The chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in the US has urged the pro-Israel lobbying group, AIPAC, to support Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the leadership of the United Arab Emirates.
Stephen Greenberg told the annual conference, under way here in the US capital, on Monday that he visited both countries and was encouraged by the leaders of the UAE for their “tolerance” and “commitment to fight terrorism”.
He also urged the gathering to support Mohammed bin Salman’s efforts to change Saudi Arabia.
“Real change must be encouraged,” he said.
In his trademark strident tones, Naftali Bennett, Israel’s minister for education and diaspora affairs, said, “Israel is strong and stronger than all of its enemies combined.”
Describing Iran as the head of the octopus that needs to be attacked, Bennett, an extreme rightwing member of Israel’s security cabinet, said, “We also must not allow other countries from going nuclear. We should prevent Saudi Arabia from having nuclear power.”
Danny Ayalon, former Israeli deputy foreign minister, who also spoke at the conference, told Al Jazeera that he has “good relations with Saudi leaders” and that Israel has a lot in common with the Arab Gulf states of Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain, especially in countering Iran’s rising power in the region.
“Iran is our common enemy,” he said.
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