Senior Saudi prince: Trump's Jerusalem move threatens stability
US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital will stoke violence in the region, former Saudi intelligence chief Prince Turki al-Faisal said, dismissing reports of prior consultations made with Riyadh over the move.
"It is a very bad decision. The consequences will be more bloodshed, more conflict rather than peaceful resolution," Prince Turki, a senior royal family member and a former ambassador to Washington, told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday in Riyadh.
But Saudi Arabia stopped short of calling for any Arab action against the decision. Palestinian officials say Riyadh has been working for weeks behind the scenes to press them to support a nascent US peace plan.
"The reaction here was total surprise," said Prince Turki, who now holds no government office but remains influential.
"... If there has been prior consultation or anything like that, why would the King go through the process of telling him (Trump) this is a bad idea and make that known publicly?"
