Top Saudi figures attempt to legitimize Riyadh- Tel Aviv alliance

As the Riyadh administration deepens its ties with Israel, Saudi clerics move to provide legitimacy to the Gulf Kingdom’s policy shift by issuing shocking religious edicts, or fatwas, that run counter to the teachings of the Quran.

Saudi Arabia’s top Islamic law cleric Abdul Aziz Al-Sheikh said that it is wrong to fight Israel, when asked on a television program about the events in al-Aqsa Mosque. The grand mufti went as far as labelling the Palestinian Hamas as a “terror organization.”

An Israeli cabinet minister said on Sunday that Israel has had covert contacts with Saudi Arabia amid common concerns over Iran, a first disclosure by a senior official from either country of long-rumored secret dealings.

In an interview, Lieutenant-General Gadi Eisenkot said that Israel is ready to share intelligence information to face the "threat" posed by Tehran.

Israel’s Communications Minister Ayoub Kara, following the mufti’s remarks, invited al-Sheikh to visit the country.

Israel's military confirmed the content of the interview, a rare episode given the fact that Saudi Arabia and Israel do not have formal diplomatic relations.

These two recent developments show that strategic Arab- Israeli cooperation is reaching an advanced stage.

This development is the latest in a series of shifts in Saudi Araba following the announcement of a move towards “moderate Islam” in the Gulf Kingdom.

The Gulf region has witnessed large aftershocks after Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman said he will lead his country back to “moderate Islam.”

Bin Salman carried out a purge targeting businessmen in Saudi Arabia on “corruption charges” and never shied away from taking radical decisions.

In official settings, the Crown Prince always made sure to stress his opposition to Iran and his support for the West.

In an interview with the Defense & Aerospace Report, Major General Abdullah al-Hashmi, one of Abu Dhabi’s senior military generals, said the UAE and Israel are “like brothers.”

“Because we understand that like we are allies of the United State, Israel is an ally of the United States and we have like a big brother,” concluded al-Hashmi in the same interview.