Anurag Kumar
A prince from Saudi Arabia who had previously served as the head of the country’s intelligence agency lashed out at both Hamas and Israel, claiming that there are “no heroes in this conflict, only victims” The speech that Turki Al Faisal gave at Rice University in Houston, which was given in the United States and in which he used the example of India’s Independence movement, was widely shared on social media. The prince was quoted as saying that all occupied people have the right to resist their occupation in whatever way they see fit, even through the use of force. Turki Al Faisal was the head of the Saudi intelligence organisation Al Mukhabarat Al ‘Ammah for a period of twenty-four years. He also held the position of Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States and London.
Saudi prince Turki al-Faisal is seen here during the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Saudi prince Turki al-Faisal is seen here during the Israel-Hamas conflict.
“I do not support the use of force in the Palestinian territories. I prefer the alternative strategy, which involves civic disobedience and uprising. The British empire in India and the Soviet empire in eastern Europe were both brought to their knees as a result of it, he claimed. It is generally agreed upon that the prince’s address, which was unusually candid for a senior member of the Saudi royal family, was the clearest indicator yet of how the Saudi Arabian leadership is currently processing the situation.
What Turki Al Faisal said on Hamas?
According to him, the actions of Hamas violated Islamic injunctions that state it is forbidden to cause harm to civilians. This ex-diplomat and former head of Israeli intelligence also accused Israel of “indiscriminate bombing of innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza” and “indiscriminate arrest of Palestinian children, women, and men in the West Bank.” Both of these accusations were made in reference to the Gaza Strip.
What the Saudi Arabia prince said on US and the country’s media?
He took exception to the word “unprovoked attack” that was used by the media in the United States and stated, “What more provocation is required.. than what Israel has done to the Palestinian people for three-quarters of a century?”
ALSO READ : Israel-Hamas war LIVE updates: US troops in Iraq, Syria face attacks; on alert for more strikes
“All militarily occupied people have the right to resist occupation,” he added, blaming Western politicians for “shedding tears when Israelis are killed by Palestinians,” but refusing to “even express sorrow when Israelis kill Palestinians.” He was referring to the situation in which Palestinians were responsible for the deaths of Israelis.
