Secretary Pompous makes us laugh

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday that the US will continue to work to identify those responsible for the murder of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi and "hold them accountable".

  alJazeera

Pretty much everybody else solved that mystery a long time ago.

Pompeo said, adding under questioning that would apply to "anyone" no matter how high up in the Saudi government.

[...]

Pompeo said he was aware of the details of Khashoggi's murder at the time of his meeting with the crown prince and that he raised US concerns about it with him at the time. The Trump administration has sanctioned 17 Saudis in connection with the killing, he said.

[...]

On Wednesday, Pompeo also appeared before the House Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee which provides funding for US international aid including $3.3bn for Israel. The secretary of state recently returned from a trip to Kuwait, Lebanon and Israel.

During that hearing, Pompeo declined to answer questions about the Trump administration's efforts to develop a peace proposal for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Because that's Jared's job. And because there aren't any.

"Given the demographics of the West Bank and Gaza, and given Israel's long-standing Democratic principles, wouldn't you agree that a two-state solution is the best way for most people, for both people to co-exist peacefully and with dignity?" Congresswoman Nita Lowey, chair of the House Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee, asked Pompeo.

"You will permit me to demur again," Pompeo said. "You will see the administration's vision and then ultimately it will be the decision of the peoples of those two lands about how it is they will come together and what the contours of that will look like."

The administration has a vision? Visions of dollars flowing into their personal bank accounts. That's this administration's vision.

US President Donald Trump met Netanyahu at the White House on Monday where the US president recognised Israeli control of the Golan Heights, Syrian territory seized in the 1967 Six Day War. The move prompted condemnation from Arab nations.

The vision for Israel is whatever Netanyahu wants, so ultimately, no Palestine whatsoever. And, preferably, no Arabs.

Pompeo later told members of Congress that Trump's decision on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights "was the right thing to do".

"We believe this increases the likelihood that we get a resolution between Israel and the Palestinians," Pompeo said.

Like recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moving the US embassy there did, eh?

He added that the move would help the peace process by bringing "clarity" and "certainty" about the US position on a "complex" situation.

It was quite clear already.

Palestinians cut off ties with the US after Trump unilaterally recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moved the US embassy to the city. Trump cut off funds for United Nations aid to Gaza and international assistance to the West Bank, and ordered the closure of a Palestinian representative office in Washington, DC.

[...]

Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, travelled to the Middle East in February to promote the economic portion of the administration's plan involving investment in the besieged Gaza Strip. Asked when the Trump administration plan would be forthcoming, Pompeo was unable to offer a timeframe.

"I am not trying to evade. I don't know precisely when and how we will present this. We have been working on it a while. We want to make sure we have as complete and as effective, as good as we know how to do. We get there we will unveil it," Pompeo said.

Whatever you say, Pompous.