Netanyahu: If Saudis Want Deal, We Expect Them Not to Align With Anti-Israel Forces

In the latest sign that a normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia is not going to be signed any time in the foreseeable future, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that he is closely following Riyadh’s recent shift toward Turkey and Qatar.

“We expect from anybody who wants normalization or peace with us that they not participate in efforts steered by forces or ideologies that want the opposite of peace,” Netanyahu said at a press conference in response to a question by The Times of Israel.

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As MBS has moved away from the UAE and toward Turkey and Qatar, Saudi media has also taken a hostile turn against Israel and Jews of late.

“There’s been a clear Saudi shift of late in rhetoric, in heavily criticizing Israel, and in policy, especially in countering UAE,” said Michael Makovsky, President and CEO of the  Jewish Institute for National Security of America.