The recent thaw in Israeli-Saudi relations must be understood in the context of the lengthy Saudi Arabia-Iran cold war, and, more generally, the larger conflict between Sunnis and Shi’ites.
Is Mahmoud Abbas about to step down, perhaps even undo the entire Oslo process, and hand over the Palestinian Authority's functions – the proverbial "car keys" - back to Israel?
Even for a nation quite used to dramatic news, what happened within the span of four days – from Shabbat morning to Tuesday evening – came as a shock to Israelis.