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Must comply: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Saudi Arabia’s Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Photo: MAYA ALLERUZZO, BANDAR AL-JALOUD / Saudi Royal Palace
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is said to have traveled to Saudi Arabia for a secret meeting with Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
He reports to various Israeli media on Monday, among others. The Jerusalem Post and Times of Israel. They cite anonymous sources.
The supposed visit on Sunday night is in this case the first known meeting between Israeli and Saudi leaders at a high level, writes The New York Times.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said early Monday that he had had a constructive meeting with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia the day before, but did not mention the Israeli head of state, the Times of Israel writes. He has been traveling and visiting Israel and the Gulf states.
Israel has recently tried to warm up relations with several Arab countries, while the country continues a military action against Iran and its allies.
Read more about it here.
According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi have not been informed of the secret meeting with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s adviser Topaz Luk gave this explanation on his Twitter account as to why two key members of the government were not informed of this important event: “Gantz is involved in politics, while the prime minister is making peace. “.
This writes the liberal Haaretz newspaper on Monday morning.
WINNER’S TRIUMPH: Hilde Henriksen Waage believes that Israel and Saudi Arabia have been exposed to strong pressure from the United States. Photo: Harald Berg Sævereid, VG
Middle Eastern historian and expert Hilde Henriksen Waage tells VG that this isn’t really that surprising, and that they fit the pattern and are part of the Trump administration’s plan.
– Achieving a direct agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel will, in that sense, be the icing on the cake. Two main enemies have become edible to each other, it’s a bit sensational, says Henriksen Waage.
It surprises him a little that, in case of agreement, the reason for a process has not been prepared a little better.
– The reason for this may be that the parties have been subjected to strong pressure on the United States and President Donald Trump to reach a final peace agreement. In that case, the US administration will consider it a great victory before Donald Trump ends his presidency, says Hilde Henriksen Waage of the Department of History at the University of Oslo.
Nestoren, among Norwegian Middle East experts Professor Nils Buteschøn, is also not so surprised by the revelation that the Saudi crown prince and the Israeli prime minister have met directly.
– It is no secret that Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been a driving force in creating an alliance against Iran and other regimes in the region. It’s too early to say anything about the consequences, says Butenschøn.
But he feels confident that the next president of the United States, Joe Biden, is likely the moderator of a possible agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
– However, Biden will be required to confront Israel. The network that Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, has built up in the region is unlikely to be viable in the long term.
It is a fact that the Palestinians have been even more marginalized and are realistically in a weaker position. But it is a fact that, in any case, the Palestinians are there and they have the support of the UN and much of the international community, says Nils Butenschøn.
