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Arabia
Prominent Saudi royal blasts Obama on Israel
2010-10-25
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:

#8  PIMF. were
Posted by: trailing wife   2010-10-25 23:58  

#7  re: descended from Jews

Of course. Forced conversions. First the Christians, then the Moslems. No surprise there, JosephM. And the Samaritans where the Israelite peasantry left behind by the Babylonian conquest in 586 BCE.
Posted by: trailing wife   2010-10-25 23:57  

#6  PRINCE FAISAL

VERSUS

* ISRAEL NN > [Political Writer Anne B.]BAYEFSKY: US IS MORE HOSTILE TO ISRAEL THAN IT APPEARS. POTUS Bammer Admin + US STTAE adopting formal Policy of saying modified or different things on same issue(s) to appeal to different audiences???

Also from SAME > MP KARA: DRUZE ARE DESCENDED FROM JEWS.

ARTIC = ditto the majority of Arabs living west of the Jordan River.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2010-10-25 23:53  

#5  Sounds like he's a bitter man clinging to his camels and his Koran...
Posted by: tu3031   2010-10-25 21:36  

#4  What, Obama forgot to bow to this guy?
Posted by: Matt   2010-10-25 14:28  

#3  Interesting bit of background on this sport.

"When he was fourteen, he was sent by his father to study at Lawrenceville School, a prep school in New Jersey. His father sent him there because he wanted him to attain a "world-class education" not yet available in Saudi Arabia.

"Prince Turki then studied at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in the class of 1968 (where he was a classmate of Bill Clinton), and at Princeton, Cambridge, and the University of London, where he studied Islamic law and jurisprudence.

"After he left Georgetown, he did some studies in Britain, and then went back to work in the Kingdom. Prince Turki was appointed an Advisor in the Royal Court in 1973.

"He has served as ambassador to both the US and UK."
Posted by: Anonymoose   2010-10-25 11:38  

#2  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."

Dont see OBL/Mullah OMAR using the Paelos excuse for their hatred!
Posted by: Paul2   2010-10-25 10:58  

#1  Nothing new here. The Saudis are masters of playing both sides. One side smooches up to the US, the other to the arab man on the street.
Posted by: DarthVader   2010-10-25 10:57  

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