Lapid warns against allowing Saudis ‘any type of uranium enrichment’ under normalization deal

Yesh Atid head MK Yair Lapid speaks during a press conference in Tel Aviv on September 20, 2023. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
Yesh Atid head MK Yair Lapid speaks during a press conference in Tel Aviv on September 20, 2023. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

Opposition leader Yair Lapid says that while he welcomes a normalization deal with Saudi Arabia, it can’t enable Riyadh to gain a path to acquiring nuclear weapons.

“A normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia is a welcome thing. But not at the cost of allowing the Saudis to develop nuclear weapons. Not at the cost of a nuclear arms race throughout the Middle East,” Lapid says in a statement.

“The Saudi crown prince already spoke yesterday about the possibility of Saudi Arabia having nuclear weapons. All his life, Netanyahu fought precisely against such moves. These are the foundations of our nuclear strategy,” Lapid says.

“Strong democracies do not sacrifice their security interests for politics,” he warns. “It is dangerous and irresponsible. Israel must not agree to any type of uranium enrichment in Saudi Arabia.”

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