Virginia, was detained at Dubai airport on Thursday while traveling to Istanbul for a family wedding, according to Democracy for the Arab…
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