Mike Herzog, who until recently represented Israel in Washington, criticized Prime Minister Netanyahu on Friday for allowing chances to secure a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia to slip away—some as recently as a few months ago.
In an interview with Kan News, Herzog reacted to reports that President Donald Trump had dropped the requirement that Saudi Arabia recognize Israel as part of a major nuclear deal with the kingdom. “Since Israel is planning to widen the operation in Gaza, normalization is getting farther away,” he said.
Herzog stressed the strategic importance of forging ties with Saudi Arabia. “I think Israel should make [normalization] a very high priority. I don’t think Netanyahu doesn’t want it, but he probably isn’t willing to pay the price. I think it’s a missed opportunity,” he said. However, he acknowledged that earlier openings had fallen through due to a range of contributing elements.
During Joe Biden’s presidency, talks about civil nuclear collaboration between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia were part of a broader push for normalization, with the Saudis also pressing for a formal security agreement with the United States.
Riyadh has consistently made it clear that diplomatic recognition of Israel would only be possible if progress is made toward the creation of a Palestinian state—a stance that has complicated efforts by the Biden administration to build on the Abraham Accords negotiated under Trump. Those agreements brought Israel into normalized relations with the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco.
Efforts to bring Saudi Arabia into the fold have stalled, in large part due to outrage across the Arab world over Israel’s military actions in Gaza. Additionally, the nuclear discussions have faced obstacles due to American hesitations surrounding nuclear proliferation.
{Matzav.com}