- Wednesday, February 26, 2025
While saying that all occupied people have a right to resist their occupation, even militarily, the leader added that he did not support the military option in the Palestine but civil insurrection and disobedience.
By: Shubham Ghosh
TURKI Al Faisal, a Saudi Arabian prince and former chief of the country’s intelligence agency, recently mentioned India’s freedom movement while speaking about the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine in a speech delivered at an American university.
In powerful words, the 78-year-old slammed both Israel and the Palestinian militant outfit Hamas saying there are “no heroes in this conflict, only victims” and cited India’s Independence movement as an example of resisting occupation through civil disobedience.
A video of the address by Al Faisal, who had also served as Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the US between 2005 and 2007, went viral. While saying that all occupied people have a right to resist their occupation, even militarily, the leader added that he did not support the military option in Palestine but civil insurrection and disobedience.
His Royal Highness Prince Turki Al Faisal Al Saud, former Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the U.S., gives his perspective. #BakerLive pic.twitter.com/mRwYiCqTkG
— Baker Institute (@BakerInstitute) October 17, 2023
“It brought down the British empire in India and the Soviet empire in eastern Europe,” he said.
He said Israel has an overwhelming military superiority and the world could witness the devastation it is causing in Gaza.
Al Faisal also lambasted Hamas for its deadly attacks on October 7 that triggered the deadly attack and said such targeting belies the outfit’s claims to an Islamic identity.
“I categorically condemn Hamas’ targeting of civilian targets of any age or gender as it is accused of. Such targeting belies Hamas’ claims to an Islamic identity,” the leader, who had been the head of the intelligence agency for more than two decades, added.
Hamas’s attacks and Israel’s retaliation resulted in killing of nearly 6,000 lives so far on both sides. Last week, a deadly explosion in a hospital in Gaza killed several hundreds, leaving the world shellshocked. A number of western leaders, including the US president, British prime minister and German chancellor visited Israel, eyeing to de-escalate the situation. The western leaders expressed solidarity with Israel but urged it to allow humanitarian aid to Gaza which the Israelis blockaded and bombarded.
While accusing Hamas of conceding Israel a “moral high ground” and “excuse to ethnically cleanse Gaza of its citizens”, Al Faisal also slammed Israel for its counterstrike saying “two wrongs don’t make a right”.
He also hit out at the western leaders saying they shed tears when Palestinians killed Israelis but not doing the same when the Palestinians are at the receiving end.
“There are no heroes in this conflict, only victims,” he said.
