Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince has said that their relationship with Israel is getting better every day and that it is moving towards becoming more normal.
If the two powerful countries make an agreement, it would be a big change in the area.
In a rare interview with Fox News, Mohammed bin Salman emphasized that the Palestinian issue is still a very important part of talks mediated by the US.
During negotiations, the Wall Street Journal reported that Israeli and US officials were developing a plan that may allow Riyadh to openly enrich uranium.
Enriched uranium can be used to create fuel for nuclear reactors, but it can also be used for making nuclear weapons.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not yet responded publicly to the article, even though Netanyahu has previously warned about the dangers of countries in the Middle East acquiring nuclear weapons at the same time.
The Fox News interview was shown soon after Mr. Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden met during the UN General Assembly in New York.
They also said it’s possible that Israel and Saudi Arabia may become friends and start talking to each other officially for the first time. The US is a very good friend of both countries.
A statement from Israel said the meeting in New York was mainly about finding ways to make a peace agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia. This agreement could help bring an end to the conflict between Arab countries and Israel.
Israel’s Foreign Minister, Eli Cohen, said that a basic agreement could be ready by early next year. Mr Cohen said that it is possible to close the gaps. He mentioned this to Israel’s Army Radio. It will require some time. But things are getting better.
The Biden administration wants to finish the ratification process in the US Congress within that time. Many people in the Democratic Party, including the president, are concerned about Saudi Arabia’s human rights history. This would be a major accomplishment in the country’s foreign relations before the upcoming US presidential election.
Saudi Arabia, like many other Arab nations, has chosen not to acknowledge or acknowledge the existence of Israel because they want to show support and stand together with the Palestinians.
But in recent months, the United States has been working towards achieving a significant development that would continue the progress made through the Abraham Accords. These accords, facilitated by the Trump administration, resulted in Israel and the United Arab Emirates as well as Bahrain signing agreements to normalize their relations in 2020.
Saudi Arabia wants to improve its relationship with Israel. In return, they are asking the United States for help with their military, assistance in starting a civilian nuclear program, and for Israel to make important compromises for the Palestinians.
The Palestinian issue is really important to us. We have to figure out how to solve this part: Crown Prince Mohammed, who is the real leader of Saudi Arabia, told a reporter from Fox News named Bret Baier in English.
He said: “Our plan for negotiations has been good so far. ”
Earlier this month, leaders of the Palestinian Authority discussed their demands for a potential agreement involving the US, Saudi Arabia, and Israel during a meeting with Saudi officials in Riyadh. The BBC found out that these involved getting a lot of money and being able to have more power over land in the West Bank, which is currently under occupation.
When asked about working with Mr. Netanyahu’s strong government, Prince Mohammed said that if they can make progress and reach an agreement that satisfies the needs of Palestinians and brings peace to the region, they will collaborate with whoever is in power.
Many people in Israel’s current government disagree with the idea of the two-state solution that is supported by countries around the world to solve the conflict between Israel and Palestine. This means that there will be a separate country called Palestine, which will be next to Israel in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The main city of Palestine will be in East Jerusalem.
Before the prime minister’s discussions in New York, 11 politicians from his own right-wing Likud party stated together that they would prevent any efforts to provide land to the Palestinians in return for peace with Saudi Arabia.
Israeli politicians are worried about the issues brought up in The Wall Street Journal report.
“Turning Saudi Arabia into a nuclear power with a right-wing government’s support is extremely dangerous and crazy,” Tali Gottlieb, a member of parliament from the Likud party, said on X platform, previously known as Twitter.
The US newspaper reported that Mr. Netanyahu asked important nuclear and security experts in Israel to work together with American negotiators on a plan for the United States to manage the process of enriching uranium in Saudi Arabia. Unnamed officials provided this information. They promised that protections would be added, and the plan still needs to be approved by President Biden.
The topic of Saudi Arabia’s nuclear plans was mentioned during Prince Mohammed’s interview on Fox News.
The Saudi leader expressed worry about any country, including Iran, having a nuclear weapon.
He repeated a point that he had made before, that if Iran gets a nuclear bomb, Saudi Arabia would have to get one too to maintain security and balance of power.
The prince said that it’s not a good idea for any country to have a nuclear weapon. He said that if a country uses a nuclear weapon, it means they are fighting against all other countries.