Middle East
Gaza conflict threatens Israeli-Arab normalization
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (l) and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Saudi Arabia has stopped talks about possible normalization of relations with Israel, it is reported. photo
© Abir Sultan/-/EPA POOL via AP/Saudi Press Agency/dpa
A normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel would have triggered far-reaching changes in the Middle East. However, in view of the escalation, Riyadh is stopping the talks.
Israel is responding to the unprecedented massacre of Israeli civilians by Islamist Hamas terrorists last Saturday with massive airstrikes on targets in the Gaza Strip.
Immediately after the major Hamas attack a week ago and because of Israel’s expected reaction, fears had already arisen that Saudi Arabia could draw consequences for the talks about normalizing relations with Israel.
2,215 Palestinians have already died in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip. Israel has completely sealed off the area, which is home to 2.2 million people; There could also be a ground offensive by the Israeli military.
Blinking in Riyadh – USA and Saudi Arabia emphasize cooperation
Against the backdrop of the recent escalation in the Middle East, the USA and Saudi Arabia have emphasized their cooperation. The joint exchange is important, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a meeting with his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in Riyadh on Saturday, according to a transcript from the US State Department. He therefore expressed himself in a similar way. It is important to ensure that this conflict does not spread to other places and other fronts.
On Friday, Saudi Arabia sharply criticized a call by the Israeli military for a mass evacuation of the northern Gaza Strip. Saudi Arabia rejects “forced relocation,” the Foreign Ministry said. All forms of military escalation directed against civilians must be stopped.
For decades, a formal rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Israel seemed all but impossible. But there have been signs in recent months that both sides are moving towards each other. According to experts, normalization of relations could have triggered momentous changes in the region.
Until about two years ago, only two Arab states – Egypt and Jordan – maintained diplomatic relations with Israel. In September 2020, under US mediation, Israel agreed to establish diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Morocco and Sudan also subsequently announced such steps. The Arab League includes 21 member states as well as the Palestinians.
Iran: normalization off the table
Iran sees unity with its former rival Saudi Arabia. “Tehran and Riyadh agree to prevent the Zionist regime’s crimes against the people of the Gaza Strip,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Hussein Amirabdollahian said in the Lebanese capital Beirut.
While Saudi Arabia and Iran are moving closer together according to Amirabdollahian’s account, the minister denied any prospect of success for a possible rapprochement between Israel and the kingdom. “That’s completely off the table,” he said when asked whether the major attack by the Islamist Hamas on Israel could have an impact on talks to normalize relations between the two countries.