JNN 03 Mar 2011 : Bahraini protesters in response to the news that if Saudi military intervene in the internal affairs of Bahrain for the suppression of popular protests, announced that they probably will seek help from Iran to respond to any intervention. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Sultan Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia
‘Coup may happen in Saudi Arabia’
JNN 18 Dec 2010 : A political analyst has said that a coup could happen in Saudi Arabia, with the health issues of the elderly monarch providing an opportunity for the plotters.“It is possible that a coup could happen, and I see nothing to prevent that from happening,” Dr. Kamal Helbawy of the Center for the Study of Terrorism said in an interview with JNN on Saturday.
“Both in Qatar and Oman in the past, the sons of the kings stole the leadership from their fathers, and I think there is a rift in the house of Saud,” he added.
Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah was hospitalized in the United States on November 22 for a debilitating herniated disc, complicated by a hematoma that put pressure on his spine.
Saudi Health Minister Abdullah al-Rabeeah said the state of the monarch’s health was “very reassuring” following the first operation on his disc.
Earlier in the month, US surgeons performed another operation on the monarch’s back, which was reported to have gone smoothly.
“With his old age and sickness, there is suspicion about succession. There has been tension in the family for several decades. I believe there is a political and religious crisis,” Helbawy said.
King Abdullah has left his half-brother, Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz, who is thought to be suffering from cancer, at the helm.
The prolonged convalescence of the Saudi ruler has raised doubts about King Abdullah’s succession.
'Coup may happen in Saudi Arabia'
JNN 18 Dec 2010 : A political analyst has said that a coup could happen in Saudi Arabia, with the health issues of the elderly monarch providing an opportunity for the plotters.“It is possible that a coup could happen, and I see nothing to prevent that from happening,” Dr. Kamal Helbawy of the Center for the Study of Terrorism said in an interview with JNN on Saturday.
“Both in Qatar and Oman in the past, the sons of the kings stole the leadership from their fathers, and I think there is a rift in the house of Saud,” he added.
Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah was hospitalized in the United States on November 22 for a debilitating herniated disc, complicated by a hematoma that put pressure on his spine.
Saudi Health Minister Abdullah al-Rabeeah said the state of the monarch’s health was “very reassuring” following the first operation on his disc.
Earlier in the month, US surgeons performed another operation on the monarch’s back, which was reported to have gone smoothly.
“With his old age and sickness, there is suspicion about succession. There has been tension in the family for several decades. I believe there is a political and religious crisis,” Helbawy said.
King Abdullah has left his half-brother, Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz, who is thought to be suffering from cancer, at the helm.
The prolonged convalescence of the Saudi ruler has raised doubts about King Abdullah’s succession.
Silent coup underway in Riyadh?
JNN 29 Nov 2010 : Arab experts have discussed the possibility of a silent coup in Saudi Arabia as the power struggle hikes in the kingdom after ailing King Abdullah’s trip to the US.A seminar recently held in Cairo focused on the political future of Saudi Arabia in the absence of King Abdullah’s trip to the US for treatment and the prospects of his possible death.
The meeting, “The Future of Political Conflict among the Heirs in Saudi Arabia,” attended by Arab experts and politicians, including Saudi academics and Egypt’s al-Azhar scholars concluded that there was a fight over the throne among Al Saud heirs.
The conflict they said was being covertly fueled and steered by the US and Israel who see the oil-rich Arab kingdom an issue of mutual concern and consider it to be the primary strategic ally in the Middle East against the forces of resistance.
The experts noted that documents and information available indicate that the conflict is going in two directions: First among the sons of King Abdul Aziz and the second among his grandchildren.
In the first group are the remainder of the Al Sudairy Clan — seven sons of King Ibn Saud and Princess Hassa bint Ahmad Al Sudairy — most notably Defense Minister Prince Sultan, Riyadh’s Governor Prince Salman and Interior Minister Prince Nayef, who is largely backed by hardline Wahhabis.
The second the experts said is among the grandchildren of Abdul Aziz ibn Saud, and most notably Khaled bin Sultan, who effectively runs the defense ministry and Mutaib bin Abdullah who is in charge of the Saudi National Guard.
Among the second group is Bandar bin Sultan, widely seen as closely tied with US intelligence services and his return to the kingdom after a one-year absence is not deemed much of a coincidence.
Given the old age and diminishing health of King Abdullah and his brothers, the conflict between Bandar and Mutaib is the only serious power struggle which might amount to war, the meeting concluded. They noted that Washington is seeking to arrange a peaceful power transition, although Bandar’s rule would better serve its interests.
The participants in the seminar cautioned against changes in the Saudi government that might further reinforce Wahhabi extremists in the kingdom, bring closer cooperation between Riyadh and Washington and even lead to normalization of ties Tel Aviv.
They also demanded the independence of the holy Muslim sites from the dominance of the Al Saud royal family and Wahhabis, and called for the supervision of independent Muslim nations and scholars instead.
JNN News 
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