Free Republic

It seems to me the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, last seen in Istanbul, is Erdogan-brand Turkish taffy, a confection of sugary lies made to inflame Americans against the Saudis and aid the far more dangerous to our well-being mullahs of Iran I confess to prejudice in this matter. I think Iran is a grave threat to the world, and the Saudis are aiding us in constraining the mullahs. Like Matthew Continetti, I believe the Saudis are now an important counterterrorism ally and roiling the waters there would disrupt “energy markets, create pockets of instability in which jihadists and Iranian-backed militias...

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Oct. 9 praised cooperation between Ankara and Budapest. “Our cooperation with Hungary within the scope of international organizations such as NATO, Council of Europe and European Union is exemplary..." “We will move forward with concrete steps to reach $5 billion trade volume." He also met Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and addressed a business forum. After the business meeting, Erdogan officially inaugurated the restored Tomb of Gul Baba in the capital Budapest and paid a visit to the Budapest Turkish Memorial Cemetery. At the cemetery, Erdogan laid a wreath at the tomb of the...

The missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has caused world leaders to focus on not only the role Saudi Arabia may have played in his disappearance but also its role in the Yemeni civil war. The missing Saudi journalist (a U.S. resident) is apparently the victim of a political assassination of the sort that occurs much too frequently throughout the Middle East and the world, e.g., Iran, Pakistan, Russia, China, et al. No journalists should be subjected to threats of intimidation or threats on their life, much less murder for expressing political opposition. Saudi Arabia must be required to make a...

The Turkish newspaper Sabah has revealed that the journalist Jamal Khasshogi, who was murdered in Istanbul, had entered the Saudi consulate with an Apple iWatch smartwatch that documented his interrogation and murder. According to the report, Khasshogi first approached the consul's room and was then dragged by two senior intelligence officers to a second room where he was interrogated and tortured until he was murdered. On the recordings are shouts of Khasshogi and the security men. He was then dragged into a third room at the consulate, where his body was dismembered. According to the report, the Saudis realized that...

A story broke last week that an Arabic journalist named Jamal Khashoggi who was working for the Washington Post had disappeared and was presumed dead. The official story is that Khashoggi was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on the afternoon of October 2. Immediately (and suspiciously) media stories that appeared to be coordinated appeared, pointing the finger of blame for Khashoggi’s disappearance at Saudi Arabia, in general, and at the country’s Crown Prince, Mohammad Bin Salman, in particular. It was alleged by anonymous sources for several days that Khashoggi had been abducted and then killed at...

On October 12, 2018, a Turkish court freed U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson whose arrest on terrorism charges just over two years ago had fueled a diplomatic crisis. Since July, President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence had collectively tweeted about Brunson’s case almost two dozen times. Even in hyper-partisan Washington, Brunson’s plight received bipartisan support. In a quiet meeting only later disclosed, Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)  met  President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to lobby for Brunson’s release. Brunson’s release reportedly comes after a  deal  negotiated by National Security Advisor John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike...

.....I never had anything to do with "The Kingdom" except in so far as it was an intelligence collection or analytic target of the US. I never worked in retirement for any company that did contract work for Saudi Arabia. That was a deliberate choice for me. I know the place well and it has ALWAYS been a sinkhole of medieval theocratic barbarism adorned with modern infrastructure that was constructed by foreign contract "slaves". When I arrived in SA many years ago to be military attache in the US Embassy, I discovered that my five immediate predecessors were all retired...

Newly freed American pastor Andrew Brunson prayed over President Trump in the Oval Office and asked God to fill the president with “supernatural wisdom,” after returning to the U.S. on Saturday for the first time in nearly two years. Trump quipped that he probably needs prayer more than anyone else in the room, which included Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, national security adviser John Bolton and several senators. Brunson kneeled next to Trump, who remained sitting in an armchair, and put his hand on the president’s shoulder as he prayed with head bowed and eyes closed. “Lord God, I ask...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump welcomed American pastor Andrew Brunson to the Oval Office on Saturday, celebrating his release from nearly two years of confinement in Turkey that had sparked a diplomatic row with a key ally and outcry from U.S. evangelical groups. Brunson, who returned to the United States aboard a military jet shortly before their meeting, appeared to be in good health and good spirits. He thanked Trump for working to secure his freedom and then lead his family in prayer for the president. "You really fought for us," he told Trump. "From a Turkish prison to...

What a POWERFUL prayer!!! Don't miss this. GOD is directing and protecting President Trump....watch this freed Pastor pray for our President.....amazing. God Bless Our REPUBLIC!! At link: https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/10/freed-pastor-brunson-kneels-down-and-prays-for-president-trump-in-white-house-video/

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu) on Saturday said that Israel will not provide fuel or gas to Gaza if conflicts continue. Liberman halted the transfer of fuel to Gaza on Friday, after several Gaza terrorists who detonated a bomb on the Israel-Gaza border fence and attacked an IDF position inside Israel. "As long as the violence in Gaza - including sending incendiary balloons and burning tires opposite Israeli towns - does not cease completely, we will not renew the provision of fuels and gas to Gaza," Liberman tweeted. Earlier on Saturday, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said that conflict...

CNN host Jake Tapper said Friday that President Trump appears to be tougher on singer Taylor Swift than on the Saudi Arabian government "President Trump has been harsher about Taylor Swift this week than he has about [Mohammad Bin Salman]," Tapper said on CNN's "The Lead," referring to the crown prince of Saudi Arabia. Tapper's comment came amid reports that Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul earlier this month. The Post reported Thursday that the Turkish government said it has video and audio recordings that prove Khashoggi was killed. Khashoggi went missing...

President Donald Trump has said the US will inflict "severe punishment" on Saudi Arabia if the kingdom is found to be responsible for the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. He said he would be "very upset and angry if that were the case", but ruled out halting big military contracts. Mr. Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi government, vanished on October 2 after visiting its consulate in Istanbul...…

Freed American pastor Andrew Brunson met and prayed with President Trump in the Oval Office Saturday, thanking him for having "really fought for us" -- a day after his release from house arrest in Turkey.

(CNN)American pastor Andrew Brunson arrived at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington, DC, at just after noon Saturday. Brunson will join President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Saturday, the President tweeted, adding there was "NO DEAL made with Turkey" for his release. Brunson had been held in Turkey since 2016, accused of helping to plot a coup attempt against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. US officials say Brunson was wrongfully detained. The evangelical pastor's case strained relations between the two NATO allies and raised the possibility of significant US sanctions and further threats. "It will be wonderful to...

On Friday, Turkish officials released U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson, who has been imprisoned for the past two years on alleged charges of conspiring with illegal groups. Brunson was released upon a ruling that said the 24-months the U.S. pastor spent in detainment was sufficient for the courtÂ’s three-year sentence. The imprisonment of Brunson has been a sore spot in U.S.-Turkey relations, with the U.S. applying pressure through increased tariffs and sanctions against Turkey over the summer, resulting in a rapid devaluation of the Turkish lira. While this may seem like a positive development in bilateral relations, the Brunson case fatally...

A delegation from Saudi Arabia has arrived in Turkey... Prince Khaled al-Faisal, the governor of Mecca, made his brief visit in his capacity as special adviser to King Salman, indicating that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is treating the issue as a priority. Later the same day Turkey said the two countries had agreed to form a joint working (effort) to investigate the situation…

Violence on Friday included incident where four Palestinians were shot dead after breaching security fence Israeli forces have shot dead six Palestinians, including four in a single incident, in one of the deadliest days in months of mass protests along the security fence separating Gaza and Israel, Gaza’s health ministry said. The ministry said four were killed in one location, where the Israeli military said it opened fire on Palestinians who breached the fence and approached an army post. No Israeli troops were harmed, the army added. At least 140 Palestinians were wounded by live bullets, the ministry said. The...

Khashoggi never had much time for western-style pluralistic democracy. In the 1970s he joined the Muslim Brotherhood, which exists to rid the Islamic world of western influence. He was a political Islamist until the end, recently praising the Muslim Brotherhood in the Washington Post. He championed the ‘moderate’ Islamist opposition in Syria, whose crimes against humanity are a matter of record. Khashoggi frequently sugarcoated his Islamist beliefs with constant references to freedom and democracy. But he never hid that he was in favour of a Muslim Brotherhood arc throughout the Middle East. His recurring plea to bin Salman in his...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Can we talk? Donald Trump would like to chat. And, boy, is he ever. Riding high after Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s successful confirmation, the president has been on a rollicking press tour of late. He’s inviting reporters up to his private cabin on Air Force One. He’s calling in to his favorite shows. And he’s turning closed White House events into major media moments. On Thursday alone, Trump held four separate press availabilities, including one that featured a profanity-laced Oval Office performance by Kanye West, the rapper and producer who has emerged as Trump’s top Hollywood...