In reaction to the May 1, 2004 terrorist shooting in the offices of an oil contractor in Yunbu', Saudi Arabia, in which seven, among them two Americans, were killed, Saudi Crown Prince Abdallah ibn Abd Al-'Aziz stated at a gathering of Saudi dignitaries, including top Muslim clerics and preachers, that "the Zionists" were to blame.
The official government Saudi Press Agency (SPA) ran the following headline: "SPA – Crown Prince says Zionism is behind the actions in the kingdom." The SPA site reported further that Crown Prince Abdallah declared while addressing a May 2gathering of Saudi officials and members of the royal family: "It became clear to us now that Zionism is behind terrorist actions in the kingdom. I can say that I am 95% sure of that." [1]
According to the SPA, among those present at the gathering were Prince Faisal bin Turki Al-Saud, Prince Mamdouh bin Abd Al-'Aziz, director of the Strategic Studies Center, Prince Dr. Bandar bin Salman bin Muhammad Al- Saud, advisor to the court of the crown prince, Prince Abd Al-'Aziz bin Fahd bin Abd Al-'Aziz, minister of state, cabinet member, and chief of the court of the cabinet's presidency, and senior protocol officers.
The May 2, 2004 edition of the London Arabic-language daily Al-Hayat quoted Crown Prince Abdallah as saying, "Be assured that the Zionist are behind everything. This is certain. I don't say this with 100% [confidence], but with 95%."
The following is text of Crown Prince Abdallah speaking at the May 2 gathering, which aired on Saudi 1 Television, as well as reports from today's Saudi daily Okaz which also blamed "Zionists" for the attacks:
Crown Prince Abdallah on Saudi Television
"This is seduction. You all know who is behind it all. Zionism is behind it. It has become clear now. It has become clear to us. I don't say, I mean… It is not 100%, but 95% [certain] that the Zionist hands are behind what happened.
"What can we possibly do, they [the perpetrators] are our sons. They have been seduced, and they fell for it.
"But we say that Allah's will is everything. Allah's will is everything. But what we and you must do is to be patient, reflect, and act, because now even silence… Even one who keeps silent will be accused of being one of them. Even one who keeps silent…
"In the past, we have said that perhaps foreigners seduced them, and so on. But we are speaking of your sons who killed their brothers, killed those who protect you. The General Security apparatus protects you, your families, your children, and your sons. They got their boldness from Satan. They are Satan's helpers. They are the hangers-on of Satan and of imperialism…
"But I tell you that you can be 100% sure that, Allah willing, this country will be victorious, whoever the faction that turns against it may be. But we are convinced that Zionism is behind everything. This has been established, I am not saying by 100%, but by 95%." [2]
Saudi Daily Blames Zionism for Terror Attacks
In its May 3 issue, the Saudi daily Okazpublished an article by Abd Al-Qadr Fares of Gaza, titled "Zionism Arose Based on Conspiracies, and Lives Only Off Bloody Sights," in which it blamed Zionism for the May 1 attacks in Yunbu':
"It is Zionism that extended its hand of destruction two days ago [May 1], as the crown prince announced, on the Saudi lands, by means of killing and of sowing death, destruction and aggression against human dignity in an attempt to shake [both] the security of the kingdom and regional security, and in order to accomplish its interests. [It did this] by [sending] elements who were misguided, and dubious [elements], to carry out these operations that serve only Zionism and the forces of world imperialism and arrogance." [3]
In support of this allegation, the same day the paper published commentary on Crown Prince Abdallah's statements, under the headline "Experts and Historians Demand That the Youth Be Warned of the Plans Directed Against the Region: Zionism Leads Terror so that the World will Be Hostile to the Muslims and Arabs," in which three Arab experts stated that it is most probable that Israel was behind the attacks in the kingdom.
Egyptian military expert General Gamal Madhloum said: "It is probable that Israel is behind the recent events in the [Saudi] kingdom, since the seduction of the youth and the dissemination by terrorist elements in the region have become obvious to all, particularly in light of what is happening in Iraq and in the Palestinian territories, and in light of the talk about Israel's dubious involvement in the African continent."
He added: "I do not wonder that Israel is trying to distort the image of the kingdom and drive a wedge between it and the Western countries, because Israel is the only one to benefit from this." [4]
Dr. Fayez Rashid of Amman, Jordan, director of the Arab Center for the Study of Zionism and Israel, said: "The positions, balanced policy, and moderation of the [Saudi] kingdom have gained it great respect in the international community. This does not please Zionism, whose most important goals are weakening the Arab countries, halting their relations with the external world, disrupting their relations with the international community, and sowing civil strife. Thus, we do not wonder that Saudi Arabia is one of Zionism's most important target countries, particularly in light of the positions that Saudi Arabia still holds regarding a solution to the Arab-Israel conflict, [positions] that contradict what the U.S. and Israel are now trying to implement in the Arab region." [5]
Dr. Ahmad Muslali, a lecturer in political science at the American University, Beirut, said: "The [Saudi] kingdom is the backbone of the Islamic and Arab countries. Likewise, it is the basis of the trio that is comprised also of Syria and Egypt. If the situation in Saudi Arabia is undermined, the entire system in the Gulf will collapse, and the other two sides will remain without real support. The first and last to benefit from this scenario is Israel. When it incited the American government to invade Iraq, it gambled on the completion of this plan in many Arab and Islamic countries. Thus it transpires that the terrorists who struck at the kingdom's security and economic institutions carried out the Zionist plan in its entirety. The most dangerous [thing] is that these youths, who were misled, think they did some good, while the opposite is true and they are [actually] serving the best interest of the enemies of Islam and of their homeland." [6]
