The Opportunities of the Normalization of Ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel for the Axis of Resistance

Subject Areas : علوم سیاسی

Hamed Vaez ¹ , Hassan Khodaverdi ² , Garineh Keshishyan Siraki ³ , Mohammadreza Dehshiri ⁴

1 - Ph.D. Candidate, Department of International Relations, Islamic Azad University, Kish International Branch, Kish, Iran
2 - Assistant Professor, Department of International Relations, Islamic Azad University of South Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran
3 - Department of Political Science and International Relations, South Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
4 - Professor in International Relations, the School of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tehran, Iran

Received: 2023-08-16 Accepted : 2023-08-16 Published : 2023-03-01

Keywords: Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Normalization, Axis of Resistance,

Abstract :

The Middle East and North Africa constitute one of the strategic and most significant regions in the world with a turbulent history. The region witnessed the birth of various countries and tense developments from the second decade of the 20th century until the middle of the century, and most of the countries in the region, including Arabic countries and Israel, emerged during the period. In this regard, the countries in the region have experienced conflicts, wars, invasions, and, sometimes, peace, in their relations with Israel. The latest development in this respect is the Saudi-led normalization of ties between some Arabic countries and Israel to oppose Iran and its axis of resistance. Though this has posed a number of threats to Iran’s national security, some opportunities are evident in it, as well. Thus, the main question of the present study is what opportunities the normalization of ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel can have for the empowerment of the axis of resistance. The study utilizes a descriptive and analytical methodology to answer the question, and the overall result of the study – i.e., the tested hypothesis – shows that opportunities like the creation of chasms between the government and society in Saudi Arabia, the pressure felt by Fatah and the need to reconcile with Hamas, Muslims’ reaction to the negation of the Palestinian Dream by Saudis, the creation of chasms between the government and society of Israel, and the gradual withdrawal of the U.S. from the region are all factors that can boost the axis of resistance based on the existence of groups who oppose the process of normalization across Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the Islamic world at large.