U.S. Releases Lebanese Civilian Convicted For Helping To Finance Hezbollah

Kassim Tajideen, convicted of being a Hezbollah financier, at his residence in Beirut following his release from a US prison. AFP

The National: Hezbollah financier 'freed by US after secret Iran talks'

Unofficial and indirect discussions between Tehran and Washington are expected to result in more releases, officials say

A Lebanese man convicted of financing Hezbollah was freed from jail in the US last month as a result of indirect contacts between Tehran and Washington that are expected to yield more releases, three senior Middle East officials told Reuters news agency.

Kassim Tajideen was released on June 11 and arrived in Lebanon last week. Two of the sources told said his release was part of the same track of talks that last year yielded the release by Iran of Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese businessman with US permanent residency, and Syria's release of Sam Goodwin, a US citizen.

A State Department representative dismissed the claim and insisted Tajideen was released because of health concerns.

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Update #1: US released Lebanon man after secret talks with Iran (Middle East Monitor)
Update #2: ICE: Convicted Hezbollah financier has returned to Lebanon (UPI)

WNU Editor: Good question. What did the US get? .... The Trump administration gave Iran and Hezbollah a high-value terrorist prisoner but seems to have got next to nothing in return. (Business Insider).

Hezbollah Scout Was Looking For Attack Targets In NYC

NBC News New York City: Hezbollah Scout Was Looking for Attack Targets in NYC: Feds

The scout, in custody since July, sent photos to leaders in Lebanon.

A scout for the militant group Hezbollah was looking at locations for attacks in New York, Boston and Washington and sending target information back to leadership in Lebanon, federal prosecutors said.

They unveiled charges in Manhattan on Thursday against Alexei Saab of Morristown, New Jersey, who has been in custody since July. The government alleges that Saab has been a Hezbollah member since 1996 and has extensive firearms and bomb-making training.

Among Saab's dozens of alleged New York City targets, prosecutors said, were the George Washington Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, Herald Square and the local airports and tunnels.

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WNU Editor: Hezbollah's patron is Iran. Is Iran behind this scouting mission? That is the question that people should be asking.

Hezbollah Leader Says Trump Administration Wants To Talk

Men hold their phones as they watch Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah speak on television inside a coffee shop in the port city of Sidon, Lebanon July 12, 2019. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho

Reuters: Hezbollah leader says U.S. seeking to talk

BEIRUT (Reuters) - The leader of Hezbollah said on Friday that Washington was seeking to open channels of communication despite ramping up sanctions against the Iran-backed movement’s officials.

U.S. President Donald “Trump’s administration is seeking to open channels of communication to Hezbollah in Lebanon through mediators. ... These are the American pragmatists,” Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said in an interview with Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV without elaborating.

There was no immediate comment from the U.S. State Department on the assertion.

New sanctions this week marked the first time the United States has targeted lawmakers of the heavily-armed Shi’ite Hezbollah, which is part of Lebanon’s coalition government.

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Update: Hezbollah Head Says Trump Administration Aims to Open Communication Channels With Movement (Sputnik)

WNU editor: No comment from the US State Department. What's my take. You cannot work with people who think like this .... Nasrallah warns Israel could be ‘wiped out’ in war between US and Iran (Times of Israel).

The U.S. Broadens Sanctions Against Hezbollah

DW: US imposes sanctions on Hezbollah affiliates

The sanctions have been imposed to limit Iran-backed Hezbollah's finances and rein in Tehran's influence in the Middle East. The US is hoping the sanctions will help squeeze out Hezbollah financer Adham Tabaja.

The United States on Friday placed sanctions on six people and seven businesses affiliated with the Iran-backed militant Shiite Islamist group Hezbollah, in an attempt to quash Iran's influence in the Middle East and globally.

Designed to damage Hezbollah's financial network, the new sanctions apply to five Lebanese nationals and one Iraqi, most of whom have links to Al-Inmaa Engineering and Contracting, a company run by Hezbollah financier Adham Tabaja, the US Treasury Department said in a statement.

The seven businesses were firms based in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Lebanon and Ghana.

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WNU Editor: Apparently there are more sanctions being prepared .... ‘More to come’ as U.S. slaps Hezbollah with fresh sanctions (Daily Star).

More News On The U.S. Broadening Sanctions Against Hezbollah

Trump administration, pushing back on Iran’s influence, slaps fresh sanctions on Hezbollah -- FOX News
U.S. sanctions six people, seven firms under rules targeting Hezbollah -- Reuters
Taking Aim at Iran, US Hits Hezbollah With New Sanctions -- AP
US Broadens Sanctions Against Hezbollah, 'Iran's Primary Proxy' -- Bloomberg
US sanctions Hezbollah-linked firms in Lebanon and West Africa -- Middle East Eye

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions Orders Review Of Obama-Era Hezbollah Investigations

Politico: Sessions orders review of abandoned Hezbollah-linked drug prosecutions

Inquiry follows POLITICO report that potential cases languished amid Obama drive for Iran nuclear deal.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions has ordered the Justice Department to dig into allegations in a POLITICO report that a series of potential drug prosecutions related to the pro-Iranian militant group Hezbollah were abandoned as the Obama administration pressed to strike a deal with Iran over its nuclear program.

Sessions indicated that he was troubled by allegations that Project Cassandra — the Drug Enforcement Administration's drive to target Hezbollah's foray into drug trafficking — ran into high-level roadblocks that stymied many of the cases agents wanted to bring as well as efforts to get suspects extradited from overseas to the U.S.

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Previous Post: Report: To Save The Iran Nuclear Deal, The Obama Administration Protected Hezbollah From DEA And CIA Investigations (December 18, 2017)

More News On U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions Ordering A Review Of Obama-Era Hezbollah Investigations

Sessions wants review of Obama-era Hezbollah investigations -- Washington Post
Sessions orders DOJ review after report Obama administration gave Hezbollah a pass -- FOX News
Sessions orders review of Obama-era actions involving Hezbollah -- The Hill
Jeff Sessions Orders a Review of Hezbollah Drug Trade Handling, Department of Justice Says -- Newsweek

Report: To Save The Iran Nuclear Deal, The Obama Administration Protected Hezbollah From DEA And CIA Investigations

Josh Meyer, Politico: The secret backstory of how Obama let Hezbollah off the hook

An ambitious U.S. task force targeting Hezbollah's billion-dollar criminal enterprise ran headlong into the White House's desire for a nuclear deal with Iran.

In its determination to secure a nuclear deal with Iran, the Obama administration derailed an ambitious law enforcement campaign targeting drug trafficking by the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah, even as it was funneling cocaine into the United States, according to a POLITICO investigation.

The campaign, dubbed Project Cassandra, was launched in 2008 after the Drug Enforcement Administration amassed evidence that Hezbollah had transformed itself from a Middle East-focused military and political organization into an international crime syndicate that some investigators believed was collecting $1 billion a year from drug and weapons trafficking, money laundering and other criminal activities.

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WNU Editor: Even now .... years after the fact .... we are still learning details on what the Obama administration did to get the Iranian nuclear deal. But turning a blind eye to Hezbollah smuggling drugs to the U.S.!?!?!?!? What was President Obama and his advisers thinking?

More News On Reports That The Obama Administration Protected Hezbollah From DEA And CIA Investigations

The Obama administration 'SABOTAGED a DEA operation to stop Hezbollah smuggling drugs into the US and helped the militant group grow into a global threat so the Iran nuke deal would go ahead' -- Daily Mail
Obama administration undermined anti-Hezbollah task force to help secure Iran nuke deal, report says -- FOX News
Report: Obama protected Hezbollah to appease Iran -- Arutz Sheva
Obama Administration Reportedly Shielded Hezbollah From DEA and CIA to Save Iran Nuclear Deal -- Haaretz
Obama shut down criminal investigations into Hezb'allah to get Iran nuke deal -- American Thinker

Hezbollah Threatens To Hit U.S. Positions In Syria

Reuters: Pro-Assad alliance threatens to hit U.S. positions in Syria

A military alliance fighting in support of President Bashar al-Assad threatened on Wednesday to hit U.S. positions in Syria, warning its "self-restraint" over U.S. air strikes would end if Washington crossed "red lines".

The threat marks an escalation of tensions between the United States and the Syrian government and its backers over control of Syria's southeastern frontier with Iraq, where Washington has been training Syrian rebels at a base inside Syrian territory as part of its campaign against Islamic State.

The area is seen as crucial to Assad's Iranian allies and could open an overland supply route from Tehran to Iraq, Syria and Lebanon - the "Shi'ite crescent" of Iranian influence that is a major concern to U.S.-allies in the region.

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WNU Editor: The U.S. is asking Russia to rein in these Iranian-backed militia units .... U.S. envoy urges Russia to help avoid tension with Iran (Reuters). The Russian response .... Russia: U.S. strike on pro-Syria govt forces violates international law: Ifax (Reuters).

Update: This is very revealing on what is happening on the ground in this part of Syria .... US led-coalition permits pro-Syrian regime airstrike in unusual move (CNN).

More News On Reports That Hezbollah Is Threatening To Hit U.S. Positions In Syria

Hezbollah threatens to strike US in Syria over 'red lines' -- ABC News/AP
Pro-Assad alliance threatens to bomb US positions in Syria and says its 'self-restraint' over Trump's air strikes will end if Washington crosses 'red lines' -- Daily Mail/Reuters
Syrian Forces Threaten to Fight Back After US Military Strikes Multiple Times -- Newsweek
Syrian Army's Allies Threaten US With Retaliatory Strike After Tuesday Attack -- Sputnik

US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman: Hezbollah Presence In Southern Syria Is A Threat To Israel

US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joseph Dunford with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, October 18, 2015. (photo credit:MATTY STERN/U.S. EMBASSY TEL AVIV)

Times of Israel: Hezbollah presence in Syria a big threat to Israel, Dunford says

During visit to Jewish state, US military chief also says countering Iran a top priority alongside fighting IS

General Joseph Dunford, the US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, said during a visit to Israel that Hezbollah’s presence in southern Syria is a major threat to Israel because it “would give Israel two fronts to deal with” should the Lebanese terrorist group attack.

The Israelis have been pressing the threat by the Lebanese Hezbollah, which Dunford said now fields a conventional force armed with missiles, rockets, artillery, armored vehicles and tanks.

This week’s visit is Dunford’s third to Israel, which he called a close partner. He said coming to Israel “as a matter of routine is important.”

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WNU Editor: No fly zones and the conflict in Syria are probably on the top of the list on why General Joseph Dunford is there right now.

More News On US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Remarks That The Hezbollah Presence In Southern Syria Is A Threat To Israel

Top US army general aligns with Israeli concern over Iran and its proxies -- Jerusalem Post
US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman warns of Hezbollah presence in southern Syria -- Jerusalem Online
Hezbollah’s Presence in Syria ‘Big Threat’ to Israel, US Military Head Dunford Says -- Algemeiner

Hezbollah Leader Calls President Trump An 'Idiot'

Secretary General of the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, delivers a televised speech from the town of Baalbek, southern Lebanon, on February 12, 2017.

The Hill: Hezbollah leader: Having 'idiot' Trump in White House makes us optimistic

The leader of Lebanon’s Shiite militant group and political party Hezbollah said having an "idiot" in the White House makes the group optimistic, a reference to President Trump.

"We are very optimistic that when an idiot settles in the White House and boasts about his idiocy, this is the beginning of relief for the oppressed around the world,” Hezbollah's Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah said in a speech Sunday, the Associated Press reports.

The United States has designated Hezbollah as a foreign terrorist organization.

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Update: Hezbollah leader says 'idiot' Trump in White House makes him optimistic (AP)

WNU Editor: I guess Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasralla is not worried about this .... Trump Administration May Put Pressure on Hezbollah, Analysts Say (VOA).

U.S. Secretary of State Kerry Accuses Iran of Arming Hezbollah With 80,000 Rockets

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir and US Secretary of State John Kerry on January 23, 2016. Credits/photos : جاكلين مارتن (اف ب)

Times of Israel/AFP: Kerry: Hezbollah has 80,000 rockets, gets most of its arms from Iran

Speaking in Riyadh, secretary of state says US still concerned about some Iranian activities in other countries

Lebanon-based terror group Hezbollah has more than 80,000 rockets, US Secretary of State John Kerry said in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, adding that most of its weaponry comes from its sponsor Iran, through Syria and into Lebanon.

“The United States remains concerned about some of the activities that Iran is engaged in in other countries,” Kerry told reporters, citing as an example Iran’s “support for terrorist groups like Hezbollah.”

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More News On U.S. Secretary of State Kerry Accusing Iran of Arming Hezbollah With 80,000 Rockets

Iran arming Hezbollah via Syria: Kerry -- Daily Star
Kerry: most of Hezbollah’s arms come from Iran -- Al Arabiya
Kerry Accuses Iran of Arming Hezbollah With 80,000 Rockets -- Sputnik
Most of Hezbollah's 80,000 Rockets Come From Iran, Kerry Reportedly Says -- Haaretz/AP
John Kerry Can't Understand Why Hezbollah Needs "80,000 Rockets" -- Zero Hedge

A U.S. - Hezbollah Allaince?

An image grab taken from Hezbollah's al-Manar TV on December 3, 2013 shows Hassan Nasrallah, chief of Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah movement (AFP Photo)

Though Adversaries On The Surface, U.S. And Hezbollah Share A Goal -- New York Times

BEIRUT, Lebanon — They are sworn enemies who insist they will never work together, but in practice, Hezbollah and the United States are already working — separately — on a common goal: to stop the extremist Islamic State from moving into Lebanon, where Hezbollah is the most powerful military and political player and currently shares with Washington an interest in stability.

Weeks after Hezbollah, the Shiite militant group and political party, helped repel an Islamic State attack on the town of Arsal on the Syrian border, new American weapons are flowing to help the Lebanese Army — which coordinates with Hezbollah — to secure the frontier. American intelligence shared with the army, according to Lebanese experts on Hezbollah, has helped the organization stop suicide attacks on its domain in southern Beirut.

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Update: Hezbollah, warily, lines up with 'Great Satan' to fight against IS -- Nicholas Blanford, CSM

My Comment: News on secret talks between the U.S. and Hezbollah were first raised in April .... Are Secret US-Hezbollah Talks Being Held? .... resulting in open speculation in August that a U.S. - Hezbollah - Iran"understanding" was being pursued. Flash forward to today .... the U.S. is already assisting Hezbollah .... and now everyone is raising eyebrows that this assistance may now involve military aid .... US Reportedly Providing Indirect Military Aid to Hezbollah (Arutz Sheva).

From where I am standing ... I think I see a trend.

U.S. Airstrikes Aided A Hezbollah Brigade (And Designated Terrorist Organization) In Iraq

'It is a humanitarian disaster': Nearly 20,000 Shi'ite Muslim Iraqis face starvation in the town of Amerli after two months of living under siege by ISIS militants. The shaded zone shows ISIS-controlled areas. Daily Mail

US Aided Hezbollah Brigades In Breaking Islamic State Siege Of Iraqi Town -- Long War Journal

The US air campaign to help Iraqi and Kurdish forces break the Islamic State's siege of Amerli benefited the Hezbollah Brigades, a Shia militia that is supported by Iran and is listed by the US government as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group. The Hezbollah Brigades is the second Shia militia involved in killing US soldiers to have taken advantage of US airpower to gain territory.

Fighters from the Hezbollah Brigades teamed up with the Kurdish Peshmerga to halt the Islamic State's advance on Amerli, a town in Salahaddin province that was besieged by the jihadiist group for more than two months before the US began launching airstrikes at the end of August.

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My Comment: Hezbollah has killed hundreds of U.S. soldiers over the years .... and the U.S. military is now helping them. Is it me .... or is the world going upside down.

Are Secret US-Hezbollah Talks Being Held?

An image grab taken from Hezbollah's al-Manar TV on December 3, 2013 shows Hassan Nasrallah, chief of Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah movement (AFP Photo)

Secret US-Hizballah Talks. Washington Plans To Include Lebanon, Syria Deals In Iran Nuclear Pact -- Debka File

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' initiation of a unity pact with the Hamas extremists last week did not come out of the blue. It was prompted by the direct contacts the Obama administration has secretly established with the Lebanese Hizballah. Abbas reasoned that if Washington can start a dialogue with a terrorist organization, so too can his own PLO and Fatah.

debkafile’s Washington sources report that the Obama administration appears to have carried over to Lebanon the doctrine set out by the late Richard Holbrooke for Afghanistan, whereby dialogue with Taliban should be made the centerpiece of Washington's strategy for US troop withdrawal. Holbrooke’s influence on Secretary of State John Kerry dated back to his run for the presidency in 2004.

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Update: US in secret talks with Hezbollah – Israeli reports -- RT

My Comment: Rumors of U.S. - Hezbollah secret talks have been around for awhile. I am chalking up this story as one of those rumors.

Is The U.S. Holding Secret Talks With Hezbollah?

Hezbollah supporters rally in south Lebanon Photo: REUTERS

Report: London is Mediating Indirect Secret Talks Between US And Hezbollah -- Jerusalem Post

Talks reportedly deal with fight against al-Qaida, regional stability and other Lebanese political issues.

The US and Hezbollah are in secret indirect talks managed by London dealing with the fight against al-Qaida, regional stability and other Lebanese political issues.

Senior British diplomatic sources, quoted in a report in Kuwait newspaper al-Rai on Wednesday, said British diplomats are holding discussions with leaders of the Lebanese organization and transferring the information to the Americans.

The discussions “are aimed at keeping tabs on the changes in the region and the world, and prepare for the upcoming return of Iran to the international community,” according to diplomatic sources in Washington.

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My Comment: No one else is reporting on this story .... but then again no one was reporting secret U.S. - Iran talks until only last week. But if this story is true it would defy imagination. Hezbollah was responsible for the bombing of the US marine barracks in Beirut in 1983 that killed 241 Americans .... to now negotiate with such a group .... sighhh .... this is not the America that I know.

More Sanctions Against Hezbollah

Supporters wave Hezbollah and Syrian regime flags as Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah addresses thousands of supporters by video during the sixth anniversary of Israel-Hezbollah war, in Haret Hreik, Beirut. (Reuters)

Treasury Sanctions Hezbollah … Again -- The Cable/Foreign Policy

The Treasury and State Departments announced Friday that the U.S. government is sanctioning Hezbollah for supporting the Syrian regime, even though the Lebanese militia is already sanctioned for being a terrorist group and the new announcement doesn't actually change those sanctions at all.

"This action highlights Hezbollah's activities within Syria as well as its integral role in the continued violence being carried out by the Assad regime against the Syrian population," Treasury Undersecretary David Cohen said on a Friday afternoon conference call.

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More News On U.S. Sanctions Against Hezbollah

Hezbollah Helping Assad, U.S. Says -- Wall Street Journal
US Cites Hezbollah Support for Assad in New Sanctions Announcement -- Voice of America
U.S. says Hezbollah is helping Syrian regime -- Washington Post
U.S. slaps fresh sanctions on Hezbollah over Syria -- Reuters
U.S. sanctions Syrian oil firm, Hezbollah -- Reuters
U.S. adds Hezbollah to Syria sanctions list over ties to Assad’s regime -- Al Arabiya
US adds Hezbollah to Syria sanctions list -- Al Jazeera

US Transfers Dangerous Hezbollah Leader To Iraqi Custody

The US government has transferred a senior Hezbollah leader who help set up the Shia terror groups in Iraq and was involved in the murder of five US soldiers in 2007 over to Iraqi custody.

US Transfers Dangerous Hezbollah Leader Involved In Murder Of 5 US Soldiers To Iraqi Custody -- Long War Journal

Musa Ali Daqduq, the senior Hezbollah commander who was tasked by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps to establish Shia terror groups into a Hezbollah-like entity, was transferred to Iraqi custody today, White House National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor told Reuters. Daqduq was the last prisoner in Iraq who was in US custody. Vietor told Reuters that Iraq assured the US that it would prosecute Daqduq.

US officials fear that the Iraqi government will be pressured by Iran and Shia political parties to release Daqduq.

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More News On The Transfer Of The Last U.S. Prisoner In Iraq To Iraqi Authorities

Baghdad Takes Custody of Last U.S. Detainee -- Wall Street Journal
U.S. Transfers Its Last Prisoner in Iraq to Iraqi Custody -- New York Times
U.S. hands over last detainee to Iraq -- Reuters
US turns over jailed Hezbollah commander, last US prisoner in Iraq, to Iraqi authorities -- Washington Post/AP
U.S. turns over Iraqi detainee accused of killing soldiers -- L.A. Times
Suspect in soldier killings given back to Iraqis -- CNN

No Strategic Dialogue With Hezbollah Is Planned: The White House

U.S. Denies Report That It's Mulling Strategic Dialogue With Hezbollah -- Haaretz

White House spokesman Tommy Vietor stressed the U.S.'s unwavering no-contact policy with Hezbollah, denying allegations otherwise reported in a Washington Post article published Friday.

The U.S. has denied allegations that the U.S. is considering reaching out to political elements in Hezbollah, reported the Washington Post Friday.

White House National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor told Haaretz that “U.S. policy toward Hezbollah has not changed and is not changing. Hezbollah is a designated foreign terrorist organization and our efforts against the group are in line with that status."

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Previous Post: Is The U.S. Preparing To Talk To The Taliban And Hezbollah

My Comment: I would be surprised if the U.S. administration is now open to talks with Hezbollah. They were critical of British efforts last year on doing just that. Then again .... maybe there has been a recent change in policy that they have yet to tell us about.

U.S., U.K. Divided Over Dialogue With Hezbollah

From Wall Street Journal:

WASHINGTON -- Britain's decision this month to open a direct dialogue with the political arm of Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia and political party, has rankled the Obama administration's foreign policy team.

The U.S. lists Hezbollah as a terrorist organization for its attacks on American military and civilian personnel inside Lebanon in past decades. A senior U.S. official said Thursday Washington doesn't share London's view that one can differentiate between Hezbollah's military arm and its political and social entities.

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My Comment: The key quote in this article is the following:

The American official said he would like the British to explain to him "the difference between the political, military and social wings of Hezbollah because we don't see a difference between the integrated leadership that they see."

The British officials who opened up these diplomatic ties are never going to answer the above question. Their justification for their actions will always be "99% of the world supports them" .... or .... the "Arab street" supports them.

I tend to differ.