Netanyahu hints at Saudi Arabia visit in Likud meeting
The Likud leader also said he is going to campaign for Israeli Arabs' votes.
By LAHAV HARKOVPRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu attends a weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem in May.(photo credit: RONEN ZVULUN/REUTERS)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made an apparent reference to his visit to Saudi Arabia in a closed Likud meeting Saturday night, in what is his first known confirmation of the trip.Netanyahu met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) in the Saudi city of Neom last month. Israeli sources confirmed the visit, but no public statements have been made. The Saudi Foreign Ministry denied reported details of the meeting, but not that Netanyahu and MBS met.Asked in a Likud secretariat meeting whether Israel plans to normalize ties with the Kurdish autonomous zone in Iraq, Netanyahu responded: "I recently visited other Arab states, and just like I couldn't tell [in advance] about the Emirates, I cannot say now."Other than the trip to Saudi Arabia, no other recent trips by Netanyahu to Arab states have been made public. The prime minister hoped to visit the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain after they made peace with Israel in 2020, but has not done so yet.The Likud secretariat met via video conference on Saturday night to vote on the Likud Constitution Committee’s vote to cancel the party’s primary ahead of the March Knesset election and allow Netanyahu to appoint candidates to slots 5 or 10, plus 26, 28, 36, 39 and 40 on the list.Netanyahu explained that he is in favor of primaries in the party, generally, and that he was one of those who led to the party to institute them in the first place, but said that there is no practical possibility to hold them this time, likely a reference to coronavirus restrictions.The Likud leader also said he is going to campaign for Israeli Arabs' votes."I believe in [Likud ideological forebear Ze'ev] Jabotinsky's view that all citizens in Israel must have equal rights," Netanyahu said. "We are asking Arab citizens, vote for us this time."The prime minister added that he and Public Security Minister Amir Ohana will meet on Sunday to work on a plan to reduce crime among Israeli Arabs.Joint List MK Aida Touma-Sliman wrote on Twitter: "Now you remember to sit with Ohana to build a plan against crime in our population? For 10 years the blood of our sons didn't interest you, but our votes in the election cause you to brazenly lie."Yamina MK Ayelet Shaked also said that she saw "potential that members of the Arab population will vote for us this time," in a video conference with party activists.
