JAFFA, Israel – Saudi social media users are divided over President Barack Obama’s decision to veto a Congressional bill that would allow relatives of 9/11 victims to sue the Saudi government for reparations.
Some celebrated the decision as a feat of Saudi diplomacy, while others said that it is not the end of the matter. Some wondered what the Obama administration will get in return.
“Some praised Obama for his ‘sense of justice,’ but he didn’t veto the bill because of the color of our eyes but because we are capable of taking care of things America can’t,” Mohamed Alothaim tweeted.
Suliman Alshaalan said it was a charade. “The farce of a bill allowing to sue Saudi Arabia is not over. It will go back to Congress that can bypass a presidential veto with a two-thirds majority.”
https://twitter.com/alkhaldi1111/status/779867315332587520
“Obama torpedoes a bill that allows suing Saudi Arabia for 9/11,” Ehsan Fakeeh tweeted. “I wonder what America got in return. Down with all the opportunists…”
“Only rarely did President Obama exercise his veto power, and the fact that he did it in this case is a great achievement for Saudi diplomacy,” journalist Rashed Alfowzan wrote.
“Obama exercised his veto power and struck down the law allowing relatives of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia,” Mohamed Alenazi wrote. “They should acknowledge that Saudi Arabia suffered from terror and fought terror!”
“America wants to sue Saudi Arabia because 15 of the 9/11 terrorists were Saudi!” a Saudi critic tweeted. “Can Iraq sue Saudi Arabia for the fact that thousands of Islamic State fighters are Saudi?”
Zeinab Attalah commented wryly: “Obama strikes down law allowing relatives of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia. Thank Allah that not only in the Arab world do victims pay the price of political interests.”
Saudi cleric Abu Albaraa took a jab at Iran: “Congress okays suing Saudi Arabia for 9/11. Wouldn’t the Yemenis and Syrians be allowed to do the same to the originator of thousands of deaths?”
https://twitter.com/LqBara/status/777940102190432256
Many attributed Obama’s decision to Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic clout. They said it forced US lawmakers to stop capitalizing on a very sensitive strategic issue.
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