Kuwaiti Media Anchor Jailed 3 Years For Calling to Normalize With Israel
CrossFireArabia- February 13, 2025
The Criminal Court in Kuwait has sentenced media Personality Fajr Al Saeed to three years in prison with hard labor in a state security case according to the Arab Times.
The Public Prosecution had earlier ordered the detention and referral to the Central Prison after she was accused of advocating for normalization with Israel and endangering national interests, the daily stated.
On 9 January, 2025 Al Saeed, who has been calling for normalization with Israel since at least 2019, was arrested and jailed for 21 days for repeating her call to establish relations with the Israeli occupation.
Her views and arrest are currently trending, both in Arabic and English on the social media.
In 2021 the Kuwaiti Assembly passed a bill prohibiting normalization with Israel.
Marco Rubio: ‘…Hamas Can Never Rule Gaza…’!
- CrossFireArabia
- February 12, 2025
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan that Hamas must never govern Gaza again, according to a State Department readout of their call on Tuesday.
The two discussed regional security, the ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza, and the release of hostages, including American citizens, said State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce.
During the call, Rubio expressed appreciation for the UAE’s humanitarian aid to Gaza and “highlighted the imperative of ensuring that Hamas can never rule Gaza or threaten Israel again,” she said.
Rubio and Sheikh Mohamed also reaffirmed the strength of US-UAE ties and explored avenues for cooperation in artificial intelligence and emerging technologies. They further discussed “their support for the cessation of hostilities in Lebanon,” said Bruce.
The call came as US President Donald Trump’s proposal to “take over” Gaza and forcibly displace Palestinians faced widespread international criticism.
Rubio is set to visit the Middle East this week with planned stops in the UAE, Israel and Saudi Arabia as part of diplomatic efforts amid a fragile ceasefire in Gaza according to Anadolu.
On Monday, Trump warned that “all hell” will break out if all Israeli captives in Gaza were not released by 12 p.m. on Saturday.
Hamas announced late Monday that it was indefinitely postponing the next hostage-prisoner exchange scheduled for Saturday, citing Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement.
The three-phase ceasefire deal has been in place in Gaza since Jan. 19, halting Israel’s 15-month war, which has killed more than 48,200 people and left the enclave in ruins.
Musk Admits Wrongness on Gaza Condoms
- CrossFireArabia
- February 12, 2025
Billionaire Elon Musk backtracked Tuesday on his claim that the US had been intending to send $50 million worth of condoms to the Gaza Strip.
“First of all, some of the things that I say will be incorrect and should be corrected,” Musk told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about fact-checking reports that million of dollars were actually earmarked towards the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases in Gaza province of Mozambique.
“We will make mistakes, but we’ll act quickly to correct any mistakes,” he said.
“I’m not sure we should be sending $50 million worth of condoms to anywhere. Frankly, I’m not sure that’s something Americans would be really excited about. And that is really an enormous number of condoms,” Musk continued.
“If it went to Mozambique instead of Gaza…okay, that’s not as bad. But why are we doing that?” he said.
His comments followed claims by US President Donald Trump, who earlier this month alleged that his administration had “identified and stopped $50 million being sent to Gaza to buy condoms for Hamas.”
The claim was first announced by White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt in her first press briefing, saying the Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) had found “that there was about to be 50 million taxpayer dollars that went out the door to fund condoms in Gaza.” However, the administration provided no evidence to support the assertion according to Anadolu.
A review of publicly available USAID data from 2007 to 2023 contradicts the claim, showing no record of condom shipments to Gaza. The only shipment to the Middle East during that period was a $45,680 supply sent to Jordan in 2023, marking the first recorded delivery to the region since 2019.
According to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grants database, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation in Mozambique received more than $83 million in funding since 2021 for reproductive health projects in two provinces: Inhambane and Gaza.
