The U.S., with Israel’s assent, could help Saudi Arabia enrich uranium as part of an agreement to achieve peace and normalize relations between the Jewish state and the leading Sunni Arab state.
That’s the report from the Wall Street Journal, which said Wednesday that “Israeli officials are quietly working with the Biden administration on a polarizing proposal to set up a U.S.-run uranium-enrichment operation in Saudi Arabia as part of a complex three-way deal.”
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Fox News’ Bret Baier on Wednesday that the Saudis would only pursue a nuclear weapon if Iran developed one. But with the Iranian regime nearing the point of a nuclear “breakout,” as President Joe Biden fumbles for a diplomatic solution, the issue is becoming more urgent.
Saudi Arabia recently normalized relations with Iran under Chinese auspices — which may have shocked the U.S. away from the negative stance Biden had taken toward Saudi Arabia, and toward looking for areas of agreement.
On Wednesday, Biden met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom Biden had snubbed since Netanyahu won Israel’s elections last year. Biden’s post-meeting readout did not mention a Palestinian state, or even the judicial reform to which Biden had objected.
Instead, Biden and Netanyahu emphasized the prospect of peace with Saudi Arabia. The Crown Prince also dropped an earlier Saudi demand for a Palestinian state, merely stating that wanted a “good life” for Palestinians.
U.S. officials told the Journal that a U.S.-run enrichment facility in Saudi Arabia would meet non-proliferation standards — whatever that means.
Israel appears willing to take the risk of a nuclear Saudi Arabia in exchange for peace.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the new biography, Rhoda: ‘Comrade Kadalie, You Are Out of Order’. He is also the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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