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The American Wall Street Journal revealed that there are differences within the Saudi royal family, especially between Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and his son, the crown prince, regarding normalization with Israel.
The newspaper said in a report that King Salman was “stunned” when US President Donald Trump announced the Emirati-Israeli deal on Aug. 13, while bin Salman did not appear surprised by the move.
The same newspaper quoted observers as saying that bin Salman welcomes this step, which would nullify what the prince considers an intractable conflict that prevents entering into a trade association with Israel and also prevents him from taking advantage of it to oppose Iran.
The Wall Street Journal quoted Saudi sources as saying that bin Salman preferred not to inform his father of the planned deal between the UAE and Israel, fearing the king would obstruct the deal, after learning that he would not present much to push for a solution. to the Palestinian problem, since the refusal of the king would hamper the whole agreement.
The newspaper said the king was angry at the little that was obtained in return for the deal with the Emiratis; He ordered his foreign minister to reaffirm the Kingdom’s commitment to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The newspaper spoke about pressure from the Trump administration to unite Saudi Arabia, Washington’s main allies in the region, and Iran’s opponents with Israel, with the aim of improving intelligence sharing and easing Israel’s isolation. , especially with Washington’s tendency to reduce its military presence in the region.
The “Wall Street Journal” said that for almost thirty years, the Kingdom maintained frequent secret and informal contacts with Israel, mainly related to security issues, especially with regard to Iran, and at the same time maintained its public positions in support of the cause. Palestine.
Unlike King Salman, the newspaper believes its crown prince is showing an “extraordinary openness” towards Israel, especially on issues related to security and trade. The Wall Street Journal also cites foreign advisers and diplomats that Mohammed bin Salman suggested in October 2017, when announcing plans to build the city of Neom, that Israel plays an important role in the development of Neom, with possible investments in biotechnology and cybersecurity. .
He explained that bin Salman informed Jared Kushner on his recent visit to Saudi Arabia that the king would not accept his proposal to conclude a normalization agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel. In light of the king’s refusal, Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Kushner that the most he could do at this time was to pressure Bahrain to sign an agreement to normalize relations with Israel.
In the context, the political analyst of the daily “Yediot Aharonot” Nahum Barnea pointed out that in Saudi Arabia there is a dispute between the crown prince “who is pressing for normalization, which will improve his position in the United States, which was harmed by the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi “and the king” who placed a veto. ” He refuses to back down from the Saudi peace initiative. “
According to Yedioth Ahronoth, Israeli estimates indicate that Saudi Arabia will wait until after the US elections in November before deciding whether to normalize its relations with Israel; Meanwhile, there is “optimism” in Israel about the possibility of reaching an imminent normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia. Senior Israeli government officials said: “The question is not whether Saudi Arabia will sign an agreement with Israel, but when.”
“Most likely, the Saudi authorities will take practical steps towards normalization with Israel if there is progress at the Israeli-Palestinian level,” Yediot Aharonot stated.
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