Saudi big rips Israel at summit

A prominent Saudi prince harshly criticized Israel on Sunday at a Bahrain security summit that was remotely attended by Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, illustrating the challenges any further deals between Arab states and Israel face in the absence of an independent Palestinian state.

The fiery remarks by Prince Turki al-Faisal at the Manama Dialogue appeared to catch Ashkenazi off guard, particularly as Israelis receive warm welcomes from officials in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates following agreements to normalize ties.

Left unresolved by those deals, however, is the decades-long conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

Prince Turki opened his remarks by contrasting what he described as Israel’s image of being “peace-loving upholders of high moral principles” versus what he described as a far-darker Palestinian reality of living under a “Western colonizing” power.

Israel has “incarcerated [Palestinians] in concentration camps under the flimsiest of security accusations,” Prince Turki said.

Ashkenazi responded by saying, “I would like to express my regret on the comments of the Saudi representative. I don’t believe that they reflect the spirit and the changes taking place in the Middle East.”

The confrontation highlighted continued widespread opposition to Israel by many inside Saudi Arabia, despite some state-backed efforts to promote outreach with Jewish groups and supporters of Israel.