NY Times’ Friedman: Biden looking at Israeli-Saudi deal, but Netanyahu must pay price

New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman says US President Joe Biden has sent several of his top advisers to Saudi Arabia for the latest talks on the possibility of normalizing relations with Israel.

Friedman posits that while peace with Riyadh would be a huge coup for Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, any potential deal would include significant Israeli concessions to the Palestinians, which will be unpalatable to the premier’s far-right allies.

He also says the US president is unlikely to allow an accord to move forward so long as Netanyahu and his government continue to advance their judicial overhaul legislation.

The columnist, known to have the ear of the US president, thus suggests any progress with the Saudis — which Netanyahu yearns for — will force him to take more moderate positions on multiple fronts, and possibly to part ways with his coalition allies.