Saudis have a lot more truth they could tell

Saudis have a lot more truth they could tell

... in case you're wondering why the the US is mealy-mouthed about Khashoggi - and Israel is virtually silent.
 
JTA: Notably, the mainstream pro-Israel groups, like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee, were not joining in the attacks, and Israeli officials were silent as well.

The Saudis, Israel, and the US have a secret beyond their mutual interest in the lucrative oil and arms industries that anyone of them could blurt if so inclined. Netanyahu hints at the power of this secret in a video he supposedly was unaware had been recorded. (Or did he know the cameras had not been turned off, and wanted to subtly threaten the US?)

The above photo (CNN) is great comic relief from all the intrigue: A bald Khashoggi walks into the the consulate, and then walks out with  a mass of dark hair on his head.

No, it wasn't a pretence that Khashoggi left the consulate alive, it was simply that by now he was just a pile of sawed-up bones and one of the killers ("Mustafa al-Madani") really, really likes American clothes.

But seriously folks: CTV states clearly that Khashoggi was no ordinary journalistic absconder from Saudi Arabia ... 

• Khashoggi, a prominent journalist and royal court insider for decades in Saudi Arabia, had written columns critical of Prince Mohammed and the kingdom's direction while living in self-imposed exile in the U.S.

... and the Tweet from his fiancee ...

• "God have mercy on you my love Jamal, and may you rest in Paradise" ...

... carries obvious double meanings:

Usually when one says, "May God have mercy on you" it's more of a curse than a blessing -- a strong criticism of your sinful ways. "May you rest in Paradise" could also mean "I hope you're dead."

Really, I don't mean to be crass and unsympathetic, but it's hard to believe any of this story! Given all the deliberate intrigue, the "fiancee" might well be a foil.

Nation: Germany won't export arms to Saudi 'in current situation'

Oh, that's a nice one. Merkel's pretty much saying that if the Saudis don't play nice she is going to take away their means of slaughtering Yemeni children.

Canada's Freeland, however,"stopped short of announcing sanctions or freezing weapons sales to Saudi Arabia". Globe&Mail

And we thought she was a tough cookie!  (She also facilitated the sale of warplanes to Iran)

Meanwhile, the Saudis shouldn't think that, by saying “The Crown Prince was not aware of this,” and that “This was an operation that was a rogue operation”, this is convincing evidence that the rumours of the death of MBS are false, but those of Khashoggi's death sort of might be true.

Global News attempts to cement that evidence with this headline:

• 4 calls made from consulate to Saudi prince’s office the day Khashoggi was killed

They don't, however, mention who answered the phone.

The Observer asked in May if MBS was dead, and I've seen no definitive proof since then that he is alive. It would have been nice if Chrystia Freeland had travelled to Riyadh to discuss with him the specific human non-rights infraction she said he committed, and the Globe and Mail had gone with her to record the visit - with a time stamp on it.

So far, all we get is the odd undated photo and, more recently, a brief video shot of Pompeo chatting happily with MBS  (see "MBS Lives" on YYC) but without a sound track or a date stamp, though persons close to Pompeo claimed he had been very "stern" in discussion with MBS about the situation with Khashoggi.

Albawaba stated in June:

• Rumors over the fate of MBS has been widely-shared on the internet raising questions that he may have been injured during the royal palace shooting, claimed as a failed coup attempt on April 21. The Saudi government suggested it was security forces, shooting down a toy drone.

Yeah, but the Saudis also said that Khashoggi died in a mere "fistfight" after it was reported that the killers entered the consulate carrying a "bone saw" and dismembered him.

What it comes down to is that, even though sticks and stones could break the bones of most royal Saudis, mere words can never hurt them, because they have much scarier words in their arsenal that Israel and the US don't want them uttering.

​So the current criticism is pretty much just a formality that the Saudis can accept as mere face-saving.

Newsweek: [New Book] There remains a conspiracy of silence among high former U.S. and Saudi officials about the [9/11] attacks.

Even Readers' Digest didn't laugh at the questions being asked by "9/11 truthers"

However a perceived need for caution in dealing with the Saudis is reinforced by Global News:

• ... while raising the matter privately might not be as “emotionally satisfying,” doing so is still the best option, says Dennis Horack.

Image: The Truth Movement