SAUDI crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman has said he fears being assassinated over his support for normalising Saudi-Israeli ties, a move seen as being a clever diplomatic ploy to get a deal Riyadh is comfortable with, US publication Politico reported on Wednesday.

The Saudi royal is said to have mentioned his concerns to members of US Congress, invoking Anwar Sadat — the Egyptian leader who was slain following a peace deal with Israel in the 1980s.

According to Politico, he has also discussed the threats he faces, explaining why any such deal must include a true path to a Palestinian state — especially now that the war in Gaza has heightened Arab fury toward Tel Aviv.

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The broad contours of the largely secret and still-developing pact between the Saudis and Washington include multiple commitments, including security guarantees via a treaty, aid on a civilian nuclear program and economic investment in areas such as technology.

The Politico report claimed that in exchange, Saudi Arabia would limit its dealings with China and establish diplomatic ties with Israel.

To MBS’ chagrin, however, the Israeli government has been unwilling to include a credible path to a Palestinian state in the pact. The report described the overtures as “a clever diplomatic marketing strategy.”

Published in Dawn, August 15th, 2024