INSS: Confidential, Continuous Dialogue Undergoing between Riyadh and Tel Aviv

Saturday, 5 March 2016

INSS: Confidential, Continuous Dialogue Undergoing between Riyadh and Tel Aviv

Local Editor

Israeli Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), affiliated with Tel Aviv University, published a new paper tackling the secret relations between the Zionist entity and Saudi Arabia, highlighting that the common hostility towards Iran has recently led to a significant rapprochement between Riyadh and Tel Aviv, proved by the cooperation and coordination ongoing between both parties behind the scenes.

According to INSS, WikiLeaks documents confirm that secret and continuous dialogue is being held between Riyadh and Tel Aviv on Iran, despite the Saudi public rejection of rapprochement with Israelis, noting that the Saudi-Israeli cooperation has been widened following the P5+1-Iran nuclear deal, which was fought by Riyadh and Tel Aviv.

Documents – which the study is based on – revealed that many Israeli companies are offering to Gulf states security consulting services, training of special forces and providing them with the advanced technological systems, in addition to ongoing confidential meetings between senior officials from both sides.

The Israeli study added that the Zionist entity has eased its policy of exporting weapons to Gulf States, as well as its opposition to Washington’s plan to provide them with weapons, in a clear message that “cooperation with Israel is possible.”

Moreover, the Zionist entity also enjoys the freedom of selling products inside the Gulf countries, provided that they are not labeled with “made in Israel,” INSS report said, pointing out that Arab Gulf leaders believe that moving diplomatic relations with the Zionist regime to the public will result in more negative consequences than positive ones in the meantime, because they are already enjoying secret relations with “Israel” without having to pay the price for Arab public opinion who rejects normalization with the entity.

The Israeli research institute pointed at other common interests between Riyadh and Tel Aviv: to stop the Iranian penetration into the region, not to grant legitimacy to the President Bashar Al-Assad’s regime in Syria, support the rule of Abdul Fattah al-Sisi in Egypt, and preserve the joint cooperation with the United States.

However, the mentioned tactical and strategic interests between Saudi Arabia and the Zionist entity cannot reach now full and open diplomatic relations, but can strengthen secret understandings,” Zionist Research Center suggested, expressing beliefs that announcing the secret relations between the two sides would cause serious damage to the kingdom.

Worthy to mention that the INSS paper did not address the Zionist reports on the recent visit by an official Zionist delegation to Riyadh, as well as the secret visit made by Saudi foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, and KSA intelligence chief to Tel Aviv, leaked by Russian news agency Sputnik.