Netanyahu at UN meeting: “On the threshold” of an agreement with Saudi Arabia

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“I believe we are on the threshold of a (…) historic peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia,” Netanyahu said Friday before the United Nations General Assembly in New York. “Just as we achieved the Abraham Accords under the leadership of President Trump, I am confident that under the leadership of President Biden we can achieve peace with Saudi Arabia.” This would “create a new Middle East.”

Nevertheless, he spoke out against a “veto” for the Palestinians in the process. “We should not give the Palestinians a veto over Israel’s relations with the Arab states,” Netanyahu said. He argued: “When the Palestinians see that most of the Arab world has reconciled with Israel, they will embark on the path of real peace.”

On Wednesday, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman confirmed in an interview that both countries are on track to normalize their relations. “We are getting closer to this every day, for the first time it seems to be something really serious,” the Crown Prince said. However, he emphasized that an agreement largely depends on Israel’s dealings with the Palestinians.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas did not directly address the rapprochement in his speech to the UN on Thursday, but made it clear: “Who believes that peace in the Middle East can prevail without the Palestinian people enjoying their full and legitimate nationality? When the right person comes, he’s wrong.”

Officially, Riyadh has no relations with Israel, but the two countries have long secretly cooperated on security issues. For decades, a formal rapprochement seemed virtually impossible. The US is Israel’s protective power and also an important ally for Saudi Arabia. There are still many open questions and major hurdles to a potential breakthrough. This also applies to Israel’s right-wing, religious government, where concessions to the Palestinians are very difficult to extract. (SDA)

Source: Blick