Israelis aim for Saudi relations

Israel’s prime minister expressed hope Sunday that his country will establish formal diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia, days before President Biden visits the two countries as part of a regional trip.

Israel and Saudi Arabia do not have official diplomatic relations, but have shared clandestine security ties over a mutual enmity of regional arch-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. He said Biden will carry “a message of peace and hope from us” when he embarks for Saudi Arabia.

Israel’s ties with Arab states have grown since normalizing relations with four Arab states in 2020 as part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords. Defense cooperation has tightened since the Pentagon switched coordination with Israel from US European Command to Central Command, or CENTCOM, last year. The move lumped Israel’s military with those of former enemy states, including Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations that have yet to recognize Israel.

Biden is set to arrive in Israel on Wednesday for 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.

Formal ties with Saudi Arabia would be a major diplomatic coup for Israel. The kingdom has been publicly reticent about acknowledging cooperation with Israel.

The Saudis have long conditioned the establishment of full diplomatic ties with Israel upon a two-state solution to the decades-long conflict with the Palestinians.