Netanyahu declares normalization with Saudis, but there's a nuance - assessment

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again declares imminent normalization with Saudi Arabia, but the article's author questions the realism of these promises amid regional threats and Riyadh's internal constraints.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again tells the Israeli audience about the possibility of imminent normalization of relations with Saudi Arabia, but the article's author Alex Lipnitsky questions the realism of these promises. Since 2016, Netanyahu has presented Saudi normalization as the main political 'carrot' and a way to bypass the Palestinian issue. However, as the author notes, after a series of Iranian and Houthi missile strikes on oil facilities and American bases in the Middle East, the previous perception of the Gulf states' invulnerability has dissipated. Saudi Arabia has faced image and security problems, and its military potential, despite expensive weaponry, has proven limited in a real conflict. The key obstacle remains Riyadh's position: Saudi Arabia ties even a limited agreement with Israel to the creation of a Palestinian state. The article references a publication in the Maariv newspaper.