Middle East
Fatah calls on its official Facebook page for Palestinians to “escalate confrontations” across the country from June 24-26 in protest against the U.S.-sponsored summit in Manama.
It was an unprecedented move by the Persian Gulf country, which does not have diplomatic ties with the Jewish state and for the first time will allow Israeli journalists to report from its soil.
Palestinian Authority spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said “any meeting, whether in Bahrain or elsewhere and without the legitimate Palestinian endorsement, proves that Washington cannot and will not succeed on its own in achieving anything.”
The U.S. president made the statement as the Pentagon announced that the United States will send an additional 1,000 troops to the Middle East as tensions escalate between Washington and Tehran.
“The action is being taken to ensure the safety and welfare of our military personnel throughout the region and to protect our national interests,” said Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan.
Also not in attendance: Russia, China and the Palestinian Authority.
“I think he said them elegantly, and I support his comments,” said U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Jason Greenblatt.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman: “We do not want a war in the region ... but we will not hesitate to deal with any threat.”
The United States claimed that an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps patrol boat approached the side of a Japanese-owned oil tanker, where a crew member apparently removed an explosive device from the hull.
It comes ahead of the Trump administration releasing the first part of its peace proposal between the Israelis and the Palestinians at an economic summit later this month in Bahrain.
“The president has been briefed on the attack on ships in the Gulf of Oman. The U.S. government is providing assistance and will continue to assess the situation,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement.
In an exclusive interview with “Israel Hayom” editor-in-chief Boaz Bismuth, the former U.N. ambassador says she has read the plan, and that “Israel should not be worried,” and that Abbas revealed his true colors by refusing to come to the table.
