Saudi-Iran

reconciliation: Is Arab-Israeli alliance against Tehran ending?

countries - especially major oil exporters - have opted not to bet on the American position, declining to take part in sanctions against Russia. Instead, they have strengthened their cooperation with Moscow to maintain oil prices, while enhancing their massive trade and economic relations with China. These are higher vital interests that Israel cannot circumvent, no matter how hard it tries.

Middle east eye aMeer Makhoul

ISRAeL’S regional policy has long been based on hegemony, superiority and arrogance. Leaders Shimon

Peres and Benjamin Netanyahu often repeated the notion of an alliance based on “Israeli brains and Arab money”, while also promoting the concept of protecting Arab regimes with Israeli intelligence technologies and strategies for economic peace.

The aim was always twofold: to achieve normalisation and bolster Israel’s regional influence, and to accelerate the disappearance of the Palestinian cause.

For Israel, Iran presented an opportunity to ally with Arab states on both an economic-security basis and a strategic basis, with regards to confronting their “mutual enemy”. In this way, Israel has sought a multilateral strategy: a regional alliance under the auspices of the uS, seeking to declare war on Iran and overthrow the regime.

But as the Arab Gulf alliance in the yemen war has eroded, Israel’s attempts to court an Arab ally that would wage war on Iran have been met with failure. Israel has made no secret of its wish for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whom it considers a likely future ally, to replace his aging father King Salman. But contrary to Israel’s wishes, a number of Gulf states - including Kuwait and the uAe, followed this month by Saudi Arabia - have been reopening diplomatic, economic and security channels with Tehran.

Viewing the overthrow of Iran’s Islamic regime to be a priority, the Israeli government in January appointed Major General eyal Zamir, who has expertise in Iranian affairs, as director general of the security ministry. Gulf and regional power balances, however, are too strong to be determined by Israel and its desires or arrogant theories.

LACK OF ALLIES: Since the launch of the Russia-ukraine war and its ensuing impacts on the global economy, Gulf