Saudi Shocker

Saudi prince al-Waleed bin Talal

Saudi Prince: I Side with Israel – Not the Palestinians

Saudi prince al-Waleed bin Talal has stated that in the event of another Palestinian Intifada (uprising) against Israel he would side with the Jewish State, saying that “Saudi Arabia has reached a political maturity to constitute a durable alliance with the Jewish nation.”

“I will side with the Jewish nation and its democratic aspirations in case of outbreak of a Palestinian Intifada and I shall exert all my influence to break any ominous Arab initiatives set to condemn Tel Aviv, because I deem the Arab-Israeli entente and future friendship necessary to impede the Iranian dangerous encroachment,” Al Qabas quotes the Saudi media tycoon as saying.

The Saudi Prince and entrepreneur posited that his country must reconsider its regional commitments and devise a new strategy to combat Iran’s increasing influence in Gulf States by forging a defense pact with Tel Aviv to deter any possible Iranian moves in the light of unfolding developments in the Syria and Moscow’s military intervention, the Kuwaiti Al Qabas daily reports according to AWD News.

“The whole Middle-East dispute is tantamount to matter of life and death for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from my vantage point ,and I know that Iranians seek to unseat the Saudi regime by playing the Palestinian card , hence to foil their plots Saudi Arabia and Israel must bolster their relations and form a united front to stymie Tehran’s ambitious agenda,” Kuwaiti News Agency (KUNA) quoted Prince al-Waleed as saying on Tuesday , adding that Riyadh and Tel Aviv must achieve a modus vivendi, for Saudi policy in regard to Arab-Israeli crisis is no longer acceptable.

There have been several reports over the past years of secret Saudi-Israel relations, and specifically on military and intelligence issues. The recent nuclear deal with Iran has led Saudi officials and leaders to voice support of regional cooperation with Israel.
[United with Israel]
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UPDATES: 

Saudi Prince Denies Pledging to Support Israel Against Palestinians 

(News Tribe-UK)
    

Saudi Prince al Waleed bin Talal has denied as "completely bogus and untrue" a report by the Kuwaiti media outlet AWDNews that he would side with Israel in case of a Palestinian uprising. 


Azerbaijan: Israel’s secret Muslim friend - Robert Swift

Azerbaijan’s southern border with Iran...makes Israel and Azerbaijan natural allies since “both countries see Iran as an existential threat,” Lindenstrauss observed.
The Azerbaijan-Israel association suits both parties well. The selling of sophisticated weapons to Azerbaijan is “another attempt at psychological pressure on Iran” by the Jewish state, the author explained. Drone and air defense technologies make up the bulk of such exchanges.

But the cooperation goes further than this. Azerbaijan’s location makes it a natural back door into Iran. There are reports suggesting that all of Israel’s covert espionage activities conducted against Iran were based in Azerbaijan, including the assassinations of the nuclear scientist Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, Murinson said.
The Iranian foreign ministry has accused Azerbaijan of collaborating with the Israeli foreign intelligence agency, the Mossad, and of acting as a safe house for its operations.

Azerbaijan’s proximity to Iran could also enable it to function as an airfield or refueling stop for Israeli jets conducting raids against targets in Iran. 
[Jerusalem Post]
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Israel's Gulf Breakthrough - Simon Henderson

[T]he United Arab Emirates gave Israel formal permission to establish a diplomatic office in Abu Dhabi under the auspices of the International Renewable Energy Agency. Although officials from both governments noted that the office is solely intended to facilitate Israel's membership in the agency, the announcement should be seen in the context of improving Israeli-Gulf relations. In fact, the new office is Israel's second diplomatic presence in a Persian Gulf country. This latest advance should also be seen as a consequence of the Obama administration's perceived embrace of Iran. 
The writer is director of the Gulf and Energy Policy Program at The Washington Institute. 
(Washington Institute for Near East Policy)
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