A U.S.-Saudi agreement announced on Wednesday that would allow Saudi Arabia to construct nuclear reactors using American technology and to enrich uranium has provoked sharp concern in Israel about the potential start of an arms race across the Middle East.
The arrangement is framed as enabling a Saudi civilian nuclear programme, but it still requires approval from the U.S. Congress before it can proceed. Israeli leaders and former officials have responded with alarm, arguing the deal could jeopardize Israel's long-term security.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel's defence and foreign ministers have not issued public statements on the agreement so far, leaving room for prominent critics to voice their objections.
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who is seeking to unseat Netanyahu in an October 27 election, called the emerging nuclear agreement "a serious strategic failure that endangers our security." He warned that "nuclear enrichment on Saudi soil could lead to a regional nuclear race and a dangerous loss of control."
Former defence minister Avigdor Lieberman expressed similarly strong views, stating that "the civilian nuclear program in Saudi Arabia will end in nuclear weapons and will lead to a crazy arms race throughout the entire Middle East." He added that Israel, widely believed to possess the region's only nuclear arsenal, must oppose the deal and actively lobby the U.S. Congress to block it.
Officials and commentators note that negotiations over a civil nuclear arrangement between Washington and Riyadh have been under consideration for several years, spanning both President Donald Trump's first administration and that of former President Joe Biden. Despite that prior engagement, no pact had been finalized until now, in part because nonproliferation groups have warned the arrangement could offer Saudi Arabia a route toward developing a nuclear weapon.
Many in Israel had hoped any civil nuclear cooperation with Saudi Arabia would be tied to a broader normalization process between the two countries, as envisioned by the Biden administration's plan. That linkage, they argue, would provide a framework for integrating any Saudi civilian nuclear capability into a wider, more stabilizing regional arrangement.
Echoing that perspective, Benny Gantz, a former defence chief, said: "There is no security official who would say that introducing civilian nuclear capability into Saudi Arabia without integrating the move as part of building a moderate regional alliance is a step that is good for Israel’s security."
The deal's supporters describe it as focused on peaceful energy development, while opponents in Israel point to potential long-term security consequences and the risk of a proliferation pathway. With Congressional approval still required and senior Israeli officials remaining silent, political debate and diplomatic lobbying appear likely to intensify.