On Tuesday, the White House celebrated the creation of diplomatic relations between Bahrain, the UAE, and Israel. It is another foreign policy success. Within a few weeks, both the UAE and Bahrain agreed to establish relations with Israel. However, without Saudi Arabia, neither the United Arab Emirates nor Bahrain would have concluded their agreements with Israel.

Saudi Arabia’s Growing Closeness with Israel

Riyadh has initiated a process of slow but steady normalization with Israel. The latter can be noticed by occurrences that used to be unthinkable in the monarchy. For instance, the Imam of the Great Mosque of Mecca demanded a dialogue with non-Muslims, particularly Jews, in a sermon. He reminded his audience that the Prophet Muhammad sought good relations with Jews and other non-Muslims. These words may appear ordinary.

However past sermons in Saudi Arabia have had a very different ring to them, including regular calls for Israel’s destruction. Another example of the paradigm shift in Saudi Arabia can be seen in a media that openly criticizes the Palestinians – also a novelty.

These are not coincidental occurrences but preparations for establishing ties with the Jewish state. Riyadh’s green light for Bahrain and UAE is the best validation of this hypothesis. After all, both are close allies of the kingdom and rely on Saudi Arabia’s support in Bahrain’s case.

Bahrain Becomes Fourth Arab State to Recognize Israel

After the UAE, Egypt, and Jordan, Bahrain is the fourth Arab state to recognize Israel. The transformation from anti-Semitism and calls for the destruction of Israel is not without geopolitical self-interest, however. The Gulf Arabs see an alliance with Israel as insurance against their common enemy and the region’s main threat: Iran. For Saudi Arabia, the Shiite mullah’s regime is moreover the main rival for regional hegemony and has repeatedly provoked Saudi Arabia, for example, in Yemen due to its support of the Houthis.

The parallels between Israel and Saudi-Arabia are apparent: both are declared enemies of Iran. Mohammed Bin Salman and Benjamin Netanyahu are allies in their quest to isolate and counter Iran in its malevolent conduct. New allies are becoming increasingly crucial to Saudi Arabia since the protection of America, which has officially existed since 1951, may alter over the next years. MBS is hence more inclined than ever to approach Israel, albeit in well-measured steps.

The New Generation of Arab Leaders Sees Israel More Objectively

So far, however, the Gulf state’s traditional loyalty to the Palestinians and emotions the Six-Day War with Israel has left behind ever since, shaped the older generation of influential Arab politicians such as King Salman. Several times The king has made his proclivity for the classic Arab position towards Israel apparent. However, the current generation, such as Mohammed bin Salman or UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed are not as bound by old sentiments nor traditional hate towards Jews and thus are inclined to disregard Palestinian interests I exchange for geopolitical and economic stability in the region.

However, this does not mean that MBS can disregard his father’s position nor public opinion entirely. He has major plans for his country and is dependent on the king and society’s support. A society that, for the aforementioned reasons, has been indoctrinated with hostility towards Israel for decades.

Gestures, such as the sermon given by Abdulrahman al-Sudais, serve the goal of slowly getting the Saudis used to the idea of ​​a peace agreement with Israel.

Which Country Will Recognize Israel Next?

Sudan or Oman could be the next Arab countries to recognize Israel. Even below the threshold of official treaties, normalization between the Muslim world and Israel continues. Saudi Arabia opens its airspace to flights between Israel and the UAE. According to Israeli media reports, there could soon be direct flights between Israel and Morocco for the first time.

With Saudi Arabia still being the custodian of the holiest Islamic sites of Mecca and Medina, Riyadh has invaluable influence in the Arab-Muslim world and thus remains the key to lasting peace between the Jews and Muslims in the Middle East.

The accords that have been signed are a significant step in the right direction, and despite all controversies, Saudi-Arabia has been one of if not the leading facilitator of progress. Its own peace agreement with Israel has become more likely than ever.

L'articolo Saudi Arabia: the Hidden Key to Peace in the Middle East proviene da InsideOver.

The strategic partnership between Saudi Arabia and Israel from an anti-Iranian perspective—and by extension anti-Turkish perspective—are well-established by now, despite the fact that political and diplomatic leaders of the two countries continue to negate its existence, and bilateral relations are still officially frozen. In the background of the growing rumors regarding a possible meeting between Benjamin Netanyahu and Mohammad bin Salman, a historic event took place last week: a delegation of Jewish Americans landed in Riyadh to discuss their approach to Tehran and international relations in the region.

The Mission to Riyadh

Last week from Monday to Thursday the Saudi capital was visited by some leading figures from the Conference of Presidents, the umbrella organization that has united the main lobbies, entities and associations of American Judaism since 1956, acting as intermediary between them and the White House. The news spread only after the trip ended, thanks to a tip received by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

This is a historic event. Members of the Jewish community haven’t entered Saudi Arabia since 1993, ever since the American Jewish Congress sent a delegation to negotiations that would have led shortly afterwards to the Oslo accords.

It is not possible to know the exact number of members on the mission nor what participating organizations the representatives were from. However, it has been confirmed that all of the leaders were there, which includes Chairman Arthur Stark, Executive Vice Chairman Malcolm Hoenlein and CEO William Daroff. The three of them followed a tight schedule and had high-level meetings with members of the royal family and with the Secretary General of the World Muslim League, Mohammed al-Issa.

Their four days in Riyadh were an opportunity to reaffirm the close support that Israel and the United States offers Saudi Arabia in its fight against Iran, which is believed by both countries to be the main reason for regional instability and the proliferation of terrorism in the Middle East. Some have also expressed concern also for Iran’s nuclear program which could smooth the way for the construction of the atomic bomb — a scenario that should absolutely be prevented.

An Historic Event

According to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, the fact that Saudi authorities green-lighted the arrival of the delegation is a sign of profound change from past times. The Conference of Presidents, in fact, is one of the most important entities serving Israel and Washington and its members are steadfast defenders of the most dedicated form of Zionism. They are known for their extremist positions regarding the Jewish colonies of the West Bank and the Palestinian issue, for example, and for their strong support for US President Donald Trump because of his staunchly pro-Israel positions.

The arrival of the Conference of Presidents in Riyadh is significant for another reason: until last year, the Israel-Saudi Arabia file had been pushed forward almost exclusively by America’s Evangelical Christian lobby. The influential Israeli-American lobbyist Joel Rosenberg led two diplomatic missions to the country, in November 2018 and in September of last year, both times to discuss Iran, and he was followed by Republican politicians and reverends but never by representatives from the Jewish community. Essentially, what is happening now is that the deeper partnership makes it less necessary to resort to the intermediaries which are the Evangelical Christians in this case.

Last week’s visit represents the progress of the bilateral dialogue between Riyadh and Tel Aviv, moving beyond denial from the leadership of the two countries. It takes place against the backdrop of other events that deserve just as much attention and which are revolutionizing Saudi society, such as the gradual removal of antisemitic teaching in school curricula in the past three years and the growing attempts to condition the ideas and thoughts of public opinion by way of literature, media, intellectuals and statements by public figures. The end of the thawing between Israel and Saudi Arabia and the recovery of official diplomatic relations could be on our doorstep.

Translation by Alexa Ahern

L'articolo The Secret Mission to Riyadh That Could Change the Middle East proviene da InsideOver.