Riyadh (Agencies): Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) is at risk of assassination because of his push for normalisation of ties with Israel, reported the US-based news organisation Politico citing speculations.
The report said the Saudi crown prince told members of US Congress that he’s putting his life in danger by pursuing a grand bargain with the US and Israel that includes normalising Saudi-Israeli ties. During one occasion, he invoked Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat, who was slain after striking a peace deal with Israel, asking what the US did to protect Sadat.
MBS also opened up about the threats he is facing, explaining why any such deal should include a true path to a Palestinian state, especially as the Gaza war has now intensified Arab fury against Israel. The discussions with MBS were revealed to Politico’s correspondent by a former US official briefed on the conversations and two other people with knowledge of them.
Despite the risks involved, the crown prince is willing to strike the mega-deal with the US and Israel, seeing it as crucial to his country’s future. However, the Israeli government has been reluctant to include a credible path to a Palestinian state in the pact.
Earlier this year, amid intense Israeli offensive against Palestinians in Gaza, Saudi Arabia told the US that there will be no diplomatic relations with Israel unless an independent Palestinian state is recognised on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem and Israeli “aggression” on the Gaza Strip stops, the Saudi foreign ministry had said in a statement.
Prior to this, White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby had said that the Biden administration had received positive feedback that Saudi Arabia and Israel are willing to continue normalisation discussions. In response, the kingdom issued a statement to affirm its steadfast position on the Palestinian issue in light of Kirby’s comments.