KEY POINTS
- Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has expressed concerns for his safety in connection with his push for normalisation with Israel, invoking the assassination of Anwar Sadat as a cautionary tale.
- MBS insists that any deal with Israel must include provisions for the establishment of a Palestinian state, a demand currently resisted by the Israeli government.
- The article notes that a potential normalization deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel may not materialize before the US presidential election in November as US diplomatic efforts focus on addressing Saudi concerns and resuming arms shipments.
Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman The crown prince reportedly expressed fears for his life over his attempt to normalize relations with Israel during talks with visiting US lawmakers. As for a report published Wednesday by Politico, the crown prince expressed his intention to move forward with establishing ties with Israel, even if there were fears that it could jeopardize his safety.
During the conversation, Bin Salman, often known as MBS, mentioned the killing of Egyptian President Anwar SadatShortly after Sadat signed a peace deal with Israel in 1981, he was assassinated by Islamist militants. MBS reportedly asked about US protection measures for Sadat after the peace deal.
The crown prince insisted that any agreement between Riyadh and Jerusalem on normalisation must contain a clear route to the creation of a Palestinian state, citing the possibility of assassination as a major justification. The current Israeli administration was noted as being against this provision. According to a person with knowledge of the discussions, MBS underlined how deeply concerned the Saudis and the Middle Eastern public are about the Palestinian situation. He reportedly threatened to step down from his role as guardian of Islam’s holy sites if he did not resolve what he called the most pressing justice issue facing the area.
Despite these obstacles, the article suggested that MBS remained steadfast in his desire to reach a major deal with the United States and Israel because he considered it essential to his nation’s survival. The article did not say when MBS made his comments about a possible assassination.
There is little chance of an agreement being reached on Normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia According to US Congressional sources, the agreement is expected to be finalized before the presidential elections in November. The Senate is expected to be unable to approve the US-Saudi component of the agreement before its recess.
According to Nahal Toosi, international affairs journalist for Politico, MBS may have been pushing American diplomats to put more pressure on Israel to accept his preferred conditions by threatening to kill them. Toosi noted that MBS has been taking huge risks by thinking of maintaining diplomatic ties with Israel even before the current Gaza crisis.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, has long wanted a normalisation of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. Complicating any possible deal, Netanyahu persistently rejects the idea of a future Palestinian state.
US President Joe Biden has confirmed that Saudi Arabia wants to develop a civilian nuclear facility and obtain security guarantees from the United States in exchange for full recognition of Israel.
The White House announced Monday that shipments of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia have resumed, reinstating a moratorium that had been put in place in 2021 due to human rights concerns. The move was seen as part of U.S. attempts to persuade Saudi Arabia to support efforts to end hostilities in Gaza and thwart Iranian threats against Israel.
Normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia seemed imminent before the Gaza crisis. Just before the conflict began on October 7, when Hamas-led terrorists attacked southern Israel, killing nearly 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, two Israeli ministers had made extraordinary trips to Saudi Arabia.
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