The surprising history of the secret Saudi-Israeli relationship
Israel and Saudi Arabia have been secretly collaborating for years, driven by a shared pragmatism and the need to counter common threats.
Israel Hayom
Jun 7, 2024
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu (L) reportedlyflew to Saudi Arabia for a secret meeting with Mike Pompeo (C) and MBS in November 2020
On the surface, Israel and Saudi Arabia appear to be sworn enemies. They don't share borders, values, or culture, and for decades, Saudi officials have even made inflammatory claims about Jews. However, behind closed doors, the two countries have been secretly collaborating for years, driven by a shared pragmatism and the need to counter common threats.
Saudi involvement in the 1948 War of Independence
Even before Israel became a country, David Ben-Gurion was looking for potential allies, including Saudi Arabia. The Saudis were seen as pragmatists who didn't want other Arab countries to have too much power in the region, and the presence of a friendly state like Israel could potentially advance Saudi Arabia's interests. However, King Ibn Saud rebuffed every attempt to make contact and even sent troops to fight against Israel in its war of independence.
King Ibn Saud meets President Franklin D. Roosevelt aboard the USS Quincy, Feb. 14, 1945.
Yemeni Civil War
The first significant milestone in the secret relationship came in the early 1960s when civil war broke out in Yemen. Rebels had just overthrown the government, and the country was in chaos. Most of the countries in the region, including Saudi Arabia and Israel, were not fans of the rebels. Saudi Arabia quietly opened its airspace to the Israeli planes that dropped aid to the Yemeni government fighters. This was the first time that Saudi and Israeli interests aligned and it wouldn't be the last.
Khartoum Resolution, the "3 No's"
In 1967, the entire Arab League formally adopted the Khartoum Resolution, also known as the "3 No's": no peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel, and no negotiations with Israel. Behind the scenes, however, Israel was working overtime to build bridges with the Saudis. They passed on information about local attempts to overthrow the Saudi government and warned the Saudis about a plot to assassinate the Jordanian king.
Saudi pragmatism
The Saudis, known for their pragmatism, eventually realized that Israel was here to stay. In 1977, the Saudi king admitted that no one was trying to wipe Israel off the map anymore. The Israeli foreign ministry, however, remained silent, waiting for the Saudis to make the first move.
Failed Saudi proposal for peace
In 1981, the Saudi prince sent Israel a concrete proposal: if Israel withdrew from all the territories it acquired during the Six-Day War and handed over Jerusalem to be the capital of a Palestinian state, the region would be at peace. However, the Israeli prime minister rejected the offer immediately, citing concerns about Israel's security and the importance of Jerusalem.
The Gulf War anti-Sadam coalition
A decade later, the Saudis and the Israelis found themselves on the same side again, both being targeted by Saddam Hussein, who had invaded Kuwait. Saudi Arabia joined a coalition of more than 30 countries to pressure him to leave, and when Saddam shot at Israel, the Jewish state didn't retaliate, preventing the Arab states in the coalition from having to choose sides.
The Madrid Peace Conference
Later that year, the Saudis and the Israelis sat in the same room for the first time at the Madrid Peace Conference, a joint effort by the US and USSR to end the Arab-Israeli conflict. Though no peace came out of the conference, the relationship between Saudi and Israel was warming, and behind closed doors, they kept talking about joint projects that would bring in money if they could just nail down a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
2nd failed Saudi proposal for peace
In 2002, the Saudis repeated their offer from 1981: withdraw from all the territories won in 1967, give up Jerusalem, and the Arab world would make peace. Again, the Israeli government rejected the offer, citing concerns about security and the ongoing Second Intifada.
Anti-Iran coalition
It took another war to bring the Jewish state back to the negotiating table. When the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers in 2006, Israel responded with a massive show of force. The war revealed that Hezbollah was stronger and more powerful than anyone had realized, putting both Saudi Arabia and Israel in the same precarious boat, directly threatened by the Islamic Republic of Iran. This shared threat finally brought the two countries together to discuss how to stop the Iranian regime.
The 2020 Abraham Accords
In 2020, the United States brokered a historic agreement between Israel and multiple Arab countries, two of which border Saudi Arabia: the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Though the Saudis weren't part of the deal, there were hints that they too might normalize relations with Israel, allowing the accords to go through and hinting that a normalization deal would come once Israel worked out its problems with the Palestinians.
From left, Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Donald Trump, and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan participate in the signing of the Abraham Accords where the countries of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates recognize Israel, at the White House on Sept. 15, 2020.
Movement toward Saudi-Israeli normalization
In 2023, the Saudis openly stated that they were willing to normalize ties with Israel, indicating that the two countries were getting closer to making their relationship official. The only question was what it would take to seal the deal.
Motive behind October 7
Many analysts have suggested that Hamas's devastating attack on Israel in October 2023 was engineered to tank a potential deal between Israel and the Saudis, as the Arab world harshly criticized Israel's response to the terrorist group.
Gaza War condemnations
The war between Israel and Hamas has cost tens of thousands of lives, and the entire Arab world has harshly criticized Israel's response, with some countries condemning the "indiscriminate bombing of Palestinian innocent civilians in Gaza."
Defending Israel against Iran's attack
However, when Iran attacked Israel in April 2024, multiple Arab countries, including some with no public ties to the Jewish state, came to Israel's defense, passing on intelligence, allowing Israel to use their airspace, or even actively helping to track and intercept the Iranian missiles. This suggests that the Saudi-Israeli relationship may have deeper roots than previously known.
Is a Saudi-Israeli alliance on the horizon?
The relationship between Saudi Arabia and Israel has been an open secret for years, with both countries recognizing the mutual benefits of an alliance. As the Iranian regime continues to threaten regional stability, the incentive for the two countries to make their partnership official has never been greater. The only question is when they will finally take the plunge and go public with their long-standing cooperation.
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