Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert stated that Israel cannot ignore the Palestinian Arabs as it pursues peace with other Arab states.
At the International Conference on Strategic Leadership between Israel, Australia and Britain, which opened today, at the initiative of Jewish philanthropist and businessman Albert Dadon, Olmert addressed the recent Abraham Accords, the normalization agreements Israel signed with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Sudan.
"The Abraham Accords did not release us from our responsibility to the Palestinians. Israel needs to take a big step forward, we can afford to withdraw from the territories," Olmert claimed.
"Netanyahu never wanted to make a compromise that would lead to a fruitful and meaningful dialogue with the Palestinians. I think Saudi Arabia supports the development [of relations with Israel] but cannot take action unless there is progress on the Palestinian issue. Saudi Arabia is a potential partner for peace with Israel," he added.
Addressing US President-elect's stated intention to return to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, Olmert said that “Iran is a serious threat, it needs to be dealt with firmly. I hope the Biden administration does that. That should be the primary responsibility of America."