With U.S. Encouragement, Saudi Arabia Agrees To Allow Israeli Commercial Planes To Cross Its Airspace

An agreement was signed on the 30th of November, between Saudi Arabia (SA) and Israel, that would allow Israeli airliners to cross Saudi airspace en route to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This open agreement comes after years of covert contact and diplomacy between the two nations. Reuters reports that a senior Trump administration official said the agreement was reached after talks between Saudi officials, White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, and Middle East envoys Avi Berkowitz and Brian Hook. Without an overflight agreement, the Israir flight was at risk of being canceled. The envoys told Reuters, “We were able to reconcile the issue,” and the agreement was finalized hours before Israel’s first commercial flight to the UAE. Reuters states, “The direct flights are an offshoot of normalization deals Israel reached this year…” with the nations of the UAE, Bahrain, and Sudan. These Arab states agreed to normalize relations through open diplomatic and economic ties with Israel over shared concerns against Iran, in what is collectively known as the Abraham Accords facilitated by the United States (U.S.). While full diplomatic relations and normalization between SA and Israel are yet to be seen, the overflight agreement indicates a likelihood for further cooperation.

 While the Abraham Accords include “Peace Treaty” in its title, neither UAE nor Bahrain was at war with Israel and already had trade and covert diplomatic relations. However, the accord did establish normalized relations, which include the creation of embassies, commercial air routes, tourism, security and intelligence ties, and access to new technologies and markets. The agreement between Israel and Sudan is more accurately described as a peace deal due to hostilities before the agreement. While not the peace agreements they are lauded to be, they still signal an important shift in relations and priorities in the Middle East. For decades, many Arab leaders and the general Arab consensus was that there could no normalization of relations with Israel until Israel allowed for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. In a DailyMotion video, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo describes the accomplishment of the Abraham Accords as a shift in the analysis of Middle Eastern politics, where the rise of Islamic extremism presents an existential threat to the region in a way that outpaces the fate of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Pompeo further stated that Iran’s willingness to sponsor state-sanctioned terrorists lays the groundwork for increasing regional cooperation to unite against a common enemy and is confident other Arab nations will join in relations with Israel.

 Palestinians view these deals as a betrayal by their Arab allies and as an effort to undermine the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, the plan that calls for the normalization of Israel only after the Israel-Palestine conflict is resolved. NPR reports, “The idea is that as Arab states normalize ties with Israel and get big arms deals with the U.S., they will put pressure on the Palestinians to make peace with Israel on terms more favorable to Netanyahu.” NPR quotes Aaron Miller that these agreements were easier and more attractive to the Trump administration, since “It was much more in keeping with the pro-Israeli sensibilities.” For the Trump Administration and Israel, a Saudi-Israeli formal agreement would be the ultimate prize in these foreign policy attempts. It would be a big prize in Arab-Israeli reconciliation because, as the Brookings Institute describes, “The Saudi monarchy’s role as “Guardian of the Two Holy Mosques” in Mecca and Medina make the kingdom an undisputed heavyweight in the Muslim world…Saudi Arabia is perhaps the most politically and economically influential Arab state.” Relations between these two nations could be what opens relations for Israel with other Arab or Muslim-majority states and could diminish the idea that such ties are only possible through a settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

 As Business Insider reports, full normalization between SA and Israel remains unlikely, but defense and cooperation will continue to advance. SA and Israel both have concerns about the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen and as Business Insider notes, concern with Iranian militia and missile build-ups in Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria. Closer ties would also result in economic benefits, particularly for SA which relies on advanced technologies Israel leads in. However, SA’s official stance is that normalization will only be possible when a Palestinian state is set as detailed in the Saudi-led Arab Peace Initiative. SA’s King Salman maintains this position and normalization remains mostly unpopular among the general Saudi population. The attacks on Saudi soil already present security concerns, and it appears a sensible strategy that SA wants to prevent domestic backlash over relations with Israel.

 The timing of this agreement and meetings between the U.S., SA, and Israel give rise to many speculations. As the Brookings Institute notes, with limited time left for the Trump administration, it is possible that “Biden-proofing U.S. policy toward Iran is high on the agenda for all three parties…” U.S. President-Elect Joe Biden has stated he is committed to returning and expanding the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal which President Trump withdrew in 2018 and which Israel opposes. SA and Israel appear to be seeking to lessen their future reliance on U.S. cooperation by working with each other due to the uncertainty of how the new Biden administration will approach their human rights records. SA in particular has caused much concern over abuses of human rights, suppression, and violation of international laws and norms. Biden has promised to reassess the U.S. relationship with SA and “… make sure America does not check its values at the door to sell arms or buy oil. America’s commitment to democratic values and human rights will be a priority, even with our closest security partners.” While further establishing peaceful diplomatic and economic relations between Middle Eastern regional powers is a commendable act, it appears to be a superficial fix, as the conflict between these allied states is escalating with Iran and continues to ignore Palestinian pleas of injustice.

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