Can Israel-Saudi Arabia Rapprochement Turn into Reality? A Structural Realist Analysis

Middle East has been transforming since the Arab Spring and political developments in its aftermath. A not so widely spoken and interesting change in the Middle East in the last few years is the slowly developing raprochement between Israel and Saudi Arabia. The main motives of this rapprochment could be listed as strong opposition to Iranian influence in the Middle East, alliance with the United States and regional security risks. This article aims to discuss whether Israeli-Saudi Arabia rapprochement could eventually turn into an alliance with the formal diplomatic recognition of Israel by the Saudi State. In order to make this, first of all, the nature of Saudi political regime and its economic characteristics will be analyzed. Secondly, the recent reform efforts made by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Selman will be explained in detail. Thirdly, some evidences about Israeli-Saudi Arabia rapprochement will be revealed. In the fourth and the last part, the negative effects of the recent Jamal Khashoggi murder will be discussed in relation to the future of Israeli-Saudi rapprochement. The article will adopt a Structural Realist perspective; accordingly, in the “Conclusion” part, findings of the research will be assessed