Middle East analyst Yoni Ben Menachem warned against the illusion of normalization with Saudi Arabia during an interview on Israel Hayom, calling on Israel to sober up from the idea. According to him, the price of such an agreement could be extremely dangerous for the State of Israel, since the Saudis are “the father of the Arab initiative to establish a Palestinian state” and are not willing to retreat from this position “even by a single millimeter.”
Ben Menachem emphasized that establishing a Palestinian state poses “the greatest danger to the State of Israel.” He recalled the events of October 7 in the Gaza Strip as a result of the disengagement and the IDF’s withdrawal from those areas. “Imagine if we withdraw, God forbid, from the central areas of Judea and Samaria that are on the mountaintop overlooking all of the State of Israel to the coast, and it will all be in the hands of terrorist organizations,” he said.
The analyst also addressed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, calling him “an international con man.” Ben Menachem claimed that “you can’t believe a single word he says,” adding that bin Salman “deceived both Israel and President Biden” in the past, and that he is “playing the same games” with President Trump. He recommended “lowering expectations from this man.”
Ben Menachem concluded that the issue of public normalization with Saudi Arabia should be dropped, since “there is in practice quiet normalization behind the scenes and that’s enough.” He also emphasized that a ‘Palestinian’ state is “out of the question” and that Israel must protect its security interests and not agree to Saudi demands that also include a nuclear reactor and F-35 aircraft.