MBS Cannot Influence Congress by Childish Diplomatic Gestures, Says Corker

“I absolutely believe that if the crown prince came before a jury here in the United States of America, he would be convicted guilty in under 30 minutes,” GOP Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee said on the Senate floor Thursday. “I absolutely believe he directed it. I believe he monitored it. And I believe he is responsible for it.”

Sen. Corker said that “before the Senate vote, the crown prince’s brother sent a message saying that if the congress do not vote against the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman considers meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump. Such diplomatic gestures have no place in the Congress and cannot hinder us from defending and protecting human rights.”

Before the Senate vote against the crown prince, the CIA has concluded that Mohammed bin Salman ordered the assassination in retaliation for Khashoggi’s criticism of the repressive monarchy.

While Trump has repeatedly supported the crown prince, the Senate approved that Mohammed bin Salman is responsible for the murder of columnist Jamal Khashoggi and they called for an end to the logistical and advisory involvement of the US and allies, namely Britain and Israel, in the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen. Recently, a report by Middle East Eye claims that Mohammed bin Salman still works on the proposal.

Perhaps Donald Trump’s first foreign trip to Riyadh, Tel Aviv, and Rome has paved the way for Netanyahu’s trip to Oman and his willingness to visit Bahrain, the UAE and Tunisia to improve the relations between the Arab nations and Israel, a policy led by Saudi Arabia.

Trump’s support for Mohammed bin Salman to become the crown prince, unlike the will of Abdul Aziz, has become the source of concern and controversy for the princes of al-Saud. The young crown prince’s modern and secular approach has raised concern for public opinion and religious institutions and clerics. The collapse of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the quagmire of the Saudi war on Yemen, the elimination of Riyadh from Iraq, Syria and Lebanon political equations, and the silent rivalry of Abu Dhabi and Riyadh via 2030 Vision along with the ambitious, unexpected and uncontrollable decisions of the inexperienced and unseasoned young crown prince have escalated to its climax by ordering the brutal murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

Contrary to the personal interests of Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, the elite and ambitious US strategists concerned for the long-term interests of the United States are worried about the future of Saudi kingdom. Removing MBS to preserve House of Saud is the only rational model for protecting the US strategic interests in the Middle East.

Bin Salman’s eye-catching and stunning offer for a joint visit with Trump and Netanyahu is more like a stunt performed by a naughty kid before being punished. The Camp David-style meeting with Netanyahu and Trump, apparently, is not an efficient plan for Mohammed bin Salman to polish his ruthless and vicious image and rehabilitate his reputation in the region and globally.