Qatari emir’s visit to Gaza aimed at locating Hamas leaders - Report

 

Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani waves to the crowd as he arrives in the Gaza Strip on October 23, 2012

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/11/17/272801/qatar-emir-located-hamas-cmdrs/

Qatar’s King Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has reportedly located the whereabouts of senior Hamas members during his recent visit to the Gaza Strip, and later provided Israel with the information to assassinate them.

According to a report published by the Fars news agency, the emir of Qatar distributed a number of watches and ballpoint pens among Hamas leaders, which could transmit low-frequency signals to Israeli satellites.

The Israeli military officials would then use the received signals to spot the high-ranking Hamas fighters, and launch assassination strikes on them.

Sheikh Hamad arrived in Gaza on October 23 to become the first head of state to visit the besieged enclave since the Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, took power in the territory five years ago.

Qatar’s emir has met Israeli leaders in the past, and is working hard to boost the diplomatic clout of his small Persian Gulf country.

Gaza has been blockaded by the Israeli regime since 2007, a situation that has caused a decline in the standard of living, unprecedented levels of unemployment, and unrelenting poverty.

The Israeli military frequently carries out airstrikes and other attacks on Gaza Strip, saying the actions are being conducted for defensive purposes. However, disproportionate force is always used, in violation of international law, and civilians are often killed or injured.

The new wave of Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has claimed more than 41 lives since November 14. Ahmed al-Ja'abari, the popular and influential head of the Hamas military wing, the Ezzedeen al-Qassam Brigades, was assassinated in an Israeli attack on his car on Wednesday.

On Friday, Ahmed Abu Jalal, a field commander of the Ezzedeen al-Qassam Brigades, was also killed in an Israeli airstrike on the central Gaza district of Maghazi.

 

After China, US presses UAE to limit Iran trade

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=122324§ionid=351020104


While continuing to pressure Russia and China to follow its lead in imposing a new round of sanctions against Iran, the US tries to cajole Dubai into limiting its trade relations with Tehran.

Over the past few months, the Obama Administration has made systematic efforts to woo Dubai to toe Washington's anti-Iran line and persuade the business-savvy Muslim Emiratis into restricting their centuries-old trade with Iran.

To that end, high-ranking US officials have regularly flown over to Dubai in recent months and have held private meetings with high-ranking officials of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Stuart Levey, the US Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, told The Times on Friday that he has so far flown to Dubai about 12 times in a bid to warn UAE officials of the consequences of their strong economic relations with Iranians.

"The UAE is really grappling with the issue," Levy claimed. "The Emirates are aware of the reputational risks with dealing with Iran, and they take those risks seriously."

"To the extent that normal consumer goods are getting into Iran, that does not undermine the overall policy," Levy explained.

In an effort to harm Iran's economy since a popular revolution deposed the pro-US dictatorship of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the US has not only imposed unilateral sanctions against Iran, but it has sought to browbeat other states to follow suit, mostly to no avail. In the case of UAE, despite US pressure, the volume of trade between Iran and UAE has risen greatly over the past few years.

Dubai, which is reportedly home to around 500,000 Iranians, is widely considered to be one of Iran's largest trading partners in the region.

Embassy officials in Abu Dhabi estimate that trade between Iran and Dubai topped $15 billion (55.09 billion UAE dirhams) in 2009.

While Levy made his latest comments, Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei, the head of Iran's Presidential Office, was visiting the UAE, according to the official Iranian IRNA news agency.

Rahim-Mashaei called for the further expansion of Iran-UAE trade ties, stressing that “both countries have a lot to offer as key players in the region's economy.”

UAE Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, for his part, said both Iran and the Emirates have mutual interest in trade and should thus work closer to promote cooperation in different levels.

Rahim-Mashaei made the remarks while offering the Iranian people's deep condolences to UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the death of his brother Sheikh Ahmed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The late Sheikh Ahmed who headed the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority - the largest sovereign wealth fund in the world - was killed in an apparent aviation incident on March 26. The full circumstances of his death have yet to be established.