Saudi Arabia said Monday that if the United States vetoes the Palestinian Authority's bid to seek recognition for an Arab state in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem at the UN later this month, it will become a disgusting entity in the eyes of the Arab world. In an op-ed piece in the New York Times, Turki al-Feisal, Saudi Arabia's former ambassador to the U.S., wrote that a veto would prevent Riyadh from cooperating with the U.S. as it did in the past. That sounds like a threat to me so what do you think Saudi means by it?
It's not much of a threat. It's like saying "If you do not go along with our meaningless symbolic pursuit, we shall call you a bad name!"
Its NOT a threat at all.. Turki advised the US that to veto or abstain from the UN vote on Palestine would strengthen Iran and cause Arab ill will against the US. If you are familiar with Prince Al Turki's track record over the past 30 years, you'd know he would NEVER stoop to a threat.
President Obama made a big deal of reaching out to the Arab world and encouraging moderate Muslims so as to deny support to the Islamists. The Saudis are merely pointing out that an American veto on the Palestinian statehood vote will in one instant waste all of Barack's effort and rhetoric and return the USA's reputation to that of 2004.
BTW.. have I told you that you are a breath of fresh air.. So many on the forum simply cannot reason... and NEVER bother with facts.
You agree with that garbage, because he holds the same world view as yours? When as an American in the shadow of the 10th anniversary of 9/11, you would agree that out reach (Barack Obamas olive branch diplomacy) and not trying to eradicate the anti-Americanism spawned, because of our alliance with Israel, is what we should be doing. Return us to what? THEY attacked us in 2001 what the hell does 2004 have to to with anything?
I don't think you are very well informed or haven't bothered with the details. If the US abstains or vetoes the bid for recognition, it will strengthen Iran and further isolate Israel. Both go against US interests. Are you aware that Morocco and Jordan are joining the GCC? Do you know what that is or what their position is with regard to Israel?
How does it strengthen Iran? I Looked up GCC Arab states. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooperation_Council_for_the_Arab_States_of_the_Gulf I don't know their position on Israel, I assumed they were for a Palestinian State. In the interests of fairness & honesty what does the GCC have to do with it I don't understand Margot.
That's what I figured.. until this evening you had never heard of the GCC. Look, the GCC, which will soon be joined by Morocco and Jordan, wants peace in the ME.. they are opposed to Hezbollah and Hamas and KNOW how afraid Israel is.... Isolating Israel is the wrong thing to do .... it goes against everyone's interests.. The ONLY country that benefits by a US refusal to acknowledge the rights of the Palestinians is Iran.
I hadn't heard of them GCC. Why wouldn't the US vote for the rights of the Palestinians? Explain to me what the UN resolution actually is for.
Well.. there's a vote coming up in the next week or so... and I think the US and UK will veto it because they are concerned about pushing Israel into a corner... at least that's how I read it.. Currently Israel is at odds with the US, Jordan, Turkey and Egypt.. and I don't think Bibi is smart enough to change strategy..
On Israel recently? And Turkey was flexing their muscles over the aide ship? Not sure if that is an issue or not. Thanks Margot.
Its more complicated than that.. Israel has screwed turkey over several times in the past 20 years and if you recall, Israel kept claiming that Turkey was going to let them use Turkish airspace to bomb Iran... in an effort to divide the Arab world against itself.
Allot in the Iraq war they let us bring our supply lines through there. So I can't see them as being above reproach they can't have it both ways. They have helped the United States both in the war on terror and the Iraq war. Now it appears Margot the seriousness of having a house divided is coming to pass for the Turkish government since the death of Osama Bin Laden. They have played all sides and now they want to act as if they are just pawns played by America and Israel or they have been passive? No I don't keep up with the middle east I do see though that Turkey is not being sincere.
It sounds like a threat to me. But I don't care. KSA will continue to sell oil on the world market. Oil is fungible to a great extent. If the KSA stopped selling oil it would trigger world economic collapse...and then its oil would not be needed. That might even force the American left to permit development of American resources. Or maybe the KSA is threatening to stop the purchase of American weapons. That's fine too. The KSA is in a struggle with Iran for power and influence in the greater Middle East. But it is in America's interest to withdraw from the Middle East...so who cares about the Saudi/Iranian struggle. Let them kill each other.
I disagree. Obama has done little to win support of moderate Muslims (who have little power in Middle Eastern politics anyway). Obama's campaign rehortoric was worthless and just a ploy to get votes. US oil dependency means dependency on Saudi Arabia. But Saudi Arabia would be a poor tribal state without US dollars pouring in. This was the "2004" reputation of the US with Saudi Arabia: Now Obama is trying to mirror Bush by bowing to the King: I would be surprised if Saudi Arabia is so misguided that it would damage its economic future for Palestine. Then again perhaps they see the US as a declining superpower and are trying to solidify their control of the Middle East before their #1 trading partner collapses.
The Saudis were misguided enough to let an organisation run by the son of an important Saudi businessman mastermind 9/11 and they were misguided enough to provide 14 of the 9/11 attackers. The official government is firmly in the corner of the USA but they know there are a lot of undercurrents in Saudi society that would not react well to a USA veto of the Palestinian statehood motion.