Sunni Saudi Arabia is reconciling with its regional and religious opponent, Shia Iran, under the aegis of China.
The deal restores diplomatic ties between the two countries and reactivates their security cooperation. It also revives the 1998 agreement on their economic, technological, scientific, cultural and sporting ties. This diplomatic turn by China is complicating American and Israeli efforts to build a regional anti-Iranian coalition while Tehran is busy developing nuclear weapons.
A setback for Israel
The deal contradicts Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s key foreign policy goals: to isolate Iran and establish diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia. Riyadh has had secret security and business ties with Israel for some time.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett described the resumption of relations between Tehran and Riyadh as a major defeat for Netanyahu. It risks reducing the chances of including Saudi Arabia in the Abraham Accords negotiated under Trump’s aegis, which aimed to isolate Iran by inducing Arab countries to sign deals on diplomatic and commercial ties with Israel sign.
In 2020, Israel normalized its relations with three Arab countries, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco. Its leaders believed that the economic and security benefits achieved by Israel were more important than solidarity with the Palestinian people. Now they could reconsider their decision.
Netanyahu caused trouble
The agreement comes as Israel is plunged into the deepest political crisis in its history.
Netanyahu and his far-right government want to give politicians control of the judicial system at the expense of the country’s Supreme Court.
He has a personal interest in that. It would allow him to overturn any court decision against him. He is currently facing charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.
If found guilty, he would become the second Israeli prime minister, after Ehud Olmert, to serve a prison sentence.
His maneuver sparked unprecedented mass protests in Israel and tested Israel’s relationship not only with the White House but also with American Jews.
The Jewish Federations of North America, a philanthropic giant that raises $3 billion annually, sent a letter to Netanyahu opposing his bill. But the main Israeli lobby in Washington, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), has still not taken a position.
The Saudis have cards to play
According to the New York Times, in exchange for normalizing relations with Israel, Riyadh would want US help to develop a civilian nuclear program and less restrictions on US arms purchases.
This deal could also reactivate the Saudi offer to sign a peace deal with Israel if the Jewish state accepts the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Terms that Netanyahu would dismiss but would allow Riyadh to score.
