Former Saudi intelligence chief Prince Turki al-Faisal al-Saud, who also served as Riyadh’s envoy to the United States, shocked both countries when he expressed his “personal” view on Sunday at the International Institute for Strategic Studies security summit in Bahrain.
The entire concluding plenary session can be viewed below.
Faisal accused Israel of having “incarcerated (Palestinian Authority citizens) in concentration camps under the flimsiest of security accusations – young and old, women and men, who are rotting there without recourse to justice. They are demolishing homes as they wish and they assassinate whomever they want,” he said.
The Saudi prince, seen to be closely reflecting the views of King Salman, went on to say that peace will remain elusive until a Palestinian state is created along the 1967 lines.
Prior to Sunday Turki was believed to have been at least neutral in his attitude towards Israel, if not even somewhat positive; his remarks were thus an eye-opener. But although he prefaced his remarks by saying he was speaking in a private capacity, he slammed Israel as a bloodthirsty regional bully that pays no attention to international laws, with a massive nuclear arsenal.
Israel’s Foreign Minister, former IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, spoke at the summit from Jerusalem via video link immediately following Prince Turki.
“At the beginning of my remarks I would like to express my regret on the comments of the Saudi representative. I don’t believe that they reflect the spirit and the changes taking place in the Middle East,” he said.
“The Middle East is today divided into two clear camps: those who have chosen peace, a better future for their children, economic prosperity, and regional stability, and those led by Iran and its proxies, who have chosen war and violence, extremism and terrorism,” Ashkenazi said in his address to the IISS conference in Manama.
“The Abraham Accords are not a closed club, but rather a constantly expanding circle of cooperating members,” Ashkenazi said.
In a statement later posted to Twitter, the foreign minister further expanded on the role of the Accords, saying they “do not come at the expense of the Palestinians. Quite the opposite. They are an opportunity that should not be missed.
“The false accusations of the Saudi representative at the Manama Conference do not reflect the facts or the spirit and changes the region is undergoing,” Ashkenazi added.
“I rejected his remarks and emphasized that the ‘blame game’ era is over. We are at the dawn of a new era. An era of peace.”