8 | AUGUST 10 • 2023 

PURELY COMMENTARY

W

hen we look at 
Israel’s situation 
— in domestic 
politics and diplomatically 
— no clear picture emerges; 
we have to break it down into 
components. 
First, the 
United States. 
America is on 
the eve of the 
2024 presidential 
race, with 
President Joe 
Biden fighting 
for survival. He 
has to deal with the ongoing 
misconduct of his son Hunter. 
His support for Ukraine has 
been a source of growing 
consternation with Republicans 
and, in the Middle East, the 
Saudis have turned their backs 
on him and asked China to 
mediate between them and 
Iran. 

He therefore needs an 
impressive foreign policy 
accomplishment. According 
to New York Times columnist 
Thomas Friedman, such an 
accomplishment could come in 
the form of the establishment 
of ties between Riyadh 
and Jerusalem, potentially 
transforming the Middle East. 
Biden said recently that some 
progress has been made and a 
deal could be in the offing. 
Second component: Saudi 
Arabia. U.S. National Security 
Adviser Jake Sullivan visited 
the kingdom recently and 
offered Saudi Crown Prince 
Mohammed bin Salman 
security guarantees and U.S. 
weapon systems in exchange 
for a normalization deal with 
Israel. The prince responded 
favorably, so long as Israel 

makes a gesture toward 
the Palestinians, such as a 
settlement moratorium or 
issuing more permits for 
Palestinian construction on 
Area C. But such a gesture 
cannot be made by the Israeli 
government in its current 
makeup.
Third component: Israel. 
Late last month, the Knesset 
passed a key piece of judicial 
reform legislation — an 
amendment that limits the 
ability of courts to strike 
down ministerial decisions 
based on the criterion of 
“reasonableness.” Why did the 
coalition choose to pass this 
part of the reform rather than 
the measures dealing with the 
appointment of justices and the 
override clause that can nullify 
court decisions? The answer 
was given by Israeli Prime 
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s 
comments, from which it 
appears that he wanted that 
bill enacted so that Shas leader 
Aryeh Deri could return to 
the cabinet, after having been 
disqualified on reasonableness 
grounds.
The focus on Deri’s criminal 
past has all but obscured his 
rather moderate views on 
foreign policy. By having the 
bill passed and bringing him 
back, Deri could serve as a 

counterweight to Finance 
Minister Bezalel Smotrich and 
National Security Minister 
Itamar Ben-Gvir, paving the 
way for the gesture toward 
the Palestinians. If Smotrich 
or Ben-Gvir threaten to leave 
the coalition, they would be 
replaced by Benny Gantz and 
his National Unity Party — a 
maneuver that is already in the 
works.

WHITE HOUSE EVENT?
Connecting these three com-
ponents into one big puzzle 
will allow Biden to preside 
over a peace-signing cere-
mony on the White House 
lawn — an optic he needs. The 
Saudis will get the weapons 

and guarantees they have long 
asked for, but the big winner 
will be Israel: Not only will 
it finally see an end to the 
conflict with the Sunni world, 
but it will also get access to 
the massive Saudi economy, 
and from there to the markets 
in Indonesia, Malaysia and 
Pakistan. Israel’s diplomatic, 
economic and strategic stand-
ing will improve manyfold. 

Connecting all these dots 
won’t be easy and will depend 
to a large extent on Netanyahu’s 
actions. Former Mossad chief 
Tamir Pardo has claimed that 
Netanyahu secretly controls his 
cabinet ministers despite the 
fact that they appear to be loose 
cannons and generate negative 
headlines. 
If that is the case, Netanyahu 
would be able to deliver a 
historic deal by every measure 
and perhaps even bring 
about an end to the current 
turbulence rocking Israel. 

Michael Oren is an American-born 

Israeli historian, author, politician and 

former ambassador to the United States. 

Originally published by Israel Hayom.

Michael 
Oren
JNS.org

opinion

Biden and Netanyahu Need a Deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with then-U.S. Vice 
President Joe Biden at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem on 
March 9, 2016.

AMOS BEN GERSHOM/GPO

THE BIG WINNER WILL BE ISRAEL: 
NOT ONLY WILL IT FINALLY SEE AN 
END TO THE CONFLICT WITH THE 
SUNNI WORLD, BUT IT WILL ALSO 
GET ACCESS TO THE MASSIVE 
SAUDI ECONOMY.

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