The Iran Project
: srael national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said that the road to normalizing ties with Saudi Arabia is still long" as Israel's cabinet members rule out concessions to Palestinians as part of any deal.
Tuesday 1 August 2023 - 19:43
Story Code : 407287
Source : Iran Front Page
Israel says road to normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia "still long"
According to The Iran Project, United States officials have sought for months to reach what would be a historic agreement that Netanyahu has said would be a huge step towards ending the Israel-Palestine conflict, but Riyadh has signaled a deal would rest on Palestinian statehood.
"I can identify with what the United States president said in an interview a few days ago, where he said that the road is still long but that he thinks there will be a possibility of progress," Hanegbi told public broadcaster, Kan, on Monday, adding that Israel is not involved in the US-Saudi discussions.
I can say that Israel will not give in to anything that will erode its security, he stated.
Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, visited Saudi Arabia in June with the explicit objective of promoting normalization after declaring it a "national security interest" of the US.
US President Joe Biden last week dispatched his national security adviser to Riyadh to discuss a possible deal and on Friday said a rapprochement was "maybe underway".
Asked whether the question of eroding Israel's "security" included Riyadh establishing a civilian nuclear program on its soil, Hanegbi stated that for that, Israel's consent was not needed.
Reporter : Editorial of The Iran Project
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