While David Weinberg is optimistic about the possibility of normalization between Jerusalem and Riyadh, he fears that the Jewish state risks making unnecessary and even dangerous compromises in its eagerness for a deal. Israel occupies a position of strength, and should negotiate accordingly:
Too much zeal for a deal in Jerusalem will boomerang in Israel’s disfavor. Washington and Riyadh need the peace accord as much or more than Israel does right now, so they should pay for it—and not at Israel’s expense. Alas, it seems to me the over-ardor for a deal that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed in the U.S. . . . weakens Israel’s bargaining position. I hope that in behind-the-scenes negotiations Israel is playing a tougher game.
Let there be no mistake: I think that Israel stands at the brink of a grand, historic diplomatic breakthrough. Peace with Saudi Arabia, and by extension an effective end to 100 years of Arab-Israeli conflict, truly is at hand. . . . The opportunity should be embraced, even by Republicans who dislike the boost that President Joe Biden’s administration would get from a deal, and even by left-wing Israelis and liberal Diaspora Jews who detest the boost that Netanyahu would get from a deal.
For two decades, Israel has sought to block the Iranian nuclear program because it is aimed at producing multiple nuclear weapons aimed at Israel. Now Saudi Arabia is asking for U.S. support for a Saudi civilian nuclear program that includes uranium enrichment. Can Israel swallow this in the context of regional peace, or is the danger of a Saudi nuclear program going military down the road too high? Wouldn’t Israeli acquiescence in a Saudi program almost assuredly guarantee and legitimize Turkish and Egyptian nuclear programs?
[Another] issue is the Palestinian Authority, which Israel can bolster but not reward because it remains thoroughly anti-Semitic, violent, rejectionist, and corrupt. But if Israel makes commitments to the U.S. and/or Saudi Arabia about steps to calm the situation in the territories, and if the Saudis begin investing billions in propping up the Palestinian Authority (as their way of compensating for the peace with Israel)—what will be when Israel inevitably must strike at its enemies? Will Israel’s hands be tied?
Read more on Israel Hayom: https://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/israeli-zeal-for-deal-hurts-normalization-benefits/