Soft diplomacy

Geopolitics is making strides when it comes to the Middle East. The overtures between the Arabs and the Jewish state have long been bearing signs of a thaw. The debut visit of an Israeli delegation to Saudi Arabia speaks a lot about the ensuing trend in inter-state relations, and also the possibility of opening new vistas of cooperation. Though there is not much to be read in political and diplomatic terms when it comes to Unesco delegates that arrived in Riyadh from Tel Aviv, the point is that both are picking up threads in galvanising a momentum of realism by browbeating the historic backlog of hate and otherness.

The Israeli team that air-dashed into Saudi Arabia had many firsts to reveal. The fact that the Saudis played it safe and the visitors were given international organisation stature’s special visas, the team was made to travel via the official Dubai route, and last but not least none overplayed the hype by restricting it to cultural interaction. This is smart diplomacy, and is a feather in the cap of all those who are busy ironing out differences to enable both the acrimonious states to bury the hatchet. Likewise, the visit days after Bahrain opened an Israeli diplomatic mission in Manama makes it symbolic, as there are vibes of Saudis falling in line sooner than later.

Riyadh under the leadership of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman had uplifted the orthodox kingdom’s image as one of a progressive welfare state. The leadership has a vision and is willing to talk it out with anyone, subject to upholding of its national interests. In case of opening up with the Zionist state, Saudi Arabia has made it clear that it has no qualms provided the statehood of Palestine is decided in de jure terms. This is why Riyadh had touched on all potential business and over-flight arrangements with Israel, as long as it tapped its magnanimity. The hospitality and warmth that the Israelis must have witnessed should come as a soft message for the militaristic state to mend fences with its Arab neighbours.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 13^th, 2023.

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