Möbius Curve
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17 hrs ago
Perhaps you read the opinion piece by Karen Elliott House in the Jan. 7 edition of The Wall Street Journal speculating that formal and open relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia are on the horizon.
But you didn't read it there first, as yours truly made the same point on these pages late last year. (See the Nov. 4 News-Herald.)
Due to the fallout over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the hands of Saudi agents, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is under pressure to make amends to the democracies. Relations with Israel are an excellent way for Saudi Arabia to demonstrate to the west that it's serious about reform.
Of course, relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia are not as big a break-through as first appears. The two countries share intelligence in the common ground in their concern over the volatile Islamic republic of Iran. Indeed, relations between the Israelis and the Saudis are the worst kept secret in the Middle East.
But elevating Israeli-Saudi relations from clandestine to formal would go a long way in bringing stability to this troubled region. Formal relations with Israel would also solidify for Saudi Arabia its rightful place as a vital U.S. ally (which it is).
This would also make Saudi Arabia the third Arab nation to conduct open relations with the Jewish state, with Egypt and Jordan being the other two. This is significant because Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan are not only Arab states. Each country also is an Arab power with the three best equipped militaries in the Middle East.
In the wake of the Khashoggi murder and the negative perception of Saudi Arabia over its participation in the civil war in Yemen, formal relations with Israel would be something positive resulting from a duo-tragedy. Not that Saudi Arabia deserves the abuse it has received from the international press over Yemen (where Iran-backed thugs initiated the war and are responsible for the carnage).
On the other hand, there is no dispute that Saudi Arabia is a repressive society with values and priorities at odds with the democratic world. But western journalists often fail to understand that Saudi Arabia must deal with a far more dangerous element both within its own country and in the surrounding region. In the Middle East, democracy is considered a luxury even the rich Saudi kingdom cannot afford.
From 2010 to 2011, developments in the Middle East were dubbed the "Arab Spring." Some spring.
Egyptian military officials would eventually have to remove former President Mohammed Morsi from power, Iran would become even more a threat with its nuclear ambitions, and Yemen was transformed into a perpetual war zone. But formal relations with Israel would put Saudi Arabia on a democratic path and would be an undeniable victory for stability.
Indeed, what we may now be witnessing is a true "Arab Spring" in which the nations of the Middle East realize their problems are from within and not invariably traceable to Israel. Potential formal relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia are a real opportunity. Let's hope our own leaders and those in the Middle East take advantage.
http://www.thenewsherald.com/opinio...cle_9db99734-1901-11e9-a5b9-3f228480ba1c.html
Perhaps you read the opinion piece by Karen Elliott House in the Jan. 7 edition of The Wall Street Journal speculating that formal and open relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia are on the horizon.
But you didn't read it there first, as yours truly made the same point on these pages late last year. (See the Nov. 4 News-Herald.)
Due to the fallout over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the hands of Saudi agents, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is under pressure to make amends to the democracies. Relations with Israel are an excellent way for Saudi Arabia to demonstrate to the west that it's serious about reform.
Of course, relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia are not as big a break-through as first appears. The two countries share intelligence in the common ground in their concern over the volatile Islamic republic of Iran. Indeed, relations between the Israelis and the Saudis are the worst kept secret in the Middle East.
But elevating Israeli-Saudi relations from clandestine to formal would go a long way in bringing stability to this troubled region. Formal relations with Israel would also solidify for Saudi Arabia its rightful place as a vital U.S. ally (which it is).
This would also make Saudi Arabia the third Arab nation to conduct open relations with the Jewish state, with Egypt and Jordan being the other two. This is significant because Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan are not only Arab states. Each country also is an Arab power with the three best equipped militaries in the Middle East.
In the wake of the Khashoggi murder and the negative perception of Saudi Arabia over its participation in the civil war in Yemen, formal relations with Israel would be something positive resulting from a duo-tragedy. Not that Saudi Arabia deserves the abuse it has received from the international press over Yemen (where Iran-backed thugs initiated the war and are responsible for the carnage).
On the other hand, there is no dispute that Saudi Arabia is a repressive society with values and priorities at odds with the democratic world. But western journalists often fail to understand that Saudi Arabia must deal with a far more dangerous element both within its own country and in the surrounding region. In the Middle East, democracy is considered a luxury even the rich Saudi kingdom cannot afford.
From 2010 to 2011, developments in the Middle East were dubbed the "Arab Spring." Some spring.
Egyptian military officials would eventually have to remove former President Mohammed Morsi from power, Iran would become even more a threat with its nuclear ambitions, and Yemen was transformed into a perpetual war zone. But formal relations with Israel would put Saudi Arabia on a democratic path and would be an undeniable victory for stability.
Indeed, what we may now be witnessing is a true "Arab Spring" in which the nations of the Middle East realize their problems are from within and not invariably traceable to Israel. Potential formal relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia are a real opportunity. Let's hope our own leaders and those in the Middle East take advantage.
http://www.thenewsherald.com/opinio...cle_9db99734-1901-11e9-a5b9-3f228480ba1c.html
