BIN TALAL: No, never. Giuliani should never have politicized the matter.
Look, America has to face reality if they don’t want to fight terrorism for the next 100 years. You’re going to kill bin Laden, you’re going to kill the Taliban, but you’re going to have tens of bin Ladens and tens of Talibans coming. What the Americans are doing now in Afghanistan is right. I’m with them all the way. They have to take revenge. They have to retaliate. Nobody’s disputing that at all. But I recommend to the United States–as a friend–[that] you’ve got to address the roots of the problem. Don’t forget that I have business interests in the United States. Publicly I’m saying I am an ally and a friend of America! Publicly. And you can quote me: I–am–an–ally–of–America. And I lost a lot in this attack. Like Mr. Giuliani and the United States want to eradicate terrorism, I want to eradicate terrorism also.
The value of our real estate went down substantially, didn’t it? Look at hotel occupancy: down by half. The Four Seasons, the Pierre: we manage both hotels. The Plaza: we own 50 percent. You know we have a big presence in New York: Saks Fifth Avenue, AOL Time Warner…
It was none of his business. His business was to receive the check. I felt there was a role for me to bridge the gap between the Muslim world and New York. We wanted New Yorkers–and Americans in general–to understand there is a very good face of the Arab world and of Saudi Arabia, not just this filthy and terrible disaster that took place. And we had to state our position very clearly, and now. Because it’s not only that the U.S. is facing sorrow and grief. Even in the midst of that, President Bush is beginning to talk about the Palestinian case [for their own state], because he understands very well that we have to look at the roots of things.
I couldn’t come to New York and say, “Take the money, everything’s fine.” Everything’s not fine at all. What took place in New York should never, never, ever happen again. But it is going to happen again, God forbid, if we don’t look at the roots of the problem: it’s frustration because America is not acting well toward the Middle East. This blind backing of Israel is not right.
Both.
Ten years ago, the Palestinians were all being thrown out of the gulf because Yasir Arafat backed Saddam Hussein during the gulf war.
That’s an internal problem between brothers. They blundered, they goofed up and they were penalized for sure… But Arafat is back now.
Which Americans? Giuliani and some media people? If the Americans want to [ally] with Israel, fine. But they have to be more just with the Palestinians… The media in America is anti-Arab, pro-Israel. It’s a fact. You want to know why?
Israel is doing a better job getting its message out.
Thanks be to God.
There’s no company in Palestine I’m not involved with.
That would diminish my noble cause.
