Arabs’ Patience Running Out

[DogPoundPup]

Prince Turki Al Faisal, a former Saudi ambassador to London and Washington and an influential member of the Saudi ruling family, is a man of few words. But when he speaks, he is listened to with seriousness.

snip~
In an interview with CNN’s Nic Robertson, the former high profile diplomat and brother of Foreign Minister Saud Al Faisal has warned that unless the US changes its blind support to Israel, it faces serious deterioration of relations with Saudi Arabia and the Arab world.

snip
...what he says further in his conversation with CNN gets even more interesting. Asking President Obama to take a more proactive and even-handed stance on the Palestine-Israel conflict, he has urged the new administration as well as Israel to negotiate with Hamas. When pointed out the two countries see Hamas as a terrorist organisation, he quipped: “This is another of the things that has to be reviewed by President Obama.” The Saudi royal argues that only by bringing Hamas on board you could put an end to rockets from Gaza. This signals a clear shift in the Saudi position on Hamas. Lately, Saudi Arabia and Egypt had been seen as shunning the Islamist movement as the US toughened its stance on Hamas.

snip~
We’ll have to wait and see. What we know however is the fact that the US can ignore the anger on the Arab street over the persecution of Palestinian at its own cost. For, as Turki al Faisal warns, the Arab patience is running out.

read entire article: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/editorial/2009/January/editorial_January55.xml§ion=editorial&col=

[Deja Q]

1. Might this be a test for Obama?

Or is this of sufficient interest to warrant immediate concern and action?

I think it's serious; not some tinfoil-laden test due to Obama's having been president for... one week. Too soon and the violence had been going on...


The US should not ignore their anger.

[Jim Sagle]

2. If the Saudi prince wants to help solve the problem, he should send some of those oil profits to the

Palestinians and help them form a working government.

Failing that, he should STFU.

[crikkett]

4. Guess what, they can't, because Israel controls all flow of money into Gaza,

a flow that has been shut off.

[Jim Sagle]

7. Baloney. Gaza shares a border with Egypt.

[crikkett]

8. A closed border, that Israel monitors.

[Jim Sagle]

10. Monitors, but does not control outright.

[Sultana]

5. So, true

[Shaktimaan]

19. very true.

it's not as though the saudis are known for being great benefactors of the Palestinians.

[icnorth]

3. Prince Turki is now

free to speak in clear and unequivocal terms... now that another ruling family member, King George has exited the stage.

[cali]

6. let me suggest that

President Obama is not a person who will appreciate this kind of threat from the Saudis who spent 8 frickin' years sucking up to their best bud, gw. This is hardly the way to get their pov across to the new administration.

[terisan]

9. Former Saudi Intelligence Chief, Suspicions of involvement in 9/11 and possible CIA ties

plus lots of Osama ties. IMHO not to be trusted.

[Shaktimaan]

11. IMO this is nothing more than political posturing,

that probably doesn't really have anything to do with US policy regarding Israel. It very likely isn't about the US at all in fact. I would not put much stock in rhetoric like this. The Saudis need the US, and no one in the House of Saud is very likely to actually do anything to alienate us.

Their influence in the ME is tied completely to the US purchasing their oil. They aren't likely to want to go back to anything like the 70's embargo. And they can only squeeze us so much before we begin seriously investing in non-oil tech, and I believe they understand and fear that too.

But I'm just speculating here.

[Alamuti Lotus]

12. More a reflection of the splintered House

There's a very important struggle going on in their ranks at the moment, mostly under the radar. The two elder brothers are on the way out (dying), some of the younger brothers are making certain moves, Prince Turki especially (and he's one to be watched). Prof Asad Abukhalil has been writing and passing on very interesting notes about this subject recently, see:
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2009/01/saudi-alliance-with-al-qaidah-second.html
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2009/01/mother-of-all-news-from-saudi-arabia.html
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2009/01/news-from-saudi-arabia.html

[azurnoir]

13. Just speculating but I am sure China wouldn't

mind that oil either.

[Shaktimaan]

14. I'm sure they wouldn't.

It's not as though there would be no one to purchase their oil at all, were the US to somehow drastically reduce our Saudi oil imports, (which is itself a total fantasy for the forseeable future.) The problem is that the price of it would plummet. Iran, Iraq, Russia, Nigeria, Canada, etc., are all still going to want to sell their oil too.

And Saudi Arabia's stability hinges entirely upon oil wealth. They have a very young population with high unemployment and almost no national industries whatsoever aside from selling oil. The Saud's are going to do everything possible to retain the US as a client. Their rule depends on it.

[azurnoir]

15. Eisenhower thought that about Cuba's sugar cane too

he was wrong

[Shaktimaan]

16. LOL. OK buddy...

...and the similarities are...?

[azurnoir]

17. well ma'm country has product in demand

America thinks it can dominate the market or at least control the price, in this case the Saudi's can afford a down ward turn in price more than America can afford a sharp increase in the price of oil

[Dick Dastardly]

18. Most of our oil (80%) is from non ME countries n/t