|
Trending Topics
|
Source: http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/riyadhs-diplomatic-dance-with-israel
Saudi Arabia's Diplomatic Dance with Israel
(Washington Institute for Near East Policy) Simon Henderson - While retired Saudi major-general Anwar Eshki's visit last week may not have been his first trip to Israel, this time he was accompanied by a number of Saudi academics and businesspeople. In the absence of mutual diplomatic recognition, all of these individuals would have needed special dispensation from the Saudi government to make the journey. The main Saudi personality in the slow process of publicly acknowledging Israel has been former intelligence chief and ambassador Prince Turki al-Faisal, a more high-profile figure than Eshki but also not a current official. So far this year, Turki has shaken hands with then-Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon and debated with Netanyahu's former national security advisor Yaakov Amidror. The writer is director of the Gulf and Energy Policy Program at The Washington Institute.