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Thursday 10 December 2015
Israel’s Netanyahu rejects Trump comments on Muslims
IAN DEITCH Benjamin Netanyahu is- same time, Israel is fighting try, and the meeting does Islamic militants that killed
Associated Press sued his statement late against militant Islam that not represent an endorse- 14 people in San Bernardi-
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s Wednesday, hours after targets Muslims, Christians ment of Trump. no, California.
prime minister on Wednes- it was announced that and Jews alike and threat- Trump sparked wide- Members of Israel’s oppo-
day rejected Donald Trump will be visiting Israel ens the entire world.” spread outrage this week sition condemned the visit.
Trump’s recent statements at the end of the month. Netanyahu said the meet- after he proposed tem- Israel Radio reported that
about Muslims, saying Is- “The state of Israel re- ing with Trump, set for Dec. porarily banning all Mus- Arab parliamentarian Is-
rael “respects all religions” spects all religions and 28, was scheduled two lims from entering the sawi Frej of the dovish
as he faced calls to call off strictly guarantees the weeks ago. He said he United States in the wake Meretz party has asked
an upcoming visit by the rights of all its citizens,” the meets all presidential can- of a mass shooting by a the interior minister not to
Republican front-runner. statement said. “At the didates who visit the coun- husband-and-wife pair of let Trump in the country.q
Middle East grows wary of Trump, despite ventures in region
JON GAMBRELL Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump poses for a portrait after an interview with The wrote, ending his column
ADAM SCHRECK by endorsing Democratic
Associated Press Associated Press in Sterling, Va. Trump’s call to keep Muslims from traveling to the United States front-runner Hillary Clinton.
DUBAI, United Arab Emir- In a way, Trump’s oversized
ates (AP) — Donald is causing dismay among business leaders in the Middle East. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) personality, on display for
Trump’s call to keep Mus- years in syndication on
lims from traveling to the its 180 Lifestyle stores in the But some of his rhetoric The National newspaper Arab satellite networks,
United States is causing dis- region as it “values and re- about Islam on the cam- of Abu Dhabi, al-Habtoor matches the aspirations of
may among business lead- spects the sentiments of its paign trail — including his praised Trump for believing the construction boom in
ers in the Middle East, a customers.” call to monitor mosques “in bringing back his coun- the oil-rich Gulf.
region where the billionaire Trump has for years looked and his proposal this week try’s superpower status.” Star-studded galas in 2008
presidential candidate has to do business in the Middle to temporarily bar Muslims But late last month, al-Hab- heralded the launch of the
done business for years, East, particularly in the Gulf from traveling to the U.S. toor wrote a follow-up col- planned Trump Internation-
viewed as well-suited for and the emirate of Dubai. — has led to increased umn on Trump that began al Hotel and Tower Dubai.
his brand of over-the-top Trump has lent his name to wariness in the Arab world. with: “I was wrong and I do The 62-story skyscraper of
luxury. two high-profile Dubai golf Trump’s campaign did not not mind admitting it.” glass and stainless steel
Emirati business magnate course projects and an on- respond to questions about “When strength is part- would have towered over
Khalaf al-Habtoor only going real estate develop- his reputation and busi- nered with ignorance and the man-made Palm Ju-
months ago proclaimed ment, and sought for years ness dealings in the Middle deceit, it produces a toxic meirah island jutting into
his support for the Repub- to expand his hotel chain East. In a column published mix threatening the United the Persian Gulf.
lican hopeful, but that’s into the region. Aug. 9 in the state-owned States and our world,” he A construction company
all changed in the wake al-Habtoor was involved in,
of Trump’s increasingly in- Habtoor Leighton Group,
cendiary comments about was part of a joint ven-
Islam. ture awarded a 2.9 billion
“If he comes to my office, dirham ($790 million) con-
I will not let him in. I reject struction contract for the
him,” al-Habtoor told The project in 2008.
Associated Press. “Maybe Dubai’s property bubble
we can meet somewhere burst before the project
where I can debate with could really get off the
him in a very civilized way, ground, and in 2011 The
not in the way he ap- National reported that
proaches people.” debt-laden developer
Meanwhile, a Mideast Nakheel had canceled
company, the Dubai- the project altogether.
based Landmark Group, Nakheel says it no longer
said it would pull all Trump has any business associa-
home decor products at tion with Trump.q
British official: No plans to ban Trump over Muslim remarks
JILL LAWLESS Islamic extremists, and of- from the U.K., where he presidential candidates.” victions. In the past the
Associated Press ficial bodies in Britain dis- owns a Scottish golf course. Answering questions in U.K. has denied entry to
LONDON (AP) — Britain has tanced themselves from An online petition has sur- the House of Commons, figures as diverse as boxer
no plans to ban Donald the Republican presiden- passed the 100,000-signa- Osborne said “the best Mike Tyson, rapper Tyler
Trump over his comments tial nomination hopeful. ture threshold that means way to confront the views the Creator, radical Mus-
about Muslims despite a A university revoked his a committee of lawmakers of someone like Donald lim preachers and the late
growing number of calls honorary degree Wednes- must consider it for debate Trump is to engage in a ro- Christian fundamentalist
for his exclusion, the coun- day, and the Scottish gov- in Parliament. bust democratic argument Fred Phelps. Sr.
try’s Treasury chief said ernment dumped Trump Finance minister George with him about why he is Robert Gordon University
Wednesday. as an unpaid business am- Osborne told lawmakers profoundly wrong.” in Aberdeen, in northeast
British politicians have con- bassador. that Trump’s “nonsense” The government has the Scotland, said Wednesday
demned Trump’s proposal Some Britons say the re- views “fly in the face of the power to bar people con- it was withdrawing an hon-
for all Muslims to be barred marks amount to hate founding principles of the sidered a threat to public orary doctorate in business
from entering the U.S. in speech and have called United States.” But he said safety or national security, administration it awarded
the wake of violence by for Trump to be barred it would be wrong to “ban or those with criminal con- Trump in 2010.q
