Netanyahu Updates Biden on Possible Israel-Saudi Arabia Peace Deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the United Nations General Assembly on Friday that Israel is very close to making a big deal with Saudi Arabia for peace. However, he didn’t explain how they would overcome the challenges in their way.

The two leaders, Netanyahu and another leader, met for the first time since Netanyahu came back to power last year. They had this meeting in New York City during the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday.

On Friday evening, Netanyahu talked to Fox News and said that there’s a good chance to make a deal with Saudi Arabia in the coming months.

If we can’t accomplish it in the coming months, we may end up postponing it for several years, Netanyahu remarked in simpler terms.

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, recently told Fox News that the United States-led negotiations with the Palestinians are progressing, but he didn’t give many details. He also didn’t say what Saudi Arabia is asking for from the Palestinians.

Netanyahu believes that Palestinians could gain a lot from a larger peace effort. He thinks they should be involved in it but shouldn’t have the power to stop it.

More than ten years ago, the discussions aimed at achieving peace between Israel and the Palestinians fell apart. In the last year and a half, violence has increased significantly. Israel has been launching frequent military operations in the West Bank, which it occupies, while Palestinians have been attacking Israelis. Netanyahu’s government has given the green light to build thousands of new homes in the West Bank, an area that Israel took control of during the 1967 war. The Palestinians consider this region as a crucial part of their future state.

The Biden administration is working hard to make Israel and Saudi Arabia become official friends, as both countries are very important to the United States in the Middle East.

I believe that this kind of peace could really help bring an end to the problems between Arabs and Israelis. It could also make the Islamic world and Israel get along better and lead to a real peace between Israel and the Palestinians. It’s something we can do.