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A Senate Democrat pushing for an end to the war in Iran and the creation of a Palestinian state met with Saudi Arabia’s crown prince during a trip to the Middle East.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., in a post on X revealed that he had met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS, on Monday.
Murphy, who arrived in the region on Saturday for meetings in Qatar, acknowledged that he’s taken issue with the Saudi leader’s policies, but that it was “important for us to be here to recognize that there are things that we need to work on together — the end of the war with Iran, a pathway to a Palestinian state.”
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He noted that he’s been in disagreement with the Saudis, particularly over the Gulf country’s several investments in President Donald Trump’s family businesses, but that “there’s got to be space for political dialogue and speech here in Saudi Arabia.”
“We talked about those things. I’m not saying we came to conclusions, but I think it’s important for the crown prince to not just hear from the Trump administration, but to hear from people who want a different path for Saudi Arabia in the region and in the world,” Murphy said.
“But those points of alignment are important as well,” he continued. “We are not going to get a permanent end to this war without the Saudis’ help. We’re not going to get a Palestinian state without the Saudis’ help.”
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Murphy notably did not mention Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post journalist who was murdered and dismembered by Saudi operatives at a Saudi Arabian consulate in Turkey in 2018.
Years ago, Murphy was demanding accountability from the Saudi government over Khashoggi’s slaying.
“And I think what we have to remember is that it took two weeks for the Saudi government to cop to what had happened,” Murphy said around the one-year anniversary of Khashoggi’s death. “The people that we do business with — the president and the secretary of state that talked to you on a regular basis — were lying to the entire world and to the American public for two weeks when it was patently clear as to what had happened.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Murphy’s office for comment on Khashoggi and his meeting with MBS.
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Meanwhile, Murphy’s confab with MBS was part of a broader trip to the region. The lawmaker announced on Saturday that he had just arrived in Qatar for a slate of meetings and noted that he was likely the first Democrat to set foot in the Middle East since the Iran war began earlier this year.
Murphy, one of the more vocal critics of the war, said his trip was meant to view war damage, speak with allies about the conflict’s regional impact and meet with actors working to end the fighting.
He’s so far met with Ali Al Thawadi, a key diplomat who coordinates U.S.-Iran shuttle diplomacy, and another key leader in the region, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Murphy noted that “there are so many things Qatar does to protect U.S. interests,” like hosting the largest U.S. military base in the region, housing Afghan refugees, and acting as key middlemen to getting hostages out of Gaza.
“And they are mediators right now in the effort to end the war with Iran,” Murphy said. “I thanked him for all of this. Qatar is and will remain an essential ally of the United States.”
“Of course, I was also candid with him, in particular regarding my deep concerns about the transfer of the luxury plane,” he continued.
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