Saudi Arabia participates in a security meeting with Israel amid the war on Gaza

American media have revealed Saudi Arabia’s secret participation in a high-level security meeting with Israel amid the war on Gaza and the massacres against Palestinians.

According to the American site Axios, the Israeli Chief of Staff met recently in Bahrain with counterparts from several Arab armies, including Saudi Arabia, to discuss regional security cooperation.

The meeting, held under the auspices of the US Central Command, was not publicly disclosed due to regional political sensitivities surrounding the Gaza conflict.

Attending the meeting were General Aviv Kohavi, Chief of the General Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces, along with General Kenneth McKenzie, the American commander.

Senior generals from Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt also attended the meeting in Manama last Monday.

The site noted that the meeting signaled ongoing military dialogue and cooperation between Israel and Arab states under US leadership, despite harsh public criticisms and condemnation of Israeli military operations in Gaza.

In recent years, US Central Command and the Pentagon have collaborated with regional militaries to enhance cooperation in air and missile defense.

The United States considers countering the unprecedented Iranian missile and drone attacks against Israel on April 13 as a significant achievement resulting from this collaboration.

US officials state that cooperation with Israel and Arab states in the region has enabled them to gather intelligence and receive early warnings about attacks.

Officials further mentioned that cooperation includes active participation by Jordan and Saudi Arabia in intercepting rockets and drones launched from Iran, Iraq, and Yemen towards Israel through their airspace.

Israeli media recently confirmed that Saudi Arabia has decided to publicly normalize relations with Israel, with the timing yet to be determined, aligning with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s policies of aligning with Tel Aviv.

According to Hebrew newspaper Haaretz, citing a foreign diplomat, Saudi Arabia is expected to seek guarantees to advance the Palestinian statehood issue in return. “The question is when, and the decision on timing should be made within days.”

A foreign diplomat familiar with the details stated that Saudi Arabia has decided to normalize relations with Israel but is debating whether to implement this step in the coming weeks or after the US presidential elections in November.

According to the newspaper, Saudi Arabia is expected to demand assurances to ensure significant progress on the Palestinian state issue in return.

The diplomat said, “Saudi Arabia has decided to reach an agreement with Israel. It’s a strategic move, part of rapprochement with the United States, and the Kingdom is interested in achieving it.”

He added, “The question is when, and the decision on timing should be made within days.”

The diplomat stated that the Saudi government is discussing whether to present this ‘sweet’ deal to President Joe Biden, who may not be re-elected, or to wait for the next president, assuming Biden loses.

He further noted, “Any elected president will be able to provide the Saudi government with more significant benefits after the end of the campaign.”

The United States and Saudi Arabia have worked intensively together over the past month regarding Israeli-Saudi normalization, said Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday during a special meeting at the World Economic Forum held in Riyadh, adding that bilateral Saudi-US efforts towards normalization are nearing completion.

He told World Economic Forum President Børge Brende, “When it comes to normalization, I won’t speak for our hosts here, but I will say that we’ve been working intensively together over the past months.”

He continued, “For normalization to move forward, there will be a need for two things: quiet in Gaza and a credible path to a Palestinian state. So to the extent that we finish our work between us, I think what was once a hypothetical or theoretical question suddenly becomes real.” He added that people will have to make decisions.

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud stated that a security agreement between his country and the United States is very close.

He added, “Most of the work has already been accomplished. We have the broad outlines of what we believe should happen concerning the Palestinian issue.”

The Foreign Minister also stated that the Palestinian Authority will need support and assistance, and the Kingdom will find it difficult to commit to providing this without “clarity regarding the path to a Palestinian state.”

According to him, any entity assuming responsibility for Gaza at the end of the war must be credible to avoid being considered an occupying force. Therefore, it is necessary to discuss the matter now and provide a clear political horizon for Palestinians, not just future security arrangements.

Additionally, the Foreign Minister mentioned that the war in Gaza has created a humanitarian crisis and even caused a “complete collapse of the political system” in the territory.

He added that Riyadh believes the crisis resolution should involve “providing a reliable and irreversible path to establishing a Palestinian state.”

Haaretz reported that normalization attempts with Israel represent a major step for the Kingdom to secure what Riyadh considers the real prize of an American defense pact in return.

Securing the normalization deal with Saudi Arabia would be “the big prize” for Israel after establishing diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco.