Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday he wanted peace with Arab countries after a year-long war in Gaza and Lebanon, sparking anger among Arab countries.
He spoke as Washington seeks to unite Arab countries on long-term plans for post-war governance of the Gaza Strip and normalization deals with Israel following the 2020 Abraham Accords.
“I look forward to continuing the process with which I signed the historic Abraham Accords to achieve peace with other Arab countries,” Netanyahu told lawmakers in a speech as Israel’s parliament began its winter session. Passed away a few years ago.”
The US-brokered Abraham Accords saw Gulf states Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, as well as Morocco, establish formal relations with Israel.
“I insist on peace for peace’s sake, peace with the important countries of the Middle East,” Netanyahu said on Monday.
“These countries and other countries see very well that we strike back at those who attack us, the Iranian axis of evil,” he said, two days after Israel bombed military targets in Iran. , as retaliation for an Iranian missile attack on Israel.
“They are impressed by our determination and courage. Like us, they aspire to a stable, secure, prosperous Middle East.”
The Abraham Accords were reached under the administration of then-President Donald Trump, who is seeking to return to the White House.
The United States, Israel’s main supporter, has long sought a final agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel that would include a US security guarantee for the kingdom.
Washington hopes to give Netanyahu an incentive to stop the war and gain a powerful Arab ally, guardian of Islam’s two holiest sites.
However, Riyadh has conditioned any such agreement on recognition of an independent Palestinian state – which Israel has rejected.
Saudi Arabia did not join the 2020 deal and has never recognized Israel.
Still, a deal seemed close before Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7 last year, sparking the deadliest war in Gaza so far.
Last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken sought to move forward with Saudi Arabia on normalization with Israel.
The top US diplomat on a tour of the Middle East flew straight from Tel Aviv in Israel to the Saudi capital Riyadh just days before the US election.
“Despite everything that has happened, there remains an incredible opportunity to move in a completely different direction in the region,” Blinken said minutes before leaving Israel.
“Saudi Arabia will be at the center of this, and that also includes the possible normalization of relations with Israel.”
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