Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that it’s very likely Israel will make a big agreement with Saudi Arabia. This would be a huge change in how both countries deal with other countries, and it’s being helped by the US. Netanyahu thinks it would make a big difference in the Middle East.
He didn’t say exactly what he would give to the Palestinians to make this deal happen. He thinks this agreement would completely change things in the Middle East. It would open up new ways to move energy, build train tracks, and set up high-speed internet cables between Asia, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates.
For a long time, Saudi Arabia and many other countries in the region haven’t officially recognized Israel. This agreement could help change that. Saudi Arabia is a very important place for Islam, and this deal could make Israel more accepted in the Muslim world.
Back in 2002, Saudi Arabia suggested a plan where Israel would get safety and good relationships with 57 Arab and Muslim countries. In return, Israel would have to leave certain areas they took, and a new independent country for Palestinians would be created. But Israel said no.
Recently, Saudi Arabia’s leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said that a deal with Israel would be the biggest thing since the Cold War. He hopes it would make life easier for the Palestinians. However, he didn’t say they should have their own independent country, which is what Saudi Arabia has said they want for the last twenty years.
Tensions in the area have gotten much worse in recent weeks. This is because Israel has been sending its military into cities in the West Bank, which is an area where many Palestinians live. Israel says they’re doing this to stop or punish Palestinian fighters who attack Israeli civilians. They believe the Palestinian government isn’t doing enough to keep things safe.
This year, the number of Palestinians and Israelis who have died is on track to be the highest since a big conflict called the Second Intifada, which happened about twenty years ago.
Even though there seems to be progress toward a peace deal, the relationship between Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden has gotten worse recently. This is because Biden’s team in Washington is worried about Netanyahu’s plans to limit the power of Israel’s top court.
One of the changes they want to make is a rule that would make it harder for the court to say no to government decisions they think are unfair. The top court in Israel has been discussing this rule to see if it’s a good idea.
Before, the US president said he didn’t like these plans. He thought they could harm democracy and make the relationship between the US and Israel worse.
When Collins asked Netanyahu about the changes to the court and how they might affect US-Israel relations, he said, “I think the problem isn’t the change itself, but how some people are making it seem like it’s a big problem for democracy.”
Netanyahu has been working hard to get closer to Saudi Arabia during his time as leader. But we don’t know yet what he’s willing to give up to make this happen, especially because he leads a group with strong right-wing views.
In his talk with Collins, Netanyahu didn’t say what he would give to the Palestinians to make the normalization deal happen. Instead, he said that making peace with other Arab countries first could help solve the problem between Palestinians and Israelis. He called it an “outside-in” approach.
He also mentioned something he said at the United Nations (UN) meeting. He thinks Palestinians should be a part of the peace process, but they shouldn’t have the power to stop it.
At the UN, the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, warned that trying to ignore the demands of his people in any possible agreement wouldn’t lead to peace in the Middle East. He said it’s important for Palestinians to have their full rights as a nation.
SOURCE:CNN