The Abraham Accords and Saudi Arabia’s Changing Regional Strategy
The so-called “Abraham Accords” is a plan implemented by the Donald Trump administration on behalf of the Zionists, aiming to initiate a new process of normalizing relations between Arab countries and the Zionist regime. This plan was part of Trump’s “Deal of the Century,” which abandoned the two-state solution in favor of a “State of the Jewish People” contrary to the reconciliation process. Normalizing relations was a precondition for resolving the Palestinian issue and reaching a final solution through negotiations between the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Zionist regime, where normalization of relations precedes solving the Palestinian problem as they claim.
In the new normalization process for Arab countries with the Zionist regime, Saudi Arabia is considered the most important country in the Abraham Accords. Although four countries – the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco – have joined this new process and begun official relations with the Zionist regime, Saudi Arabia has not yet openly joined them. This is despite the fact that many analysts expected Saudi Arabia to normalize relations after these four Arab and Islamic countries, due to its extensive secret relations with the Zionist regime.
Although Saudi Arabia has opened its airspace for passenger flights affiliated with the Zionist regime and has also implemented flights from Saudi airports to the occupied territories, relations between Saudi Arabia and the Zionist regime have not yet been normalized.
The Agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia:
Western allied media in the region have described Saudi Arabia as on the path to normalization, envisioning that a normalization agreement would be signed at any moment between the Zionist regime, the Saudi government, and Mohammed bin Salman himself. However, China surprised everyone by mediating between Saudi Arabia and Iran, resuming Saudi Arabia’s relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Initial speculation raised by the agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, mediated by China, was that Saudi Arabia had deviated from its path and moved towards new alliances in the region.
The logical consequence of such an opinion is that with Saudi Arabia’s changing approach in the region and the country’s move towards the United States’ opposing current, one of the plans that will remain sterile is “normalizing relations with Zionism.” However, the question is, to what extent does this assumption take root in Saudi Arabia’s reality and its current approach in the region?
Saudi Motives for Resuming Relations with Iran:
Observers believe that Saudi Arabia’s position in the region requires relations with Iran. On one hand, Saudi Arabia is stuck in the quagmire of its enmity and war on Yemen, unable to turn the war in its favor, despite the exorbitant material costs imposed by the war and the spiritual costs that have resulted in the loss of the country’s authority and dignity. In addition to understanding that resolving the Yemen crisis is impossible without considering Iran’s role in the region, Saudi Arabia is moving towards resuming relations with Iran.
On the other hand, Riyadh has been involved in other regional issues, such as the crisis in Syria and Iraq, and internal problems in Lebanon, actively alongside the West. The failure of the West’s plan for these countries has practically created a kind of isolation for Saudi Arabia. To get out of this isolation, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman needed to reconcile with the Axis of Resistance, led by Iran, to gain a foothold in the region and escape this isolation. This occurred while Western countries, including the United States, distanced themselves from these crises by taking actions such as withdrawing their military forces and officially declaring non-intervention in the affairs of these countries.
On the other hand, during the crisis in Syria and Iraq in the region, Saudi Arabia concluded that it must diversify its partners so as not to fall into the grip of the United States and the West in the future in the region.
Saudi Arabia’s Regional Approach in the Era of Salman:
After the death of “King Abdullah” in Saudi Arabia, the transfer of power to “King Salman” did not change Saudi Arabia’s general orientation, especially towards the countries of the region, but the election of “Mohammed bin Salman” as crown prince brought about changes in this approach. “Mohammed bin Salman,” who has been present in the United States for many years and has been in contact with American and Zionist lobbies, was looking for real change in Saudi Arabia.
The new Saudi Arabia under the leadership of “Mohammed bin Salman” will be a modern secular Western state. The performance of “Mohammed bin Salman” confirms this change, and this point is confirmed by attempts to create Western manifestations, such as cinema, music and fashion in Saudi Arabia and the trend towards technological development, in addition to the serious presence of women in Saudi social arenas.
Holding major music concerts for famous Western singers in Saudi Arabia, freedoms outside the framework of Islamic law, and inviting celebrities to strip in this country are measures implemented by “Mohammed bin Salman.”
On the other hand, there is no confirmation that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the “Custodian of the Holy Mosques” and that the opposition of Wahhabi scholars is not just an orientation, but it has been severely suppressed. This approach is being implemented with the green light from America and the West’s preconditions, abandoning the views of Saudi Arabia’s previous rulers, even if they do not openly admit it in the short term.
The logical conclusion from the above premises is that the plan to normalize relations between the Saudi regime and Zionists, the agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, and the subsequent development of Saudi relations with members of the axis of resistance such as Lebanon and Syria, and the desire to establish relations with Hezbollah, have shown that it is generally in a dead end and that the possibility of its occurrence now is in a halo of doubt.
In addition, Mohammed bin Salman faces obstacles in this direction, the opposition of the Wahhabi religious current to normalization, the opposition of Saudi society to the normalization of relations, the lack of confidence in US support after the announcement of normalization, the concern about the reaction of Islamic countries, and the conflict after normalization with Saudi Arabia’s previous approach to Palestine are natural obstacles now, so Saudi normalization has been postponed. The current data in the region show that Saudi Arabia has not yet normalized for these reasons.
In addition, some regional analysts believe that Saudi Arabia has made the agreement with Iran a prelude to normalization; in order to mitigate the negative effects and reactions of countries in the region; in order to save itself from the greatest pressure after normalization, but Riyadh is currently unable to announce normalization, and the closest possible time to announce it officially may be after the upcoming elections in the United States, and it also depends on a Republican president like “Trump” taking office, while at the same time the rightists take power in the Zionist entity.
At the present time, the many trips of US Republican officials to Saudi Arabia and occupied Palestine indicates that the United States seeks to end the issue of normalization between the Saudis and the Zionist regime, and the presence of “Lindsey Graham” in Riyadh and Tel Aviv and the visit of “McCarthy”, Speaker of the US Congress, to the occupied territories can be interpreted in this context, but Saudi Arabia’s reluctance to enter into this issue and the conditions it has set seriously for normalization prove that the agreement with Iran has changed the workings of Saudi Arabia and made normalization uncertain, at least during the current year.