Foreign Minister Eli Cohen: Saudi-Israeli Peace Deal ‘Within Grasp, Only A Matter Of Time’

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — In a Ynet interview Thursday, Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen  estimated that normalization of ties with Saudi Arabia was “within grasp” and that it was “only a matter of time” before an agreement is reached. Cohen said that such a deal was in the interest of the US as well as Israel.

“The Biden administration wants a political achievement ahead of the 2024 presidential elections,” Cohen said.

“The Americans are also interested in the economy and an agreement between the U.S. and the Saudis would lower energy costs. The Saudis for their part are looking for defense against Iran,” he said, adding that they would want similar agreements in tourism and trade to that which the UAE has with Israel.

“We are at a point in time, when the interests of the United States, Saudi Arabia and Israel merge, so the reports in the press, talking about an agreement within nine months to a year, sound right to me. This is the exact time frame before America is consumed by the elections,” Cohen said.

In an editorial in the Wall Street Journal earlier this week, Cohen urged the Biden administration to consider the “South Korea model” for the Middle East, as a strategy to curb Iran’s nuclear objectives in the area.

“The threat of a nuclear Iran has evolved beyond mere speculation,” the minister wrote. He suggested that “should Iran equip itself with nuclear arms, it could trigger a regional arms surge, prompting nations like Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey to fortify their positions, unsettling regional stability.”

Cohen stressed the potential of American defense commitments in stabilizing the Middle East and possibly nullifying the nuclear ambitions of nations like Saudi Arabia and advocated for “a collective front, coupled with global endeavors to restrict Iran’s nuclear progress, as a strategy to cultivate Middle East peace and normalization.”