The Prime Minister's Office says the ongoing campaign against Iran has created an opportunity to expand the Abraham Accords, according to a Channel 14 report. Separately, Minister Avi Dichter stated that it is 'not good for Israel' for Saudi Arabia to have a civilian nuclear program and that Israel is working to minimize the damage.
Minister Avi Dichter said Thursday evening that a Saudi civilian nuclear program is "not good for Israel," adding that the government is working to "minimize the damage." The statement, reported by Channel 14, marks a noteworthy counterpoint within the coalition to the dominant narrative from the Prime Minister's Office and Prime Minister Netanyahu earlier in the day — which framed the joint US-Israel campaign against Iran as a historic opportunity to bring Saudi Arabia into the Abraham Accords.
At 16:15 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported a rapid succession of statements from the PMO — starting with a general welcome of President Trump's remarks on Saudi Arabia, then adding the slogan "peace from strength" and labeling Iran a "genocide regime." By the fifth version, Netanyahu himself released a statement saying the campaign had "crushed the Iranian terror axis." All these reports originated with Channel 14. Separately, at 12:36 Jerusalem, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saudi Arabia was seeking a "peaceful, civil nuclear programme."
As The Zioneer reported earlier this week, opposition MKs Avigdor Liberman (Wed 09:18 Jerusalem) and Yair Golan (Wed 17:05 Jerusalem) had already warned against a Saudi civilian nuclear capability — Liberman calling it a certain path to nuclear weapons and a "crazy arms race" in the region, Golan criticizing the government for prioritizing a nuclear deal with Riyadh while failing to advance diplomatic moves on other fronts. Dichter's remarks now amplify that same concern from inside the coalition.
The exact time and venue of Dichter's statement were not specified. While the PMO continues to promote the "peace through strength" line, the minister's remarks underscore unresolved tensions over the terms of any future Saudi-Israeli normalization — particularly regarding the civilian nuclear component. The extent of US-Israeli coordination on this issue also remains unclear.
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