Sputnik - Israel and Saudi Arabia are edging ever closer. Sputnik asked two analysts on different sides of the fence whether it was simply a case of "my enemy's enemy is my friend."




A Saudi newspaper published an unprecedented interview with�a senior Israeli military officer on�Thursday, November 16, signaling a growing closeness between�Tel Aviv and Riyadh. Lieutenant General�Gadi Eisenkot�told the online newspaper�Elaph�that�Iran�was the "real and largest threat to�the region."

?"Iran seeks to�take control of�the�Middle East, creating a Shi'ite crescent from�Lebanon�to Iran and then from�the Gulf to�the Red Sea. We must prevent this from�happening," said General Eisenkot.

?The Saudi regime couldn't take their people along�with them if they did agree a deal with�Israel, according to�Roshan Salih, editor of�a British Muslim website 5 Pillars.
For a long time Israel has been seen as�a cancer in�the Middle East and that is how the ordinary man in�the street still sees Israel. Saudi Arabia is moving closer towards�open acceptance of�Israel and probably full recognition. This crazy child running Saudi is going at�breakneck speed," said Mr. Salih, referring to�Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is thought to�have taken over�many areas of�government policy while his 81-year-old father,�King Salman�is on�the throne.


"They both have a common enemy in�Iran. They both hate Iran and they have a common sponsor in�the United States," Mr. Salih told Sputnik.


Mr. Salih said Israel hoped most Arab countries would eventually be forced to�accept Israel as�a fact and would then recognize them diplomatically and begin normal trading relationships.

'Secretive, Low-Level Contacts'

Seth Frantzman, a journalist with�the Jerusalem Post, told Sputnik he believed Israel and the Saudis were already working together behind�the scenes.

In�the last years there have been low-level, very quiet and secretive contacts between�the anti-Iranian bloc in�the Middle East, which includes Israel and some of�the Gulf monarchies, according to�Mr. Frantzman.
"Saudi Arabia used to�be much more critical of�Israel but�it has seen its policies dovetail with�Israel's, in�term of�the�Iranian threat, and this has come about�because of�the weakening of�American power in�the region and so we are seeing Israel and Saudi Arabia having to�step up�to the plate if they want to�protect their borders," he told Sputnik.


?Mr. Frantzman said he did not expect Saudi Arabia to�suddenly drop its demand for�the Palestinians' right to�return to�their homes in�Israel and he said he saw Riyadh's relations with�Israel over�Iran as�running parallel to�its policy on�the Palestinian issue.


Saudi Arabia, as�the protector of�Islam's two holiest places in�Mecca�and Medina and the wealthiest Sunni state, has long had a difficult relationship with�Shia Iran but�a full-blown�power struggle�has developed between�the two in�recent months.

Iran and Saudi Arabia have clashed recently over�the�Lebanon�and Tehran has also been accused of�supporting Houthi rebels in�Yemen.

Iranian President�Hassan Rouhani�said a recent Houthi missile attack on�Riyadh was just a "reaction to�aggression" and then warned the Saudis of�Iran's "might."

"People more powerful than�you have been unable to�do anything against�the Iranian people," Rouhani told the Saudis.