Former Saudi intelligence chief and ambassador to Washington Prince Turki Al Faisal has criticised the US strikes on Iran and accuses the West of applying double standards when it comes to nuclear weapons and regional conflicts.
He warns that military action will backfire just as it did in Iraq and Afghanistan and urges a return to diplomacy.
Writing for The National newspaper based in the UAE, he argues that if the rules-based order were truly impartial, American bombs would have also targeted Israel’s undeclared nuclear sites.
“In a world where even-handedness reigns, we would have seen American B2 bunker buster bombs rain on Dimona and other Israeli sites,” he writes, referring to the facility where Israel is believed to maintain its nuclear weapons.
He notes that Israel, unlike Iran, has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and continues to operate outside the inspection framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
He added that those who justify Israel’s unilateral attack on Iran by referring to the declarations of Iranian leaders calling for the disappearance of Israel ignore the statements of Benjamin Netanyahu ever since he became Israel’s Prime Minister in 1996, calling for the destruction of the Iranian government, saying Iran’s bluster brought destruction to them.
“The West’s hypocritical support for Israel’s attack on Iran is expected,” he penned. “After all, their support for Israel’s assault on Palestine is ongoing, although some countries have recently become less supportive.
“The West’s sanctioning of Russia for invading Ukraine stands in sharp contrast to what is allowed for Israel. The international rules-based order, so long heralded and proclaimed by the West, is in a shambles. We in the Arab world are not impervious to that. Our principled stand on those conflicts is a shining example of what countries, their leaders and their peoples should do.
“What is galling about the West’s leaders is that they continue to proclaim platitudes about their supposed beliefs. Fortunately, especially about the Palestinian people’s struggle for independence from the Israeli occupation, vast numbers of common women and men in the West have rejected their leaders’ false stands.
“People of all faiths, colours and ages continue to show their support for Palestinian independence; hence the growing shift in their leaders’ positions. That is a welcome development.
“It is still possible to return to diplomacy. Unlike other western leaders, Mr Trump should not follow double standards. He should listen to his friends in Saudi Arabia and the GCC. Unlike Mr Netanyahu, they seek peace, like Mr Trump, not war.
“However, I can do nothing about the double standards, Mr Netanyahu’s genocidal conduct, Iran’s history of nefarious activity, the Palestinian leaders’ fratricidal feuds, Europe’s pusillanimity, Mr Trump’s pledge to bring peace to the Middle East, while he wages war on Iran, and his congratulations to Iran for signing on to his call for a ceasefire. There’s also his effusive adulation for Mr Netanyahu.
“What I will do is to follow the example of my late father King Faisal’s decision when then-US president Harry S Truman reneged on his predecessor Franklin D Roosevelt’s promises and helped birth Israel. My father kept himself from visiting the US until Mr Truman left office. I will keep myself from visiting the US until Mr Trump leaves office.”
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