Saudi Arabia
For its own internal and external reason, the Saudis appear hesitant to make any bold moves, seeing the establishment of a Palestinian state as the basis for discussion.
ISIS calls for attacks on Westerners, oil infrastructure in Saudi Arabia
“Targets are plenty,” says Islamic State spokesman, accusing Saudi Arabia of backing normalization with Israel by opening its airspace to the Jewish state.
He said the Abraham Accords “reflect a changing dynamic in the region, one in which countries recognize the need for regional cooperation to counter Iranian influence and generate prosperity.”
The Abraham Accords, signed by the UAE and Bahrain with Israel—and encouraged by Saudi Arabia—sharpened the disputes between Tehran and Riyadh over regional hegemony.
Riyadh said it arrested 10 people and captured weapons from terrorists trained by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“Israel is right to be concerned,” said Saeed Ghasseminejad, a senior Iran and financial economics adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, noting that the Saudis have reason to seek out Chinese companies. “The Middle East is full of unstable governments, radicalized societies, apocalyptic militants and messianic politicians.”
The development will drastically reduce flight times between Israel and Asian countries.
King Salman tells the U.S. president that Saudi Arabia wants a solution to the Palestinian issue based on the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative.
Saudi aviation official says the decision followed a request by the UAE aviation authority.
The application is expected to be approved, as Riyadh in the past has allowed the use of its airspace for unofficial flights between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.
Saudi Arabia remains committed to the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative and the arms embargo on Iran must remain in place, says Saudi Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.
Along with Bahrain, reported as likely to become the second Gulf nation after the UAE to establish formal relations with Israel, Saudi Arabia is expected to follow suit.
