Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, confronted Joe Biden on Friday after the US president questioned him about the murder in 2018 of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
MBS, also known as Bin Salman, did not provide accountability for the demise of Jamal Khashoggi in the consulate of Turkey’s kingdom. Biden said he was not in agreement with MBS, as indicated by American assessments, based on the source.
In response to Biden bringing up the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Mohammed bin Salman cited sexual and physical abuse of prisoners at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison by US military personnel and the May killing of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in the occupied West Bank as incidents that reflected poorly on the US. Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi foreign minister, told reporters on Saturday that “the Crown Prince responded to President Biden’s remarks on … Khashoggi after quite clearly — that this crime, while very unfortunate and abhorrent, is something that the kingdom took very seriously (and) acted upon in a way commiserate with its position as a responsible country.””These are issues, mistakes that happen in any country,” bin Farhan said. “The Crown Prince pointed out that the US has made its own mistakes and has taken the necessary action to hold those responsible accountable and address these mistakes just as the kingdom has.”
Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, made a similar comment in an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer following the conclusion of a meeting held between Saudi Arabia and the United States.
In 2004, a trove of graphic images from the prison was leaked, depicting the torture and sexual abuse of Iraqi prisoners by US military personnel. Eleven US soldiers were convicted of crimes relating to the scandal. Renowned Al Jazeera journalist Abu Akleh was killed when an Israeli military raid entered Jenin in the West Bank city.
Reporting on Palestinian suffering for decades, journalist Naji Abu Akleh’s death was of a huge loss to the Arab world. Footage obtained by CNN — corroborated by testimony from eight eyewitnesses, an audio forensic analyst and an explosive weapons expert — suggested that Abu Akleh, who was wearing a helmet and blue protective vest marked “Press” at the time of her killing, was shot dead in a targeted attack by Israeli forces. In the West Bank on Friday, US Vice President Joe Biden said America insists on a “full and transparent accounting” of the killing of the journalist.
President Biden said the United States would continue to insist on a full and transparent accounting of her death and would continue to stand up for media freedom. Palestinian officials and members of Abu Akleh’s family have criticized the US probe and are urging the US to do more to hold Israel accountable for the killing.
“Her legacy inspires young people to carry on her work of reporting the truth and telling stories that are too often overlooked,” said Vice President Biden in a speech today. “The United States will continue to insist on a full and transparent accounting of her death and will continue to stand up for media freedom everywhere in the world.”