Middle East Monitor / October 4, 2023
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that Iran will not prevent Israel from reaching a normalization deal with Saudi Arabia, according to The Times of Israel.
In a video message that he recorded while on vacation, Netanyahu added: “While the terrorist Khamenei regime sows destruction and massacre, Israel is working to promote progress and peace.”
“Just like Iran did not prevent us from achieving the Abraham Accords, Iran will also not prevent us from expanding further the circle of peace for the good of the citizens of Israel, peoples of the region and humanity as a whole.”
Netanyahu’s statements were made in response to remarks made yesterday by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who said that “countries that normalize relations with Israel are betting on a losing horse,” referring to Saudi Arabia.
In August 2020, then-US President Donald Trump announced a peace deal between the UAE and Israel brokered by Washington.
Abu Dhabi said the deal was an effort to stave off Tel Aviv’s planned annexation of the occupied West Bank, however, opponents believe normalization efforts have been in the offing for many years as Israeli officials have made official visits to the UAE and attended conferences in the country which had no diplomatic or other ties with the occupation state.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu however denied this saying annexation is not off the table, but has simply been delayed.
Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco signed what became known as the Abraham Accords in the same year and there has been talk that Saudi is the latest country to carry out talks to sign a deal with the occupation state of Israel.
