Via Zerohedge.com
Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) admitted in a wide-ranging interview in The Atlantic that Saudi nationals have funded terrorist groups, and quite stunningly – that Israelis are entitled to live peacefully on their own land – yet another indicator that the relationship between Riyadh and Tel Aviv is strengthening.
When it comes to financing extremist groups, I challenge anyone if he can bring any evidence that the Saudi government financed terrorist groups. Yes, there are people from Saudi Arabia who financed terrorist groups. This is against Saudi law. We have a lot of people in jail now, not only for financing terrorist groups, but even for supporting them. –The Atlantic
Bin Salman’s comments come days after a U.S. judge rejected Saudi Arabia’s request to dismiss lawsuits accusing it of involvement in the 9/11 attacks.
The cases are based on the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (Jasta), a 2016 law that provides an exemption to the legal principle of sovereign immunity, allowing families of the victims to take foreign governments to court.
The families point to the fact that the majority of the hijackers were Saudi citizens, and claim that Saudi officials and institutions “aided and abetted” the attackers in the years leading up to the 9/11 attacks, according to court documents. –Middle East Eye
MbS also told The Atlantic when asked if Jewish people have a right to a nation-state in at least part of their ancestral homeland:
“I believe the Palestinians and the Israelis have the right to have their own land. But we have to have a peace agreement to assure the stability for everyone and to have normal relations… We have religious concerns about the fate of the holy mosque in Jerusalem and about the rights of the Palestinian people. This is what we have. We don’t have any objection against any other people. This is what we have. We don’t have any objection against any other people”
Saudi Arabia does not currently recognize Israel – maintaining for years that normalizing relations all depends on the withdrawal from Arab lands captured in the 1967 Middle East War – territory Palestinians claim to be theirs for the establishment of a future state.
“There are a lot of interests we share with Israel and if there is peace,” MbS added. “There would be a lot of interest between Israel and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and countries like Egypt and Jordan”
Behold the “Coalition to fight terrorism”
Recall that the first two stops Donald Trump made as President were Saudi Arabia and Israel, where he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu and Saudi Arabia’s King Salman to discuss a coalition to fight terrorism – which, aside from the US and Israel, includes Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Bahrain, Oman and Jordan – assembled to fight the Islamic State and curtail Iran’s regional ambitions.
Last November, the 32-year-old bin Salman announced plans to “wipe terrorists from the face of the earth,” by forming a coalition of 40 Muslim countries to defeat ISIS.
Speaking at a summit of defence ministers from across 41 majority-Muslim countries he spoke of a need for a “pan-Islamic united front” against terrorism.
He said: “In past years, terrorism has been functioning in all of our countries… with no coordination among national authorities.
“That ends today, with this alliance.” –express.co.uk
The first official meeting of the new Muslim alliance was held a week later – just two days after an attack at a Mosque in Egypt killed over 300 people, including 30 children – in what was called the country’s worst terrorism incident.
Meanwhile, bin Salman traveled to Washington D.C. in March, where he began what’s been described as a cross-country road show to lure American firms and investment to Saudi Arabia – a crucial component of his “Vision 2030” plan to wean the ultraconservative kingdom’s economy off its reliance on oil.
Since being appointed heir to the thrown, MbS, 32, has embarked on what fawning US media have described as an “ambitious” reform agenda. He has earned-widespread praise for lifting restrictions on women driving while loosening rules around male-female interactions and also reining in the country’s religious police.
In an effort to wean the Kingdom off of its dependence on oil, MbS launched his Vision 2030 initiative – a plan that relies on foreign investment.
MBS is a smart guy. He is blowing smoke up our asses and PTB are helping him. Who benefits from this crap.
Exactly! When I hear David Ignatius of the Washington Post sing MBS’s praises, I know it’s a bunch of bullshit. Ignatius is practically a CIA employee. This is still all about deposing Assad and ultimately attacking Iran as part of the long game of hobbling Russia – because the Jews have a never-ending hard-on for Russia. The credulous – like Twitter phenom Thomas Wictor – think Islam can be reformed and that MbS is that reformer. Islam will never be “reformed”. Its founder was a mass-murdering pedophile. Its foundational texts are a manual for murder and forced conversion. Its glory days were a fucking horror show. Our best hope is that its adherents will be bad Muslims who have no interest in greater jihad. Thankfully most Muslims are decent humans and thus bad Muslims.
Maybe MbS is also a bad Muslim. Or maybe he’ll reveal himself to be a true Muslim. In the interim, he’s telling Americans what he knows we want to hear – in furtherance of the same old neocon agenda.
another point–
much of the reason that saudi arabia turned a blind eye to the financing of terrorism was to keep the crazies in their country mollified–
if he gets killed as did anwar sadat when he made peace,what happens?
What do you mean “practically”?
Sure, I believe what MBS says.
not a single word about all the players he has jailed–
Any comments shedding light on the shift from Iran to Saudi Arabia? How about any comments that the shift seems to be a result of Trumps foreign policy goals? Finally, with the recent declarations, could there be a realistic Mideast peace? I say this because up to now, the Palestinian negotiators have negotiated for peace while at the same time declaring that Israel must be destroyed.
I have more questions than answers, as the Mideast turmoil is a subject I have a hard time understanding. But Obama’s sending crates of currency and support to Iran versus Trump initiating the cooperation with SA in going Muslim moderate in rejecting terrorism and setting up a position where a middle east peace may have a chance at succeeding and now the Wa Po blessing a Trump endeavor? What’s going on?
There will be no peace in the ME, the entire region has a history of unresolved conflict and warfare going back for centuries on top of centuries that have never been reconciled and I see nothing changing in today’s world.
Not centuries, or decades, but years ago I witnessed a united Muslim front, all vowing for the destruction of Israel; right before they would head to the negotiating table. Today I see a rift in the once solid position of the Muslims in the Middle East, with SA acknowledging Israel’s right to exist. I don’t know how it will play out, but I do see a change in todays world; I just don’t know how it will end.
Screw the entire Middle East and fuck Africa and eastern and Western Europe too ! Americans have spent enough blood and treasure to prop up the Jewish State while playing nice nice but going to war ! Let China and Russia get in there and stir the turds for a good decade and pull everything related to the US and our military out . Screw Israel too it’s cost us enough .
The only thing any Americans got out of this mess is some oil but Mitch Mconnels wife and her family made billons contracting ships from China to supply our military wow we support the troops then there is Biden’s son making bank on Westinghouse small nuclear reactors showing up in a Chi-Com submarine near you .
Yes you too can be a hero in the cause for freedom losing a limb and getting a $1,000 bucks of a new car and free lunch at Denny’s while getting fucked over by some bureaucrats for medical care !
Thanks for your service ! Pity it was not against the real enemies of the American people most residing in and around Washington DC !