Little Green Footballs - signal or smoke screen?

Show top rated links | LinkViewer

signal or smoke screen?

Sun, Feb 17, 2002 at 8:51:00 am PST

Ambassador . . . sorry, I mean columnist Thomas Friedman writes from Saudi Arabia about an intriguing signal from the Saudi Crown Prince.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Earlier this month, I wrote a column suggesting that the 22 members of the Arab League, at their summit in Beirut on March 27 and 28, make a simple, clear-cut proposal to Israel to break the Israeli-Palestinian impasse: In return for a total withdrawal by Israel to the June 4, 1967, lines, and the establishment of a Palestinian state, the 22 members of the Arab League would offer Israel full diplomatic relations, normalized trade and security guarantees. Full withdrawal, in accord with U.N. Resolution 242, for full peace between Israel and the entire Arab world. Why not?

I am currently in Saudi Arabia on a visit — part of the Saudi opening to try to explain themselves better to the world in light of the fact that 15 Saudis were involved in the Sept. 11 attacks. So I took the opportunity of a dinner with Saudi Arabia's crown prince, and de facto ruler, Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, to try out the idea of this Arab League proposal. I knew that Jordan, Morocco and some key Arab League officials had been talking about this idea in private but had not dared to broach it publicly until one of the "big boys" — Saudi Arabia or Egypt — took the lead.

After I laid out this idea, the crown prince looked at me with mock astonishment and said, "Have you broken into my desk?"

Prince Abdullah told Friedman for the record that he had drafted a speech to the Arab League, proposing exactly what Friedman outlined . . . but he shelved it when Ariel Sharon “took the violence, and the oppression, to an unprecedented level.”

Right.

If true, this would be the most radical proposal ever offered by Saudi Arabia. Prince Abdullah would be sticking his head into a hornet’s nest of extremist Islamic opinion; the outcry from countries like Syria and Iran would be deafening. It would turn the Islamic world upside down. Rioting. The Arab street in a frenzy. All those textbooks to be rewritten. Robert Fisk and Edward Said out of work . . . or maybe they could rewrite the textbooks.

And how would they break it to the suicide bombers-in-training? “Sorry guys, the Jews are our friends now and we’re calling the whole thing off. But the Tel Aviv McDonald’s is hiring . . .”

Hit the tip jar!

refresh | ► spinoff links (0)

1 comment

Comments are open and unmoderated, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Little Green Footballs.
Obscene, abusive, silly, or annoying remarks may be deleted, but the fact that particular comments remain on the site in no way constitutes an endorsement of their views by Little Green Footballs.
Posts that contain phone numbers, street addresses, email addresses or other personal information will also be deleted, as will posts that consist only of a variation on the word, "First!"
Comments that advocate violence will be cause for immediate banning with no appeal.
Disagreement and debate are welcome, but insults and abuse are not, and may cause your account to be blocked.
REMEMBER: posting comments at LGF is a privilege, not a right. Abuse that privilege, and your account will be blocked.

Hide comments | Jump to bottom

mark Sun, Feb 17, 2002 7:21:10am

Aren't you glued to the set waiting for that speech.

Israel had the guts to make peace against Jordan and Egypt-two border states that had twice attacked Israel and maintained a beligerent and unwelcoming attitude.
Israel had the guts to attempt a peace process with the palestinian Arabs and even accepted their arch-enemy Arafat as their "representative" and as the guarantor of any agreements.

Throughout this process Saudi Arabia has not been helpful. I suspect that their respect of Arafat is someplace south of Sharon's view and that their "love" of the palestinians is greater than their desire for a Palestinian State.

That's why you won't hear that speech.

The existence of the State of Israel is not the cancer in the Arab world. It is the economic, technological and educational moreass of the Arab world which is the root cause of all their many problems. Finally a bold leader like Musharaff called it loud and clear (see the BBC).

The Saudis are more interested in preserving and propogating the swamp then on truly leading the charge into a period of enlightenment and progress. After all in a democracy of literate and educated people, the question of why a valuable natural resource is being squandered to support decadent lifestyles of a few.

It is far easier to be an anti-semite and blame the Jews for all the problems.