President Donald Trump (left) and Saudi Arabia’s King Salman. Photo: Shealah Craighead/White House.

President Donald Trump recently said, “Israel would be in big trouble without Saudi Arabia,” indicating that Israel would somehow be forced to “leave” the region if the Saudi monarchy disappeared.

Now, there is no doubt that President Trump has done some good things on Israel, especially cutting funds to Palestinian terrorist entities and publicly acknowledging Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. But he is completely wrong if he thinks that the existence or security of Israel depends on the Islamic state of Saudi Arabia.

To be honest, Trump’s assessment is quite offensive.

Saudi Arabia has been, perhaps, the prime sponsor of Islamic terrorism throughout the world, and the Saudis are responsible for funding more radical mosques than any other country in history. The September 11 terrorists almost all originated from Saudi Arabia, along with mastermind Osama Bin Laden himself.

Furthermore, Saudi Arabia constantly violates the rights of its own people — as well as all people around the world — and shows no regard for the central democratic tenets of countries such as Israel and the United States. The Saudis chop off people’s heads, deny fundamental rights to non-Muslims, etc. — the list goes on and on.

Saudi Arabia is not a vessel for peace. Their proposed solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is no true solution, and embracing Saudi Arabia will not lead to any long-term democratic or peaceful world. Abandoning our principles in the name of preserving “stability” is wrong and will not work.

I understand the need to sometimes compromise our beliefs, but that’s different than breaking them entirely. Israel most certainly does not owe its existence to Saudi Arabia. Instead, Israel owes its existence it to the ingenuity of its people, our understanding of Jewish history, and the righteousness of our cause.

Justin Amler is a noted South African born, Australia-based writer and commentator on international issues.