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The proposed project will involve building a pipeline connecting Sauid Arabia to Eliat, an area near an Israeli holiday resort that is built on occupied land.
Saudi Arabia is holding talks with Israel over buying natural gas from occupied Palestinian territories, Israeli official Ayoob Kara said in an interview Thursday, in a move that would represent an unprecedented level of collaboration between Arab governments and Israel.
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The proposed project will involve building a pipeline connecting Saudi Arabia to Eliat, an area near an Israeli holiday resort that is built on occupied land, according to an exculsive report on the interview by Bloomberg, which called Kara one of the key allies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The days when Arab governments broke off ties with Israel in solidarity with Palestine are long gone. While Egypt and Jordan have had diplomatic relations with Israeli for decades as part of peace agreements, most recently Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have siginficantly stepped up cooperation behind closed doors. Many say it is the Saudi royal regime’s desire to isolate Iran that is behind their rapprochement with Israel.
The talks follow 2018 comments from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. In an interview with U.S. magazine ‘The Atlantic,’ the leader said he recognized Israel’s right to ‘their’ land, saying, “I believe that each people, anywhere, has a right to live in their peaceful nation. I believe the Palestinians and the Israelis have the right to have their own land ... there are a lot of interests we share with Israel."
Saudi Arabia has also urged the Palestinian Authority to accept Trump’s ‘deal of the century,’ that would involve Israel taking full control of the occupied territories. Bin Salman offered Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas US$10 billion to swallow the U.S.-Israeli proposal.
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