Deputy FM Ayalon shakes hands with Saudi prince in rare gesture

Jesus was healing people from a large crowd who had come to see him in the hopes of being cured of their illness...a man pushed through the crowd and quickly touched Jesus, and our Lord replied ' you have been cured of your illness and saved from your sin by your faith'...interesting story to show the power of faith in the Lord...so tell me Danny did you feel 'saved' by your hand shake to a saudi prince?

Ayalon should now go to a 'mikva' for purification!

frist i am really proud to see our prince shake hand with an israeli officil .. for me as a saudi i wish the peace come with our cousins i am pure arab from an ishamilian tribe and i wish the two people jews and saudis living in peace ..about the palestines they r the most haters and jealous on the saudis and every where they show hate and jealousy aginst us but who cares about them alll people know that the palestines that they sold their land to the jews take care every one shaloom ani oheev israel

The U.S living in hard economic times is willing to give billions to Israel yearly with an "underlying" mission to destroy her? Please pass whatever you're smoking around. It's gotta be some good stuff.

That of course is Iran and rest assured, the Saudis would give Israel a wink wink to fly over it's border airspace to strike Iran. The Saudis then claim they support Fatah/PLO, while secretly, they funnel money to Hamas. Israel created Hamas to counter the PLO, then they support Fatah trying to overthrow Hamas. It's all a chess game and people here shouldn't be shocked that Saudis and Israelis shank hands.

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

Shaking hands with the devil should not be seen as a privilege. There is nothing to be appreciated about any official whose country's thugs attacked America and murdered 3000 Americans in cold blood on 9/11, and whose country is the Chief Sponsor of Islamist-Jihadism/Terrorism around the world.

Reading these posts it's obvious many do not go to www.arabnews.com

Both individuals, act like children in a pissing match. Where are the intelligent, rational and even keeled statesmen needed for this world?

Obviously you were a student of the U.S. school system and that is why you are so lacking in knowledge about Jews of European ancestry. Where did you ever get the idea that Jews did not assimilate in Europe. Knowing first hand about German Jews (my family being German Jews)...they wanted nothing more than to be the best German citizens..and look what it got them. They spoke the language...walked the walk and were German to the very core. Where they parted ways is obvious although maybe not to you. French,Greek,Italian and other European Jews were also outstanding citizens. If you want to see a group of people who cannot and will not assimilate worry about the Mexicans..they are over taking the U.S. in every way and draining us of our money and raping the country. In your final statement "assimilate or else" who are you threatening? Did it ever occur to you that the Israeli arabs do not want to go anywhere else to live..ask yourself why? If you have it good why leave...

It would have been more newsworthy if Ayalon had planted a wet one on the Prince's mouth and invited him back to his hotel for a back rub. Israeli diplomats only have two modes. Threaten and Makeup.

According to the description of the exchange in the Handelsblatt. Ayalon, the idiot.

Hopefully FM Ayalon has some good hand sanitzer close by....these saudi's are by far the most devious and "dirty" inglorious b......s around. It might be o.k. to shake hands but never ever turn your back on them if you want to survive another day.

to assimilate as well. I notice the Christians and Jews from mainly Islamic countries are not having the same difficulty.

If I were an Israeli, I would not go out of my way. Israel has always had an outstreched hand for peace, civility and normalcy. Peace, civility and normalcy are not the words that come to mind when thinking of the Saudis.

We have more in common than opposite. Let's be friends ans leave the past behind.

Because Ayalon shook hand with the prince does not mean people will forget what he did to the Turkish envoy. Finally he got embarrassed because Prince explained his reason of behavior as a response to Ayalons disrespect to the envoy. What happened now, everybody understood that Israel works so hard for peace? Huh, Israel is loosing his only friend in Middle East; and may be the most needed one.

Pure slavery is what it is in Saudi for women. It cannot hide under religious freedom.

I'd bet you, Alan, that if those 1.5 million Pals were to shake hands with the Israelis, peace would bloom! A show and nothing else. Peace is not about a handshake or sitting on a panel it is what happens on the ground. 1.5m pales are the subject of the cruelest living condition imposed by any government.

Turkish Ambassador last January. Prince Faisal shook Ayalon's hand in acceptance of this apology.

I saw the clip on youtube, it was nice seeing Ayalon offering hand-shaking and Al-Faisal's friendly response. Guys, the whole region is going through a critical time and if God forbids a war happens, it's bring destruction the all the parties involved. U just dont assume that everybody hates Israel, a lot of people are interested in having real peace, not only papers but also on the ground with mutual respect and understanding. A lot others are not with peace for sure, but this is our challenge and we all together can do it. Peace all

Believe nothing you see or hear. From Mark Aarons' and John Loftus' book, "The Secret War Against The Jews:" 'The authors demonstrate that numerous Western countries, especially the United States and Great Britain, have conducted repeated and willful spying missions on Palestine and later Israel over many decades. While on the surface these two countries and others profess to be ardent allies of Israel, they work in fact, through their intelligence services to betray Israel's secrets to the Arabs. Their motive: oil and multinational profits, which must be attained at any price through international covert policies.' The global "war on terror(ism)" being one such Illuminati sponsored New World Order covert policy. Shalom to all.

The royal family is far from egalitarian in it's treatment of all the minorities living in and out of Saudi Arabia. The hypocrisy of them ever being involved in a peace process just boggles the mind.

It comes to one mind that the Jews ran away from the Europe (East and West) because they simply could not assimilate. Instead of running to Palestine they should have tried in earnest post WWii to make something of their existence there like they succeeded in the US. Adding to the tragedy , a hand sake after 60 years of conflict, on top of the forty preparing for the theft, excites the Israel to high again the lack of assimilation n the ME. A swing from utter defense in Europe to offense , on the Palestinians account is the opposite side in the pendulum. Assimilate or else.

bottomline, ayalon walked to him, the prince rised and both shook hands. this is awesome.

Public executions public maiming.No clash eh?

There it is the eternal negativity.Can you not for once be positive about something ik am sure it would make you feel better.

fake.

this incident has revealed to Israeli and international community that there is no clash of Arab and non Arab as Al faisal favoured Turkey. secondly indian and Israeli are so shameless and cunning that if some body wants to avoid them for some reasons so they themselve try to get close.Muslims have no problem with jews but we abhore only israel(which is an occupation) and those israeli who support their country's aggression against Muslims.

I wish the Saudi prince had replied with "there's the (Saudi)Arab Peace Initiative sitting on the table since 2002, what are you going to do about it?"

So a 'Saudi Prince' shook the hand of an Israeli. Wow, and his hand is still 'attached to his body.....so much for the 'will for peace from these fanatic, primitiv people from the stone age. NO money and NO title will change that.

...Yet, this handshake is a crack in the ridiculous tabooism some Arab regimes have staged for six decades... In the actual handhsake department nothing had changed. What did change is when in the first three decades the Arabs tried to annihilate Jewish state militarily, they did not care to hide why, in fact were mighty proud of that. Than they realized it would be much better if when they refused to shake hands, it could be implied as Israelis fault. And worked hard on that in parallel for the next three decades.

This a welcome gesture. The world is happier for it.

...maybe the reluctance to meet with the deputy FM was not that he was an Israeli but that he was Danny Ayalon... Maybe, everything is possible. Not long ago maybe the reluctance of Saudi prince to shake US Chief of Staff hand was that he was Rahm Emanuel.

Lowly "diplomats" like Ayalon need to be reminded of their place.

Interesting custom the handshake. The oldest use of the handshake is said to be recorded in Egypt. As for a political Zionist and a member of the Saudi Royal family shaking hands - they sing out of the same hymn book, don't they?

Assuming this happened as reported, maybe the reluctance to meet with the deputy FM was not that he was an Israeli but that he was Danny Ayalon. Central to traditional diplomacy are dignity, respect and courtesy - act in a dignified manner, show respect to those you meet and always treat them in a courteous manner. Danny Ayalon's recent 'Turkish Ambassador' moment failed on all three. No doubt the Saudis and Turks present were fully aware of that. What exactly does chasing after someone and grabbing their hand achieve - apart from headlines?

From reading some talkbacks, you'd think one could give the other cooties, like when nine-year-old boys touch nine-year-old girls or when the nine-year-old girls touch nine-year-old boys.

and being grown ups. That would be a good thing.

I guess he just can't make up his mind this Ayalon dude. He goes from one extreme to another... The Jewish lawmakers seem confused and unpredictable...and can't be trusted.

same time frame, same reasons; only some are worse.

The behavior of the arabs from 1920 until today, against the Jews has been dispicable. Refusing to sit on the same stage; sitting across tables but refusing to speak directly to us, refusing to recognize us, asking for our complete destruction and attemtping multiple times to do just than: wipe us out. They annexed Gaza and didn't give it to the so called 'palestinians', Jordan did the same and no one talks about it. Syria tried to take over Lebanon...no one talks. Its nothing short of disgusting. Why would Israel ever trust an arab nation. Time to ignore all of them, do what we have to do, give the boot to ALL arab terrorists and absorb those who respect us. Enough is enough.

This news has some missing parts. It is not just handshaking with the prince. Please more details about what happened before and during the incident.

High tiome for Saudis to stop the BS. If they want peace, they must shake hands. Israel has done nothing wrong to Saudi Arabia, but unfortunately, not the same can be said the other way around. Yet, this handshake is a crack in the ridiculous tabooism some Arab regimes have staged for six decades.

What can you expect from those who are not so moderate?

doesn't yet have formal relations with Saudia Arabia as with other Arab countries where leaderships have no problem shaking hands. It's better to get on with the peace process so that everyone can be shaking hands automatically without making the request to shake hands. Everyone has to recognize that from a certain point of view, the photo-ops give their own interpretations.

I'm almost ready to forgive him for the Turkey incident after this. Seems like Ayalon is a far savvier politician than we thought!

The last two Israeli politicians to get a handshake with representatives of regimes that do not recognise Israel were both from Yisrael Beiteinu. First was the minister of tourism with the Iranian and now Ayalon with the Saudi. This is a very small but symbolic example of how only a strong Israel can get first respect and then peace.

organisations is a large part of the problem.

This is a perfect example of how Israel will do anything for peace except commit suicide. When it comes to making peace the rulers of the Arab world have to be forced to (literally) lift a finger!

The Israeli government loves these things. A show and nothing else. Peace is not about a handshake or sitting on a panel it is what happens on the ground. 1.5m pales are the subject of the cruelest living condition imposed by any government. Facts speak for themselves who wants Peace does not treat people the way the Israeli government does.

Nothing can be achieved as long as we keep these "heads of dilomacy" in office. bibi save your people and get rid of this couple of incompetant officials, and do it before it is too late

25 years ago the story would have been different, but Israeli views have changed. Their lack of any significant response to the Saudi offer was very disappointing, and might account for Saudi disinterest in talking with them.

Well done Mr Ayalon. Good work to expose the Saudi hypocracy and their so-called pursuit of peace.

Reminds me of Clinton's efforts to get Rabin to shake hands with Arafat at the White House. Although Saudi is close to the West, it is also responsible for some of the Islamic extremism that gave us 9 / 11, most of whose key performers were wealthy Saudis.

what did the Prince think his hand would melt by shaking hands with a Jew? Its time to grow up Arabs and to mature. These type of gestures as small as it is can go a long way to reconciliation between the two people.

Issue an arrest warrant right way.

... The arab are used to kissing & hugging. Ayalon was short of the full drill !

Stop trying to mollify the hard-liners and start working for peace.

A new age of tolerance is up even to the arabs?

I am no right winger, in fact I voted the last two Israeli elections for Labor party. But I am starting to admit to myself that peace is impossible with people that will not sit on the same stage as you. Worst case we may be able to have a cold peace like the "peace" we have with the Islamic Brotherhood er.. I mean Egypt! Lol!

Total lies. The prince would never shake this man's hand. And what kind of behaviour is this to try to force his hand down the prince's throat. The Israelis just don't get it.

First there was the handshake in Madrid with the Iranian dude. Then Hamas apologized for bombing civilian Israelis. Now the Saudi prince shakes hands with the Israeli minister. What is this world coming to? But I wonder, tomorrow will the Saudi prince deny that he shook hands?

bechayai khomeini will fuck both saudi and israil

How can the Saudis even presume to see themselves as the bearers of peace, when they do everything possible to slight, and even deny the existence of the very people they say they want peace with? Hypocrites. MV

Arabs have very poor attitudes steeped in empty pridefulness..."G_d resists the proud but gives grace to the humble..."

but this sounds more like a group of young teens at their first prom rather than adults who are suppose to be diplomats. Please bring back the articles on Hamas and Hezbollah!

Why no photo?? In tomorrows paper the terrorists will deny the fact....DK

Only people without honour would lower themselves to force others for an unwanted shake-hands. This was not a politeness, rather an intimidation of the prince. BTW, did Ayalon stood at the same level besides the prince or even stretched himself to look downwards to him? Peace has a price, which Israeli politicians know exactly what it is. Tell the Prince you accept the Saudi Draft for the proposed Arab Peace Plan of King Abdullah and he might listen to you as well. Shake-hands is of no value.

After clarifying the false assumption that he refused to sit along side the Israeli. What's wrong with that? I have shaken hands with many Israelis in America. Whats the big deal?

israel is commited to taking Palestinian and other Arab land piece by piece. Everytime there is a push for peace, The israel always yes always find a way out of it by hook or by crook. Now that Mitchell and Pres. Obama are pushing for peace, israel is heating up the northern front by using a very agressive language against Syria and Lebanon. This is a classic policy that israeli gevernments always use.

but sets up constant opportunities to shake their hands, chasing them around the table and around the world as if such actions might confer some sort of recognition...well yeah danny, you are a very persistent bore