Fred Fleitz to Newsmax: ‘No Deal’ Between Saudis, Israel

By Sandy Fitzgerald, NEWSMAX    |   Sunday, 13 August 2023 

The Biden administration is trying to “claim credit for something that is years away from being implemented” with its talk about a deal to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, former National Security Council Chief of Staff Fred Fleitz told Newsmax on Sunday.

“There is no deal,” Fleitz, the vice chair of the America First Policy Institute Center for American Security and a Newsmax contributor, commented on “Wake Up America,” adding that if a deal ever would be reached, that would mean Saudi Arabia would have to cut ties with China, and Israel would have to make peace with the Palestinians.

“We would have to give a defense pact with the Saudis and also help the Saudis to develop nuclear reactors and uranium enrichment,” Fleitz added. “These are all extremely difficult things to resolve.”

Further, he said that the Palestinians will reject any peace agreement with Israel, as “they reject every peace offer ever offered by Israel.”<

Fleitz, though, said he hopes the Biden administration is able to reach the agreement between Israel and the Saudis, and thinks “they are desperate for foreign policy achievements, so they’re claiming credit for something that is notional at this point and is years away at best for being implemented.”

But, he noted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has visited Saudi Arabia, “which was huge,” but at the same time, “the Saudis just want the Israelis to make an offer” to the Palestinians.

“Maybe the Saudis realize this is impossible and will move beyond that,” Fleitz said, “But for now, it appears that this is a condition of the agreement.”

Meanwhile, retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer, also appearing on the show, spoke out about the deal reached with Iran to free five Iranian Americans from prison in exchange for billions of dollars frozen in South Korea, saying the $6 billion “raises the price on every American’s head as a potential hostage.”

“They saw this with the Russians with Brittney Griner, who was taken and gotten back because they wanted something back in return,” said Shaffer. “The issue of that $6 billion will permeate the entire sphere of those working against us. Iranians have never stepped away from their nuclear program. They outsourced it. Some of that $6 billion is going to go to a place called North Korea.”

North Korea, he added, has “continued to develop nuclear weapons and delivery systems on behalf of the Iranians so that they’re technically not violating the joint agreed-upon framework.”