67

Marcus glanced over at Annie on his right.

She was taking notes as fast as she could. So was Pete. Neither seemed prepared to say anything, so he decided to address the “camel in the room.”

“Your Majesty, may I ask a question?”

Everyone turned.

“Why, of course, Agent Ryker,” the king replied. “You have my deepest respect for all you did to stop the madmen in Tehran from getting their hands on those nuclear warheads. I was moved by your courage and will never forget it.”

“You are too kind, Your Majesty. There were many people —including those in this room —involved in that operation. I certainly cannot take the credit. But I want to say that I think what you are proposing here is extraordinary. I don’t have to tell you how much distrust of the Saudi government there is back in Washington, whether it’s regarding human rights and the lack of religious freedom here or the war in Yemen or —well, you know the list. Personally, I believe the relationship between the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia won’t ever be as strong as it could be —and should be —unless you address those matters forthrightly and until far more bold reforms are made.”

Marcus sensed his colleagues’ unease, but he kept going.

“That said, if Saudi Arabia truly makes peace with Israel, this will be a huge signal of the dramatic change in direction that you and your sons are making from the old Saudi ways. It would be an immensely popular move to many in our country and in many countries around the world.”

In his peripheral vision, Marcus noticed Senator Dayton shifting uncomfortably in his seat. But he was not finished.

“I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but Egyptian president Anwar Sadat was deeply unpopular in the United States, especially among tens of millions of Christians and Jews who love Israel and were horrified that Sadat launched a sneak attack against Israel in 1973, and on Yom Kippur, of all times, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, when Jews were all fasting and praying and unprepared for war. Imagine if someone invaded you on the first day of Ramadan. I daresay there were many Americans who outright hated Mr. Sadat for that. But that all changed on November 19, 1977. Why? Because that was the day Sadat landed in Jerusalem and launched his peace offensive. He spoke to the Israeli people. He spoke to their parliament. He met with Israeli leaders at the highest levels and set into motion a chain of events that led to the signing of the Camp David Peace Accords in the fall of 1978. Whatever else Mr. Sadat had said and done before that, after Camp David he would be seen in the eyes of the vast majority of Americans as a man of peace, a man of great honor and courage. And personally, I think that’s possible for you and for the crown prince and the people of your kingdom.”

The king said nothing. His face was inscrutable, yet there was more Marcus wanted to say.

“I applaud what you want to do, and I believe all of us stand ready to help you make it happen. That said, I feel it is my duty to make sure you and your colleagues truly understand just how dangerous it could be to send the crown prince to Jerusalem. I don’t think I have to remind you that Mr. Sadat paid for his courage with his life —assassinated by his own people, by fellow Muslims, in 1981.”

“Not by his own people,” the king corrected. “Sadat was murdered by members of the Muslim Brotherhood —by despicable men, khawarej, outlaws of our faith.”

“Fair enough,” Marcus conceded. “My point was simply that Sadat was murdered for making peace with Israel. Years later, Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin was murdered by a Jewish extremist for making peace with Jordan and agreeing to the Oslo Accords with the Palestinians. The history of this region is filled with stories of attempted assassinations, some successful, some not. And unfortunately, I am reminded of another terrible tragedy, that of your great-grandfather, cut down by his own nephew, right here in Riyadh, here in this palace, on March 25, 1975.”

At this the monarch winced. “I appreciate your concern, Agent Ryker. Nevertheless, let me assure you of two things. First, if we go down this road, we will not make peace with Israel to improve our image in the United States. We will do so because it is the right thing to do and because it is in our own national interest. We will do it to forge an alliance against the extremists in this region and to build an economic and security partnership that will benefit our people and make their lives better. Frankly, we want Israeli investment and technology, and we want to invest in Israel, as well. We cannot do that in the current environment, but as I said, I will not wait for the Palestinians any longer. If the Israelis are ready for peace on reasonable terms, then so are we, and I believe the time is now. Second, I want to assure you that we as a family and my inner circle have discussed the risks at length. We know what’s at stake, and my son is willing, if necessary, to lay down his life for the cause of peace.”

“I am,” said the crown prince, “but I don’t think it will come to this.”

“That is very admirable,” said Marcus. “But if, God forbid, your son were to die at the hands of an assassin, the entire peace process could die with him. Other regional leaders might be intimidated from following your lead for years, possibly decades to come. My job, and that of my colleagues, is to ensure the safety of our leaders and yours and, of course, the Israelis’. But let’s not kid ourselves —there are agents of evil out there who would like nothing better than to have President Clarke, Prime Minister Eitan, and the Saudi crown prince in the same room at the same time and take them all out. Just look at what has happened in recent weeks.”

“I have every confidence we can work together to make sure that never happens,” replied King Faisal.

The room was quiet for a long while. Then Annie Stewart cleared her throat. She requested permission to speak, and the king granted it.

“Your Majesty, I share Agent Ryker’s concerns. Yet I also share your confidence that our two governments and the Israelis will absolutely be able to ensure your safety,” she began. “The last thing either of our leaders can afford is to allow a moment of historic peacemaking to end in tragedy.”

“Thank you, Miss Stewart. I couldn’t agree with you more,” said the monarch, a twinkle in his eye.

“That said, I have a slightly different question, if I may.”

“Please.”

“Would it not send a more powerful signal, Your Majesty, if you made the trip to Jerusalem yourself?”