Michael Oren: Foreign Policy & US-Israel Relationship | SALT Talks #140

Michael Oren is a former member of the Knesset, a former deputy minister in the Israel prime minister's office and was Israel's ambassador to the United States (2009-2013). The US-Israel relationship is the most special among all of the United States' allies. This is due to three pillars: democratic values, defense, and the spiritual connection. The recent Abraham Accords represent a major breakthrough in the Middle East peace process and overturned conventional wisdom. It was thought peace between Israel and Palestine needed to occur before any normalization with the broader Arab world took place. Now, Israel has agreements with countries like the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco. "These Arab countries remain committed to a resolution of the Palestinian problem, but they weren't going to wait anymore." Formal normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia is one of the biggest goals in the peace process. Saudi Arabia holds significant influence in the Arab world as custodians of Mecca and Medina. Israel and Saudi Arabia share strategic interests in their desire to act as checks against Iran. ————————————————————————— To learn more about this episode, including podcast transcripts and show notes, visit salt.org/talks Moderated by Anthony Scaramucci.