Benjamin Netanyahu is going to assume office as the Prime Minister of Israel on 21st December, he appears to be more sincere in amending ties with the Arab World. He has made apparent of his genuine intentions to build and restore strong political and economic relations with Saudi-Arabia and that is perhaps an indication of his tilt towards the Sunni-Arab world thus alienating the already beleaguered Shiaite-Iran. The recent US-Saudi strained relations will add a new dimension to the latest standpoint of Israel and it would be interesting to see the revolving geo-political equations in the Middle-East.
As Benjamin Netanyahu is going to rejoin form his government on 21st December after a prolonged political turmoil in Israel, he has inclined to mend his ties with the Sunni-Arab world especially with Saudi-Arabia. Netanyahu is a known to be a very clever diplomat and his latest stance gives credence to his close understanding of geopolitics prevailing in the middle-east. While alienating his age old bête-noire the Iranian (Shiaite) dispensations he may be able to wrest temporary peace in his surroundings. Besides, amid global energy skirmishes, Saudi Arabia which is moving furtively to forge newer relations with the Soviet bloc may also be inclined to look for an ally that is close to the United States for balancing its global politics.
Netanyahu while discussing Israel’s relations with Arab states, the US alliance structure in the Middle East, unrest in Iran, Israel’s new hard-right government, the future of the US-brokered maritime border agreement with Lebanon, and the Russia-Ukraine war reiterated the paramount importance of normalization with Saudi Arabia, which would be a “quantum leap” toward ending the Arab-Israeli conflict that “would change the region in ways that are unimaginable.” Although Saudi officials have consistently maintained that no normalization can happen without a Palestinian state.
Netanyahu has strongly indicated his willingness to explore a wide variety of peace options behind closed doors, stating “I believe in open covenants, secretly arrived at or discretely arrived at.
Responding to questions about how the racist tenor of remarks by some of his coalition partners might affect relations with Arab states, Mr. Netanyahu stated that “The other parties are joining me, I’m not joining them.”
Mr. Netanyahu said that he would not renounce the US-brokered maritime agreement with Lebanon, but refused to accept it as a peace agreement, adding that he saw “an enormous difference between the solid agreements between like-minded states and the so-called agreements with Iran and its proxies that are usually violated even before they’re signed.”
Netanyahu further affirmed that there is a need for a reaffirmation of America’s commitment to its traditional allies in the Middle East, especially with Saudi Arabia. Israel, of course, is there and we’ve had a solid, unbreakable relationship. But I think that the alliance, the traditional alliance with Saudi Arabia and other countries, has to be reaffirmed. There should not be periodic swings, or even wild swings in this relationship, because I think that the alliance between America’s allies and with America is the anchor of stability in our region. I think it requires periodic reaffirmation and I’m going to speak to my 40 year old friend President Biden about it.
Also Read: Delhi Acid Attack: DCW summons Amazon, Flipkart for “easy availability of acid”
The Israeli Prime Minister further added the Palestinian solution will require out-of-the-box thinking. He said it is not at all paradoxical if Israel makes peace with more number of countries and that actually helps bring about at the end a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian problem. Everybody said “No, first you have to solve the Palestinian problem; otherwise, you won’t get peace with the Arab world.” I said it may be the other way around. It may be that as you expand the peace with the Arab states, you’ll be able to actually get to the peace with the Palestinians and I firmly believe that.
Netanyahu was optimistic about the new peace initiative that will form a quantum leap for the achievement for the resolution of both the Arab-Israeli conflict and ultimately, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. He added referring to what could be a truly remarkable historic peace with Saudi Arabia.
It all appears that Benjamin Netanyahu has come a long way in consolidating his position and as well as of his country’s while he seems to play a crucial role in geopolitics keeping the global politics balanced. Perhaps a leaf from the book of his best friend Narendra Modi’s geopolitical doctrine.
Mind you, I’m committed to deepening and strengthening the remarkable Abraham Accords that we’ve had with our neighbors, but I think the peace with Saudi Arabia will serve two purposes. It will be a quantum leap for an overall peace between Israel and the Arab world. It will change our region in ways that are unimaginable. And I think it will facilitate, ultimately, a Palestinian-Israeli peace. I believe in that. I intend to pursue it.
Of course, it’s up to the to the leadership of Saudi Arabia if they want to partake in this effort. I certainly hope they would.
Also Read: Telangana: Mother-daughter duo from Khammam clears police fitness exam
Keep watching our YouTube Channel ‘DNP INDIA’. Also, please subscribe and follow us on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and TWITTER
