Relationship dossier
Israel
Saudi Arabia
Relationship assessment
Saudi Arabia’s conditional normalization proposal contrasts with the absence of formal diplomatic relations.
Israel toward Saudi Arabia
Not assessedSaudi Arabia toward Israel
+5Saudi Arabia put forward the Arab Peace Initiative in 2002, offering full normalization with Israel subject to Israeli withdrawal from occupied Arab territories and a just resolution of the Palestinian issue. This remains a concrete, conditional diplomatic framework.
Overall relationship
Not assessedHow to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Saudi Arabia proposed the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, offering normalization with Israel in return for Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories and a resolution of the Palestinian issue. The two governments have not established formal diplomatic relations. Information about direct Israeli government cooperation with Saudi Arabia is insufficient to assess that aspect of the relationship.
Areas of tension
- The Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the terms of any future normalization.
Key developments
Saudi Arabia proposed the Arab Peace Initiative, offering normalization with Israel in exchange for Israeli withdrawal from occupied Arab territories and a resolution of the Palestinian issue.
Major uncertainties
- The extent and continuity of any direct security or diplomatic contacts are unclear.
- The scope of Saudi Arabia’s conditions for normalization and the prospects for their implementation remain uncertain.