As every summer, this year too the French continue to cast a gaze—somewhat angry, somewhat envious, but, all in all, fairly resigned—toward the rich of the world who fill its beaches and hotels: the Arab oil princes.
This year, one can take a little pleasure in the misfortune of the robbed. But the heirs of Arsène Lupin, the dashing burglar, do not impress the billionaires of the Riviera. The jewels worth 90 million francs stolen from the home of Prince Al Thani of Qatar, or those worth the relatively modest sum of 400,000 francs stolen from the director of the World Islamic Council of Mecca, Prince Anni, while he watched a fireworks display—did not cause those concerned to cut short their holiday in Cannes. All the local service providers can therefore breathe easily and continue to rake in profits. And why not? King Khaled gives the 3,500 princes in his family a quarter of a million francs a day in pocket money! And this money has to be spent—on gambling. On jewelry, on houses, and on local workers.
The figures are bandied about in public and eagerly absorbed. Prince Turki, Khaled’s brother, gambled 40 million francs in one evening at the casino. The millionaire Adnan Khashoggi held a party for 150 guests on his yacht, “Nabila,” which is 86 meters long, has 35 rooms, and also boasts two swimming pools and one helicopter.
French employees or salespeople who come into contact with Arab tycoons have one clear instruction: to respect all the guest’s wishes, whims, or customs, even if they seem a little strange to an inexperienced European eye. And so, recently, one of the ladies of the household of Princess Madani, sister of King Khaled of Saudi Arabia, spent an entire night on the rug outside the entrance to her mistress’s apartment at the “Plaza” hotel in Paris. She did not dare knock on the door, so as not to disturb her mistress, and, because of language difficulties, could not explain her situation to the hotel maids. They, certain that this was an Eastern custom that had to be respected, let her sleep outside...
Television · 2008
Gideon Kouts’s special report from Damascus for the Mabat news program
Journalist Gideon Kouts reports to Channel 1’s Mabat program from Paris after returning from Damascus, where he was part of the press delegation accompanying French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Kouts describes being received as an Israeli journalist, the appearance of the city, the heavy security at Assad’s presidential palace, and the four-way summit held there.
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