Following the announcement of reaching a peace agreement between the UAE and Israel, it's speculated that other Gulf countries will follow the same footsteps of Abu Dhabi.
Saudi Arabia and Oman are said to be the next to conclude a normalization agreement with Israel under the auspices of the United States.
Jared Kushner, an advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump, urged Saudi Arabia to normalize its relations with Israel, considering that this step would be in the interest of the kingdom's economy and defense, and would contribute to reducing Iran's power in the region.
In statements to reporters by phone, Kushner confirmed that Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and his son, Crown Prince Mohammed, told him that they wanted to see an independent Palestinian state as well as economic opportunities for the Palestinians.
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Jared Kushner, an advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump,[/caption]
The Saudi Kingdom is the sponsor of the Arab Peace Initiative which provides for the establishment of a Palestinian state in exchange for normalization.
Riyadh has been silent since the sudden announcement Thursday of an agreement between its ally the UAE and the Hebrew state to normalize relations, in the first step of its kind for a state in the Gulf Cooperation Council.
"It will be very beneficial for Saudi business, and it will be very beneficial for the Saudi defense sector," Kushner said of the possibility of normalizing relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
He added that "I have had a lot of discussions with Crown Prince MBS on this issue and also with King Salman, and the Palestinians and their cause have a very large place in the king's heart, as is the case with Prince MBS."
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Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan receives Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud in Abu Dhabi, UAE, November 22, 2018. Picture was taken November 22, 2018. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court[/caption]
"What they said basically is that they want to see the Palestinian people in a state with economic opportunities before them," he said.
The UAE agreement to normalize relations announced by Donald Trump, to be signed at the White House within three weeks, is the third that Israel has concluded with an Arab country after Egypt and Jordan, and enhances the possibility of reaching similar agreements with other Gulf countries.
UAE-Israel Agreement Welcomed by Some Gulf Countries
Bahrain and Oman welcomed the UAE-Israel agreement, while Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar did not comment.
In this regard, Kushner said, "We believe that there will be new normalization agreements with Israel," adding, "It is in the interest of many of these countries in terms of security and economics to establish relations with Israel."
"The more countries like Israel and the UAE meet, the more difficult it is for Iran to disperse and invade," he added.
Iran is a common enemy of Israel and Saudi Arabia, an ally of the Trump administration, while most Gulf states accuse Tehran of interfering in their affairs and supporting militants groups within their territories.
On Saturday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned the UAE "against opening the gates of the region to enter the Zionist entity.”
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Hassan Rouhani[/caption]
The UAE responded by handing over the Chargé d'Affairs of the Iranian embassy a protest note.
Moreover, the Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Youssef bin Alawi bin Abdullah had held a telephone conversation with Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, discussing the recent developments in the region.
Bin Alawi also spoke by phone with Jibril Rajoub, Secretary-General of the Central Committee of the Palestinian Fatah movement.
The ministry added, in a tweet posted, that Minister Yusef bin Alawi had affirmed Oman's position in support of achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, and the need to resume the peace process and negotiations and to fulfill the legitimate demands of the Palestinian people, to establish their independent state, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
It’s noteworthy that the Israeli Mossad revealed in July 2019, that Tel Aviv had established “official relations” with Oman.
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In October 2018, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held surprising talks with the late Sultan Qaboos in Muscat, which raised Palestinian concerns about the normalization of relations between the two parties.
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