Why Is Benjamin Netanyahu Defending Mohammed bin Salman? Trump’s Deal of the Century

• Why Is Benjamin Netanyahu Defending Mohammed bin Salman?
  by Richard SILVERSTEIN, https://www.strategic-culture.org/
  The Saudi crown prince is the key Arab linchpin of the Trump-Netanyahu deal of the century and shares Netanyahu’s animosity toward both Iran and Erdogan.
  
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  For the past month, while governments and media outlet around the world sounded a drumbeat of shock and dismay over the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, all that could be heard on the subject from Israel was the sound of crickets. Israeli columnist Ben Caspit said his country’s leadership was avoiding the subject “like the plague”.
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  It appears no Israeli politician wants to say anything for fear of offending that country’s latest Arab bromantic partner, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Bin Salman, according to many analysts, would have had to have ordered the murder of a figure as prominent as Khashoggi.
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  Then on Friday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finally gave his view on the Khashoggi case, saying it had to be “dealt with” but not at the cost of the stability of Saudi Arabia and the fight against Iran.
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  MBS: the linchpin of Trump deal
  MBS, as he’s known, is the key Arab linchpin of the Trump-Netanyahu deal of the century, which is supposed to finally resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict. The details of the delayed proposal, which Trump and his Middle East appointees continue to promote, has been widely reported in various media outlets. Leaked parts of the deal, many analysts say, suggest it is highly favourable to Israeli interests and largely disregards Palestinian rights.
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  Despite the one-sided nature of the plan, MBS has dutifully attempted to sell it to the Palestinian leadership. In a command performance, in which the Saudi crown prince summoned Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to his royal palace, MBS told a reluctant Abbas that if he didn’t acquiesce, he should resign. The implication was that the Saudis would find another Palestinian leader who would agree to such a deal.
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  So far, Abbas has resisted this Saudi offer and not lost his head – or his job. Later, King Salman even reasserted the Saudi commitment to a deal which offered Palestinians a state within 1967 borders, which the new Trump plan eschewed.
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  A peace agreement that is favourable to the Israelis is something that comes along once in a lifetime. So, Netanyahu realises that stepping into the Khashoggi imbroglio is the last thing he wants to do. If there is even a slight chance the Saudi prince can come through, he doesn’t want to upset this apple cart. Caspit’s Israeli government sources lay out further argument for laying low on this subject.
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