Trump just strong-armed Egypt to help Israel

Egypt withdrew a UN resolution against Israeli settlements after Trump called Sisi.

United States President-elect Donald Trump is already pulling the ropes on regional politics, and he's not even in the Oval Office yet. 

Trump personally called Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and convinced him to withdraw a United Nations resolution against illegal Israeli settlements. 

According to two Western officials that spoke to Reuters, the current U.S. administration had actually been planning to allow the resolution to pass. 

Israeli officials were aware of the Obama administration's stance on the resolution, prompting them to lobby Trump for his support.

Egypt had taken the lead on the resolution, which demanded that Israel halt settlement activity in the occupied West Bank. A draft circulated around the UN on Wednesday and a vote had been scheduled for Thursday.

But, then Trump called Sisi and Egypt changed its mind, the Egyptian president's office said.

A spokesman explained that Trump pushed Sisi to give his new administration "the full chance to deal with all dimensions of the Palestinian case," according to Al Jazeera.

When news of the UN resolution first circulated, Trump responded by saying that it put Israel in "a very poor negotiating position." He added that it was "extremely unfair to all Israelis."

Although the U.S. has always been a staunch supporter of Israel, official policy supports a two-state solution. Israeli settlements are widely seen as a major threat to the two-state solution becoming a reality. 

But, Trump has shown little interest in maintaining current U.S. policy towards Palestine. He campaigned on the promise that he would move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a significant and controversial break with longstanding policy.

Palestine and Israel both see Jerusalem as their rightful capital. If the U.S. moves its Israeli embassy to the city, this will demonstrate a total disregard for Palestine's right to exist.

Adam Saleh's Delta Air Lines scandal may be a prank

When you're known for pranks and hoaxes, people are bound to be skeptical.

There are two sides to Adam Saleh's removal from a Delta Air Lines flight, a story that went viral yesterday. 

The first – Adam Saleh's account – is that the YouTube star was kicked out of the plane after passengers complained about him speaking Arabic. The second is that this well-known prankster intentionally provoked passengers by throwing his fist in the air and speaking aggressively in Arabic. 

Delta released a statement following the incident, claiming that Saleh caused a disturbance with "provocative behavior." They did not elaborate further. 

"It appears the customers who were removed sought to disrupt the cabin with provocative behavior, including shouting. This type of conduct is not welcome on any Delta flight," the airline wrote in a statement.

Adam has insisted that the viral video he recorded during the incident was "as real as it gets." But the YouTube star's social experiments with racial provocation has forced some to take his account with a grain of salt. 

Here are some of the skeptic's arguments: 

Passengers on the flight have spoken out to CBS News, many claiming his behavior was intentional. 

"lt was clear that this guy knew what he was doing because as he was leaving the plane he would stop, he would kind of make eye contact with people and say, ‘Delta is kicking me off the plane,'" Karen Georgia Thompson told CBS News.

Another passenger also seemed to have her own doubts about the incident as well. 

"I’m not sure what happened before but the way he was acting in a very arrogant way, immediately brought out the camera and seemed like he was pretty prepared before for what he was ready to do," said Jacqueline Willemsen. 

The consequences Muslims will face if the incident was in fact staged

Saleh has since spoken out against the accusations that his story may be a hoax

Some are coming to his defense

Saleh is widely known for his pranks and social experiments. 

Earlier in December, Saleh released a video on YouTube titled" I Smuggled Myself On A Plane to Another City and IT WORKED!!! (IN A SUITCASE)" where he was pranking his viewers. 

The video soon made international news, something Saleh did not expect. He later apologized for the hoax.  

Still, the airline has a history of discriminatory behavior against Muslims, blacks and Sikhs. So whether or not Adam's story is accurate may not be entirely relevant. 

That time Delta didn't believe a black woman was a doctor

Back in October, Delta Airlines couldn't believe that a 28-year-old black woman was an actual doctor when one passenger fell unconcious mid-flight. 

Tamika Cross volunteered to assist when a flight attendent asked if there was a doctor on board. 

"Oh no sweetie, put your hand down, we are looking for actual physicians or nurses or some type of medical personnel ; we don't have time to talk to you," a crew member told Cross, according to the New York Times.

And when a Muslim couple was escorted off the plane ... because the man was "sweating"

A couple was just traveling in celebration of their tenth anniversary when Delta decided to escort them off the plane because they left a crew member "feeling uneasy."

Faisal and Nazia Ali were just sitting in their seats. Nazia wears a headscarf. Faisal was apparently sweating. 

So, a crew member felt uneasy and got the couple escorted off the plane. 

"Can you step out with me? We’d like to ask you a few questions," a ground agent asked Ali, according to The Washington Post.

"Do you want us to get our things?" Ali asked. 

"Yes, please grab all of your personal belongings. You’re not going to be on this flight."

Delta Airlines is not alone in discriminating against minority groups. 

Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and American Airlines have also escorted people off planes for unjustifiable reasons. All have to do with racial discrimination. 

Earlier this year, Iraqi Muslim student Khairuldeen Makhzoomi was removed from a Southwest plane for saying "Inshallah" before departure. 

One woman reportedly thought he had said the word “shahid,” meaning martyr, which is associated with jihad. 

An Ivy League economist Guido Menzio was escorted off an American Airlines flight for solving math (YES, math) problems ... or what the passenger seated next to him thought was a secret terrorist code in Arabic.