Biden Administration Needs to Rethink its Public Strategy on Saudi Deal

The Biden administration has made three mistakes relating to the ongoing negotiations with Saudi diplomats. The first mistake was to presume that Saudi diplomats’ demands for major Israeli concessions to the Palestinian Authority accurately reflect the personal attitude of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The second mistake was to raise expectations among progressives in Congress for major Israeli concessions to the PA. The third mistake was to not seek bipartisan support in Congress for the deal. It is certainly not too late to rethink and do right. What Israel can and should do is to engage in a massive effort to cut red tape in Judea and Samaria to in the words of MBS ”ease the lives of the Palestinians”. Palestinians are suffocating under the inhumane bureaucracy of the Civil administration. Furthermore, the treaty should include a section on environmental and archaeological protection in Judea and Samaria as mutual respect is a foundation for peace.