Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdulaziz’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly in which he railed against Iran and Hezbollah, while expressing support for US efforts to advance Middle East peace, has reignited the question of where his kingdom stands regarding normalization with Israel.
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Opposing Israel’s Creation, Supporting the Bombing of Iraq’s Nuclear Reactor
The Saudis played a major role in the Arab League’s objection to Israel’s very establishment, voting against the UN Partition Plan in 1947, and subsequently sending soldiers to fight against the Jewish state
It was not until 1981 that the Saudis first indicated a willingness to work with the Israelis. The operation to destroy the Iraqi nuclear reactor required that Israeli pilots fly through Saudi Arabian air space. Reportedly, this was done with Saudi Arabian consent.
Related Reading – From Condemnation To Praise: Why Israel’s Bombing of Iraq’s Osirak Nuclear Reactor Stands Test of Time
Joining the World Trade Organization, Ending the Economic Boycott Against Israel
There has been an undeniable warming of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel in recent years. The Saudis first announced an end to its economic boycott of Israel in 2005, when Riyadh applied to join the World Trade Organization. One of the conditions for entry was not having a trade ban with any fellow member of the organization.
But in June 2006, the Saudi ambassador to the United States, Prince Turki al-Faisal, told the Brookings Institute that his country was not ending its boycott of Israel. The Saudi embassy quickly asked that the transcript not be released to the public.
An embassy official explained that the government in Riyadh did indeed intend to end the “secondary and tertiary” boycotts, referring to punishing companies and individuals who do business with Israel. In truth, those specific boycotts had already been lifted in 1995 when the Gulf Cooperation Council voted to do away with them.
A Budding Relationship…Kept on the Down Low
With rumors swirling of secret dealings between Riyadh and Jerusalem, mostly on security matters related to Iran, Germany proceeded to sell 200 Leopard tanks to Saudi Arabia in 2011, but only after receiving approval from Israeli leaders.
The quiet yet flourishing relationship continued until 2015, when Saudi Arabia’s new crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, met with Israeli officials in Eilat and Jordan. The meeting kicked off open discussions regarding establishing an economic relationship that would enable El Al to fly over Saudi Arabian airspace and for Israelis to do business in the Gulf region.
A concrete idea, allowing Israeli Muslims to fly directly to Mecca for the annual Hajj pilgrimage, was also discussed. Aside from meetings regarding economic ties, Saudi officials began to attend gatherings of Israeli, Jordanian, and US officials over security issues in general and Iran in particular.
In this context, Israel offered to provide Iron Dome technology to Saudi Arabia to protect the kingdom from rockets fired by Houthi rebels in Yemen; the offer was refused.
Also in 2015, former Saudi general Anwar Eshki met with Drori Gold, director general of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, when the two presented at the Council of Foreign Relations think tank in Washington. Eshki and Gold shook hands and discussed the nature of Iran’s threat to both Israel and Saudi Arabia, as well as the possibility of eventual peace between Riyadh and Jerusalem.
Normalization, After the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict is Resolved
Eshki then led a Saudi delegation to Israel in July 2016 to try to push the Saudi peace initiative that promised normalization between Israel and 57 Arab and Muslim countries if Israel and the Palestinians resolved their conflict. The Saudi delegation met with Israeli foreign ministry personnel, Knesset members, and IDF officers.
Arab Knesset member Issawi Frej reported that “The Saudis want to open up to Israel. It’s a strategic move for them.” But the Saudis made it clear that any normalization with Israel was dependent on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Saudi Arabia Takes Up Arms…Against Antisemitism
On the heels of that visit, various Saudi media outlets reported a dramatic shift in government policy, with a new official focus on combating antisemitism.
In August 2016, Yasser Hijazi, a columnist for Riyadh, one of the country’s most influential newspapers, said that Arabs must “leave behind their hostility and hatred of Jews.”
Prominent Saudi columnist Ibrahim el Matroudi said that Arabs have been “swearing at the Jews instead of drawing benefits from studying their success.”
Saham al-Kahtani, another well known Saudi columnist, wrote that descriptions in the Quran of Jews as sons of apes and pigs do not refer to Jews living today.
In November 2017, an Israeli foreign ministry cable, instructing its diplomats to support Saudi Arabia in its efforts in Yemen and against the Hezbollah terrorist group as well as its Iranian benefactor was leaked to the media.
Also in 2017, IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot spoke to Saudi Arabian media and stated that Israel was open to “exchanging experiences with moderate Arab countries and intelligence to confront Iran,” and that regarding certain issues there is “complete agreement” between the two countries.
Will Saudi Arabia Board the Peace Train?
Fast forward to 2020, and it is worth noting that the newly signed agreement between Israel and the United Emirates includes Saudi approval for Israeli planes to fly through Saudi Arabian air space.
Related Reading – Bahrain-Israel Normalization: The Beginning of the End of a Lengthy Process
Will Riyadh take the next step and formally normalize relations with Jerusalem? King Salman bin Abdulaziz’s UN address did not indicate that any such move was imminent. There seems to be a split within the Saudi Arabian royal family on this issue. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the effective leader of the kingdom, supports such a move. However, the old guard – most notably the prince’s father King Salman – opposes normalization.
It may take some time, but given the warming of the relations between the two governments over the past few years, and Saudi support for the peace agreements between the UAE and Bahrain with Israel, all eyes should be on Riyadh and further moves that it makes vis a vis Jerusalem in the near future.
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Feature image: Israeli and Saudi Arabian flags via Shutterstock.
