Iran should be catalyst for Israel-Saudi normalization

Analysis

Week in Review , Andrew Parasiliti

Jul 28, 2023

US President Joe Biden is welcomed by Mecca province governor Prince Khaled al-Faisal (white robe) and Princess Reema bint Bandar Al-Saud (L), Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Washington, at the King Abdulaziz International Airport in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah, upon his arrival from Israel, on July 15, 2022. — US President Joe Biden is welcomed by Mecca province governor Prince Khaled al-Faisal (white robe) and Princess Reema bint Bandar Al-Saud (L), Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Washington, at the King Abdulaziz International Airport upon his arrival from Israel, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, July 15, 2022. — MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

The Biden administration has labeled Israel’s judicial reform bill "unfortunate" and is now pressing ahead with Israeli-Saudi normalization that, if successful, would reset the strategic landscape in the Middle East.

Normalization is more than an aspirational legacy issue for President Joe Biden and his Saudi and Israeli interlocutors. A Saudi-Israeli peace deal has a logic and urgency, given the possible collapse of the Palestinian Authority (PA); the prospects of another Palestinian uprising; and especially the need for an even more robust deterrent posture relative to Iran.

Biden’s tough love on judicial reform

Let’s start with the reform bill, which sparked a political earthquake in Israel. Half of the country, it seems, is on the streets to protest a law that limits the power of Israel’s Supreme Court to challenge government rulings and laws. As a sign of protest, some Israeli reservists have given notice they may not serve, as Ben Caspit reports.