Israeli Prime Minister, Netanyahu, announced at the U.N. that Israel and Saudi Arabia have been discussing a peace agreement that Israel hopes to close within the next few months. Netanyahu was quoted by Fox saying “If we don’t achieve it in the next few months, we might delay it by quite a few years.” This quote may be in regard to the seemingly favorable relationships between the leadership of the three parties involved in the agreement. Netanyahu (Israel) and Mohammed bin Salman (Saudi Arabia) may favor negotiating with the Biden administration on the deal, as the administration has been sympathetic to the cause of establishing Israel as a recognized nation in the Middle East. The Biden administration has stated it believes that Middle Eastern conflict is centered around the unrecognition of Israel and hopes that closing this agreement will pave a path towards peace. The proposal involves setting up a U.S.-overseen joint uranium enrichment operation in Saudi Arabia, which will be shared with Israel.
Israel and Saudi Arabia have been at odds since Israel’s inception. The Middle East still sees Israel as a nation created by Western powers, that took land from occupying Arab Palestinians. Israel has been looking for ways to solidify its place in the region and hopes to develop allies through American backing. Utilizing this peace deal brokered by the U.S., Saudi Arabia would be inadvertently recognizing Israel as a nation. This agreement would result in Israel and Saudi Arabia being the only two nations in the Middle East with nuclear powers. However, Saudi Arabia has had hesitance in agreeing to the deal, voicing concerns about the treatment of Palestinians by Israel. It’s hard to say whether this is out of true concern or to save face with other Middle Eastern countries. The U.S. has been trying to work with Israel to meet such an agreement for the sake of Palestine and close the deal.
Recent news has suggested that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has agreed to an interim deal and expects Israel to declare a commitment to a two-state solution and that East Jerusalem be recognized as the Palestinian capital. This includes Israel stopping the construction of settlements along the West Bank, and Saudi Arabia resuming funding to the Palestinian Authority (the governing body). As for Saudi Arabia, they would like the U.S. to reopen the Palestine Liberation Organization consulate in Washington which was closed in 2018, as well as security guarantees that mirror what Japan and South Korea have with the U.S. Israel's U.N. ambassador has been very vocal about his disdain for Palestine, saying that the two-state solution will never be agreed to, but Netanyahu assures that the decision is his alone to make.
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