A report published in a US-based news publication Political has claimed that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) is at risk of assassination because of his push for normalization of relations with Israel.
The report claims the Saudi crown prince told members of the US Congress that he was putting his life in danger by seeking a grand deal with the US and Israel that includes normalising ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
According PoliticalMBS, referring to slain Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat, who was killed after making a peace deal with Israel, asked: “What did the US do to protect him?”
He also spoke about the threats facing Israel and explained why any such agreement should include a genuine path to Palestinian statehood, especially as the Gaza war has intensified Arab anger against Israel.
The report said the discussion with MBS was revealed to About politicians correspondent for a former US official briefed on the talks and two other people with knowledge of them.
Despite the risks, the crown prince is willing to press ahead with the mega-deal with the United States and Israel, seeing it as crucial to his country's future, the report said.
However, the report adds that the Israeli government has been unwilling to incorporate a credible path to Palestinian statehood into the agreement.
Earlier this year, amid an intensified Israeli offensive against Palestinians in Gaza, Saudi Arabia told the United States that its position is that there will be no diplomatic relations with Israel unless an independent Palestinian state is recognized on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem and Israeli “aggression” in the Gaza Strip ceases, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Prior to this, White House Homeland Security spokesman John Kirby had said the Biden administration had received positive feedback that Saudi Arabia and Israel were willing to continue holding normalization talks.
In response to the White House, the kingdom said it reaffirmed its firm position on the Palestinian issue in light of the comments attributed to Kirby, the ministry said.
— With additional information from Reuters
