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Source: https://www.jns.org/understanding-the-middle-east-an-interview-with-harold-rhode/
Can Israel Have Peace with Saudi Arabia?
(JNS) Dr. Harold Rhode interviewed by Bennett Ruda - "The peace we're looking for is that you'll stop fighting, and we'll stop fighting, and everyone will live together in peace. From a Muslim point of view, they can agree to have relations with their enemies - whether they be Muslims, Jews, or anybody else. They can make temporary agreements just like their prophet did. Those agreements can be renewed and renewed." "But to think that the Saudis see peace the way we Jews see it is a pipe dream....Arabs do not have the concept that when the fighting is over, we can be friends. If we think we will have a peace agreement with the Saudis in the way we understand peace, we will be disappointed." "That does not mean the Abraham Accords are an illusion. We can have agreements with the Arab countries - as long as we have things they want from us, such as hi-tech, connections to the outside world, and alternate routes in place of the Suez Canal. They are interested in what's in it for them, not for the sake of friendship. Friendship is between people. Countries ally themselves because of common interests. The Abraham Accords are not about peace; they are about what is in both sides' interest." "In Arabic, the word salam is similar to the Hebrew word shalom, but they do not have the same meaning....Islam means "submission," while salam means something like the special sense of joy that someone has by submitting to Allah's will through Islam. Shalom, on the other hand, means letting bygones be bygones, a concept that is totally alien to Islam." "I don't really care if there is a formal agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia, because their relationship is so strong. The relationship is between governments, because these Arab countries rule from the top down." Dr. Harold Rhode, a fellow of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, lived for years in the Muslim world and served as an adviser on the Islamic world for the U.S. Department of Defense for 28 years.