According to a US intelligence report, in 2018 Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved an operation to capture or murder journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which could have profound consequences for US-Saudi relations.
The report, released by the Office of the Director of the National Intelligence Service on Friday, cited the Crown Prince’s control over Saudi Arabia decision-making, as well as the involvement of a key adviser and members of his protective arm in the operation that turned Khashoggi. killed.
“Since 2017, the Crown Prince has had absolute control over the Kingdom’s security and intelligence organizations, making it highly unlikely that Saudi officials would have carried out such an operation without the Crown Prince’s consent,” the report said.
The CIA-led assessment, classified so far, is because President Joe Biden seeks to reshape U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia after years when the Trump administration ignored the kingdom’s human rights violations, despite condemnation in Congress and the United States. Nations.
Khashoggi, a 59-year-old resident of the US and a Washington Post employee who had criticized the Saudi royal family, entered a Saudi consulate in Turkey on October 2, 2018 and never left. He was murdered by a group of hitmen who then hacked his body to pieces. His remains have never been found.
“The Crown Prince viewed Khashoggi as a threat to the Kingdom and was widely supported by taking violent measures to silence him if necessary,” the US intelligence report said. “Although Saudi officials had planned an unspecified operation against Khashoggi in advance, we don’t know how far in advance Saudi officials decided to harm him.”
In a diplomatic rebuke to the Crown Prince this week, the White House made it clear that Biden does not see 35-year-old bin Salman as his counterpart and will instead maintain relations through his elderly father, King Salman. The younger bin Salman has been the face of the kingdom since he became crown prince in 2017.
Robert Mahoney, deputy executive director of the Committee for the Protection of Journalists, speaks to the UN during a press conference about the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the United Nations in New York, USA, October 18, 2018.
Shannon Stapleton | Reuters
“As for Saudi Arabia, I would say that we made it clear from the start that we are going to recalibrate our relationship with Saudi Arabia,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki from the White House on Tuesday.
On Thursday, in his first appeal with the 85-year-old king, Biden reaffirmed “the importance the United States attaches to universal human rights and the rule of law,” according to a White House lecture.
Biden also told Salman that he “would work to make the bilateral relationship as strong and transparent as possible,” the White House said. Khashoggi’s name was not mentioned in the readout.
The Chair of the House’s Intelligence Committee, Representative Adam Schiff, called on the White House to “impose severe repercussions on all responsible parties it has identified” for the Khashoggi murder and the US’s relationship with Saudi Arabia. reassess in the wake of the intelligence agency. report.
“We must ensure that when foreign governments target journalists to do their jobs, they are not immune from severe repercussions and sanctions, because to restore confidence in American leadership, we must act in accordance with America’s values long distinguished, “said California. Democrat said.
“The government must take further steps to reduce the United States’ dependence on Riyadh and to reinforce that our partnership with the Kingdom is not a blank check,” Schiff added.
The Saudi authorities had initially denied any knowledge of Khashoggi’s death, later claiming that the journalist got into an argument in the consulate and was killed in the clash. The Saudi authorities eventually admitted that Khashoggi had been killed in a “rogue operation,” while denying that Bin Salman was involved.
A United Nations investigator concluded in a June 2019 report that Khashoggi “was the victim of a deliberate premeditated execution, an extrajudicial murder for which the state of Saudi Arabia is responsible under international human rights law”.
Trump tried to publicly cast doubt on the Crown Prince’s involvement in Khashoggi’s death, even after multiple outlets reported that the CIA concluded that Bin Salman himself ordered the journalist’s murder. Trump said the CIA had “nothing definitive” while claiming that the oil-rich kingdom would remain a “steadfast partner” to the US.
“It may well be that the Crown Prince knew about this tragic event — maybe and maybe not!” Trump said less than two months after Khashoggi’s death. Trump’s conciliatory stance contrasted sharply with outrage from members of Congress and the media over Khashoggi’s murder
The Trump administration maintained relationships through the Crown Prince, who maintained close personal ties with members of the Trump family, most notably former President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Trump made his first stop in the Middle East to Saudi Arabia when he made his debut visit to the region in 2017. The kingdom rolled out the red carpet for the former reality star.
The Trump administration used its ties with the Gulf monarchies to normalize relations between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
The former president also vetoed an attempt by Congress to block billions of dollars in arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and an attempt to end US involvement in the war in Yemen.
Biden’s overhaul of relations with Saudi Arabia is part of a broader shift in US foreign policy in the Middle East.
The president has ended US support for Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen as he tried to return to the negotiating table with Iran, Riyadh’s enemy, over his nuclear program.
The US president called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week, his first meeting with a Middle East leader since taking office. The Saudis and Israelis are de facto allies, although they have no formal diplomatic ties, in their efforts to counter Iranian influence in the region.
Biden “ discussed regional security ” in his appeal with King Salman on Thursday, noting his government’s efforts to end the war in Yemen ‘and the US commitment to help Saudi Arabia reclaim its territory. while facing attacks from Iranian groups, ‘House reading said.
Biden and Salman “also affirmed the historical nature of the relationship and agreed to work together on mutual issues of concern and concern,” the White House said.
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