Netanyahu: Israel ‘must act wisely’ to normalize ties with Arab world

“Israel is being sought after” by the world’s major powers and is in a position to “nurture interests” with many Arab countries,” Netanyahu stated.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu touted Israel’s growing diplomatic sphere to the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Wednesday, saying that Israel is widening its influence.

“Israel is being sought after, it is a wanted country, first of all because of our cyber technology knowledge, both civilian and military,” Netanyahu said, pointing to a number of upcoming meetings with prominent world leaders.

“Three weeks ago I met with US President Donald Trump,” Netanyahu said. “Tomorrow I will arrive in Moscow to meet Putin, in about 10 days I am scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi after receiving an invitation from him, and in several months Indian President Modi will come here to visit.”

Israel is also expanding its ties with many Arab countries, he continued, in light of commonly held interests in containing security threats from Iran and its proxy actors in the region. Israel must act intelligently in order to reap the potential benefits of such a phenomenon, he said.

“I believe in nurturing these interests,” he stated. “In my opinion, if we act wisely, it could assist us in normalizing ties with countries in the region and opening new diplomatic streams that could be more efficient between us and the Palestinians.”

During his meeting at the White House on February 15 with Trump, Netanyahu called for adopting a “regional approach, involving our new Arab partners in the pursuit of a broader peace and a peace with the Palestinians.”

By: Jonathan Benedek, World Israel News

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