Faisal, chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, said that he had refused to sit on the same panel at a security conference in Munich with Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon, not because of his position in the Israeli government, but because of his boorish conduct towards the Turkish ambassador to Israel, Ahmet Oguz Celikkol. “Mr. Ayalon then asked me to come up to the podium to shake hands to show that there were no hard feelings,” Turki said in a statement carried by the SPA, Sunday. “I pointed to him that he should step down from the podium,” Turki said. “When we stood face-to-face, he said that he apologized for what he had said and I replied that I accepted his apology, not only to me, but also to the Turkish ambassador.” In January, Ayalon made a show of publicly humiliating Celikkol to demonstrate Israeli displeasure over a Turkish television show critical of the Jewish state. American Senator Joseph Liebermann was present at the panel and objected to the Prince's refusal to sit with Ayalon, “but when he [Liebermann] listened to me, he was generous enough to say sorry for the misunderstanding and appreciated my prompt explanation of the situation,” Turki added in the statement. The situation needs not to be taken out of its context, Turki said, “and my condemnation and opposition to Israeli aggressive policies against the Palestinians remains unchanged,” the Prince said. “It appears that Israel and its Arab neighbors want peace, but they should not be expected to tolerate what could be called theft,” the statement added, in a reference to the land Israel has illegally occupied. Without Israel answering the call of US President Barack Obama to remove all settlements, Turki said, “the Israelis must not be under illusion to expect a regional recognition from the Kingdom; something they most desire,” in a reference that the meeting with the Israeli official was not a step towards recognition. Prince Turki said he also objected to Ayalon's allegation that Saudi Arabia has not provided any aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA). In fact, Riyadh has given the PA over $500 million over the past few years.
