MBS’s ‘Genocide’ Critique of Israel Is Worrying, but a Saudi Deal Is Not a Lost Cause

MBS Sharpened His Criticism of Israel and Continues to Warm Ties with Iran, but a Defense Pact with the U.S. Is Still His Priority and Tehran Is Still the Chief Foe

Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman

Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman

Shutterstock

Standing at the podium of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented his vision of a rosy future for the region once Israel and Saudi Arabia complete a normalization agreement.

To create a new Middle East, he said, “we must continue the path we paved with the Abraham Accords four years ago. Above all, this means achieving a historic peace agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia.”

He called a potential deal “a true pivot of history,” one that “would usher in a historic reconciliation between the Arab world and Israel, between Islam and Judaism, between Mecca and Jerusalem.”

Read the rest of this article at the Times of Israel.

Lazar Berman is the diplomatic correspondent at the Times of Israel, where he also covers Christian Affairs. He holds an M.A. in Security Studies from Georgetown University and taught at Salahuddin University in Iraqi Kurdistan. Berman is a reserve captain in the IDF’s Commando Brigade and served in a Bedouin unit during his active service.
See more from this Author
The World Suddenly Looks Very Different than It Did for Israel—And for Hamas—Only a Week Ago
Historic Agreements Have Proven Resilient During Gaza War, but Jerusalem’s Aggressive Posture Post-October 7 Has Region Wondering if Israel Is Out to Become a Hegemon, Not Partner
See more on this Topic
Across Israel’s Southern and Western Peripheries, a Slow-Motion Catastrophe Is Taking Shape
Antoun Sa’adeh, Fayez Sayegh, and the Intellectual Genealogy of Anti-Zionism
‘The Men of Light’ (Saraya Al-Jawad) Was Formed After the End of the Massacres on the Coast That Took Place in the Period 7-9 March 2025