From the Liveblog of
Thursday, December 15, 2022
Netanyahu: US needs to reaffirm its alliance with Saudi Arabia
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Prime minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu says the US needs to reaffirm its alliances with its traditional allies in the Middle East, particularly Saudi Arabia.
Speaking to the Dubai-based Al Arabiya channel, Netanyahu says he plans to tell US President Joe Biden that “there is a need for America’s reaffirmation of its commitment to its traditional allies in the Middle East.”
Netanyahu notes Israel’s “unbreakable” alliance with the US, but says that “the traditional alliance with Saudi Arabia and other countries has to be reaffirmed.”
“There should not be periodic swings or even wild swings in this relationship,” he says, calling these traditional alliances the “anchor of stability in the region.”
Watch: #Israel’s Prime Minister-designate Benjamin #Netanyahu tells Al Arabiya English that he wants US President Joe Biden to reaffirm Washington’s commitment to its “traditional allies” in the Middle East, including #SaudiArabia.https://t.co/p3G3oP7MdC pic.twitter.com/FE1drXvVX6
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) December 15, 2022
While Israel and Saudi Arabia do not have formal relations, they are both closely aligned against common foe Iran.
US ties with Saudi Arabia have been tense under the Biden administration, which has sought to call out the kingdom over its human rights issues. Riyadh has in return refused US appeals to step up gas production to bring down global prices.
The Times of Israel Community.