Israeli opposition calls US-Saudi nuclear deal ‘failure’ for Netanyahu

Israeli opposition leaders on Thursday criticized a peaceful nuclear cooperation agreement signed between the US and Saudi Arabia, describing it as a “major failure” for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

The US Energy Department announced Wednesday that Washington and Riyadh had signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement.

In a statement, the department said US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman signed the agreement, commonly known as a 123 Agreement.

It said the deal represents an important step in strengthening peaceful nuclear cooperation between Washington and Riyadh and will be submitted to the US Congress for review under established procedures before entering into force.

Following the announcement, Israeli opposition leaders accused Netanyahu’s government of failing to prevent the agreement.

“This agreement is a massive diplomatic failure for our government,” former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, leader of the opposition Together party, told Israel’s public broadcaster KAN.

“The agreement was reached without our knowledge, and we are being excluded because we are not an active party in the negotiations between the United States and Iran,” he added.

Former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the opposition Yisrael Beiteinu party, also described the agreement as a “major and catastrophic failure” for Netanyahu, saying the prime minister had long highlighted his command of English and familiarity with the US administration.

“The agreement pushes the entire Middle East into a nuclear arms race,” Lieberman told Israel’s 103 FM radio.

He said allowing uranium enrichment on Saudi territory without normalization between Riyadh and Israel represented an “accumulated failure” by the Israeli government.

“Agreement for Saudi Nuclear Program - Total Failure of Netanyahu,” Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid wrote on the US social media platform X.

Israel is the US’ main regional ally and the only country in the Middle East believed to possess nuclear weapons, although it has never officially acknowledged having them. Its nuclear facilities are not subject to oversight by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The agreement comes as US media reports have revealed additional details about the framework of nuclear cooperation between Washington and Riyadh.

The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that US President Donald Trump had approved a 30-year civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia worth billions of dollars.

The newspaper said the agreement gives US companies a central role in developing Saudi Arabia’s civilian nuclear program while excluding foreign competitors.

It includes the construction of nuclear reactors using technology from US company Westinghouse, including the AP1000 reactor, which can generate around 1,100 megawatts of electricity.

The agreement also includes a two-year joint US-Saudi study to assess the commercial feasibility of uranium enrichment inside the kingdom.

Under the deal, Saudi Arabia would commit not to seek another partner for 10 years if the US objects.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the Trump administration plans to submit the agreement to Congress in the coming days. Blocking it would require legislation supported by a two-thirds majority in both chambers to override a presidential veto.

Once submitted to Congress, the agreement will enter a review period of around 90 continuous session days, during which lawmakers can raise objections. If no objections are made, it will enter into force.