Middle East TurmoilJanuary 22, 2015
By Connie Lawn
There is always turmoil in the Mid East but at this time three major developments have broken at the same time. In Saudi
Arabia 91 year old King Abdullah has died. He was a strict adherent of Sharia law, but had also made some reforms, and
joined the campaign against Al Queda and ISIS. There were major differences about human rights , Iran, Israel, and other
issues, but President Obama mourned the death of a friend and ally. The new King is Abdullah’s half brother 79 year old
Prince Salman.
In Yemen, the President and his top advisors have resigned. They had been under siege by rebels. This chaos opens the
way for terrorists to take over more of the country. Al Queda in the Arabian Peninsula is especially strong in Yemen and
they plot attacks around the world.
In Israel, the tensions between Prime Minister and President Obama grow stronger. The Prime Minister is due to address a
joint session of the US Congress, to discuss Iran and terrorism. He was invited by House Speaker John Boehner. President
Obama says he has no plans to meet with him at this time since it may look as though he was interfering with upcoming
Israeli elections. But the President has frequent talks with the Israeli Prime Minister. And President Obama issued a
strong statement against anti-Semitism, and expressed support for the ongoing UN debate on the topic.
Connie Lawn in Washington , DC