Israel and Saudi Arabia: The New Axis of Evil

To the rest of the world they are strange bedfellows, but Saudi Arabia and Israel have a shared agenda to shape the Middle East to their liking even if it means using violence and terrorism to bring the region to the brink of war.

Prominent among those who have forged a strong military and intelligence partnership are Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a man who never met an Arab dictator he could not do business with if it suited his policies, and Saudi King Abdullah, whose name in Arabic means “Servant of the House of God.”

Abdullah has used the title to manipulate the Arab world, suggesting to Sunni Muslims he has a direct line to the Prophet Mohammed because he is the anointed guardian of Islam’s holiest sites, Mecca and Medina. Abdullah’s right-hand man in his dealings with the Israel has been Prince Bandar, sometimes known as “Bandar Bush” because of his close links to the Bush family during his days as Saudi Ambassador in Washington. Some commentators have referred to him as “Prince of Terrorists.” He is a flamboyant, cigar- smoking figure, with a fondness for lavish parties.

Like Netanyahu, Abdullah has denounced the Obama administration for failing to bomb Syria and for negotiating with Iran. Netanyahu and the King would like Iran bombed into oblivion. Abdullah said as much in conversation reported by Wikileaks. His advice to Obama was to “cut off the head of the snake.”

The intense anger toward Iran reflects how both nations see the Middle East. They want it dominated by Arab dictators, who can control the Sunni faithful through petrol dollars and the Saudi royal’s role as “Servants of the House of God.” with their promotion and financing of Wahabism, an extreme form of Islam.  Abdullah and his royal hangers-on are prepared to eliminate their enemies by whatever means necessary, beginning with Syria.

Netanyahu, too, wants Iran bombed back to the Stone Age. He has backed the neocon principle that removing Assad will break a Shiite Muslim arc stretching from Iran, across Iraq into Syria and Lebanon. One of his dreams is to give the Israeli military another crack at Hezbollah. He and Abdullah have pressed Washington to abandon diplomatic talks with Iran and to provide the Syrian rebels with air cover and heavy weapons. Those rebels have a very large contingent of terrorists in their ranks, many of them al-Qaeda members of Saudi origin.

When the Arab Spring began, Netanyahu and Abdullah feared they saw the writing on the wall when Obama refused to lift a hand to prevent the overthrow of the Egyptian dictator, Hosni Mubarak, an Israeli-Saudi favorite. Ironically, the mainstream media has been always been happy to call Assad a dictator but has never referred to Arab leaders as dictators even though they all are.

Since Bandar became head of the Saudi’s intelligence network in July 2012, he has forged closer links with Israel’s Mossad and has advocated using “cut-outs,” namely former and retired Mossad operatives, who would have deniability even if they were caught red-handed conducting terror operations inside Iran, Syria or Lebanon.

Israel has had no qualms about assassinating Iranian nuclear scientists and some commentators have suggested Bandar supplied Syrian rebels with Sarin gas. Either way, both partners in this alliance will use any measures, including deception, to achieve their goals, hoping it will lead to the United States to change its Syria policy and go to war with Iran.

One of the curious aspects of the new axis is Saudi Arabia’s military capabilities. Israel is acutely aware of the threat it would face should the Saudi leaders become victims of the Arab Spring. The Saudis have also weighed that risk and placed their future in the hands of Israel. The pro-Israel U.S. website, “Jewish Virtual Library,” put it best when it warned Israel could not ignore the risk of an anti-Western regime replacing the Saudi dictatorship.