How the “Al-Aqsa Flood” Operation Thwarted Normalization with Saudi Arabia

A report from the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz has revealed that efforts to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel were on the brink of success before the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation and the brutal aggression on the Gaza Strip.

The newspaper highlighted that the operation, along with Saudi Arabia’s subsequent stance, turned the situation upside down, making it unlikely that normalization could be achieved in the near future.

According to Haaretz, Israel was making every effort to sideline the Palestinian issue during its negotiations with Saudi Arabia in numerous diplomatic meetings. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeatedly suggested that the Saudis were not interested in the Palestinian cause. He even instructed journalists to attribute this claim to a “senior diplomatic source,” implying that the deal with Saudi Arabia was primarily based on shared economic and security interests, without needing to address the Palestinian issue.

Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, known for being one of Netanyahu’s closest allies and a key figure in the talks with Saudi Arabia, reportedly downplayed the Palestinian stance in private discussions. Haaretz quoted him as saying, “The mayor of Ramallah (a reference to Mahmoud Abbas) cannot dictate the terms of an agreement between two regional powers like Saudi Arabia and Israel.”

However, the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation on October 7th significantly shifted the Saudi stance. The Saudis issued a statement reaffirming their support for the Palestinian cause, defying Israeli expectations. A source within the Biden administration told Haaretz that the Saudi statement did not come as a surprise to the U.S. administration, which had always believed that Riyadh could not entirely disregard the Palestinian issue.

Saudi Arabia found itself compelled to reconsider its position in light of the growing anger across the Arab and Muslim world over Israel’s escalation in Gaza. According to Israeli sources, the Palestinian protests in Gaza before October 7th, 2023, were a point of discussion during normalization talks with Saudi Arabia. It was clear that any escalation in Gaza would complicate matters and make it harder to reach an agreement.

From the American perspective, Washington was fully aware that sidelining the Palestinian issue would be an obstacle to normalization. A source in the Biden administration noted that the United States had repeatedly warned Israel that Riyadh could not completely ignore the Palestinian file. The “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation forced Saudi Arabia to align its position with that of the broader Arab world, which has consistently expressed strong support for the Palestinians.

Today, after October 7th, it seems that the path toward normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel has fundamentally changed. Instead of moving toward a historic agreement, Saudi Arabia’s stance has now been reinforced in support of the Palestinian cause, making the prospect of normalization in the near future highly unlikely.