Incoming Israeli Prime Minister (PM) Benjamin Netanyahu told Saudi newspaper Al Arabiya on Monday that normalising ties with Saudi Arabia would resolve the decades-long Israel-Palestine conflict and bring “overall peace” between Israel and the Arab world.
Peace with Saudi Arabia would be a “quantum leap” for regional security and facilitate Israeli-Palestinian peace, Netanyahu said, stressing that he intends to pursue peace with Riyadh during his term. “It’s up to the to the leadership of Saudi Arabia if they want to partake in this effort. I certainly hope they would,” he told the newspaper.
Netanyahu noted that Israeli-Palestinian peace can be achieved through creativity, saying that Israel has experimented with different ideas aimed at normalising ties with Saudi Arabia. Calling for expanding the Abraham Accords, Netanyahu opined that a “growing circle of peace” between Israel and Arab states would convince Palestinians to seek peace with Israel.
In 2020, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco normalised ties with Israel under the landmark Abraham Accords, brokered by the United States.
Here he comes: Bibi signals to Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya that he will be taking MBS's cause to Washington, pressing Biden to reaffirm the alliance with Saudi Arabia. In return? He wants normalization with Saudi Arabia ahead of progress with the Palestinians. https://t.co/Ef02QcoKJF
— Martin Indyk (@Martin_Indyk) December 15, 2022
Netanyahu also said he is very serious about negotiating peace with the Palestinian Authority (PA) but accused it of rejecting all efforts to restart negotiations. When asked whether he would accept the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative proposed by Saudi Arabia as the basis for negotiations with the PA, Netanyahu noted that renewed talks with Palestine should reflect the changed circumstances.
While he said that the 2002 proposal showed the Arab world’s “willingness” to move towards a “comprehensive” Israeli-Palestinian peace, the initiative does not reflect the new reality of the region. In this respect, Netanyahu called on countries not to get stuck in the “old groove” and think about new ways to achieve peace.
The Arab Peace Initiative proposed peace between Israel and Palestine on the condition that Israel ends its occupation of the Palestinian Territories.
Netanyahu also called on the US to make efforts to expand the Abraham Accords, urging the Biden administration to reaffirm the US’ commitment to “traditional allies” like Saudi Arabia. He stressed that Washington should ensure that there are no “periodic swings” in its relations with Israel and Arab allies, saying that they are an “anchor of stability” in the region.
This is total spin. Netanyahu - who has refused to speak with local Israeli press - has been pumping Saudi "peace" in foreign media to divert from the mess that is his emerging messianic, anti-Arab coalition. Saudis still believe in 1967 borders. https://t.co/vzaOvKuKpi
— Mairav Zonszein מרב זונשיין (@MairavZ) December 16, 2022
“I think it [relations] requires periodic reaffirmation, and I’m to speak to President Biden about it,” he remarked.
US-Saudi ties have been at their lowest point in decades.
Biden has blamed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) for the 2018 murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. His administration also imposed sanctions on Saudi officials for Khashoggi’s death and halted military aid to the Kingdom over rights violations in Yemen.
The Saudi leadership was also upset with the US’ hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan, its insistence on reviving the Iran nuclear deal, potentially relaxing sanctions on Tehran, and removing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from the list of terrorist organisations.
Watch: #Israel’s Prime Minister-designate Benjamin #Netanyahu tells Al Arabiya English that the current unrest in #Iran reflects the “weakness” of the regime, which unlike other regional powers like Saudi Arabia, has “not done anything" for its people.https://t.co/f8S1pMNHF1 pic.twitter.com/5wkjlDysF5
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) December 15, 2022
This has led the Saudi government to take retaliatory action against the US.
In July, Biden travelled to Riyadh in a bid to reset ties and urge the Saudi leadership to increase oil production.
In October, however, the Saudi-led Organization of Oil Exporting Countries and its allies (OPEC+) announced a two million bpd production cut. Washington condemned the decision, calling it “short-sighted.” It accused Saudi Arabia of destabilising the global energy market, warning that such a move would raise energy prices. It further argued that Saudi Arabia is willingly helping Russia overcome Western sanctions on Moscow’s energy industry, claiming OPEC’s move would allow Russia to fund its war against Ukraine.
Against this backdrop, several Biden administration officials have demanded that Washington end all cooperation with Riyadh in critical areas in response, including halting all weapons supplies and withdrawing US troops. Some officials have even called on Congress to pass the ‘No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels’ (NOPEC) bill, which would allow the US to bring anti-trust lawsuits against countries engaging in oil price fixing and anti-competitive behaviour. Such a move could severely affect OPEC+’s monopoly of global oil supplies.
President Isaac Herzog @Isaac_Herzog, representing the people of Israel 🇮🇱, flying over Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦 on his way to Tel Aviv from Abu Dhabi 🇦🇪. #StrongerTogether 🇮🇱💙💚🇸🇦 pic.twitter.com/kJMTBNyX7L
— Avi Kaner ابراهيم אבי (@AviKaner) December 7, 2022
In spite of this pressure, OPEC+ has vowed to continue the production cut of two million bpd until the end of 2023.
Nevertheless, the US has continued in its attempt to appease the Kingdom. Last month, the Biden administration handed MBS immunity in the death of Khashoggi, saying the Crown Prince is a sitting head of state. Biden’s decision was upheld by a US court, which dismissed a lawsuit by Khashoggi's fiancee against the Crown Prince.
With regards to Israel, Saudi Arabia was against the establishment of Israel in 1948 and a staunch supporter of Palestinian freedom. It played major roles in the three Arab-Israeli wars of 1948, 1967, and 1973, and has refused to normalise ties with Israel.
The Kingdom has recently been open to suggestions, particularly from the US, to normalise ties with Israel. In July, Riyadh opened its airspace to Israeli civilian flights for the first time amid reports that the US could broker a normalisation deal before Biden’s first term ends.