Jewish Leaders Met With Saudi Crown Prince Tuesday
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman holds a meeting with members of the British government. Image by Dan Kitwood – WPA Pool/Getty Images
By Josh Nathan-Kazis March 30, 2018
Leaders of a handful of Jewish establishment groups met with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince in New York this week, the Jerusalem Post reports. AIPAC, the American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish Federations of North America, B’nai B’rith, and the Presidents Conference were represented, according to the Post.
Notably absent from the meeting were progressive Jewish groups like J Street, Ameinu, or Americans for Peace Now.
The Jerusalem Post cited “Jewish leaders” asserting that the meeting was a sign that the new crown prince, Mohammad Bin Salman, is interested in warmer ties to Israel. In fact, security cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Israel has quickly ramped up in recent months.
Bin Salman, also the country’s defense minister, is pursuing a military intervention in Yemen, where the country has been accused of international humanitarian law violations amid civilian deaths.
Contact Josh Nathan-Kazis at [email protected] or on Twitter, @joshnathankazis.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
