From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, May 21, 2024
Lapid: ICC unlikely to prosecute Netanyahu if he advances Saudi normalization
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should pursue normalization with Saudi Arabia as proposed by Washington by agreeing to a pathway to a future Palestinian state.
He also argues that doing so would undercut efforts to prosecute the premier at the International Court of Justice.
“Netanyahu should announce that he has entered into negotiations with the Saudis, including the Palestinian component,” Lapid tells Army Radio.
“In The Hague they will not prosecute a prime minister who is in the middle of a historic peace process. This will solve the Hague [problem] for us and the [issue of] the day-after in Gaza‚ and it will help us mobilize the Saudis to apply pressure regarding the issue of the hostages,” he says.
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan told Netanyahu on Sunday there is an opportunity currently available for Israel to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia if Jerusalem agrees to a pathway to a future Palestinian state. Netanyahu has said he would not accept a Palestinian state, even one that came with a Saudi normalization deal.
