Incoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pledge to advance annexation policies in the West Bank is part of his push for a normalization deal with Saudi Arabia the Israeli media reported over the weekend.
The Hebrew daily Yediot Aharonot reported talks were underway between Israel, the United States and Saudi Arabia with respect to a normalization deal between the Jewish state and that Gulf country.
Such a deal would make Saudi Arabia the fifth Arab country to normalize ties with Israel under the auspices of the 2020 Abraham Accords.
Netanyahu’s promise to advance annexation policies in the West Bank is part of his coalition agreement with the Religious Zionist party, which has yet to be published or finalized.
In an interview with the US-based Jewish Insider published on Friday, Netanyahu said, “I hope to bring about a full, formal peace [with Saudi Arabia] as we’ve done with the other Gulf states like Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
“It’s up to the Saudi leadership to decide that. I hope they will. And I intend to explore that alongside my other main goals. This is a very important goal, because if we have peace with Saudi Arabia, we are effectively going to bring an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict,” Netanyahu told Jewish Insider.
