Why it's time for Saudi Arabia to take the lead on Israeli-Palestinian peace process
While Israel and Saudi Arabia share common interests, these can only be expressed if the Saudis take a leading role in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process toward a statehood based on their 2002 initiative, with the United States, Egypt and the Arab League engaging as well.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims that, as a result of the Iran deal, a new front of common interests will be established between Israel, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan. He uses this argument as part of his public relations campaign for the defeat of the Iran agreement in the US Congress.
In reality, however, Netanyahu has done very little to bring about such a common front. He probably knows that an alliance of interests between Israel and the pragmatic Sunni Arab states demands dealing with the two-state solution. This is something the prime minister wishes to avoid, almost at any price.
A senior Palestinian Authority official, who visits the Saudi leadership on a regular basis, told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity about the political thinking he recently faced in Riyadh. The new leadership, under King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, has reservations about the Iran deal and is concerned about the strengthening of Iran’s regional position that emanates from it. Yet, Saudi Arabia has publicly endorsed the agreement and holds a constructive and positive dialogue with Washington.
The Saudis are mainly concerned with the situation in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Regarding a new regional configuration as an answer to the Iranian ambition, the Saudi leadership foresees mainly a convergence of interests with Egypt. According to the Palestinian source, a broader coalition that would also include Israel could only be possible within a process leading to Palestinian statehood. In other words, only on the basis of the Saudi Peace Initiative of 2002, which is fully supported by the new king.
