Khaberni - Former head of Saudi intelligence, Prince Turki Al Faisal, expressed his hope that the "Peace Council" formed by US President Donald Trump would achieve tangible change, pointing to the condition for normalization with Israel.
During the inaugural committee discussion of the "Invest at Sea" summit organized by The Family Office company regarding recent global developments, Prince Turki Al Faisal stated: "Saudi Arabia's role in the Peace Council is ongoing support for Palestine, and the statements of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Washington all aim to convince the United States that peace must be based on justice, not selective principles."
Al Faisal mentioned that Israel cannot be granted the "right to self-defense" while denying the Palestinians the same right, especially when they are the ones being attacked. He added that Saudi Arabia's position has always been to establish a Palestinian state before any normalization with Israel.
In reference to Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to the White House in November last year, Al Faisal emphasized that the Kingdom's stance is based on justice and the principles upon which Saudi Arabia was founded.
Regarding Israel, Prince Turki reiterated his view that Israel practices double standards in both its actions and rhetoric.
When asked by the editor-in-chief of Arab News, Faisal Abbas, who moderated the session, to comment on an article in the Times of Israel - written by prominent political correspondent Tal Schneider and published on October 8, 2023, arguing that Israel paid the price on October 7 due to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ongoing policy of "supporting Hamas and undermining the Palestinian Authority" - he asked: "Don't you think it's ironic that Israel openly and forcefully supports terrorism yet accuses others of doing the same?"
Al Faisal replied that "there is a clear duplicity in standards shown by Israel when it accuses others of supporting Hamas and extremism, while it is widely known as one of the biggest supporters of Hamas."
He explained, saying: "There is a saying in Hijaz, where I grew up, that goes: 'He hit me and cried, and got ahead of me and complained.' The Israeli leaders have mastered this tactic. Since the establishment of Israel, it has portrayed itself as the victim whose rights were stolen. This propaganda machine has been operating for eighty years."
Al Faisal concluded by saying: "I am not surprised when today Netanyahu or his supporters claim that Saudi Arabia adopts an extreme stance towards Judaism or Israel. Indeed, it is Israel's actions under Netanyahu's leadership that have brought us to the current situation, where we witness genocide against the Palestinians not only in Gaza but also in the West Bank."
He continued: "Netanyahu recently stated that anyone wishing to normalize relations with Israel must recognize its 'right to self-defense,' effectively giving Israel a license to forsake the Palestinians."
It is noted that Hebrew channel "News 12" had reported last November from a "Saudi royal source" that "there will be no normalization with Israel without fulfilling our fundamental condition, which is the two-state solution based on the 1967 borders."
Late in the same month, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stated from the Oval Office during his visit to Washington, after a warm reception from President Donald Trump, stating: "We desire to be part of the Abraham Accords. But we also want to ensure that the path towards the two-state solution is clearly marked."
Bin Salman added that he had a "constructive discussion" about this matter with Trump, affirming: "We will work on this to ensure the appropriate conditions as soon as possible to achieve this goal."
