Former Saudi intelligence chief blasts Palestinian leadership for 'always betting on the wrong side'
Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz slams PA intransigence while acknowledging justice of their cause
Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Arabia's former intelligence chief and ambassador to the United States criticized the Palestinian leadership for its reaction to the normalization of ties between Israel and two Gulf states - UAE and Bahrain.
In an interview with Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television aired on Monday, the prince labelled the Palestinian authorities’ criticism a “transgression” and “reprehensible discourse," according to Reuters.
Prince Bandar explained that the Palestinian and Israeli approaches over the last 70 or 75 hears were mirror images of the other. He called the Palestinian cause "just" but decried its advocates' lack of success. He labeled Israel's cause "unjust" but noted that its advocates had enjoyed significantly more influence.
“There is something that successive Palestinian leadership historically share in common: they always bet on the losing side, and that comes at a price," he scolded.
The prince's interview came in the wake of the historic normalization deals between Israel-UAE and Bahrain - a key Saudi ally - signed on the White House lawn in September.
For their part, the Palestinian leadership railed against the normalization deals. They feared that it would weaken a long-standing Arab position, known as the Arab Peace Initiative, which the Saudis sponsored in 2002. It calls for Israeli withdrawal to the 1949 Armistice Lines and acceptance of Palestinian statehood with east Jerusalem as its capital, in return for Israel to enjoy normalized relations with Arab nations.
"President Mahmoud Abbas said the Palestinian leadership regarded the UAE’s move as “a betrayal.” Veteran Palestinian negotiator Hanan Ashrawi told Reuters the deal was “a complete sell-out.”
Bandar explained that the Palestinians have always and would continue to receive Saudi support. He chided the leadership, however, for engagement in low-level discourse that would not help influence global opinion.