Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, is engaged in intensive and secret efforts to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia. Senior Israeli political sources have stated that these efforts are especially in response to recent military weaknesses of Saudi Arabia against the Houthis and aim to strengthen Netanyahu's electoral prospects.
Conditions for Normalizing Relations
Netanyahu hopes to use this situation to present Israel as Saudi Arabia's only reliable partner in the region. Particularly since Saudi Arabia has repeatedly implied that any recognition of the country is contingent upon Israel's progress in establishing a Palestinian state. This issue becomes even more significant in the current context, as Saudi Arabia faces security challenges from the Houthis.
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Israeli Intelligence Assistance to Saudi Arabia
Israeli sources have also reported that the country has indirectly communicated to Saudi Arabia that it is ready to assist in terms of intelligence and military advice to counter the threat from the Houthis. This action could be part of Netanyahu's indirect pressure on Saudi Arabia through Washington to advance the normalization of relations.
Netanyahu could present the progress made in this regard as a personal diplomatic achievement to his voters, which may be something Saudi Arabia is reluctant to accept. Meanwhile, Netanyahu has never lost hope for an agreement with Saudi Arabia and continues to pursue it.
Netanyahu's efforts to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia reflect new changes in regional policies as well as the security challenges that countries in the region are facing. In this context, security and intelligence cooperation could serve as a tool to strengthen diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries.
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