A huge setback for Netanyahu's efforts came last month when a China-brokered deal saw Israel's major regional foe, Iran, mend its ties with Saudi Arabia. But Riyadh has held back from recognizing Israel, saying such moves should be tied to resolving Palestinian statehood goals. Sullivans visit comes after Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to the kingdom last month in part to promote normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia. 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No major breakthrough is likely during his visit to Jeddah. Israel, though, has continued to expand its settlements in the occupied West Bank, where violence has hit a record high. However, he says, the timing of such an agreement is still yet to be determined. "This agreement could have monumental consequences, historic consequences both for Israel, for Saudi Arabia, for the region and for the world," Netanyahu said. In attendance at Thursdays meeting was Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has served as prime minister since 2022. It would probably also mean the end of a two-state solution, if its not already dead., David Rundell, a former American diplomat who served in Saudi Arabia, called the kingdoma status quo power that seeks stability in the region. They would like the Arab-Israeli dispute resolved, and they have consistently supported American efforts to do that for 40 years, he said. Senegal's opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was charged on Saturday with plotting an insurrection, criminal conspiracy and other offenses, two months after his trial for a separate rape charge sparked deadly riots across the country. For its part, the kingdoms state-run Saudi Press Agency acknowledged the meeting, saying only that the two sides discussed the Saudi-U.S. strategic relations and ways to enhance them in various fields, in addition to the latest regional and international developments of mutual concern.. Improved relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia would be a foreign policy win for Biden, but it could come at the expense of Palestinian rights. (Twitter/Avi Berkowitz), US President Joe Biden (left) and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. We were going to, in fact, make them pay the price and make them, in fact, the pariah that they are, Biden said during a 2019 Democratic debate. In 2002, Saudi Arabia spearheaded the Arab Peace Initiative, a proposal to achieve Arab-Israeli peace if Israel agreed to reverse all occupation of Arab territories. And last month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken sat down with bin Salman in Jeddah, as part of warming relations with the crown prince. The Jerusalem Post Customer Service Center can be contacted with any questions or requests: Sign up for The Jerusalem Post Premium Plus for just $5, Upgrade your reading experience with an ad-free environment and exclusive content, Copyright 2023 Jpost Inc. All rights reserved. Theres no question that ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia have evolved significantly in recent years, he says. The inflation surge of the 2020s: The role of monetary policy, 5 recommendations from Reimagine Rural for the 2023 Farm Bill and federal implementation, Putins pressure points are showingtime to strengthen Russian sanctions. Saudi Vision 2030, a sweeping national blueprint for economic, social, and cultural advancement, is the brainchild of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. But Israel has not yet received such access for flights to India, Thailand and China, which as a result are significantly longer than they need be. The will is there.. The UN called 2022 the deadliest year for Palestinians in the territory, with 150 killed, and 2023 is on track to surpass that tally. The Saudis have allowed direct flights from Tel Aviv to Manama, Abu Dhabi and Dubai crossing over their territory. But in March, China brokered an agreement for Iran and Saudi Arabia to rekindle their diplomatic relations and open embassies in each others countries, largely ending the tensions. As enamored as the Biden administration has been with the Abraham Accords, I dont see them devoting the same attention as the Trump administration and paying the necessary political price to succeed., Miller adds that Israel would need to demonstrate a willingness to concede on the Palestinian front to succeed with the Saudis. The last major peace accords Israel signed . The Saudis have also shown hesitance to proceed with normalizing relations with Israel at a time when it is led by the most right-wing government in its history, and whentensions have soared with the Palestinians. A normalization agreement could also produce new avenues for Saudi Arabia to enhance economic cooperation with Jordan and Egypt, Mogielnicki says. Nevertheless, Sullivans visit coincides with an ongoing effort under US President Joe Biden to establish relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, two longtime adversaries. For me, it was intellectual curiosity, just to understand perspectives of Bahrainis, who have already made peace with Israel, and Saudis, who may well be on the way to make peace with Israel., Jorisch would not share who exactly the group met with, but did stress that they were with the whos who of Saudi Arabia, in the government, business, and policy communities., There were almost no negative reactions to the Jewish and Israeli business leaders, according to Jorisch. Meanwhile, Israel remains mired in a political crisis over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus plan to weaken its judiciary, a move which has unleashed the biggest protests in the countrys history. Saudi Arabia was among the Arab nations to intervene in the conflict, stoking tensions with its regional rival, Iran, which provided military supplies to the Houthis. If the Saudis did not want Bahrain to recognize Israel and exchange ambassadors, they could have easily done so. For more information, please read our Privacy Policy, File photo of Benjamin Netanyahu. Jorisch, an Arabic speaker who has written and published several books on Israel and innovation, visited Saudi Arabia for the first time in February 2020 with a group of Washington, DC, policymakers. Many of the proposed initiatives in the simulation align with Saudi Arabias Vision 2030, which includes the goals of economic diversification, an increase in renewable energy production, and encouragement of innovation in advanced technologies and entrepreneurship. A warming of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia would be a foreign policy win for Biden, but it could undercut the push fora two-state solution the creation of an independent Palestinian nation alongside Israel which has been the North Star of a negotiated settlement to the decades-old conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Saudi officials have previously adhered to the Arab Peace Initiative, which calls for Israel to withdraw from occupied territories and establish a Palestinian state before normalisation can occur. Riyadh's opening of its skies to Israel has sparked debate among regional experts over whether the Sunni kingdom might become the next Arab country to normalize ties with Israel, following the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Bahrain and Sudan in 2020 - or if it will opt to continue its covert relationship with Jerusalem while overtly prioritizing. Biden is flying directly from Israel to Saudi Arabia, which Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, Want to know more? To continue browsing, But the kingdom has tolerated and even abetted the development of diplomatic and military ties between some of its closest allies and Israel. Uninhabited Tiran is a popular snorkeling and scuba diving destination. Because peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia, the custodian of Islam's two holiest cities, Mecca and Medina, would open the way for peace between Israel and the whole Muslim world,. Separately on Monday, Israel's foreign ministry said it had asked China to exert influence on Iran to prevent it from obtaining nuclear weapons. Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter. He will meet with nine Arab leaders: the six Gulf monarchs plus Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq. [1/2]Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman attends the 18th consultative meeting of the leaders of the GCC & the Gulf summit with the central Asian countries C5, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, July 19 . All of us are deeply connected to Israel, each of us wanting to bridge the divide between Saudi Arabia and Israel and build a powerful business bridge that if and when peace is signed between the two countries we can really feel like we played a role in making that happen, said Jorisch. So the Saudis have supported the Bahraini decision to make peace with Israel. On the flight to Medina, one participant was sitting for the first time next to woman whose face was fully covered in a niqab. The Times of Israel is committed to Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, and independent journalism provides an essential protection for democratic equality. Incorrect password. Article 50 MINUTES AGO LISTEN A new peace agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia could have profound geopolitical and economic impacts on the Middle East region. There was a particular interest in Israels startup culture, and its technological innovations around water, food, defense, and space. No One Is Coming to Help the Palestinians The competition for influence between Iran and Saudi Arabia has for decades affected the prospects for peace. First, China is trying to build on its success in brokering a deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran to extend regional peace to the Palestinian-Israeli arena. In 2020, under then-President Donald Trump, the US scored a victory in that pursuit with the Abraham Accords. He adds that Saudi-Israeli normalization would be a major breakthrough for both parties, with the former benefiting economically as such as an agreement would likely trigger heightened international interest in development and tourism projects in northwestern Saudi Arabia and along the Red Sea coastline. (Reuters), Netanyahu: Unprecedented Iran protests have led to US rethinking of nuclear deal. Saudi Arabia has a large Palestinian expatriate worker population. The kingdom released no images of the meeting, which saw Saudi Arabias defense and energy ministers attend, along with the head of its Public Investment Fund. The Bahraini government routinely accuses Iran of supporting Shia unrest. Burg, who wore his kippah openly in Riyadh, said, I didnt even feel a semblance of a double-take or anything.. Areas of potential cooperation proposed in the simulation included the Internet of Things (IoT), FinTech and agro-tech, as well as educational partnerships between Riyadh and Tel Aviv, academic exchange programs between Israeli universities and academic institutions in the Gulf, and religious tourism initiatives between Mecca and Jerusalem. A woman walking in front of a banner showing Saudi King Salman, right, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, left, and Saudi Arabia's founder late King Abdul Aziz Al Saud in Dammam last year. (Collage/AP), People make their way before prayer at Al-Masjid an-Nabawi or the Prophet Muhammads Mosque, the second holiest site in Islam, after the annual hajj pilgrimage on last day of Eid al-Adha, in the Saudi holy city of Medina Sept. 15, 2016. The kingdom refrained from signing onto the Washington-brokered Abraham Accords in 2020 as the US and Israel had hoped, but Riyadh is believed to have given the go-ahead to Bahrain, where it retains decisive influence, to join the normalization agreement with Israel alongside the United Arab Emirates and Morocco. The reason weve not had an Israeli-Palestinian peace is because the Palestinian leadership for the last century has refused to do what is finally happening in the rest of the Arab world -- and that is to recognize that the State of Israel is here to stay., But Netanyahu admitted that achieving peace with Saudi Arabia, the home of Islam and the Arab worlds largest economy, was up to the leadership of Saudi Arabia.. Given Israels well-known local start-up scene, a collaboration between Israeli and Gulf-based entrepreneurs and engineers is an obvious next step. The U.S. has been trying to get Riyadh to end its war in Yemen while also trying to lobby it over global oil prices, without much success. This gives them some room to maneuver. Whats ahead for the Wagner Group in Africa and the Middle East? Unfortunately, there is no sign that Washington is going to make the Palestinian issue a priority, so the Saudis will have nothing to point to in order to justify going further toward recognition. In May, The Wall Street Journal reported that Saudi Arabia is planning to allocate millions of dollars for investments in Israeli tech companies via Kushners new private equity firm. 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The Biden administration has been quietly mediating among Saudi Arabia, Israel and Egypt on negotiations that, if successful, could be a first step on the road to the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.. But with Iran-backed Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia reported to have doubled in 2021 compared to 2020, deeper cooperation with Israel might make strategic sense for Saudi Arabia, especially as U.S. domestic support for Saudi continues to show little sign of amelioration. show you personalized advertising. Sullivan, meanwhile, used Thursdays meeting to once again broach the topic of peace in Yemen, the site of a long-simmering civil war that erupted when Houthi forces took the capital in 2014. Israel thanks the United States for working towards establishing peaceful relations between Israel and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia a leading nation in the region and in the Muslim world. Its not just the Jews in Israel. 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The chiefs of the Mossad and Saudi intelligence met at the Dorchester Hotel in London on one occasion. It takes just a few seconds. Biden had hoped to focus on the economic and military threat posed byChina, which is becoming increasingly aggressive in the South China Sea. The poll found that 79% of Saudis would support peace and full normalization of relations with the Jewish State if Israel accepts the terms of the Saudi-led Arab Peace Initiative from 2002. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over a possible deal to normalize relations between Riyadh and Tel Aviv. Israel values its covert contacts with the Saudis but craves public recognition as the path to ending its isolation in the Islamic world. The Saudis and Egyptians long jostled for primacy in the Arab world, and Riyadh resoundingly rejected the Camp David Accords establishing peace and diplomatic relations between Israel and Egypt . Israel and the Gulf state of Bahrain have reached a landmark deal to fully normalise their relations, US President Donald Trump has announced. There was a deep interest and a desire to harness some of the capabilities that Israel has created, Jorsich said. The Biden administration distanced itself from the Saudis after U.S. intelligence reports concluded that Saudi journalist Khashoggis murder was approved by the highest echelons of the Saudi government. We pray for this moment to come., Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights, 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Several members of the local Jewish community and Muslim Bahrainis joined for the Friday night service. He said the Saudi government has advised Hamas representatives to abide by previous agreements, accept the tenets of the Road Map, and abandon violence. Jorisch said that there was a genuine curiosity about Israel and its challenges, though not all conversations on the trip were easy. So, if theres no U.S. solution to Saudi vulnerability to the Houthis either diplomatic or technological then Saudi normalization with Israel may be in the offing.. Registering also lets you comment on articles and helps us improve your experience. "The second Arab country to make peace with Israel in . Thursdays White House statement said Sullivan reviewed significant progress to build on the benefits of the truce in Yemen that have endured over the past 16 months and welcomed ongoing UN-led efforts to bring the war to a close. A normalization deal with Saudi Arabia, the most powerful and wealthy Arab state, has the potential to reshape the region and boost Israels standing in historic ways. Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantzs surprise visit to Bahrain earlier this month generated many headlines. After Shabbat, the delegation headed for Riyadh, where they spoke with economic officials and interacted with locals in the streets. The wide-ranging talks covered initiatives to advance a common vision for a more peaceful, secure, prosperous, and stable Middle East, and efforts to find a permanent end to the years-long conflict betweenthe Saudisand Iran-allied Houthis in Yemen, according to the White House. In Bahrain, the group met with officials from the Finance and National Economy Ministry. Nevertheless, in a speech before the US Congress last week, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he prayed for better relations with the Saudis. The Biden administration has continued to foster Israels international ties. Israel and Saudi Arabia are increasingly aligned in their opposition to Iran an arch-rival and growing nuclear threat among other hot-button global issues. Biden is flying directly from Israel to Saudi Arabia, which Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said signifies a linkage between the visit and the ability to improve relations. Steps that could be taken in that direction include facilitating the transfer of two strategic Red Sea islands from Egyptian sovereignty to Saudi control, an unresolvedissue leftover from the 1979 Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty. . Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. There is a genuine curiosity and deep interest in what Israel has already solved on these issues, and how Saudi Arabia can leverage those technologies for its own interests., The conversations that we had with Saudis were nuanced, they were thoughtful, they were empathic, they were compassionate, said Jorisch. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. It also . The group, which included a few non-Jewish members, met in Bahrain and spent a Shabbat in Manama before droving to Saudi Arabia. Advertisement Answers to 7 Key Questions on the Saudi-Iran Deal The regional rivals have agreed to re-establish diplomatic ties in an agreement brokered by China that could reverberate across the. The Trump administration provided an enormous number of weapons, provided tremendous cover and acquiesced in just about everything the Gulf states wanted, he continues. The deepening relations between Israel and the Gulf States promise even greater potential. Overview Reports in Arabic-language media suggest that there have been several meetings between Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Israeli officials over the last two years, with at least one of them taking place in Eilat in 2015 and another on the sidelines of the Arab summit in Jordan in March 2017. Bidens phone call with King Salman last week was only their second since the U.S. president assumed office just over a year ago. Other Israelis have made trips to the kingdom recently. President Joe Bidendispatched his national security adviser Jake Sullivan to Saudi Arabia on Thursday for talks with the kingdoms de facto leaderCrown Prince Mohammed bin Salmanas the White House pushes for a normalization of relations between the Saudi Arabia and Israel. The agreement also helped ease the conflict in Yemen between the Saudis and Houthis. It has a long history of clandestine cooperation with Israel against mutual enemies. Please try again or choose an option below. But Thursdays read-out made no mention of a possible normalisation agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel, a US priority in the region. It seems to be an almost inevitable next step for what they want to do with Vision 2030.. For Israel, establishing official diplomatic ties withSaudi Arabia is viewed as"a foundational point of a larger reconciliation within the region, and more globally, beyond with the larger Muslim community around the world, Barbara Leaf, assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs, told Congress, 'Pariah' state: Why it may take more than golf to restore Saudi Arabia's reputation, More: Biden to meet with Saudi crown prince during trip to the kingdom despite human rights concerns, Political upheaval: Israel heads for unprecedented fifth election in three years after government collapses, Biden pressed on Khashoggi murder, defends trip to Saudi Arabia. So there are significant constraints on King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman against following Bahrains lead. To read the full transcript, click here. And based on those connections, I put together another trip that took place in May that allowed us to really have exposure to the whos-who of Saudi Arabia when it came to the business and government communities. The Saudis are going to take more control of Tiran Island in the Gulf of Aqaba from Egypt, according to some accounts. The Wall Street Journal report said Riyadh has eyed two Israeli companies for investment, though the names of the firms were not disclosed, nor the sectors in which they operate. He worked in the US Defense and Treasury departments on terrorism issues, and currently heads a fintech company while moonlighting as a senior fellow at American Foreign Policy Council. During Blinkens recent visit, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said that normalization with Israel would havelimited benefitswithout finding a pathway to peace for the Palestinian people.. With the gap is growing, now what? The two countries are connected by the 15-mile-long King Fahd causeway, Bahrains only access to the mainland. Other proposals included an innovation hub that would bring together start-ups and tech entrepreneurs from Israel and the Gulf. The Biden administration encourages "deepening cooperation" and integrationon air defenses to deal with Iran'sgrowing ballistic missile capabilities, according to White House spokesman John Kirby. July 28, 2023, 6:48 AM PDT. ISRAELIS WHO took part in the 2021 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia pose in front of one of their two vehicles in Hail, Saudi Arabia last month. Bidens new stance comes at a cost to the moral authority of the US, Adam Coogle of HRW wrote. - opinion A simulation by Wikistrat explored opportunities for Israel-Gulf relations in 2025 following the signing. How long before flights connect the two countries? However, until a few months ago, the same could have been said about Israels relations with the UAE and Bahrain. When asked about the initiative and if he was prepared to use it as a blueprint, Netanyahu avoided committing to the terms it laid out. Haaretz.com, the online English edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, gives you breaking news, analyses and opinions about Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World. A peace initiative between Israel and Saudi Arabia would lead to a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israels Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu told Al Arabiya English on Wednesday.To read the full transcript, click here. According to Ilan Berman, senior vice president of the think tank American Foreign Policy Council, a Saudi-Israeli entente is inevitable, and the relationship is already established in all but name. Al Arabiya English Published: 19 April ,2023: 10:11 PM GST Updated: 19 April ,2023: 10:19 PM GST Israel's embattled prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said in comments aired Wednesday that Saudi Arabia struck a deal with Iran in order to end the war in Yemen while warning that partners of Iran suffered "misery." Manama will not cross Riyadh. The threat emanating from Tehran was a recurring topic of conversation. The 1993 Oslo agreement facilitated more behind-the-scenes contacts. China is interested in protecting its . See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. It involves finalizing the transfer of two strategic islands in the Red Sea from Egyptian to Saudi sovereignty, five U.S. and Israeli sources told Axios. The White House in a brief statement said that Sullivan arrived in Jeddah on Thursday for talks with . Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology.
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