Normalization

Israel needs a counter-subversion strategy - opinion

Hostile powers don’t invent a nation’s weaknesses; they find the ones it already has, fund them, give them prestige, and push them through the institutions that decide how a society sees itself. 

An anti-Israel protest in New York City. Ilustrative.
 (L-R) Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on the backdrop of Syrian and Israeli flags (illustrative)

US believes Israel-Syria normalization chances before Knesset elections 'very slim,' source to Post

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman

The moment for a Saudi peace initiative has arrived, but on new terms - opinion

A pro-Palestinian protester flies a "Free Palestine" flag an the Auraria Campus in Denver, Colodaro, May 14, 2024; illustrative.

Majority of young American adults 'active in Hamas resistance,' Khaled Mashaal claims


Israel will have direct flights to Mecca by 2024, FM Cohen predicts

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government had hoped it could arrange for direct flights between the two countries, even in advance of the deal, but to date, those efforts have not borne fruit.

 Muslims perform their evening prayers around the holy Kaaba as they start arriving to perform the annual Haj in the Grand Mosque, in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, June 16, 2023.

How not to make peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia - opinion

I don’t even think Biden can make peace with Netanyahu, his supposed friend for decades, who he has been snubbing unnecessarily for more than seven months. 

 SAUDI ARABIA’S Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Jeddah, in June. The Saudis just don’t trust America under Biden, the writer argues.

Push for Saudi peace increases pressure for Israeli concessions to Palestinians

Minister warns entire right wing opposes settlement freezes and withdrawals; Hanegbi: There is still a long road ahead.

 Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, June 6, 2023

Israel-Saudi normalization may be well worth the price - editorial

If normalization with Saudi Arabia means putting the controversial judicial reform on the back burner due to political and diplomatic constraints, that may be a price well worth paying.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman

Biden: This is one of the most extreme Israeli gov'ts I've seen

Biden also said that normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia is still a long way off.

 US President Joe Biden with Israeli opposition head Benjamin Netanyahu on July 14, 2022

Saudi-Israeli integration is more possible than ever - opinion

since Mohammed bin Salman became Crown Prince in 2017, important reforms have reshaped key elements of Saudi Arabia.

 SAUDI AMBASSADOR to Washington Princess Reema Bandar Al Saud has introduced new terminology stating that Saudi Arabia wants integration with Israel. These expressions cannot be ignored, says the writer.

Resolving the Israel-Saudi deadlock

What are the issues that inhibit Saudi Arabia from joining its main Gulf allies, the UAE and Bahrain, in normalizing relations with Israel? 

 Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Jeddah on June 7, 2023.

What will it take for Israel, Saudi Arabia to normalize ties? - analysis

Focusing on the daily steps towards or away from the normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia may be doing more harm than good. A longer-term perspective is needed.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Jeddah, earlier this month.

Voices from the Arab press: Israeli threats of war with Iran psychological or inevitable?

A weekly selection of opinions and analyses from the Arab media around the world.

 HYPING IRAN’S new hypersonic ballistic missile ‘Fattah,’ with text reading ‘400 seconds to Tel Aviv,’ seen on a street in Tehran, June 8.

Israel says hoped-for direct Hajj flights to Saudi Arabia won't happen now

sraeli and US officials had predicted that the kingdom, home to Islam's two holiest sites, might as a goodwill gesture let members of Israel's 18% Muslim minority fly in directly for this year's Hajj

 Muslims perform their evening prayers around the holy Kaaba as they start arriving to perform the annual Haj in the Grand Mosque, in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, June 16, 2023.