Live UpdateFrom the Liveblog of Sunday, May 28, 2023

Ex-Mossad chief Yossi Cohen says normalization with Saudis ‘absolutely possible’

By Lazar Berman 28 May 2023, 6:02 pm 3 Edit

Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter

Head of the Mossad Yossi Cohen, seen at Glilot military base near Tel Aviv, March 28, 2018. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

Then-Mossad chief Yossi Cohen at a military base near Tel Aviv, March 28, 2018. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen says that a normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia is “absolutely possible.”

Speaking at the Institute for National Security Studies, Cohen — Israel’s top spy in 2016-2021 — says, “in my opinion – and here I am leaning on personal knowledge on the topic — it is absolutely possible.”

“There is indeed in the Middle East a new era in which brave leaders… know how to create normalization.”

He also dismisses the idea that the Abraham Accords are on rocky ground, saying ties with the UAE and Bahrain are “perfect peaceful relations.”