Visit proves Israel and Saudis have new relationship goals - The Jewish Chronicle

The visit of a Saudi delegation to Israel has marked the growing links between the countries. The group was not an official one, but would have needed the authorisation of the Kingdom's leadership and is a sign of the quiet but intensifying relationship between Jerusalem and Riyadh. Led by a retired Saudi Major-General, Anwar Eshki, the delegation included academics and businesspeople. As there are no official diplomatic relations between the two countries, last week's meetings in Jerusalem were held at hotels, rather than at the Foreign Ministry, and were conducted below ministerial level. Among others, the group met Foreign Ministry Director-General Dore Gold and IDF Major-General Yoav Mordechai, as well as a number of Knesset members from various parties. While no details have emerged of the discussions, the importance of the visit is in its very existence. Some Saudi media criticised the group's arrival in Israel, as did the Israeli Communist Party, which accused the delegation of "normalising" but the unprecedented trip highlighted how the two countries have grown closer in recent years and are co-operating on joint regional interests, most specifically countering Iranian influence. In an interview during the visit, General Eshki said that "there will be no peace with the Arab countries before there is peace with the Palestinians". He said that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict "is not the source of terrorism, but it does create fertile ground for acts of terrorism in the region. "If the conflict is resolved, the countries that exploit the Palestinian issue - namely Iran - will no longer be able to capitalise on it." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken more positively about the Saudi-led Arab peace initiative in the past few months, although he has said that it needs to undergo a number of changes. For example, Israel is expected to oppose the demand to share Jerusalem with a future Palestinian state and relinquish the Golan Heights back to Syrian control. The Arab side is unlikely to agree to those changes in the foreseeable future. What the visit of the Saudi delegation does seem to prove is that the Palestinian issue is currently very low on the agenda of the Saudis and their other allies in the Arab world, including Egypt. However, it is hard to see a more official and above-board relationship with Israel until at least some progress is made on the Palestinian front.