A top Saudi official on Thursday defended Saudi aid to the families of suicide bombers and faulted Israel’s recent attempt to assassinate leaders of the Palestinian militant group Hamas. As the White House branded Hamas the major obstacle to Mideast peace amid a wave of bloodshed that has thrown a U.S.-backed peace plan into turmoil, Adel al-Jubeir, adviser to Crown Prince Abdullah, condemned terrorism, but refused to condemn Hamas directly, and focused his criticism on Israel. “Our view has been and remains that we are against targeted assassination of individuals. We believe it is morally wrong,” he told a news conference. “They do not achieve any objective other than further fueling hate and provoking reactions and responses, which in turn provoke more reactions and responses, which in turn keeps the cycle of violence going and accelerated,” he said. The region has been engulfed in a wave of retributive violence this week, including a Palestinian suicide bombing that killed 16 in Jerusalem on Wednesday and lethal Israeli attacks in Gaza. Full Story
About OODA Analyst
OODA is comprised of a unique team of international experts capable of providing advanced intelligence and analysis, strategy and planning support, risk and threat management, training, decision support, crisis response, and security services to global corporations and governments.