Saudi Arabia had a plan: attract investment, modernize and become a technological superpower. This was – and remains – the strategy of the kingdom's strongman, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, to reduce its dependence on oil and remain an influential player globally.
With this in mind, Bin Salman had reached out to his historical enemies: Iran and Israel. As can be seen in the video that heads this article, last March Saudi Arabia reestablished diplomatic relations with Tehran, and in September it assured that it was "closer every day" to recognizing the Jewish State. But now everything is shaking.
The escalation of the conflict in Gaza has completely disrupted its objective, since, as the main actor in the Islamic world, the Saudi monarchy will not be able to reach an agreement with Israel as long as Palestinian civilians continue to die.
A difficult crossroads for the Saudi prince, who will have to tread carefully if he wants to continue prioritizing the economy without raising eyebrows in the Arab world.
