Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who recently celebrated his 100th birthday, spoke with the Israel newspaper Maariv and expressed his apprehension regarding the developing negotiations between his country's government and Saudi Arabia.
The statesman sees the results of the negotiations between the Saudis and Israel as positive, but he is not calm about the concessions that are being offered, and he thinks they are very far-reaching.
He also discussed the domestic situation in Israel and the controversy surrounding the judicial reform. According to him, both sides lacked leadership that would put an end to what he called a sort of civil war. He says he respects Netanyahu for his contribution to Israel's security, but he doesn't wish to judge his conduct in internal matters.
He added that he is very worried about the conflict in Israel that is leading to disturbing and dangerous confrontations.
Kissinger also discussed the Yom Kippur War, which broke out 50 years ago, and explained why the war was unpreventable. According to him, it would have been possible to prevent the war if Israel had retreated to the pre-1967 borders, which he says would have been impossible because it would have left the Tel Aviv-Haifa highway open to attacks. He adds that all of the parties in Israel opposed it, and the only option would have been to force Israel to sign an agreement, to which he was opposed. He explained that even if Israel had retreated, it probably would not have prevented a war since Egyptian President Anwar Sadat had already concluded that the Arab world needed a military victory to prevent a feeling of failure.