Veteran Israeli journalist Yoav Limor recently visited Saudi Arabia, where he did not hide his country of origin. He was pleasantly surprised to find not the heart of darkness, but a cheerful reception wherever he went. His enthusiasm was, I suggest, a bit much. Limor’s report on his ramble through Riyadh is here: “‘Profound change in Saudi Arabia could bode well for future Jerusalem-Riyadh ties,'” by Yoav Limor, Israel Hayom, July 4, 2022:
On Sunday night, while in a restaurant in Riyadh, a local young man sitting next to me asked me from where I was. “Israel,” I replied. He laughed, and moved on. Shortly before leaving, he looked at me again and asked, “Israel, really?” I said “yes,” to which he replied, “Wow, welcome. We welcome everyone here happily, from all religions.”
Not true, of course, but perhaps we should applaud the sentiment behind the fiction. In Saudi Arabia, no churches or synagogues or any other non-Muslim places of worship are allowed.
Saudi Arabia was a pleasant surprise. Friendly. Happy. Not even mentioning Israel brought anyone down. I tested this on several cab drivers and market vendors. Some smiled and shook their head in disbelief or worry, others were curious and struck up a conversation. I wondered if any of them had ever met an Israeli before, or heard Hebrew, but no one made us feel unwelcome in the kingdom, home to the holiest sites of Islam, not even for a moment.
Saudi Arabia has for years been closely cooperating with Israel on security matters. They both share the same mortal enemy, Iran. And when the Mossad pulls off its feats of derring-do inside Iran, from the computer worm Stuxnet, to the assassinations of five nuclear scientists, to the sabotage of centrifuge factories at Natanz, all of which contribute to slowing down Iran’s progress toward manufacturing a nuclear weapon, no country is as quietly grateful as Saudi Arabia. The Saudi people already experience the malevolence of Iran as a regional threat: it is Iran that provides the Houthis in Yemen with drones that are launched at Saudi airbases and oil facilities. The Saudis are well aware of Israel’s role in keeping the Iranian nuclear threat at bay.
US President Joe Biden’s visit to Israel and Saudi Arabia will not lead to formal ties between the two nations. Biden will travel to Saudi Arabia next Friday, after having visited Israel. In the resort city of Jeddah, he will meet with all the leaders of the Gulf states and several other prominent Arab leaders, but more importantly, he will meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, effectively ending the boycott he had imposed on him after the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.
Biden wants Riyadh to increase the amount of oil it produces so that it could lower its prices, but will also try to promote normalization with Israel. As such, he will try to have Israeli representatives accompany him on his visit to the kingdom, although the matter is not yet final.
Everyone involved in the matter says that Israeli-Saudi ties will warm slowly, step by step, over an extended period of time. But my visit to Riyadh shows the profound change Saudi Arabia is experiencing at this time.
Biden has two goals to accomplish. First, he would like to mend fences with the Saudi Crown Prince, and thereby to obtain from him a commitment to increase Saudi oil production, so as to bring down the price of gasoline at the pump for Americans; Biden knows that the fate of Congressional Democrats this November may well depend on the price of gasoline.
Second, the Bidenites were long scornful of the Abraham Accords which, after all, redound to the credit of their nemesis Donald Trump. But as they have seen the actual results, and in particular the impressive flourishing of business deals between the UAE and Israel, they have had a change of heart. More than one billion dollars in deals, about trade, technology, tourism, agriculture, and security, have been concluded between the two countries. Now a free-trade agreement has just been signed that Emirati analysts claim should amount to $10 billion within five years. Bahrain too, on a smaller scale, has been making its own deals with the Jewish state. Finally, Morocco has been conducting joint exercises with some units of the Israeli military, and has agreed to buy $500 million worth of Israeli weapons, including anti-missile defense systems. All of this has made an impression on the Bidenites, who now think that, after all, encouraging Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords would be a good idea. They realize it will take time; it cannot happen while King Salman still reigns; he has said he would not be willing to join the Accords until the Palestinians have a state. But the King is 86 and in poor health. The Crown Prince has shown his impatience with the Palestinians; in 2018 he told a complaining Mahmoud Abbas to “just take whatever deal the Americans offer you.” He is not willing to put the Palestinian interest ahead of what he understands to be his country’s national interest. He has seen the benefits his two closest Arab allies, the UAE and Bahrain, have derived from their normalization of ties with Israel, and wants to enlarge upon the security ties the Kingdom already has with the Jewish state. After MBS becomes king, he won’t wait long before having Saudi Arabia join the Abraham Accords.
It is moving from being a very conservative regime, which characterized the sons of Saudi Arabia’s founding father, Ibn Saud, who passed on the power between them (the youngest of whom, Salman, is king now) to slowly embracing the West under his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
A photo of the two, the king and his son, can be seen all across Riyadh. The kingdom is gearing toward the change of government, which carries a message for Israel as well: going from distant and cautious ties under the previous government to increased cooperation in a variety of areas.
During his visit, Biden will focus on the regional rocket defense program, but other Israeli companies – technological and other – are already operating here, in various ways.
Quite a few Israelis have visited Saudi Arabia in the last few years, mostly defense officials led by the Mossad. Everything was done in complete secret, usually using private jets. But recently, Saudi Arabia has begun to gradually open its doors to Israelis who hold foreign passports, especially business people.
Although it might take a while before we see groups of Israeli tourists flood the streets of Saudi Arabia, the process is what counts. Soon, Israeli companies will be able to fly east over Saudi Arabia, and perhaps next, launch direct flights to Mecca, for pilgrims.…
In fact, the granting to Israeli airplanes of the right to fly over Saudi Arabia, and allowing direct flights from Ben Gurion to Saudi Arabia, for Israeli citizens and Palestinians making the Hajj or the Umrah pilgrimages, are being negotiated right now.
Saudi Arabia is less touristy than other Gulf states, such as the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. It does not have many foreigners, except for low-wage workers, mostly from the Far East, who can be seen everywhere, cleaning shopping centers, bagging groceries in supermarkets, and working in construction.
Limor, who has clearly been delighted by his own warm reception, does overlook the mistreatment of the foreign workers who perform all the menial tasks in the Kingdom. He notes their presence – they can be “seen everywhere, cleaning shopping centers, bagging groceries in supermarkets, working in construction,” but doesn’t tell us anything about their wretched working conditions, nor about those who work as domestic servants. What he might have noted is that there are nine million foreigners, and 90% of them doing ill-paid menial jobs, including a major category he does not mention: domestic servants, working as drivers, cooks, cleaners, nannies.
Rarely does the outside world see how these domestic workers are treated, but recently a video came to light which was apparently taken in a private home, that shows a man dressed in traditional Saudi clothing physically assaulting a man who wears an orange jumpsuit and appears to have a swollen eye. The abuser accuses the worker of having spoken to his wife, while he flogs him with a whip, pulls his hair, and kicks him. The person filming takes part in the abuse as well, spitting on the victim and hurling insults his way, while the victim pleads for the assault to stop.
The video corroborates a well-documented pattern of physical abuse of foreign workers in Saudi Arabia, which is one reason it caused such a stir. Perpetrators are almost never punished, because migrant workers depend on their employers for their legal status and thus are afraid to report abusive conditions. Human Rights Watch, however, has documented labor abuse ranging from non-payment of wages, sexual abuse (including many cases of ape), food deprivation, and physical confinement. Domestic workers, according to HRW, are denied “protections afforded to other workers such as a day off once a week, limits on working hours, and access to labor courts.” Many foreign maids in Saudi Arabia are living, according to HRW investigators, in “slave-like conditions.” Employers take, and keep, their foreign workers’ passports, and if the workers’ dare to complain about their treatment, anything from 14-hour work days seven days a week, to rape, to a withholding of wages, those workers will often be immediately expelled from the country without obtaining any legal relief. In light of this Saudi reality, perhaps Limor should curb his enthusiasm.
Although Riyadh has all the Western brands, including the most high-end ones, the streets mostly have standard cars and people are simple. This is due, among other things, to the equal distribution of wealth, which is contrary to the UAE and Qatar, where only the few enjoy wealth. This will also be the crown prince’s main challenge: to give the entire people a sense of belonging….
The “equal distribution of wealth”? In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia? Fifteen thousand members of the Saudi royal family, including 4,000 princes, beg to differ. It is true that the standard of living enjoyed by ordinary Saudis is quite high, thanks to the colossal oil wealth. But the difference in personal wealth between the royals and a business elite, on one hand, and the rest of the population on the other, is very great. It would have been useful for Limor to make some comments on this, expressing reservations about Saudi Arabia rather than his limitless enthusiasm. He is too swayed, I fear, by his encounters with Saudis who seemed to him to be “surprisingly” well-disposed toward him.. Of course they are well-disposed. Israel is the most effective force now slowing down the nuclear program of Saudi Arabia’s mortal enemy, Iran.
In general, Saudi Arabia is surprisingly cheap: fruit and vegetables are twice less expensive than in Israel (including supermarkets), clothes are 25% cheaper (including brands), and gas is 2 shekels cheaper on the liter (the global fuel crisis seems to have evaded Saudi Arabia).
Limor does not explain why the prices of food and clothes should be so cheap. It’s because there are no taxes on either. The Saudi government doesn’t need that tax money to meet its obligations and keep functioning; it has hundreds of billions of dollars in annual oil revenues it can count on. And the government also subsidizes some basics – food, clothes, and energy – keeping the Kingdom’s subjects well satisfied. Limor might have explained how the Saudi economy works, and also could have considered what will happen to that economy when, indeed, the world transitions away from fossil fuels as rapidly as is now planned. As of now, in order to keep global warming to no more than 1.5°C – as called for in the Paris Agreement – emissions need to be reduced by 45% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.What will that do to the demand for Saudi, or indeed any, oil? How will Saudis cope when those hundreds of billions of dollars in annual oil revenues disappear?
Most likely, more Israelis will travel here in the future. Some for business, others out of curiosity. Either way, they will discover a country much less threatening than imagined. The opposite, actually: Saudi Arabia is very pleasant and the atmosphere is relaxed.
Here, again, Limor’s description of Saudi Arabia as “very pleasant” overlooks the often monstrous mistreatment of the eight million menial workers — out of a total of nine million foreign workers — who keep every aspect of Saudi life humming smoothly. And Limor might have pondered a bit more his observation that “the atmosphere is relaxed” in Saudi Arabia. It is “relaxed” for the Saudis themselves, whose idea of a work day is going into an office, drinking coffee, then leaving after a few hours. Any more would be too taxing. As Saudis, they are not expected to work hard – that’s what the foreigners are for. Online one can find ample evidence of this state of affairs, in the comments made by expatriates, especially teachers. Here is one representative example:
I used to teach Saudi military officers.
I say “teach” but really once they have worked out that they don’t need to do any work and they won’t be punished no matter what they do, they just go to sleep in lessons. And it’s not one or two, it’s all of them.
My fault for being a boring teacher? No, it happens to all the teachers. They just have zero interest in learning anything or doing anything useful.
It was my job to wake them up at the end of the lesson and persuade them to leave the classroom as they have been known to hide in the cupboard so they could get a better sleep and then get trapped and locked in over the weekend.
I’m not making this up, this is what the oil rich Middle East looks like.
Limor might have discussed the celebrated Saudi lack of work ethic but he was dead set on registering only his surprise and delight at his warm welcome.
It is doubtful whether Saudi Arabia will become a popular destination for Israeli tourists, but the change in Israeli-Saudi ties is a historic event that one just cannot help but be excited about. If Israel exhibits uncharacteristic patience and understanding that such processes take time, there is infinite potential for the ties between the two countries.
Why does Limor overstate? How about something more measured? Right now that “change in Israeli-Saudi ties” will have to wait until King Salman is replaced by his son, Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman. The real “historic event” was the appearance of the Abraham Accords themselves; the Saudis will now be, at best, the fifth Arab state to join the Accords. Limor could have left out that mocking swipe at his own country – “if Israel exhibits uncharacteristic patience and understanding that such processes take time” – and instead said “everyone knows that there can be no change in the Saudi government’s position on the Accords until King Salman retires or dies.” Finally, there is not “infinite potential” for the “ties between the two countries,” but rather, he might have written more accurately, “there is potential for closer ties to develop between the two countries beyond the security cooperation that Iran’s threat has done so much to facilitate.”
Limor was pleasantly surprised that the Saudis whom he met – an Israeli! — were friendly and cheerful, but makes no mention of how soothing and unpressured life is for the average financially cosseted Saudi. He should not forget the dismal reality for many foreign workers in Saudi Arabia, including especially the victims of human trafficking, as set out by a report compiled by the U.S. government:
The Government of Saudi Arabia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so. The government continues to lack adequate anti-trafficking laws, and, despite evidence of widespread trafficking abuses, did not report any criminal prosecutions, convictions, or prison sentences for trafficking crimes committed against foreign domestic workers. The government similarly did not take law enforcement action against trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation in Saudi Arabia, or take any steps to provide victims of sex trafficking with protection. The Saudi government also made no discernable effort to employ procedures to identify and refer victims to protective services.
Note to Yoav Limor: No Saudis threw rocks or Molotov cocktails at you. None, apparently, upon hearing that you were an Israeli, turned their backs and walked away. But do curb your enthusiasm, just a bit. Tell us, please, about the millions of mistreated foreign workers in the Kingdom. Tell us about the public beheadings. Tell us about the conditions in Saudi prisons, and who gets punished, and who gets away, literally, with murder. Note for your readers how the leisurely existence of most Saudis, so well cared for by their government, explains their relaxed and friendly attitude even to an Israeli like yourself. And speculate on what will happen to those Saudis, and their children, when the Kingdom’s oil has lost most of its value because of the switch to renewables by 2050, that is, within a single generation, and their lives become suddenly much less pleasant, as they will have to seek gainful employment, and enter the rat race that the rest of the world’s billions of working stiffs, from China to Peru, have long endured.
mortimer says
Great expose of the entitlement and slave-master mentality that still exists in KSA. The foreigners are only in KSA to serve or exploited, rather than to be served. The only explanation for this new policy towards Israel is that the government realizes the importance of Israel in fighting the Shi’ite mullahocracy in Iran and the Shi’ite insurgency in Yemen.
Sharia law tells us what is going on … clearly the Saudis WANT SOMETHING from Israel. They do not suddenly love Jews and Israel. ‘Curb your enthusiasm’, indeed. And learn the following.
Quotes:
Sahih Bukhari records that Abu ad-Darda (a companion of Mohammed) said, “We smile in the face of some people although our hearts curse them.”
Ibn Kathir in his commentary on Koran 3.28 says:
“BELIEVERS ARE ALLOWED TO SHOW FRIENDSHIP TO THE DISBELIEVERS OUTWARDLY, BUT NEVER INWARDLY.”
For instance, Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Ad-Darda (a companion of Mohammed) said, “We smile in the face of some people ALTHOUGH OUR HEARTS CURSE THEM.””
A popular Islamic TV preacher Sheikh Muhammad Hassan asserted that, according to Sharia, it is “not at all permissible” for Muslims to smile at non-Muslims, “except in cases of da’wa.”
Often translated as “missionary work,” the word da’wa means to “call” or “summon” non-Muslims to Islam. Because it shares the same goals of jihad—empowering and spreading Islam—da’wa is often seen as jihad’s nonviolent counterpart.
In fact, Sheikh Hassan himself asserted that “da’wa mode differs from jihad mode. Jihad mode requires power, zeal, manliness—basically, a stern face and such. But when in da’wa mode, you must smile, you must be gentle.”
gravenimage says
Good analysis, Mortimer.
mortimer says
It would be nice if the new openness to Jews would lead to a breakthrough in friendships and partnerships in diplomacy and business, but I’m not holding my breath, because Islam’s primary source texts and Sharia law don’t teach that. I keep thinking ‘where’s the catch?’
Infidel says
So the day Iran stops being an enemy of Israel – be it due to regime change or anything else, will Saudi Arabia be content to live in peace w/ all its neighbors? Or will they turn towards someone else?
gravenimage says
An Israeli Visits Saudi Arabia, Or Curb Your Enthusiasm
…………………
Well, he wasn’t threatened or assaulted–that’s good. Of course, our standards are pretty low.
As for my enthusiasm re Saudi Arabia, I don’t think I need to curb it any further–or, really, *can* curb it much further…
Bull Herman says
We can’t forget those Jews beheaded centuries ago by their “friend” Mohammed.
So, friend today beheaded tomorrow?
Respect and learn history or relive it?
gregbeetham says
Maybe a generation of doctrinally dumb Saudi’s have emerged, or maybe there’s an agenda behind this sudden high esteem Jews are held in in Saudi Arabia…hmm difficult choice, I’ll go with the agenda I think.
(I don’t for a second think the doctrine of Islam has been neglected in Saudi Arabia)