HERMINE HOVHANNISYAN
Since then , the meetings between Israeli and Saudi high officials have become more frequent as they both recognized that Iran is a top priority threat . Iran ’ s factor was an impetus for the rapprochement and developing relationship between these two countries . Despite the absence of diplomatic relations , since 2014 , Israeli and Saudi senior officials have had a series of meetings in the Czech Republic , Italy , Switzerland , and India . For instance , in 2014 , in the framework of the World Economic Forum in Davos , Israel ’ s Justice Minister Tzipi Livni met with the former director of Saudi Arabia ’ s intelligence agency , Prince Turki al-Faisal . 114 Moreover , in August 2014 , the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia Prince Al Faisal announced during the world assembly of Islamic scholars in Jeddah : “ We must reject planting hatred towards Israel , and we should normalize relations with the Jewish state .” 115 In 2015 , Director-General of the Israeli Foreign Ministry Dore Gold and Saudi General Anwar Majed Eshki met in Washington during the conference when the latter was presenting his plan for Middle East Regulation ( MER ) about the need to establish cooperation between Arab states and Israel and exert efforts to struggle against the Iranian threat . 116 In 2016 , the historic handshake between Defense Minister Moshe Ya ' alon and Saudi Prince Turki bin Faisal Al Saud was documented . That same year , the retired Saudi General Dr . Anwar Eshki , heading the delegation of Saudi business people and academics , made a historic visit to Israel . 117 In 2018 , in an interview given to The Atlantic Magazine , MbS stated : “ There are a lot of interests we share with Israel , and if there is peace , there would be a lot of interest between Israel and the GCC ( Gulf Cooperation Council ).” 118
This was only one part of the covert and overt meetings between these two states ' senior officials . Saudi Arabia and Israel find themselves in the same boat . Both of them have had concerns about Turkey ’ s regional aspirations , and both of them share an obsessed determination
114 Lahav Harkov , “ Saudi Prince praises Livni at Munich Security conference ,” Jerusalem
Post , February 2 , 2014 , https :// www . jpost . com / Diplomacy-and-Politics / Report-Livni- Saudi-prince-talk-peace-process-at-Munich-conference-340080 . 115 Ivanov , “ The Alliance between Israel and Saudi Arabia .”
116
Ibid . 117 Nadav Shragai , “ Israel and Saudi Arabia : It ’ s Complicated ,” Israel Hayom , July 19 , 2019 , https :// www . israelhayom . com / 2019 / 07 / 19 / israel-and-saudi-arabia-its-complicated /. 118 Jeffrey Goldber , “ Saudi Crown Prince : Iran ' s Supreme Leader ' Makes Hitler Look
Good ,” The Atlantic , April 2 , 2018 , https :// www . theatlantic . com / international / archive / 2018 / 04 / mohammed-bin-salman-iranisrael / 557036 /.
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