VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Saudi stance towards Palestine seems to be of concern. Its good relationship with the United States, which is also known to be a key ally of Israel, will be a test for Saudi Arabia whether it will continue to be consistent on the Palestinian side. The issue of a triangle meeting among the United States, Saudi Arabia and Israel, can become a topic of discussion among countries that are members of the Arab League.

 Recently, news that Benyamin Netanyahu has flown to Saudi Arabia to meet US Foreign Minister Mike Pompeo and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohhamd bin Salman has been widely circulated. It was conveyed by Israeli officials and broadcast by the mass media, yet   has been denied by Saudi Arabia through its Minister of Foreign Affairs.

 The suspicion over the meeting was strengthened following the Israeli agreement with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. The two countries, allies of Saudi Arabia, have agreed to normalize relations with Israel. This, to some extent, has changed the geopolitical map regarding Palestine and Israel. In fact, not only once did important sources in Tel Aviv and Washington state that the commitment of the two Gulf countries is an early indication of the increasing number of Arab countries that will establish ties with Israel.

So far, Saudi Arabia itself, apart from denying the issue of a triangular meeting between Netanyahu, Pompeo and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, still maintains a political position supporting Palestine. This is in accordance with the Arab League, which for decades has decided not to have relations with Israel until the Palestinian-Israeli conflict was resolved.

The world still has to wait for further developments in the attitude of Saudi Arabia in line with the changing political constellation of the Middle East. In particular, regarding the possibility of a change in policy and the political direction of the United States when John Bidden officially became President of the United States.