The complexity of the peace and security deal being pursued by the Biden team, involving the United States, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the Palestinians, is truly mind-boggling. If they manage to achieve this feat, they would undoubtedly deserve recognition with both the Nobel Peace Prize and the Nobel Prize in Physics. Frankly, it would make quantum mechanics seem as simple as tic-tac-toe.
But let me simplify things for you, dear reader, by focusing on the version of the deal that is in America’s best interest and one that I would support. This deal would normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, strengthen the security relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia, and make significant progress towards a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians. However, it would come at the cost of breaking up the current Israeli ruling coalition, which consists of far-right Jewish supremacists who have never held such power before.
Unfortunately, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel is not pushing for this version of the deal. So, I want to appeal directly to President Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman: Do not allow yourselves to be manipulated by Netanyahu. You cannot have normalization with an Israeli government that is abnormal. It will never be a stable ally for the United States or Saudi Arabia. And right now, Israel’s government is anything but normal.
Let’s consider a couple of recent incidents that highlight this abnormality. The former head of the Mossad, Tamir Pardo, issued a warning about the current Israeli coalition, which was clearly assembled by Netanyahu to protect himself from corruption charges. Pardo described this coalition as including “horrible racist parties” and even compared it to the Ku Klux Klan.
Additionally, Netanyahu’s foreign minister, Eli Cohen, instructed Israel’s ambassador to Romania and a settler leader to meet with the leader of a Romanian far-right party with a history of anti-Semitic and Holocaust-denying statements. Their goal was to gain support for Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Netanyahu and his allies are actively seeking alternative diplomatic support from extremist European parties who have no concern for settlements.
I understand if you find this shocking. For 75 years, the U.S.-Israeli relationship has been built on protecting Israel from external threats. It’s difficult for U.S. diplomats, the military, citizens, and Jewish organizations to accept that their role now is to save Israel from its own internal threats created by its government.
Many people, including influential pro-Israel lobby AIPAC, are in denial about this reality. Haaretz recently referred to AIPAC as the “pro-Netanyahu, anti-Israel lobby” in Congress. They need to wake up because if this Israeli coalition remains in power for four more years, Israel will no longer be a reliable ally for the United States.
Now, let’s turn to the Saudi deal. It was designed to achieve two objectives. First, to strengthen the U.S.-Saudi alliance through a mutual defense treaty, allowing Saudi Arabia to develop a civilian nuclear program and gain access to advanced U.S. weapons. In return, Saudi Arabia would align with the United States and reduce its ties with China. The second part of the deal aimed at normalizing relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, with Israel making concessions to the Palestinians to maintain the hope for a two-state solution.
I will discuss the Saudi-U.S. portion in more detail when all the details are available. But concerning the Israeli-Saudi-Palestinian component, there are two potential scenarios: one that serves America’s interests and one that does not.
The scenario that does not serve America’s interests is the one Netanyahu will try to sell to the United States. He is attempting to achieve multiple goals: undermining Israel’s Supreme Court’s power, positioning himself as a domestic hero by securing a peace deal with Saudi Arabia without granting significant concessions to the Palestinians, and advancing his coalition’s agenda of annexing the West Bank—all while having Saudi Arabia foot the bill and gaining approval from Joe Biden.
Biden and M.B.S. must reject this deal without hesitation.
The deal they should insist on is one that requires Israel to freeze all settlement building in the West Bank, refrain from legalizing any more illegal Israeli settlements, and transfer territory from Area C to Areas B and A under increased Palestinian control. The United States and Saudi Arabia should also declare that the objective of the diplomatic process is a two-state solution in the West Bank, as previous U.S. presidents and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia have affirmed.
These requirements are crucial because they would be unacceptable to the Jewish supremacists in Netanyahu’s cabinet and would force the Israeli government and its people to make a choice: annexation or normalization with the most significant Muslim country. This choice would likely fracture Netanyahu’s coalition. His finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, recently stated that they would not make any concessions to the Palestinians for a normalization deal with Saudi Arabia and dismissed the idea as fiction.
Let’s not forget that since the 1936 British Peel Commission, Israel has accepted the framework of a two-state solution for resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. This commitment has been a fundamental pillar of Israel’s alliance with the United States. However, Netanyahu’s coalition is the first in eight decades to prioritize Israeli annexation of the West Bank, rejecting any partition plans.
The United States cannot allow this to happen. Netanyahu has been gradually altering the foundations of our relationship and testing our limits. It’s time for the United States to test his government by presenting a clear choice: annexation or normalization.
I cannot predict what would happen if this choice leads to the collapse of Netanyahu’s coalition. There could be new Israeli elections or a national unity government formed by the center-left and center-right to restore sanity to the country. However, what I am certain of is that we must stop this Israeli coalition and prevent a bad deal that enables Netanyahu to dismantle the Israeli Supreme Court, normalize relations with Saudi Arabia, and make minimal concessions to the Palestinians while his right-wing cabinet continues to push Israel towards disaster.
Biden, one of America’s most capable foreign policy presidents, should not accept such a deal as part of his legacy. It’s time to stand up for what is right and ensure a just and lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians.
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