As he met with US President Joe Biden in New York on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested an ambitious US-backed plan normalise relations with Saudi Arabia was conceivable.
“I believe, Mr President, that under your leadership, we can forge a historic peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia,” Netanyahu told reporters, adding that it could “go a long way” towards achieving peace with the Palestinians.
“Such a peace would go a long way towards bringing the Arab-Israeli conflict to a close, achieving reconciliation between the Islamic world and the Jewish state, and advancing a genuine peace between Israel and the Palestinians.”
Netanyahu’s statement came after he and Biden, who has been pushing Israel to agree to a sought peace agreement with Saudi Arabia, met for the first time on Wednesday since the Israeli PM’s reelection in December.
At the start of the meeting, the two leaders shook hands in front of US and Israeli flags, which was held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York after Biden declined an invitation to the White House.
In response to the hard-right Israeli government’s controversial judicial reforms, Biden said he would tackle “hard issues” with Netanyahu, particularly the preservation of democratic values.
They will also talk about an ambitious plan to normalise relations between Israel and its long-time rival, Saudi Arabia.
“Today, we’re going to talk about some of the tough issues, like upholding democratic values that are at the heart of our partnership,” Biden said to reporters at the opening of the meeting.
The US president offered an olive branch by proposing a meeting at the White House in the coming months, adding, “I hope we will see each other in Washington by the end of the year.”
Saudi Arabia has been one of the most vocal supporters of the Palestinian cause, insisting on the establishment of a Palestinian state before pursuing normalisation with Israel.
Washington has been pressuring its longtime ally Riyadh to sign a normalisation agreement with Israel, which would be its biggest diplomatic victory in the region and would follow similar deals with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco known as the Abraham Accords.
In an interview with Al Arabiya in October 2020, the influential former Saudi Ambassador to the United States, Bandar bin Sultan, stated, “The Palestinian cause is a just cause, but its advocates are failures.” And, while the Israeli cause is unjust, its supporters have proven to be victorious.”
Source: Dawn News
