Saudi Prince Compromises His Stance on Israeli Rights

Is it possible for Saudi Arabia to form an economic alliance with Israel without breaking its peace with Palestinians?

In an interview published on Monday with the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, he has stated his sentiments towards the Israeli-Palestine conflict and believed that the Israelis “have the right to have their own land”.

In the past Saudi has been opposed to Israel’s right to exist and this statement of the Crown Prince shifted the general tone towards a more positive and amiable one towards the Israelis. Historically, Saudi has found fault in Israel for treating Palestinians unjustly and brutally as well as for imposing restrictions on some Muslim sites in Jerusalem.

In hopes to change Saudi’s global economic standing and expands its influence in the region economically, Prince Mohammed considered Israel as a solid regional economic center where Saudi could partner and cooperate with to boost its economy. However, by recognizing Israel and withdrawing from its former hostility, Saudi is by no means attempting to incite hostility and tension with the Palestinians, as it hopes for peace and good terms with both powers.

Prince Mohammed’s interview with the Atlantic again sat in the middle ground, as he said that “I believe that Palestinians and the Israelis have the right to have their own land. But we have to have a peace agreement to assure the stability for everyone and to have normal relations.”

He further called into attention Israel’s economy, commenting that it is “a big economy compared to their size and it’s a growing economy, and of course there is a lot of interest we share with Israel.” He even proposed future cooperation and economic alliances by hinting that “if there is peace, there would be a lot of interest between Israel and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and countries like Egypt and Jordan.”

King Salman, father of Prince Mohammed, however, made no mention of Israel and emphasized the significance of Palestinian rights. He said that “the kingdom’s steadfast position towards the Palestinian issue and legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.”

Prince Mohammed seems to be introducing a general, subtle shift in Saudi Arabia’s diplomacy towards Israel. He has tried to downplay the sentiments of anti-Semitism that is widespread and prevalent in Saudi Arabia and in fact, last month, an Israeli commercial flight flew through the air territories of Saudi with Saudi’s permission. Prince Mohammed has also fostered a strong relationship with the Trump administration and therefore it’s not surprising to see him soften up on the kingdom’s stances towards Israel.

To further dismiss the presumption of Saudi Arabia’s historical resentment towards Jews, Prince Mohammed emphasized that Prophet Muhammad married a Jewish woman, commenting that “our country doesn’t have a problem with Jews.”

However, the rule remains that Jews, like other non-Islamic faiths and Christians, are still forbidden from building sites of religious worship or practice openly within the lands of Saudi Arabia. Prince Mohammed’s defense of the Israelis is a product of his attempt to form potential economic alliances and cooperations, rather one of religious compromise and acceptance.

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