Israeli Minister Publicly Confirms Contacts With Saudi Arabia Amid Growing Threat From Iran

An Israeli minister has publicly admitted for the first time that Israel and Saudi Arabia have been in covert contact as both countries strive to confront Iran in the Middle East.

The Jewish state and the Arab kingdom do not have formal diplomatic relations but there have long been rumours and reports of the two sides secretly working together. 

Yuval Steinitz, Israel’s energy minister, confirmed there had been contact between Israel and Saudi Arabia but said that Riyadh was eager to keep the cooperation a secret. 

"We have ties that are indeed partly covert with many Muslim and Arab countries, and usually (we are) the party that is not ashamed,” Mr Steinitz said. 

"It's the other side that is interested in keeping the ties quiet. With us, usually, there is no problem, but we respect the other side's wish, when ties are developing, whether it's with Saudi Arabia or with other Arab countries or other Muslim countries.”

 Benjamin Netanyahu has boasted of improved but secret ties between Israel and the "moderate Sunni states" in the Middle East

Benjamin Netanyahu has boasted of improved but secret ties between Israel and the "moderate Sunni states" in the Middle East CREDIT: REUTERS/AMIR COHEN

Saudi Arabia’s leaders are deeply sensitive to claims that they are working with Israel because the Jewish state is still seen as an enemy by much of the Saudi public. 

Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi foreign minister, has said several times in the last two years that Saudi Arabia has “no relationship” with Israel and no secret back channels.

Asked about the persistent reports that Saudi Arabia and Israel were cooperating against Iran, Mr Jubeir said last week that there could only be a relationship between the two countries if there was a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

#عادل_الجبير : كل ديانة بها متعصبون ومتطرفون ولكنهم لا يمثلون الدين الذي ينتسبون إليه، وهتلر مثال لمريض نفسي يحكم.. pic.twitter.com/xSkt2qzDEm

— بن هباس 🇸🇦 (@5a1di) July 24, 2016

"We have always said that if the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is resolved on the basis of the Arab peace initiative that Israel would have enjoyed normal relations, economic, political, diplomatic relations with all of the Arab countries, and so until that happens, we don't have relations with Israel," he said.

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