Posted on 10/12/2001 8:11:53 AM PDT by The Magical Mischief Tour
Friday Oct. 12, 2001; 9:40 a.m. EDT
Saudi Prince Threatens Payback for Giuliani Snub
Billionaire Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal suggested Friday that he'll make New York pay a price for Mayor Rudy Giuliani's refusal to accept his $10 million dollar check for the Twin Tower relief fund, saying he's ready to "put his money where is mouth is."
The Saudi prince contributed the big bucks after Giuliani gave him a tour of the World Trade Center disaster site Thursday. Bin Talal said at the time, "Saudi Arabia is with the United States wholeheartedly."
But hours later the wealthy Arab released a statement saying:
"I believe the the government of the United States should reexamine its policies in the Middle East and adopt a more balanced stance towards the Palestinian cause. Our Palestinian brethren continue to be slaughtered at the hands of the Israelis while the rest of the world turns the other cheek."
Upon hearing about the bin Talal's press release, Giuliani condemned the statement as "highly irresponsible and very, very dangerous." Hizzoner's aides returned the Saudi's money after determining that his check had not yet been cashed.
The mayor's snub prompted the Saudi prince to leave in a huff for home, where he spoke to NBC's Andrea Mitchell.
"He's not backing down," Mitchell told radioman Don Imus Friday morning. "He says he has a big stake in New York (and) he puts his money where his mouth is."
Bin Talal's financial stake in the Big Apple includes a $10 billion investment in banking giant Citicorp, half ownership of the Plaza Hotel, substantial investments in the Saks Fifth Avenue department store and NewsCorp., the parent company of the New York Post and the Fox News Channel.
He also has part of his $20 billion personal fortune invested in AOL Time Warner, Apple Computer.
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm . . . I guess he doesn't care that much.
All Saudi Arabia had to do to prevent the Palestinian problem he complains about was recognize Israel and stop funding wars and terrorism. His blood money isn't going to buy him or his nation one ounce of innocence in the struggle. He mustn't be allowed to make excuses for the terrorists, nor use his money to advance an illegitimate cause in an illigitimate way. His nation's complicity in the death of Palestinians and Jews over the last 53 years must be publicized and roundly criticized. We must not sweep Saudi culpability and guilt under the rug in exchange for what amount to a pittance. Principle cannot be purchased.
If he really wants to do good, instead of just appearing like he is doing good, he should call up his cousin Abdullah and uncle Fahd and say "It's time to make peace with Israel". That would do far more good in the world than his lousy money.
Israel has always wanted peace with the Palestinians and everyone else... it's time for these guys to step up make it happen. There is no other way to advance the Palestinians cause, and he should be made to know that. Snubbing him and his money is a perfect way to let him know that he can do far more for the Palestinians by actually doing something, instead of just writing a check and making luducrous propegandized statements.
World Domination!
The Bush administration is handling the current War on Terrorism correctly, but don't delude yourself into thinking the Taliban is the only Islamic domino that needs to go down, or that diplomacy will solve the underlying friction.
The Red Cross coffers are overflowing, and if more $'s are needed to help with relief, then the American people will supply it. That Saudia Arabian prince can find somewhere else to express his idiotic opinions, and somewhere else to spend his money.
Yep, including the 300,000 Palestinians that they kicked out of Saudi Arabia in 1991. He sheds crocodile tears on his crocodile shoes, and I am glad someone had the good sense to put him in his place. His money will not buy his nation their innocence back. This problem has been raging for 53 years, and his country is a huge part of the problem. $10M is never going to change that.
As I said, he could do far more good with far less, by simply pushing for normalized relations with Israel. Instead, he thinks he can take advantage of this tragedy to peddle propeganda that backs his side in the struggle. Rudy did the best thing that could ever happen to the Israeli-Arab struggle by forcing Saudi Arabia to recognize their complicity in the misery of millions of people. Talking to him about it would do no good. Snubbing him in this way was perfect. It is the only way to make the point in a way that they would understand.
Adam Lebor wrote in The Budapest Sun:
"US and Western troops will battle highly mobile Taliban fighters roaring across the valleys in Toyota four-wheel drive vehicles, supplied by Saudi Arabia. The same Saudi Arabia, an utterly corrupt Islamic monarchy with a putrid human rights record, that is a pillar of American, and Western, foreign policy in the Middle East. There has been much coverage of the Taliban’s bizarre restrictions, but little outrage over the weekly spectacle of public beheadings of transgressors against Islamic law that take place in Saudi Arabia every Friday. Not to mention that Saudi Arabia has for several years been one of just three countries in the world to recognize the Taliban regime (the others are Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates). "
Is there room with his foot there?
One of the good results of 9/11 is that the vile attitudes and fantasies of the Arab world are being exposed.
If the Arabs ditch their combonation of arrogance and ignorance they're gonna be bummed- big time!
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