The recent report revealed that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman has warned the Biden administration. According to him, making a deal with Israel could put his life in danger. He also pointed out the case of former Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat. He was assassinated in 1981 by the Egyptian Islamic Jihad because he signed a peace treaty with Israel.
Also, the Saudi royalty has faced the assassination before. Back in 1975, when the King Faisal was killed. His own nephew was behind this murder and the exact reason for this killing is still unknown.
Additionally, former Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef has survived several assassination attempts. One of the most bizarre attempts happened in 2009 when al-Qaeda targeted him with a suicide bomber who concealed the bomb in a highly unusual manner. These incidents show that the threat of assassination is a real concern for Saudi leaders.
Mohammed Bin Salman is trying to pressure Biden diplomats, Brett McGurk and Antony Blinken. All of these want him to join Jared Kushner’s Abraham Accords and recognize Israel.
The Saudis say that they will recognize Israel in one condition. If a Palestinian state is created first. The deal that is final with Israel and ignores Palestine would not be too popular in Saudi Arabia. Also, it causes many troubles. People are very upset because of Israel’s action in Gaza. They killed more than 40,000 Palestinians. And most of them are children and women.
Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, made agreements with small countries like Bahrain and the UAE. Bahrain is a small island country, a bit larger than Rhode Island, with a mostly Shiite population and a Sunni government that fears Iran. Bahrain has about 1.5 million people, similar to Hawaii, but only 46% are citizens; the rest are foreign workers.
When compared with the United Arab Emirates then Saudi Arabia is facing more problems. The United Arab Emirates has a very small citizen population. Also, this nation manages things according to its rules and deals with any issue. Such as sending troublemaking guest workers back home. In comparison, Saudi Arabia has a large population and is also facing more complications. Its land is bigger than Texas, California, and several other states combined, and it has a huge population of 18.8 million citizens. This makes it harder for Saudi Arabia to keep things under control and manage its problems effectively, especially when compared to the smaller, more manageable UAE.
The worry of Bin Salman about the stability of Saudi Arabia is understandable. This is because of the country’s history of unrest. In the past Saudis greatly opposed their government. Back to 2003 to 2006, when Saudis the great violence targeting Riyadh and the royal family. Even earlier, in 1979, a group of Saudis seized control of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, causing major issues.
Given this background, Bin Salman’s anxiety is reasonable. The proposal that Saudi Arabia should recognize Israel at all costs, as suggested by Biden, seems unwise. Bin Salman believes that if a Palestinian state is not established, the region will continue to face persistent problems. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu strongly opposes the creation of a Palestinian state, and his parliament recently passed a law specifically blocking any recognition of it.
Morocco, which signed the Abraham Accords like other countries, is seeing protests where people are calling for Israeli diplomats to be removed. If the Biden administration succeeds in convincing Saudi Arabia to recognize Israel but does nothing to help the Palestinians who still lack basic human rights and a state of their own, it could make the situation worse.
Not addressing the Palestinians’ needs might lead to more unrest and future conflicts in the region. It’s important to remember that just making deals without solving the root problems can create more issues later. The focus should be on finding a fair solution for everyone involved, rather than just pushing for recognition or agreements that don’t address the core issues at hand.