You Created It, Solve It!
Tariq AlhomayedThe Saudi statement on the current events in Lebanon and Palestine is in no way bold or harsh but it is honest, clear, and direct; it clears matters up.
Who decides what the state of the nation should be, governments or individuals? Is it reasonable that an Arab state is transformed into a country with two or three heads? Can the Lebanese state and its government be the last to know that it will be dragged into war? Does freeing prisoners, no matter the number; justify pushing an entire country to war?
This Asharq Alawsat editorial is a fair reflection of Saudi government opinion on the current conflict between Israel and Hezbollah—and, unfortunately, Lebanon.
While the Saudis are content to blame Hezbollah and its policies for this particular bit of disaster, over-action by Israel, especially that which could result in a high number of casualties among ordinary (non-political) Lebanese, could result in backlash. The Saudi government is content to let Israel act, for the time being. If thing aren’t resolved quickly, however, unrest will spread across the entire region.
The full text of the Saudi government’s statement can be found at the Saudi Embassy’s website: Saudi Official Comments on latest events in Lebanon and Palestine
UPDATE: The Saudi government’s official statement was moved on their embassy’s website. The link above has now been corrected and goes to the statement text.]
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July:17:2006 - 00:16
Your link to the Saudi statement doesn’t work.
July:17:2006 - 01:11
Monday’s Winds of War: 17 July 2006
Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the global War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Friday. Monday’s Winds of War bri…
July:17:2006 - 09:24
That statement is no longer appearing on the Saudi Embassy’s webpage. Your guess is as good as mine why not…
July:17:2006 - 13:49
I find myself wondering if there isn’t a bit of a sub-text here. Meaning that hezbollah are shia. We didn’t hear a similar statement a few weeks ago when the Sunni Hamas kidnapped an Israeli soldier, and action which provoked the Israeli military action there (and which are still ongoing).
Any thoughts?
July:17:2006 - 22:12
Other than the fact that Hezbollah is a surrogate of Iran, I don’t think there’s a subtext. If you want to see Saudi/Iranian friction solely as a matter of sect, I guess that could make sense.
I don’t think the frictions are solely over sect, though. That reduces the problem too far. There’s a question about who will be the principle power in the Gulf; there’s Arab/Persian antipathy (regardless of religion); there’s Iran’s military-economic threat to Saudi oil revenues…
I think there’s also a general sense of “enough is enough” coloring Saudi statements. The Saudis are pretty sick and tired of having to pull various factions chestnuts out of the fire, particularly when the fire was built by the chestnuts in the first place.
July:18:2006 - 14:08
Since when is the Lebanon an “Arab State”? I thought it was mainly Christian.
Or has there been some ethnic cleansing going on?
July:18:2006 - 15:34
Also, I think SA may see a difference between Hizbollah and Hamas in that Israel is not in Lebanon and most of Hizbollah’s pretexts for causing trouble are pretty week.
Don,
Many Lebanese Christians are Arabs – it is a cultural/linguistic identity (I know I am being imprecise), not a religious one.
July:18:2006 - 16:34
Don: Lebanon 10-15% Christian, down from around 50% some 30 years ago. Most of those Christians (predominantly Maronite, but also others) decided that they could do better than live in the middle of a civil war.
Accordingly, they voted with their feet and left. Many migrated to the US and Canada, to France, the UK, and Australia.
The population–very roughly–is about 38% Sunni, 36% Shi’a, 8% Druze, and 12% Christian.
July:18:2006 - 16:37
Amir: They certainly do see a difference between Hezbollah and Hamas. But they also draw a distinction between the social service arms of both organizations and the militant arms, so heavy civilian casualties among the Lebanese (any sect) will create problems.
Again, though, Hamas is seen as a more legitimate organization, involved in fighting an occupying power. While the militant wing cannot be funded, Saudis do fund the social services part. And yes, that does raise questions of fungibility….
July:19:2006 - 18:54
I think we must not blmae saudi Arabia, on basis of sunni or Shiate, to those people who are unaware please not a Muslim is a muslim and Islam is their only religion and there might be differences between one sect with others, never ever iran is threat to Saudi nor any other country. Saudi is no way supporting Isreal as some people implied. My friends we have to be fool and insane to beleive that israel is waging war bcose of two soldiers, come on they planned it much before, when they send off Syria, killed Rafiq Harari and send their soldier to roam around hezbollah. At last I wanna tell you is Saudi is tired of draging people out of their self inflicted damage which in a way giving israeal a way to attack.
July:19:2006 - 19:24
Against the Reckless or the Shiaa?
18/07/2006
Tariq Alhomayed
Tariq Alhomayed is the Editor-in-Chief of Asharq Al-Awsat, the youngest person to be appointed that position. Mr. Alhomayed has an acclaimed and distinguished career as a Journalist and has held many key positions in the field including; Assistant Editor-in-Chief of Asharq Al-Awsat, Managing Editor of Asharq Al-Awsat in Saudi Arabia, Head of Asharq Al-Awsat Newspaper’s Bureau-Jeddah, Correspondent for Al – Madina Newspaper in Washington D.C. from 1998 to Aug 2000. Mr. Alhomyed has been a guest analyst and commentator on numerous news and current affair programs including: the BBC, German TV, Al Arabiya, Al- Hurra, LBC and the acclaimed Imad Live’s four-part series on terrorism and reformation in Saudi Arabia. He is also the first Journalist to conduct an interview with Osama Bin Ladin’s Mother. Mr. Alhomayed holds a BA degree in Media studies from King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah, and has also completed his Introductory courses towards a Master’s degree from George Washington University in Washington D.C. He is based in London.
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Is the Arab front, established following the Saudi statement [on events in Lebanon] opposing uncalculated adventures, against the reckless or the Shiaa?
The simple answer is that is a war against the irresponsible, from every section of society. Wise governments refuse to be the pawns of sectarianism.
There are some who are trying to portray the Saudi stance as sectarian and against the Shiaa and Iran . This is simply not true. Riyadh could have, on more than one occasion, handed over Iran on a sliver platter to the United States. This was the case after the bombings in Khobar, in Saudi Arabia’s eastern region, in which Americans were killed. At the time, Washington D.C was looking for one Saudi statement that implicates Tehran to hit Iran.
After the US occupation of Iraq, I heard appalling details from senior Iraqi officials on Iranian interference. They used to always say, “Saudi Arabia should not leave Iran and its agents to reign [in the region]â€, while the Saudis responded, “We do not interfere in the affairs of others!â€
Let us not forget Iran’s nuclear crisis, another instance when Saudi Arabia could have traded Iran to the United States and the rest of the world. However, Saudi Arabia has always affirmed it is “against nuclear weapons in the region, without any exceptionâ€, whether they are Iranian, Israeli or other. It is worth mentioning that King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz also stood behind the rapprochement with Iran during the Mohammed Khatami’s presidency.
Is this everything? No! The ugly face of terrorism, which has emerged after the September 11 attacks, was led by Sunni extremists; bin Laden is also Sunni, and so are his followers and Abu Musab al Zarqawi. Is recklessness an excursively Shiaa trait? This is nonsense. They belong to all sects. The Saudi statement was clear in referring to Palestine and Lebanon, in other words to Hezbollah and Hamas, which is also a Sunni.
Prior to all this, Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah said, in one of his speeches, that the Israeli attack was “an attack on the sons of Mohammed and Aliâ€. This is nonsense and unjust! Is Lebanon only made up of Sunni and Shiaa Muslims?
Is Iraq, which the United States occupies, an exclusively Muslim country? Aren’t the Copts also the sons of Egypt , a part of which Israel used to occupy? Isn’t Jericho a destination for Christian pilgrims and a witness to Israeli aggression for years? Are all Syrians Muslim?
Didn’t the Sunni Saddam Hussein invade Kuwait, which is also Sunni?
Those outside the law, in any country, in the Arab world, from organizations to factions, are the first to resort to sectarianism to provoke strife and rouse people’s feelings. Because we oppose sectarianism and oppose dividing the sons and daughters of a single nation into categories and degrees, as well as judging intentions, we say yes to the front of reason and logic, and a thousand no to the front of adventurers, whether they be rulers or movements!