Saudi Arabia may accept a non-binding commitment from Israel to establish a Palestinian state as it moves forward with a defense deal with the United States in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election.
Through US-led diplomacy, Saudi Arabia was moving towards normalization of diplomatic relations with Israel and recognition for the first time. However, those efforts were shelved in October after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 and the Israeli counterattack that enraged the Arab world.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman speaks with U.S. President Joe Biden at the Jeddah Security and Development Summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, July 16, 2022. (Bandar Algaloud/Provided by Saudi Royal Court/Handout via Reuters)
Still, Saudi Arabia is increasingly keen to strengthen its security and fend off threats from rival Iran, as it moves forward with ambitious plans to transform its economy and attract huge foreign investment. two local sources said.
Riyadh’s diplomatic push comes amid growing concerns about Iran’s military reach, which has proxy locations in Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria and Gaza.
In an effort to create some leeway in negotiations to recognize Israel and get the U.S. deal back on track, Saudi officials told the U.S. that Riyadh has no intention of asking Israel to take concrete steps toward establishing a Palestinian state. In exchange, he said he would accept a political commitment to establish a Palestinian state. Two senior regional sources told Reuters it was a two-state solution.
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Although such a large-scale regional agreement was widely seen as a long-term goal even before the Israel-Hamas war, there remain many political and diplomatic obstacles, particularly uncertainty about how the Gaza conflict will unfold. will face sexuality.
Another major obstacle to these plans is that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has outright rejected any American and Arab aspirations for a Palestinian state after the end of the Gaza war.
Leaders of Israel (left) and Saudi Arabia (right) (Getty Images)
The possibility of a deal that would give military protection to the world’s largest oil exporter in exchange for normalizing diplomatic relations with Israel comes at a time when China is expanding into the region and threatens to bring the two long-time adversaries together. It would reshape the Middle East region by uniting and holding Riyadh to Washington.
The normalization deal would also strengthen Israel’s defenses against arch-rival Iran and give US President Joe Biden a diplomatic victory to brag about ahead of the November 5 presidential election.
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Saudi officials have privately urged Washington to put pressure on Israel to end the war in Gaza and commit to a “political horizon” for a Palestinian state, which would encourage Riyadh to normalize relations. , said it would help finance Gaza’s reconstruction, one regional source said.
Reuters contributed to this report.
