Israel Rules Out Any Concession to Palestinians to Secure Saudi Normalization

Members of the far-right Israeli regime led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu say they will not make any concession to the Palestinians as part of a potential deal for normalization of relations with Saudi Arabia.

“I can say that Israel will not give in to anything that will erode its security,” Tzachi Hanegbi, an adviser to Netanyahu, told public broadcaster Kan on Monday.

The adviser said Israel had not been involved in the US-Saudi negotiations in recent weeks. “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.”

Also on Monday, a member of a key party in Netanyahu’s coalition rejected such concessions. Minister Orit Strock said, “We certainly won’t agree to such a thing.”

“We are done with withdrawals. We are done with freezing settlements in Judea and Samaria (the occupied West Bank). This is the consensus among the entire right-wing.”

Her remarks were echoed by another member, Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who heads the Jewish Power party. “But if this deal includes concessions to the (Palestinian) Authority, handing over territory, arming the Authority or … then I surely object.”

On Friday, US President Joe Biden said a deal may be on the way after talks that his national security adviser had with Saudi officials in Jeddah aimed at fixing relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan recently visited Saudi Arabia and held talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Source: Almasirah Website.