US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will be the address for Middle Eastern allies concerned about the Trump Administration’s policies when he begins his tour of the region in Egypt on Sunday afternoon. Issues abound, from Egyptian President Abdel Fateh Al-Sisi’s growing battle against Islamist terrorists and lack of progress on human rights issues; to new Iranian provocations in the aftermath of Saturday’s Israel-Tehran confrontation; to changing dynamics in the Middle East. Notable in the Tillerson itinerary is that he will not be stopping in either Israel or the Palestinian territories. He will, however meet with leaders only minutes away in Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. The Trump Administration has been virtually silent in regards to what international human rights experts call President Al-Sisi’s abysmal rights record which has loomed large in advance of the presidential election in which he will run after arresting or intimidating all opposition from the race. Tillerson’s time in Kuwait will be devoted to Iraq: both in meeting with the 74 nations that are part of the US-led coalition and the nations that will be present to discuss reconstruction of the battle-devastated nation. Perhaps less visible will be the matter of President Trump’s declaration of recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and the decision to cut more than half of the annual American contribution to the United Nations Relief Works Agency – the body that provides funds and services for Palestinian refugees. Although Middle Eastern nations are voicing loud protests against President Trump’s decisions and media continue to report it as a contentious issue between the US and Mideastern countries, others believe the Sunni-majority states are more concerned about the collective fight against Iran — including having the military prowess of Israel on their side – than they are concerned about the Palestinian complaint.
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