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Israel is “closer than ever” to normalization with Saudi Arabia, Israel’s newly appointed ambassador to the US revealed in an exclusive interview with The Jerusalem Post.
The development will be a “game changer for the region and beyond,” Yechiel Leiter predicted.
Leiter, who officially began his role on Friday, described normalization with Riyadh as part of a broader strategic realignment in the Middle East following the decline of Hamas, Hezbollah, and other Iranian proxies. “We’re closer to Saudi Arabia because we’ve degraded Hamas,” he said. “The fall of [Syrian leader Bashar al-]Assad and the weakening of Iran’s influence have brought us to a moment of opportunity.” The ambassador linked the potential agreement to Israel’s recent military successes. “There are few countries in the world, aside from Israel, that want to see Hamas degraded more than Saudi Arabia,” Leiter explained. “Wherever the Muslim Brotherhood is compromised, moderation can rise. We’ve seen this in Egypt, Sudan, and Turkey. Saudi Arabia recognizes that defeating these elements is crucial to its own modernization.” Leiter, 65, was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and moved to Israel in 1978 at 18. A combat medic who served during the 1982 Lebanon War, Leiter is a historian, philosopher, and an ordained rabbi with a PhD in political philosophy from the University of Haifa, where he explored the influence of the Hebrew Bible on John Locke’s theory of consensual government.Momentum for normalization
‘No grace period’
The interview, conducted via Zoom, revealed the intensity of Leiter’s first days on the job. Interruptions were frequent as the Prime Minister’s Office urgently sought his input. While Leiter couldn’t disclose the content of these conversations, minutes after the interview concluded, the White House announced an extension of the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“There’s no grace period,” Leiter said afterwards. “The release of hostages, the end of the ceasefire with Lebanon, new US executive orders – there’s no night or day. It’s literally a 24/7 connection.” His first official day was marked by a visit to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, joined by the entire embassy staff in honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day. “It was symbolic, but also grounding,” Leiter shared, noting that it served as a reminder of the responsibility Israel’s diplomats carry on the world stage. He described stepping into the ambassadorship as both a professional and deeply personal decision. Having lost his son, Maj. (res.) Moshe Yedidia Leiter, during the Iron Swords war in 2023, the role represents a commitment to Israel’s future. “You have to make a decision almost daily to get up and move forward,” he said. “Taking on a position like this leaves no room for hesitation. It’s a 24/7 commitment.”
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