An Israeli cabinet minister with close ties to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has confirmed what had been widely suspected but until now unconfirmed: there have been numerous secret contacts between the Saudi Kingdom and the Jewish state. Speaking to army radio, Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz blame the Arab nations for insisting on the secrecy, referring to Israel as “the party [that is] not ashamed.” New ground in communications between Israel and the Arab world is being revealed with growing frequency, most often explained by the common threat presented by Iran and its terrorist surrogates. To that end, in another unprecedented example of Israeli-Saudi communication, the Israeli army’s chief-of-staff, Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot, was interviewed by Elaph, a Saudi newspaper, calling Iran the “largest threat to the region.” The basis for the Israeli-Saudi cooperation despite the lack of diplomatic relations between the two nations is summed-up by Eisenkot’s explanation that, “Iran seeks to take control of the Middle East, creating a Shi’ite crescent from Lebanon to Iran and then from the [Persian] Gulf to the Red Sea.” The Israeli general also praised US President Donald Trump for creating the atmosphere in which a coalition that was never seen as possible could be built in the Middle East.