In recent days, officials in Jerusalem and Washington have hinted at progress in normalizing relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia. On Sunday, Israeli media even reported that the country’s opposition parties are open to supporting a Saudi peace agreement if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition partners object to Saudi demands for concessions to the Palestinians.
However, Persian Gulf sources close to Saudi decision-makers and sources close to Netanyahu have voiced conflicting views regarding the Palestinian linkage. According to the Gulf sources, the Saudis are conditioning normalization with progress on the Palestinian front, but the Israeli sources say Riyadh has made no such stipulations.
