Any Normalisation Step Between Saudi Arabia and Israel Is a Betrayal of the Victims in Gaza
Together for Justice strongly condemns all recent reports and discussions surrounding potential steps toward normalisation between Saudi Arabia and Israel, particularly the proposal presented by Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen during his visit to Washington on April 3, 2025, to establish an oil pipeline stretching from the port of Ashkelon through Eilat to Saudi Arabia and on to Europe.
The audacity of proposing such a project while Israel continues to slaughter civilians in Gaza with impunity reveals a deeper truth: Israeli officials would not even dare to publicly discuss this plan unless they were already confident of Riyadh’s implicit consent. This initiative is not happening in a vacuum—it comes amid Arab silence, Islamic inaction, and the shameful complicity of Gulf regimes, most notably Saudi Arabia, whose de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman, is funnelling billions and trillions into Donald Trump’s ventures—Trump, who arms and enables Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza.
This proposal represents yet another chapter in the normalization agenda disguised as “economic cooperation.” In reality, it is nothing more than an attempt to whitewash Israel’s crimes and expand its political and economic influence, with the help of Arab regimes that have completely abandoned the cause of Palestine and the rights of its people.
Minister Cohen’s description of Israel as a “bridge between East and West” through this energy corridor, and his calls for U.S. pressure on Saudi Arabia to participate, confirm a dangerous trajectory in which the Saudi regime is actively aligning itself with Israel’s long-term strategic goals, particularly in the sectors of energy, transport, and infrastructure.
These developments come at a time when the people of Gaza are being starved, bombed, and systematically slaughtered, and when Arab and Islamic governments are not only failing to act—but are instead laying down the red carpet for economic collaboration with the perpetrators.
Together for Justice views this proposal as an extension of the so-called Abraham Accords, which shattered regional consensus and turned complicit governments into instruments of Israeli expansion, while silencing their own people’s opposition and allowing Israeli projects to infiltrate every corner of the Arab world.
This project, if realised, will not bring peace or prosperity—it will only deepen regional divisions, empower apartheid, and legitimise genocide.
We therefore call for:
- A clear and public rejection by Saudi authorities of any cooperation with Israel in energy, infrastructure, or logistics.
- An end to all forms of normalisation—covert or overt—with Israel, and the accountability of all officials involved in facilitating such projects.
- A collective stance from Arab and Muslim populations to resist any steps that seek to normalise relations with an occupying, apartheid regime.
- Firm international condemnation of efforts by Israel to exploit strategic infrastructure projects to deepen its occupation and evade accountability for crimes against humanity.
No pipeline from Ashkelon to Neom will cleanse the blood spilled in Gaza. Those who bomb children cannot become economic partners.
