The Observer: It is time for Britain to distance itself from the hateful Saudi regime

The British Observer newspaper says the UK is becoming more dependent today on securing energy sources, and this is the perfect time to distance itself from the "repugnant" Saudi regime.

The newspaper adds in its editorial that the world is witnessing in this period a sharp decline in oil prices at the international level, as a result of the decline in demand for fuel due to the Corona virus, and that there are other factors that preceded and affected the crisis, such as the price war that has been taking place since the beginning of the year between Saudi Arabia and Russia, and an increase Production that led to a surplus in crude oil and decreased storage capacity.

However, these interpretations of market fluctuations hide behind another bigger and more exciting story, the story of the clean green energy revolution, after the rapid spread of wind and sunlight use, with expectations for the end of the fossil fuel era to come, as renewable energy will account for 30% of global electricity demand during This year.

The newspaper indicates that Britain achieved a record number during the past week, by spending 18 consecutive days without burning coal to generate energy. The Kingdom also achieved the highest level of dependence on solar energy on April 20, and the amount of emissions needed to produce kilowatt hours of electricity has decreased by more than two-thirds since 2012.

Oil prices
The Observer adds that these developments have been accelerated towards achieving zero carbon emissions, thanks to the state of quarantine imposed by the outbreak of the Coronavirus.

She says that although these achievements can witness a setback, sustainable energy production and its great importance in dealing with the climate change crisis is one of the topics that may witness permanent changes in the post-oil future, thanks to the forced changes imposed on the world today.

The newspaper continues that Britain's often dysfunctional and embarrassing relationship with Saudi Arabia - which is one of the most important oil producers in the world - must be part of any reassessment that will take place after the epidemic recedes.

She says that the British dependence on Saudi crude oil increased after the Iranian revolution in 1979, but the discoveries in the North Sea changed this reality, and that most British imports of oil come from Norway today, and only 3% remain from Saudi Arabia.

Arms sales
The newspaper adds that despite these changes, successive British governments continued to feed this relationship with Riyadh, due to Saudi Arabia's purchase of British weapons, as thousands of British jobs are associated with these sales.

However, Saudi Arabia has used most of these weapons in the campaign they are leading in Yemen for more than six years, which the United Nations described as causing the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.

Last June, the Court of Appeal embarrassed the British government when it decided to suspend arms sales to Riyadh, citing this as a "historic pattern of international humanitarian law".

The newspaper asked: If oil and weapons are removed from this equation, what remains to connect Britain with this non-democratic and semi-feudal system known for its violations of human rights and the persecution of the Muslim "Shiite" minority, legalization of discrimination against women, and its dangerous efforts to involve Britain and the United States in a confrontation with its sworn enemy Iran ?

Empty pockets
The newspaper calls on the British government to launch a comprehensive review process of bilateral relations between the two countries after the end of the Corona virus crisis.

She says that the Saudis, "after the demand for their basic commodities collapsed, they are not as strong as before, and that the oil sheikhs have emptied their pockets and ran out of time."