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New York: US President Joe Biden and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu pledged on Wednesday to work together toward a landmark agreement to forge diplomatic relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Meeting for the first time since Netanyahu returned to power in December, both leaders signalled a desire to ease strains in their relationship, but Biden also made clear he was determined to discuss their differences.
These included Biden’s opposition to Netanyahu’s far-right government’s controversial judicial overhaul plan as well as his concern about Israel’s hard line toward the Palestinians. “I hope we can get some things settled today,” Biden said at the start of the talks sitting side-by-side with Netanyahu in a New York hotel ballroom. A White House statement issued after the meeting said Biden “reiterated his concern about any fundamental changes to Israel’s democratic system, absent the broadest possible consensus.” Biden also reiterated his commitment to preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The biggest issue on the agenda was a US-led push to forge diplomatic relations between longtime foes Israel and Saudi Arabia, the centerpiece of broader complex talks that involve US security guarantees and civilian nuclear help sought by Riyadh as well as Israeli concessions to the Palestinians. “I think that under your leadership, Mr President, we can forge a historic peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia,” Netanyahu said. He said “such a peace would go a long way first to advance the end of the Arab-Israeli conflict, achieve reconciliation between the Islamic world and the Jewish state and advance a genuine peace between Israel and Palestinians.”Reuters
These included Biden’s opposition to Netanyahu’s far-right government’s controversial judicial overhaul plan as well as his concern about Israel’s hard line toward the Palestinians. “I hope we can get some things settled today,” Biden said at the start of the talks sitting side-by-side with Netanyahu in a New York hotel ballroom. A White House statement issued after the meeting said Biden “reiterated his concern about any fundamental changes to Israel’s democratic system, absent the broadest possible consensus.” Biden also reiterated his commitment to preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The biggest issue on the agenda was a US-led push to forge diplomatic relations between longtime foes Israel and Saudi Arabia, the centerpiece of broader complex talks that involve US security guarantees and civilian nuclear help sought by Riyadh as well as Israeli concessions to the Palestinians. “I think that under your leadership, Mr President, we can forge a historic peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia,” Netanyahu said. He said “such a peace would go a long way first to advance the end of the Arab-Israeli conflict, achieve reconciliation between the Islamic world and the Jewish state and advance a genuine peace between Israel and Palestinians.”Reuters
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