“Israel Can Be A Potential Ally”: Saudi Arab

Web Desk — While we discuss Saudi Israel relations, the recent statement of Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) does not shock us that he sees Israel as a “potential ally” with shared interests, not as an enemy – provided that Israel resolves its conflict with the Palestinians first.

In an interview with The Atlantic, published by Saudi state news agency, SPA, on Thursday, the crown prince said that Israel is not an enemy.

“We see them as a potential ally, with many common interests we can pursue together,” he said. “But we need to resolve some issues first.”

This was a slight departure from the official Saudi position, which long held that once the conflict with the Palestinians is resolved, Israel and Saudi Arabia could establish relations, but perhaps not friendship. 

In 2020, Saudi Arabia allowed Israel-UAE flights to cross its territory despite the absence of formal ties. During his December visit to Abu Dhabi, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s El Al Israel Airlines plane passed through Saudi airspace.

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In response to questions about Saudi Arabia’s ties with Iran, MBS said the kingdom intends to continue “detailed talks” with Tehran in an effort to reach a favorable agreement.

“Iran is a neighbor forever. We cannot get rid of them and they cannot get rid of us,” the Saudi state news agency cited him as saying.

He made his comments amid indirect US-Iran talks in Vienna that could lead to reviving a 2015 nuclear pact that curbed Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

It is said that Israel and Saudi Arabia were, behind the scenes, working together to normalize Israel’s relations with Bahrain, Muscat, and UAE. As a result, we see Israel has developed diplomatic ties with UAE, Bahrain, and Muscat. On the other hand, while talking about the Palestinian issue, Saudi Arabia does not support Israel or Palestine. We can safely predict that Saudi Arabia is likely to develop diplomatic ties with Israel once the conflict of Palestine is resolved.