Jewish people have a right to their ‘own land,’ Saudi crown prince says as he seeks ally against Iran
Saudi Arabia is trying hard to rebrand its image and outlook these days.
Last September, the kingdom announced it would finally allow women to drive. A month later, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said he wanted to emphasize “moderate Islam” in a kingdom long shaped by ultraconservative views. The crown prince, the heir to the Saudi throne, has even drafted an economic plan to wean Saudi Arabia off its dependence on oil revenue.
Now, in an interview with the Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg, the crown prince has acknowledged that Jewish people have a right to their own homeland — long a taboo in a country known as a fierce foe of Israel’s creation seven decades ago. The remarks, however, reflect something more than just a shift in policy within the Saudi royal court.
It underscores an important realignment taking place in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia is seeking to build closer economic and security ties with Israel over their shared worries about Iran's reach in the region. That uneasiness has only been magnified by the political resilience of Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, who gives allies Iran and Russia a critical steppingstone in the region.
The Saudi outreach began cautiously and quietly over the past decade as other Gulf nations, such as Qatar, broke the ice with Israel with occasional trade and academic exchanges. But now Saudi Arabia's leadership appears to be testing the ground for even deeper — and more open — cooperation with Israel.
“Saudi Arabia doesn’t have a lot of strong allies left who could confront Iran, which is why Israel has become its second-most important military ally, right after the United States,” said Sebastian Sons, an associate fellow with the German Council on Foreign Relations who focuses on Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia is trying hard to rebrand its image and outlook these days.
Last September, the kingdom announced it would finally allow women to drive. A month later, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said he wanted to emphasize “moderate Islam” in a kingdom long shaped by ultraconservative views. The crown prince, the heir to the Saudi throne, has even drafted an economic plan to wean Saudi Arabia off its dependence on oil revenue.
Now, in an interview with the Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg, the crown prince has acknowledged that Jewish people have a right to their own homeland — long a taboo in a country known as a fierce foe of Israel’s creation seven decades ago. The remarks, however, reflect something more than just a shift in policy within the Saudi royal court.
It underscores an important realignment taking place in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia is seeking to build closer economic and security ties with Israel over their shared worries about Iran's reach in the region. That uneasiness has only been magnified by the political resilience of Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, who gives allies Iran and Russia a critical steppingstone in the region.
The Saudi outreach began cautiously and quietly over the past decade as other Gulf nations, such as Qatar, broke the ice with Israel with occasional trade and academic exchanges. But now Saudi Arabia's leadership appears to be testing the ground for even deeper — and more open — cooperation with Israel.
“Saudi Arabia doesn’t have a lot of strong allies left who could confront Iran, which is why Israel has become its second-most important military ally, right after the United States,” said Sebastian Sons, an associate fellow with the German Council on Foreign Relations who focuses on Saudi Arabia.
