US senators slam Saudi rights record, call crown prince ‘full gangster’

At the confirmation hearing of new Ambassador to Saudi Arabia John Abizaid on Wednesday, Republican and Democratic US senators censured the kingdom over its devastating war on Yemen and other rights abuses, including the detention and torture of women’s rights activists and the grisly murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey.

Bin Salman is known as the architect of the bloody war on Yemen in his capacity as Saudi defense minister. The heir to the Saudi throne is reported to have ordered the assassination of Khashoggi – an outspoken critic of bin Salman’s policies – last October at Riyadh’s Istanbul consulate.

‘CIA concludes bin Salman ordered Khashoggi murder’

The Washington Post says the CIA has concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Republican Senator Marco Rubio said Saudi Arabia was the “most difficult” US ally “because it almost asks us to agree to stay silent on grotesque violations of human rights both domestically and abroad.”

“He is reckless, he’s ruthless, he has a penchant for escalation, for taking high risks, confrontational in his foreign policy approach and I think increasingly willing to test the limits of what he can get away with the United States,” Rubio said. “He’s gone full gangster. And it’s difficult to work with a guy like that no matter how important the relationship is.”

Abizaid’s hearing comes two days after senators received a briefing from administration officials on Khashoggi’s killing.

Senator Bob Menendez, Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s ranking Democrat, acknowledged the strategic importance of Saudi ties, but said “we cannot let these interests blind us to our values or to our long-term interests in stability.”

Committee Chairman Jim Risch said while Saudi Arabia was a strategically important ally, the alliance must be reconciled with American values.

“Saudi Arabia has engaged in acts that are simply not acceptable,” he said.

Congressmen have been sharply critical of bin Salman and the Trump administration’s inaction on Riyadh’s human rights violations at home and abroad.

US lawmakers press for Saudi bans over Yemen, Khashoggi

US lawmakers renew push for sanctions against Saudi Arabia over the kingdom’s ongoing war on Yemen and its murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a dissident journalist.

The Senate and House of Representatives have adopted resolutions that would put an end to US support for the Saudi-led coalition waging war on Yemen.

President Donald Trump’s nominee for US ambassador to Riyadh, Abizaid, however, repeatedly stressed the strategic importance of Washington-Riyadh ties and said Washington should keep up support for the kingdom.

“In the long run, we need a strong and mature partnership with Saudi Arabia,” Abizaid said, adding, “It is in our interests to make sure that the relationship is sound.”

Abizaid, who led US Central Command during the Iraq war, said the Trump administration believes strongly that US support for the kingdom should continue.