A member of the Saudi royal family has pledged $900,000 to any Palestinian who kidnaps an Israeli soldier, according to comments aired on a private TV station on Saturday. His pledge follows a similar offer from a Saudi cleric, who said he would be willing to pay $100,000 for the capture of an IDF solider. Prince Khaled bin Talal, a brother of Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, said in a televised interview that he decided to contribute to Saudi cleric Awad al-Qarni's bounty after he received death threats for offering $100,000 for the capture of an Israeli soldier. "Dr. Awad al-Qarni said he was offering $100,000 to only take a prisoner but they responded by offering $1 million to kill Awad al-Qarni," Prince Khaled said, according to a transcript published on Daleel's website. "I tell Dr. Awad al-Qarni, 'I will be in solidarity with you and pay the remaining $900,000 to take an Israeli soldier prisoner so that other prisoners can be freed,'" he added. Qarni said on his Facebook page this week that he made the offer in response to a similar reward offered by an Israeli family to anyone who apprehends the Palestinian terrorist who killed one of its relatives in 1998. The Palestinian was released as part of a prisoner exchange deal earlier this month in which more than 1,000 Palestinians were freed in exchange for captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Qarni is known for his outspoken views in Saudi Arabia but is not part of the official clerical establishment. Saudi Arabia sees itself as a champion of Palestinian rights but Saudi leaders have been at pains to curb more radical statements by Muslim clerics on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In 2002, the Western-allied kingdom floated a peace initiative calling for full Arab recognition of Israel if it gave up all lands captured in 1967 and accepts a solution for Palestinian refugees.
Saudi prince offers $900,000 for abduction of Israeli soldier
Prince Khaled bin Talal supports an offer made by a cleric in response to an Israeli family's reward for catching the Palestinian who killed one of their relatives and was released as part of the deal to return Gilad Shalit.
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