Ultra-Orthodox Israeli newspaper claims Netanyahu prepared to let government collapse for Saudi normalization
Netanyahu’s Likud party denies the report
An ultra-Orthodox newspaper in Israel, HaModia, reported on Friday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is prepared to let his coalition government collapse in exchange for a highly-coveted normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia, which will be backed by the U.S. Biden administration.
Netanyahu’s current coalition government consists of two ultra-Orthodox parties and three religious nationalist parties. HaModia also claimed that Netanyahu had realized “his political career is nearing an end.”
The paper further argued that the prime minister "does not have the capacity to manage the country in Israel's current political state." In addition to the Saudi normalization agreement, Netanyahu would reportedly also receive a plea bargain for his criminal trials in return for resigning from the government and leaving Israeli politics.
However, Netanyahu’s Likud party, which leads to the coalition, denied the report and stressed that any potential Saudi normalization deal is not linked to changes in the government's structure.
According to an official Likud party statement: “There was never any commitment or request made to change the current make-up of the government (in relation to the normalization deal with Saudi Arabia)" and the "government will fulfill its tenure regardless of the prime minister’s attempts to widen Israel’s circle of peace."
The United States and Saudi Arabia reportedly agreed in August to a broad outline for a normalization agreement with the Jewish state. Jerusalem is expected to make considerable concessions to the Palestinian Authority (PA) in Ramallah in return for establishing Saudi-Israeli diplomatic relations.
A PA delegation is expected to discuss the Israeli normalization with Saudi officials in the near future. While the PA formally rejects normalization with Israel, Ramallah could potentially accept it in exchange for the resumption of financial aid from Saudi Arabia, according to reports.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
