Saudi-Israel Cooperation: A New Normal on the Horizon?

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, left, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The two have recently shown overtures toward cooperation between their long feuding states. Source.

Contrasting their wars in 1948 and 1973 to Saudi Arabia’s recent, emerging “soft normalization” of Israel, it’s apparent to the international community that the relationship between these two Middle East powers is changing rapidly. The slow wheels that move geopolitics forward may have arrived at gold: the two enemies are slowly considering indifference towards each other. Or perhaps, as some have even suggested, a mutually beneficial relationship.

To understand the significance of this new development, a little background is needed. In the earliest years of Israel, Saudia Arabia showed extreme ill-will towards Israel. In fact, the Saudis opposed the very existence of Israel when it was created, vetoing the UN’s Partition Plan for Palestine in 1947. Shortly after that vote, Saudi Arabia joined Egypt, Transjordan (now Jordan), Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen in a fight against Israel in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The war ended in an Israeli victory, in part due to large weapons imports from Western powers such as Britain. 

The two states fought again in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. This war ended in another Israeli victory. However, Israel had not done as well militarily as it had in 1948, with Israelis criticizing the government’s lack of preparedness. This criticism had far-reaching consequences, leading to Golda Meir, the prime minister at the time, to resign. This war may have also shown Israel that constant victory over Arab opposition may not be guaranteed the next time. Peace was necessary. 

This war also brought another breakthrough; Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel at the war’s end. This treaty, signed in 1979, was the first agreement between Israel and one of its Arab neighbors. Other Arab states disapproved of this action. Saudi Arabia cut aid and diplomatic relations with Egypt over this peace treaty. But it was clear that a new approach to Israel was blooming. 

In modern day, with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict still unresolved, Saudi Arabia is committed to supporting the Palestinians. The current king of Saudi Arabia, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, has been a long-time supporter of the Arab boycott of Israel and the Palestinians’ demand for the return of their independent state. 

Yet, Saudi Arabia is currently divided. While the King’s stance is staunchly pro-Palestinian, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), widely regarded as the country’s de-facto ruler, feels differently. Whereas King Salman believed that normalizing ties with Israel was out of the question without the Palestinian crisis solved, MBS is currently working to change the people of Saudi Arabia’s perception of Jews.

Soft changes have appeared. For example, in his past sermons, Abdulrahman al-Sudais, imam of the Grand Mosque in Mecca (appointed by the government), has prayed for the Palestinians to achieve victory over the “invader and aggressor Jews.” In a sermon delivered earlier this month, however, he preached about how the prophet Muhammed was good to his Jewish neighbor and argued that the best way to convince Jews to convert to Islam was to “treat them well” over violence. 

The timing of this push for normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel is crucial. Earlier this year, the United Arab Emirates agreed upon a historic deal to normalise relations with Israel. The Gulf state of Bahrain, a close ally of Saudi Arabia, followed suit. While it is not clear if Saudi Arabia will follow in its neighbors’ footsteps, MBS appears to be preparing the Saudi public to gradually warm up to the idea of seeing Israel as an ally. According to Tallha Abdulrazaq, researcher of the Middle East at the University of Exeter’s Strategy and Security Institute, “Saudi Arabia has always avoided conflict with Israel.” He also emphasized that Palestinians have little to offer Saudi Arabia in terms of serving the latter’s national interests. Meanwhile, Israel holds outsized diplomatic sway in the United States, and a positive relationship with Israel could tremendously benefit Saudi interests.

Rather than rely on principle and religious pride, Riyadh is pursuing a pragmatic strategy. While Saudi Arabia still remains committed to the Palestinian mission,  Saudi leadership had recognized the potential of a possible Israeli relationship.