Probably more like an abomination of desolation.
Note from Bill:
Below is another reason to pray for President Bush's decision regarding Israel's covenant land.
This is another confirmation that President Bush was planning on backing the establishment of a Palestinian state at or just before the September 11 terror attacks.
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Saudi Arabia warned US over policy on Israel - Financial Times By Roula Khalaf in Riyadh
Published: October 9 2001 21:41 | Last Updated: October 10 2001 04:53
Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia told Washington 10 days before the September 11 terror attacks that US policy towards the Arab-Israeli conflict had become untenable.
According to diplomatic sources in Riyadh, the prince's letter to President George W. Bush prompted US reassurances that apparently led to US backing for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The Riyadh sources said the letter was part of a dialogue started in the June meeting in Paris between Crown Prince Abdullah and Colin Powell, US secretary of state. The letter shows the world's largest oil exporter trying to influence US policy on the Middle East conflict at a time when Arab public opinion and governments had become increasingly disillusioned by US backing for Israel.
This suggests that Mr Bush's statement last week supporting the idea of a Palestinian state was not directly tied to US efforts to bring Arab nations into the coalition against terrorism.
The Saudi message is believed to have indicated that US bias towards Israel was making it impossible for the Saudi leadership to follow policies that were in both countries' interests. Mr Bush is said to have written back to reassure the crown prince that the message had found a listening ear.
The crown prince's office on Tuesday would not comment on the letter. But in a statement last week the Saudi leader praised Mr Bush's statement on a Palestinian state, saying the kingdom appreciated the move.
US officials confirmed that an "exchange of letters" had taken place shortly before last month's attacks but did not comment on the details of them.
A diplomatic source in Riyadh familiar with the Saudi correspondence said it was "a frank exchange, but a letter from a friend".
Saudi Arabia in recent weeks has backed the US campaign but stressed its concern about the fate of Afghan civilians and its opposition to extending the US war to Arab countries.
Since the launch of air strikes against Afghanistan, the kingdom has not issued a public comment. But in a cabinet meeting on Monday, King Fahd called for "practical steps" to end the Arab-Israeli conflict and restore peace in the region. A senior Saudi Arabian cleric on Tuesday sought to counter Osama bin Laden's calls for an Islamic uprising by stressing that jihad, or holy war, should be fought for the good of the Muslim nation, not its destruction.
Sheikh Saleh bin Mohammad al-Lahidan, head of the country's higher judicial council and a member of the council of leading clerics, stopped short of opposing US and British air strikes. But in the first comments on the war by a senior Saudi cleric, he called for "wisdom" in the fight against terrorism.