From PM, Biden hail prospects of normalization with Saudi Arabia
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden both hail the prospects of Israeli normalization with Saudi Arabia during their meeting in New York.
“I think that under your leadership, Mr. President, we can forge an historic peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia. And I think such a peace would go a long way first to advance the end of the Arab-Israeli conflict, achieve reconciliation between the Islamic world and the Jewish state, and advance a genuine peace between Israel and the Palestinians,” Netanyahu says. “This is something within our reach.”
The US is brokering indirect talks between Jerusalem and Riyadh.
Biden says they have been working toward a better future for a long time, which includes “building a more stable and prosperous Middle East.”
Biden noted that, even a decade ago, the idea of normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia would be unthinkable.
“If you and I, 10 years ago were talking about normalization with Saudi Arabia, I think we’d look at each other like, ‘Who’s been drinking what?’”
