optionor times here we're going underground in a brand new season as the world arguably faces its greatest conflict of the 21st century sparked by donald trump's u.k. backed assassination of iran stop soldier some silly money the man credited with saving countless lives in nato nations by defeating isis and al qaeda coming up in the show what was israel's role in the u.s. assassination that is arguably set the middle east on the path to nuclear conflict we'll ask former israeli foreign minister and ambassador to the united states down the aisle on and after the iraqi parliament voted to throw out british and american soldiers i would zack he will baghdad work with tap to exact revenge on nations which have supported donald trump's drug dealing we speak to member of baghdad council security committee. plus as u.s. president trump threatens to destroy dozens of cultural sites in iran we will be all primes and colonial blunder with one of the world's greatest human rights lawyers geoffrey robertson all this and more coming up in today's going underground

but 1st the world is not the same since donald trump ordered the killing of iranian soldier caught some salami who along with his iraqi popular mobilization unit counterparts were drone strike on friday at baghdad airport joining me now from tel aviv is former israeli ambassador to the united states danny ayalon thanks so much about coming back on the show let's just begin with what you think your well indicted prime minister netanyahu meant when he said israel should not be dragged into what was an american event yes it was a totally american wholly owned american operation and i believe it came following the attack on the american embassy in baghdad but basically i think the united states was fed up with the intervention of iran through. the iranian revolutionary guard and most of the. force the oca's force which was headed by general assembly money their responsibility was actually to subvert all over and. i

would say make sure that the iranians. get the influence all over the area and we see it not just in iraq but also in syria in lebanon in yemen and i believe that after a restraint that the americans showed especially following the attack on the oil installations of saudi arabia that was just one bridge too far for them and they just decided to take action how is it then that israel was informed of the drone strike assassination of general soleimani ahead of time whereas london wasn't moscow wasn't beijing wasn't the u.s. congress wasn't and after all we're coming up to one year anniversary of an israeli assassination of a nuclear scientist in iran iran often being targeted has been suspected by assassination strikes on behalf of israel and i'm not quite sure whether israel was informed or not but let's let's assume it was the reason would

be just the distance you know we are unfortunately still within the distance of iranian ballistic missiles iranian ballistic missiles continue to be developed against the u.n. security council resolutions it is the ayatollah as a regime that continuously threaten israel so i think that would really be reasonable to to warn israel before so we can be prepared and also the iranians make no distinction of distinction almost between israel and the united states they call the united states the big satan is a real ease this small satan so they put us together in the same boat well the iranian government officials from it obviously deny that they want to wipe israel off the map but i think anyone watching the footage of millions mourning the death of silly money see that there are people on the streets shouting death to israel.

do you think then that as you say the u.s. embassy has now issued warnings for americans traveling in israel. what did you make of the fact that mainly it's really money far from planning attacks according to the iraqi prime minister was actually carrying details of irreproachable between saudi arabia and iran when he was killed this is about trying to stop any alliance between saudi arabia which has been getting closer to your country and iran what i think is just a matter of conspiracy i don't believe that this was the case especially not after the open account between tehran and in riyadh in saudi arabia. i don't think it would have been against american interest if indeed there was going to be reparations or between saudi arabia in there and iran saloon money was actually masterminding more attacks he's made mission right now was to drive the americans out of iraq so the u.s. if should a warning that no matter who attacks the united states the iranian will not be able

to hide behind their proxies so what it means actually is that the conflicts now he's surfacing on the table and no more deep down underground operations that the united states will tolerate it wasn't too long ago that even corporate media was celebrating in the west general silly money for his defeat of isis day which some of linked to israel after the famous pictures of netanyahu in the golan heights frankly isn't the point that if iran had a nuclear weapon this is as a nation wouldn't have taken place and the fact that that's the reason as a deterrent that israel has nuclear weapons which apparently netanyahu has finally admitted in the few days we have to set the record straight to the fate that netanyahu was in the golan heights he was visiting a humanitarian project. israel actually built

a special field hospital for syrian people who were wounded who were harmed by assad's forces and forces were held by iranian militias or or other military. shiite militias the ices the dies she's a sworn enemy of israel so i don't think this was the case actually i believe that few years back the united states was cooperating with salumi against isis against. but since of the money turned on the americans then they had no choice but to defend themselves as to the point of the nuclear policy of israel we have said it and you know actually read to rated israel will not be the 1st to introduce a nuclear weapon in the in the middle east but there is a big difference between israel and iran israel unlike you ron has never threatened

to wipe out another country israel unlike iran is not using proxies all over the region to subvert the the regimes or for the countries actually trying to be the edge of one of the area israel unlike iran is not is not a signatory on the n.p.t. under nonproliferation. treaty so i don't think that there should be any comparison between these 2 cases like you cannot compare apples to oranges of course mordechai vanunu might say something else but as you say iran is a signatory the n.p.t. but i got to ask you given to me a putin is arrived for talks with president assad in syria do you think that moscow and beijing maybe looking on this and thinking you know like you just said israel is on the same side as iran against isis why can't these. countries all compact

together we of course would not be at all adverse to to changing the situation dramatically infects and i'm not speaking for the americans but it was president. trump who repeatedly said that he's willing to speak with the iranians or without preconditions anytime anywhere but a refusal came out of tehran now as for president putin of course he is very much respected here in israel you know that. we have more than. one and a half almost 1000000 israelis who came out of russian descend by the way he's also scheduled to be here i believe in about a week or so and. he's always a welcome here and of course we would very much like to see you for russia can use their influence in damascus in tehran maybe something can come out of it ambassador thank you well joining me now from the iraqi capital baghdad where custom sulaimani

was assassinated is a member of baghdad council security committee. thanks so much for coming back on actually just. begin by saying that major nation state backed media here is saying that the vote in the iraqi parliament to throw out british and american soldiers is only advisory does it actually mean anything it does because the prime minister his intention was to os all foreign troops outside iraq and he needed the political backing from the parliament as we know put iraqi parliament is divided up on itself and he wanted a political. following of political backing so he could go and face the american and the foreign troops behind him a political force so it actually does mean that the. troops have to leave or what

is the next stage of this since the vote yes i see in 2014 a letter was sent from the foreign office iraqi foreign office to the security council of the united nation asking for international assistance now the job is finished ice is finished so the foreign office will send another letter to the security council asking to revoke that old letter and thank you very much and we don't need your forces anymore we have got rid of isis so 'd you can all go home and of course this is all a money with the man credited with getting rid of vices ok but then what did you make of the fact that. muddy said that the british foreign minister rang him and reportedly said please can we let british soldiers stay on training that was just before you installed and were good nature said all training is about to stop why do you think britain was calling up to try and keep british soldiers there and

what do you think your prime minister thought of well it's not only him the dutch foreign minister the german foreign minister number other foreign ministers called and asked to keep some of their forces either within the training programs by the way the iraqi parliament did speak of a training program did speak that we do need training programs but we need to know who is training where and training for what in the name of trainers they came and they brought their drones as sort of assassinating people and as you may know that the americans assassinated the other day top ranking iraqi. personnel general who answers directly to the part minister who is the deputy head of the public mobilization forces which is the force that actually defeated ice's they assassinated this iraqi general. just because he was with sulaimani now the

problem with that is the americans never apologize they're going to say that we didn't know that he was there they didn't explain themselves they just shot him killed the man and turned him to pieces and they're talking about sunday money we're not really concerned of us away money we can send of our general the parliament is raise because of a moment in mind this not because of silly money the cerise in baghdad. filled with people because of you know had this not because of still a money yeah general mondas doesn't have much problem in this country it's mainly saudi money of course the boris johnson defacto supporter the assassination strike ordered by donald trump do you think that makes britain a target for those who want to seek revenge for the assassinations no i don't believe britain would be involved in this i don't believe that britain would be a target i don't think britain or france or and the other force should have any and

he worries on this issue of course told trump initially said there was an imminent attack on u.s. troops which justified the assassination strike it's now emerged that silly money was in baghdad with plans for some kind of reproach more between saudi arabia and iran why would baghdad be the place where this kind of communication might have happened and of course the prospects for peace right across the region baghdad is accused of having a very close relationship to iran so somebody wanted to make use of this accusation and the saudis also had the good i mean we developed in the last few years a better relationship with the saudis and the tension between those 2 countries basically are effecting the policies that were security policy in iraq so he was passing this important messages between 2 sides and he came he was he had actually an appointment with the prime minister at 830 be on they've that he was

assassinated to bring the radia reply or mr common is eminence mr common a reply to the saudi proposal thank you thank you after the break with trump threatening iran's culture who owns history from the ogun marbles to the british crown a new book examines the case for the return of blunder from u.k. colonial bloodshed and oppression we speak to its author alleged to be human rights barrister geoffrey robertson. in the united states presidential candidates debate the future of the u.s.

and the world. but dig into the burning questions of this election cycle. every week. tax student debt trade was money universal. and more catch up with what's front running this sunday exclusively. the guy's the best of seaborne you and i did the dishes at the boss more than i did g.'s new speech to see me. as and about that when he dies e.q.'s will be. in the news i mean that so that in fact involved. a lot of you will see as it fights to cut out the.

eventually people. that film days doing so. people. will. welcome back more now on the fallout of the us assassination of customs and their money one of the things that even president trump's hawks supporters of distance themselves from this week is the current threat to destroy cultural heritage sites in iran so what should be the consequences for such a flagrant disregard for international law when it comes to culture joining me now for more on this and other cultural injustices is the leading human rights lawyer geoffrey robertson q.c. whose new book who owns history elegant solution the case for turning plan the treasure is out now jeffrey thanks for coming on i'm going to get to the book

particularly in the in a moment but your reaction to president trump saying that the culture of iran should be targeting the world sadly this is a man who thinks like a barbarian because it is to protect against barbarian activities centuries most recently of course isis we have developed over centuries this rule but you do not attack cultural heritage and here is the commander of the free world if you like. announcing. but he's going to target cultural property world heritage areas to spite iran he calls it a rainy and culture but it's not it's the culture of the world it's cultural property the problems to us all because it's part of our artistic a doc a tech through evolution and so you know this is

a barbarians idea of a sort of reprisal of the playground it's not it it has nothing to do with international law or it's fit for a world in which the law is absent well those of the usa doesn't care about what happens in the hague it's not a member of that court and off the target but american commanders do and it's fascinating to see the initial reaction america's next commander has a brit in their military screw what is called a libra and it makes clear that it's a war crime to attack churches to attack cultural institutions secretary slater my pump air defended trumps comments about some of the target of these did because he thinks like about berrian but the way said it would be within the law when i leave

out that and everyone knows he's wrong the generals i think will for the most part disobey trump's command to bomb a world heritage area because they remember nuremberg so they will not a bay those orders it will be perhaps the end of trump if orders given well if persepolis in the south of iran as sure as. one great morning went to human civilization another is the pathan and contemporaneous. as i was just a little later on the parthenon as the greatest exists dick one of the able to tell me about her history of the problem is that half of it is where it belongs in the shadow of the acropolis in the new acropolis museum in modern greece and the other half is in

a dingy gallery named after a fraud stuck named low divvying who was a crook. who donated a lot of money to the british museum so they stored elegans newt taken by the british ambassador in 81 winched off the walls of the temple he stole half the models of the parthenon to sell for his own profit to the british museum the board of the british museum and say the dream gallery and the british museum in london is a beautiful gallery only reject the board of the bridge museum would say anything very very badly there are a lot of a moral and. arrogant multi-millionaires who don't represent actually the uses and the friends of the british museum but that has been their attitude that has been the british government's attitude not jeremy corbin

who offered to certain degrees but he's now almost history and the british museum and british government are opposed to the reuniting this greatest wonder of the ancient world so the world can see it in it original shape well always in the museum says it's protecting it but you know it only expose allegation of the white washing of the whole story around the but you say that the . themselves were whitewashed literally just tell me about that was a scandal at the british museum did its best to hush up but this crook do v. after whom they honor with the presence of the marbles he rather liked the idea that the watch the marbles originally bra was no color should be whiter than white

so he's got workman to see them and did great damage to them sanded it down the best really element of a game said it was a disgrace in the british museum trustees of the time this was in the late 1930 s. hushed it up and even as late as 9090 they told chris smith who was leading an inquiry of the parliamentary arts murray our minister that they had been kept impeccably up was a lie and a new detail of point by point in the book but i'm afraid you know the main argument that anyone out there uses they don't use the arguments of the board of the british museum saying we are an encyclopedia. museum we should have a they say if you return these sorts of things to these countries they will be destroyed which attack is the new premier in greece was just with netanyahu funnily enough i was visiting it to rush back after the assassination in baghdad airport

what happened if there was a red to retaliate against greece because it's getting closer to israel and we might use well we are retaliate against london for its support unthinking support of american policy what passes for american policy in the middle east but what about returning aboriginal art well exactly toying with the good we see what's happening in australia right now it would have been perhaps you go out there you know that we see a merry go round most british museums there and in people of telling the truth about. colonialism captain cook or did but captain cook never 5 as at indigenous people he only fires warning shots even when he fired as at this topics so what it says is is that ok up to and cook fired warning shots and they drop to glenn you have to go show that mean it'll be

a lame card resided in the british museum not here we returned it could it be in danger of a climate change of we send things back there it would be the most precious. most precious cultural treasure for the indigenous people who spread it that's why they want it back and they're supported by their parliaments but of course it's not coming back because the british museum is so arrogant and a moral that it doesn't return anything it's not prepared no matter how brutally the british army and he did act brutally in the 19th century it would kill the men the women the children on so-called punishment raids that it would steal everything it could lay it hands on they called it they did it officially and the wonder who's the treasures of benny in the treasures of mecca the treasures of these places and

indeed the treasures of china. the 8th the odin led the attack in the opium wars the worst crimes against humanity in the 1900. addicting the chinese to opium to improve britain's trade balance he attacked the sum a palace which was the pathan all of the of asia china is trying to buy the bats i tried or is now trying to even steal them back it's thought to get each treasures back. you call the museums of blood yes they museums of propaganda is that really where the british museum wants to keep the heart of the problem is the inability of british museums to face and to describe accurately these colonial outrages the van de at an exhibit a few months ago about the my dollar raided $867.00 which was one of the worst

colonial atrocities and i actually made a note of what the label said in this rather pathetic little exhibition it said it's time we realized that this was a controversial period in british ethiopian relationships actually detail legal frameworks and the updating of the universe and so on just tell me a little bit about it the concrete steps that are outlined after you describe the artifact in the context of where there are there is a convention that ensures or tries to ensure the property that is stolen after 1970 or after the countries. signed up to the convention should be returned before then items that were taken in colonial wars stolen with the one exception of not loot the property

stolen from jews by nazis there are laws enforcing return and restitution when you talk about article 10 and article 11 should there be an article of an maybe in the geoffrey robertson charter because donald trump is threatening the cultures a sovereign nation of what happens to lenders of artifacts who threaten. existing militia go to jail and they have those who bombed above nick went to jail should up be limited to american museums as long as the president of the united states relates that the serious matter i think whether or not it should be restored to a particular country from whom it's been stolen. depends on whether that country shows the same kind of artistic freedom and respect

for its cultural heritage as it does for its own people and countries like china whose record on the we goes for example and on human rights advocates jailing them for many you want to contest for the we are yes but nonetheless i think it raises a question of whether they should go back and of course let us not forget on russia today there is a little problem you mention the bush can result in museums structure which holds premiums treasure which was taken by stalin's trophy brigade from i think of zoo in the end where it had been hidden prey treasure which probably wasn't priya but did come from troy and you say that vladimir putin could triangulate between competing claims of germany and it was interesting that gorbachev provisionally agreed to return it to germany but putin overrode him

and will not hear of its return from the pushkin museum i think there is now a very good museum at troy where it originated which happens to be in turkey and jeff wrote in q.c. thank you. as of the show will back on saturday the 9th anniversary of the assassination of the 32 year old director of iran uranium enrichment plant suspected of being a joint obama really because of the broad street feel that you judge much as you can see why you juggle still so. join me every thursday on the alex simon short and i'll be speaking to guest of the world of politics sport i'm sure i'll see you there.

in iraq 2 american military bases are hit by dozens of air strikes as iran responds to the killing of its top general who was assassinated in a u.s. drone strike last week however to wrong says it's not smoking for a wall with washington. all is well donald trump responded to the attack saying that he will give more details later previously threatening to destroy multiple iranian sites including cultural if iran retaliated in any form. ukrainian passenger plane has crashed no that's wrong and ports ukrainian interior ministry says all $176.00 people on board were killed. putin and his 2.