According to a recent survey, despite US efforts to press Riyadh and Tel Aviv to reach a deal, only 2% of young Saudi Arabians support the normalization of relations with the Israeli government.
The Economist highlighted the findings of the 2023 Arab Youth Survey in an article published toward the end of last month, highlighting how “domestic obstacles remain significant” in the way of normalizing relations between Saudi Arabia and the Israeli government.
Public opinion must be taken into consideration, even in a nearly absolute monarchy. The 2023 Arab Youth Survey shows that only 2% of young Saudi Arabians favor normalizing relations with Israel, according to The Economist.
In addition to pushing for the development of a nuclear energy program as part of the agreement with Israel, the article claims that Riyadh’s motivation for normalization is “a new strategic alliance with America”.
The deal, according to the article, is “a golden opportunity” for Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who is being investigated for corruption and is the target of large-scale protests. It will “polish his tarnished legacy.”
In advance of the 2024 presidential election, the agreement, according to the article, will benefit US President Joe Biden politically.
For President Joe Biden, a new Middle Eastern diplomatic and defense framework supported by the United States and centered on the two regional powers would be a significant foreign policy accomplishment with which to enter an election year.”
During his prior election campaign, Biden had pledged to treat Saudi Arabia “like the pariah that they are” in response to the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
However, realpolitik is now in charge. The article said, referring to Biden’s administration, “His administration sees a deal as a way for America to adapt to a new geopolitical era, in which it remains the ultimate guarantor of the Persian Gulf states’ security for decades to come even as their economies tilt toward Asia”.
At a time when Biden is running for re-election and the US government has been embarrassed by the kingdom’s strengthening of ties with Iran and Syria as well as its further gravitation toward China, Washington is making efforts to add Saudi Arabia to the list of Arab nations that have signed the Abraham Accords.
The article stated that although there may be great potential for an American-Saudi-Israeli agreement, there is not much political room to make it happen.
In 2020, normalization agreements with Israel were signed by the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco, which drew criticism from Palestinians who branded the agreements “a stab in the back of the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian people.”
