Frost Still on U.S.-Saudi Ties

Saudi Arabia and the United States looked closely at each other after Sept. 11, 2001, and neither liked what it saw. The United States discovered that 15 of 19 hijackers had held Saudi citizenship, as had Osama bin Laden until it was stripped from him. Saudi Arabia perceived the U.S. as anti-Muslim and a strong supporter of Israeli oppression of the Palestinians. Time has not soothed the friction that resulted.

Saudi Arabia took a step to repair the alliance this week, agreeing to let the United States use Prince Sultan Air Base as a command center and takeoff point for fighter planes in the event of war with Iraq. That never should have been in question. The United States built the base, at a cost of $1 billion, after the Gulf War, and has stationed about 5,000 troops there. Pentagon planners were so concerned about Saudi reluctance that they had been building up bases elsewhere in the Middle East.

Another move to improve strained ties was Tuesday’s announcement by a chief Saudi foreign policy advisor, Adel al Jubeir, that the kingdom was trying to ensure that charitable money did not go to terrorists. He said that since Sept. 11 Riyadh had frozen 33 accounts belonging to three individuals and totaling $5.6 million. At the same time, Jubeir complained that Saudi Arabia was being unfairly maligned over the disclosure that charitable donations from the wife of Saudi Arabia’s ambassador in Washington may have indirectly helped two of the Sept. 11 hijackers in San Diego.

The donation may well have been unwitting. The Bush administration has muted its criticism, but it is having to fight off harsh suspicions among some Senate leaders, including Bob Graham (D-Fla.), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

It is unfortunate that many Saudis do not understand the effect of Sept. 11 on Americans. Jubeir said Tuesday that Bin Laden wanted to drive a wedge between Riyadh and Washington, which is true. The diplomat said that if only two or three of the hijackers had been Saudi, “our people ... faith ... educational system” would not have been subjected to “severe and outrageous criticism.” But 15 of the 19 were Saudis, and other nations are right to ask why.

What is truly outrageous is that the Saudi interior minister said in an interview published last month that Zionists were responsible for Sept. 11 and “the Zionist-controlled media ... manipulated the events of Sept. 11 and turned the U.S. public opinion against Arabs and Islam.” Such distortions, especially by Cabinet ministers, will keep tensions high despite all attempts to repair frayed relations.