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Some universities and colleges in the U.S. are rethinking funding they receive from Saudi Arabia in light of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, The Associated Press (AP) reported Tuesday.
Through the decade, the Saudi government has funneled $354 million into 37 different schools across the U.S.
The top two recipients, George Washington University and George Mason University, received a large portion through a Saudi scholarship program which sends students to study in the U.S. every year.
The AP found at least $62 million came from grants and gifts given to schools by Saudi nationally-owned enterprises.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Texas AM University both received millions of dollars from the state oil company, Saudi Aramco.
"Although some of the contracts halted before last year, questions surrounding Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi’s death at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul have spurred some schools to reconsider current or future deals," the AP wrote.
The Turkish prosecutor looking into the death of Jamal Khashoggi has asked Saudi Arabia's prosecutor to say who sent the team involved in the journalist's killing, President Tayyip Erdoğan said on Tuesday.Speaking to reporters in parliament, Erdoğan said the Turkish prosecutor had told his Saudi counterpart that the 18 suspects in the case could be tried in Turkey. Saudi officials also needed to reveal the identity of a local cooperator said to have been involved in Khashoggi's disappearance, he said.Saudi Arabia's Chief Prosecutor Saud Al Mojeb on Tuesday arrived at the Consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul as part of probe into slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi.'Jamal Khashoggi deserves a dignified burial'He had previously visited his Turkish counterpart at the Çağlayan Courthouse.Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and a critic of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed inside the Consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul after he went there to obtain documents for his forthcoming marriage.After denying any involvement in the disappearance of Khashoggi, 59, for two weeks, Saudi Arabia on Oct. 20 acknowledged his death, saying he had died in a fistfight.Since then, Saudi Arabia’s public prosecutor said Khashoggi’s killing was premeditated, contradicting the previous official statement that it happened accidentally during a tussle in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.Turkey denies top Saudi prosecutor’s request for whole Khashoggi file: reportKhashoggi fiancee says Riyadh behind his murder, criticises Trump response"Turkey will destroy terror structures in east of Euphrates"He also said that Turkey will destroy terror structures in the east of the Euphrates River in Syria, adding that the intervention there had begun and more extensive operations will be launched soon."We will walk over terror groups with more effective operations."The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) on Sunday bombed positions belonging to terrorists of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)’s Syrian affiliate, the YPG, on the eastern shore of the Euphrates River in Syria.Artillery shells were fired at the YPG-occupied Zour Magyar to the west of northern Syria's Ayn al-Arab region and was aimed at preventing terrorist activities.Russia-Turkey forum to be held in AntalyaHe said that Turkey would bring down all terror nests on the eastern side of Euphrates. "We have finished all our preparations, plans, program regarding the issue," he added.He said that Turkey cannot "look to the future with confidence without solving the Syrian issue".Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.The powers using terror groups as tools to reach their goals are trying to revive Daesh in Syria, Erdoğan warned.Turkey says Idlib deal going as planned, no issue in implementation But, he said, Turkey would never allow them to drag Syria into chaos and bloodshed by inciting the regime or reviving Daesh in the region."Neither people in the region nor the world believe in the Daesh game," said Erdoğan.More than 300 people lost their lives in Daesh-claimed attacks in Turkey, where the terror organization has targeted civilians in suicide bomb, rocket, and gun attacks in recent years.
Erdoğan says Turkish prosecutor asked Saudi counterpart who sent Khashoggi's killers
MIT announced it would reassess its partnership with the kingdom because of the "grave concern" about Khashoggi, and told faculty work with the Saudis to “make their own determinations as to the best path forward.”
Earlier this year, the oil company pledged $25 million to MIT for research on renewable energy and artificial intelligence, according to the AP.
Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, went missing after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.
After weeks of denying any knowledge of his whereabouts, Saudi officials admitted that Khashoggi was killed in a fist fight inside the consulate building.
Saudi Arabia's Chief Prosecutor Saud Al Mojeb on Tuesday visited the Consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul as part of probe into slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi.He had previously visited his Turkish counterpart at the Çağlayan courthouse.Mojeb and the accompanying delegation left the consulate after spending one-and-half-hours inside.Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and a critic of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed inside the Consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul after he went there to obtain documents for his forthcoming marriage.Erdoğan says Turkish prosecutor asked Saudi counterpart who sent Khashoggi's killersAfter denying any involvement in the disappearance of Khashoggi, 59, for two weeks, Saudi Arabia on Oct. 20 acknowledged his death, saying he had died in a fistfight.Since then, Saudi Arabia’s public prosecutor said Khashoggi’s killing was premeditated, contradicting the previous official statement that it happened accidentally during a tussle in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.Riyadh's numerous shifting accounts of the killing have undermined Prince Mohammed's standing.'Jamal Khashoggi deserves a dignified burial'Saudi prosecutor revisits Istanbul court house in Khashoggi investigationTurkey denies top Saudi prosecutor’s request for whole Khashoggi file: report
Saudi prosecutor leaves consulate in Istanbul as Khashoggi probe continues
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said 18 people arrested in Saudi Arabia for the killing should be extradited to Turkey to face trial, while Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said the kingdom would try the suspects after an investigation is complete.
Even after this, many schools are not considering a reassessment of Saudi funds, including George Mason University, University of California-Berkely, Northwestern University, and Tufts University.
“Refusing payment would result in us denying an educational opportunity to otherwise qualified students. This would run counter to our mission of serving students,” George Mason spokesman Michael Sandler said in a statement.
The Saudi scholarship fund was initially created in 2005 to create warmer relations with the U.S. after the Sept. 11 attacks.
"In some ways, the ties between American colleges and the kingdom were created to ease tensions between the nations," the AP wrote.
The Washington Post said Tuesday it was still waiting for answers on the killing of its contributor Jamal Khashoggi and urged the U.S. Congress to impose sanctions on those responsible for the murder.Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and columnist for newspaper, went missing after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.After weeks of denying any knowledge of his whereabouts, Saudi officials admitted that Khashoggi was killed in a fist fight inside the consulate building.In an opinion piece, the Post's editorial board said what happened to Khashoggi's body remained "undisclosed". The board accused the Saudi government and its “de facto accomplices" in the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump of remaining silent instead of clarifying the questions about the murder.It said those behind the killing were hoping that "demands for accountability will fade away now that the story has been pushed from the front pages. That should not be allowed to happen".UK foreign secretary: I was unaware of Khashoggi plotErdoğan says Turkish prosecutor asked Saudi counterpart who sent Khashoggi's killersAccording to Turkish officials, Khashoggi was attacked the moment he entered the consulate, his fingers were severed, and he was injected with a drug before being dismembered by an autopsy specialist who arrived in Istanbul with a bone saw, wrote the board."What the Turks still don’t know has been publicly voiced by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: Where is Mr. Khashoggi’s body? And who ordered and oversaw this grisly operation?" it said."The Saudis know the answers to both those questions, and Mr. Trump might, too. Experts on Saudi Arabia are virtually unanimous in saying that such an audacious mission must have been known about, and most likely was ordered, by the kingdom’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman," it said.The board said that Congress should summon CIA Director Gina Haspel, who was in Turkey last week and briefed Trump, and other senior U.S. officials and determine what they know about the killing."Then it should take decisive action to impose sanctions on those responsible — including, if the available evidence points to him, Mohammed bin Salman — and reshape U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia," said the board.Erdoğan said 18 people arrested in Saudi Arabia for the killing should be extradited to Turkey to face trial, while Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said the kingdom would try the suspects after an investigation is completed.'Jamal Khashoggi deserves a dignified burial'Saudi prosecutor leaves consulate in Istanbul as Khashoggi probe continues
Washington Post awaits answers on Khashoggi murder