Netanyahu puts Iran, Saudi Arabia at top of agenda
Incoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated several times that he aspires to normalize ties with Saudi Arabia, but with his pro-settler right-wing partners, the chances of that happening are slim to none.
Two prominent strategic issues await the attention of Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu as he returns to office this Thursday as the head of his sixth government. One is policy on Iran, the other on Saudi Arabia. One embodies threat, the other, hope.
Netanyahu has stated his intention of restoring the Iran issue to the top of his agenda and is expected to dedicate himself to thwarting Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. At the same time, he is expected to do all in his power to rope Saudi Arabia into the 2020 Abraham Accords. Netanyahu views the Saudis as the centerpiece of his peace legacy, a crucial addition to the peace deals he engineered with Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Sudan. Right now, both missions seem to exceed his reach.
