Israeli Army Chief Praises Saudi Arabia's Stance Towards Iran

The senior intelligence commander of Israel, in a public speech, emphasized the commonalities between Israel and Saudi Arabia in confronting Iran, praising the 'pragmatism' of the Saudi king and his government towards Tehran. General Herzl Halevi, head of 'Aman', the intelligence branch of the Israeli army, on Wednesday, June 16, at the Herzliya Conference, called the 'moderation' and 'pragmatism' of the Saudi government since King Salman came to power, and the seriousness of the Saudis in the past year and a half against Iran in the region, a 'positive transformation' that, according to him, has 'created new opportunities'. According to Reuters, this Israeli intelligence official discussed 'strategic changes in the Middle East' and the 'possibility of an agreement between Israel and moderate Arab and Islamic countries' from the perspective of the Israeli army. General Halevi stated, 'Part of the interests of moderate Sunni countries has gradually aligned with the interests of Israel, and now Saudi Arabia is no longer the government it was a year and a half ago in Riyadh.' According to this Israeli intelligence officer, 'Since the beginning of his reign, King Salman has been striving to take the leadership of the Sunni world, especially in the Middle East; he has made fundamental changes and is working towards a flourishing economy by 2030 and freeing his country from dependence on oil, and he has managed to create a network of supporters around him.' This praise of the Saudi king by a senior Israeli military official comes at a time when many governments in the Middle East, including the Gulf monarchies, led by Saudi Arabia, apparently do not have diplomatic relations with Israel. However, recently, shared criticisms and 'concerns' about the policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran have brought Israel and Saudi Arabia closer together. The Israeli Prime Minister and several officials from this country have stated in recent months that the time has come for some countries in the region to 'make their relations and coordination with Israel public.' The views of Israel and Saudi Arabia have come closer after the JCPOA, the final agreement between Iran and six world powers. The praise of Saudi Arabia by Israel comes at a time when relations between Riyadh and Tehran have been severed. Six months ago, following attacks by individuals in Tehran and Mashhad on the Saudi embassy and consulate in protest against the execution of a Shia cleric in that country, Riyadh severed relations with Iran. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, as the cradle of the Islamic world, has denied reports regarding behind-the-scenes relations with Israel while supporting the demands of the Palestinians and condemning the Jewish settlements. Recently, Israel has also begun new investigations regarding the Arab peace initiative; a plan that was approved by the Arab League in 2002 and was the proposal of the then Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia for a complete peace between Arab countries and Israel, provided that Israel and the Palestinians reach a final peace agreement. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia insists that it cannot cooperate with Israel, which has not yet fully accepted this Arab peace plan. Two weeks ago, at a French political initiative conference to revive Israeli-Palestinian political talks, the Saudi Foreign Minister rejected the Israeli Prime Minister's request to change some provisions of the Arab peace plan. However, according to Reuters, at the conference on Wednesday at the Herzliya think tank, Dori Gold, Director General of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, stated that negotiations are ongoing between his country and Arab governments, which he did not name. According to this Israeli diplomat, 'the warm water is breaking the superficial ice layers.'