After returning from the United Nations Assembly in New York, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this morning (Wednesday) addressed the peace efforts with Saudi Arabia and his meeting with US President Joe Biden at the beginning of the cabinet meeting.
"I can inform you that 2 countries announced during the visit about moving their embassies to Jerusalem - Paraguay and Congo - and I estimate that there will be more countries in the near future," he said. "All this is evidence of Israel's strong position in the international arena."
According to him, "There was a very important meeting with Biden, where we focused on expanding the circle of peace. The conversation was supposed to be in a limited forum for a few minutes, and then in an expanded forum - in practice, the conversation was a whole hour in private. The focus was on expanding the circle of peace in the direction of an agreement with Saudi Arabia."
"Things are happening now that a few years ago seemed imaginary - today there is an Israeli minister in Saudi Arabia, and soon there will be more visits. This did not happen by itself, but after we fought for years to change the concept - and convince the world to bypass the Palestinian veto, which said that until we submit to their dictates and we bring an agreement with them, it is not possible to break into the Arab world. In addition, we had to prove our determination and strength in the face of Iran's nuclearization and make our economy free and attractive. These three things led to the Abraham Accords, and created the basis for the agreement with Saudi Arabia."
In conclusion, Netanyahu made it clear that "we are obligated to work for expanding the circle of peace and bring peace with Saudi Arabia, and we do this while strictly safeguarding the interests of the State of Israel - chief among them security."
He also referred to the events on Yom Kippur and said: "I expressed my hope that we would choose in a blessing and not a curse, and I am convinced that we will do so. This also requires that we make an effort to reduce the friction within us and increase unity - and this is what I wish for the new year."
