Saudi Former Top Intelligence Chief Deeply Critical of Palestinian Leadership

Former Saudi intelligence head Prince Bandar bin Sultan, in an interview with Dubai-based Al Arabiya television, severely disparaged Palestinian leaders’ critical comments against the UAE and Bahrain’s newly signed agreements to normalize relations with Israel. He termed their critiques of the agreements “painful and low-level,” a “transgression,” and “reprehensible discourse.” He noted, “This low level of discourse is not what we expect from officials who seek to gain global support for their cause,” adding, “There is something that successive Palestinian leadership [sic] historically share in common: They always bet on the losing side, and that comes at a price.” Prince Bandar reminded the Palestinians of the Saudi kingdom’s longtime strong support of their cause, remarking, “The Palestinian cause is a just cause but its advocates are failures, and the Israeli cause is unjust but its advocates have proven to be successful. That sums up the events of the last 70 or 75 years.”