The Era of Bin Salman
Trump calls bin Salman "my friend," but in March of this year, during a speech at an investment forum in Miami, the US President claimed that bin Salman "kisses my ass." Bin Salman remained silent and his advisors were ordered not to respond. After the visit of the presidents of Syria and Lebanon to the White House, Trump's advisors called Riyadh and ordered their counterparts to start planning economic investments in Syria and Lebanon.
Every year in mid-February, Saad Hariri, the former Prime Minister of Lebanon, appears at the memorial ceremonies for his father, the former Prime Minister, Rafic Hariri. From his seat in Abu Dhabi, the son declared his retirement from political life, but during his visit to Beirut this year, he met with politicians, senior officers, and businessmen and said that he intends to "get back in the picture." When the information reached Saudi Arabia, Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan sent a clear message to Hariri Jr.: Do not test us. We are with President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Najib Mikati. Hariri's comeback dream has been shelved for the time being.
In November 2017, he was summoned to Saudi Arabia and taken from the airport for a series of interrogations under strict detention conditions. He was presented with a resignation letter from his post as Prime Minister of Lebanon and a stage was prepared where he delivered his strange resignation speech. French President Emmanuel Macron sent a special plane, and the "ousted" Hariri flew to France and from there to his office in Beirut, as if nothing had happened. Less than a year later, he returned to Saudi Arabia and smiled off reports of his dismissal by bin Salman.
Trump and bin Salman found a common language in the world of investments. Like in a grocery store, Trump signals what he needs and the palace in Riyadh rushes to provide. At the same time, Saudi Arabia attacks the Houthis in Yemen and turns a blind eye to Iranian attacks against American military bases on its territory. The Houthis attack two targets in Saudi Arabia - facilities of the oil company Aramco. Iranian officers from the Revolutionary Guards are now in Sana'a, Yemen, and are managing the campaign against Saudi Arabia. The Saudi ambassador in Tehran sits at his post exactly like his Iranian counterpart in Beirut: they do not leave the building, knowing that intelligence agencies are following them and that the authorities are waiting for the moment they receive an order to leave.
Trump defines bin Salman as "my friend," but in March of this year, during a speech at an investment forum in Miami, the US President claimed that bin Salman "kisses my ass." Bin Salman remained silent and his advisors were ordered not to respond. After the visit of the presidents of Syria and Lebanon to the White House, Trump's advisors called Riyadh and ordered their counterparts to start planning economic investments in Syria and Lebanon.
The Saudi Crown Prince, who did not forget the leak by Prime Minister Netanyahu regarding their secret meeting on November 22, 2020, in the city of Neom, kept secret the historic meeting held in the presence of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who fled from the journalists who arrived with him in Saudi Arabia. Pompeo did not say a word, the Saudis denied it vehemently, and only one side ran to leak it to the Israeli media. Since then, the Saudi palace has been boycotting Netanyahu's office.
Bin Salman and his advisors have adopted the path toward a Palestinian state, without setting border lines or informing the leadership in the West Bank about their plan. Until two or three years ago, it seemed that the Saudis were indifferent to the fate of the Palestinians, and they also refused to absorb the residents of Gaza in their empty territories in the desert. Trump was pressured and did not receive a response, and European leaders tried to speak to bin Salman's heart. According to the new-old plan of the "fantastic guy" from Riyadh, the rule in the Palestinian territories will be granted to the leadership in Ramallah. The question is what will happen in the elections for the new parliament in the West Bank territories in November. Two months later, when a younger leadership is established, the presidential elections will be held. The Crown Prince knows who he wants to see at the top of the pyramid, and now he must deal with Trump's new veto - to join the Abraham Accords or to inform the US President that he is waiting until it becomes clear who will be the next Prime Minister in Jerusalem.
