Should Israel help Saudi Arabia? Former National Security Council head lays a condition on the table

Former National Security Council head, Maj. Gen. (res.) Giora Holata, stated in an interview with 103FM that Israel should tie security assistance to Saudi Arabia to a broad normalization agreement. According to him, the Saudis are not receiving the security response they expected from the US and see the Israeli-Emirati cooperation as a model. Holata warned about continued arms smuggling to Hamas in Gaza, albeit at a lower scale.

Former National Security Council head, Maj. Gen. (res.) Giora Holata, gave an interview to 103FM and set a condition for Israeli assistance to Saudi Arabia: tying it to a broad and comprehensive normalization agreement. Holata explained that Israel and the Gulf states face common threats, primarily Iran, and that the October 7 attack demonstrated this. According to him, the Saudis are not receiving the security response they expected from the US, while simultaneously seeing the cooperation that developed between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. "It should not be surprising that they want it too," he said. Holata clarified that Israel should not settle for point-specific assistance but should work towards a comprehensive political arrangement: "Normalization is not something you can do and then throw away. Either there is an agreement or there isn't." He mentioned the IMEC corridor that is supposed to connect Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf states. Regarding Saudi Arabia's military strength, he argued that possessing advanced aircraft and weapons does not indicate high operational capability, and that the Saudis do not use their means. In the second part of the interview, Holata said that arms smuggling to Hamas continues, albeit at a lower scale, and that the IDF presence in the southern corridor and the Rafah crossing makes it difficult to bring in large quantities.