2023-06-17 13:12:42
US officials suggested that a normalization agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel be reached by the end of this year, and described a recent conversation between US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “turn” in the White House’s efforts to bring Israel and Saudi Arabia closer.
A newspaper report gaveThe New York TimesWe shed light on the details of the efforts made by the administration of US President Joe Biden to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, and the demands that both sides put on the table in order to pass this agreement.
The newspaper says that immediately after he finished a visit to Saudi Arabia last month, during which he met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, he spoke for 40 minutes with Netanyahu.
She adds that the American official briefed the Israeli leader on the important demands that were put forward to normalize Saudi diplomatic relations with Israel.
Two US officials, who asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter, described the conversation as a “turning point” in the Biden administration’s long-term efforts to broker a historic diplomatic deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
The newspaper added that the White House, which has been somewhat away from this file for more than two years, decided to enter the bet and pay some of its papers.
The newspaper shows that “the United States is now in the midst of complex negotiations between three leaders who have their own reasons for striking a deal, but make demands that may be a little expensive, and they simply do not like or trust each other.”
The paper quotes several senior US officials as saying the chances of a deal could be less than 50 percent.
However, the newspaper indicates that the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel will be one of the most dramatic events in the Middle East, and could reap benefits for the leaders of the two countries as well as for President Joe Biden, who is preparing for the presidential elections next year.
For Netanyahu, Saudi Arabia’s recognition of Israel would be a major political victory for the leader whose far-right coalition government faces fierce domestic opposition, according to the newspaper.
For his part, Mohammed bin Salman seeks to strengthen security relations with the United States and obtain more weapons, as well as obtaining Washington’s approval for the kingdom to enrich uranium as part of a civilian nuclear program, something that Washington has long resisted.
On the other hand, the newspaper shows that Biden realizes that the rapprochement with Saudi Arabia carries with it political risks, given that he pledged earlier to make the Kingdom a “pariah” state.
Nevertheless, the newspaper stresses that success in reaching a diplomatic agreement in the Middle East may be of great benefit to Biden ahead of the presidential elections scheduled for next year.
She adds that US officials also see a strategic importance in strengthening relations with Saudi Arabia as a way to prevent Riyadh from becoming more attracted to China.
The newspaper quotes US officials as saying that they believe that these factors created a time window, perhaps before next year, to reach a possible agreement.
The newspaper showed that the Biden administration has accelerated in recent weeks its moves aimed at bringing Saudi Arabia and Israel closer by making visits to senior officials to meet Mohammed bin Salman and Netanyahu.
US officials said that Brett McGurk, President Biden’s chief adviser in the Middle East, made an unannounced visit to Riyadh this week to continue negotiations, without providing further details.
The Saudi embassy in Washington did not respond to the newspaper’s request for comment, while a representative of the National Security Council said that the Biden administration’s policy in the Middle East “includes efforts to expand and strengthen the Abraham Accords, as well as efforts to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.”
Saudi Arabia does not recognize Israel, nor did it join the Abraham Treaty, according to which Israel’s relations with the UAE and Bahrain were normalized in the summer of 2020 with American mediation.
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