On Thursday, Israel Hayom published a report revealing a new perspective on ongoing negotiations to reach an agreement to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
The paper bases its proposal on the broader picture that the United States is constantly making relentless efforts to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons through diplomatic means in the face of Tehran’s ongoing attempts to enrich uranium beyond the permitted range.
To overcome Israel’s resistance to any soft deal with Iran, the paper said, the Americans apparently put forward the idea of achieving normalization of relations with Saudi Arabia in exchange for Israel’s silence on the deal with Iran.
Former diplomatic officials told Yisrael Hayom that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be inclined to accept such an agreement, and some see it as subservience.
According to former officials, “The fact that Israel has not taken any public steps against the agreement shows that there is an agreement behind the scenes, otherwise Netanyahu would have acted as he did in 2015.”
However, a source in Netanyahu’s office denied the allegations made by Israel Hay and said there had been no change in the government’s position.
The source stated that “Israel is working in every possible way, through every channel and at every possible level, to counter any attempt to enable Iran to acquire nuclear capabilities and weapons.”
Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and head of the National Security Council Tzachi Khanegbi are planning to visit the United States this week to hold meetings with representatives of the US administration, in particular on the Iranian threat and relations with Saudi Arabia, Israel Hayom said.
According to the Hebrew newspaper, the high-level meetings will focus on two main issues: the Biden administration’s efforts to reach an agreement with Iran and the possibility of making progress on normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia.
She stated that there was reason to believe that the United States considered the two issues to be related.
Source: Yisrael Hayom.