In the Middle East, a covert friendship

ISRAEL and Saudi Arabia have no formal diplomatic relations. The Saudis do not even recognise Israel as a state. Still, there is evidence that ties between Saudi Arabia and other Sunni Arab states and Israel are not only improving but, after developing in secret over many years, could evolve into a more explicit alliance as a result of their mutual distrust of Iran. Better relations among these neighbours could put the chaotic Middle East on a more positive course. They could also leave the Palestinians in the dust, a worrisome prospect.

A case in point was a visit to Jerusalem in July by a Saudi delegation, led by a retired major general, Anwar Eshki, that included talks with Dore Gold, a senior Israeli Foreign Ministry official. The meeting was notable because it was openly acknowledged.

After decades of hostility, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel is seeking to engage his country’s former enemies. Meanwhile, since coming to power 18 months ago, King Salman of Saudi Arabia and his son Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have shown a willingness to take foreign policy risks. The Israelis and the Saudis share antipathy towards Iran. Both are worried about regional instability. Both are upset with the US over the Iranian nuclear deal.

As an international boycott movement is seeking to isolate Israel over its treatment of Palestinians, Netanyahu is determined to expand the number of countries that recognise his state and to capitalise on the economic potential of trade between it and the Arab states. He has also repaired relations with Turkey and sought to strengthen ties with Africa. Egypt has also been pursuing warmer ties with Israel. A week before the Saudi delegation arrived, Sameh Shoukry became the first foreign minister of Egypt to visit Israel in nine years.

Where does this leave the Palestinians? The Palestinians have relied on the Sunni Arab states to advance their interests. Eshki, for instance, talked of reviving the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which promised Israel normalised relations with the Arab League countries as part of a deal to end the Palestinian conf lict.

Unfortunately, neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians show interest in serious peace talks. And there are reasons to doubt that the Palestinians are the Arab countries’ real focus. Netanyahu, in fact, has made clear his preference for improving relations with the Arab states first, saying Israel would then be in a stronger position to make peace with the Palestinians later on.

Of course, improved relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors do not preclude a Palestinian peace deal. The danger is that these countries will find more value in mending ties with each other and stop there, thus allowing Palestinian grievances, a source of regional tension for decades, to continue to fester.