Al Saud may end up deposed over Israel ties: Commentator

Press TV has interviewed Don DeBar, a radio host and political commentator, about the less-than-secret relations between Saudi Arabia and the Israeli regime despite Riyadh’s attempts to portray itself as the flag-bearer of Israel’s traditional Arab foes.

Read a rough transcription of the interview below.

Press TV: Let’s go back to our first story, talking about a Saudi delegation that has visited Israel, or visited the occupied West Bank... Your take on this visit? Of course, the relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia have been talked a lot about recently, but now openly, with this Saudi delegation and going to the West Bank.

Does this make a significant change or show a shift in their relationship? How do you see this visit and its significance?

DeBar: I think, first of all, most folks in the United States aren’t aware of it. So a little bit of context. The Saudis hold themselves out as the guardians of Islam and the protectors of Muslims on the one hand. Also, among Muslims, about the greatest crime visited upon them and people in the region regardless of religion was the forcing of the state of Israel — basically a European settler state — on Palestine.

And so, to have a congruous philosophical position, Saudi Arabia has to appear to be vehemently opposed to Israel; but anyone with an Italian grandmother knows that what you’re supposed to do was watch the hands... which is basically what they do and not what they say.

So, look on the battlefield, say in Syria. Certainly, Israel supports the insurgency against the government. They do it materially, they’ve been treating people on the battlefield from ISIS, al-Qaeda and every other group fighting in there. They still occupy part of Syria and they’re on the same side as the Saudis, who are funding and arming these people.

So, the reality of it has betrayed this apparent contradiction long ago. And so it’s not a surprise to see it formalized.

Press TV: Well, the significance of that, as you said, especially if we look at the Muslim community as you said that the Saudis liked to portray themselves as the keeper of the rights of Muslims. So, on that side of things, when this becomes public, for example a Saudi delegation going to the occupied West Bank, do you think that this can have an effect of breaking that façade of basically the Saudis being the keepers of anything holy?

DeBar: I think our one hope is that, in front of the people in Saudi Arabia, the people themselves, that this is the last straw in terms of any shred of legitimacy that this leadership there... that the Saud family has within Saudi Arabia.

I think they may have overplayed their hand and I think that the people there may end up not tolerating this and they could end up deposed. They’ve been on shaky ground for a while.

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