“A new era of security coordination in the region started in order to enable Israel to become an ideal guarantor and partner for cyber security in the Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia,” Enabling Tel Aviv to integrate with Arab countries, at the expense of the first Arab cause, through cyber security techniques.
The Center stated that while the USA is heading towards the Pacific Ocean and reducing its military presence in the Middle East, Washington’s role is still limited, but at the same time it focuses all its efforts on confronting the threats of Iran, which it may face through regional alliances.
The Center also considered that the Abraham agreements led by the UAE and Bahrain to normalize all relations with Israel during the era of former US President Donald Trump, and which were extended to North African countries, Morocco and Sudan, represent a new era of security and political arrangements in the region, which had many powerful implications for cyber security trajectories in the Middle East.
The Center’s report said that these developments aims to make Israel the largest guarantor in the cyber field against Iran and other regional threats.
Despite the huge amount of failure and weakness that Saudi Arabia is witnessing in its social, political, economic and security levels, Mohammed bin Salman views Israel as an ideal partner with enormous capabilities, which may help him stay in the rule.
The center cited what happened in 2017, when the former Israeli Knesset member turned venture capitalist, Ariel Margalit, stated that Saudi Arabia received assistance from Israeli cybersecurity companies to deal with a cyber attack on the oil and natural gas company Aramco since 2012, as the Knesset member alleged that Israeli companies have held talks with the Kingdom’s Public Investment Fund to help build the smart city of NEOM of the Saudi crown prince.
The center also added that the Israeli electronic cooperation with Arab countries extends far beyond their conflict with Iran to North Africa. In early July, an electronic agreement was signed between Israel and Morocco, enabling cyber security teams to exchange information about cyber security threats and hacking attempts.
The center also revealed that the position of the current US President Joe Biden administration is not keen on resuming the Trump era initiative, because the Chinese Digital Silk Road Initiative harnesses Beijing’s influence in the region through investment opportunities offered by giant Chinese technology companies in 5G networks and digital monitoring, which made Gulf states more open to cooperation with Israel, and they share serious concerns about Iran, as well as Israel’s benefits as a regional partner that is technologically capable of helping Middle Eastern and North African countries avoid a trade-off between the United States and China.
