US President Donald Trump's approval of a civil nuclear energy cooperation agreement signed with Saudi Arabia has sparked deep concern in Israel. Israeli officials believe this move is a sign that their political influence in Washington is weakening.
According to a report by Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth citing senior Israeli sources, the US administration's failure to condition the deal on Riyadh initiating a normalization process with Israel was met with unease in Tel Aviv. This is interpreted as Israel losing one of its leverage tools over Saudi Arabia and its influence in Washington diminishing.
Former Israeli diplomat Jeremy Issacharoff described the deal as "extremely dangerous." Issacharoff stated that this development reveals Israel's weakening ability to influence US policies on critical national security issues.
Yaakov Nagel, former acting head of Israel's National Security Council, said that allowing Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium on its own soil would be a major mistake.
Israeli officials categorize Washington's move alongside other "worrying" developments, such as the potential sale of F-35s to Turkey.
According to earlier reports in US media, the deal approved by President Trump encompasses a 30-year plan to develop civil nuclear infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.