"With the fire burning in your backyard, it is difficult, if not impossible, to advance further normalization agreements, including with Saudi Arabia," is the message Washington has conveyed to Israeli officials, according to Antony Blinken. At a meeting of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in the United States, the US Secretary of State described the attempt to promote Israeli-Saudi normalization as "incredibly challenging" and as having a "real chance".
The impact of the security reality in the West Bank on contacts to expand normalization should not be underestimated. Sensitivity to public attitudes is high. Leaders, in most countries, avoid going in a direction contrary to public opinion. The pictures coming from Judea and Samaria do not add sympathy for Israel, to say the least. They provide ammunition for the propaganda of Islamist elements, pro-Palestinian organizations, and other bodies hostile to Israel. When sentiment on the street is negative about Israel, everyone is forced to lower their profile until the anger passes.
Netanyahu Reveals: "Saudi Crown Prince bin Salman contributed to the achievement of the Abraham Accords" (Archive) // From Facebook
However, Blinken appears to be using Israel's eagerness for normalization with Saudi Arabia as leverage to pressure it on the Palestinian issue. Even before the escalation in the Judea and Samaria arena, since the rise of the Biden administration, there have been no significant achievements in normalization. Washington did convey an open desire to continue the momentum of the agreements, but the results were poor.
The circle of countries that are parties to the agreements has not expanded, progress in relations has been mainly through the bilateral channels paved during the previous administration, and apart from the Negev Summit, whose main importance was its very existence, no significant civilian initiatives and projects were recorded in broad partnerships of the countries of the agreement.
Blinken. Taking advantage of Israel's passion, photo: AFP
The agreement to establish relations with Sudan has not been completed, and its future is shrouded in the cloud of the civil war, which in the meantime has managed to heat up there. Even with Morocco, with which relations have strengthened and expanded, there has been no long-awaited political upgrade to the level of embassies and no official Israeli meetings with the king.
The truth has been told: With regard to normalization, Israel's conduct is indeed a consideration of the royal family's position in Riyadh, but its weight is not decisive. The American administration and its policy in the region contributed much more to the reality that was created. The weakening of the United States and its conduct in the Middle East are what pushed Saudi Arabia into the arms of the Chinese government and, in practice, (even if unintentionally) weakened the momentum of rapprochement with Israel.
Netanyahu and Trump signing the Abraham Accords (archive), photo: AFP
Normalization of Israeli-Saudi relations is now a clear interest of Washington and the West, and not only of Jerusalem and Riyadh. It will distance Saudi Arabia from the growing Chinese-Iranian-Russian axis and give the United States the points it needs in the competition for the new world order. It has the potential to turn Saudi Arabia into an international logistics hub that will link Europe, Africa and Asia and revolutionize world trade.
As far as Israel is concerned, normalization with Saudi Arabia is an important goal to achieve, but not at any price. Concessions on Iran, compromises on nuclear proliferation in the Middle East, and concessions of security significance in the Palestinian arena are too high a price, even in return for such a significant achievement.
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us