Saudi Arabia's royalty is now debating whether to join the peace agreements between the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Israel.
The kingdom's monarch, King Salman bin Abdulaziz is in conflicting arguments with his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, over the decision of joining hands with the Jewish state.
Royal dispute
King Abdulaziz has long supported the Arab boycott of Israel and shares the Palestinian's demand for an independent state. However, the crown prince wishes to negotiate with Israel with business and cooperate against Iran.
According to the Wall Street Journal, United States President Donald Trump's announcement on August 13, paving the way for the cooperation of Israel and the United Arab Emirates, surprised Saudi Arabia's king, who had just begun enjoying his summer holiday.
However, several people familiar with the matter said Prince Mohammed was concerned his father would disapprove of a deal that did not advance the Palestinian cause. Experts said that if the king of the kingdom, the Middle East's biggest economy, did not give his support to the agreement, neighboring Emiratis would be hesitant to do so as well.
Prince Mohammed decided not to tell the king of the agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates because it did not mention the Palestinian statehood. The deal only had the Israel government agree to suspend annexation of the West Bank to receive diplomatic recognition from the United Arab Emirates.
Later, King Salman ordered his foreign minister to emphasize Saudi Arabia's commitment and desire to build a Palestinian state and foregoing details about the agreement. A close royal family member wrote in an article reiterating the kingdom's position and noted the Emiratis should have pushed the Israeli government for more concessions.
Also Read: Historic Middle East Peace Efforts Include Bahrain as Latest Arab Nation to Recognize Israel
Decision of the Palestinians
Saudi Arabia's former king Abdullah created the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative that detailed how Arab states agreed only to recognize Israel after the Palestinian's reached an accord with the country, as reported by the Times of Israel.
After the announcement of the agreement between Israel and Bahrain, Saudi Arabia remained silent. However, Bahrain has long been considered a client state and a close ally of the kingdom. The Gulf state is unlikely to have pushed through with normalization of relations without Riyadh's approval.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and United States President Donald Trump both suggested that more Arab nations could potentially make diplomatic relations with Israel in the future.
Yossi Cohen, the head of Israel's Mossad spy agency, said that Saudi Arabia could follow suit and normalize relations with the Israel nation. However, he refused to answer when questioned whether or not he spoke with the kingdom's rulers.
During the Abraham Accord, Cohen was cited as a critical figure when Abu Dhabi and Manama signed the agreement at the White House on Tuesday. The official reportedly went on discreet travels to Gulf states to forge cooperative relationships with Arab nations.
On Tuesday, US President Trump said he expected the kingdom of Saudi Arabia to forge diplomatic relations with Israel after similar moves by the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. The Republican leader also announced there were several Arab countries in line to make peace with Israel.
