Comment Israel’s prime minister expressed hope Sunday that his country will establish formal diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia, days before President Joe Biden visits the two countries on a regional trip. Israel and Saudi Arabia do not have formal diplomatic relations, but share secret security ties because of a mutual enmity with regional rival Iran. The kingdom is widely believed to be among a handful of Arab states weighing open ties with Israel. “Israel extends its hand to all the countries of the region and calls on them to build ties with us, establish relations with us and change history for our children,” Prime Minister Yair Lapid said during a weekly cabinet meeting. council. He said Biden would carry “a message of peace and hope from us” when he leaves for Saudi Arabia. Israel’s ties with Arab states have grown since it normalized relations with four Arab states in 2020 as part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords. Defense cooperation has strengthened since the Pentagon switched coordination with Israel from US European Command to Central Command, or CENTCOM, last year. The move linked Israel’s military with those of former enemy states, including Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations that have yet to recognize Israel. Biden is due to arrive in Israel on Wednesday for a three-day trip that will also include meetings with Palestinian officials in the occupied West Bank. From there he will fly directly to Saudi Arabia. In a Washington Post op-ed on Sunday, Biden said he aims to bring the two countries closer together. “I will also be the first president to fly from Israel to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia,” Biden wrote. “This trip will also be a small symbol of the budding relations and steps toward normalization between Israel and the Arab world that my administration is working to deepen and expand.” Formal ties with Saudi Arabia would be a major diplomatic coup for Israel. The kingdom has been publicly reticent about acknowledging cooperation with Israel. Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has long been a supporter of the Palestinians and their desire to establish an independent state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. Israel occupied all three territories in 1967, although it withdrew its forces and settlers from Gaza in 2005. The kingdom has long made establishing full diplomatic ties with Israel conditional on a two-state solution to the decades-long conflict with the Palestinians. Israel and the Palestinians have not held meaningful negotiations for more than a decade. But recent years have seen signs of a change in attitude. Saudi Arabia has allowed flights between Israel and Gulf states to pass through its airspace. In 2020, then-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly flew to Saudi Arabia for a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and last week several Israeli defense reporters visited the kingdom and reported on their reception.
title: “Israeli Pm Appeals For Ties With Saudi Arabia Ahead Of Biden Visit " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-23” author: “Brenda Machenry”
Israel and Saudi Arabia do not have formal diplomatic relations, but share secret security ties because of a mutual enmity with regional rival Iran. The kingdom is widely believed to be among a handful of Arab states weighing open ties with Israel. “Israel extends its hand to all the countries of the region and calls on them to build ties with us, establish relations with us and change history for our children,” Prime Minister Yair Lapid said during a weekly cabinet meeting. council. He said Biden would carry “a message of peace and hope from us” when he leaves for Saudi Arabia. Israel’s ties with Arab states have grown since it normalized relations with four Arab states in 2020 as part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords. Defense cooperation has strengthened since the Pentagon switched coordination with Israel from US European Command to Central Command, or CENTCOM, last year. The move linked Israel’s military with those of former enemy states, including Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations that have yet to recognize Israel. Biden is due to arrive in Israel on Wednesday for a three-day trip that will also include meetings with Palestinian officials in the occupied West Bank. From there he will fly directly to Saudi Arabia. In a Washington Post op-ed on Sunday, Biden said he aims to bring the two countries closer together. “I will also be the first president to fly from Israel to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia,” Biden wrote. “This trip will also be a small symbol of the budding relations and steps toward normalization between Israel and the Arab world that my administration is working to deepen and expand.” Formal ties with Saudi Arabia would be a major diplomatic coup for Israel. The kingdom has been publicly reticent about acknowledging cooperation with Israel. Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has long been a supporter of the Palestinians and their desire to establish an independent state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. Israel occupied all three territories in 1967, although it withdrew its forces and settlers from Gaza in 2005. The kingdom has long made establishing full diplomatic ties with Israel conditional on a two-state solution to the decades-long conflict with the Palestinians. Israel and the Palestinians have not held meaningful negotiations for more than a decade. But recent years have seen signs of a change in attitude. Saudi Arabia has allowed flights between Israel and Gulf states to pass through its airspace. In 2020, then-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly flew to Saudi Arabia for a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and last week several Israeli defense reporters visited the kingdom and reported on their reception.
