Brief speech of condemnations, on or about 11 November 2023

Prince Turki Al-Faisal

Saudi Arabia's former intelligence chief and former envoy to US, UK

All military occupied people have a right to resist their occupation, even militarily.

I do not support the military option in Palestine.

I prefer the other option: civil insurrection and disobedience.

It brought down the British Empire in India and the Soviet Empire in Eastern Europe.

Israel has overwhelming military superiority and we see in front of our eyes, the devastation and oblivion it is brining to the people of Gaza.

I categorically condemn Hamas' targeting of civilian targets of any age or gender, as it is accused of.

Such targeting belies Hamas' claims to an Islamic identity.

There is an Islamic injunction against the killing of innocent children, women and elders.

The injunction is also against the desecration of places of worship.

I also condemn Hamas' gifting the higher moral ground to an Israeli government that is universally shunned, even by half of the Israeli public as fascist, miscreant and abhorrent.

I condemn Hamas for giving this awful government the excuse to ethnically cleanse Gaza of its citizens and bombing them to oblivion.

I condemn Hamas to further undermining the Palestinian Authority as Israel has been doing.

I condemn Hamas for sabotaging the attempt of Saudi Arabia to reach a peaceful resolution to the plight of the Palestinian people.

But equally, I condemn Israel's indiscriminate bombing of Palestinian innocent civilians in Gaza and the attempt to forcibly drive them into Sinai.

I condemn Israeli targeted killing and the indiscriminate arrest of Palestinian children, women and men in the West Bank.

Two wrongs don't make a right.

I've been hearing a repeated phrase in American media: unprovoked attack.

What more provocation is required to make it provoked than what Israel has done to the Palestinian people for three quarters of a century?

I refer you to the article in the Middle East Monitor of February 17, 2014 under the title: Israeli army veterans admit role in massacre of Palestinians in 1948.

Read it and weep as I did.

Just this year, from May to July, over 450 Palestinians were killed, including 67 children.

This bloodletting must stop.

I condemn Israel's stealing of Palestinian lands.

I condemn Israeli colonists for rampaging through houses of worship in Al-Asqa Mosque in Jerusalem.

I condemn Israel for destroying Palestinian homes and olive orchards.

I condemn Israel for incarcerating Palestinian women, children and men in concentration camps without recourse to due process.

I condemn Israel's targeted killings and assassinations of Palestinians.

I condemn Israel for funneling Qatari money to Hamas, the terrorist group as defined by Israel.

I condemn Western politicians for shedding tears when Israelis are killed by Palestinians, but refuse to even express sorrow when Israelis kill Palestinians.

There are no heroes in this conflict. Only victims.