Democrats Disagree Over Relationship with Saudi Arabia

US Representative Adam Smith (Reuters)
US Representative Adam Smith (Reuters)
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Democrats Disagree Over Relationship with Saudi Arabia

US Representative Adam Smith (Reuters)
US Representative Adam Smith (Reuters)

US Democratic Representatives have tackled the Saudi-US relationship, with Representative Adam Smith warning against launching vague and incomprehensible threats against Saudi Arabia.

Earlier, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said President Joe Biden is willing to begin reevaluating the US-Saudi ties after the Kingdom and its oil-exporting allies announced production cuts of two million barrels per day.

In statements to CNN, Smith stressed that it is necessary to understand how Saudi Arabia views the situation in Yemen, and Saudi officials felt that the US did not help them while they were being attacked.

He criticized the vague statements on the reassessment of US relations with Saudi Arabia, saying some are demanding a freeze, which he does not understand.

Smith was referring to the statements of the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Bob Menendez, who demanded a freeze of cooperation with Saudi Arabia, including arms sales.

He criticized the statements of Menendez - who is also a Democrat - saying they have no clear definition of the meaning of the freeze in relations, adding that suspension of arms sales would allow Saudi Arabia to have closer relationships with Russia and China.

Smith explained that if the US suspended the arms deal with Saudi Arabia, it would buy weapons from other countries, such as Russia and China, warning that Beijing might seize the opportunity to enter the largest market in the Middle East, which would constitute a big challenge for Washington.

In another interview with CNN, Kirby said about Saudi Arabia that “the President has been very clear that this is a relationship that the US needs to continue to reevaluate.”

"I think that is where he is, and he is willing to work with Congress to think through what that relationship ought to look like going forward," he said.

US observers described the Biden administration as "blundering," noting that it tries to escape crises by blaming other parties.

They indicated that Biden previously blamed the Russian President and the Russian-Ukrainian war for the rise in oil prices last summer, and now he blames Saudi Arabia.

They believe Biden is trying to deflect attention from criticism of his economic policies and push a massive financial aid package in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, in addition to the student debt relief, bringing the national debt to unprecedented levels, surpassing $31 trillion.



Saudi Arabia Condemns Far-Right Israeli Minister’s Storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound

 A general view of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound as Muslim worshippers attend the last Friday prayers of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, in Jerusalem, March 28, 2025. (Reuters)
A general view of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound as Muslim worshippers attend the last Friday prayers of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, in Jerusalem, March 28, 2025. (Reuters)
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Saudi Arabia Condemns Far-Right Israeli Minister’s Storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound

 A general view of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound as Muslim worshippers attend the last Friday prayers of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, in Jerusalem, March 28, 2025. (Reuters)
A general view of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound as Muslim worshippers attend the last Friday prayers of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, in Jerusalem, March 28, 2025. (Reuters)

Saudi Arabia strongly condemned on Wednesday the storming of Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound by Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry slammed the repeated “flagrant Israeli violations of the sanctity of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

It also condemned Israeli forces for attacking an UNRWA clinic in northern Gaza, saying it was another in a series of attacks by Israel against UN and relief agencies.

“The Kingdom condemns the continued Israeli violations of international law and international humanitarian law, underscoring its categorical rejection of everything that may undermine the historic and legal status of Jerusalem and its holy sites,” said the ministry.

It called on the international community to “put a stop to the Israeli war machine that has no regard for any human values or law or international norms.”

It warned that the international community’s failure to deter these dangerous and ongoing violations will undermine opportunities to achieve peace and undermine the credibility of international law, as well as impact regional and global security and stability.