diplomacy
Saudi Arabia rapprochement with Israel? USA dampens expectations
The USA is Israel’s protecting power and also an important ally for Saudi Arabia. photo
© Oded Ballilty/AP/dpa/Symbolbild
A US media report about a possible rapprochement between the two countries caused a stir. But the discussions are not that advanced, according to Washington.
With a possible approximation between According to a US media report, there is movement in Saudi Arabia and Israel. The US government confirmed talks on the subject, but initially dampened expectations.
“The bottom line is that there is no agreed package deal. There is no agreed framework to codify normalization or other security considerations,” said National Security Council communications director John Kirby. Discussions have not progressed as far as the report suggests.
Media report on rough plan
The Wall Street Journal, citing US government circles, reported that the US and Saudi Arabia had agreed in principle on the outlines of a corresponding agreement. Accordingly, Saudi Arabia would recognize Israel in return for US security guarantees and help in setting up a civilian nuclear program. Israel would have to make comprehensive concessions to the Palestinians. For decades, a rapprochement between the two states seemed as good as impossible.
The “New York Times” had previously also reported on such a plan. Since then there has been speculation as to whether Saudi Arabia could become the next country in the Arab world to normalize its relations with Israel. The USA is Israel’s protecting power and also an important ally for Saudi Arabia. Officially, Riyadh has no relations with Israel, but the two countries have been working together covertly on security issues for some time.
Many open questions and hurdles
However, there are still many unanswered questions and hurdles for a possible breakthrough, which according to the “Wall Street Journal” could come about in the next 9 to 12 months. This includes Israel’s right-wing religious government, which would find it very difficult to enforce concessions to the Palestinians. The fundamental conflict between Israelis and Palestinians would by no means be resolved by the rapprochement. A US agreement with Riyadh would also require the approval of the Senate in Washington, which is anything but certain in view of Saudi Arabia’s critics there.
Saudi Arabia is home to the two holiest sites in Islam, Mecca and Medina. As their guardian, King Salman also serves the global community of Muslims (Umma). The issue of the Palestinians and the status of Jerusalem, home to Islam’s third holiest site, the Temple Mount, is closely linked to Saudi history and identity as a Muslim state. However, King Salman’s son, the de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman, shows less interest in the status of the Palestinians than his father. The kingdom is also one of the largest donors to the Palestinians.
Israel for relations with Saudi Arabia
Israel has repeatedly spoken out in favor of relations with Saudi Arabia. Foreign Minister Eli Cohen recently told the Arabic news site “Elaph” that the Palestinian issue would “not be an obstacle to peace.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the question to Bloomberg as “a kind of box” that had to be ticked. However, in “discrete negotiations” much less was said about this point than is often assumed.
In 2002, Saudi Arabia presented a peace initiative on the Middle East conflict. This provided for normalized relations between the Arab states and Israel should the Jewish state withdraw from all areas occupied in 1967. He also calls for the recognition of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and a just solution to the Palestinian refugee issue.
In September 2020, with US mediation, Israel agreed to establish diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Morocco and Sudan also announced such steps afterwards. Previously, only two Arab states, Egypt and Jordan, had relations with Israel.
WSJ report NYT report