MBS needs to Draw Conclusions

Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman Al Saud needs to draw conclusions from KSA’s current predicament. The Mecca Pact is a joke with no substance whatsoever and MBS should have understood this before signing this nonsense. Before the October 7, 2023 massacre MBS was laser-focused on normalization with Israel and then it became too domestically controversial. This turnaround has severely harmed Saudi national interests. A regional defense alliance involving Gulf states, Israel and other Arab states threatened by Iran and its proxies is what is needed to ensure Saudi national security. Furthermore, KSA could well serve its own interests by funding Israeli intelligence warfare inside Iran which could operate on a much greater scale if funded by KSA and so not limited by Israel’s limited resources. Billions of dollars should be invested in making the Iranian revolution a successful reality. So who are KSA’s real friends in the international community, who are friends in deeds and not merely in words? In practice, MBS can only rely on Israel among its ”partners” in the international community. Normalization of relations between Israel and KSA would bring tremendous economic benefits for both nations and the security dividend would be significant, Israel has advanced military technologies, nuclear deterrence and a skilled military and if this is matched with Saudi funding this could significantly enhance Saudi national security. E.g. the countries could build a stealth jet together. And that is just an example. This would strengthen Riyadh’s relationship with Washington as Trump only respects strength and has no patience with what he regards as ”weak allies”. MBS made a mistake when stalling normalization after the Hamas massacre in Israel. Strategic relations should be determined by joint strategic interests only and not by distractions caused by terrorists, uncommitted pseudo-friends and domestic noise. MBS would be well-advised to mend fences with the UAE and normalize relations with Israel so as to realize a regional defense pact as genuinely serving Saudi Arabia’s vital national security needs.