Given the Arab countries’ continuing contest to outdo each other with their suspicions against Israel, it was only a matter of time until someone would try beat Egypt’s claim that the Israeli security service Mossad was behind lethal shark attacks:
“You are hereby recruited for the Mossad.”
Now the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has detained a bird and is investigating if it might be an Israeli spy. The vulture was found in Saudi Arabia and aroused suspicion not only because it had a tracking device, but this equipment even bore the name of Tel Aviv University. Israeli scientists were quick to explain that a number of birds had been equipped with tracking devices to study the travels and the behaviour of the endangered vultures.
Saudi officials have neither been able to explain why Israel, the Middle East’s most technologically advanced country by far, would resort to the use of unpredictable birds instead of drones or satellites, nor why a “spy-bird” would carry the insignia of Tel Aviv University. The anti-Israeli reflexes seem to cloud any Arab counter-intelligence agency’s judgement.
If this is symptomatic for Saudi thinking, you don’t have to wonder why no Nobel Prize has ever been awarded to a Saudi (while 9 Nobel Prizes have gone to Israel). But it rather adds to my worries about what will happen with Saudi Arabia once the oil reserves will have been depleted.
The Happy Hermit 
I worry about the whole Saudi peninsula. There’s nothing to keep Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, or (especially) Yemen going without oil. Does anyone think those huge hotels or the palm-tree-shaped islands will REALLY pay for themselves? Yemen’s current disintegration is a frightening insight into what could happen over the length of the whole peninsula.
By the way, Andreas, maybe that vulture IS an Israeli agent. That could explain the mass deaths of blackbirds in our states of Alabama and Louisiana. Maybe they were Al-Qaeda suicide bombers, and just forgot to bring their bombs? Or maybe they were gathering intelligence, and one of our super-secret black projects zapped them from the sky? Makes better sense than the blackbirds running into an invisible flying saucer. (See? You don’t need to be Saudi to come up with bird-brained explanations!)
Whenever I think about the future of the Saudi peninsula, I have to think of a quote from the film SYRIANA, where an American financial advisor says to a Saudi: “You know what the business community thinks of you? They think that a hundred years ago you were living in tents out here in the desert chopping each other’s heads off and that’s where you’ll be in another hundred years.”
Thanks for visiting, Andreas. As for the mentality, this is symptomatic not only for Saudi thinking: most of our neighbors use Israel as a convenient explanation for every mishap and every problem. Recently it was sharks and jellyfish in Egypt, but the examples are endless.
I mean no disrespect to Israel or her people with this comment. But really, all of Israel should be flattered by these ridiculous accusations. Does Egypt REALLY think Israel has nothing better to do than dump sharks off the southern tip of Sinai? Do the Saudis think Mossad is so clever as to employ a vulture for reconnaissance? I know God gave Man mastery over the beasts, but wow! Point-and-shoot sharks? Surveillance buzzards? At the very least, Israel needs to share this technology with the US. Imagine what all our amusement parks like Seaworld and Busch Gardens could do with this training information! Or is Israel behind all the blackbird deaths in the US South? Oh wait, I forgot, that was an invisible flying saucer. Sorry!
This is all big BS. It only shows the lack of education/intelligence in the Arab countries. But why am I not surprised that they think that way.
However, I’m more concerned with people like the leaders of AIPAC who committed treason in the US and who are creating a situation of hate against Israel and then indirectly against Jews in the US.
How is it possible that traitors like Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman don’t get jail time?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/02/us/politics/02aipac.html?_r=1
This is why honest people don’t trust the Government in the US anymore. This is why there is a hatred attituded towards Jewish Organizations, etc. It’s not because of the “normal” ones living life. It’s because of the treacherous few who are hiding behind and within Jewish Communities and running dirty games. Shame on them.
return to Israel along with Israels occupation army…Many Americans have said if the Arabs do something nice for Israel this .. and has a deep knowledge of the kingdoms affairs…In fact absolutely none of the gestures that have been made including ..
Monex- I think your post was cut off. Your comments about the gestures being made is incomplete. And the rest of your post is not clear to me – are you suggesting Andreas needs to return to Israel, that the Israelis need to return to some previous border (and if so, which one), or is there some other point to your seemingly aimless ramble?
I am a spanish with a spanish pasport.i got a girl pregnant who has a resident permit in italy.i newly went to germany to serch for job.i merged with somebody in his apartment.if my girl put to bed in germany,will my baby have a germany pasport?
1) This has nothing to do with the article you are commenting on.
2) That would be too easy, wouldn’t it?
Could you please provide more info regarding “dual citizenship ” exception ( (§ 12 StAG), for example if your home country does not allow you to renounce citizenship, or if the loss of your original citizenship would result in the loss of economic rights in your home country, and for all citizens of another EU country.
I am Canadian and have worked and lived for over 10 years in Germany – but don’t want to give up my Canadian Citizenship as I have partner who live there and we both have properties together in Canada.
I explained this to German advisor but they not convinced regarding it. What documents should I bring and submit so I can keep my both citizenship?
I’ll be happy to do so once I get a donation or a few books from my wishlist. And I point you to my FAQ on German citizenship law where I have touched on this in some of the comments.