Most Muslim countries and Islamist leaders do not believe that Saudi Arabia – Israel relations will soon begin to thaw.
It is globally known that Saudi Arabia is the citadel of Islamic Ummah. Also,Saudi Arabia is the custodian of two holy sites of Mecca and Madina, where the Muslim prophet preached Islam in the 7th century.
In the Israel-Arab conflicts or war in 1948, 1967 and 1973, there was no provoking news of the Israel crisis with Saudi Arabia, nor did the two countries locked in a sea battle in the Gulf of Aqaba.
In a rare gesture, Saudi Arabia without any fanfare or formal announcement provided overflight permission forEl Al Israel Airlines’ destination to Gulf countries after the normalisation of relations amongst the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar with Israel.
After the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, Israel was subjected to Arab League boycotts and attempts to diplomatically isolate the state. The Arabs and Muslim countries united under the banner of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on the critical issue of Palestine.
After 45 years of the Palestine crisis, the Oslo Accord for “self-government arrangements” of the Palestine Authority was officially signed in Washington DC on 13 September 1993, in the presence of PLO chairman Yasser Arafat, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and United States President Bill Clinton.
After the second round of peace initiative, the historic Camp David summit between President Clinton, Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Arafatin July 2000, the peace remained a far cry. Both sides blamed each other for the failure to implement the accord.
Animated by a host of regional threats and the need to keep the United States engaged in their security, the Saudi-UAE axis has broken with the Arab world’s longstanding Palestine-first policy in pursuit of an alliance with Israel, writes Omar Rahman of Brookings think-tank.
Earlier breaking news of top Israel officials have visited Saudi Arabia did cause alarm among Muslim countries, while non-Arab Muslim countries are keenly watching the diplomatic developments in the region.
Several senior Israeli officials have visited Saudi Arabia in recent years, including Defence Minister Benny Gantz and the past two heads of the Mossad, Israel Hayom, according to Jerusalem Post.
Gantzvisited Saudi Arabia when he served as chief of staff of the IDF from 2012 to 2016. Other officials who visited Saudi Arabia include former Mossad chiefs, Yossi Cohen and Tamir Pardo.
Earlier, in November 2020, former Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (popularly known as MBS) and former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Saudi Arabia.
Well, the thaw in Israel-Saudi Arabia ties is gradually gaining media attention in recent weeks ahead of a possible visit by US President Joe Biden to Saudi Arabia while he visits the Middle East in late June, a trip that will include a stop in Jerusalem.
The US is eyeing a possible deal involving the islands of Tiran and Sanafi on the edge of the Gulf of Aqaba –that could lower oil prices in the US and push forward the normalisation of ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Egypt, which has had possession of the islands, has already agreed to transfer them to Saudi Arabia, however, both Jerusalem and Washington have to sign off on the deal.
Israel captured the islands from Egypt during the Six-Day War. They were part of the territory it ceded to Egypt in its 1979 peace deal in exchange for an international peacekeeping force backed by the US.
The diplomatic moves in the MiddleEast are to establish military clout for the confidence building of the Arab countries, especially for Saudi Arabia to bolsterits defencecapability to counter Iran’s military interventionin neighbouring Yemen.
Iran is deemed number-one enemy of the Gulf countries, so does the Americans. Dreaded Iran’s military,also known as Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) is either engaged in proxy wars or funding Islamic militants, like Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon,and Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards has also overtly armed and trained Islamic militants in Syria and Iraq. Iran’s presence in Middle-East is a big concern for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), an intergovernmental alliance of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates that was formed in fear of aggressive military presence in the Persian Gulf, also known as Arabian Gulf.
In addition to risk, the relationship comes with a cost. One of the last remaining issues of consensus and unity among Arab states is support for the Palestinian cause. The Arab Peace Initiative also remains a signature achievement in bringing together the commitment of the entire Arab world to normalise relations with Israel in exchange for peace with the Palestinians.
Brookings Middle-East expert Omar Rahman says that abandoning the Arab Peace Initiative is a great loss, the unified backing for the Palestinian people, as securing their freedom and rights remains a moral imperative for the region and the world.
Saleem Samad, is an independent journalist, media rights defender, recipient of Ashoka Fellowship and Hellman-Hammett Award. He could be reached at <saleemsamad@hotmail.com>; Twitter @saleemsamad
