[Peace-discuss] Haaretz: Israel Wants Biden 2 Improve Ties With Saudi. His Party Isn't on Board

[Robert Naiman]

It appears that the Ambassador to the United States of the Government of
Israel wants the United States of Fantastic America to kiss the ring of the
Saudi regime.

I have a few questions about this.

How is this the business of the Israeli Ambassador to the United States?
Does he vote here? Does he pay taxes here? Isn't this attempted foreign
interference in the sovereign affairs of the United States of Fantastic
America?

Who died and made him Pope?

As Bill Clinton might say: "Who's the fantastic superpower here?"

https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/.premium-israel-wants-biden-to-improve-ties-with-the-saudis-his-party-isn-t-on-board-1.10750850


*Israel Wants Biden to Improve Ties With the Saudis. His Party Isn't on
BoardJerusalem is an increasingly loud cheerleader in Washington for Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Saudi Arabia, but senior Democrats in
Congress expect Biden to live up to his 'pariah' statement on Riyadh*

Ben Samuels
Washington
Apr. 19, 2022

WASHINGTON – Iran is not the only Middle Eastern country on which Israel
and the United States seemingly disagree. Israeli officials and *top
Democratic lawmakers* are also at odds over the White House’s
still-lukewarm relations with Saudi Arabia.

Since assuming power in January 2021, the Biden administration has stopped
short of living up to campaign promises of making Saudi Arabia a global
pariah. However, U.S.-Saudi ties have nevertheless deteriorated in that
time – particularly following the administration’s February 2021
intelligence report that castigated Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
over journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s brutal murder in a Saudi consulate in
Istanbul in October 2018.

The Biden administration now finds itself at an inflection point with
Riyadh due to the ongoing Iran nuclear deal talks and Russia’s invasion of
Ukraine. Most urgently, the Americans want Saudi Arabia to significantly
increase oil production to quell soaring prices amid Russian sanctions and
domestic inflation.

Saudi Arabia has declined, however, citing its existing agreement with OPEC
and other allies. Reports that Crown Prince Mohammed also declined to speak
with Joe Biden last month did not help matters. And despite a White House
refutation, it illustrates the current state of U.S.-Saudi affairs –
amplified by the kingdom’s position on the Russia-Ukraine war and global
Russia sanctions.

Israeli officials are concerned that a stalled U.S.-Saudi rapprochement
could spark a domino effect, leading to U.S. disengagement from the Middle
East and creating a power vacuum for Iran to fill. Others are concerned
that Saudi Arabia may then strategically align itself with China and Russia.

Saudi Arabia and Israel openly share intelligence on Iran, and a potential
Saudi realignment would put Israel in a tenuous position with its strategic
superpower allies.

Regional importance
Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Michael Herzog articulated Israel’s concerns
last Thursday, stressing the need for the United States to improve its
relations with the Saudis for the sake of regional security – particularly
in the face of the U.S.’ potential reentry into the Iran nuclear deal.

“I understand the U.S. concerns, but I think Saudi Arabia is a hugely
important actor in our part of the world and the Islamic world as a whole.
And it’s important, in my view – to the extent possible – to fix relations
between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia,” Herzog said at a breakfast event
organized by the Al-Monitor website that focuses on the Middle East.

“Certainly if you’re going to do an Iran deal, I think it’s extremely
important to our part of the world that this will be done,” Herzog
continued, adding that “strategically speaking – and I’m not ignoring all
the difficulties – I think that [relations improving between the United
States and Saudi Arabia] is very important for our region.”

Another factor in Israel’s support for reconciliation is Jerusalem’s hope
that Saudi Arabia will formally sign up to the Abraham Accords, joining
previous signatories the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco
in normalizing ties with Israel.
“Israel continues to seek to normalize relations around the region – and
Saudi Arabia is the crown jewel,” says Atlantic Council Nonresident Senior
Fellow Carmiel Arbit.

“An Abraham Accords peace agreement won’t be possible without Saudi-U.S.
rapprochement, but Israel certainly doesn’t shy from acting as broker for
those seeking improved relations with Washington. But this is a long-term
ambition,” she says, adding that “their immediate fear that the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action [nuclear deal] will embolden Iran and its
proxies is once again bringing Israel closer to its Sunni Muslim allies –
who share these concerns.”

*Herzog’s pleas stand in stark contrast to a letter sent from 32 leading
House Democrats to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken the day prior to
the ambassador’s remarks.* In it, the lawmakers ­– *spanning the party’s
ideological spectrum* – told the administration that “a recalibration of
the U.S.-Saudi partnership is long overdue.”

“Our continued support for the Saudi monarchy, which systematically and
ruthlessly represses its own citizens, targets critics all over the world,
carries out a brutal war in Yemen, and bolsters authoritarian regimes
throughout the Middle East and North Africa, runs counter to U.S. national
interests and damages the credibility of the United States to uphold our
values,” wrote the lawmakers, who included Reps. Gregory Meeks and Adam
Schiff, who chair the Foreign Affairs and Intelligence committees,
respectively.

“The United States can continue our status-quo of broad support for an
autocratic partner, or we can stand for human rights and rebalance our
relationship to reflect our values and interests,” they added. “How we move
forward will send a strong message to democracies, activists fighting for
democracy, and human rights defenders and will play an important role in
our fight against authoritarianism around the world.”

An Israeli carrot

*Experts from both sides of the political spectrum agree that Herzog’s
comments and the Democrats’ letter are at odds with each other.*

Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft Executive Vice President Trita
Parsi says this split is reflective of the broader divergence between the
United States and Israel on strategic matters in the Middle East.

“*Israel’s priority is to keep the U. S. military engaged and present in
the Middle East – an interest it shares with Saudi Arabia and the UAE.*
Moreover, it seeks to convince Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords,”
he says.

“*Being able to deliver a softer line on Saudi Arabia in Washington is one
of the carrots Israel is putting in front of [Crown Prince Mohammed] in
order to get a yes from Riyadh on the Abraham Accords*,” Parsi says. He
stresses that *“the U.S. benefits little from a Saudi Arabia that continues
to act recklessly in the region, makes a mockery of the U.S.’ human rights
policy and pays more attention to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin than
to Biden.”*

*Foundation for Defense of Democracies* [*self-naming chutzpah Academy
Award!*] Senior Vice President for Research Jonathan Schanzer, meanwhile,
believes the congressional letter reflects a partisan line of thinking
currently in vogue among Democrats. “It is utterly unhelpful [*to whom?*]
at a moment, punctuated by the Ukraine war, in which the United States
desperately needs energy partners, not to mention allies,” he says.

“By contrast, Herzog’s position reflects a nuanced understanding that,
despite their flaws, the Saudis can be important friends – especially in
light of the recent global tumult,” Schanzer says. He notes that “the
looming Iran deal, which the Biden White House continues to pursue at
nearly any cost, also continues to push Israel into the arms of the Saudis.
[*?! Why are we supposed to be concerned about this? I thought we were
supposed to support Saudi-Israel Kumbaya. So confusing!*]

Both Israel and Saudi Arabia “remain adamantly opposed to a deal that will
empower their sworn common enemy with a lengthy track record of proxy
violence across the region,” he adds. [*That's odd. Wasn't it just the
other day that a bunch of top Israeli ex-national security people were
saying that the U.S. leaving the Iran deal was terrible for Israel? How can
both these things be true? Who's really driving this train, and to what
end? Is this really about the well-being of Jewish civilians living in
Israel, or is it about something else?*]
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