The news of the quick visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the Saudi city of Neom to meet its Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman came at a sensitive time, in which the consequences of the US elections intersect with unusual regional and Middle Eastern developments.

The uncertainty about the visit - in light of Israeli confirmation and Saudi denial - left many American commentators in a state of confusion about how to read the move and its messages.

In an interview with Al-Jazeera Net, the expert on Gulf affairs and author of the book "The Gulf and Israel: Old Conflicts and New Alliances", Sigurd Neubauer said that the meeting is historic by all standards, and there was no surprise about it. The surprise is in its publicity, at least on the Israeli side.

"There is no definitive consensus on whether or not the meeting was held, and it will be interesting to see how the Israeli and Saudi narrative will develop in the coming days," said Christine Olrichsen, a professor at Rice University in Texas, to Al Jazeera Net.

For his part, the head of the Eurasia Foundation for the Study of Political Risks, Ian Bremer, tweeted, saying, "A meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is very important news, as he is the first to announce that an Israeli leader has visited Saudi Arabia."

Bremer considered that Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan's denial of the meeting would not be the first time that Saudi Arabia had denied "something we all know."

Meeting between Netanyahu and MBS very big news.

First known instance of an Israeli leader visiting Saudi Arabia.

Saudi foreign minister says it didn't take place, but wouldn't be the first time Saudi Arabia denied something we all know happened.

https://t.co/LmpNcjjcl0

- ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) November 23, 2020

As for the director of the Institute for Gulf States Studies in Washington, George Cafiero, he indicated in an interview with Al-Jazeera Net that "the denial by Saudi officials of holding this meeting confirms the sensitivities surrounding the issue of normalization from a Saudi perspective."

Biden welcomes

President-elect Joe Biden's team welcomes the ongoing efforts and steps of normalization between Israel and the Gulf states, which led to the establishment of diplomatic relations between Tel Aviv on the one hand, and Abu Dhabi and Manama on the other side.

However, the Biden team does not agree with President Donald Trump's administration to grant American legitimacy to building Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank lands, and the Biden administration does not encourage US recognition of Israel's sovereignty over the Syrian Golan Heights.

Biden has previously stated in his election program that he opposes any unilateral steps - including annexation - that undermine the horizon of the two-state solution.

"The democrats will continue to stand against incitement and terrorism, and oppose settlement expansion. And since Jerusalem is an issue related to the final status arrangements for negotiations, it should remain an undivided capital of Israel, as long as it remains available to followers of all religions," he added.

Biden’s position coincides with the official Saudi position expressed by Faisal bin Farhan in a press interview on the sidelines of the G20 leaders ’summit two days ago in Riyadh, where he affirmed that“ his country supports full normalization with Israel, but first a permanent and complete peace agreement should be approved that guarantees the Palestinians their state with dignity. ".

As of writing this report, Biden's campaign has remained silent about the news of the NEOM meeting.

Covert relationships

Regarding the timing of the meeting, Newpower indicated that Riyadh aims to "show its freedom of movement before the Biden administration, so that President Biden would be shown that Riyadh has influence and a wide regional stature."

While Ambassador David Mack confirmed to Al-Jazeera Net, "Israel and Saudi Arabia have a history of secret dealings behind the scenes on issues of common concern."

Mack - who previously worked as Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs and is now an expert on the Atlantic Council in Washington - pointed out that "there is no longer a reason now not to make these relations somewhat more overt, and at the moment, the most likely position for Saudi Arabia is to encourage The process of normalization is already underway in the region. "

Ambassador Mack believed that the exit of Tel Aviv and Riyadh relations to the public would push Riyadh at the same time to help the Palestinians unite their ranks so that they can resume negotiations with Israel and the United States from a coherent approach that would give them somewhat greater power with the start of Biden’s rule.

Urge Riyadh

A number of commentators were surprised by Saudi Arabia’s haste and not waiting until after Biden arrives at the White House on January 20, to begin its steps towards normalization.

Professor Olarchisen indicated that Mohammed bin Salman may wish to move towards normalization but feels that he cannot do so publicly with the continuing state of general social rejection or the hesitation of his father, King Salman.

Ambassador Mac believed that "Saudi Arabia's jogging may show the ruling family in a state of weakness, and some Saudis may see it as belonging to the UAE."

Mac considered that the Saudi crown prince aims to do everything in his power to improve his image among the Democrats in Washington, as he realizes that his deep partnership with Jared Kushner and Trump will not facilitate his mission.

On the other hand, Olershizen did not rule out that Mohammed bin Salman also saw how normalization strengthened the UAE’s standing in Washington, and that he hoped it would receive the same appreciation, adding, "It will be difficult for him to achieve that goal."

Despite the possibility that Saudi Arabia will announce normalization, it "seems likely that the kingdom will take partial steps. Certainly, Netanyahu's visit to NEOM constitutes one of those steps," says Cafiero.

Newbauer disagrees with Cafiero, as he considers that, from Riyadh's viewpoint, the NEOM meeting is a diplomatic victory, and a preemptive step that improves its position in establishing new relations with the Biden administration.