MBS Shocked Public Opinion Opposes Genocide, Hopes Trump Forgets
According to Axios, Trump's grand push for Saudi-Israel normalization hit a snag when MBS cited 'highly anti-Israel' Saudi public opinion in the aftermath of the Gaza war. One might chuckle at the notion of MBS suddenly caring about public sentiment, given his government's documented zero-tolerance policy for any dissent, let alone widespread public opposition. This isn't newfound democratic
virtue; it's a cold, hard calculation that even absolute monarchs can't ignore the optics of partnering with a state accused of genocide right now. This 'tense' negotiation over normalization reveals the cynical core of such 'peace deals.' MBS wants an “irreversible, credible, and time-bound path” for a Palestinian state – a public demand made only when his hand is forced by, you know, reality.
For years, the Abraham Accords peddled the fantasy that the Palestinian issue could be sidelined. Now, even those most insulated from public accountability are being reminded about the inconvenient truth of Palestine. How many more 'wars' will it take for Washington to realize you can't build peace on the corpses of a brutalized people?