Something dramatic is occurring in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which might soon impact the Israeli-Palestinian negotiation renewal. While most pundits are trying to figure out the consequences of the latest events there, they missed the shift in the kingdom’s traditional policy. Saudi Arabia has moved away from its role as a behind-the-scenes player to the position of a forefront leader. But as it is an extremely closed system, with little media transparency, it is difficult to assess the full significance of the internal purge that the young Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has undertaken.
In fact, in parallel with the purging campaign, Mohammed had expressed very strong positions against Iran and its proxy Hezbollah’s terror activities both in Yemen and Lebanon. And so, the crown prince is clearly preparing for both domestic reforms and for realizing Saudi Arabia’s regional ambitions. He wants Saudi Arabia to fulfill the role of a leader in the Islamic world, perceiving Iran as its greatest ideological and strategic foe. The prince knows that positioning Saudi Arabia as a regional leader goes hand in hand with a US-Saudi rapprochement and also with taking more visible steps on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And it seems that he is ready to advance on both these fronts.
A senior Gulf diplomat stationed in London told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that the new crown prince is planning a relatively smooth transfer of power once he takes over for his father. He is known to be very pro-American, is close to President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and was the central force behind the economic and defense deals that were signed during Trump’s visit to Riyadh in May, as well as the president’s Riyadh Declaration. The Gulf diplomat said that the US administration fully backs the crown prince’s path to regional power and to a more modern Saudi Arabia. He has launched the plan for Saudi Arabia 2030, with accelerated high-tech development. Saudi Arabia must prepare for the post-oil era.
While pushing forward modernization, Saudi Arabia has made other moves of broader regional repercussions. The country is fighting the Houthis in Yemen, which are backed by Iran and Hezbollah. Lebanon is another place the Saudis would like to curtail Iranian influence. The resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri is an indication of this.
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