Between the delegate from Cuba and the ambassador of the Holy Land

During a recent session of UNESCO, the Israeli representative asked a number of his fellow representatives to join him in a minute’s silence in memory of Holocaust victims. The Cuban representative stood up and subsequently asked for a minute’s silence to be observed in honour of Palestinian victims of Israeli hegemony. Her request was granted.

Yet, the Saudi ambassador to Algeria did not hesitate to employ American rhetoric when he classified Hamas as a terrorist organisation. On a similar note, the UAE’s ambassador to London has appointed himself as an advocate for the occupation. The ambassador recently wrote an article in a British newspaper warning the public about Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradawi and he also claimed that there is a program on Al Jazeera that calls for a second Holocaust against Jews in Palestine.

There is no doubt that the statement made by the Saudi ambassador calls for including Hamas on the second edition of the list of terrorist organisations. Saudi Arabia’s statements are in agreement with those made by Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain, as well as the first version of the terrorist watch list, which included 59 organisations and the names of Muslim scholars. The Zionist enemy has been normalised as a friend and a new ally in the new political era. Very soon we may see direct flights from Tel Aviv to Makkah for the transport of pilgrims.

Read: Will the UK ever sacrifice its relationship with Saudi Arabia?

After all of this, can anyone blame the political opposition for fostering relations with Iran, after all, the latter has been supporting the opposition financially for years? What about the weapons needed to defend Gaza?

The Saudi position has provoked a great deal of discontent in the Arab and pan-Islamic streets. One need not look further than to the comments posted on social media websites to realise the level of discontent and anger felt by the people. There is a great deal of anger at the ambassador’s comments that aimed to demonise the resistance in light of the crimes in Palestine for the last 70 years and the massacres in Gaza over the course of the last ten years. Many were disgusted by the comments made by the Saudi ambassador and his comments against the resistance that seeks to liberate Palestine.

Read more: Saudi prince says ‘Let us go and fight for Al-Aqsa’

Palestine is the primary Muslim cause and the moral compass that leads many to the righteous path. The Palestinian cause is also a red line for all of these parties, for those who chose to go against the Palestinian resistance and opposition are also an enemy to us all. How could Saudi Arabia stoop down to this level and demonise the resistance that seeks to liberate more than 1.5 million people merely to appease Trump? Is he not pleased with receiving $460 billion in arms deals and investments in the American economy, which provide a great deal of the funding needed for American jobs?

Finally, why does the senior council in Saudi Arabia insist on remaining silent when it comes to these dangerous comments that demonise the heroes currently struggling in the holy sites of Jerusalem? Why have they remained silent in the face of truth and justice? Will we soon hear fatwas that will demonise the resistance and justify cooperation with Israel? This was certainly the case in the early 90s when the US’ presence in Saudi Arabia was justified by similar claims.

This article first appeared in Arabic in Arabi21 on 17 July 2017.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.