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US plays down speculation over possible deal on Saudi-Israel normalization

Thursday, 10 August 2023 6:47 AM [ Last Update: Thursday, 10 August 2023 7:00 AM ]

US President Joe Biden (L) meets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at Alsalam Royal Palace in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on July 15, 2022. (File photo by the Royal Court of Saudi Arabia)

The United States has played down speculation over a possible deal to normalize ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel, saying that more discussions are needed for such an agreement to be reached.

White House spokesperson John Kirby made the remarks on Wednesday, saying the two sides have not agreed on a shared framework for negotiations yet.

“There’s still a lot of discussing to happen here,” he added.

Kirby’s remarks came shortly after the Wall Street Journal, citing US officials, reported earlier in the day that Washington and Riyadh had agreed on a general outline of an Israeli-Saudi Arabia normalization deal.

“I think... just to be blunt here, the reporting has left some people with the impression that the discussions are further along and closer to a sense of certainty than they are,” Kirby said.

Arab Israeli Normalization of ties could harm the region

American and Israeli officials have sought for months to add Saudi Arabia to the list of Arab countries that have signed the Abraham Accords; however, the KSA has made it clear it will not normalize relations with Israel until Palestinians are granted statehood.

“There is no agreed-to set of negotiations, there’s no agreed-to framework to codify normalization or any of the other security considerations that we and our friends have in the region,” he added.

However, Kirby said there is a commitment by US president Joe Biden’s administration to keep talking and trying to move things forward.

Biden declared on July 28 that a deal for Israel and Saudi Arabia to normalize relations may be on the horizon following National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan's talks with Saudi officials in Jeddah.

In order to sign a deal with Israel, Riyadh publicly asked Tel Aviv to implement the 2002 so-called Arab Peace Initiative to establish a Palestinian state first.

However, members of the far-right Israeli regime, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, say they will not make any concession to the Palestinians as part of a potential deal for normalization of relations with Saudi Arabia.

According to US officials, the Saudis are privately asking the US to guarantee the kingdom's security in the event of an attack and provide access to civilian nuclear technology, as well as more advanced US weapons systems.

Israel rules out any concession to Palestinians to secure Saudi normalization

An adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the road to normalizing with Saudi Arabia was “still long.”

Washington’s efforts for adding Saudi Arabia to the list of Arab countries that have signed the Abraham Accords come at a critical time when Biden is seeking re-election and the US government has been left embarrassed by the kingdom’s bolstering of ties with Iran and Syria, and its further gravitation toward China.

The UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco signed US-brokered normalization agreements with Israel in 2020, drawing condemnations from Palestinians who slammed the deals as “a stab in the back of the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian people.”

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