Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved an operation to capture or kill journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, according to an intelligence report that could have important implications for U.S.-Saudi relations.
The report, released Friday by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, cited the Crown Prince’s control over decision-making in Saudi Arabia, as well as the involvement of a key adviser and members of his detail protector in the operation that killed Khashoggi.
“Since 2017, the Crown Prince has absolute control over the security and intelligence organizations of the Kingdom, so it is highly unlikely that Saudi officials would have carried out such an operation without the permission of the Crown Prince, ”the report states.
The intelligence assessment also noted “the Crown Prince’s support for the use of violent measures to silence dissidents abroad, including Khashoggi.”
The CIA-led assessment, which had so far been classified, comes as President Joe Biden seeks to reshape the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia after years in which the Trump administration ignored human rights abuses. of the kingdom despite his condemnation in Congress and the United Nations.
Khashoggi, a 59-year-old U.S. resident and Washington Post contributor who had criticized the Saudi royal family, entered a Saudi consulate in Turkey on October 2, 2018 and never left. He was killed by a group of assassins, who later dismembered his body. His remains were never recovered.
In a diplomatic reprimand to the Crown Prince, the White House made it clear this week that Biden does not consider bin Salman, 35, his counterpart and will instead maintain relations through his old father, King Salman. Young bin Salman has been the public face of the kingdom since he became Crown Prince in 2017.
Robert Mahoney, executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, speaks at a news conference calling for a UN call on the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the United Nations in New York, USA, on October 18. 2018.
Shannon Stapleton | Reuters
“In Saudi Arabia I would say we have made it clear from the outset that we will recalibrate our relationship with Saudi Arabia,” Psaki said Tuesday from the White House.
On Thursday, Biden, in his first call to the 85-year-old king, “affirmed the importance the United States attaches to universal human rights and the rule of law,” according to a White House reading.
Biden also told Salman that he “would work to make the bilateral relationship as strong and transparent as possible,” the White House said.
Khashoggi’s name was not mentioned in the reading.
Saudi authorities initially denied any knowledge of Khashoggi’s death and later claimed the journalist fought inside the consulate and died in the clash. Saudi authorities finally admitted that Khashoggi was killed in a “rogue operation”, denying that Bin Salman was involved.
A United Nations investigator concluded in a June 2019 report that Khashoggi was “the victim of a deliberate and premeditated execution, an extrajudicial assassination that corresponds to the state of Saudi Arabia under international human rights law.” .
Trump tried to publicly question the Crown Prince’s involvement in Khashoggi’s death, even after several media outlets reported that the CIA concluded that bin Salman himself had ordered the journalist’s assassination. Trump said the CIA had “nothing definite” while claiming that the oil-rich kingdom would remain a “firm partner” for the U.S.
“It could be that the Crown Prince was aware of this tragic event, perhaps yes and perhaps no.” Trump said that less than two months after Khashoggi’s death. Trump’s conciliatory stance contrasted sharply with outrage from members of Congress and the media over Khashoggi’s assassination..
The Trump administration conducted relations through the Crown Prince, who maintained close personal ties with members of the Trump family, in particular the son-in-law of former President Donald Trump, Jared Kushner.
Trump made Saudi Arabia his first stop in the Middle East when he made his first visit to the region in 2017. The kingdom threw the red carpet of the former reality star.
The Trump administration took advantage of its ties with the Gulf monarchies to normalize relations between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
The former president also vetoed a congressional effort to block billions of dollars in arms sales to Saudi Arabia as well as the United Arab Emirates, and an attempt to end U.S. involvement in the war. of Yemen.
Biden’s review of relations with Saudi Arabia is part of a broader shift in U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.
The president has put an end to U.S. support for the Saudi war in Yemen as he tries to return to the negotiating table with Iran, Riyadh’s enemy, over its nuclear program.
The U.S. president last week called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his first conversation with a Middle East leader since taking office. The Saudis and Israelis are de facto allies, though they have no formal diplomatic ties, in their efforts to counter Iranian influence in the region.
Biden “discussed regional security on Thursday” in his call with King Salman, and noted his administration’s efforts to end the war in Yemen “and the U.S. commitment to help Saudi Arabia defend their territory as it faces attacks by aligned groups in Iran, “the White House reading said.
Biden and Salman also “affirmed the historical nature of the relationship and agreed to work together on issues of mutual concern and interest,” according to the White House.
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