Americans give “50:50” odds to normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia, says national security advisor.
By World Israel News Staff
The likelihood of a historic normalization agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel is steadily increasing, and the Jewish State is engaging in extended negotiations with the Palestinians regarding their demands for the agreement, according to a senior government official.
National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi said at a conference on Monday morning that Israel is reaching out to the Palestinians via Jordanian intermediaries and that the discussions mark the “first dialogue of its kind in about a decade where representatives of the parties talk very openly about what they want.”
“This time [the PA] will not let these agreements slip from under their hands,” Hanegbi said at the anti-terror conference, held at Reichman University in Herzliya.
“We are in favor of a ‘significant Palestinian component’, provided that there is no harm to Israel’s security,” he added.
Hanegbi did not elaborate as to what that entails, such as significant land concessions or the creation of an independent Palestinian state – demands which have been previously floated by the Saudis as preconditions for normalization with Israel.
The lawmaker said that the chances of the agreement coming to a fruition had improved in recent weeks.
“The Americans first defined reaching an agreement as a longshot, a few weeks ago they defined its chances as 50:50,” Hanegbi said.
“In the last weeks and days, we think that the American definition is that these are significant chances.”
Referencing threats from the PA to file formal complaints over alleged human rights violations by military personnel at the International Criminal Court, Hanegbi warned that such a move would result in Israel taking punitive measures against the body.
“The day a decision is made in a legal forum against a fighter, commander or officer of ours – we will sever political and security ties with the Palestinian Authority immediately,” he said.
“We will not ask the IDF soldiers to protect them from Islamic Jihad or Hamas,” he continued.
“PA officials also live in Judea and Samaria, and IDF soldiers also maintain the existence of the Palestinian Authority. If we don’t do it – their fate will be like in Gaza where they were thrown from the roofs. You have been warned