Israel appears to have an unusual bedfellow- Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi Arabian government agreed to permit the Israeli air-force to flyover the Islamic nation in order to attack Iran, according to reports. An official old the Sunday Times that if Israel quietly performed the operation, Saudi Arabia would not object to the flyover. Notably, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and advocate of a strike on Iran John Bolten said, “None of them would say anything about it publicly but they would certainly acquiesce in an overflight if the Israelis didn’t trumpet it as a big success.” Officials from both countries denied the reports, although analysts contend that Israel would need permission to flyover Iraq or Saudi for a successful strike on Iran.
Even though Israel and Saudi Arabia lack any official diplomatic ties, both countries fear that Iran could obtain a nuclear weapon and attack their countries. Iran continue threatens to destroy the Jewish state while ethnic and religious differences between Iran and Saudi Arabia (Sunni vs. Shi’ite and Arab vs. Persian) fuel competition between the two nations as they struggle for regional dominance. A former senior Mossad research told the paper, “The Saudis are very concerned about an Iranian nuclear bomb, even more than the Israelis.”
Alongside the alleged Saudi role in encouraging an attack on Iran, the Saudi government also drafted the Arab Peace Initiative that would establish a Palestinian state in exchange for full diplomatic relations with some Arab countries. The plan, which emerged in 2002 and subsequently adopted by the Arab League, shows Saudi desire to further its relationship with Israel.
