Israel Gives Official Confirmation Of Covert Ties With Saudi Arabia
19 November, 2017
Yet more confirmation
emerged today regarding the recently established relationship between
Israel and Saudi Arabia, which is being defined by a shared desire to
see Iranian influence and expansion rolled
back in the Middle East.
For the first time a
high level Israeli government official has formally acknowledged the
increased ties between the two countries which
have historically been bitter enemies, and which have never had
official diplomatic relations.
The historic news, which
is worrisome for the fact that it could
bring the region closer to major war as the newfound "allies"
eye the Iranian proxy Hezbollah,
follows the leak
of an Israeli diplomatic cable sent
to all Israeli embassies throughout the world which revealed Israeli
and Saudi behind the scenes coordination. The cable gave instructions
to Israeli diplomats to express support for the Saudi war against
Shia forces in Yemen and also urged embassies to
aggressively lobby their host governments to take steps toward
pushing Hezbollah out of Lebanon.
And today the Times of
Israel reports the following Reuters story under the bombshell
headline, Israel
Has Secret Contacts With Saudi Arabia, Senior Minister Reveals:
Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said on Sunday that Israel has had covert contacts with Saudi Arabia amid common concerns over Iran, a first disclosure by a senior Israeli official of such contacts. In an interview on Army Radio,Steinitz was asked why Israel was hiding its ties with Saudi Arabia, which does not have diplomatic ties with Israel.
And in response Steinitz
replied in the affirmative, explaining that:
"We have ties that are indeed partly covert with many Muslim and Arab countries, and usually (we are) the party that is not ashamed. It’s the other side that is interested in keeping the ties quiet. With us, usually, there is no problem, but we respect the other side’s wish, when ties are developing, whether it’s with Saudi Arabia or with other Arab countries or other Muslim countries, and there is much more ... (but) we keep it secret.”
The official confirmation
follows closely on the heels of an
unprecedented interview that Israel Defense
Force (IDF) chief-of-staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot gave to a prominent
Saudi newspaper last Thursday in which he said that, "Israel is
ready to share intelligence with Riyadh on their shared arch-foe
Iran."
Eizenkot
explained further, according to Tel Aviv based i24NEWS,
that "Israel and Riyadh - which he noted have never fought
one another - are
in complete agreement about Iran's intentions to dominate the Middle
East."
In early September we
broke the story that
no less than Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS)
may have been among a Saudi delegation which
secretly visited Israel at the time. This
was based on an Israeli state funded radio broadcast (Kol
Yisrael), which made cryptic reference to the "secret"
visit while withholding names and specifics. "An emir of the
Saudi royal court visited the country secretly in recent days and
discussed with senior Israeli officials the idea of advancing
regional peace," the station reported.
As knowledge of the
Saudi-Israeli ties are becoming public knowledge, this could
certainly result
in embarrassment for both countries, especially on the Saudi domestic
front. As
the Israeli Energy Minister said today, "It’s the other side
that is interested in keeping the ties quiet."
Could news of
official ties with the Jewish state be recipe for more internal
unrest to come in Saudi Arabia? No
doubt, the kingdom's radical Wahhabi religious establishment will
have much to say on the issue. This is perhaps why MBS has reportedly
continued his unrelenting and broadening crackdown.
Energy
Minister Steinitz tells Army Radio 'it's the other side that is
interested in keeping the ties quiet'
Energy
Minister Yuval Steinitz said on Sunday that Israel has had covert
contacts with Saudi Arabia amid common concerns over Iran, a first
disclosure by a senior Israeli official of such contacts.
In
an interview on Army Radio, Steinitz was asked why Israel was hiding
its ties with Saudi Arabia, which does not have diplomatic ties with
Israel.
To
really understand the Middle East - subscribe to Haaretz
Steinitz
replied: ”We have ties that are indeed partly covert with many
Muslim and Arab countries, and usually (we are) the party that is not
ashamed.
“It’s
the other side that is interested in keeping the ties quiet. With us,
usually, there is no problem, but we respect the other side’s wish,
when ties are developing, whether it’s with Saudi Arabia or with
other Arab countries or other Muslim countries, and there is much
more ... (but) we keep it secret.”
The
following from the "moderate", jewish press should give an idea...
Iran's
presence is not expected to diminish despite the U.S.-Russia deal.
Israel is concerned, but whether Iran is interested in opening a
front against Israel in Syria remains unclear
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