Asked if Israeli people deserve to have their own land, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told US magazine The Atlantic: "I believe that each people, anywhere, has a right to live in their peaceful nation. I believe the Palestinians and the Israelis have the right to have their own land."

"But," he added, "we have to have a peace agreement to assure the stability for everyone and to have normal relations."

Experts have said that the comments are particularly important since it's coming from a person who will be ascending the throne sometime in the near future.

Ever since the regime appointed Mohammed bin Salman as the Crown Prince, the Middle Eastern country has allowed women to drive cars, facilitated women to watch a game of football from the stands and as of Feb 26, 2018, Saudi Arabia has allowed women to join its army.

Saudi Arabia: Women watch football match in stadium for first time

Salman's tactics have been so effective, that American-Iranian poet Roya Hakakian has called him a potential game changer.

In her piece for The New York Times, she stated: "Iranian activists have always looked to the West to pressure Tehran to respect human rights. But the appearance of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the scene could shift the attention to Saudi Arabia. Whatever his long-term intentions, he is robbing Tehran of narratives it has long relied on. Citing the Saudis’ poor record in engaging and educating women, Iran has easily deflected Western criticism of its own practices."

Saudi Arabia allows women to join army as critics credit its feud with Iran behind female empowerment

Following the recent clashes between Israel and Palestine, in which at least a dozen Palestinians died, Saudi ruler King Salman in his telephonic conversation with US President Donald Trump, had reiterated his regime's 'steadfast position towards the Palestinian issue and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital'.

At least 16 people were killed during the recent clash at the Gaza Strip. Image: Twitter and screengrab from YouTube

Gaza conflict: At least 16 Palestinians die, UN orders independent investigation

But it's the junior Salman, who has gone on records to say: "Israel is a big economy compared to their size and it's a growing economy, and of course there are a lot of interests we share with Israel and if there is peace, there would be a lot of interest between Israel and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and countries like Egypt and Jordan."

Even though there is still no formal diplomatic relationship between Saudi Arabia and Israel, that their friendship is definitely warming up is undeniable and the man behind the progress is none other than the Saudi Arabian Crown Prince.

During his visit to the United States, bin Salman also met several Jewish groups and pro-Israel lobbies.

Prior to it, in March, Saudi Arabia allowed Air India, India's national carrier, permission to use its airspace to operate direct flights between New Delhi and Tel Aviv.

The new Saudi move also ended a decades-long ban on the use of Riyadh's airspace for flights to Israel.

Saudi Arabia's opening up to Israel is also seen by many as an attempt to corner Iran.

It's a no-brainer that Iran and Israel aren't the best of friends. The fact that Iran doesn't recognise Israel as a state, speaks volumes about their diplomatic fallout.

When Iran was hit by a series of protests earlier this year, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took to Twitter to comment on the situation.

In what has become an iconic image, a woman removed her head scarf and used it as a flag to protest against the Iranian government. Image: Twitter

Netanyahu wished people of Iran to attain success in their 'quest for freedom'.

Iran protests: At least 14 killed; Trump says regime should witness change

"The Iranian regime tries desperately to sow hate between Iranians and Israelis. They won't succeed. When this regime finally falls – and one day it will – Iranians and Israelis will be great friends once again. I wish the Iranian people success in their noble quest for freedom," one of his tweets read.

Saudi Arabia too hasn't been on good terms with Tehran. The two nations have also been at loggerheads to establish regional superiority.

Not too long ago, bin-Salman had observed that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei "makes Hitler look good".

"Hitler didn't do what the supreme leader is trying to do. Hitler tried to conquer Europe. The supreme leader is trying to conquer the world," his rant aimed at the all powerful religious leader read.

Till a few years ago, Iran had managed to remain ahead of Saudi Arabia in the battle, courtesy their more women-friendly approach, however, with the rise of Mohammed bin-Salman, Riyadh has been able to snatch back the initiative.

As Hakakian stated: "But when Saudi Arabia lifted the ban on women’s presence in sports stadiums, Iranian women got angry at their own government. The timing of the Saudi announcement in late September was perfect — if inflaming Iran’s civil society was the goal. Only a few weeks earlier, Iranian women were barred from attending the qualifying World Cup match in Tehran between Iran and Syria, while Syrian women were permitted to enter the stadium."

Writing by Sudipto Maity

MBS Image: Wikipedia

Netanyahu Image: Screengrab from YouTube