Palestine is a headache Saudi King Salman doesn’t need as he confronts rare demands from members of his ruling family that he and his son be removed from power, growing unease about a seven-month old devastating military campaign in Yemen that has caused devastation and mounting civilian casualties, widespread criticism of the kingdom’s handling of the Haj in the wake of a deadly stampede, and concern about the financial and economic management of the kingdom against the backdrop of dropping oil prices.
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Khaled Al-Faisal, emir of Makkah and advisor of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Prince Faisal Bin Salman, emir of Madinah, Prince Faisal Bin Bandar, emir of Riyadh, Prince Muqrin, Prince Ahmad, several other princes, ministers and senior officials, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Speaking to the British daily The Guardian, the prince – one of the hundreds of grandsons of the nation’s founder Abdulaziz Ibn Saud – said plans were being put into place to replace Salman, who succeeded King Abdullah in January.
“The king is not in a stable condition and in reality the son of the king [Mohammed bin Salman] is ruling the kingdom”, claimed the prince, who is unnamed for security reasons.
He added that he expected four or five of his uncles, Salman’s brothers and half-brothers, to meet shortly and discuss the issues he raised in his letters.
He added that the public and many senior tribal leaders have similar views, in light of Saudi Arabia’s recent troubles, both at home and overseas.
Like many modern Arab countries Saudi Arabia is a 20th-century construction. The double tragedy in Mecca, where a crane collapsed and killed 100 people, as well as the hajj stampede which resulted to injuries and deaths, are just among the factors that contributed to the call for change in leadership. “They say you have to do this or the country will go to disaster”. Since there are no monarchies in Islam and Saudi Arabia itself is not mentioned in the Qur’an, legitimacy is a fundamental issue for the Saudis and the Hajj disasters have been extremely damaging.
Now, many are accusing Mohammed bin Salman of rushing into the war without a proper military strategy or an exit plan.
The prince’s letters also alluded to a wider dissatisfaction with King Salman, stretching far beyond the royal family.
“This is a war against the Yemeni nation and against Yemen becoming independent”.
Saudi Arabia is predicted to exceed its budget by more than $162 billion this year, with King Salman’s son, Mohammed bin Salman coming under increasing pressure, as he is in charge of oil policy.
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“It has no legitimate political foundation and it is not what the people want”, he said. Since 1932, when Saudi Arabia was founded, the royal family has kept the country together masterfully.
