A top Saudi royal urged Donald Trump, the incoming US president-elect, to bring peace to the Middle East on Saturday, calling Israel a “genocidal” and “apartheid” state.
Saudi Arabia’s intelligence chief for almost 20 years, Prince Turki Al Faisal, expressed his wish that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will face charges from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
His remarks at the Manama Dialogue conference in Bahrain come after Saudi officials have made progressively harsher claims ever since negotiations on a possible normalisation of relations with Israel were put on hold following the outbreak of the Gaza War.
“Israel today, according to international human rights groups, is not only an apartheid colonial state, but it is also a genocidal one,” Prince Turki said.
“It is committing genocide on the people of Gaza.”
He continued, “It’s about time for the world to… take the necessary steps to bring those who are charged by the International Criminal Court to justice.”
Last month, the ICC issued warrants for Yoav Gallant, the former defence minister, and Netanyahu on suspicion of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
At a joint Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation conference held in Riyadh last month, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, also charged Israel with genocide.
This week, Amnesty International made the same accusation in a fresh report that Israel rejected as “fabricated” and “based on lies.”
Hamas’s October 7, 2023, strike on southern Israel set off the war in Gaza, killing 1,208 persons, primarily civilians, according to an AFP count based on government statistics.
According to estimates from Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry that the UN deems credible, Israel’s retaliatory military operation has killed at least 44,612 individuals in the enclave, the majority of whom were civilians.
Trump’s “strong mandate” from American voters, according to Prince Turki, a former Saudi ambassador to the US, “can enable him to provide the statesmanship that is highly needed in the world.”
“Friendly countries in the region are hoping that Mr. Trump pursues what he started before, to bring peace with capital letters to the Middle East,” he said.
“It is time for America, under your presidency, to change the course of this troubled region,” he added.
During Trump’s first administration, the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco signed the Abraham Accords recognising Israel, a break with the long-held Arab consensus that there should be no ties without the creation of a Palestinian state.
