Where to start in the list of differences between both societies? Maybe with the fact that one country's society is so progressive that it had women sign the declaration of its independence and celebrated one of them to the point of making her minister and even prime minister and that's about 70 years ago while the other country has just very recently decided to allow women to drive in the near future.
One country carries the pains of the Holocaust every day and the other is participating in a Yemeni holocaust, also every day.
One country is a leader in technology that incorporates artificial intelligence and robotics while the other is .
The list of contrasts is rather long but, perhaps, a special one does say it all: The names of the countries. One carries the name of the grandson of Abraham, the son of Isaac and the father of the twelve tribes; could there be any more significant name? God decreed it.
The other is named after a tribe that created the kingdom less than a 100 years ago. Imperial politics decreed it.
This is by no means a simple difference. It tells a lot of what each country holds dear to its heart.
No matter how I, as a spectator, look at it, I just can't see the two countries being in bed together. Israel, as agreed upon by allies and enemies alike, has a political system that is greatly affected by the voices of its common citizens. Prime ministers can be scrutinized and the judicial establishment has a real presence that can keep any politician of any rank from jumping over the law. A Moslem citizen in the Jewish state has a say in things and so does the Christian.
In Saudi Arabia, the king is god and the princes are demigods. The land's financial resources are for the royal family to spend as they see fit. A prince can spend a small country's budget on a personal yacht and no one dares to talk about it. Shiites are not considered citizens, Sunnis are kept in check at all times, and Wahabis rule the land.
The question is, will the Israeli people in their majority condone their government establishing ties with a kingdom where public beheadings are a norm and minorities are crushed? Last time I checked, these things were nonexistent in the modern Israeli society. Will they agree to their government engaging in a new war for the sake of Saudi alliance benefits? I think not and I hope not.
The Israeli political voices who are working towards this dangerous love affair will do their best to persuade their citizens that this is the best opportunity ever to eradicate Hezbollah and the Iranian influence in the immediate region. They will probably push public opinion to forget that it has been a relatively peaceful 11-year period and, laboriously attempt to convince people that a preemptive final major strike is necessary.
What these politicians will forget to mention is that ISIS is a Wahabi Salafi movement and that it is the financial and militant daughter of Saudi Arabia. They will also neglect to remind their people about how the Saudi government turned on its associate Qatar once the latter tried to remind them that it's a partner and not a servant.
Do I dare suggest that a fragile peace-like situation with Hezbollah and a more moderate diplomatic rhetoric with Iran is far better than becoming an ally of a country that hasn't really won any wars or even trophies for being best friends with anyone?
The lives of Israeli citizens are worth much more than making new risky alliances. If Rabin and Arafat could shake hands, let's not do something that would eliminate the possibility of someday Netanyahu and Rohani doing the same.