Israeli Minister of Intelligence Calls for Saudi King to Visit Israel

The Israeli Minister of Intelligence states that in the current situation, Saudi Arabia is better positioned than any other country to initiate a peace plan between Israel and the Palestinians, as he claims Saudi Arabia can make necessary decisions on behalf of the Palestinians who are 'unable to make decisions'. Yisrael Katz has urged King Salman of Saudi Arabia to visit Israel and also invite the Israeli Prime Minister to Riyadh. This senior Israeli official added that he himself invites Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to visit Israel. Katz made these remarks in an interview with the Saudi website 'Elaph', published on Wednesday, December 13. Saudi Arabia does not recognize Israel and has no relations with it, but recently Israeli officials have increasingly emphasized 'behind-the-scenes contacts' and 'shared interests' with important Arab countries, particularly regarding 'concerns about Iran'. According to Katz, 'no other Arab country possesses the power and understanding of Saudi Arabia regarding the political process (Israeli-Palestinian peace)'. He added, 'The Americans asked us and the Palestinians what we are willing to accept (in a peace plan). They did not explain their initiative; I think this is an opportunity; I propose that Saudi Arabia, in its role as the leader of the Arab world, take the initiative and extend its umbrella over the Palestinians; under Saudi leadership, I am willing to enter negotiations.' This Israeli minister stated that 'Saudi Arabia is capable of advancing initiatives and making decisions for the region and the Palestinians; because they are weak and cannot decide for themselves'. Katz noted that 'the current Saudi leadership has transformed Saudi Arabia into a regional observer', adding, 'We congratulate this openness and reforms; Israel views the new Saudi leadership positively'. He stated that 'there are now shared security, intelligence, and economic interests between the two countries (Israel and Saudi Arabia) that should hopefully be accompanied by political peace; this is not a contradiction; it is a complement'. This Israeli minister emphasized that the shared concern about Iran has led to a convergence of interests between Saudi Arabia and Israel, and just as Israel 'will not allow Shiite Iran to have a presence in Syria, Saudi Arabia is also concerned about Shiite militias that disrupt regional stability'. Katz, who is also the Israeli Minister of Transportation, suggested in his interview with Elaph that the Saudi railway and the Gulf emirates be connected to the port of Haifa in northern Israel to revive the 'Hejaz railway', which could become 'a serious reality'. He added that he has already discussed the regional railway project with American officials and 'they have shown great willingness to cooperate; because economic peace also brings political peace'. This is the second time in recent weeks that the Saudi website Elaph has interviewed an Israeli official; last month, Gadi Eisenkot, the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army, told Elaph that his country is ready to cooperate with Saudi Arabia in 'the area of shared concerns about Iran'. Yuval Steinitz, the Minister of Energy and a senior member of the Likud party, stated after Eisenkot's interview that Israel has had and continues to have hidden relations with Saudi Arabia and Islamic and Arab countries, but it is the other parties that do not want these relations to be made public. In recent days, Saudi Arabia criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as 'Israel's capital'; however, the level of Saudi representation at the extraordinary meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul on Wednesday, December 13, was low; the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia led the delegation at this meeting. Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority, in his speech at the Istanbul meeting, emphasized that the Palestinians no longer accept the U.S. as a mediator in the peace process, and in reference to reports of closeness between Saudi Arabia and Israel, he stated that the normalization of relations between Islamic countries and Israel should be postponed until after peace and the fulfillment of Palestinian demands. While the Israeli Minister of Intelligence has introduced Saudi Arabia as the only deserving country in the region to show political initiative between Israel and the Palestinians, some Arab media have claimed that Saudi Arabia told Mahmoud Abbas in Riyadh last month to either accept Trump's peace plan or leave.