Palestinians Should ‘Shut Up’ or Make Peace, Saudi Crown Prince Told Jewish Leaders
'People literally fell off their chairs,' said a source who was briefed on the meeting
The crown prince of Saudi Arabia reportedly harshly criticized Palestinian leadership during a meeting with American Jewish organizations in New York last month, slamming Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for rejecting peace offers.
“In the last several decades the Palestinian leadership has missed one opportunity after the other and rejected all the peace proposals it was given,” Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman told the Jewish organizations, Barak Ravid of Israel’s Channel 10 reported Sunday for Axios. “It is about time the Palestinians take the proposals and agree to come to the negotiations table or shut up and stop complaining.”
“People literally fell off their chairs,” said a source who was briefed on the meeting.
The prince, known as MBS, also reportedly said that the Palestinian issue was not a priority for the Saudi government, which “has much more urgent and important issues to deal with” like Iran.
But MBS also reportedly said that Israel and the Palestinians would have to make progress in peace negotiations before Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries could normalize relations with the Jewish state.
- Saudis to Put First Ever Woman on Board of World's Largest Oil Company
- How pro-Israel Jews Became Azerbaijan's Secret Weapon in Washington
- Saudis Apologize for ‘Indecent’ Images at Wrestling Event
Among the groups present at the March 27th meeting were AIPAC, the American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish Federations of North America, B’nai B’rith, and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Saudi Arabia and Israel have grown increasingly close in the past few years, as both governments are concerned about the threat of Iran and its allies in the region.
During his American tour, MBS told “60 Minutes” that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was “very much like Hitler.” He also told The Atlantic that Israelis “have the right to their own land.”
For more stories, go to www.forward.com. Sign up for the Forward’s daily newsletter at http://forward.com/newsletter/signup/
Click the alert icon to follow topics:
Comments
ICYMI
Yair Lapid Is the Most Israeli of All
El Al to Stop Flying to Toronto, Warsaw and Brussels
How a Spanish Beach Town Became a Haven for Nazis
What's Ayelet Shaked's Next Move?
Israel-Palestine Confederation: A Response to Eric Yoffie
