A positive outlook for the future of the Middle East was introduced by the Abraham Accords. Initiating formal diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab countries, these normalization agreements were signed in 2020 to promote peace and economic collaboration in ways that many people believed were unthinkable during our time. It appeared as though the region was about to enter a new era when talks about possible normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel started. This new era could bring the region together to counter common threats, particularly from Iran, align with US interests, create economic opportunities, and lead to peace between the Arab and Jewish worlds. Regretfully, that vision currently appears to be far distant from reality.
A record of human rights violations in Saudi Arabia
The Extraordinary Arab and Islamic Summit was held recently in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, when Arab leaders convened to discuss the current hostilities in Israel, Gaza, and Lebanon. To put it mildly, the statements made at the summit were quite problematic. In addition to neglecting Israel’s urgent security concerns, it gave a biased account and did not refer to Hezbollah or Hamas, two Iranian proxies who have been attacking Israeli civilians for more than a year. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who urged Israel to “respect the sovereignty of the sisterly Islamic Republic of Iran and not to violate its lands,” essentially warned Israel against retaliating, but the Kingdom decided to completely ignore Iran’s provocations. The creation of a Palestinian state along the “lines of June 4, 1967, with east Al-Quds as its capital” was another demand made at the summit. The Western Wall and other locations of great historical and theological significance to the Jewish people would be located in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem, which would once again be off-limits to Jews.
Restrictions and discrimination
The Summit also accused Israel of “genocide,” echoing Hamas’ propaganda when bin Salman asserted that they denounce and reject “the genocide committed by Israel against the brotherly Palestinian people, which has claimed the lives of 150,000 martyrs, wounded, and missing, most of whom are women and children.” In effect, such remarks call on Israel to reward terrorism by awarding Palestinians sovereignty despite the horrific deaths of 1,200 Israeli people by Hamas. They fail to take into account Iran’s unrelenting encouragement of terrorism against people since October 7, 2023. The Summit did not encourage Hamas to accept a hostage agreement, hold the Palestinian Authority responsible for inciting terror, or demand that Hezbollah stop firing rockets at Israel since the crisis started on Oct. 8, 2023. The almost 900,000 Jewish refugees who were forced to flee their homes, belongings, and means of subsistence after Israel’s founding in 1948 were not mentioned, although it demanded restitution for Palestinian refugees. These Middle Eastern and North African Jewish communities should be included in any fair reparations discussion. The Summit deliberately disregarded the fact that Hezbollah has violated UN Resolution 1701 by placing weaponry and excavating tunnels close to UNIFIL troops, even though it called for adherence to the resolution.
Treatment of migrant workers in Saudi Arabia
It condemned Israel for striking UN forces, but it ignored the fact that Hezbollah had long exploited the proximity of UNIFIL facilities. The Summit did not consider the well-documented diversion of aid by Hamas and their UNRWA partners, who allegedly resold it for a profit, amounting to half a billion dollars, even though it addressed the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. There are many issues. Before this confrontation, normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia seemed possible. Saudi Arabia appears to have decided to align itself with the “axis of evil” by reestablishing ties with Iran in March 2023 through a deal facilitated by China.
Saudi Arabia’s Death Penalty and Inequitable Trials
Nothing in the Summit offered a balanced perspective, and Bin Salman’s comments did not lay out a workable path to regional peace. Any practical solution must be fair, reasonable, and considerate of the rights of all parties. Israel remains committed to keeping lines of communication open and fostering peace with its neighbors. It does not, however, necessitate human rights lectures from oil-rich Arab regimes, especially because, as of 2018, these countries still only allow women to drive and limit marriage and travel to male guardians. Despite accepting 83% of the recommendations from its most recent Universal Periodic Review, Saudi Arabia rejected all recommendations urging it to cease retaliating against human rights campaigners.