Israel Matzav

The Saudis work against Obama

'Our friends the Saudis' have told President Obumbler that they won't make any 'gestures' toward Israel to get a 'peace process' going. But this time, they have gone even further. They have warned their allies not to make any gestures either. And they have insisted that their allies coordinate with them any statement they make about Israel.

Saudi officials have expressed skepticism about Obama's attempts to secure concessions from the Arab world in exchange for a commitment from Israel to stop building Jewish homes in the Palestinian-dominated West Bank.

To drive that point home, the Saudis have been putting private pressure on their regional allies to make sure that they don't make any dramatic gestures unless Israel takes the first step.

Most recently, when Bahrain made a public overture to Israel, Saudi Arabia gave its blessing but cautioned its neighbor not to go too far, one Saudi official said.

"It is clear that the road leads through Riyadh for the Israelis - and whoever is their backer - if they want the wider Arab and Muslim world to recognize them," said the adviser to the Saudi government, who spoke on the condition of anonymity so he could offer candid views on the political developments. "We will not move an inch if the Americans don't get the Israelis to stop immediately all settlement construction."

With Israel refusing to make a major gesture, Obama has been unable so far to secure Arab assurances that could jump-start regional peace talks.

"The ambition to bring the Saudis on board has been disappointed," said one Western diplomat based in Riyadh, who asked not to be identified because of the delicate nature of the debate. "I think it would be quite difficult for the Saudis to lead the way the U.S. is hoping, because any warmth towards Israel would be deeply unpopular with its public."

...

Arab leaders also might grant interviews to Israeli journalists, an Israeli government idea that the crown prince of Bahrain publicly endorsed last week, saying that Arab nations should "tell our story more directly to the Israeli people by getting the message out to their media."

"We must stop the small-minded waiting game in which each side refuses to budge until the other side makes the first move," Shaikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa wrote last week in an opinion piece for The Washington Post. "We've got to be bigger than that. All sides need to take simultaneous, good-faith action if peace is to have a chance."

The article was carefully crafted and well coordinated. One Saudi official, who also asked not to be named in order to speak candidly, said the Bahraini king personally sought approval for the opinion piece from King Abdullah and had been cautioned not to go too far in offering concessions to Israel.

While the idea of an Israeli reporter interviewing an adversarial Arab leader seems like a small step, it was one suggestion that Israeli leaders floated as a possible move to build confidence between the two sides.

Some gesture.

The article goes on to claim that the Arabs believe that they have made all the 'gestures' to Israel and that they have not been reciprocated. That's simply beyond belief. Israel allowed Arafat back in, allowed the 'Palestinians' to set up their corrupt 'Palestinian Authority,' and unilaterally withdrew from territory - a real hard asset - and got nothing but terror in return.

The truth is that the Saudis don't want 'peace' between Israel and the 'Palestinians.' Like all Arab countries, they still harbor dreams of destroying Israel. And they're happy to have the war between the Jews and the 'Palestinians' to distract their own population from their own autocratic rule.

As for Obama, if he really believes the Saudis are going to help him, he's smoking something other than tobacco.

Read the whole thing.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:08 PM