Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that if he wins the election in March, he will launch a direct flight from Tel Aviv to Mecca. Netanyahu said in an interview with a news channel, “I will launch a direct flight from you to Tel Aviv to Mecca.” He also described the relationship between Israel and Saudi Arabia as normal. In such a situation a controversy has arisen across the country with his statement.
During the tenure of former US President Donald Trump, there were rumors that relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel would be realized under the Abraham Accord. Under this, Israel will normalize relations with four Arab countries. However, even after all this, relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel have not been normalized. But Riyadh had allowed Israel to fly above its land.
Netanyahu and the Saudi Crown Prince met last year
There are no diplomatic relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, according to the Times of Israel, but in recent years secret relations have definitely strengthened, as the two countries have faced a common threat from Iran. Netanyahu flew to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia in November. This was the first publicly reported meeting between the two leaders. This indicated the normalization of the relationship between the two countries. Saudi officials said the Jewish state should be recognized by the peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians.
Defended giving the vaccine to Palestine
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has also announced that no more lockdowns will be implemented in the country. Netanyahu’s decision has come at a time when the country’s vaccination campaign is being discussed all over the world. Half of Israel’s population has been vaccinated so far. Netanyahu has also defended himself in the country regarding the vaccine given to the people of Palestine. They said we are an epidemiological unit. We have done very few vaccine transfers. This is an important step that a responsible government takes.