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posted by n1 on Tuesday June 06 2017, @12:44AM   Printer-friendly
from the friends-become-enemies dept.

Saudi Arabia and three other Arab nations have severed diplomatic and transport ties with the Gulf state of Qatar, claiming Doha's regional policies fuel extremism and terrorism.

The synchronised attempt to isolate Qatar also includes Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, escalating a simmering dispute over Qatar's support for political Islam and perceptions that Doha is open to closer ties with Saudi Arabia's arch-rival, Iran.

Source: Financial Times

Two weeks ago, the same four countries blocked Qatari news sites, including Al Jazeera. Controversial comments purportedly by Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani criticising Saudi Arabia appeared on Qatari state media.

Source: BBC News

Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates severed diplomatic ties with Qatar on June 5, Al Arabiya reported, citing state media outlets from the Gulf countries. Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt said they will suspend air and sea travel to Qatar, while Riyadh said it would close overland border crossings with its Gulf neighbor as well. Bahrain gave Qatari diplomats 48 hours to leave, while Saudi Arabia gave Qatari citizens two weeks to leave. Qatar has also reportedly been cut out of the coalition fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen. The breakdown of diplomatic ties stems from tensions over Doha's relationship with Tehran and its alleged support for the Muslim Brotherhood. With a small population and a unitary state centralized around Doha, Qatar lacks the internal ethno-religious tensions and political insecurities of its neighbors.

Source: Stratfor

A group claims it will begin publishing the private emails of the United Arab Emirates ambassador to the United States this weekend, according to a report from The Daily Beast.

"GlobalLeaks" - which does not appear to be related to the WikiLeaks-type website sharing the same name - sent 55 pages of Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba's emails to the news outlet along with a message saying the group would publish the entire cache this Saturday.

According to the message, the leaked emails will demonstrate "how a small rich country/company used lobbyists to hurt American interests and those of it allies."

Source: The Hill

[update: "Qatar's government categorically denied that comments in which the country's leader expressed support for Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah and Israel - while suggesting that US President Donald Trump may not last in power - were ever made."]


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  • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Tuesday June 06 2017, @07:00AM

    by bob_super (1357) on Tuesday June 06 2017, @07:00AM (#521207)

    Pentagon's getting a 10% raise. All those not-repaired schools and bridges will need a justification soon enough...

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    Total Score:   2