Ibrahim Karagul, confidant of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and editor-in-chief of the Yeni Safak daily, the mouthpiece of Turkey's leading AKP party, wrote in a November 19, 2018 op-ed that the murder of Jamal Khashoggi was only a symptom of the problem. The real issue at stake, he stated, is the eruption of a regional/global war targeting Turkey, noting: "We are witnessing highly intense global clashes of powers – especially in our region – through the Khashoggi murder."
In his op-eds, Karagul frequently stresses that World War I is repeating itself and that the anti-Ottoman/Turkey coalition has been reconstituted. The undertakers of this front today, he writes, are Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, who are the leaders of a new "axis of evil" comprising the U.S., Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
The WWI analogy relates to both the June 28, 1914 murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne, in Sarajevo, and to Khashoggi's murder. Just as the assassination in Sarajevo led to the diplomatic and military escalations that resulted in that war, Karagul hints that Khashoggi's murder in Istanbul is triggering a series of events that may result in a new regional war, or even a global war.
In his November 19 op-ed, Karagul says that the unraveling of the Khashoggi murder conspiracy can tip the balance against Mohammed bin Salman and Mohammed bin Zayed. When Turkey begins releasing the audio recordings of Khashoggi's murder, he says, it will be the beginning of the end for Mohammed bin Salman – but nothing will change in the region as long as Mohammed bin Zayed is in power. "He is the boss behind all this business. We are going to continue to write about him, discuss him, and reveal his evils," he notes.
Below are excerpts of Karagul's November 19 op-ed on Yenisafak.com, which is titled "The Audio Recordings Of The Khashoggi Case Will Be Released Today Or This Week... A Quake Will Take Place In The Saudi Palace, And The Crown Prince Will Bite The Dust... Counter-Coup: The Alliance That Sold Out Jerusalem May Collapse":
Left: The June 28, 1014 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife in Sarajevo; right: Jamal Khashoggi.
Mohammed Bin Salman, Mohammed Bin Zayed Are Behind Khashoggi's Murder
"I guess the audio recordings of the moments during, before and after Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's killing are going to start being released as of today. Because the international discussions about the order for this brutal murder, its organization, preparations and perpetration have made it necessary to present 'new evidence.' Today or this week seems to be the most convenient time to do this.
"The conversations among the murderers, their conversations with Riyadh after committing the murder, dialogues that will prove the crown prince was the one who directly gave the order, perhaps the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egyptian intelligence's role in the incident, and as a matter of fact, information on Israeli intelligence's 'expertise' or on the U.S. leg of the murder may be revealed.
"Information of this kind will shake the world, lead to tremors in the region, turn the Saudi palace upside down, and create brand new situations in the region's power structuring.
"I have been writing from the very start of the incident that Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is the boss behind this, that he personally gave the order, that the UAE's Mohammed Bin Zayed is a partner in the murder, that the whole world is now trying to save the crown prince, and that they are at the table ready to exhaust all their money and influence for this purpose.
"My opinion never changed. This is what it will lead to. The Saudi crown prince won't be able to worm his way out of this one; regardless of the cover-up operations they carry out, regardless of the negotiations they attempt, saving this person under these circumstances will be impossible. What's more, it will reach Mohammed bin Zayed too. This is also going to be impossible to prevent.
"Up until now, when everything was actually very blatant, despite everybody knowing who gave the order, who killed Khashoggi, who the murderers are connected to, that the Saudi crown prince is directly the architect of this atrocity, efforts have been made to cover up the incident. We know that Saudi Arabia and U.S. President Donald Trump's administration are trying to cover up this incident, and that the U.S.-Israel-Saudi Arabia-UAE axis are both negotiating and tampering with evidence in efforts to 'save' the Saudi crown prince."
'We Are Trying To Stand Against A New Kind Of 'Invasion' Project'
"They have reached the point of paying any price to save the crown prince; they are willing to negotiate anything, including Qatar or the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ). The forces behind the July 15, 2016 coup attempt are now working hard to save Prince Mohammed, to save the newly established 'evil axis' in the region, and to maintain the 'new Middle East design' they planned themselves.
"If they fail, a major plan will go down the drain. All their covert and dirty files, from Yemen to Iraq and Syria, from Egypt to Somalia, from Iran to Turkey, will be revealed. That is when we will see that the matter is not the Khashoggi murder alone, that there are even more critical issues, and that they have a massive destruction project that will lead to the destruction of our region.
"Under these circumstances, we are not discussing Jamal Khashoggi alone. They are the representatives of a plot as critical as the Khashoggi murder, which is targeting the entire region, and we are trying to expose them. They are pursuing a regional war, they are after a showdown with Turkey, they are chasing new coup plots inside Turkey, they are pursuing new civil wars in some of the countries in the region, they are seeking to impose U.S.-Israeli-British plans in the region, and they are on a quest to eliminate everybody standing against all this. We know all of this.
"The front that was against the Ottoman Empire in World War I has been rebuilt, and the two crown princes, Mohammed bin Salman and Mohammed bin Zayed, are the regional undertakers of this front. Those who devastated the region a century ago are implementing a new destruction project, and Turkey is their main target.
"Therefore, the matter is not limited to a savage murder for us. We are pursuing this matter considering the future of our country and region. We are trying to stand against a new kind of 'invasion' project - and we are going to continue to do so.
"We are witnessing highly intense global clashes of powers – especially in our region – through the Khashoggi murder. The U.S. and Saudi Arabia's negotiations – or those with other countries mediating – did not lead to any outcome. Turkey is in the same position as it was on day one.
"Regardless of what happens, this murder and the discussions that started in its aftermath are going to lead to radical changes in the region's political history, power structure, and especially in Saudi Arabia. Because we are watching an astounding showdown of powers through the murder, and this will certainly have results and lead to serious changes."
"I Believe It Is Over For The Crown Prince"; "The Saudi Version Of The July 15 Coup Attempt That Started With The Crown Prince May... Turn Into A 'Counter-Coup'"
"Why is Trump in panic? Because the third leg in the relationship between Mohammed bin Salman and the UAE's Mohammed bin Zayed is his son-in-law Jared Kushner. It was this trio behind the secret negotiations for Jerusalem. It was this trio that tried to wipe out Turkey from the whole region. It is this trio that is still carrying out all the covert operations targeting Turkey, and trying to activate certain groups inside the country. It is this trio that doomed Saudi Arabia to Israel. It is this trio that made secret negotiations regarding Mecca and Medina.
"The Khashoggi murder turned into an internal issue in even the U.S.
"Trump's opponents sensed Trump's son-in-law's role in the incident and are attacking with all their might.
"The CIA's briefing that 'the crown prince gave the order,' Trump's statement that 'There will be a report by Tuesday on who killed Khashoggi,' indicate that this week is going to be critical for all these showdowns.
"Also, if Turkey starts to release the audio recordings, it will be the beginning of the end for Crown Prince Salman. If the Saudi administration does not discharge the crown prince even under these circumstances, let it be said that they will suffer greatly as a country.
"I believe it is over for the crown prince. There are rumors that the crown prince's brother is also involved in the murder. There may be a very serious quake in the Saudi administration. The internal coup process, the Saudi version of the July 15 coup attempt that started with the crown prince may, from this point onward, turn into a 'counter-coup.'
"One last note: Nothing will change in this region unless the UAE's Mohammed bin Zayed is disabled. He is the boss behind all this business. We are going to continue to write about him, discuss him, and reveal his evils."
