The threat of Iran and common anti-democratic politics are solidifying a political affinity and behind-the-scenes alliance between Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Saudi Arabia's allies, according to scholar David Mednicoff.
In commentary for Defense One, Mednicoff, who heads the Department of Judaic and Near Eastern Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, writes that increasing Arab-Israeli collaboration might be welcomed by some Jews who want to be more secure as visitors or residents in Arab countries.
But it is less good news for those hoping for greater political rights for Palestinians, Yemenis, and other beleaguered populations in the Middle East, he argues.
"The change is significant and noteworthy," he wrote, adding the reasons for the shift are "both simple and complex."
"The simple answer is Iran," he wrote. "The more complex one is that Israel, Arab states, and the U.S. have found increasing common priorities of national security and strong authority."
According to Mednicoff, despite a fraught history between Israel and surrounding countries, "there are growing signs of at least informal relations between Israel and many other Arab states."
"The driver for much of this is Saudi Arabia, and its enmity toward Iran," he wrote.
But though a forceful Saudi foreign policy under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has aimed to make the nation the dominant Sunni Arab power — and cripple Iran, the strategy has had mixed success, he wrote.
"His limited success has given Salman all the more reason to stress alliances with like-minded rulers in the region," he wrote. "In addition to stalwart allies the UAE and Egypt, this definitely includes Israel. Indeed, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Salman rival one another in their public enmity toward Iran."
And, he noted, "the approach of boosting military and police power and decreasing tolerance towards political opposition brings countries like Saudi Arabia and Israel naturally together."
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