Israel Gives Green Light to Saudi Arabia; We Have No Problem with Uranium Enrichment in Saudi Arabia

Israel's National Security Advisor, Tzachi Hanegbi, stated in an interview with Israel's Kan network on Monday that Israel accepts Saudi Arabia having a civilian nuclear program—including "uranium enrichment"—for "research purposes." According to a report by Al-Monitor citing Tzachi Hanegbi, a national security advisor in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet, Israel "can" accept Saudi Arabia with a civilian nuclear program. Hanegbi also argued that many countries implement such programs—including uranium enrichment for research purposes—without endangering themselves or their neighbors. Meanwhile, recent reports indicate that the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel is conditional on specific terms, including a "defense treaty with the United States," "concessions from Israel to the Palestinians," and "facilitating a civilian nuclear program" by the United States. On the other hand, Eli Cohen, Israel's Foreign Minister, acknowledged that Israel is at the "closest time" to a peace agreement with the Saudis. Eli Cohen stated that Israel is closer than ever to a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia. According to the Times of Israel, Eli Cohen said in an interview with Israel's Channel 12 news: "We are the closest party that has ever reached a peace agreement with Saudi Arabia." Some analysts believe it is still unclear whether Hanegbi's statement signifies a "change in Israel's national security policy" or is interpreted as an encouraging signal for Washington. However, experts warn that granting uranium enrichment capabilities to Saudi Arabia could have broader implications for the "proliferation of nuclear weapons" in the region. Earlier, Voice of America reported that Saudi Arabia linked achieving a historic agreement to normalize relations with Israel to the recognition of an "independent Palestinian state" by the Israelis. The idea of normalizing these relations has been discussed since Saudi Arabia supported the establishment of ties between the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain with Israel in 2020. Israeli officials' opposition to "concessions" to the Palestinians for normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia. Israeli legislator: Establishing relations with Saudi Arabia is not seen in the short-term horizon. Benjamin Netanyahu: We will connect Israel and Saudi Arabia by train.