Originally appeared at ZeroHedge
The major French daily Le Figaro on Thursday published a bombshell story which reports the Saudi royal family is actively considering a replacement to crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) as next in line to succeed his father King Salman as the kingdom finds itself under the greatest international pressure and scrutiny it’s faced in its modern history over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi — widely believed to have been killed on orders of MbS himself.
The Li Figaro report’s unnamed diplomatic source says the Allegiance Council, which is historically the body responsible for approving the order of succession to the throne, is currently meeting in secret (translation from the French):
For several days, the Allegiance Council for the ruling Saudi family is meeting in the utmost discretion, says a diplomatic source to Le Figaro in Paris. The information has been confirmed by a Saudi Arabian contacted in Riyadh. Composed of a delegate representing each of the clans — at least seven — of the royal family, this body, responsible for inheritance problems, examines the situation created by the disappearance, still unresolved, more than a fortnight ago, of the journalist dissident Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
The report in France’s oldest top three national newspapers further suggests the ruling family is seeking to replace the 33-year old MbS with his much less ambitious and more predictable brother, Prince Khalid bin Salman.
Image source: AP file photo
The council was already seen as having broken the customary rules of succession last year when it appointed MbS as the new crown prince over next-in-line to the throne Mohammed bin Nayef; however, the council’s authority has tended to be seen as a rubber stamp on already decided succession by the most powerful figures within the ruling family.
The Le Figaro report further cited a Saudi source who explained the transition wouldn’t necessarily be immediate, but that Khalid would gradually replace his brother.
Khalid, who’s even younger than MbS at 28, is said to be popular both at home and abroad, and is generally seen as someone who can improve the kingdom’s image in the West.
Saudi Ambassador to the U.S. Prince Khalid bin Salman. He was recalled last week after Jamal Khashoggi’s disappearance.
He’s been Saudi ambassador to the United States since taking the post in April 2017 but was recalled last week, according to The New York Times. He flew directly back to Riyadh where he was present for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s high pressure but brief visit with King Salman and MbS to discuss to Khashoggi disappearance.
Newsweek summarizes his political career as follows:
Before becoming an ambassador, the prince was an adviser at Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Washington as well as at the Ministry of Defense in Riyadh, according to his bio on the embassy’s website. Prior to that, he served as a pilot in the kingdom’s air force, flying F-15s and taking parting in more than 50 combat missions in Syria and Yemen.
When he took his post in Washington, Marcelle M. Wahba, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and president of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, told Saudi Arabia’s English-language newspaper Arab News that Prince Khalid’s biggest challenge would be improving and broadening the kingdom’s image.
If the ruling family is pushing to replace MbS, it’s likely to be announced fast (or at least “leaks” of the news will continue) in order to relieve the continued pressure on Riyadh.
Currently a public campaign is mounting for lobbying and media companies to pull out of Saudi events, especially the Saudi Future Investment Initiative summit set for this month — which as of Thursday US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he would not be attending, adding his name to a host of other officials.
Doesn’t matter who’s in charge, the beheadings will continue, the slaughter of Yemen will continue, the sponsorship of terrorist groups in Syria will continue, but most if all, the billions and billions of Saudi money will be spent on arms deals with the USA, Britain and now Israel will continue, no this is just a face saving exercise.
Yes, Yemen in particular is for the benefit of the US/UK.
They’d better hurry if they are going to get rid of the lunatic MBS. The king is frail and elderly. Better yet, get rid of the whole feudal mess. If ever a nation was in need of a n Arab spring, it’s Saudis Arabia.
Arab springs are designed to put despots like MBS into power, and destroy democracies. In every instance where the US has overthrown a government, it has always installed a dictator, it’s the American way.
True, populist movements in Arab nations have been perverted by outside forces. I meant it metaphorically.
It was the British that created the feudal mess, and the US has preserved the feudal mess. It’s a lot cheaper for colonialists to lavish wealth on a compliant despot, than to pay the people of a nation that own the resource that the colonialists want. The whole sorry saga with Iran began, because the democratic government of Iran, demanded that BP pay for Iranian oil. So a King(Shah) was installed.
Changing facade would not change what this ugly entity is.
Yes but the ugliness will be more contained within KSA borders unlike MsB who regularly attracted international attention to his antics and unwanted scrutiny – the royal family want to keep the ugliness hidden out of the limelight
Typical Yanqui thinking. All about form and never about altering the substance. Let’s call our despicable acts something else;never lies,cheating and murder.
I would love it. Just this morning some Arab, lady, Saudi shill was on FOX talking extensively about how important our relationship was with bin Salman because he will be ruling Saudi Arabia for 50yrs and our relationship with them is crucial in the region.
Unlike others, it could make a meaningful difference. A change this big would give the Saudis at least ONE opportunity to end the war in Yemen, should they choose to take it.
Silly cow needs to have her backside kicked out of the US back into the rose-perfumed harems she loves so much. The beauties there need a new laundrywoman!
Sooner or later bin Salman will have to be put down… or in the new Saudi term, he will have to be Khashoggied… He’s bat shit crazy, kind or tRumpish, “entitled”.
Yes he is crazy, maybe crazy enough to kill the rest of the royal family?
khalid will be killed
You see FR. dont jump on anything, this is getting intresting, a bit of an show ala Game of Clowns ups….sorry Throwns. And again, revind a bit, to some weeks age, when suddenly the Prince was haing an pep talk with Russia, and then the missile systems, and lord knows what else, and then to the utter horror for the pack of Rats, lead by the Pirates on the Potomac, in the District of Criminals, resitng in the imperial banana republic UssA, there was some drips of talking to Iran. And then, this happens, and by an remarkable flip flop, Erdogan is sounding like an Ameristan spokes person, and is echoing the banana republic, on the attacks on MbS. Timing is everything. That new boy, obviously groomed by the neo-CONs, the senatwhores, the CIAs, the ZioNazis, etc to be an pathetic little sting pupet, you know, feed dope, women and shining toys, and yeah, loook and squirrel dancing polka and playing the harmonica, sweeeeeet.
And this isnt in particilar an exuse or suport of an genuine a..h…. at all, but again, its never to late to turn, if that can be, what is then to do, reconsile, its going to be an long and winding road, but peace ineviatable will be the begining, for Yemen, it will take time, an generation almost destroyed, malnurished and have by just that damaged maybe beyond repair. Its mindboggling to watch the slaughter, and people screams about nonsensical issues and ignores downright genocides. Where the foook is the leftis, the humNazis, the NGOs, the HRWs, the even more rotten ICC, they have no shame, their efforts are so lame it hurts, and the MSM gets away all the time, with propaganda so lame it hurts.
All talk, and nothing happens, blockade of an country is an crime against humanity, but with yemen, everything is suspended, and alowed to go on, by simply ignoring it, in broad daylight, the west gives us the finger.
Yeah, and they claim that I am an Nazi, well, I dont care, racist, I dont care, since they invent something else that I am never the less, like the never ending Pissgate freak show in the banana republic. But one should you know, I suport the Houtis/Yemens with my hart and soul, the yemens fight against the Saudi-barbarians and their hendgemen, with all my hart and soul, since I cant do anything else.
peace
“taking parting in more than 50 combat missions in Syria and Yemen.”
So he’s a murderer, the perfect qualification to rule Saudi Arabia.
My interpretation of the events: the cabal, also referred as “Empire” (saker) or “deep state” (qanon, AJ and US alt-media in general) fabricated the incident and orchestrated global MSM hype in an effort to remove MsB from power and Pompeo ran there to organize/instruct them how to handle this more efficiently as they alone are no match for this chess game. Trump’s repeated mention of weapon delivery contracts was public call to USMIC’s “soft power” to actively engage in this fight – by reminding them that their own interests might be at stake.
Rationale: * Assassination of a problematic journalist on territory of your own diplomatic mission – that intelligence apparatus of the host is obligated to watch and protect 24/7 by int.law/dipl.rules – is so stupid that I can’t grasp how the **** public swallowed such bs * How problematic a journalist could possibly be for a ruling monarch of an old-school (real) monarchy? What? MBS was afraid loosing some seats in midterm elections for Saudi Senate? Are people even aware that elections are phenomenon related to the republic and not (real) monarchies? * MBS’ unprecedented rise to power, broked by Trump, was an important step in the WWG1WGA struggle against the cabal. Purge that MBS done surely made a lot of internal enemies – thus (re)infiltration of Saudi intelligence and diplomatic network (and so on…) required to kill that “journalist” and ignite the event wasn’t that hard problem for the cabal. * And yes, “I sucked father” (as we say in Serbia) so it is clear to me that “members of the family” thinking about removal of the prince because of this assassination – and it has nothing to do with fact that he arrested wealthiest 200+ nobles and ripped them off their money. Nooooouuu, they are just worried about media freedoms in their country.
The Turks have the names of the Killer of the embassy, and there are the closest bodyguards of MBS. The Killer mandator is him, but since the CIA with whom khashoggi worked together, he knew MBS wanted him dead because he did not protect him? The CIA is complicit in murder because Khashoggi knew the truth of the false attack on the twin towers and could speak. We have the killer, we do not know the motive.
But man: does it sounds realistic to you that MBS would assassinate someone on diplomatic mission grounds (observed 24/7 by law), using its own bodyguards… I mean, the whole narrative is so streithforward that i smells like setup to me. Regarding your question, it is good question. Let’s think about the answer: do we know he knew ? do we know he did nothing? do we know if he tried to do something but he failed? are we sure about loyalty of the bodyguards? … If you are right Khashoggi’s assassination is related to 9/11 — that would be very very interesting twist for me. Yet, can’t grasp why would MSM fuel the story in that case? … We have the killer, we don know the motive – but we have operative killer, not the mastermind yet. At least, I can’t accept it as justified assumption yet.
There is a phone call from MBS to Khashoggi in consulate before his killing, so the final order can only be left by him and the Turks are able to verify the telephone traffic in their country. Khashoggi was asked to return to Saudi Arabia, probably following the spies with private plane. He refused and Salman, who was afraid of something, ordered to kill him on the place. Khashoggi was a friend of Bin Laden, ISIS, formerly responsible for the Kingdom media, working for the Washington Post, CIA and Mossad Jewish stuff, but Jared Kushner knowingly sent him to death, and the CIA did not warn him, why? Why was it a danger for MBS and CIA? I do not believe for a democracy problem.
Not democracy problem for sure.
Turks are on the narrative from the beginning, how hard would be to fake log in phone server? Are we sure that MBS’s phoneline is undisclosed? I mean, Saudi Arabia invested billions in cyber espionage and surveillance – how stupid would be to call using line known by 3rd parties? How we know MBS him self called? How we know it was call to Khashoggi? Why the Turks were so curious on Khashoggi, so they tracked him ? (I’m really asking, have no idea)
It is known that Khashoggi wanted to divulge information on the Saudi use of chemical weapons in Yemen (Daily Express), tortured him to tell them the source that was probably killed and so the Americans who know it well, can ignore it.
Ok. But why would Turks want Saudi deeds in Yemen exposed? Why would Turks want to undermine US policy in the region? I don’t get their position in this. They are working against Saudis and US in all possible realities we discussed so far, is it just because of SDF/YPG? Bold move from Erdogan, I would say.
Maybe if they left the body, and just swapped heads with his brother?
Yeah, replace one unelected clown with another.. do everything but give the ordinary people a vote.