Saudi Arabia acting in unison with US and Israel to undermine Palestinians: Analyst

Rasa - Saudi Arabia is backing US and Israeli efforts to undermine efforts by the Palestinian people to achieve an independent nation, an American writer and academic says.

News ID: 438370

Date: 22 June 2018 - 22:12

RNA - “It’s very clear that the Saudi Arabians are acting in unison with Israel and the United States to undermine any possibility of an independent viable Palestinian state,” said James Petras, a retired professor of Sociology at Binghamton University in Binghamton, New York, who has published on political issues with particular focus on Latin America, the Middle East and imperialism.

The US and Israel seek to expel the remaining Palestinians from the occupied territories and further weaken the Palestinian Authority, Petras told on Thursday.

The policy of the US and Saudi Arabia is to hand over control of Jerusalem al-Quds to Israel and turn Palestinians into second and third class citizens, he added.

The Palestinian Authority, which has frozen contacts with Washington due its bias in favor of Tel Aviv, is working to form an international mediation mechanism to replace the US.

On the second leg of his regional tour, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner has met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman for talks on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as Washington prepares to unveil what it calls the deal of the century.

During the Wednesday meeting in Saudi Arabia, which took place in the presence of US special envoy to the Middle East Jason Greenbelt, the two sides exchanged views on Washington-Riyadh bilateral ties as well as the Palestinian issue, according to a statement from the White House.

Kushner kicked off his tour on Tuesday in Amman, where he and Greenblatt sat down for talks with Jordanian King Abdullah II. A day earlier, the king of Jordan had met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the so-called peace process.

The Saudi regime has long been seeking to depict itself as an advocate of the Palestinian cause, but reports over the past months suggest that the kingdom under bin Salman is helping the US behind the scenes to impose the hugely pro-Israel “peace” plan on Palestinians.

Late last year, the Saudi crown prince was reported to have put pressure on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to accept the plan being drawn up by Kushner.

Source: Press TV

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