Israel and Saudi Arabia: What’s shaping the covert ’alliance’

Israelis see Syria as "a laboratory" of what could be the region's future. Hence their willingness to stress the positives in what Prince Salman is trying to do.

How far might this Israeli-Saudi dynamic go? Well that depends upon a lot of factors. Will Crown Prince Salman's bold attempt to change Saudi Arabia's course succeed? Might he over-reach in terms of Saudi Arabia's effort to excerpt regional influence?

Fundamentally, if the Saudi-Israel relationship is to emerge blinking into the sunlight, there needs to be progress on the Palestinian front. The Saudis have long said this must come before they will openly recognise Israel.

Without the renewal of a meaningful peace process that actually promises Palestinian statehood the Saudi-Israel "alliance" must remain in the shadows.