In a stunning televised three part interview, Saudi Arabia’s Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, gave a very clear message to the Palestinians in response to their criticism of the US brokered deal between Arab states, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, to normalize relations with Israel.
Palestinian leaders called the trilateral agreement a “stab in the back” stating the UAE and Bahrain “have turned their backs on everything.”
In the first installment, Prince Bandar,former intelligence chief and ambassador to the United States, responded, “This low level of discourse is not what we expect from officials who seek to gain global support for their cause.”
Advertisement - story continues below
He went on to say “The Palestinian cause is a just cause but its advocates are failures, and the Israeli cause is unjust but its advocates have proven to be successful. That sums up the events of the last 70 or 75 years.”
He continued to slam Palestinian leadership stating, “There is something that successive Palestinian leadership historically share in common: they always bet on the losing side, and that comes at a price.”
Stop the censors, sign up to get today's top stories delivered right to your inbox
Prince Bandar did discuss Saudi Arabia’s long-time support of the Palestinians but definitely asserted it was a one-sided relationship. “I believe that we in Saudi Arabia, acting on our good will, have always been there for them,” he said. “Whenever they asked for advice and help, we would provide them with both without expecting anything in return, but they would take the help and ignore the advice.”
He added, “I think it is only fair to the Palestinian people to know some truths that have not been discussed or have been kept hidden.”
Advertisement - story continues below
In the second installment, Prince Bandar outlines how Yasser Arafat betrayed the Saudis, the Jordanians and the Lebanese, repeatedly sabotaging peace. They are incredible statements and in Bandar’s own words, “You have never heard a Saudi official discuss it.”
A senior official in the Palestine Liberation Organization, Dr. Saeb Erekat, shared the first two installments on Twitter and stated there would be a response after the third installment.
It is an amazing turn of events in the Middle East. The accord between UAE and Bahrain with Israel is unprecedented. It is the first time in modern history that the state of Israel did not have to give up anything for peace.
Advertisement - story continues below
While it is clear that Saudi Arabia is not abandoning the Palestinians, nor is it prepared to enter into a similar agreement at this time, their narrative towards Israel has definitely shifted, likely do to their common enemy, Iran.
We will see what the future holds.
