According to reports, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is afraid that he will be killed if he enters into a peace treaty with Israel without receiving any concessions on behalf of Palestine.
A Politico report published last Wednesday noted that the crown prince asked what happened to President Anwar Sadat who was assassinated by Islamic militants in 1981 after making a landmark peace deal and said how it was necessary to include the route for Palestinian statehood in any potential normalization agreement.
While Qassim al-Samari, one of his aides took it that MBS is still ready to risk losing his life in pursuit of some major deal with America and Israel which would help him establish ties with the Jewish state.
I learned about this largely confidential and evolving agreement through multiple sources, including my own reporting. The US side is reportedly committed to provide Saudi Arabia with security guarantees via a pact, support its civil nuclear program, and invest in hi-tech industries among other things.
It has also been suggested that Saudi Arabia could limit its links with China. Furthermore, Israel would profit significantly from diplomatic relations and economic cooperation with Saudi Arabia given the latter’s preeminence in the Muslim world.
“This is how it was phrased: ‘Saudis care very deeply about this; so does the street throughout the Middle East; but my tenure as keeper of Islam’s holy places will never be secure if I don’t address what is at root the defining issue of justice in our region,’” someone aware of MBS’ conversations with regional and American leaders said.
Still, “MBS seems intent on striking a mega-deal” between America and Israel because he considers it vital for his country’s future,” wrote Toosi Nahal․
At Politico’s request for comment on its story, Saudi officials did not respond. The senior correspondent for the foreign policy outlet Politico, Nahal Toosi, claims that the crown prince has been discussing his own assassination. When these discussions took place is unknown, but Toosi suggests that the prince may be trying to pressure American officials into using their influence with Israel in order to get a favorable deal.
Some US senators have hinted that it would be almost impossible to finalize an Israel-Saudi rapprochement by November’s presidential election. As a result, there will not be enough time for the Senate to legitimize this part of the US-Saudi agreement before going on holiday. By talking about his potential murder, the crown prince seems to want to speed up this process and ensure a good outcome.
For his part, President Joe Biden has explained that Saudi Arabia seeks “full recognition of Israel” as well as security guarantees from Washington and civilian nuclear facilities.
The White House confirmed on Monday that it had resumed sales of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia lifting a ban imposed earlier in 2021 due to human rights concerns. This resumption was seen as part of Washington’s efforts towards achieving a truce in Gaza by enlisting Riyadh’s support and fending off possible Iranian attack against Israel according to Politico reports.
