Mohammed bin Salman
Jim Philips, a senior research fellow for Middle Eastern affairs at The Heritage Foundation, said the Biden administration’s early efforts to distance itself from Saudi Arabia “could give Israel additional influence because Riyadh may seek to stave off further criticisms from Washington by underscoring its warming ties with Jerusalem.”
The visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu comes as Israel is ramping up ties with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, though Iran is also in the picture.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was also present at the meeting in Neom, Saudi Arabia, which was reportedly arranged by U.S. Special Representative for Iran Elliott Abrams.
Report: Trump warned Saudis to cut oil supplies or could lose military support
The pressure was key to a U.S. campaign for a global deal to cut oil output because of a drop in demand due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Among economic and other incentives, the Saudi offer apparently also includes the founding of a Palestinian embassy in the West Bank town of Abu Dis, located on Jerusalem’s eastern outskirts.
Some excitement—and perhaps a lot more doubt—has been swirling in political and academic circles about the ongoing nature of Jerusalem’s Gulf-oriented approach to diplomatic, and hopefully, economic relations.
The only threat to stability remains from outside actors—particularly, arch-rival Iran, and from some Western governments and businesses that have cooled on the kingdom of late. But this will surely blow over because of the Saudis’ vast economic clout.
“What happened in the Istanbul consulate was horrendous,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “Yet at the same time, it is very important for the stability of the world, of the region and of the world, that Saudi Arabia remain stable.”
Mnuchin discusses Iran oil sanctions with Saudi prince
The two “stressed the importance of the Saudi-U.S. strategic partnership and the future role of this partnership in accordance with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030,” according to the Saudi Press Agency.
The increase in tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran has led many to speculate that the kingdom’s shared interests with Israel in thwarting Iranian aggression would push the two countries closer together.
According to the report, the meeting focused on the normalization of ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia as well as the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
