Saudi Arabia is the Sponsor of Normalization with the Enemy

By Ibrahim Al-Amin - Al-Akhbar Newspaper / Translated by Staff

In explaining or trying to justify Morocco’s normalization agreement with “Israel”, a Moroccan diplomat says that Saudi Arabia has always been an important player in this field. 

The diplomat does not deny the historical ties that linked the Moroccan ruling family to international Jewish organizations, as well as how these ties affected relations between the Moroccan ruling family and Zionist organizations that support “Israel”.

He also acknowledges that Morocco’s relations with “Israel” are more profound than those between the House of Saud and the enemy. 

However, he calls for attention to the fact that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates play the role of "the financier of these new agreements". He points out that the aid package used by the United States to lure Arab countries to speed up this process is based, in part, on support that Riyadh and Abu Dhabi provide directly or via participating in investment projects in which “Israel” plays a direct role, especially in terms of logistical and technical expertise.

The issue here is not only related to this auxiliary role, but rather to the overall map of the idea of a strategic alliance with “Israel”. Those who thought that Donald Trump rushed the normalization agreements for the sake of the US elections realized that the matter was not a hot topic for American voters. Even the Jewish electorate was not really affected by these matters. 

There is something different about the approach of American Jews to the US elections, which has an impact on many things, including the differences in opinion between this bloc and “Israeli” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. These differences should not be viewed as an asset by those who naively think that there is a possibility of a coup by American Jews against “Israel”. This is only limited to the strategic interests of the Jewish bloc within America itself.

It is true that the great influence of Western Jews benefits those who are allied with them or serve their interests, including “Israel”, but the rulers of the Gulf need this institution to contain any problems that arise with the West and to prevent the establishment of relations between the United States and central countries in the region, without taking into account their interests. 

The Saudis and the Emiratis, in particular, are acting on the basis that the West, especially America, needs them to provide elements of security. And they feel that their self-styled existential battle, requires a war of a different kind with the opposite axis. At this point, relations with “Israel” are no longer subject to discussion. Rather, what remains up for discussion is the form and direction required to prevent the occurrence of what factors that have not been taken into account.

In “Israel”, no one is under the illusion that relations with the governments of the Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco, as well as with the governments of Egypt, Jordan, and Qatar are a reflection of a shift in the popular will in these countries. The strategists in the “Israeli” entity know that governments that normalized relations are unable to confront resistance movements, which are growing in strength.

At this point, what’s important is the strategic reality that concerns the main interests of the countries of the new alliance. Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, and Bahrain, for example, are among the countries that fear for the stability of their political, security, and economic systems. They believe that American protection is no longer sufficient and gradually realized, since 2011, that the United States can no longer be there for them, not even for a fee. 

“Israel” also realized in 2006 that it is no longer able to go to war alone without American support. It doesn’t fear a possible expansion of the axis of resistance anymore, especially after what happened in Yemen, but rather that the collapse of the current system in the Arabian Gulf will narrow the margin of American and European movements in this region. 

This requires a direct “Israeli” presence. Those who know the affairs of the region realize that “Israel” is no longer satisfied with the information it receives from proxies. It is no longer satisfied with the networks of collaborators, regardless of their ranks. The direct presence of the relevant “Israeli” agencies has become imperative. This requires a degree of legitimacy that facilitates many of the matters that remain complicated, no matter how much freedom of movement “Israel” is allowed. 

In addition, there is another matter that concerns a class of “Israeli” investors who want direct access to this market or to use it to reach markets that are difficult to enter – markets that extend from Afghanistan in the east and Africa to the West.

Therefore, it is possible to return to the words of the Moroccan diplomat and understand the central and fundamental Saudi role – regardless of what appears to the public information now or in the past. Saudi Arabia has become the cornerstone of this new alliance. And it has many tasks. In this context, it is possible to understand the gradual political and non-political steps taken by the Al Saud rulers inside and outside the Arabian Peninsula in order to consolidate the foundations of this alliance.

Al-Akhbar will publish a secret document that was written by the head of Saudi intelligence Khaled Al-Humaidan to his boss, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, regarding the file of normalization with the “Israelis”. It is a report that explains the general points of the Saudi approach in how to deal with this file.