Saudi Arabia Gets Upstaged by Its Neighbors on Israel
Symbolic leader of the Muslim world, the kingdom is in an awkward spot after the landmark deal between the UAE and the Jewish state.
A pedestrian walks by Israeli and UAE flags on the side of a road in Netanya, Israel, on Aug. 17.
Photographer: Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg
In the Saudi government’s weekly statement on Aug. 18, King Salman bin Abdulaziz thanked leaders who sent wishes following his gallbladder surgery, ministers praised health protocols during the hajj pilgrimage, and the cabinet reviewed measures to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. A bunch of promotions for civil servants was also announced.
Conspicuous for its absence was any mention of the landmark policy shift for the Middle East that’s reverberating across Saudi Arabia’s traditional sphere of influence. Indeed, a week after the United Arab Emirates and Israel announced their stunning peace agreement, it was the Saudi foreign minister who made the only official comment, but only after being pressed by reporters during a visit to Berlin.