In the midst of a US PR tour, where he has met with Hollywood executives and the Wall Street elite, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman created a stir when he affirmed the right of Israel to exist. Saudi Arabia does not formally recognise the state of Israel, so for him to say this represents at least a rhetorical change to the official stance of the kingdom. While the crown prince did pay lip service to the idea of a two-state solution and the need to protect the Palestinians, he was notably quiet on what Saudi Arabia would do to help ensure they are given the right to their own country and to return to homes from which they were expelled. Had Prince Salman simply acknowledged the ground reality that Israel is here to stay, he perhaps would not have made as much news. That he did so while Israel is viciously cracking down on protests in Gaza, leading to one of the largest massacres of Palestinians in years, will lead to speculation that Saudi Arabia is giving short shrift to the Palestinian cause. Israel right now is practising ethnic cleansing that could rise to the level of genocide. The prince’s statement – no matter what his intentions – will be seen as an endorsement of Israeli brutality. The comments caused such an uproar that King Salman had to reiterate that Saudi Arabia still supported the establishment of an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.
Prince Salman has touted himself as a new kind of ruler – one who wants to modernise Saudi Arabia’s economy and introduce greater rights for women. At the same time, there are also reports of political opponents being locked up in the guise of anti-corruption. For such acts and policies the support of superpowers like the US becomes necessary. It is also difficult to separate the prince’s comments on Israel from Saudi Arabia’s bitter struggle with Iran. It has been apparent now for some years that the Saudis view Iran as a bigger threat than Israel. In the same interview where he recognised Israel’s right to exist, he also spoke scathingly of the Ayatollah Khamenei. Saudi Arabia views Iran’s supposed nuclear ambitions as a direct threat to the kingdom and there have even been suggestions that it could partner with Israel to thwart Iran’s nuclear programme. Saudi Arabia and Israel were the two countries to most bitterly oppose Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran, and a proxy war continues to be waged in Yemen. While the rivalry between the Saudis and Iran has long existed, never before has Saudi Arabia so openly aligned itself with Israel. The ugly reality of the Israeli occupation has made it more hated than ever – with good reason – throughout the region. Prince Salman may find that whatever goodwill he earns in the US – where he has gone out of his way to meet with individuals seen to be apparently closely tied to the Zionist cause – is more than cancelled out by the anger he causes in the Middle East.