Signs of Turkish-Saudi rapprochement horrify Israel

Israel’s political elite have expressed extreme anxiety toward signs of rapprochement between Turkey and Saudi Arabia, considering such a rapprochement to be detrimental for Israel’s strategic environment.

Within 48 hours, Strategic and Intelligence Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz returned to warning once again about the “signs of rapprochement” between Saudi Arabia and Turkey stressing that any regional rearrangement in the area will impact Israel’s interests.

In an interview on Hebrew Radio on Saturday evening, Steinitz warned that the Saudi-Turkish reconciliation “will out of necessity be at the expense of the camp of moderation in the Arab world and will bolster the camp of the extremists.” He said it would be rather dangerous if this new alliance with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan were the response to Iranian expansion in the region.

Steinitz implicitly criticised the US Administration considering its lack of firmness with regard to intervening in the affairs of the region may prompt moderate Arab states to search for other alternatives. He stressed that Erdogan is “a radical Islamist and an insolent anti-Semite”.

The Israeli minister expressed hope that the US Administration will reconsider its reckoning so as to arrest the decline of the regional system in a manner that may not serve the interests of Israel and the United States of America.

Steinitz did not explain whether his fears are based on intelligence information or mere predictions.

On the other hand, Tsvi Mzal, former Israeli ambassador in Cairo, warned that the rapprochement between Turkey and Saudi Arabia will be at the expense of the regime of Egyptian President Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi.

In an interview with IDF Radio, Mzal explained that the recent docking of the Turkish naval ship in Jedda port indicates an obvious Saudi inclination towards bolstering the relationship with Turkey. He noted that the the Houthi seizure of power in Yemen may have prompted the Israelis to move towards forging an alliance with Turkey.

Mzal stressed that the Saudis may discover that their investment in supporting Al-Sisi may not help them face the strategic challenges emanating from the Iranian control over Yemen and the growing threats posed by Islamic State (ISIS).

Mzal, who is considered one of the most enthusiastic Zionists toward Sisi’s military coup in Egypt, called on the West to back Egypt and prevent the failure of the regime, stressing that such a step would be one of the measures intended to serve the strategic interests of the West.

He warned that the Turkish-Saudi alliance will only boost Erdogan’s temptation to lay in ambush for Israel and intimidate it.

Mzal drew attention to the fact that the Saudi-Turkish rapprochement may result in a different approach to the Syrian issue, and approach that may contravene Israel’s interests. This, he stressed, would in itself post a strategic threat.

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