Addressing the UN General Assembly on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he believed peace with Saudi Arabia could be reached soon, but noted that normalization should not hinge on resolving Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians
“We must not give the Palestinians a veto over Israel's relations with Arab states,” the Israeli premier said.
Netanyahu asserted that the Middle East was for many years hostage to what he called “a false idea” that Israel must first conclude peace with the Palestinians before attempting to reach peace with the Arab states. The 2020 Abraham Accords with Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates proved this hypothesis wrong, he claimed.
“The Palestinians could greatly benefit from a broader peace,” said Netanyahu. “They should be part of that process. But they should not have a veto over the process.” He added, “Making peace with more Arab states would actually increase the prospects of making peace between Israel and the Palestinians.”
