The US-based news publication Politico has highlighted speculation that the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) is at risk of assassination because of his push for normalisation of ties with Israel.
The report said Saudi crown prince told members of US Congress that he’s putting his life in danger by pursuing a grand bargain with the US and Israel that includes normalising Saudi-Israeli ties.
The crown prince during one occasion has invoked Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat, the Egyptian leader slain after striking a peace deal with Israel, asking what the US did to protect Sadat, it added.
He also opened up about the threats he is facing in explaining why any such deal should include a true path to a Palestinian state, especially as the Gaza war has now intensified Arab fury against Israel.
The report said the discussion with MBS were revealed to Politico’s correspondent by a former US official briefed on the conversations and two other people with knowledge of them.
Despite the risk involved, the report crown prince was willing to strike the mega-deal with the US and Israel, the report said adding that the MBS sees it as crucial to his country’s future.
However, despite the crown prince’s distress, the Israeli government has been reluctant to include a credible path to a Palestinian state in the pact.
Earlier this year, amid intense Israeli offensive against Palestinians in Gaza, Saudi Arabia told the US its position stands that there will be no diplomatic relations with Israel unless an independent Palestinian state is recognised on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem and Israeli "aggression" on the Gaza Strip stops, the Saudi foreign ministry had said in a statement
Prior to this, White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby had said that the Biden administration had received positive feedback that Saudi Arabia and Israel are willing to continue to have normalisation discussions.
In repsonse to the White House, the kingdom issued the statement to affirm its steadfast position on the Palestinian issue in the light of the comments attributed to Kirby, the ministry said.
