“We as Arabs have to recognize that "Jerusalem" (al-Quds) is a Jewish religious symbol as sacred to Jews as Mecca and Medina is sacred to Muslims.”

The above words, as amazing as they may seem, are nevertheless the statement by a well-known Saudi individual who was interviewed this past week by the ALHURRA network.

A blogger named Abu Ali spotted the Arabic-language broadcast in which the retired Saudi official, Abdul Hamid Hakim, was interviewed regarding his views about the recent statement by U.S. President Donald Trump recognizing al-Quds (Jerusalem) as the capital of Israel.

Hakim heads the office of the Middle East Institute located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and was among those who joined retired Saudi General Anwar Ashiqat, who visited Israel on July 22, 2016, according to Abu Ali.

The blogger wrote that “Ashiqat, a consultant who is close to the Saudi royal family, would not have come to Israel had he not first received permission from the king.”

Abu Ali underscored the importance of Hakim’s position as “a well-known Saudi official, living in Saudi Arabia,” adding that there are “clear connections between him and the Saudi royal family, reflecting the unprecedented manner in which the historic rights of the Jewish people in al-Quds (Jerusalem) [are being addressed].

(Picture: Abdul Hamid Hakim of Saudi Arabia, interviewed on ALHURRA television network)