In recent news, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) stated that Israel may be a “potential ally” of Riyadh.
According to the official Saudi Press Agency, the prince told the US monthly magazine, “We hope that the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is resolved.”
“We don’t see Israel as an enemy; rather, we see them as a potential ally with many common interests,” Saudi Arabia’s de facto king stated.
In a rare interview with foreign media, he continued, “But we have to settle some issues before we get to it.”
Israel and Saudi Arabia do not have diplomatic relations. However, after Egypt and Jordan, two of its biggest Gulf allies, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, normalized relations with Israel in 2020, becoming the third and fourth Arab states to do so after Egypt and Jordan.
Additionally, the normalization arrangements negotiated under the Abraham Accords, which were brokered by the US, enraged Palestinians, who called them a “stab in the back.”
Saudi Arabia has also stated repeatedly that it will adhere to the Arab League’s decades-old stance of not establishing diplomatic ties with Israel until the Palestinian conflict is settled.
