Mike Fegelman
National Post, July 15, 2022
“Most recently, the Saudi magazine Al-Majallah published a front-page article in its July edition positively covering a story of Arab-Israelis volunteering in the Israel Defence Forces. Publishing such an article without the government’s approval would be unthinkable.”
In recent years, Israel has enjoyed improved relationships with Muslim-majority countries throughout the Middle East, Africa and Europe. In addition to the Abraham Accords, under which Israel signed peace treaties with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), it also expanded its diplomatic relations with countries such as Morocco, Sudan and Kosovo.
But despite the significance of these relationships, there is one country, which is widely recognized as one of the most influential Islamic countries in the world, that the Jewish state has not yet entered into formal diplomatic relations with: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
With 35 million inhabitants, Saudi Arabia is far from the largest Muslim-majority country. Its significance comes both from its status as the custodian of Islam’s two holiest sites, Mecca and Medina, as well as its geopolitical role as a major petroleum-exporting country and a rival of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
However, the traditionally frosty relationship between the Israelis and the Saudis is showing signs of thawing.
In remarks made to journalists on July 11, Idan Roll, Israel’s deputy foreign minister, said that diplomatic relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia won’t happen overnight, but that an announcement will be made when U.S. President Joe Biden is in Saudi Arabia.
On Friday, Biden boarded the first direct flight taken by an American president from Israel to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, after it was announced that Israeli planes would be allowed to enter Saudi airspace as part of a deal that will be made public over the weekend. According to the deal, Saudi Arabia is also expected to permit direct charter flights to and from Israel for Muslims participating in the annual hajj pilgrimage in Mecca.
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Mike Fegelman is the executive director of HonestReporting Canada, a non-profit organization ensuring fair and accurate Canadian media coverage of Israel.
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