Will crises lead to regional settlements?

From the very beginning of the nuclear negotiations between Iran and the US, Saudi Arabia took an aggressive political stand against the deal.

The outcomes of this deal were several, but the most conspicuous today is the non-official exchange of messages between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Recently, the Washington Institute of Near East Policy organised a dialogue between Prince Turki Al Faisal, Saudi Arabia’s former intelligence chief, and one-time ambassador to Washington, and retired Israeli army Maj. Gen. Yaakov Amidror, former national security adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Two major factors appear to be the pillars of this supposed Saudi-Israeli rapprochement: having Iran as a common enemy and not consenting to US President Barack Obama’s policy.

The Saudi prince said, on several occasions, that the only obstacle to the normalisation of relations with Israel is the Israeli refusal to sign the Arab peace initiative.

At regional level, Israel is seizing the opportunities created by the dynamics of Middle Eastern politics, after more than five years of instability.

The Egyptian handover of two strategic islands in the Red Sea, Sanafir and Tiran, to Saudi Arabia is bound to circuitously open a channel of dialogue between Israel and Saudi Arabia through Egypt.

Many new elements seem to be paving the way for Israeli-Saudi talks.

According to Saudi and Israeli officials, the danger of Iran and Hizbollah will not lie only in the potential of a real confrontation, but also in a strategic new connection.

On the other hand, Israel seems to enjoy the new peace proposals at this stage.

Some experts believe that a political settlement in Syria will later lead to a regional one. Hence, Netanyahu’s statements about the Golan Heights and holding of the meeting of the Israeli Cabinet there in a symbolic, deliberate gesture.

Conflicts in the region are numerous, and proposals for political settlements do not seem to be able to put an end to them.

Achieving political settlements to the many crises in the region will be difficult due to their complexities, whereas for Israel, the situation seems to be much easier.

Observers believe that there is a serious Russo-American pressure to achieve a regional settlement. 

In parallel, the only Saudi condition to normalising relations with Israel is an opportunity Israel should not miss.

Yet, the Israelis do not seem ready to accept the Saudi condition or react positively to the Russo-American pressure.

Countries involved directly in the Palestinian issue, through refugees, security and borders, should be ready for the possible impact for both possibilities: imposed solution or continuous crisis.

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