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Prominent Saudi royal blasts Obama on Israel

Now that the $60 billion arms deal has gone through, Saudi restraint is no longer necessary. The question is, is Prince Turki al-Faisal trying to make policy for the Magic Kingdom, showing a split at the senior level of the ruling family, or is this the king's own position? Regardless, this shows President Obama 'the world-beloved' has become bully bait.

Prince Turki al-Faisal, a leading figure in Saudi Arabia's royal family, called Israel "a drain on the United States, and not an asset" Friday while accusing the Obama administration of a blatant pro-Israel bias in its Middle East policy.

"Within the makeup of this administration, ladies and gentleman, there are officials who rationalize, excuse, and condone Israeli intransigence while seeking to put more pressure on the Palestinians to concede even more," Mr. Al Faisal said, in a speech to the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations. "These same officials believe that the Palestinian problem is not the root cause of Arab and Muslim antagonism to the United States. It is these officials who propose that the Netanyahu government should be rewarded for its intransigence rather than sanctioned."

Mr. Al-Faisal, Saudi Arabia's former intelligence chief and U.S. ambassador, was referring to a widely reported American offer of diplomatic and security guarantees to Israel in exchange for a two-month extension of its 10-month settlement moratorium, which expired on Sept. 26, causing Palestinians to suspend their participation in freshly launched U.S.-sponsored direct peace talks.

"Saudi Arabia," he said, "agreed with other Arab states to give peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine a chance -- more than once -- under the United-States-negotiated partial colony freeze. The United States failed to stick to its assurances and, to add insult to injury, offered the Netanyahu government more money, arms, protection from U.N. sanction, and, shamefully, the stationing of Israeli troops on Palestinian territory -- as if this territory were part of the United States' sovereign lands. And this was to get him to extend the partial freeze for a few more days. Now that the Netanyahu government has rejected that offer, we are waiting to see what else the United States will offer."

Arab expectations are clear, President Obama. You have your marching orders.

While Saudi Arabia does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, it has been reported that the kingdom would allow Israel use of its airspace for airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

I wonder what Iranian President Ahmadinejad and the king of Saudi Arabia said during their little phone call the other day?

Posted by: 2010-10-25

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