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A Secret Saudi-Israeli Meeting

(Salon.com) Aluf Benn - A senior Saudi official met secretly with an Israeli official in March to explain his kingdom's peace initiative and bring a message from Crown Prince Abdullah. According to a well-placed Israeli source, the Saudi said: "Don't think that we came up with our plan to help our P.R. effort in America. We face a dangerous domestic situation, with 50 percent unemployment and sharp decline of the per capita GNP." The message was clear: Calming the Israeli-Palestinian bonfire was crucial to Saudi well-being. Gen. Amos Gilead, charged with assisting the Palestinian population, has warned that taking full responsibility for their civil affairs would cost the Israeli treasury $600-$800 million a year, a huge sum in a depressed economy. But as long as there are Palestinian officials to sign the receipts, international assistance will keep flowing. Therefore, Israel's goal is to keep the Palestinian Authority alive enough to keep foreign money flowing in. Ron Schlicker, the American consul general in Jerusalem and envoy to the P.A., said privately that after draft 14 or 15 of the Bush speech, Washington stopped sending his office further drafts and did not ask for his advice on the contents. Schlicker was devastated by the speech, which undermined his credibility with the Palestinians. American diplomats in Tel Aviv shared this disappointment.
2002-07-04 00:00:00
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