Former Saudi security chief: Israel is the biggest threat to the region, not Iran.
“Israel is undoubtedly a problem-maker and the United States must contain it,” he told the Milken Institute Middle East and Africa Summit, hosted by Hadley Gamble, senior fellow at the IMI International, according to Sky News Arabic.
He said Israel’s continued attacks on Lebanon, Gaza and Syria showed that Tel Aviv felt it was a liability.
“Israel, with its almost daily bombing of Syria, its continued attacks on Palestinians in Gaza or the West Bank, and also in Lebanon, which is supposedly in a state of ceasefire, is not a messenger of peace in our region,” Al-Faisal added.
He called Israel’s attack on Hamas representatives in Doha while they were discussing ceasefire proposals in Gaza “a warning signal,” and said it showed that the Gulf Cooperation Council must unite to defend itself.
Asked whether his country should consider developing its nuclear capability, the former Saudi security chief said it was an option that Riyadh “should seriously consider.”
“We heard a few years ago from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that if Iran acquires nuclear weapons, Saudi Arabia will also pursue them,” Al-Faisal said. “The developments of the past year, including the attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, may have delayed the country’s ability to acquire nuclear weapons, so to speak.”
He stressed that the instability in the region requires a comprehensive approach to the issue of nuclear weapons.
“There is one country in the region that has nuclear weapons, and that is Israel; no one is talking about it. So I think this is an issue that should make us vigilant and cautious in achieving the desired goal, which is a zone free of weapons of mass destruction.”
Asked whether the Middle East has passed the stage of threat from terrorist groups, Al-Faisal expressed pessimism, saying: “I believe that the issue of terrorism and our and their thinking will always exist, and it has been so throughout history.”
The Saudi security official added that this problem is not limited to a specific geographical region or a deviation in religious interpretation, and no single distinction defines it.
Al-Faisal concluded by warning that the Palestinian issue and the world’s inability to deal with Israel’s actions could sow the seeds for the formation of new extremist currents.