"This will win him the election": Netanyahu's secret attempt to save normalization with Saudi Arabia

A report reveals a secret attempt by Prime Minister Netanyahu to offer Saudi Arabia intelligence and military assistance against the Houthis, hoping to break the Palestinian veto on a normalization agreement. A Netanyahu associate said he believes such an agreement would win him the election. However, Riyadh continues to condition normalization on tangible progress toward a two-state solution.

A report by Al-Monitor, cited in Maariv, reveals a secret attempt by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to salvage the normalization process with Saudi Arabia by offering Israeli intelligence and military assistance to Riyadh in its fight against the Iran-backed Houthis. According to two Israeli political sources, Netanyahu hopes to present Israel as the most reliable regional partner, against the backdrop of Saudi Arabia's military difficulties against the Houthis. A Netanyahu associate said the prime minister believes such an agreement could be a significant political achievement that would win him the election. The main problem remains the Saudi position: Riyadh has repeatedly made clear that it will not move toward full normalization without a credible path to a two-state solution. The Hamas attack on October 7 and the war in Gaza halted the process, and since then Riyadh has hardened its stance. Israel and Saudi Arabia are conducting direct dialogue mediated by CENTCOM around Israeli intelligence assistance against the Houthis. An anonymous Saudi source said the assistance itself is not expected to advance normalization. In Israel, they are examining whether the growing pressure on Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman regarding the Houthis might lead him to soften his conditions.