Saudi Arabia and State of Israel in the context of the Palestinian-Israeli confrontation

Abstract

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and Israel are very significant players in the Middle East region and influence the regional agenda. Officially, the countries have never had diplomatic relations, and Saudi Arabia denies Israel’s right to exist at all. The official reason for the refusal to establish contacts between the countries is the disagreement of the States on the settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which has the status of the protector of the entire Islamic world, systematically advocates the return of Israel to the 1967 borders, considering assistance to the Palestinians its sacred duty. However, the current realities of the regional political agenda have made their own adjustments to the irreconcilable position of the KSA, which suggests that Saudi-Israeli relations will soon warm up, not without the participation of the United States. Such a factor cannot but affect the state of affairs of the entire Middle East region, which gives extreme relevance to the topic under consideration. The authors investigate the evolution of the position of the Saudi authorities towards the Palestinian-Israeli confrontation, analyze informal bilateral contacts, as well as statements by officials on the issue. The contribution of the United States to the possible normalization of bilateral relations is analyzed, and a forecast for the short-term perspective is made.