The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia said, “Every day, we are getting closer to normalizing relations with Israel.
The Saudi Crown Prince mentioned that they are getting closer to making a deal with Israel, which would be a big change in the region. He also emphasized that the issue of Palestine is still important in the talks brokered by the US.
There are discussions about a plan involving Israel, the US, and Saudi Arabia that could lead to Saudi Arabia openly working with enriched uranium. This material can be used for making fuel for nuclear reactors, but it can also be used for nuclear weapons.
The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who has previously warned about the risks of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East, has not publicly commented on this plan.
After a meeting between Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden at the UN General Assembly, they both expressed optimism about the possibility of Israel and Saudi Arabia establishing diplomatic relations for the first time. The US is a close ally of both countries.
An Israeli official statement mentioned that the meeting focused on ways to create a historic peace agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which could be a significant step towards resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Israel’s Foreign Minister, Eli Cohen, later said that a basic agreement could be in place early next year. He believes that while it will take time, progress is being made.
The Biden administration hopes to secure approval from the US Congress within this timeframe. Some in the Democratic Party, including members critical of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, will be watching closely. This achievement could be a major foreign policy success before the upcoming US presidential election in November.
Most Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, have not recognized Israel in support of the Palestinians. However, since late last year, the US has been working to make progress based on the Abraham Accords negotiated by the Trump administration. These accords led to Israel signing agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in 2020.
In return for normalizing relations with Israel, Saudi Arabia, which sees itself as a leader in the Middle East and the Islamic world, is seeking substantial military support from the US, assistance in setting up its own civilian nuclear program, and significant concessions from Israel to benefit the Palestinians.
Achieving these concessions from the current Israeli government, which is strongly influenced by religious and nationalist beliefs, would be very challenging.
The Saudi Crown Prince, who is like the leader of Saudi Arabia, talked to a reporter from Fox News in English. He said that the Palestinian issue is really important for them, and they’re working on a good negotiation plan.
Leaders from the Palestinian Authority recently met with Saudi officials in Riyadh to talk about what they want in a deal involving the US, Saudi Arabia, and Israel. They asked for a lot of money and more control over land in the West Bank.
When asked about working with Mr. Netanyahu’s strong government, Prince Mohammed said they’ll work with whoever is in charge if it helps the Palestinians and makes the region peaceful.
Some people in Israel’s government don’t like the idea of a two-state solution to end the conflict with the Palestinians. This means having a separate country for the Palestinians alongside Israel.
Before the prime minister’s talks in New York, 11 members of his party said they would stop any plans to give land to the Palestinians for peace with Saudi Arabia.
A report from the Wall Street Journal raised concerns for Israeli politicians. It talked about the idea of Saudi Arabia becoming a nuclear power with help from the US, which some people think is very risky.
The report said Mr. Netanyahu told experts in Israel to work with American negotiators on a plan for enriching uranium in Saudi Arabia. This plan still needs approval from President Biden.
During the Fox News interview, Prince Mohammed was asked about Iran, a rival country in the region. He said they’re worried about any country having a nuclear weapon.
He also said that if Iran gets one, Saudi Arabia might feel it needs to get one too for safety. He thinks using a nuclear weapon is a really bad idea and would cause a war with the whole world.
SOURCE : BBC