Posted on 04/28/2012 11:59:57 AM PDT by BenLurkin
Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador to Egypt and closed its embassy in Cairo and its consulates in Alexandria and Suez Saturday, following protests in the Egyptian capital over a human rights lawyer imprisoned in the Arab kingdom.
The decision to pull out Saudi diplomats came after protester "attempts to storm and threaten the security and safety of its (embassy) employees," according to the Saudi Press Agency.
Throngs of Egyptians had gathered in front of the Saudi Embassy this week, calling for the release of Egyptian lawyer Ahmed el-Gezaw -- detained earlier this month for allegedly insulting King Abdullah.
Saudi officials say el-Gezawi was arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle thousands of pills into the country.
El-Gezawi has since been sentenced to flogging and faces a year behind bars, the group reported.
Video of the demonstrations in Cairo was posted online earlier this week and showed sign-wielding crowds chanting slogans in front of the Saudi Embassy.
"Say it, don't be afraid, the Egyptian will be lashed," the crowd chanted. "We will lash the ambassador! Lash us imprison us! Tomorrow the revolution will be in Medina."
In a statement Saturday, the Egyptian government denounced "these irresponsible acts," saying that it regrets "the individual incidents, which were conducted by some citizens against the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Cairo."
"It's a relationship that's been flawed," said Steven Cook, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. "Especially since the uprising, many Egyptians regard Saudis as a counterrevolutionary force in the region."
"The Saudis were not enthusiastic about their uprising," Cook said of Egypt, pointing to apparent concerns among elites in the oil-rich kingdom over their own grip on power. "And they were angry at the United States for its role in supporting the movement."
(Excerpt) Read more at theindychannel.com ...
I’d think this is a very bad sign, a sign of a possible regional war coming in the near future.
This is not good
As long as all that is happening is that the Islamicists are killing each other, I’m good.
Visualize the Muslim Brotherhood, and by extension al Queda, in possession of Saudi oil revenue to fund their operations.
Visualize a vast expansion of Bakken oil recovery operations, a vast expansion of North American oil exploration and production. Visualize dozens of middle-east nuthouse regimes going bankrupt.
There's that smart diplomacy again.
Egypt is in deNile about circling the drain.
Visualize Mecca and Medina getting large glass parking lots and the oil fields of the NE getting a new owner.
Right on. A pox on both their houses.
Didn't some Muslim Brotherhoods just visit the White Hut the other day?
Hey Saudi Arabia, is Egypt becoming too muslim for ya?
Human rights lawyer, isn’t that something like a Chicago rabble rousing community organizer?
[”Visualize a vast expansion of Bakken oil recovery operations, a vast expansion of North American oil exploration and production.”]
Visualize a second term Obama and the above will never happen.
And just why would a regional war between the Saudi factions and the Iranian factions be a bad thing?
Let these two destroy each other as they BOTH deserve ass whoopins.
War in that region will end with the Iranians and the Muslim brotherhood probably gaining more power. Israel cannot survive such a situation. I don’t even think the Russians would want this.
The Suez might be cut off as well during the whole process for leverage.
After building up the Saudi military they kicked us out of their little sand box.
Course if pooh hits the fan they will come begging for our return.
Israel is going to defend themselves with nukes if necessary.
And as for the Suez etc, it is Japan, China and Europe that gets it oil from there not the U.S. and though the international trade would take an enormous hit, I really do not give a damn what happens to Japan, China, or Europe as they all seem to enjoy crapping on the U.S.
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