February 26, 2021. Greece.
Jerusalem
does not have official diplomatic relations with Riyadh but is thought to have
clandestine ties
Jerusalem is currently in talks with the kingdoms of Saudi
Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates in establishing a four-nation
defense alliance, according to an exclusive i24NEWS report.
While Jerusalem does not have official diplomatic relations
with Riyadh, foreign media report that the two countries have long-standing
clandestine ties.
However, the UAE and Bahrain, signed a historic
normalization deal with Israel in September 2020 known as the US-brokered
Abraham Accords.
The reported defense alliance talks likely come in response
to the "growing Iranian threat" in the region, specifically regarding
its budding nuclear program along with its expanding influence in the Middle
East with countries like Syria and Iraq.
News of the
reported talks comes as the newly Biden administration sends signals to Tehran
and world powers that it is ready to rejoin the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal,
brokered by former President Barack Obama, which Israel's Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu vehemently opposed at the time.
