Israeli deal with Saudi Arabia hinges on Palestinians

Last week, Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was on the cusp of a deal with Saudi Arabia; this week, the first Saudi ambassador to Palestine arrived.   

Listening to the leaders of Israel and Saudi Arabia, you might think a breakthrough between the longtime enemies is at hand.

 Speaking at the UN General Assembly on Friday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was "at the cusp" of a "dramatic breakthrough: an historic peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia." He predicted that such a deal would "encourage a broader reconciliation between Judaism and Islam, between Jerusalem and Mecca, between the descendants of Issac and the descendants of Ishmael."

That same day, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman of Saudi Arabia told Fox News that “every day, we get closer” to normalisation with Israel.

But the deal still needs to overcome the challenges of both Palestinian policy and the complications of internal politics in both Israel and the US.

"For us, the Palestinian issue is very important. We need to solve that part," Crown Prince Mohammed said when asked what it would take to get a normalisation agreement with Israel. "And we have a good negotiations strategy until now."

Saudi Arabia’s primary commitment to the Palestinians was illustrated on Tuesday when f its first ambassador to Palestine, Nayef bin Bandar al-Sudairi, presented his credentials to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.

The appointment of al-Sudairi , who will be based in Jordan, signals Palestinian issues remain key to any deal and al-Sudairi used the occasion to emphasise that Saudi Arabia "is working towards establishing a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital".

Any deal with Israel is likely to include a massive influx of funds from Saudi Arabia to the Palestinian Authority, which will be opposed by the right-wing parties in Israel’s coalition.